HAPPY EASTER

 I wish all of you a happy Easter or a nice long weekend with a lot of sunshine. 

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

On Monday I woke up at 9.30 despite the fact that Rosie probably caught up the one night we had visitors where she didn't dare to make a fuss or the flying cat, and laid out the rugs after her taste, took the dead leaves out of the flower pots and hopped on my stomach 3 times. Somehow I felt as if I was standing besides myself and drank my coffee waiting for the inspiration what to do with my day. The problem was resolved by itself, I got a message from my two neighbour girls Caroline and Florence, that they had time for me and my new computer and that they could come up (they live on the first floor and I on the 4th) to fix what was not working, which was the printer and the password to be taken out when I opened my computer. Rosie certainly won't use my computer and people I know pretend they are to old !

The password problem was really a problem as my stubborn computer refused to open without password ! But generously allowed to change it. So I just took 4 numbers which I will never forget, The date when Rosie was born ! I suppose that lots of people use the birthdays of their kids, wives, husbands etc but less their cat. Poor Caroline lost a lot of time with the printer connection and finally had to go, but she will come back as soon as she has time. Meanwhile Adeline came too to bring me a portion of Paella which she had cooked again for a whole army. So she had more than enough to feet me too. I was very thankful, because I just didn't know what to eat for supper I was not hungry. Finally it was a nice afternoon.

In a sudden attack of energy I took my car and went into the next town because there was a specialized sport shop in the shopping mall and they had shorts and summer jogging trousers I wanted to buy for Rick. 

That was the first time since a year that I made a "long" trip with my car and even used the highway ! I was happy that I hadn't lost my driving skills and was very relaxed behind the stirring wheel, far more then when I stayed home or walked ! Just the opposite of the women around me who don't dare to drive anymore only the ways they know by heart for their shopping.

I found the shorts and also a chocolate Easter bunny and little eggs. As Rick doesn't read anymore but loves to move around little things, I bought a game with different wooden cubes in different shapes you have to put together to form a square. It is for 4 years old but I don't care as long as he likes it and he has something to do. I am curious to see how he reacts and what he will do with the cubes.

Satisfied I drove home and called the girls Florence and Caroline, that I am back and they came immediately to connect my printer to the computer. While Florence and I chatted, Caroline was busy with the printer and suddenly hurray it worked ! Then we chatted about all kind of things and they wanted to see our wedding pictures. They are a young couple and very much in love ! After an hour they left because they had to pack to go to Paris to the Opera. I will look after Crowley their cat.

Miss Rosie after 15 years has discovered the television ! She had always ignored it although the screen is quite big, but when I watched a  report about a shelter, she suddenly sat on the table and looked into the screen and this time she really watched, because she moved her tail and turned her head around 

Now that spring has moved in the trees started blooming over night ! Really strange in the evening they were naked and the next morning they were all in pink !

I think this weekend I ask Maria to help me to transform the winter terrace into a summer living ! The furniture is covered with a big plastic cover.

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

HODGEPODGE APRIL 14

 1. Do you celebrate Easter? If so what are your plans this year? Did you have egg hunts as a kid?

Of course we celebrate Easter especially in Germany where I am coming from. Meanwhile the Belgians do it too, there is only a very strange difference we get our eggs from the Easter Bunny, while in Belgium and France the bells from Rome bring the eggs. Difficult to understand ! But as a bunny is more cute then a church bell, you see more bunnies here now then bells ! On the above picture you see my Easter tree from last year. I have no plans this year. Probably I will see Rick.

I also had a lot of fun in collecting the hidden eggs, which my grandma had colored in all colors and my grandpa hidden in the garden. So well that sometimes the following year I found an egg or two from the year before !  

2. What's your favorite bread to find in a bread basket? 

 

A baguette (French long bread) 

3. Your favorite chick flick? 

Google explained to me that  Chick flick is a slang term, sometimes used pejoratively, for the film genre catered specifically to women's interests, and is marketed toward women demographics. They generally tend to appeal more to a younger female audience and deals mainly with love and romance.

Nothing for me I love movies like Midsommer Murders, Vera, or Lewis  

4.Tax day is rapidly approaching in the US of A...what's something you currently find 'taxing'? 

Same here unfortunately nothing to do. What I find scandalous is that retired people have to pay taxes on their pension, which is the money they payed every month to get a pension !!

5. Have you ever ridden in a taxi? Do you have a funny-scary-crazy-interesting taxi story to share? Do you use any of the newer taxi-like services such as Uber? 

