FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

Monday was a "historical" day at least for me ! No Masks anymore except in Hospitals and some other health institutions and no vaccination certificate either. 

I generously gave my masks to Rosie to play with, but she was not interested at all. 

I had to do some shopping for her I ran out of litter, and was surprised to still see people mostly vintage still wearing masks. Or they didn't know, or they are still afraid to catch the virus, some people are afraid of their own shadow. I enjoyed to walk around without mask !

The sun sill continued to shine I would have liked to lay on my beachbed on the terrace, but it was far too cold still only 9 or 10 °C outside. As on TV on all channels they were talking about the war in Ukraine and I had seen more then enough, I started to read my blog from the very beginning in 2006 and selected the most interesting posts to have them printed and made to a book. That will take some time but it is also a nice occupation, until I realized that I became more and more morose when I saw the both of us in the past and now today where we could have such a nice live together, but no, destiny made that he is in a home and I at home ! Some people just don't understand us, we have always been a very solid team and let each other the freedom he needed, that we didn't stick together all the time or that I travelled mostly alone, was not "normal" ! We both prefered to be not normal but we needed each other and were happy 52 years of marriage and not being bored doesn't happen often. Unfortunately the last years were very difficult.

As usual I went to  visit Rick. He wasn't in his room so I had time to tidy up a bit and found a new pair of grey slippers. When he came back I asked him from whom he had gotten the slippers, he said they didn't belong to him but to "them". Fortunately I knew that his Whistfriend had brought them and I asked him if Monica had visited him, he couldn't remember.  Finally I told him to try them on, but he didn't like them he wanted red once ! (red is his favorite color) I tried to explain him that red slippers were difficult to find and that he should wear the grey once as they were a gift  ! Reluctantly he put them on and they fitted perfectly. Then we went joining the others to listen to the "News" Each time it is a little worse to have a discussion with him. This time I had to find out what telephone I should give him instead the can of alcohol free beer ! I was exhausted when I came home. It's difficult to convince somebody who always says no, or when he doesn't find something, it was stolen.  Most of the time I find the "stolen" things hidden somewhere or in his pockets. 

Nicole called me in the morning, she had an adventurous night behind her ! She fell out of her bed, but this time she had the emercency bell on her night table. She pushed the button got a voice who asked her all kind of questions before calling her daughter. The problem was she couldn't get up again ! She waited and waited, while her daughter hadn't heard the phone as she had closed all doors in her house and had no telephone in her bedroom. Suddenly Nicole still laying in the floor saw her son standing there, lifting her up and put her on her bed. 

She asked him how he managed to get in as she has an alarm and the spare key is locked in a special box also secured. Nicole's son is a man of no hesitations, he picked up the next stone and smashed the box, took the keys out and opened the door to help his mother.

It was 3 am and all neighbors suddenly appeared to know who had made this hullaballoo at this time ! When they knew they all promised to check on Nicole in the morning. The son left and Nicole tried to sleep after all this mess. 

She asked me to come over to keep her company which I did with pleasure, we sat on her terrace, she still looked a bit shocked, but otherwise was completely normal. Her daughter came too she had made the shopping for her and sat a while with us, and then I returned home..

On the way back I saw the first signs of spring 

Another week was over, and something new happened in our mini household, Rosie for the first time in her life discovered the TV ! I mean she completely ignored the screen and what was going on, birds and mice didn't interest her, but this evening for the first time she saw something moving and tried o catch it ! It was a butterfly 

The arrival of a butterfly !

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

HODGEPODGE MARCH 10

 

1. Where do you get your news these days? 

The News on TV. I watch once per day  the UK Television (english) the Belgian in French, and the German  TV. As it concerens mostly Putin and his war, on all News it's more or less the same even the videos and the photos, in the UK you get also news of the Queen's health.  That's all, nobody talks about the Corona Virus anymore, it has disappeared, unfortunately not to Putin's home ! After all  these horrors I don't watch the News again. For me it's also the "déjà vue" because when I was six or seven I have lived in Bonn which was destroyed to 80 % and now 71 years later I see the same this time not life but in photos or films ! I thought I had forgotten after all this time, I never watched war moviess and only saw pictures, but now it's there again and that brings back memories I get the impression that I don't go "Back to the future" like the movie, but "Back to the past"

2. It's National Crab Day...do you like crab meat? What makes you crabby? 

Yes I like crabs very much but not the whole beast, only the meat !

The whole atmosphere in the world or around me, make me crabby ! Somehow people can't get used to the fact that we are now almost completely free and there is no lockdown anymore. But the theaters and cinemas remain almost empty and the cheerful mood on the markets has nearly disappeared. Although the masks are no longer mandatory, many people still wear them. Even some friends are still scared !  

3. Does freedom mean more choices? Have you ever felt there were too many choices? Elaborate.

Caution ! You are leaving  now West Berlin

I was lucky I have always lived in freedom and have only heard about  Eastern Germany (before the wall fell) where you went to prison if you only said a bad word about a politician. Everything was controlled. But as a young girl it was the last of my worries. When I was 14 I moved with my parents to Brussels, and there it was the same. Freedom is something normal to me and I couldn't understand when I started blogging that the American Bloggers often talked about freedom and religion. That's two things we never talk about because it's normal. Religion is not interesting enough Belgium is a catholic country and they don't know anything else. 

