AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND AUGUST 17

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WEEKEND



What a terrible weekend ! It rained non stop the whole day which was a catastrophe for organized open air festivals, and in "my" Waterloo for the celebration of Napoleon's birthday on August 15, 1769 and which should be celebrated this weekend.

The celebration should last Saturday and Sunday with a lot of shows and demonstrations of the cavalerie etc at least it was written like that in the program. After having stayed the whole day at home,  cleaning and working on my computer and then watching TV I finally had enough and went to the Lion's mound to see if despite the rain there was something going on. I really pittied the poor soldiers who had to spent the night in their bivoucas on straw with all the rain, but maybe they escaped and slept in a hotel room who knows.



What I saw was a shame. The poor tourists who had come to see some action, all what they saw was a cavalry of 3 horses, maybe 10 soldiers, and around 10 bivouacs. I took the pictures listen to the complaining public and returned quickly to my car, despite my umbrella I was wet.  Instead I watched a little crime story and then we had our supper.

On Sunday it wasn't better at least not in the morning. Apparently the farmers were happy because 32 l of water per m2 fell from heaven ! I did the same as on Saturday. Nicole and I had intended to go to Brussels but in this rain we preferred to stay home.

Around 4 in the afternoon it cleared up and the sun even came out from time to time. I thought maybe today the animation will be better and there will be more figurants, but when I arrived, it was the same as the day before.



Most of the people didn't go inside the camp,  because you had to pay 12 € per person ! No special price for seniors and only children under 6 didn't pay. They all complained that it is far too expensive and lined up against the fence and watched from there.

It was the first time that Napoleon's birthday was celebrated and it was a big flop in my opinion ! I was told that the management of the site was not in the hands of Waterloo anymore, but as many little villages around also belonging to the battle field had claimed their share, it was now an independant French management. Can't say that they were very efficient. Since I was a volunteer at the bicentenary of the battle, I had noticed the decline of the site.

We chatted a bit with the people and sat on the terrace, watching the disappointed tourists.



At home Rosie helped me to write this post.

AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND JUNE 22

How do I get into this bag ? It smells so nicely another cat !



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WEEKEND

Since nearly a week our weathermen announce hot to very hot weather 35°/40°C (86/104). People start to panic because the majority has no airco, only in the malls and shops.

On Saturday we should have reached the 35° but only arrived to 24° which wasn't very hot. Anyway I stayed home and whispered or croaked to husband and cats. Fortunately Mr. G. had his Formula 1 and was in France virtually sticking on the screen. I sorted out my pictures and rested my voice. Fortunately nobody called ! I felt lousy and weak and dragged myself from computer chair to sofa and the other way around.

When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining and it was already warm at 8 am. I did like they do in Italy, I opened all windows and cooled the house  then I closed them all and let down the shutters. Now the whole house is dark only in the living I left a shutter open. Before the Air con time that was the only mean to keep the house cool.



Feeling better, I went to the cinema. It was the first time in my life that I went alone ! It had never happened before, but I wanted to see "Rocket Man" the early life of Elton John, and it was the last day ! The film started with an AA (Anonymous Alcoholics) session where he appeared in a devil like costume and ended when he stopped drinking and drugs. I shouldn't have compared it to the Freddy Mercury film Bohemian Rhapsody, because I was a bit disappointed.

I had seen Elton John twice in Brussels, in his wild and fancy period, where he played piano standing on one hand with legs up and playing with the other ! What a performance. The second time he was already a Sir and a brave family father Elton John concert 2010. He was extremely polite, stood up after each song and bowed in front of the public. He was dressed in a dark blue suit and wore a tie ! What a difference ! But his voice was even better I thought.



I took a few pictures from the screen, just as a memory of the movie.

AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND MAY 4

Where is Isis ?


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On Saturday I went to to the clinic to bring some wafles and clean laundry to Mr. G. I was happy that he wanted to have something to eat, which so far he has refused. Everything which visitors have left I had either to throw away or give it away.

He is still very weak but can walk on crutches now.  We started to have a conversation about our house which becomes too big for the two of us and I am so fed up of the garden. It costs a lot when you have to pay somebody for everything because we can't do it anymore. Of course he was not very enthusiastic although he never goes in the garden or terrace, but he agreed that it becomes too much. There are reparations to be done and when we were young we all did this ourselves but now that we are belonging to the antiques it's not possible anymore. There are still our 3 cats, so it won't be before next year. They are very old anyway, 20 and 18. Rosie is only 12 years old. We discussed the whole afternoon and then he was terribly tired and I left.

