MY WEEKEND OF JANUARY 11

It had been quite a long time that we didn't have lunch together, Dominique, Nicole and I so we decided to go to "La Pomme" (The apple).



It looks very much like a Pub and the plates served there have American and not Belgian size ! On the neighbor's table a Hamburger was served which could have fed a whole family !



As the weather was nice for photo shooting, I thought I go photo hunting for the theme "Our World" and went to the Waterloo battle field where important renovations of the site are actually done to be ready for for the 200th anniversary of the battle in 2015. The whole site was a muddy mess. They are busy to built an underground memorial of the battle. I could see the entrance through the grids. Nobody was working, but despite the mud, there were tourists who even climbed up the 253 steps leading to the lion on the top of the hill.



and as I was already there, I thought I could drive a little further on the battle field. It hadn't changed since 1815 and the "streets" were accordingly ! My poor car ! I should have gone there with a tractor.



Not a single soul was around, from far I saw a farm, a horse which wondered what I was doing there, but posed for the picture and I nearly stepped into the left overs of a bird which probably a fox had eaten, leaving wings and legs.

Then I was completely lost in the so peaceful battle field. Fortunately Madame GPS is always with me so I pushed the button "go home" and followed the instructions. Don't ask me where I was, there were many very beautiful old farms transformed into houses, and I regretted that I couldn't stop to take some pictures. After a lot of "turn left" "turn right" I finally recognized where I was, I had landed on the main street of Waterloo ! At home I looked at my photos and was very satisfied with the result. My new camera had done a good job !



On Sunday we had a short visit from our son and Toby. They had been staying with a friend, near Waterloo and stopped at the way back to Amsterdam. We had lunch together and not only we were happy to see Toby so short after Christmas but our cat Arthur too ! He loves to play with him and the little cars ! The sun was shining and Toby could even run around on our terrace with his little tractor outside. I noticed that he slowly becomes too tall now for the little tractor.



After lunch we sat together and Toby played a little game with a talking cat on my Kindle, was he laughing  ! Then they left around 4pm it takes a little more then 2 h to get to Amsterdam.

We tidied up, put the toys away and then we both disappeared behind our computers.

WATERLOO IN WHITE

Since a few days it has snowed in Waterloo



and the Lion looking towards France has a white coat



Some 30 years ago, children went here with their sleighs on this historical place, which now of course is reserved for tourists who want to see the Waterloo battle field from the top of the Lion.



Napoleon is also freezing and looks at the also freezing tourists



The huge battle field is covered with snow



so is the entrance to our house

And when I look out of the window










my neighbors are stuck in the snow too !



But views are very beautiful !

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants here

1. As I expected our guests from the French Riviera, my friend Claudie and her husband, I had quiet a lot of shopping to do.

2. You also clean and do things, which you only do under pressure, at least that's my case otherwise I always tell myself, I will do this tomorrow. That's why I finally pulled out the weeds which grew cheerfully in our gravel in front of the house.

3. I have known Claudie through blogging about our cats. Then we became blogfriends, and  we met for the first time "life" in April 2011, when she invited me for a week. She then came for a visit with her daughter in August the same year, and I went again for a week in February this year.

4.


and finally they arrived and I picked them up at the Waterloo station !



After a fresh cool Belgian beer we visited the Waterloo battle field, and the British Lion who sat on his hill turning his head towards France, as Napoleon had lost the battle here against Wellington and his allies. While Pierre took pictures of us, Mr. G. took pictures of him and then we posed together.



Unfortunately the site was in quiet a mess, as it will be completely renovated to attract more tourists. The total cost of this renovation will be around 40 million € ( 49.000.000 $) I hope the result will justify this amount. Finally it comes partly from our city taxes ! After visiting we then tried the good "Waterloo" beer, especially brewed for this historic place.



After Mr. G's prepared supper of Tortellini filled with salmon we had an Italian icecream and chatted the rest of the evening. We had beautiful warm or even hot weather 30°C (86 F) and it was great to sit outside ! It was the first time this year that we could eat on the terrace ! The weather had always been so cold and rainy.

5. The next day I took them to Brussels, to the hill where once the gallow was and now the Palace of justice. From there you have a wonderful view over whole Brussels.





Then we went to the Grand'Place, where the flower carpet was desplayed as they do each two years. This year the theme was "African" and about one million flowers were used. It is absolutely spectacular !



Then we walked through the little streets had some chips and  they had a special Belgian beer called "Kwak" in the old Toone puppet theatre which also has a little garden. It was amazing to sit in the middle of a huge crowd and noisy streets suddenly in such a quiet nice place. The evening ended with a typical Belgian plate, a Stoemp with sausages. It's more a plate for winter, but they wanted only eat and drink Belgian things. They already tried 6 Belgian beers, Leffe, Chimey, Waterloo, Kriek, Bush, and Kwak !

We had a lot of fun together.

THE MUFFED TARGET - A new meme

This is the very first "The muffed target" post. There are no special rules. Just post pictures which are not at all like you had wanted and describe how it happened. Then leave a link here on my blog for other participants.

When two weeks ago the reconstitution of the Waterloo Battle took place, I hurried to the battle field to shoot pictures of the big event.

I thought I start my reportage with a view on the Lion, standing proudly on his hill with his face towards the UK and his bottom to France, because Napoleon lost the battle. The poor thing had never been behind barriers, it was the first time in 35 years I saw him locked in.



and here is my lion ! I had taken a picture of a tent, couldn't see anything on the screen of my camera.



it should have been like that.

As BBC, CNN, and other reporters weren't there yet, I took the opportunity to take pictures of the battle field and the tribunes they had built all around for the spectators of the battle



here is the battle field and the tribunes.



at least I took a picture of the harvest before the battle. Don't ask me how it looks now !