FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

The week started with sunshine and as it was warm, I sat maybe for the last time on my terrace. The trees are still green.

Before the Covid there were "conversation tables" in the Waterloo Tennis Club and I thought I will check if they were still there. It meant that people got together at different tables to have conversations in English, German, Spanish for those who wanted to communicate in these languages. 

A few years ago I was the responsible for the German speaking table and corrected when somebody made a fault. It was very relax and funny we talked about everything but only in German. The women who participated were Belgians, French and also two English ladies.

This is the bar of the Tennis Club where Rick used to play Whist with a group for many years. To my surprise they had started again, not so long ago, because when Rick was still playing it was closed due to the Covid lockdown. I took a picture of the corner where he played and greeted his card partners. I only recognized two and said hello. We exchanged a few words, except Rick' Whist (female) friend, she made a face as if she just had swallowed a glass of vinegar when she saw me,  I have no idea what happened with her, ever since Rick passed away she ignores me. Well, "friends" like that I don't miss at all. 

Maybe I will organize a conversation table, once a week. I have so many plans that I have first to think everything over and be careful because my mood sometimes is like a roller coaster. 

The couple which always asks me to come with them when they go out, took me this time to a restaurant specialized in mussels. But I found the mussels so expensive, in the Lunch Garden they are as good as in this restaurant and cost half of  the price and you can eat as much as you want to. I took the lunch which was excellent, fish with little potatoes and vegetables.

There is a beautiful big aquarium there with colorful fishes of all sizes.

and in a corner stood the decoration for Halloween to be hung up ! Apparently they will do a Halloween party.

As desert I allowed myself a "Dame Blanche" and my friend a "Bresilienne" which looks the same but in brown. Both were delicious.

I went to the City Hall to pick up the tickets for a theater play organized especially for seniors to a very cheap price. 

I am still busy with our photos to save them on external hard disk and found this one which was taken when we went to a ball which we did often at the beginning of our marriage. A bit less when our son arrived.

 Such nice memories, we both loved dancing and were a well attuned couple.

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE OCTOBER 13

1. Thursday  is National Train Your Brain Day. What do you do to keep your brain in tip top shape? Is it helping? 

With translations. I write my posts in English but sometimes I have to check a word or I don't remember and then I look in my online dictionary either in German or in French. I do brain training by jumping from one language to another.

2. You can sit with anyone in the world and 'pick their brain'...whom do you choose? Tell us why? 

 I don't know whose brain I could pick and for what ? It would depend on the subject.

3. What's something happening in the world (or your corner of it) right now that you have trouble 'wrapping your brain around'?

It's the world wide situation, we are all sitting in the same pot. Ever since the Covid lockdowns people changed, now wars are breaking out, we have energy problems, people are getting poor and poorer and the "mental health" has become a worldwide problem.

4. On a scale of 1-10 where do you fall in the pumpkin fanclub? (1=blech, 10=make it all pumpkin all the time) Tell us something delicious you've tasted recently that had some pumpkin in it somewhere. 

I like pumpkins as decoration, but I think I never ate something made with pumpkin or maybe a soup, but I don't remember. I like the pumpkin fests, but this year I missed them. 

5. Share a favorite song, book, or movie with an autumn title, setting, or vibe. 

Since autumn is the worst season for me, I don't know any songs or books about autumn. I would like to do like a bear and hibernate in my cave.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I had lunch with friends and we talked about the consequences the Covid has left. One told us that long lasting friendships broke, that people have become egoistic, that everybody prefers to stay alone with family if there is any. Her husband had a surgery and from his so said friends nobody came for a visit ! It was the same with Rick, only in his case and age, most of his friends passed away. Lots of people are aggressive and pessimistic there are only a few who seem "normal" to me. They fear a 3rd world war and the economical situation doesn't help to raise moods. I changed too, but not because of these reasons, my life really changed because Rick died four months ago and now I am a widow and live alone. 

 

 

 

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY & WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

This photo was taken 53 years ago on October 11, 1969 when we had our civil wedding. At that time I would never have believed that  I would celebrate this day alone. In my head it I was convinced that we would finish our lives together. What a dream !

The worst is that during our marriage I always forgot our wedding day and was surprised when he arrived with flowers or a little cat figurine.
 

