FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

On Sunday evening I was so euphoric about my new computer and how quick it was, but when Monday morning I opened it I saw that a lot of things had to be changed ! First everything was in French, and I am used to English with all these special words like "download", post settings, labels" etc.  I had learned all these words when I started blogging in 2006 and at that time everything was in English it hadn't been translated into French yet! When I suddenly got a "courriel" in my mail box I concluded that it must be an email in French. All other countries kept the word email. As the girls were working and one was abroad, I tried to change everything which wasn't like I was used to  ! In short it took me the whole day and then I had done it all now my computer was English again, but kept the French keyboard which is AZERTY and not QUERTY like in all other countries. I was very proud of myself but also had the impression that I had square eyes. 

The weather was perfect to spend a whole day inside, it rained ! I managed to prepare and post and Blogger moved without problems into the new computer !

 My new "professional" toy, HP and the compact printer.

The next day my photos had disappeared in a Microsoft cloud which I had never asked for. The Google cloud is enough. I tried and tried to get rid of that thing, but got fed up, watched a movie and then Adeline came to say hello to Rosie and have a chat !

When I visited Rick, he looked quite good and was sitting at his table eating a waffle ! I tried to start a conversation, but he changed subject all the time and said that he had been in prison. I asked him if the bed was good and he said yes. I have learned to follow what he was telling me and not to disagree. Then we went downstairs sitting with the others. They played a game I didn't know. Then he wanted to return into his room he was tired and I left.

During the night a storm started and this morning it whistled around the building and the trees bent ! I thought my terrace furniture would fly away !

Rosie didn't care, she had started her daily nap, to be in shape this night, as she had been this night ! She turns the rags around and runs through the apartment. Impossible to change her rythme, running around during the day and sleeping during the nights !

My son and grandson will come this weekend and stay with me for the first time. Toby had been allergic to cats when he was little, but apparently there is no problem with Rosie.  On Saturday we will visit Rick and probably have lunch with him, if it's possible. We can't take him out to a restaurant, he is too weak for that and would panic when he gets out of his usual environment. 

As my fridge was empty as the States budget, I went shopping together with Adeline. Expecting two geants with a big appetite I filled in the fridge so that you can't put a needle inside ! I had to buy things for breakfast and lunch, because I never have breakfast I have a brunch. Anyway I have enough I hope ! 

I also got a very good message from my son, telling me that Toby had been accepted in a very good secondary school as he has finished primary school. What I like the most is that the school is bilingual and teaches in Dutch and English. The Dutchs are more clever then the Belgians they have realized long time ago that without English you just can stay in your village and not work abroad. Also for travelling it's useful, in fact English has become the Esperanto an artificial language which some people wanted to create fortunately without success. I am sure that if I would have had a school like Toby's I would have been a much better pupil, but on the other hand I can't complain, I learned the languages by myself almost without school.

Now the wind became more and more strong and I am sure this evening in the News we will see some damaged houses and fallen trees.

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

HODGEPODGE APRIL 6

1. What puts a spring in your step these days? 

 

Spring's moving in is delayed this year. Therefore I sit inside and wait for warmer days to come and wake me up from my winter lack of energy ! 

2. April 2nd was National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Did you celebrate? Do you like PB and J? If so how do you like yours? What's your favorite kind of jelly?

I have seen (and tasted) for the first time in my life Peanut butter in 1971 in the States when I stayed with my American aunt. I found it disgusting and Rick too. We are not "sweet" people and usually don't eat yelly either. Peanut butter is very hard to find in European countries in Belgium it's even banned because it's not good for children who have weight problems. Peanut butter is said to make people fat.

3. What's a memory you associate with spring flowers? 

The special smell of spring in the air and that everything looks so fresh and new.

4. Three things on your spring bucket list? Do you have a spring bucket list? If not pretend you do. 

I don't have bucket lists, not in spring and not in the whole year long ! If I do a bucket list, I would do everything which is not on the list. If I have none, I do my things which I need to do moment by moment or day by day or not at all or in 10 years.

