FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

 From "winter" we jumped into summer temperatures and I was glad that I hadn't changed anything in my "dressing", years ago in autumn I separated winter and summer clothes but since only the trees have the four seasons, it is not worthwhile anymore. From my autumn clothes I jumped in a T-shirt.  

The umbrella I had ordered had arrived and Myriam helped me to assemble it, which means she did all and I watched ! She had the good idea to attach it with a cord in case the wind wanted to blow it away. 

Despite the sunshine we had our scrabble inside and not as usual on her terrace, because she has a very naughty and uncooperative neighbor and she didn't want that saw that we were more than the lockdown rules allowed. He has a pump for heating his swimming pool which is so noisy since he changed its place that she can't stay on her terrace. She had tried the friendly way but he shut the door in front of her nose and then she had to call the police for an official statement and now it goes further ! 

I am happy that we have nice neighbors and we are only 3 on the same floor. Yesterday the fire alarm went on and made a hell of a noise. As it was early morning we all appeared in nightgowns or pajamas, the hairs standing up and wondering how we could stop it because there was no fire, the cleaning man had pushed too hard on the case when he dusted ! Fortunately the youngest neighbor who is the mother of little Michael Jackson (the boy looks like a twin when Michael was a kid)  disappeared in the basement and then suddenly the awful noise stopped ! We all were happy to have somebody on our floor who knows what to do ! We were standing there looking all very chic and laughed and chatted a bit before everybody went back in his apartment !

After 5 years without glasses now I needed one again ! I picked them up and it was strange because they are bifocals, but it lasted only one day and now I feel "normal" again, if that is possible.  

Two days later after having helped me with the parasol, Myriam came back and assembled the box to put cushions and all the stuff which lay around on the balcony.  Now with the "green grass" and no junk anymore laying around it looks  nearly like a living room !

To end the week the Doctors had kidnapped Mr. G. can't sayanother word ! They had brought him back to the Waterloo Hospital for a Scan, but hadn't told me anything. Fortunately a friend of ours was visiting Mr. G this day and the Doctor thought, instead of asking, that she was his wife and had told her about the transfer back to the Hospital. It's a too long story but I had to wait until 5 pm when I finally got an answer where he was !  I was was so angry and at that time of course you can't get hold of a doctor, but at least I got his telephone number. As he was tired and confused I couldn't find out what they had done with him so long and have to wait until tomorrow when I or my son will call the doctor and ask for some more details ! It's a shame they are all very friendly but nobody knows what the other is doing.

This ends my week and I am so tired because I was worried the whole day. 

Rosie had interrupted her lockdown sleep and was watching a pigeon which sat on the metal tube of the balcony.

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AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND APRIL 10

 I am better then Tarzan !

Linking to AWWWW MONDAY 

 

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On Saturday my insisting phone calls and after having extorted the email adress of Mr. G's doctor, I got the answer that the health insurance had  sent her the copy of the disappeared permission and it was YES ! Was I happy, because they will do the scan on wednesday and then hopefully find the right medication.When I talked to him in the evening I found my old Mr. G back, he wasn't confused at all and could even tell me when they will do it.  Apparently it is a very special Scan one belonging to the nuclear medicine and you can do that only once in your life !.

After all the stress I suddenly felt so tired, but I had to go shopping and dragged myself to the supermarket. After that I didn't do anything anymore ate something watched TV and went to bed!

Our son had sent birthday gifts for his Dad who unfortunately will celebrate his 80 years in hospital alone, maybe we can talk to him via Skype they have a special service for that. Anyway I will bring him one gift and several little cakes he likes because a birthday cake is too difficult for him to handle. 

This is the watch which is perfect big numbers and the date that's all he wants and red of course ! That's the only thing I will bring to hospital, because you never know, expensive things especially in geriatric wards, can easily be stolen, not by the personal of course but by the patients. 

In the afternoon Myriam came and brought me the birthday card I had created for him, our printer has no ink anymore I have to buy some.

We watched our program of abstract Acryl painting and were amazed what beautiful paintings you can do with even a tooth brush !

Nicole is also still in the hospital. She had an epileptic seizure which was probably caused by the tumor in her head. She'll probably be on stronger medication. So getting old is not always nice when you are healthy and your friends and acquaintances suddenly get all sorts of diseases! Oh wonder nobody I know was in the hospital because of the Corona virus!

