FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

Monday I had some laundry to to for Mr. G. still in hospital ! I had asked for his dirty laundry and had got the washed laundry of another patient ! 

Finally I had also got the date for his scan, after having spent half a day on the phone again. I also had to buy a Tetanos syringe for my appointment with my doctor the next day. Miss Rosie since she has become an inside cat has long sharp claws although she has a scratching post. She had scratched me several times because she wanted to play !

I don't know why, but for some time now I have had very sensitive skin and bleed like a slaughtered pig! It also takes a long time for a small scratch to heal.

My doctor found me in good health, although a bit tired but it is not really tired it is more stressed and worried. Nothing to do against that except amusing and having  fun ! That's really a bad joke with the lockdown the closed restaurants and each thing which would be a good place to forget your worries.

Nicole is also  still in hospital so our scrabble club had shrank, and the second one had started the Ramadan for her husband, as it was the first day she stayed with him, but not longer ! He is the only one in the family who follows the rules. So we were 3 and the Scrabble Club became the Babble club and we watched again the Acrylic abstract lessons on YouTube. As soon as the lockdown is lifted we have to look for a room, because I doubt that we can use our usual room for over 20 years because it is in the retirement home.

The weather was cold and humid, it also hailed again and we avoided to go out, only I with my visits to the hospital.

For the 80 years of Mr. G I had prepared a metal box with a personalized card of Rosie and myself  and when I arrived I asked the nurse if she could make an exception for his birthday and let me wish him happy birthday at least from the doorstep on. She had to ask her main nurse and then another came too so I was escorted by 3 nurses to his room. One of the nurses gave him his gift and he was very happy to see me, although he didn't recognize me first ! I found that he looked real good, much better than when he was hospitalized and it even seemed to me that he had put on weight ! I was very happy ! 

 

Besides the watch our son had offered him and my different little cakes, I kept the other gifts at home I feared that somebody misplaced them as it had happened with the laundry !

Toby our grandson had made a beautiful picture for his grandpa (Nonno in Italian) I think for a 10 year old  it's not bad at all. It represents the Formular 1 which Nonno loves to watch so much ! 

Meanwhile the scan had been done and now I have to wait for the results and decide what we will do next ! If only the weather would be a bit better, and this dammit lockdown lifted !!

She doesn't care about a lockdown

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

AWWW MONDAY

Huizingen park, one of the various parks in Brussels


Linking to AWWW MONDAYS

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WEEKEND APRIL 11

Now the lockdown completed the first month and we are still very much alive although a bit bored ! We still meet 3 times a week, and as it was such a summer time, we always went to Myriam, because there it is quiet and we can chat in peace and disturb nobody.



In not even a week the trees have changed and are now in full bloom



Myriam is quite angry because on Radio and TV they say we should use the time to do things we have no time to do in normal times, like painting or repairing or cleaning, but they forgot to say where we should buy the missing products like here for the swimming pool which looks like a pond now, only frogs are missing. Of course people order on Internet and even shops who so far didn't sell via Internet created a brochure where you can choose and buy. Little shops can certainly close their doors after such a long time of earning nothing.

We still have nearly 30.000 people infected and 3.600 have died, mostly old people.  My neighbor a nurse is home since 2 weeks and has another week to stay home, because she had the Coronavirus. There is still no medication, what they say is to rest and take medicin against pulmonary aches, and the usual stuff for fiever.  What we can't understand is that the nurses and doctors are only starting to be tested since a week ! Before there was no tests or only a few available. Now they increase daily at least to know amongst the hospital staff who is infected and who not ! Fortunately there are now more people coming out healed then being hospitalized.

Strange things happen. The son of an acquaintances went together with his wife to his mother's incineration. Only the two were allowed to attend. The father was disabled and couldn't come. After the more then short ceremony they went to the father to tell him that his wife wouldn't come back. They had taken a picture of the coffin and showed it to him and told him that mum is gone forever. The father pushed a loud screem and fell from his wheelchair dead ! Heart attack. That's sad but on the other hand good for him as he was 89 and unable to live alone.

