FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE MAY 31

Nothing special happened at the beginning of the week, my neighbor Pauline is still in hospital with a pneumonia. My other neighbor the Dutchman passed away, I hadn't heard anything because I had my earplugs in the ear. Anyway when somebody goes away forever it's done very discretely and the corpse is taken away by an ambulance. I did my little shopping and returned quickly home. The nice thing is, that there are always people to chat and laugh with and when you want to be alone you just go into your room.

On Tuesday we had a funny activity, we were asked to fold paper into butterflies. A video showed us how to do ! None of us was particularly talented, but we had a lot of fun. My butterfly looked like a fighter jet. It was for the late Dutchman who had asked the management that we fold butterflies which then would be placed in his coffin. I found this a very nice gesture, although nobody had ever seen him except me. Then we played cards which was also nice.

It's impossible to do my daily walk in the park it really rains night and day and everything is wet ! Fortunately we have very long corridors where we can walk! Pauline has since returned and now lives in a very nice, large room with a view on the park. Her children had set everything up for her and had bought the furniture from Ikea, assembled it and now everything fits perfectly. She's still pretty weak. Having two pneumonia within 4 months was a bit too much !  

 

Pauline with her great great daughter Pauline !

The picture looks very artistic and I found it so cute ! Now I have to walk a little further to visit her. She is a very interesting woman and so sweet. 

To celebrate all birthdays for May, Kim had organized a "Karaoke" with the result that only one person sang and he had to sing all the time. But it was a great atmosphere!

 

 

Our 100 year old laughing and singing ! (the one with the pink sweater)

The nurses, the maintenance man, the management secretary, the housekeeper and the deputy director were exuberant and jumping around. They took the wheelchairs with the person and danced with them, turning the wheelchair around ! My stomach hurt from laughing. The 100 year old sang along and her foot didn't stay still while much younger people sat there as if they were in a church  ! I had already noticed that some have forgotten, how to laugh 😒 and have "smiley" faces like that, fortunately there are some others 😊 like that !

When I woke up on Friday, it rained, my heart sank ! In the evening I was invited to the neighbor's party on my old street. The couple who bought our house, together with Isabel had organized everything, and had invited me too.  

Before I went there, in the afternoon we played “Black Jack”, first I won and then I lost everything !   

The couple who bought our house, he on the barbecue and she with a broom ! 

Luckily the sun came out for a while in the afternoon and we were able to celebrate on the street. It was so nice to see the old neighbors again, even though there weren't many left. There was no rain in the evening and we all had a great time.

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE MAY 30

 1. Growing up, at what age did you think you'd become an adult? At what age did you actually become an adult? 

I think or rather I am convinced that nobody knows when he/she IS an adult ! First what does it mean being adult ? the age ? the behavior ? I don't know when I became adult, probably when my son was born, because then I had the responsibility for a baby. There are people they are already born as adults, and others who stay kids their whole life. My DIL told me once that I am childish, because I like to laugh and have fun, it doesn't matter in which circumstances. I think she mixed childish with humor and laughing, because she is a shy person and I am too exuberant. (That's maybe because my son choose her !)

2.  What's a favorite item you've bought this year?

 All the little things I bought to make my room  in the Retirement home cozy.

 3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...are you a fan? If so, how do you like yours? When was the last time you had a hamburger? Besides the backyard grill, what's your favorite place to go for a burger? 

The last Hamburger I ate was in the UK. I was at the sea in Eastbourne for a week and had forgotten all my credit cards and had to live with 50 £ (64 $ ) cash in my wallet. The girl at the reception helped me and asked my bank for 100 $, as it didn't arrive, I called my banker and asked why it took so long and he told me, that they thought it was an "error" because her name was Mohamed !!! I was furious, but that didn't change my situation. I decided to imagine that I am a poor student and have to live with 50 £ for a week.. Fortunately the breakfast was included in my hotel invoice, so I ate like a horse in the morning, that lasted until suppertime. I had discovered a little shop selling sandwiches and Hamburgers. The hamburger costed 4 £, that was in my daily budget, and even allowed me a drink and a ride in the little train along the sea. There I ate the best Hamburger ever in my whole life ! The meat was so tasty it came from Ireland where the cows ran around happy and free, and that gave the good taste. He also put fresh local cheese on the meat and slices of delicious tomatoes ! Each day my hamburger became bigger as I had told him my misfortune ! I think not only the Hamburgers were excellent but also healthy and not junk food at all !