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

This had been an awful week, poor Mr. G spending Easter in Hospital where nothing was going on ! And of course no visitors.

On Tuesday I spent again the whole morning on the phone trying to reach his doctor who had come back from holidays ! I tried different services with no result except each time waiting for 45 minutes minimum until I got a living soul on the phone only to hear that she was not there and finally that she had left. Fortunately I had Scrabble in the afternoon and that was nice and made me think of other things then a missing paper. 

We had a very nice afternoon, but then came a cold shower ! I just had finished my supper when I got a message from Nicole's daughter, that her mother didn't answer the phone and it was 8 pm. She had been at 6 pm at home. Her daughter found her unconscious in the living room, she had taken off her coat and lay on her belly and probably she had been in this position from 6 to 8 ! Her daughter called the ambulance and then me to tell me what happened. Of course she was not allowed into the hospital either and she doesn't know yet what happened exactly to her mother. I told her we could put the two together, Mr. G and Nicole, and she laughed and but they are in different sections. A pity that the day ended like this. 

The next days I was hanging on the phone and made my household at the same time. Fortunately it has a loudspeaker ! My son texted all the time too and wanted my reports, in the evening I was so tired I had done a lot but got the impression that I had done nothing then charming the nurses on the phone.

And all that because they can't find a paper from our health insurance for a DAT scan. They had written a letter that herewith they would send the permission, but I only got a copy without the permission and the doctor too. Now my son and I are calling all the time and it seems now that they move ! I don't even have to tell my name anymore they recognize me immediately.

I had an appointment for my COVIT vaccin but 30 km away and the weather was awful, it would have been a nice excursion but with snow and rain not so much. I cancelled and stayed home ..... on the phone. Today I got another convocation for the vaccin from another service ! What a mess ! If  I wait a bit I will get  more convocations and eventually can sell them ! First we had to wait and ran short and now apparently they have to count people twice ?

And this was the weather after Easter, warm and sunshine, rain, hail, snow, more snow and now a bit warmer and humid  I could take pictures for our weatherman they have been taken out of our living window. I hope that the beautiful cherry tree hasn't suffered too much !

 

 

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FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

Monday my hairdresser came and cut my hair which had grown quicker then usual ! Mr. G had spent  his weekend at the hospital and seemed to be quite satisfied. That changed on Monday evening when I called him, he wanted to come home ! I told him that it was impossible and that's not my decision but the doctor's. 

I tried to recover from the last stressing weeks and only drove my scrabble girls to the only one who lives in the next town. I still am the only one  who loves to  drive, so I am the "chauffeur" !

In her garden spring had slowly moved in we could observe all kind of birds drinking out of the little pond.

After our game where we all had almost the same points and two cakes with coffee, I drove them back to  Waterloo.

We noticed a that the Japonese Cherry trees had started to bloom. It was sunny bad rather cold

On Wednesday I did some shopping, and also bought 5 T- shirts for Mr. G.which I brought him in the afternoon. No way to visit him I had to give my bag with the laundry to a nurse and got the dirty one back. Amongst the dirty laundry I found some clean once, he hadn't noticed the difference.

I did the laundry and also called him in the evening, but he was angry that he was not allowed to come home. The tests with all the machines have not yet been done. Sometimes he is a bit confused and then normal again !

Myriam came and we watched a few movies about the Acrylic painting in modern Art. It was funny what the painters used ! Nail brushes, spatulas, clothes pin, squeegee for windows, etc. Everything except a brush !

Today I finally could talk to the doctor who takes care of Mr.G and she told me that he is a special case (that I knew) they did a lot of memory tests with him and apparently he answered well to things which normally people don't know and those which everyone knows he didn't know ! 

Our governement has again restricted our lockdown, now the hairdressers are again closed and all "non essential shops" ! Of course it's never their fault, that they hadn't ordered enough vaccins ! I decided not to watch the news anymore ! 

Fortunately when I go out and see that spring really tries to move in, I feel a little better !

The fields look beautiful

and I "planted" fake flowers in my cat pots, it looks really nice. The furniture is not yet put up it's still a little to cold.

I don't know if you have seen the eruption of a volcano in Iceland with a meter long unspeakable name but as you can see I was there !