 

5. One place you will travel this spring? (It might be Europe or it might be the grocery store)

Unfortunately I can't travel this spring as Rick becomes more and more weak and confused and I don't want to be away if something happens to him.  I had booked for a 3 days wellness stay to get a bit destressed, but I cancelled, I wouldn't be relaxed knowing him ill. Fortunately my apartment is so nice with a beautiful view, that I feel almost on holidays and at least closer to him !

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It seems to me that this week  I really realized that I am a widow whose husband is still alive, if you can call this a life. Where is the man who was my support, my friend, my love and with whom I formed a team that lasted over 50 years and we still love each other. He said that to me the last time I visited him, although his head is all confused. He doesn't like long visits from me, I think that somewhere he is aware that he's just a shadow of himself and in his eyes I'm still that young girl he once met at "Club Italia". And that hurts. I've gotten used to it, at least I think so,that by now I only see the shadow of the man he once had been.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Grandson Toby a few years ago

 

more participants here, and Image-in-ing

ALICE 's ADVENURES IN WONDERLAND (OXFORD UK)

When I visited Oxford and stayed there in the Balliol College for three days, I visited of course the college where real Alice's father was dean. I think that most of the children at least girls in the whole world have read the book "Alice in Wonderland". I read it in German.

Lewis Carroll, was an English author, illustrator, poet, mathematician, photographer, teacher, and inventor. His most notable works are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

Carroll's biographer Morton N. Cohen reads Alice as a roman à clef populated with real figures from Carroll's life. The Alice of Alice is Alice Liddell; the Dodo is Carroll himself; Wonderland is Oxford; even the Mad Tea Party, according to Cohen, is a send-up of Alice's own birthday party.

 

You can read more about Alice's real life here

 

 PS I wrote this post using for the first time my new computer ! It took me nearly the whole day !!

 

linking to :

TRAVE:L TUESDAY 

THROUGH MY LENS 

AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND APRIL 2

After 13 years of being an inside/outside cat with a catflap, Rosie after nearly 2 years has finally learned to watch TV and tried to catch the Butterfly ! Now she adores her inside life !

 

Linking to AWWWW MONDAY

 

 

WEEKKEND

This Weekend was nearly completely dedicated to my new Computer and Printer ! 

In the morning came a real long time friend (since 1967) and showed me how to put the ink in the printer and make photocopies, then she had to leave.. That helped me a lot ! She is the only women in my generation who handels the computer like a professional ! Her husband only does what she had showed or installed for him. He couldn't drive and she drove herself to the hospital to get her baby boy ! But each couple is different, theirs is perfect they are married  51 years ! 

In the afternoon I visited Rick, he looked quite good but his head doesn't work well anymore he is very confused and it's difficult to speak with him. I didn't stay long he got so tired that I left. I think I just check on him more often and I don't stay more then 10 min. It's not far at all from my building.

On Sunday came the next "little helpers" two young women who live on the first floor and they are also both cat fans ! When I had asked them if one could help me to install the programs in the computer they were very pleased because they too want to know the people in the building. They brought me a box of self-made cookies in cat shape !!! Very cute. And then in no time she had connected my computer, the emails and the browsers so we could talk about cats and our lives afterwards. I was really pleased that some young blood is in our building and they are both adorable. We can help each other, and I will "cat"sitting their black cat when they travel. Even Rosie was pleased with the girls and jumped from lap to lap.

When they had left, I copied my pictures and documents in the computer and it is a pleasure now to work on it, compared to my old thing, the new one is a Formular 1 !

BRUSSELS' MONUMENTS

Waterloo's church

 The lion of Waterloo

The Cinquantenaire (monument for the 50th anniversary of Belgium) Brussels

The Atomium, Brussels

 

King Leopold I of Belgium in the background Brussels

 

The Basilica of Koegelberg (Brussels)

Linking to SUNDAY SELECTIONS