On Sunday was Mr. G.'s birthday. He was born on a Easter Sunday ! The birthday was a bit strange, because we were only the two of us and cat Rosie, our friends called us per Whatsapp and sent cards. It's the very first time that on a birthday we do not celebrate with our son and family but all alone ! But thanks to Internet  we didn't feel alone. Fortunately this disaster happens now and not 15 years ago, where nobody had Whatsapp and Skype was first released in 2003 but not available to everybody, at least we can now keep visual contact with our families !



Our birthday cat



and the menu, Sushi and a Tiramisu with fruits.



Rosie was not interested at all in our birthday celebrations and continued to sleep.

The weather started to change today after almost 3 weeks of sunshine which made it very hard for the people to stay inside, today some clouds appeared and apparently we will go back to winter again ! Since a few years the weather is a rollercoaster !

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

Our Scrabble afternoons on Monday are a nice occupation during the climate change which still lasts and everybody talks about it. I can't hear the name Greta anymore although it was the forename of my grandma ! But she at least took a plane for the first time in her life at 75 to visit her daughter in Madison/Wisc.



The game was not that easy, but for once I wasn't the last one. My friend with the grey hair is nearly blind, but manages to see the big letters, it is a special edition for nearly blind people, and she always wins or mostly !



Little Isis watched us with one eye in her warm basket. She loves company.

The next day was the 70th birthday of Myriam and she celebrated it nearly the whole week. First with us on the exact day.



She had  ordered from our Lebanese restaurant a whole buffet and it was absolutely delicious. We arrived at noon, and while we drank our aperitif, Myriam unpacked her gifts.



Here she shows a table cloth she got from us together with other things, for once the sun was shining but it was cold outside only 5° and we are not used to that anymore. The cakes too were delicious and Khadija had prepared her Moroccan tea which she served in special tea glasses. I think we left at 7 and I was really tired ! We had chatted the whole afternoon !

In the morning it was so misty that I could hardly see the house opposite the street. After having taken out the laundry which had washed itself during the night and had put it in the dryer, I decided to make a lazy day and took Rosie as example



She besides eating and going out for fifteen minutes lay around and slept. I didn't sleep and I didn't go out but I watched TV and worked a bit on my computer. I also watched some movies on YouTube teaching the "Acrylic Pouring" techniques, for the next day's painting class.




And again Myriam celebrated her birthday this time with our painting group. She had brought delicious cakes and cookies and we gathered around the table and had cake and coffee. Before I managed a pouring in black whitce and red and am curious how it will look once it is dry ! Usually it changes completley.



After painting class we went to a nice restaurant which looks a bit like the English pubs and had the typical Belgian plate : Steak, fries and Salad ! Was very good.

The afternoon I answered emails and watched a bit TV and now the day is over and another week went by. Soon we will be in February !!

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

SNOW THE BELGIAN WAY

Snow is something rare in Belgium, but not so in the last 3 years we always had a bit. But as we are not equipped for snow, only few people clean their sidewalks and when it's cleaned it becomes an ice rink due to the humidity, and then everybody walks on the dirty road where a little snow lays along the street.

In the little streets and gardens of Waterloo, snow even only a few cm can be very pretty.



When it starts to snow and the green grass becomes white











I took the pictures out of the different windows of our house because i didn't want to go out, snow is not at all my cup of tea !



And then when it starts to melt, it becomes really dirty ! Not so much in our street or the little streets around but the main streets are a catastrophe. Mountains of dirt and snow are laying besides the roads.



Now it has started to rain again, no snow anymore, but just an awful wet weather



A real inviting day to go out for a walk !



At least we had Myriam's birthday to celebrate which we did forgetting the bad weather and leaving our dirty boots outside and changed shoes ! It had been a very cheerful birthday, now except one we are all in the 70th and two already 80.



and in her garden the snow was still there

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WEEKEND JULY 7

Another sunny weekend went by we are really spoilt this year ! On Saturday I did some shopping for my little birthday celebration on Sunday afternoon. Nothing special only my best friends. My son and family are in England and couldn't come, but we will celebrate later when I go to Amsterdam in 2 weeks.




As I am doing this big trip beginning August I had asked for pocket money to buy me something which I like perhaps in these countries. My son offered me this cute piggy bank  at Christmas with something inside of course. Now I am hoping that the cat gets fat on my birthday !



