FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

We started the week with baking ! It was the 6th January which the catholics celebrate as Epiphany or three Kings day. As Belgium is a catholic country everybody was busy with baking (or buying) the special cake which contains a trinket. The one who gets the piece of cake with the trinket (attention to your teeth) will be the King or Queen.  

Preparation of the dough

It's ready and Evelyn cut for everybody one piece.

As we had two cakes, we also had two Queens ! The cake was delicious and we were all very proud. I only made the pictures, but tasted the cake and can only agree !

This marked the end of the Christmas season and we could put all the Christmas decorations again in their boxes for next year. 

We have a new comer a couple, we have only seen the man who participates in our games. The funniest thing was that Jeanine who was sitting besides me told me several times that she knew this man. And the man always looked over to her. Finally she went over to him and then they both screamed and fell into each other's arms! They had been neighbors for 30 years and lived across from Jeanine's. The world is small!

It was a nice week, a little difficult because there was a lack of staff, they had to take their holidays before the year's end otherwise the days are lost. But that didn't disturb us, those who still could help the ones in wheelchairs or pulled off the special stockings in the evening and helped dressing those who had difficulties. The nurses concentrated of those who were really helpless and had Parkinson, Alzheimer or dementia. That is what I like so much here in "my" castle is the family spirit. 

I had asked for a little table to put just in front of the window so when I am blogging I have this wonderful view 

It was the first snow this year and only lasted one day ! But it's getting cold and unfortunately very humid and grey. The cold doesn't disturb me but I would need some sunshine. 

Coming back from a little shopping I found my parking occupied so I put my car behind the building half in the grass and then it rained for 3 days. When I wanted to go out again, my car was stuck ! Impossible to get out of the mud. Finally all available men rushed to help me and got it out ! What a laughter, of course as probably in all countries they said : Aww a woman at the wheel !

Now I am looking forward to a wet, cold weekend, but in a warm place with cheerful people.

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE JANUARY 9

 

1. At the end of every year (or at least since the mid-1970's) Lake Superior State University posts a list of words they think should be banished from the Queen's English for misuse, overuse, and/or general uselessness. You can read more about the decision making process here, but this year's list includes-

cringe, game changer, era, dropped, IFKYK (If you know you know), 

sorry not sorry, skibidi, 100%, utilize, and period. 

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly or even just every now and then? How many did you have to look up? Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word/phrase not on the list you'd like to add? If so do share, then tell us why.

I would use, "If yo know you know", sorry not sorry,  utilize and period. The other words I know but I don't use them.

2. Your favorite soup? Do you make this one yourself or is it from a can? 

Don't talk to me about soup ! I hate all soups, it fills you in with water and you can't eat the main course. The only soup I like is lobster soup. 

 

Otherwise I never eat a soup, which drove my Rick crazy, as he loved soups. So from time to time I made a Minestrone, which we both liked. 

3. How do you feel about winter? What's one winter activity you look forward to? 

 

That's how I feel ! I wished I could hide in a nice warm cave, as activity a long sleep until I smell fresh green  grass and see little flower heads coming out ! Then we can talk about activity !!

4. The Pantone color of the year for 2025 is mocha mousse. What say you? The website describes it as 'a warming, brown hue imbued with richness. It nourishes us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort'. Is this a color I might find in your home or wardrobe? Is it one you might add in some big or small way in the year ahead? 

The French Television described this color as follows : the Pantone Color Institute unveils the color that will mark the world of design and fashion. For 2025, it is mocha mousse (Pantone 17-1230), a brownish hue that mixes beige and brown. This shade creates a soothing and comforting atmosphere. Interviewed by BFM Business, interior designer Leïla Bezaz explains that mocha mousse embodies the idea of ​​a "good steaming hot chocolate".

Honestly this color is not my cup of tea,  it's too dull ! I got just used to very light grey or creme but not this milk chocolate color.I wouldn't know where to put it !

5. Which of the following winter related idioms can best be applied to your life in some way right now? Choose one, then tell us why you chose it.  snowed under, on thin ice, tip of the iceberg, chill out, break the ice, snowball effect, not a snowball's chance in hell, get cold feet, the cold shoulder 

Not a snowball's chance in hell, that I will love winter one day !

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

When I found this photo of me together with a friend, I remembered that in my childhood I loved snow and sunshine, and

sledding. I think the last time I sat on a sled was when my son was about 5 or 6, today he is 51!!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Salvadore Dali

 

"The only difference between a madman and me is that I am not mad."

 I visited an exhibition of Salvatore Dali, it was interesting. I think he loved and admired himself when I saw the countless self portraits he had painted ! One crazier then the other. He probably was a very intelligent man, but I had the impression that he was making fun of us "normal people". Without a doubt he was a great artist, even if I didn't like any of his work.

AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND JANUARY 4

 

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS 

 

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WEEKEND

Have you ever sat in a cold sauna and the ice-cold steam enveloped your body ? That's pretty much how you would feel if you went for a walk naked in Belgium ! In short, the whole week was a terrible weather.

Luckily we had a lot to do in the afternoons, we played a question and answer game every day. Then we drank our coffee, but this time there were no waffles, probably because the new year hadn't really started yet. 

A new guy has joined us, who gets up every time he can answer a question. This makes us laugh, because he seems like a schoolboy to us. 

On Sunday morning it was quite cold - 0°C and it had snowed a little. By the time I found my mobile to photograph the first snow, the snow had already melted and by lunchtime it was suddenly almost summer temperature  11°C, no wonder there are so many sick people. The pharmacies are as full as bakeries with freshly baked bread on a Sunday morning. 

Another new resident joined us, but she's only staying for 3 months until her neck vertebrae have healed. We got on really well right away; she has 8 cats!! And they're all inside cats! Of course she wanted to see Rosie, who was in a good mood and greeted her friendly. Now that the holidays are behind me, I'm relieved. If only the weather wasn't so bad.

During the week we had a refugee and nobody knows how he escaped from the fourth floor which was locked with a code and was rolling along the corridors in his wheelchair. He wanted to go into my room twice, but I told him that it wasn't his room, and he started waving his hands around and made incomprehensible noises. I turned the wheelchair around and called for a nurse, but since no one came I put him in the library, where someone always comes by. He must have had Parkinson's because he reminded me of Rick before he died, and I felt thankful that I had learned a lot how to handle people with this disease and I was no longer afraid of them, which I used to be.