FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

I couldn't even tell what I have done this week ! I had such a nice Christmas weekend so that on Monday I didn't even go out, it was very humid and grey and cold a real depressing weather. 

The ideal excuse to stay home and do nothing ! Finally I thought I could put my clothes away, which I did. That was enough. I sat down at my computer and looked at the Christmas pictures. I made an album for 2021 and was happy that at least this Christmas was saved even if Rick couldn't be with us on Christmas Eve. Last Christmas my son and family  couldn't get together there was the lockdown. We tried to unwrap the gifts together with the help of video, but Zoom didn't work and Whatsapp on the mini screen was disappointing so we gave up and only wished a merry Christmas. This was the last and first Christmas Eve, Rick and I spent alone together ! Never thought what an awful year would follow !

and that the whole year 2021 we were still wearing masks, Father Christmas included, he hang again at our mini Christmas tree !

Then I looked for pictures for the whole week" memes since I only go out to shop or to visit Rick. My neighbor Adeline came often  around 4 or I went to her for a coffee and rant about the Covid.

The Belgian government had  actually closed the entire cultural sector on Friday. No theater, no cinema, no festivals, no circus, concerts, etc. This time it was a step too far. People had enough.  It was a complete nonsense as the new Virus hadn't arrived yet and the statistics got better and better. 

That's what everybody thought !

You could ride in fully packed buses, trams and trains, but you could not go to the cinema. 

What happened ? Something which has never happened before. The whole cultural sector banded together and refused to close. The mayors of the different municipalities in Brussels and the cities said nothing and did not give the police any instructions to intervene if a cinema or theater was open. 

Of course, more people than usual went to the movies, theatres fun parks etc. The government stood there powerless and each minister blamed the other that they had taken such a senseless decision  ! the scientifics were not at all for the closure! 

On Saturday morning the government got together and explained that it was a misunderstanding, but then had to admit that they were wrong and were now afraid that they would no longer be elected! The whole crisis is used for politics and not just for the health of the people! Of course the whole population was happy !

The rest of the week I spent the same way and I even found a picture of Toby's very first Christmas he realized (he was born mid November) 

and 11 years later

All I can say to resume the year 2021 it was the most horrible I ever had in my whole  life. 

******

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

 Christmas

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FASHION GALLERY WATERLOO

Every year the "New" Gallery in Waterloo was beautifully decorated for Christmas. These photos are 9 years old. Every year the decoration got less and of course with the Corona lockdowns they disappeared even more. 

This year the gallery looked so sad that I didn't take any pictures, many shops were closed, they hadn't survived the crisis. So fewer and fewer people go to the gallery. Hopefully next year it will be better 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

 

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AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND DECEMBER 25

 

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WEEKEND  

This weekend was the first Christmas, a little bitter sweet, because Nonno Rick was missing at Christmas Eve.

I had tried my best to make the living christmassy, although I didn't have a big Christmas tree we used to have.

 

That's the Christmas tree, small but cute and the gifts fitted parfecly under the "tree"

and here we are the 3 generations

Nonna and Toby (Nonna means grandma in Italian)

My son and family

Toby shows one of his various gifts, mostly clothes, he is growing so fast, he is now 11

The traditional "Buche de Noël" which my son had bought as dessert

On Christmas day, we went to Rick's retirement home, where a nice table was dressed for us and other residents with their relatives

Rick was in quite a good mood, at least he really tried ! He even had a glass of Champagne, which was certainly not good for him, but after all it was Christmas. My DIL took the pictures of the four of us.

 

After the Champagne the menu was served with red or white wine, As first starter a deer paté, and a veggi mousse for my DIL.  The second starter was lobster soup (Bisque d'homard) then a piece of roasted turkey with grilled witloof and little potatoes. I forgot to take a picture !

The dessert was delicious it was a "Merveilleux" didn't find a translation !

Miss Rosie watched the whole Christmas ceremony from her basket and didn't even ask for a little treat from our menu ! 

I had never thought last year that we would be still masked and our life restricted. I had bought this Father Christmas as souvenir of a bad moment in our life, I never believed that this situation would last so long ! 

This masked Father Christmas will be a precious antique (at least I hope so) in a few years !!

SUNDAY SELECTION

 Opening one of a lot of gifts ! Grandson Toby is happy

 

 

Linking to SUNDAY SELECTION