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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE June 13

1. June 12 is National Simplicity Day. In what way is your life simple? What's one way that it's not? 

I live my life as I want to, I don't know if it's simple or not, by instinct I would always choose a simple way !

2. Something you remember from a 'simpler time'?  

When I look back on my life, I've always been pretty adventurous, and somehow I've always fallen on my feet. Can't remember anything special, time must have been simple in general.

3. Do you like squash? If so what's your favorite variety? What's a favorite way to prepare squash? 

I never have prepared squash, and honestly I don't know if it is eaten in Belgium. Never heard of it. I first thought you meant "Squash" the game ! 

 

4. Do you shop the warehouse stores (such as Costco, Sam's B.J's, etc)? If so how often do you go, and what's something you always buy in this type of store? 

Of course our stores have other names, but I certainly have shopped in one of them. But as I hate shopping in general, I would only go there when I need something

5. Father's Day is this coming Sunday. Any plans to make the day special? Tell us something about your own father, or something about your hubs as a father, or about someone who stepped into your life and acted as a father if yours was not a part of your life. 

We never have celebrated Father's day, it just was not the use. In Germany Father's day was celebrated, but in a completely other way, it was the day where men went out alone with friends without women and children and then they celebrated ! In fact it should rather be a "men" day, because for going out and celebrate you don't need to be a father ! (Father's Day is not a public holiday in Germany - which is fortunate that it falls on Ascension Day, a public holiday. To be more precise, Father's Day always takes place on the 40th day after Easter, which in 2024 will be May 9th).

Father day in Germany
 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Today I feel very tired, I didn't sleep very well. I thought about what, my son had told me on the phone that I was pretty weak and that I was getting often sick. He was right, since Rick died my health was not so good anymore and has taken a serious toll on it. I'm like a yoyo, one day I'm feeling good and I'm making plans to do this and that and then I'm feeling bad again. Now I'm thinking I will  stay here in  summer and drive or fly somewhere in fall. The weather is either way too hot or way too bad, there is simply no season anymore. Where it was cold it's now hot and the other way around ! 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

This is the Belgian coastline, unfortunately, the once beautiful beach promenade with old mansions was sacrificed to tourism. Promoters bought the large houses from people at interesting prices, demolished them and built these high-rise buildings with many apartments to accommodate as many holidaymakers as possible. Which means that the beaches are completely overcrowded when the weather is nice. 

The residents were pushed away from the beach and suddenly found themselves behind the high-rise buildings, which prevented them from having any view of the sea. This happened in the 50/60. Today they build nicer buildings, especially not that high, but unfortunately too late,  the Belgian coast is really ugly. 

But that doesn't matter, as soon as the weather is nice everybody rushes to the sea, with the result that sometimes it takes up to 4 h for a little more then 100 km, instead of a little more than 1 hour normally. 

If you have the good idea to take the train, it's so packed that people are sitting in the toilets and in every corner possible. Pray that you don't have to go to the "rest"room ! Sometimes the train company puts more trains for the coast, but still not enough. 

I noticed that it takes me less time going to the English sea. I take the Eurostar (train  under the sea) which in 2 h takes me to London and from there I am quickly at the sea and it's much nicer as the coastline with its old houses hasn't changed.

more participants here, and Image-in-ing

AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND June 8

 

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS 

 

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During the night of Friday to Saturday, I suddenly got terrible stomach cramps. I got up went out of my room and walked down the long corridor, I thought I had too much air in my stomach. But it kept getting worse. So I pressed the button hanging next to my bed and shortly afterwards a very friendly doctor came. After I explained to him what I had, he started taking my blood pressure. I don't know what blood pressure has to do with stomach pain, but your blood pressure can also raise if your little toe hurts (!). It was a little high. Then he disappeared and got me two stomach painkillers. I took one and after a while it got better and I was finally able to fall asleep.

By now it was 3 a.m. I was sleeping so well when the doctor suddenly stood at my bed again at 4:30 a.m. and shook me awake. Then he measured my blood pressure again, which was now normal. I asked for a painkiller because my stomach hurt again. 

I tolerated breakfast well, but then I went back to bed.The nurse came twice in the morning to see how I was doing. I told her "Lousy"! I watched two movies without watching them because sometimes I fell asleep. Pauline came over to ask me where I had been and I told her why. I went to bed at 7 pm, I thought it was 8 and read on my tablet. I fell asleep and slept well until 5 when Rosie jumped on my stomach claiming breakfast. The poor girl must have felt that something was wrong with me, I had forgotten to fill her bowl before going to bed ! A shame !

Sunday morning I thought somebody intended to break into my door, screamed "Good Morning, Madame, your breakfast" and as I didn't answer right away she screamed a second time. 

I mumbled something like "let me sleep, I give a damn about breakfast, turned around and fell asleep again. I only saw briefly that it was the housekeeper who was probably helping out and wasn't used to how breakfast was served. Sometimes you can understand murderers.

My belly cramps were better but still I was not feeling 100 % . Therefore I was hanging on my sofa and suffered in silence ! Hope that tomorrow I can jump to the ceiling !

My head of the day

My useless nurse