FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

On Monday I was talking with Rick's friend to organize a visit schedule, so that he has always one visitor and not two, as long as he has to stay in bed because of his bad state due to the Corona infection he had despite the three vaccines. Suddenly the telephone was dead. I called her on the mobile just to say good bye. When  I wanted to switch on the TV it didn't work either, Internet was gone. I tried to get internet back but nothing worked. Our internet provider didn't even answer the phone anymore and a female voice told me that works are going on in our part of the city and it would end at 9 pm !! The whole day without internet what should I do ? My heart sank. And then suddenly I had an idea, I went to the Carrefour Supermarkt, to the hairdresser ! The hairdresser was busy, so I did some shopping and returned home. Of course still no Internet.

So I took the opportunity to start looking into Rick's computer. First all the USB sticks, there was a lot he had saved from me so I could free 2 sticks. On one I found a cute photo of little Rick on the canon which is standing in his home town, a left over from the 1st WW, but now a welcome thing to play with

I couldn't make it better, it is a 76 year old picture ! There were other old pictures with friends I didn't know or did not recognize and then a picture of my parents and us after the civil wedding.

Suddenly the TV went on and I looked on my watch it was 6.30 pm and internet was back ! I hadn't realized that it was so late already. But better for me because I had "Our World" to do. At 9 pm I am tired.

Before I went visiting Rick, I had to buy some cleaning products and his home is close to the shop where I had to go. They had had a lot of Christmas decoration but that day very little was left. So I bought a big Father Christmas for Rick's room which sits now in the armchair and keeps him company. Of course I forgot to take a picture ! But he seemed happy with his Father Christmas. 

Inside the retirement home was this beautiful Christmas tree and the whole first floor was decorated

Later a nurse took a picture of the residents under the tree, and they all had a lot of fun. I dragged Rick downstairs, with me on one side and his stick on the other we managed slowly slowly to join the others, now I have asked for a walker, the stick is not enough, he looses balance very quickly. It was nice to see him with the others and he even managed a smile. 

Rosie's claws were long and as I don't dare to cut them, I went with her to my trimmer friend, who is the hairdresser for cats and dogs. Rosie sang I don't know what, maybe Christmas songs the whole way long, but then stopped when she was out of the car in her carrier and in 5 minutes her pedicure was done ! We both women chatted a bit and then I drove a less singing Rosie home. 

 

I still have not done any Christmas decoration but then I found on YouTube one and a half hour of Christmas songs with this nice picture, and while I was typing Rosie admired the tree.

Last year I found a masked Father Christmas and bought it immediately ! I thought this will be a special one from the first worldwide pandemia where we all lived in complete lockdown. Never ever I had imagined that one year later we are still with our Virus, and the masks ! And now I should buy one for 2021 !

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

HODGEPODGE DECEMBER 9

1. 'Tis the season to be jolly....so are you? 

No I am not jolly at all, it's rather the opposite ! How can I be enjoying the season when my husband is so sick and without any hope to get better, I don't even know where and if we can celebrate Christmas. 

2. Do you trim a tree this time of year, and if so is yours all done? What's something in your home-closet-life that needs to be trimmed in the new year? 

Trim a tree ? Never done ! We buy it in a specialized shop or in a garden cente. But when we had four cats a real tree was too attractive to them to climb inside and play with the balls. We bought a big fake tree and witht he decoration nobody sees that it is a fake ! 

3. Are you 'dreaming of a white Christmas'? Is that a possibility where you'll be celebrating? According to this site the top ten places in the US you can count on for a white Christmas are- North Pole Alaska, Crater Lake Oregon, Yellowstone National Park, Winthrop Washington, Aspen Colorado, Ketchum Idaho, Mt. Washington New Hampshire, Whitefish Montana, Duluth Minnesota, and the Lake Tahoe town of Truckee California Of the snowy spots listed which would you most like to visit? 

None !  Too far for me we have excellent snowy spots here in Europe too, in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and of course the Northern countries too ! Anyway I don't like snow only on pictures and we never liked winter sports either ! I love warm and sunny countries ! We went once to Italy for "Snow" holidays, but it was really not our cup of tea ! We prefer Italy in summer. We have been visiting the States you mention in summer except North Pole Alaska, Crater Lake Oregon and Ketchum Idaho.

4. December 8th is National Brownie Day...will you be celebrating? How do you like your brownies-chewy or cake-like, frosted or plain, nuts or no nuts, a piece from the middle or give me the corner? As a child were you a member of a brownie troop? 

