FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

Actually, I didn't want to do anything and rest from the weekend, but if I didn't want to starve to death I had to fill the fridge. Which I then did in the afternoon. Now I have my ready-made meals for at least 2 weeks. There is so much choice in this shop, so that I can eat every day a dish from another country. 

That was the first day of the week. 

The next day was Scrabble and for the first time in a long time I won. We drove home a bit earlier, I don't see well when it's dark and I can't find my glasses with which are made especially for the night, like sunglasses for the sun ! So I am not dazzled by the headlights.

With two friends we wanted to visit Mr G, and arrived in the middle of Halloween festivities of the Home ! There were a lot of witches and soft sweets and biscuits The entertainer a young woman read horror stories to the oldies and one lady told her not to complain if all residence screem for help because they all make nightmares.

It was really very nice to see that everybody had a lot of fun except two who slept peacefully without nightmares,  but soft snoring ! I was a bit surprised Halloween was never very much celebrated or not known at all, but times change ! For many of them it was the first time !

Unfortunately Mr. G. didn't feel well and preferred to sleep and stay in his room. I just brought him his laundry and water bottles and then  let him sleep.

This week we didn't go to a restaurant, because we were all not well and one has gone to France to visit her mother who is in a home. She is one of those people who absolutely do not want to be vaccinated. So she has to do a PCR (?) Test to get over the border, cannot go to a restaurant or hotel and has to do a second test to see her mother. 

At the beginning we laughed, but now we find it childish and nobody can really understand her. One day she will probably be vaccinated after all. More and more there is a discussion about making vaccination mandatory. 

Somehow the shadow of the coronavirus still hangs over everything. From November 1st we have to show our "safety ticket" if we want to go in a restaurant, cinema etc. like they do already in France. 

All of this and Mr. G's health condition doesn't exactly lift my mood, luckily I can take a variety of autumn pictures out of my living room window.

 It changes every day !

The only one who is always happy is cat Rosie who sleeps the whole day and flies through the apartment during night and plays and puts rugs in other places, while I have to sleep with earplugs. But that doesn't bother me. 

 

 

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

HODGEPODGE OCTOBER 28

1. Is Halloween a big deal in your neighborhood? Was it something you celebrated as a child? With your own children? Do you like candy corn? 

As a child I lived in Germany and Halloween was completely unknown. When I  moved with my parents to Brussels I was 14 and no Halloween in view. In Belgium too nobody celebrated Halloween. 

In 2013 a lot of Americans lived in Waterloo and introduced Halloween ! The Belgian families not used at all to the Trick and Treat and costumes and decorations, didn't understand what happened and of course had no sweets ! No decoration either ! 

But then slowly the decorations became each year a bit more and now the kids got sweets too. There was even a Halloween party for the kids and the park of Waterloo. Unfortunately the city doesn't organize it anyymore since several years. 

But every year there was a little more decoration in the shops and the schools started organizing Halloween for the children. But I couldn't say whether Halloween is celebrated in other communities in Brussels. 

This had been my one and only kid (a little American) who rang at the door. I had decorated a bit, his mother had asked me if he could come. 

A few years later I always had sweets and a decoration at our door to tell kids that here Halloween was known. The neighbors followed it was a nice use and we all had fun. But then the Americans moved away, the kids became Teenagers and then adults and we never celebrated Halloween anymore. But it is a nice use from Ireland which was taken along by the Irish immigrants to the USA. Now I live in a building and have no idea if they do something for Halloween. 

2. Are you a scaredy cat? About what?  

The only thing which scares me and makes me scream is a fat spider !

3. Last time you were somewhere that should have been busy but felt like a 'ghost town'? 

That was a yearly flea market in a hal normally very interesting. Just after the Covid lockdown and rules were a bit better,  I thought it would be like the other years but it was really  ghost town or rather hal,very few participants. and nothing else everybody left ! And we were all looking for something "normal" and usually nice, but the Covid ghost was still floating through the hal.

