FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

I started the week with a miracle ! I won the Scrabble game for the first time ! I mostly had been the last one ! As usual we had a lot of fun.

I am so fed up with our furniture which I look at since 50 years !! Nicole gave me a good idea  to paint some pieces white. That's what I did, it had been brown, now it is white and looks far better.



That's a start ! Now I will paint another one and then get rid of this TV furniture, which nobody wants because today's TV screens are too big. Even free, no one has answered on my advertising !

Our little group of 6 were invited to a Moroccan afternoon with a little snack, which finally lasted until 9 pm, and I still wonder what a normal meal would be if this is considered as "a little snack" !




Khadija had prepared all these goodies herself. What a work ! In the first row are the starters and the main plate. Last row the deserts and the tea which was served the Moroccan way.



Usually I never drink mint tea, I even hate the taste, but here I tried, it had a very special taste as she had added clove powder and orange extract ! It tasted delicious.



But before we started the tea ceremony she let us choose a Caftan which we put on and we found ourselves very pretty ! It is so interesting to exchange different cultures and traditions. She doesn't wear a scarf btw and is Belgian since more then 20 years and has managed to put two cultures together in full harmony.



In our painting class (officially still closed for school holidays until September 1st) we continued with our pouring ! It looked like a Kindergarten and we behaved as such, what fun to mix colours  together and pour them on a canvas ! You never know the result !

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FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

Only too quick the weekend was over ! On Monday Toby went to school and the parents to work. I kept the house, I wanted to go window shopping nearby, but it was so cold and windy that I preferred to stay home and worked a bit on my little travel computer and got angry because different things didn't work and I have absolutely  to have that arranged before I fly to Egypt end of the month.

At 3.30 pm I picked up Toby from the day care. He told me that his school was too far for me to walk but his day care very close to the house. Very cute of him. He goes by bike, but one of the parents always go with him. Driving your child to school I thought it was by car, but no ever since he bikes, its per bike. The parents go to work by bike too ! Everybody in this area does so.

Punctually I was at the day care which was very nice and had a big football (soccer) ground in front. The door was open and nobody there, so I had time to look around and see the very well furnished rooms with modern games. Finally I saw a girl who was cleaning up plates and she came out with me to call Toby who was busy with his football game ! This area is so secure that there is no danger to let the kids play outside alone. Only I could have stolen some nice games inside .... nobody saw me and I saw nobody. Strange.



Then we walked home. The way is very nice across the canals and there is only one big main street which is dangerous. Once this street crossed, I gave Toby the keys and told him to ride home as old grandma was so slow. He was very kind looked always behind to see if I follow and then when he arrived he opened the door put the alarm off and I saw his head stretching out to look for me. I was really touched that he took so much care of me, finally it was as if he was babysitting me and not the other way around.

We spent the rest of the day choosing something to ask Father Christmas and watched a bit TV then the parents arrived.

The next day I had to get up very early because I had to take the Bus to Brussels and I had to be at the bus station at 8 am.



The bus arrived punctual I said good bye to the canals and watched the cars, all people going to work.



I left behind my nightmare !

Mr. G. picked me up at the Waterloo station and then went playing cards and I went to Nicole to play Scrabble. We made one game, ate two cakes and I told them my weekend in Amsterdam.



In my painting class I tried again a "Pouring" painting and when I saw the result I was very satisfied ! I was the first one to be surprised ! You never know what is coming out.

After painting class we went to the Lunch Garden and had lunch there. Then we went home to do our shopping or household scores.

In the evening I went with Monique to the cinema, she wanted to see "The wife". I was a bit hesitating because women who give up everything they love only because they marry, I just can't understand.



But it turned out that it was a beautiful film very well performed and I can only recommend it.

I had seen an advertising on internet for glasses to wear when it is dark. As I am blind like a mole when I drive and are blinded by headlights, I ordered them just to see how it worked ! And I am delighted ! I can see now so clearly it's amazing. Even the strongest headlight doesn't bother me anymore and I can see people and side streets which I couldn't see before ! I always avoided to drive in the dark. But now in winter I have too so I am happy to see like an eagle, and don't see trees where there are none !

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FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

I thought I would have a nice quiet morning, but after having answered comments, I wanted to start with my Berlin post. It was more difficult as I thought, because after such a long time, I didn't always remember what was on the pictures.