Mr. G. offered me this beautiful bouquet, and my friend Bunny sent me a paper card, although she knows that I prefer virtual once, but she insists she is sometimes a bit traditional.




Mr. G. also sent me a card (I live so far away !)



And another friend had composed this card for me !

On Sunday I got lots of birthday wishes via Messenger or Whatsapp ! Son and family called too.
After lunch I prepared the table and everything for 3 pm when my Birthday party should start.



First we had a delicious strawberry cake on which I had tried to write a 75, and then forgot to take a picture. Mr. G. had his Formular one and was happy, while we chatted about important and less important things ! 

Later for the Champagne and little snacks he joined us, he still had his earphones on and looked like a Teletubby. Our 3 cats were sleeping on the lawn, only Arthur asked for whipped cream of course.

Another birthday over and I enjoyed it very much !

WEEKEND REVIEW January 21

It's still freezing and I took the opportunity and emptied our freezer and put the few things which were still inside in the garden, so it could defrost.

The afternoon I spent with Ilona, she had met a man and wanted to have my opinion. He was bald like a snooker ball, and had the same size as me not really what I would call a handsome man,  but he was very friendly, and a good talker. So I gave her "green light" under the condition not to fall in love, but only go out with him as a friend, as usual men that age are married and pretend they would leave their wives, which of course they never do !

Later we were invited to my neighbor's 78th birthday ! In April it will be 42 years that we are neighbors ! That's half a life !



Here we are all together she and her two daughters and me. We had a real nice time.



The youngest daughter had prepared a lot of different appetizers had baked them in the oven and we drank champagne with them. After that we had two birthday cakes, it was delicious. She then showed me the kitchen and said yes I have worked the whole morning to prepare the appetizers and the cakes look : and on the table were all the empty boxes which had contained the frozen starters.They also buy their food at Picard.

Sunday I spent with Nicole, she had got her daughter's little computer and needed some help.
Now she had got used to the tablet, she has forgotten about the computer and wanted to open Firefox with her finger !



and while we were busy with the computer, Charlie ate a block of ice on the terrace and then settled down in front of the open fire.

WEEKEND REVIEW July 11 - HOUGOUMONT FARM

The wonderful weather Claudie had brought with her in her suitcase continued and we went to to the Anderlecht market.



Before we walked around and bought 4 Kaftans, we had this Durum a Turkish speciality. It was enormous, and I first thought it was for two people ! Then we returned home, but before we stopped and Claudie went to the hairdresser.

The next day my son arrived with Toby to celebrate my birthday. They came without my DIL who spent the weekend with a friend.  Toby's new hobby is playing football (soccer) ! He probably watched some Euro 2016 matches and was also influenced by the school. He was never interested in football before.



First thing they did was buying a football suit for Toby with the stockings and shoes.



Then fully dressed he posed for his Dad. The whole afternoon they played and he was actually very good. I don't understand anything of the rules and don't know the players either, which of cause was a big handicap for a grandma !



Claudie and I watched them from the terrace



In the evening we went to the Brasserie "L'orangerie du Prince" which I love so much and Toby had a lot of fun with the old machines of the farm and the hey balls. The meal was delicious, the photo shoes Claudie's plate, it was a sucking pig, and she loved it very much !

On Sunday we went to the Hougoumont farm where each weekend a show with Waterloo battle soldiers should take place. On the program was written "Artillery". In expectation of a wonderful show with historical uniformed soldiers, we approached and heard the first canon shot



Toby was first afraid, but then he watched closer and played with the soldier's kids. The whole show contained 5 soldiers, a little canon and 3 shots !





While the tourists went away quite disappointed, we chatted with the soldiers and had a drink with them.



For the first time we could visited the little chapel





This  wooden crucifix survived an inferno during the Battle of Waterloo. It had been stolen and had then been rediscovered in a Belgian flea market after a four year hunt by Interpol !

The 400-year-old cross from the chateau at Hougoumont escaped some of the battle’s most intense fighting

The cross stood in the château’s chapel which was burned during intense fighting between French soldiers and the Grenadier, Coldstream and Scots Guards.



The farm



and tea time !

From there my son and Toby returned to Amsterdam and we went home. It had been a very nice weekend !

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