FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

It's still grey, rainy and cold ! I stayed home and only went to Pauline to say hello. Her daughter came in the afternoon, and I blogged and watched TV a bit. 

I  had fun with the cleaning lady, a great girl from Rwanda who is very pretty and tall. We get along really well, she always makes me laugh and loves Rosie, who doesn't like Rachel because of the vacuum cleaner! She has been working here for 20 years and slowly slowly I get to know the castle gossip. 

I heard for example that the room besides mine was occupied by a woman, who jumped out of the window from the first floor. Since then the windows in this room have been locked. Of course the couple who lives in this room now doesn't know, anyway they are both a bit strange. He lays in bed the whole day, I just have seen his feet, and she loves gardening ! Everyday from morning till evening, cold or not cold, she pulls out weeds and when there is gardening to do, she is happy. Otherwise, if she really can't get out, she  folds the napkins and there are quite a few of them. The personal is happy and she too. She doesn't like (or can't) read and never takes part in our games. She is a shy old woman, probably a farmer's wife whose family became rich by selling their land. Waterloo was in high demand close to Brussels and a country side with a lot of cows ! Today all that has disappeared and replaced by huge family houses.

Since I had stomach cramps I always get rusks instead of bread. I've been asking loudly for bread for 4 days, and told the kitchen about it in writing ! In red and underlined, with the result that I now get rusks in the morning. I don't know who decided that I had to eat rusks.

In the middle of the week a very shy sun came out and we should plant flowers in window boxes. It was cool and windy and I found only 3 working, our animator Kim included, the others had had found refuge in Pauline's room, which has annexed the castle balcony. 9 of us plus one in a wheelchair were sitting in her room and watched the three fumbling in the earth and apparently had fun ! We too ! 

We have a new one, just besides my room where the Dutchman was, now it is a tiny lady only 2 years older then I who asked me some information which I was pleased to explain, but when she asked me if there were women here who played Bridge, I had to deny ! So she suggested to hire a teacher !  Inside I laughed, she doesn't realize yet, that this game is far too difficult. I left her with Rina, the little Italian lady, and heard when I left, that Rina explained her that she has to go home to prepare supper for her sons I don't know what the lady has responded. I suppose that being "posh" here doesn't work at all !

And so the days go by, and there is always something to laugh. There is one man very tall and skinny, who has never opened his mouth. Nobody knows the sound of his voice. But he loves bananas, when in the afternoon a fruit basket is on the table, he picks up one, goes out eat the banana comes back, takes the second, goes out etc etc normally he picks up 5 ! We call him the Banana man. 

I got a call from the South of France, the lady who had stayed here with her sick husband to empty their house in Waterloo, had to return alone to France because he had died while he stayed here. She was a very nice woman, handled all the papers and emptied the house alone, all that being 85 ! Now she is in France in her holiday house there close to her daughter, and misses our group and our activities, the personal and of course the castle and the park ! It was nice to hear from her and we will stay in contact.

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.