Very often especially when I travel. Yes one day in London I asked the driver to take me to the Waterloo station. Ok, I climbed in the taxi and off we went. Then after a while he asked me from where I was coming. From Waterloo I told him. Waterloo ??? he said, so I have to drive you home ? No I answered I am coming from the city Waterloo in Belgium, where Wellington won the battle .... with the result that I had to tell him the whole story fortunately we arrived just when I finished ! I have never tried Uber for the simple reason that I never found one.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Just when I had decided to arrange my terrace it started to rain today. I want to run or fly away and leave all my worries behind me. Each day is the same when I think it over my life is like a pearl necklace.I think I badly need holidays, I have no energy since a long time I think this Covid period has affected us all !

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 Where is my bike ???

(Photos taken in Amsterdam)

more participants here, and Image-in-ing

IN THE SKY LOOKING DOWN TO EARTH

 

I took these photos from the plane when we flew over Ireland to land in Dublin ! I never thought that the pictures came out so well with my little camera. I had already tried to take pictures but they never came out so well. 

I travelled alone, but had the chance to travel with Americans, South Africans, Philippines, Australians, and Canadians, we were an extremely cheerful group and our guide a young Australian, was so funny but explained very well and was perfect in organization. We really had nothing to complain, it was all perfect. The only Europeans on board of the bus who took us around Ireland were a Scottish couple and I ! 4 years later we are still in contact and have our own Facebook page, isn't that amazing ? We travelled with Expat Travels located in London. 

Linking to :

Through my Lens

Travel Tuesday 

 

AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND APRIL 9

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS 

 

 

******* 

On Saturday our son and Toby arrived from Amsterdam and we met at Rick's residence for lunch.

I think it wasn't a good idea because Rick got more and more confused because he had forgotten that the two would come from Amsterdam and that he had to eat with us and not with his table partners. It was hard to speak with him and difficult to get him back into the room he was so agitated, that we had to call a nurse who led him to his room and we put him in his bed. Then we left and let him sleep.

As it was quite cool, we ended up in the Wellington Cinema and for the first time in my life I watched a half cartoon, half human movie called SONIC 2 ! Now I understand that kids are not afraid of monsters anymore, I thought I will have nightmares but to my surprise I slept well. 

In the evening there was Spiderman 2 on the TV which I had never seen and was surprised that I liked both movies !  

Home cinema

On Sunday morning I woke up at 9 am, apparently I have been tired, and the monsters I had seen the day before probably helped me to have a good sleep ! My son had already disappeared he had an appointment with a friend to play Golf together and Toby had done self service and was busy with his game Nitendo (I guess) while he was eating two rolls with cheese and ham and fruits. 

 It was impossible to have a conversation with him,  from time to time I shouted to stop and come and sit with me on the sofa, which he did 

Indeed he sat on the sofa !

I tried to distract him with a documentary about a big animal shelter in France, which was very interesting, at least he took the headset off and promised to stop as soon as his game was over. Finally I gave up, it's not my job to educate my grandson, grandmothers are there to spoil them ! So if he liked just my presence and not talking why not ! 

I must say he really speaks a very good French now. I also heard him speaking English with somebody he made a game with and was very much surprised how good he spoke ! That's why he laughed his head off when he heard the actors speaking English with an horrible French accent and didn't say Spiderman, but Speedermann, and a lot of other words too.

My son had nice weather for his golf game and came home satisfied, he likes playing Golf very much at least he is outside in the fresh air. We had lunch together, I had two quiches in the fridge, which were devored in no time.  Then they both went to the Waterloo Lion, Toby had seen the Lion only from the ground, but this time they wanted to see it all, climbing up the 53 steps to see the battle field and then the underground museum. I stayed home, I have seen this so many times and since the renovation (I call it demolishion) where all the old restaurants and cafés were demolished, there is now a rather cool atmosphere on the site now. Residents of Waterloo and surrounding areas are no longer going  there as it is not a  nice place anymore where the locals had a drink together with the tourists .(See more here on my Countries & City Blog Lion site before and after).  When I googled for a picture of the Lion site before and after the renovation, I found my own Blog ! 

On their way back they said good bye to Rick and then came home to pick up their sleeping bags and clothes and tidied up their rooms. One had slept in Rick's room and the other in my "Dressing" where I have a sofa bed. (For snoring reasons).

only Rosie slept as usual in her basket and didn't bother about our guests, she know them such a long time and still knows who they are. So she didn't hide and led her usual daily life. 

Now I am alone again and I had noticed that I had become very sensitive and a single word, perhaps not meant in a bad way bring tears into my eyes or a lump in my throat.

SUNDAY SELECTION

 

Floral decorations

To cheer you up if necessary !

 

 

Linking to :

SUNDAY SELECTION