WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?

Helps you to remember what you have done on the weekend of September 28 . If you participate please put the little logo on the top of your post and leave your link.

Dominique wants to add a conservatory to her living room, which she wants to use as painting atelier. She had seen the one from Ilona and wanted to have something similar. As we had our pergola built by the same company, I suggested to go there and look what they had to offer. Off we went to Gibloux a little town 40 km far from Waterloo. I had looked on their website for the openenig hours but couldn't find anything, but we thought on a Saturday it must be open. When we arrived we found the shop and showroom closed and not even a ghost around. The Peugeot dealer just besides had left all doors open, we could have easily served ourselves with office materials, paper and computers. Not very commercial after all he wants to sell cars ! I shouted several times "hello" and after a while a man showed up with his mobile glued to his ears. We could have been potential customers, but apparently due to the crises they are not keen to sell or work but rather talk to their girlfriends or wives. I finally had enough and asked him "sorry, can you interrupt your conversation for a minute" which he did, giving me an angry look and when I asked why the conservatory shop was closed, I got the answer that it is ALWAYS closed on Saturdays/Sundays as if this was normal before he continued to blabla in his mobile.

We came to the conclusion that in the Wallon part people don't need to work, apparently they are rich enough. I am sure that would have never happened in the Flemish part of the country. Disappointed we returned, but decided to stop at Ilona's to see her conservatory. She had baked a delicious cake and we had tea together, so the afternoon wasn't lost completely.

Sunday was like a Friday 13 (if you are pessimist). Mr. G. went into the kitchen and found himself standing in water ! It was like his Garda Lake ! The kitchen flooded, the washing machine leaked !



I spent the next hour on 4 paws to absorb all this water. The filter was clean,  the door properly closed so I really don't know what happened ! At least I found the litte tube and could use a bassin. When I finally collapsed into my chair and wanted to continue this post, suddenly the electricity went off in the whole house. Fortunately it was daylight. We thought it was in the whole area but no, it was only the main fuse. Mr. G. put it back into the right position, and  light reappeared. But not on my freezer ! Catastrophe ! Finally he found out that the dehumidifier in the basement was the culprit and sizzled when he put the plug in. We left it out and the freezer worked again. was I relieved, I just had filled it up !

The cats were a little surprised that the TV went on and off, and that they needed boots for the kitchen.

But the worst was I couldn't get Internet ! It took me nearly an hour to get it connected again. What an exhausting Sunday morning !

It was also the Sunday where no cars are allowed to drive in Brussels. Usually it's always very funny, there are coaches with horses, or only riders, but this time I only saw bicycles ! What made me so angry was that they drove in the middle of the street, not even respecting the traffic lights with the result that they bumped into each other. Little kids who couldn't even bike were alone zig zaging around without any parents in view.  The poor bus driver had really a hard job.



The streets were empty besides parked cars, lots of bikers and people walking around paying attention not to be run over !



It's nice to take pictures when there are no cars disturbing !



On the Grand'Place a folklore festival took place and gallons and gallons of beer disappeared in dry throats !

After all this walking I had enough and took my bus back to Waterloo which was so packed that I thought to travel in a sardine tin !

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. On Monday I pulled all my courage together to go shopping for the most essential things, like toilet paper for example. Our street was still covered with snow, as it is a little street and mostly forgotten by the truck which grits the roads with salt. I had to drive very carefully like on a skating ring, fortunately the main road was cleaned.



Mr. G. had to clean his snow covered car and wasn't happy at all with that, because it cost him some effort ! Our little  cat statues in the garden wore all white hats !

2.The most exciting happening this week, was the electricity break down ! I was just in our guestroom to take a shower and waited that the room was warm enough to get undressed, when suddenly I was standing in a completely black hole ! Fortunately it's not so big and I groped my way to the door ! There I saw light, it was Mr. G. with a torch who wanted to check the fuses. Everything was OK, he then looked out of the door as our windows were all closed with electric shutters ! The whole street was in the dark !

Meanwhile I had called Dominique to know if she too was without electricity and she was. While we kept conversation on our mobiles (the telephone didn't work either) she was looking for some candles in the moonlight and then finally found them but without matches. But as a non smoker she found a lighter.

Of course meanwhile everybody had called the Electricity service and an answering machine told us that around midnight we would be lightened again ! It was 10.30. We went to bed and I read my book with the torch, when suddenly an hour later my digital frame showed myself on a camel ! The micro wave started with the help of a ghost and Dominique got a shock because somebody was in her office, but it was only the printer which had started to work, what normally it refuses ! This event showed us how much we depend on electricity ! And I imagined with horror myself standing naked in the black bathroom !

Such electricity cuts only happen very seldom, and for a very short time I can't even remember when it happened last time ! 

3. A friend had told me that I could also use coal briquets in our open fire



After our Electricity black out I bought two packages and we tried it out ! It worked perfectly and heated much more then logs only. At least sitting in front of the open fire would keep us warm !  Since 2 days now, we light the open fire hearth it adds some more heat and looks cosy.

4.



From our four cats only Arthur enjoys the snow, especially as litter box, it's so easy and soft to dig a little hole in the snow.


She used a painting of hers as avatar

In the afternoon I went to my friend Ilona to install Skype on her computer. In her street it was even worse then in mine, I really had to walk very carefully, because the street was covered with ice and very slippery. After some cups of tea and chats, I downloaded Skype for her and when I came home I called her to see if it worked and it did ! Only I couldn't see or hear her, because she has to buy a webcam, but she could see and here me. I showed her the puppets I use with grandson Toby and she had a lot of fun. Everything new is always fun !

5. My neighbor had go go to the hospital again to get her shot in one eye against the Macula a disease which cannot be healed but at least stopped from becoming blind. She takes it easy and with humor, because she said she anyway has not the choice so we had a funny ride to the hospital and back. The main streets were clean in Brussels and besides some very aggressive drivers we had no problem.



I have got two cat presents again, the white one from my friend Chantal for Christmas and the teapot from another neighbor as a thank you because we took care of their cat during the holidays. I think I need an exposition shed in the garden, the house slowly becomes too crowded !