It was really a lousy weekend. All my 4 scrabble friends were on holidays, Nicole with her children in Normandy for her birthday, Myriam visited her sister in the South of France and Mireille somewhere in the North of France. Ilona had another occupation, so I decided to go to the market, just to go out a bit. When I arrived it started to rain mixed with hail and everybody on the market ran to bring his things in the cars. As I was already out I thought I will do some tourist watching at the Waterloo Lion as I have often done years before.





First I comforted me with an Australian ice cream (in this cold) and watched little bikers learning traffic rules.



The Lion area was empty like my wallet, since the renovation there is only one new built restaurant  under the Lion and not the old romantic restaurants and cafés as before the bi-centenary ! At that time even with rain, snow or hail there were always lots of visitors.



The Lion was bored and looked over the green fields.



Suddenly a queue of old 2CV came from the parking to join an "Old Timer" gathering in Waterloo. Meanwhile I had enough of this cold weather although I didn't leave the car, but it was not very pleasant to drive when it hailed.

The "excursion" took me maybe one and a half hour and I was back home. I had some lunch and gave cat Arthur a slice of ham otherwise he didn't leave me in peace and I was exhausted. I watched a movie on TV and suddenly the phone rang and I realized that I had fallen asleep. It was my son to ask how I am, what should I say, besides the fact that I am still alive. I am worn out.  I think women can understand better then man. Or he doesn't realize that his mother is not 30 anymore. It's note the physical tiredness but the psychological. Things which didn't bother me in the past become mountains now !

AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND APRIL 27

Washing day


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WEEKEND APRIL 27

Winter has returned ! After some warm days the heating is on again, and the cats lay on the warm tiles. The rain doesn't raise my mood either !



Fortunately my friend Myriam had a good idea she asked me to come over and another friend so we could get bored  together instead each one in her house ! Which didn't happen because as man do when they are together, complaining about their wives, we complained about our husbands. But all in all the rate was not too bad. Myriam had just thrown out her boyfriend for 8 years, because he cheated on her and we congratulated her because we hadn't liked him at all ! We spent a nice afternoon and then returned home.

I spent another hour on the phone with my neighbor nurse who is very much involved in Belgian politics, but as all politicians are the same there was not one who pleased her or me and election are in front of the door ! Ridiculous is that elections are obligatory in Belgium and if you don't vote you get a fine ! And that is the reason why after nearly 60 years of life in Belgium I still have my German passport ! I don't like to be forced !

On Sunday Waterloo celebrated the 60th anniversary of the "Friterie Joli Bois". There you get your chips with mayonnaise ! The Joli Bois Fryer has been open for sixty years at the same location and has been operated by the same family for three generations. If amenities have been added over time, the structure is still the original one and even the wheels of the "fry house" are still there.




For this celebration the King's brother Prince Laurent came with his son to eat some chips and drink a beer. Nobody had to pay !



The Prince ate his "frites" with gusto !



It was a very cheerful celebration and the pink jeans of the prince had a lot of success ! Besides him stands his son and the blond lady is our mayor. Above under the 60 are friends from my painting course.

After this event, I drove to the clinic to bring fresh laundry to Mr. G and Nicole came with me. He was rather tired so we didn't stay long.

We ended the afternoon saying hello to Myriam who wanted to show us her last painting.

AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND APRIL 20

Where is Isis ???



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Weekend April 20

Our garden still looked like winter so I gathered the last energy which was left in me and "planted" flowers in the pots ! To my surprise it went rather quick and in an afternoon it was done with a lot of breaks !

As I hate garden work but love flowers and sit in a nice garden, I put the fake flowers from last year in the pots, some I had to replace because they had lost colors with the hot and sunny summer we had last year. Now it looks colorful !



On Easter Sunday I expected my son with family and I decorated the garden in the morning. I hang fake eggs in the shrubs and hedge, made a Easter bouquet and hid Toby's gift in a basket in the garden.





The Easter table



Toby searched for eggs and chocolate bunnies and a gift of course. I had bought a training football. He was very happy with that.

After lunch we went to visit Mr. G. in his reeducation center.