  The green, green grass in Ireland, which gives the Hamburger meat a special taste !

4.  How have your priorities changed over time? 

I have no priorities, or maybe one, not to let me go and try to lead a normal life as widow

5. What's one thing on your June calendar you're really looking forward to?

Sunshine and warm weather, so that I can profit from our beautiful park !

6. Insert your own random thought here.

On May 29th Rick my husband, friend and support died. Today I think that my life is not bad, but it lacks support and I feel like a plant that lacks a stilt.

Our last selfie, shortly before his death

 

 

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

That's exactly the weather I have since the beginning of the year and even before ! 

You disappeared from life, but you will remain forever in my heart

more participants here, and Image-in-ing

AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND MAY 25

Rosie as a baby and as teenager

 

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS

 

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WEEKEND MAY 25

On Saturday morning it rained again, of course. My mood was dark and I sat in the deep basement. But then I had an idea, my car had to drive a little faster and further than it always does here in Waterloo and that's when I thought of "Lac Genval" which is an artificial lake, located not so far from Waterloo. The lake is surrounded by turn-of-the-century homes built during the "belle Epoque" I have been there many times, with boyfriends, with Rick and with the whole family, mother and father included It's really nice to walk around the lake but I couldn't do it anymore, it would have been too much for me.

Rick and I at the lake

A small lake with lots of geese and other swimming animals, which my little son used to fed.  There was also a windsurfing school there and when I arrived, they had just finished a regatta and were surfing towards their club house. I drove around the entire lake, stopped where I felt like it, sat on a bench, took photos and then felt much better.

A very posh Hotel

A fisherman tried his luck

from far the windsurfers with orange sails

When I came back I heard the voice of Pauline's daughter and went into her room to say hello. Her daughter is a very nice woman but she smothers her poor mother with all sorts of suggestions and what she should and has to do, to be honest I would have thrown her out already, especially since poor Pauline had just come back from the hospital and was still very weak, she had the second pneumonia within 3 months and especially needed rest. I really felt sorry for her. There are people who kill their beloved once with too much love. I sometimes had the impression when I was in Italy with Rick's family they suffocated me. Here it was the same. Before I exploded I quickly went to my room. 

I had spent a day like I used to do, I went out and took my photos, the sun had come out and I had enjoyed the lake, it hadn't changed at all ! 

On Sunday morning when I looked out of the window, the park was beautiful, but the sky grey with dark clouds. It started to to rain buckets of water, and my mood sank ! But after lunch the sun appeared a little bit, and as for the moment I can't stay inside, I thought I take my car and drive around. I found myself direction Brussels and saw from far the "Brussels" eye which had been in another place before.

The Brussels' eye

 

View over Brussels

 

 I hadn't been here for a long time. There were roadworks and detours everywhere. I drove through areas I had never seen before with beautiful old mansions,  then I got back on the main road and ended in front of the Palace of Justice.

 

Luckily my car is so small that I can fit into the smallest gap, the time to take a few pictures. There were a lot of tourists there because you can see whole  Brussels from here. Then I pressed "go home" on my GPS and was led through all possible detours until I finally ended up in my castle. 

 

At times the sun had disappeared and it was raining so heavily that it felt like it was night. I had to turn on the headlights.

 

At home I quickly visited Jeanine, who lives at the other end of the castle in what used to be a monastery. Small apartments were built there for couples. Her husband had also died recently and she wants to stay in the apartment for a while as long as it is not needed for another couple. 

 

I was satisfied with my "driving test", my reflexes were still there, no one had to honk because I was driving too slowly, in short, I drove as usual. Exam passed ! I can still keep my car.