FFF - MY RETREAT (HOLIDAYS)

Now that Rick has finally gone with the wind, I'm relieved on one side, that everything is over now,  but still I didn't feel well at all in my own skin. I slept badly and nothing interested me.

Somehow I felt as if I were one of those who suffer from multiple personality. In me there housed two. 

The me with the heart which hurt and which made me retire in my shell,  and the me with the mind who told me to pull myself together and go out and do the things I loved so much before. 

 

There was only one place to be all alone with my two selves. The English coast (East Sussex), more precisely Eastbourne. And that's where I ended up. 

Taking the Eurostar now after Brexit is torture, you have to be there 2 hours before,(without Brexit half an hour) just like in an airport, the passport is checked as if we were all wanted criminals and of course the luggage is also examined! 

That was really ridiculous because after all we have the same things as in England. And I didn't have hash with me! There was no koffee either in the Eurostar station, the machine was empty. Luckily there were sandwiches. 

The train was on time, because since Brexit there have been strikes in England, at least enough to be talked about. 

From St. Pancras to Eastbourne I still had to collect my ticket at the national Railway office, but the people there are so helpful and friendly that they arranged everything for me and I arrived even earlier in Eastbourne and already had my return ticket.

When I arrived I took a taxi which brought me to my Hotel "The Pier". I had been so often in Eastbourne when my friend Anne still lived, but I noticed a lot of changes. Closed shops, closed Restaurants, Covid and Brexit had left traces !

The (not  very comfortable) waiting area of the Eurostar on both sides ! It all had changed.
 

My hotel which I knew from outside ever since I went to Eastbourne,  was ideal for me located just in front of the Pier, all tourist buses went from there and the seafront walk just across the street. I had everything I needed just across the street.

even the shopping street with a lot of shops closed or new owners with other stuff to sell.

But the sea and the beaches hadn't changed at all. I walked a bit and then sat down and watched the waves and listened to the screams of the enormous seagulls which looked like flying ducks,

All along the beach you had these little walls where you could sit down, rest and watch waves, people and seagulls, which stole food so quickly that you didn't even realize ! They dived on the plate, took what was on it and off they flow ! Usually food is served on a plate but covered in a paper bag so that the seagull doesn't see if there is something on the plate or not.

there were also some pigeons

There are two seafront walks one along the sea and one on street level, with a lot of flowers, even palm trees and benches.

This pigeon just sat on the lap of the young girl

 

 

So I walked along the beach, sat down, watched the seagulls stealing and listened to the noise of the waves. Often people sat beside me and chatted and then got up and walked further just like I did.

 

When it was not too windy I walked on the Pier. There too the little shops had closed and only souvenir shops open. All little restaurants or Take Away closed at 6 pm, because of expensive electricity and not enough tourists. If you wanted to eat something after 6, you had to go to town or buy something before 6 pm

 

This was the view out of my window, just too beautiful

and that "wagon" made me laugh, because ladies were carried into the water with that while they undressed, so that nobody could see them in a bathing suit !

I didn't do anything during four days. I was still trying to settle the fight between my two me. Often in the evening I wanted to call home. But there wasn't Rick, only Rosie. My son texted me but I think he didn't really understand my state, I think you have to live it. 54 years of a happy life can't be erased. And it's only three and a half month ago anyway I have to do a new start.

In the next post  I will write about the two excursion I did in a wonderful landscape, the South Downs.

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

The week started with me looking for a new computer as my 5 year old HP gave up its soul on Sunday ! I had read about recycled computers and thought that would be a good idea, because they are completely new, but can't be sold in a store because the outside is damaged with scratches or other "beauty" defaults. I don't care about a scratch as long as the computer works correctly and has all what I need. On a scratch I can still put a cat sticker. I found the right computer to a rather cheap price on an ad, but before I ordered it, I went to a second hand shop and was I lucky ! I found exactly what I wanted looking completely new and half price of the original price ! And it works !!




Rosie supervised me when I installed all my stuff, which I had saved by coincidence the day before ! I didn't know that my computer would break down ! Now I have a Packard Bell. But I think all computers are more or less the same. It also has window 10 and a lot of other functions as my HP

Our scrabble was not in Waterloo but at Ilona's who lives 15 km far. I took my car, because it would have been stupid to take 4 cars and I was the one who knew the way the best, as I had been so often there,



She had baked a poppy cake which was delicious and which is well known in Germany and Hungaria ! The others didn't know it at all, I knew it from my Grandma and mother. Years ago we had to go to Germany to buy the poppy seed because it didn't exist in Belgium. Now of course you find it also here.

I don't see very well or honestly nearly nothing when it's dark and had always avoided to drive in the evenings. In winter it reduced my time a lot. Then I found on Internet an ad of glasses to wear for those who are night blind like me. As they cost only 15 € I thought I try them out, maybe it helps.


I ordered  and it lasted 6 weeks until they arrived ! I tried them out and they were perfect ! I could see !! It was just wonderful. My friends who saw me driving in the dark as if the sun was shining, wanted them too so I ordered four more for them.

This time it took a little less to arrive but meanwhile I had seen that they came from China over Las Vegas to Belgium !! Probably they were thoroughly checked at the American border as Trump has twittered against China like a sparrow against a cat, and thought these are glasses for spies !

I had brought the glasses with me and gave them to my friends. When we returned we were all



wearing these dark glasses and hoped to be arrested by the police ! Imagine four vintage ladies with dark glasses in a car ... doesn't that look suspicious ?? Unfortunately we weren't checked and as meanwhile it was dark we weren't even admired by people walking by.

Of course we had a lot of fun and laughed, we just imagined if it would have happened.

Our painting class was rather empty most of the girls stayed home, because the snow had melted but the ground was still frozen and the small streets were slippery and dangerous. In my part of the town the snow was gone on the street, so I had no difficulties.

And while painting, we talked about perfect murders (because of the glasses) and it was amazing what fantasy we all developed ! I hope that nobody has recorded our conversation.

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

and linking to Five Minutes Friday by Linda G.Hill.

FRIDAY's FAV FIVE

PHOTO MEMES ARE here


On Monday finally we could pick up our visa for Russia. We got a number and 10 min later our number was called and a very friendly young man who spoke perfectly English gave us our passports.



He joked when he saw us life and on the pictures of our visa which is glued into the passports. We said we really looked like dangerous terrorists, and we all laughed. So now we have all requested papers for our 10 countries round trip.

As 3 of our scrabble group were on holidays, I went to Myriam and we sat the whole afternoon



in her garden and chatted. It was too warm to scrabble and then only two is not much fun.

The school year is finished, officially on June 30, but a lot of people are already away.



For us too it was the last day of the "year", and we celebrated with champagne and snacks, and even a little birthday cake. Anyway we arranged that we can use the room in August and will get together without teacher. Otherwise two month holidays are too long if you are retired and on holidays the whole year !

As it was so nice and warm 6 of us decided to have a sandwich or salad in a little snack, but with a huge terrace. We arrived around 12 and suddenly it was 3 pm !



My office is again outside and sometimes when one of the numerous magpies sit in the grass, I think it is Rosie my cat, when I just have a quick glance. Of course when it flies away I realize that it couldn't be Rosie !


Even the King and Queen of Belgium couldn't resist the excitement !Nobody had never seen them like that, just like ordinary people !(picture top right)

Besides that whole Belgium is in football (soccer) fever again, the Red Devils won against the UK, the country went mad. I saw a whole school class disguised in devils, and finally dear Trump was right when he said that Brussels is a "hell hole" For the moment it's true for whole Belgium !!

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.