To distract me a bit I surfed a on youTube to find little videos about what we are doing in our painting class the "Pouring". Suddenly amongst the artist videos was one which showed a little boy looking out in the rain with his football in his hands. And then suddenly he had one to play inside ! Immediately I thought that this is the perfect birthday gift for grandson Toby, as he has become a football fan !



He can play inside without damaging the furniture or the window glass, it can be used as Hockey ball or even for curling with a broom ! So I started to find a shop who would sell it. I spend the whole morning on Internet to find this balloon. It was available in France on an Internet site, but they didn't deliver to Belgium. I found another site in Germany they didn't deliver to Belgium either. The one in Belgium had never heard about this ball. Near a nervous breakdown because all five minutes interrupted by a certain husband, I finally found one in  the Netherlands. I asked my son to order it so it would be there on his birthday Saturday.

This time it was my turn to receive my Scrabble partners and I had been again in the English shop and had bought a cake with fudge, an apple crump cake and a caramel cheesecake. They were delighted nobody had ever had fudge or the apple or cheesecake.



Chocolate fudge and cheesecake and it really was delicious, fortunately they left some for Mr. G !

I lost again, but at least we had a nice afternoon, because the day had started bad again ! I wanted to make a cup of coffee, with my Senseo coffee machine, it made half a cup and then gave up its soul. Just the day when I had the girls for coffee !

I jumped in my clothes and went to a shop to buy a new one. I wanted the same ! Surprise it costed the double after 3 years ! So I choose another, which is much better because it also makes capuccino, espresso and normal coffee. I could inaugurate the new coffee machine with my friends !


 The new coffee machine

On Wednesday the new sofas should be delivered. I just went to my aqua gym, while Mr. G. stayed home in case the truck would arrive. Nothing arrived not even in the afternoon. Or yes, something arrived .... an email telling us that they had loaded the sofas in the wrong truck and it would only arrive tomorrow between 8 am til 10 pm !!! We stayed at home for nothing, and I had some shopping to do ! 

Finally this morning I got an email that the sofas are on the truck and we could follow on Google map the way of the driver ! Great !

I had time to go to my painting class where I had done a "pouring" painting, which was dry now.


I swear I didn't kill somebody ! You never know what is coming out when you pour the colors over the canvas !

When I came home the truck was near and arrived in half an hour. In no time the two guys had carried the 5 boxes into the living room and put them together.



I was very happy, the leather was soft and everything seemed OK



and so it looks finished. You have 3 recliners and one seat in the middle of the three seats you can use as a table. My fear that the cats would love the leather was unfounded because, they just sniffed a bit and that was it. Of course now, while I am typing both have chosen one sofa ! As long as they behave I have nothing against it. And Mr. G. is allowed to splash his coffee around now. It's easy to clean !

In the afternoon I will take the bus to Amsterdam to celebrate Toby's 8th birthday ! Time goes so fast !

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FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

On Monday I felt exhausted from our Exhibition ! I hadn't thought that staying there from 11 am to 5 pm would be so tiring but it must have been the noise and the fact that I was often standing and explaining. Therefore I took it easy, and spend my day working on my post about Vilnius (Lithuania).
This took me nearly the whole day, because some of the photos I didn't remember where and what it was ! Fortunately I could google !

This time our Scrabble was at Nicole's. Since I had served scones with clotted cream, she had proposed each time to serve a speciality of a country. Unfortunately she had gotten a cake from her son who had bought it in France as a speciality ! It was called "Broyé du Patou"  (crushed Poitou)  a cake from the New Aquitaine region of France, made of sugar, flour, butter and eggs.The ground does not cut but breaks into uneven pieces, and normally you have to break it with your elbow or with a hammer.

I think the one who had invented this recipe must have an agreement with dentists, because that thing was as hard as a stone ! Mireille had to break it with a wooden spoon as we had no hammer and were worried about our elbows ! 



Strangely it broke into four quarters. We bravely ate each a piece, but had to dip it in our coffee, so hard it was. It tasted not too bad, but I would never try this French speciality again ! But we had a lot of fun in breaking the cake. I already saw the pieces stick at the walls.

Since we had learned Acrylic pouring in our painting class most of us are excited to try it out !



It's not a very clean job, and for once we wore aprons ! We have to mix the colors with glue and water, I tried beer, and then mix it well and pour it on the canvas. You never know the result, but it's just amazing ! The beer with the glue caused a special design in my color ! Next time we will try liquid soap !

The leaves slowly start to color, and it has become quite cold. We are not used to these temperatures anymore !



Arthur has found the right place, he sleeps on the radiator !

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