FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

 

 

It was an awful week. It started on Monday with a lot of rain the whole day and it was also very windy. Impossible to go out. Fortunately we have our activities in the afternoon and that cheers us up. 

I wanted to visit Nicole, it was a long time I hadn't seen her, because I thought in a couple of days she will pass away, and her daughter told me not to go and keep her in mind as she was, a pretty funny woman.

As I am still not OK with my lung problems I didn't go, and regretted it very much the next day when her daughter called me that she has passed away.

I was stunned by the shock and spent the day like a robot. I couldn't even talk to anyone, I didn't feel like it. I informed my son, who also knew her, but I had the impression that he didn't fully understand my grief. In any case, I found no consolation. 

I was very funny at our game and made everyone laugh, and realized that the sadder I was, the funnier I appeared to those who were with me.The next day her daughter came and brought me Nicole's cat, of course not a real one but made of plush, but it looks so real that everyone thinks a cat is sleeping there. She also brought her mouse pad with the head of Charlie her dog. Charlie (a golden Retriever) was my great love and vice versa too. We had so much fun together! She has painted him and I will get the painting later, for the moment it is with her coffin.

 

I spent the next days with looking through all my folders for photos of Nicole, because her daughter wants to do a slideshow during the funeral ceremony. She will be incinerated on February 8. That's a long time I think.

You certainly understand that I am not in my shoes at all and I am sorry if I didn't answer all comments.

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE JANUARY 30

1. What was your after school routine like when you were a kid?

I have no idea. I had to walk to school, we were 80 of us in a class, in a metal container, because the schools were all destroyed by the bombs. School was finished at 1 p.m. and I returned home. After lunch I probably played with my friends outside. I don't remember if and when I did my homework! But I did learn to read and write

2. January 26 is National Green Juice Day ( I guess it's true everything really does have it's day). Do you juice, as in make your own in an attempt to get healthy? Do you do the green juices? What's your favorite kind of juice (home blended or store bought, either one)?

I don't like juices except orange juice from time to time, I prefer to eat the fruits.

3. What's something trivial about which you have a strong opinion? 

I don't have strong opinions about something which is not important, that's not worthwhile. I would rather have a strong opinion about something important. 

4. What do you need more of in your life? Less of? 

Traveling, see countries I have not yet seen, like the Northern ones and my dream is to see the Northern Lights. 

5. Give us three adjectives to describe your January.

 Cold, wet, foggy

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

I just got a call from the daughter of my best friend Nicole, she passed away yesterday. I  feel like someone hit me over the head with a hammer. We did so much together, we traveled a lot together when Rick didn't want to travel anymore. 

I could confide in her about my worries, and we had so much fun together. Unfortunately she got cancer 5 years ago and still made it until yesterday, even though she has been sleeping most of the last two weeks. 

She is the last of my former friends to die. Now I am the last one from our Scrabble get together and with her the last chapter of my life is closed. Now I really have to start a new life, which will be completely different. Today I feel like the numbers in my passport in July I will be 82 ! and Nicole was 4 years older, but we both still were always ready for any mischief or joke.

7 years ago

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

A shop where you can sell antiques or old stuff, which others can buy. Sometimes you can really find a little treasure.

 

more participants here, and Image-in-ing

AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND JANUARY 25

 

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS

 

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WEEKEND 

When I looked out of the window I saw a grey world and raindrops on the window glass. I thought for a moment to stay in bed, but then slowly slowly I crawled out of my bed, had my breakfast and put on the mask to inhale the medication for my lungs. 

Then I went to Paulie for a morning chat, it's always very interesting when she speaks about the past. 

Pauline and I

She is jew and lived for 45 years in the Belgian Congo, and so she and her close family had no troubles with the Nazi Germany. She has a very big family here in Belgium and they are visiting her every day. With her I can talk about everything, she is very open minded and very modern for her 94 years ! It's strange but I don't feel any age difference.

On Sunday morning I was half watching the news in Italian when suddenly they showed a hat that I immediately recognized, it was Melania Trump's hat which almost completely hid her face. Underneath the hat it said "Anti-Kiss hat"! I found that so funny because it is so true. 

I ate my croissants which we get each Sunday, dressed and opened my computer.Then the chambermaid came to clean the room and told me more stories about her evil mother-in-law. Soon I'll be able to write a novel 

In the afternoon we played a very funny game. Everyone got a card with a word on it that we had to either mimic or explain. And what was on my card? "Ferrari" Rick's hobby, he collected everything from Ferrari. I wonder if this was a "Ciao" from somewhere.

Some mimicked so well that we all had to laugh. In any case, the bad weather was completely forgotten. Our love couple didn't talk to each other for 3 days, but today it was the great love again. 

Belgium is still without government, I think it is 9 months now, but apparently it doesn't disturb the population very much nothing has changed so far. Nobody is interested in politic here, I think when you are 80, 90 or even 100 years old you have seen it all !