FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

Our beautiful and hot summer, which started in June this time, has ended, now that July is about to start, we are sitting again in the rain. So I stayed at home and looked at the 2000 pictures I still have on Photobucket and also discovered a Flickr account !

The next day I had my appointment with the dermatologist because I had noticed all sorts of strange things on my skin. Since I am always afraid of skin cancer, I preferred to have my skin examined. The dermatologist explained to me that it was nothing serious and certainly not skin cancer. Of course I was relieved. 

On the way back I stopped at a shop and bought very simple t-shirts that you can also wear as undershirts in winter.

I took the same colors of  T-shirts that I had to clean out because they were antiques. White, black, red, yellow, blue, turquoise, etc. I noticed that the men's t-shirts were €2 cheaper than women's! And they were the same!! Of course I bought the ones for men. I don't care as long as they fit! At least I saved €10 ! I tried one it fitted perfectly. I am thankful to Rick that I always had to go to the men's department for him and buy his shirts, sweaters etc. as he was too lazy to go himself or rather pretending I had a better taste ! Therefore I knew the price difference. Unfortunately I still go first in the men's department and then I realize I don't have to do so anymore.

                             Mr. Rick dressed by Gattina during their holidays at the Garda lake !

Mussels had arrived the season started ! My neighbor Louquette called me and asked  if I wouldn't like to go with her to eat our first mussels this year.  Of course I wanted and we went to the Lunch Garden and had a huge portion of mussels with Belgian fries. (all you can eat) ! but one portion was more than enough)

We even got a bottle of alcohol free beer for free, as publicity for this beer brand. A real Belgian beer, they started to produce also alcohol free beer. That's very good when you drive !

We returned home and I fell asleep (as usual) while watching my movie ! I had a bit the blues as always on the 29th of each month, that was the day when Rick died.

 

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE JUNE 29

1. What's one thing you're excited about in the coming month?

I wouldn't say that I am excited, but there’s nothing like a milestone birthday, I am turning 80 ! at the same time as Mick Jagger  from the Rolling Stones who still hops around like in his 20th only he looks a bit ridiculous and his companion Keith Richard. There are also the Beatle, Paul McCartney, and many others. 

I all knew them all when they started ! It's amazing that these artists who certainly  did not lead a healthy life, are still so fit ! They smoked, they drank, took drugs, went to bed late or not at all, maybe had little or no food before they got rich and are still active! Weed does not fade. And those who paid so much attention to their health have passed away !

2. What was your life like when you were ten years old? 

That's a difficult question for me, certainly completely different than all of you who read my post. I was 10 in 1953 and I lived in Bonn the capital of Germany after WW II. The city had been heavily bombed and the adults were busy rebuilding the city. We children played in the ruins and thought it was wonderful. It was our Disneyland. We found toys, dishes, etc., from people whose houses had been bombed out and often only the basement was still standing.

For me the 10 years old, it was a normal life, I didn't know anything else. I had fun, the adults had their worries. Our school was like a metal box and we were 80 in one class. The schools were in ruins too. It was only years later that I understood what had happened.

The adults were not so keen to explain anything to their children and at school nothing at all.

3. What's something from your childhood you still enjoy today? 

My liberty ! I could do what I wanted, the adults had no time to watch over their children, they were too busy with the reconstruction and hunting for food and clothes.

4. What state (that you haven't been to) do you most want to visit? Tell us why. 

Over the years we have visited my aunt, and we have been in so many States that I can only name the ones where we have not been ! But as I can't find the map where everything is written I will try to find it later. 

                                                        The grand Canyon

We have visited Utah in 1971, together with my aunt and uncle. What I loved the most and wished I could see  again was the "Bryce canyon"  ! I preferred it to the Grand Canyon, I had never seen red rocks in my life, and such a strange shape. I celebrated my 50th birthday under the "Sherman Tree" in the Sequoia Park, but at that time it wasn't touristic at all ! I ate an Hamburger !

5. Do you like to drive? Tell us how you learned to drive. 

When I learned to drive it was in the 60th, very unusual for a girl  in Europe. In Belgium you didn't need a driver license at that time, and my father had hired a guy who gave lessons in his private car in which there were two breaks, so he could avoid the worst. My father would never have let me touch his car and anyway he and I would have killed each other if he tried to teach me driving ! That seldom works with parents !

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I have no special thoughts, just wonder how I will organize the summer ! I don't want to go away except to Eastbourne in August, maybe two friends will come and visit me, one from Eastbourne and one from Germany. 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

When a few years ago I made a tour in Tunisia, we stopped at a "parking" for camels.

 Photos taken in Tunisia, tourists were allowed to give camels a bottle of water ! They were happy !

>more participants here, and Image-in-ing

AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND JUNE 24

 

My cat Arthur who shared our life for almost 20 years when he was a baby

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS

 

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WEEKEND

Saturday morning while Maria was cleaning, I was feeling unwell and my nose was running again !  I felt really depressed.  Again ! 

Marie, who looked at me, told me that I don't have a cold but am allergic! She told me that her daughter and grandson had the same as me. I was blown away, I had never been allergic to anything, except maybe to a few people. 

Then I thought about when it had started and actually it  started beginning May. I googled and everything which was explained corresponded to my "cold". My doctor had already told me that, but I hadn't believed her. 

That's really the peak that I've also become allergic, now that I'm already half a foot in the grave. I'll get the results of my blood test next week so it will probably be confirmed. That took the little energy I had left and I moved out on my terrace and surfed with my tablet. I had the blues. My mother was allergic, my grandson is allergic and now I ! There are women who are allergic to their husbands, and I get allergic because he is gone ! As usual I always make things otherwise than normal !

I don't know why but I just checked the Eurostar train, to see if they still have the same prices. My eyes almost dropped out of my head when I saw that instead of 44 € I should pay 168 € one way ! On certain days and hours per week you can get this cheap rate.  I thought I would check the Ryan air prices which change from one hour to the other ! 

The whole July it was this price or even more ! So I checked August and ..... it was 44 € again with a few exceptions where it was more expensive ! And then suddenly I saw the Princess of Wales playing Tennis with Roger Federer on TV and I understood ! Eurostar raised the prices because of Wimbeldon Tennis ! 

                   The Eurostar travels through a tunnel under the sea and connects France with the UK. 

I immediately cancelled my hotel (fortunately without charges) and decided to go to Eastbourne in August ! The hotel prices were the same ! You have to be really careful and check several times before booking ! I leave my place to those who can throw their money out of the window ! It's only sad for those who have to go in July ! 

On Sunday I got a phone call from the daughter of my grandma's niece, who is a little older then my son. We got in contact when my "aunt" moved in a retirement home, had called me and had given me her daughter's phone number. As I don't have a family besides my son and family and neither does Anja who has two sons. I was happy to hear from her. We got along very well over the phone. Now she asked me if it would suit me to visit me for a few days in August. Of course it suited me, last time I had seen her she was 10 years old ! This will be fun for sure. Then I fell asleep in front of the TV  ! I hadn't slept well during night.

The afternoon I spent on my terrace and read old posts from my blog, I select the best ones to put them together to make a book, that's quite a lot of work ! But at least I am busy and have no time to think. And then the weekend was over.

 

 Now I don't see any houses anymore !