 

 

I took this picture in July 2020 on our terrace, before he had to be hospitalized two months later. Meanwhile the second lockdown arrived and he was stuck there, and I wasn't allowed to visit him at all ! Then I had to choose a retirement home with special care for Parkinson/Alzheimer patients. He needed 24 h care and I was too old for that.

Last year he still was able to come home for a day, but he only came two times. Then he didn't want to come anymore, he preferred to stay in his retirement home. 

at least the lockdowns were over and I could visit him. This picture was taken last year in September.

Then he started to get worse and worse and he couldn't play his beloved Whist anymore, so his Whist friend started to play other games with him. But he didn't want any visit anymore, only I could see him, they had to dress him in a special cloth with a zip on the back, because each time the nurses dressed him, he waited until they were gone and then he got rid of all his clothes. That's when I asked the reception not to allow any visits anymore. A question of dignity.

Now I celebrate my wedding day with all the things my son has brought me when he emptied his room 4 months ago. 

Still unpacked. Maybe I will ask somebody from the social service to help me, it depends on "my mental health" (I hear these words every day on TV) 

 more participants here, and Image-in-ing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have the same on other blogs and it took me quite some time to find out ! 

here

AWWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND OCTOBER 8

 

don't like this program I change 

Tea time !

I prefer chicken ! 

I became a politician

My bed is so cozy

 

AWWW MONDAYS 

 

 

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WEEKEND 

Rosie takes a sunbath 

Saturday was like a summer day ! I even could sit outside in the sun, it was warm and relaxing. When it became cooler I went shopping,  I nearly ran out of cat food, and then I wanted to buy my rice cakes which I like to eat with cheese, but there was again a lack of goods in three supermarkets I they were sold out. We sometimes have waves of missing goods and then they are not available in any shop ! Some say that it is due to the Ukraine war (rice ???) others blame the Brexit, that there is too much paperwork now and the trucks are stuck. It's almost like the toilet paper crisis at the beginning of the Corona Virus crises.

When I was in the pet shop, a little girl pointed on rolls of colorful little bandages and told me that these rolls were toilet paper for cats. We all had to laugh, that was so cute. 

I said hello to parrot Cookie, who lives in this shop for ages it must be at least 20 years. He is very friendly, but doesn't speak, only whistles when you leave ! (sexual harassement ?)

I returned home, met a neighbor in the garage and we chatted a bit about the "energy crisis" and the bills we would have to pay ! I hear that the whole day, on TV too, it's just the same during the Covid time. Now it's gas and electricity. 

What I really don't need is to worry about something, I have enough problems with myself. Since I am back from Eastbourne which was a real mental health cure for me, I turn around Rick's three travel bags with all his belongings like a cat around a bowl with hot milk.  I am still unable to unpack the bags. They are under a cover and I avoid to look at them. One day will come and I will find my courage.

When I came back I saw that the building next to mine has scaffolds and I suppose that they will start the works on Monday. I only hope that they are not too noisy !

Sunday again was a wonderful day, and I could sit outside again. After lunch I thought I will take some pictures of beautiful colored leaves, before the trees start to striptease. But almost all trees I saw were still green and only a few turned to yellow 

These pictures I took in a new area, where new houses were built and somebody had put an old sofa in, the "Garage" for bicycles !

As I was very close to the Hospital where Nicole is still staying, I decided to pay her a little visit. First thing I saw was the Halloween decoration ! I hadn't seen any in whole Waterloo, but now in a Hospital where old people not used to Halloween are scared to see ghosts and skeletons hanging from the ceiling there are decorations  

Nicole was happy to see me, she has enough to stay there, but fortunately next week she will be transferred to a Nursing home. I hope that she will like it, because she wants to do so many things and physically is not able anymore to do so.

It really hurts me when she asks me why I don't travel with her anymore and why I hadn't taken her with me to Eastbourne, I can't say we go  later, it's only getting worse, so I told her that her doctor has said to me that I couldn't take this responsibility it would be too dangerous.

She doesn't realize that she is not capable anymore to lead a normal life. So sad. We chatted about the travels we had done together and realized there were quite a lot. Then her daughter arrived and I returned home.

Once at home I took these pictures of the view from my balcony, fall hasn't really started either. I like to compare them with last year.

 

 

 

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