As he had his birthday last week, he got a beautiful Swatch watch, which besides measuring how many kilometers you walk, your blood pressure, heart beats and ALSO shows the time and date, as birthday gift from his dear son, and in order not to be short on T-shirts 3 more T-Shirts. Now he really has enough. Toby and Mum read a bit, I listened to the explanations for the watch. Then we had a birthday cake, fortunately I had brought paper plates with me and also glasses, only the cutlery I had forgotten.

Late afternoon we returned home and then they continued to Amsterdam and I fell half dead on the sofa. It had been a little bit too much for me.

AWWW MONDAYS - WEEKEND MARCH 16

Who woke me up ??? &é"$@


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My friends and I were invited to a vernissage by a Facebook member of our group. We had known her during our Facebook's meetings and as we all paint, it was normal that we met.



Her exposition took place in a very fancy place in a little village nearby. It was a restaurant/painting furniture shop/and Exposition place all in one. We didn't eat but we had a buffet with little snacks and drinks of all kind. The table sets were old 78 records what I found very original.

It was a very nice vernissage and we met a lot of people.

On Sunday all Shopping malls are closed, but I remembered that around 20 km far was another Garden Center on the French speaking part of Belgium. As it was very windy and it rained, we decided to go there. Looking at colorful flowers and plants would be mood lifting for us. I drove and had told my Mrs. GPS to take the shortest way. It was perhaps the shortest but also the longest.

Suddenly we were in the middle of fields and woods on a cobbled narrow street. We saw cows and horses, but no people and many farmhouses! A very romantic way. My car hopped on the pavement and we laughed and laughed! Finally we saw the Garden Center from a distance and arrived at destination.

As soon as we had entered the store, it started to pour down ! 




Finally we had arrived !



and while we heard the rain drumming on the roof we walked around amongst flowers, vases garden decoration, furniture and more flowers.



There were even little bunnies on sale and I loved this balance ! Unfortunately I couldn't take it along it was also rather expensive. I rocked a bit and my friends feared that I couldn't get out, but they were wrong I almost hopped out like a young girl !

This time I asked Mrs. GPS to take the easiest way ! With the result that we crossed woods, fields, little villages, cobble stones everywhere, narrow streets and not a soul around !



We also had a variety of weather, it hailed, snowed and rained !

I had to drive very slowly, sometimes it was difficult to see the street, but we arrived home without any problems !

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AWWW MONDAYS - WEEKEND MARCH 9

Want to catch a fish !!

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On Saturday morning despite my earplugs I was woken up by a terrible noise ! Looking out of the window I stated that my neighbour had cut two enormous firs, and when the trunk was cut into pieces it was even worse !



It's not so romantic anymore as when trees were cut with an ax and workers screaming "Timber"

My memory apparently is not anymore what it was because I already had ordered a scratching board on Internet and had completely forgotten, so when I got an sms to pick up the parcel otherwise it would be returned to the sender I was rather surprised. Now we have two !



With the scratch thing a little bag with cat mint was included, which I spread over the board. I didn't know that on some cats it has an effect like a drug ! My Arthur started to howl and meow in an awful loud way and ran around like crazy and jumped on every furniture. Mr. G. was very worried he didn't understand what happened to his darling cat, me neither but suddenly I understood why he behaved like this. He was simply drugged ! After 10 minutes he was normal again !

On Sunday we had a terrible storm and rain, but I thought I could drive to my friend in the next town without any troubles, but the wind was so strong that I thought I would drive a truck.

Suddenly a fir fell on the street and on a car which was parket on the side, I just had space to pass and had nothing.



But a little further another tree lay on the street, but not so big as the fir. I continued to drive slowly because a lot of little twigs lay on the street.



I drove by a house which should be demolished and the wind had helped a bit !

My intention was to take pictures of the carnival procession. It was impossible to stop and the poor people stood there bravely in their costumes in the rain and wind.



From the procession I didn't see anything, I wonder if a part of  it hadn't been cancelled especially those dancing on a wagon. Too dangerous. It's really a pity for the people because it is a tradition celebrated each year !



Finally I arrived safe and sound at my friend's home and was greeted by dog Sheena. We chatted the whole afternoon then I returned home in such a rain that I could hardly see something plus the wind, the fir which had laid on the street was gone, but the police was still there.

I was glad when I arrived home and could watch wind and rain through a window !


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