4. Do you like chili and if so how do you like it? Beans or no beans? Meat or no meat? Beef or chicken? Spice or no spice? Favorite toppings? 

We both like chili with beans and minced beef meat and of course a bit spicy I found the spices for a good sauce in a British shop and it tastes real good.

5. Would you describe yourself as a night owl? What time of night qualifies? What are you doing while everyone else is asleep? Do you then 'sleep in'? Define 'sleeping in'.

 

That's a difficult question, I sometimes am a night owl and only go reluctantly to bed, but then there are times I go early to bed but mostly wake up at the same time. As I live alone now I get up when I want, when I was young I could sleep until 11 am or even more, now the latest "sleeping in" is 10 am, but that doesn't happen very often. Since the nearly 2 years lockdown and Mr.G's hospitalization and then his stay in the retirement home and now living alone,  I mostly go to bed between 9 and 10 and then I read, mostly blogs which are very interesting but I have no time to really read them when I have to comment. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I think my life is like a pearl necklace. All pearls look the same just like my days.

 

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 A collection of glass balls

more participants here, and Image-in-ing

PARC DES PRINCES - BRUSSELS

Brussels is a greener city than you might think. Brussels has more than 8,000 hectares of green spaces: parks, woods, forests, cemeteries, sports grounds, etc. which means half of the space ! 

This park was close to where we lived in Brussels in one of the 19 municipalities. I returned there a couple of years ago and took these pictures. As the weather is mostly rainy I don't go out to take photos and when it's nice I have no time. Therefore I have still to dig into the past years !

 

This must have been a Pub in the past "Wiel's" is a beer

 

Probably the cat of the house

 

 

 

 

more participants here

AWWW MONDAY

 

This is Cookie the parrot of the Animal Food shop. Usually he sits on his cage and whistles after each woman or girl and shouts "Hello Madame" !

More participants Here 

 

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WEEKEND

The world is really small! A lady sent me a message to ask if Mr. G still likes the little smiley figures. I was more than amazed that she knew that, because I didn't even know her from Facebook. She explained to me that she had read that on my blog, that he liked the smilies so much and so she brought me a bag full of smilies! And the tip of the top is, she lives right across from us! I didn't even know that besides my friends, people from Belgium also read my blog! I'm used to all countries and continents but not someone from across the street, whom I had never seen !

In the afternoon my neighbor and I visited Mr. G. Saturday and Sunday there are no activities and it's rather dull. That's why I thought to go there or take him home or if possible go out, but as he was it will be quite difficult, because when the head works, the legs are on strike.

The whole first floor and the lounge was decorated with fall and Halloween pictures and little pumkins were on the tables. We chatted with the others and the time went quickly by and we had to leave. Their supper is very early at 5.30 pm.

I had just arrived home and taken my shoes off when I suddenly saw blue light and an ambulance was right under my window. At first I thought that someone would be driven to the hospital, but after seeing 5 police officers 4 police cars and people standing there to look, I realized that it was an accident, the white car (with the cross and the dark one)  had probably collided and the Road was closed on one side

Apparently one driver was a bit injured, because he could sit and after more then an hour the ambulance left while the 4 policemen stayed to fill in the papers I suppose ! I returned into the living this accident lasted to long !

On Sunday I picked up Mr. G. and as he could hardly walk it took some time until I got him in the car. Fortunately he is tall but not heavy so I managed without difficulties..

I also had invited his friend Monique and also Adeline the neighbor because he really likes her she makes him laugh. At least he had company in the afternoon and was quite tired when Monique took him to the home. 

One had been very happy to see him again and settled down on his lap, that was cat Rosie. She went from him to me happy to have her family together !

She had done her duty and could now sleep in peace !

 

SUNDAY SELECTION

 

 

 Sunset views from my terrace

 

 

 

 

Linking  to Sunday selection