4. Barbara Millicent Roberts was introduced to the world on March 9, 1959...that's Barbie to most of us. Did you have Barbies as a kid, or did you let your own children play with Barbies? What well known Barbara (living or not) would you most like to meet? 

In 1959 I was 15 years old and more interested in  boys then in Barbies. I missed the whole Barbie introduction to the world. My child was a boy and he wasn't interested at all in Barbies neither in Ken. I saw Barbies in the shops and admired the choice of her dresses and outfits.  I never bought a Barbie as a gift for a girl neither. 

5. What are three things you value most in another person? 

Honesty, sincerity, caring, 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Each morning I wake up with a stone on my chest, I am in energy saving mode and wonder how long it will last. I started to gather the most interesting posts of my blogs which I want to transform in a book. When I think of he past and the adventurous, interesting life I had with Rick who had changed me from  a principled girl, who was stiff and cool, to a cheerful, adventurous woman enjoying life !

 

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

HOPITAL NOTRE DAME DE LA ROSE - LESSINE (BELGIUM)

The Notre-Dame Hospital  is an exceptional heritage of Wallonia, it was built in 1242 and is one of the last vestiges of hospitals from the Middle Ages. The community of Augustinian nuns came to the aid of the poor, a role it held until 1980 when the establishment was no longer a geriatric service. Since then, it has been open to visitors who discover facilities whose state of conservation is remarkable. The richness of the various collections recalls the daily work of the nuns and the evolution of health care over eight centuries. In medical and pharmaceutical collections, one can pin bloodletting dishes, lancets, enemas and even enemas themselves intended to extirpate corrupt humors.

The hospital was run by Augustian nuns

The garden

The entrance

The surgeon looks like a butcher

The various instruments for the surgeries, there were a lot more (I think when you see this you won't say at my time it was better)

For studies a hole was drilled in the skull

 the garden entrance

Fortunately we had crossed the beautiful garden before returning home ! Suddenly I was happy that we "only" had the Covid and Putin. The instruments for surgery were absolutely horrible. A saw to cut open the head or a driller to make a hole in it. This is how they wanted to heal the mentally disturbed people.

 Linking to

Travel Photo souvenirs

Through my Lens 

TRAVEL TUESDAY

 

Yesterday was a historical day NO MASKS or vaccines certificate anymore !!

 

AWWWW MONDAY-WEEKEND MARCH 5

Arthur was Rosie's pal or buddy he shared our lives for nearly 20 years and died in his sleep. He was the most unic, adventurous and intelligent cat I ever knew !! And my best model for all cat or animal memes !

He left us forever on March 6 two years ago.

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS

 

 

WEEKEND

On Saturday the sunny weather was still there and I visited Rick.  After having managed to tidy up the closet without too many protests from him (thanks to the good advices I got from some blogfriends) , he agreed to go downstairs and join the others. I don't know what he has but each time I come his closet is upside down, the socks with the pyjamas, the joggings with pullovers, the long sleeves with a shoe etc. He pretends that he had put everything in place and I asked him to not touch the wardrobe anymore because it takes time to put everything back in place. Each time he says yes and each time it is a mess. Doesn't matter meanwhile I am used to it.

I showed him new photos on my  phone, but he can't concentrate too long and lost interest. Having a conversation is also  difficult, Because this time he wanted me to buy a book and I asked him what kind of book, he tried to explain and I didn't understand, he got angry I made an effort and finally I found out that he needed new slippers ! I start to admire myself ! From a book to slippers it's quite a way. 

Besides me was a man sitting in a wheelchair who counted all the time at 341 I got nervous and thought if only I had a plaster to close his mouth. I admit it wasn't a friendly idea, and fortunately his wife came an wheeled him away and he stopped counting. She said that she came 3 times per day beccause she had no  trust in the personel ! I told her that I am very satisfied and have nothing to complain. She gave me a killer look and disappeared. After an hour Rick was tired and wanted to lay down a bit and I returned home. This time the visit had been quite well.

 This was the first spring flower I saw this year, I saw it outside Rick's Home!

 On Sunday morning Nicole called me and asked if we, Adeline and I couldn't come over to sit on her terrace again, as the weather was still so nice although quite cool only 8° and we couldn't sit outside it was warm but not enough. Nicole hadn't realized. 

 

We had our coffee inside and Nicole's cousin had baked us eclairs, which tasted delicious

Isis loves company too and sat at our feet. The afternoon went by very fast, we had a lot to talk, and from tomorrow on officially we don't have the Corona Virus anymore. I hope he moved to Putin ! No masks anymore, no vaccination pass, we will be free like birds except that now the mentally disturbed Putin choose to replace the Covid statistiques with the statistiques of the Ukrainian soldiers !

The pictures of the destroyed cities remind me of my childhood when we children used to play in the ruins, that was out Disneyland. When I was a child it was such a nice playground, but today as an adult I know the truth and I switch the TV off ! For the moment I can't see these pictures I am just too affected with all what happens around me !

 

SUNDAY SELECTION - SUNDAY SNAPSHOT

When I stayed with my friend in the South of France we often went on Saturday mornings to the little habour where the fishermen sold the fishes they had caught during the night. They are not very beautiful but I tell you they tasted delicious !

Linking to  

SUNDAY SELECTION