I was already an adult when I ate my first Brownie in the UK. The classical one, or with chocolate but I don't know a brownie troop. I eat Brownies the whole  year. 

5. Share a favorite line or two from a Christmas carol or holiday tune. 

My whole childhood I had to listen to "silent night" because in Germany Christmas is rather sober and serious, so when I learned the English way to celebrate Christmas I changed completely and my favorite Christmas song is "Rocking around the Christmas Tree"  

 

 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

At the moment I prefer to bury my head in the sand and try not to think about anything.  

 

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Since a week the weatherman announces us "SNOW" so far we had three snowflakes these pictures are from a year we had snow. The last two years nothing in Brussels.

more participants here, and Image-in-ing

SHARM EL SHEIK - RED SEA EGYPT

I have been to Sharm el Sheikh three times. It is a beautiful town with an old city center and a paradise for divers. It was the "Miami" of Egypt and many English and Americans were the majority of tourists. But then it was attacked several times by terrorists and planes also shot down. Of course, no airline did fly anymore to Sharm el Sheik. An economical drama for the locals who mostly live from the tourism.

Today there are flights again and mostly divers go back to their paradise. 

 

 

The hotels are all very luxurious, even a 3*

This was our hotel

 

and the beach

The way to the beach always clean 

View from our room

Beautiful sunsets

 

I try to smoke a water pipe, didn't manage, the smoke always came out of my mouth instead of my nose !

Very elegant shopping streets

The old market where you find almost everything !

very good and healthy food 

guaranteed organic !!!

Rocks in the desert

The red sea

but unfortunately I could also see warships which are supposed to protect the Egyptian border. Israel is not very farbut unfortunately also warships that are supposed to protect Egypt. Israel and Palestine is not very far.

 

 

more participants here

AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND DECEMBER 14

  

 

 

Linking to AWWWW MONDAY

 

 

WEEKEND 

Saturday was a real bad day ! When I woke up I thought it was my last hour ! I felt dizzy and my head turned. Maria came and saw immediately that something was wrong. While she cleaned the living room I lay a bit down and then I called my son. 

I thought it would be more careful to tell him that I was feeling sick and not at all in my shoes, and that he has to decide if he still wants to come. And he came with Toby. He had done the shopping for me and then took with him the clean laundry for his dad. It seemed to me that Toby had again grown, he is now 11 and has enormous feet. I put my foot against his and it was nearly half a length more ! I have size 38 which is quite small for a tall woman like me but he must at least have 40 ! (which is in US size would be 8 and 9.5 ) !! Then they went to Rick. 

While they were away I fell asleep and when I woke up it was nearly 3 h later, the News were long gone and there was a Christmas movie playing ! By the time it's Christmas, I will have an overdose of Christmas songs and movies ! There is nothing else on program ! Even in crime stories there is a Father Christmas !

 

 Outside it rained and was grey, exactly fitting to my mood.  

Sunday morning I woke up still dizzy and found my way to the kitchen like a drunken sailor. After two cups of coffee and two wafels I felt better. Not the top but not like yesterday either. Adeline came over to check on me and we were sitting in our bathrobes and had a cup of coffee. 

I had washed the laundry and thought I am well enough to bring it to Rick. He had a bad day, he gets up all the time and has fallen twice he should use a walker or a wheel chair but he doesn't want to and is very stubborn. I got angry and told him he will break his neck if he continues like that and at this moment a nurse came and told him that if he doesn't stop to walk around without any help he has to stay in bed again with a protection. I came home and was down again. 

I called my oldest friend here in Belgium I know her since 1968. Her husband who had been a collegue of mine years ago, has liver cancer but with metastases everywhere and is inoperable.  So we are sitting in the same boat more or less and could comfort each other. 

Life became more difficult for a lot of people because the Covid statistics have raised a lot and places in hospital's intensive care shrink from day to day. Lots of Christmas markets have been closed and theaters, shows or even cinemas because a maximum of 200 people are allowed where is room for 4000 ! And masks are obligatory from 6 years on ! Which has caused a lot of jokes and laughter !

Rosie as inside cat, doesn't need a mask !

SUNDAY SELECTIONS

 Ham and smoked saussages

 Freshly baked hot Brussels "Wafels" 

Cooked snails in garlic sauce

Fresh bread and cakes

 Roasted chestnuts

 Food stands you find on Sunday markets, here it is in my hometown Waterloo, in winter ! 

Linking to SUNDAY SELECTION