In  my dreams and sitting on the sofa taking pictures of the TV screen !!

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Skywatch Friday

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

This was quite a busy week in hanging around in the hospital with Mr. G. He had his first test just to start the week. It was a memory test I didn't want to go in with him but the doctor said yes I could, but after one question she asked me to better go out because he always looked at me for help. I knew ! I quickly left him alone with the doctor, and sat outside in a chair ! After more than an hour he finally came out, still alive, I got a handful of papers to bring to the reception, and had to pay attention not to mix up everything ! 

After that I had to go food shopping and then I fell on our sofa and tried to relax ! What a day !

The next morning started with the nurse who came at 9 am to help him with the shower and tidy up his room. Of course although he was present and watched like an eagle where she put everything in the evening he complained that he couldn't find anything anymore. 

In the afternoon my Scrabble girls arrived we were 4 one was sick and they had forgotten the Scrabble !! We all have lockdown syndroms. Fortunately I had another idea, as we want to start to paint again, but something we had never done, I switched on YouTube on TV and we watched "abstract" art ! This was all new too us and we had a lot to laugh when we saw with what the artists  painted, a barber's brush, wall painting brushes, aluminium foil and even a toilet paper roll ! But when the painting was finished it looked surprisingly very nice ! Mr. G only shaked his head and disappeared in his room.

We had to go again to the neurologist for another memory test. This time it didn't last that long and we could leave sooner. I was so distracted that I first forgot all the papers on my chair and then my purse besides the water fountain ! The reason was that I had a discussion with the girl who took the appointments she wanted to put us end April, but I refused that's far too long. I'll call the doctor directly. More then a"no" I don't risk. But before I had time to call, she had left a message, we have an appointment just beginning April ! Sometimes it's necessary to push people a bit !

Today it's very windy outside and I can see that the first leaves are coming out especially the wheeping willow is getting green ! How nice first spring signs !

It must have been a very strong wind, because I heard in the news that one of the three 300 years old trees which had seen the battle of Waterloo in 1850 finally fell in the Coronavirus year ! A coincidence ? 

The hospital it's very huge !  here you can only see the entrance.

Mr. G. had invited a friend from his Whist club to play cards. I went shopping because our freezer was empty and I had to fill it up ! Also little Rosie had no food anymore.

I don't know what they played, I don't like playing games, but these two are besotten ! They played the whole afternoon and were still playing when I came back.

A part from her food I also had bought grass for Rosie as she loves it, probably remembers her the outside times, and also two little mice. I have to keep the old girl busy, she will be 14 in May !

And while the two players still played I surfed through the comments and answered.  

It had been a very stressing week for me and I will go early to bed ! Tomorrow no doctor only the nurse in the morning.

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FRIDAY's FAV FIVE

The summer weather had come back and the week started with a very hot Monday ! It was even so hot that we couldn't sit outside we had to stay inside the curtains closed. Our Scrabble game was cancelled, as Myriam had called that she had a terrible kidney attack which was very painful and that she couldn't come. One was in France to help her brother to move their mom in a retirement home and  C had troubles with her eldest son who was sick ! So Nicole and talked about what wearing when her head would be bald from the chemio therapy and I had found lots of very nice wiggs on Internet. Finally we had a lot of fun with all the wiggs which were on offer and had a nice afternoon. It was the first time her daughter had left her alone to go with her daughter to the sea. This girl is an angel ! As the doctor had said that Nicole could go home if somebody is there 24 hours, her daughter didn't hesitate a second and took mum home. She doesn't work for the moment so she has time but still it does her good to have a break.  I babysitted Nicole with pleasure.

Meanwhile Myriam's condition had worsened and she had to go to hospital. She called her daughter and asked her to drive her to the emergency, but her daughter had guests and no time for her mother !! Finally it was Nicole's daughter, with all the troubles she had with her own mother drove her to the hospital. In the evening I called the hospital and they told me that she was just taken into the operating room ! 

The next day, she called me at 11 am and asked if I could pick her up, she was already allowed to go home. She had called her daughter, but she didn't answer, then she sent a message that she had no time because she and her husband watched how solar panels were put on their roof ! Imagine ! So I drove to the hospital and found Myriam in a very good shape, she felt a bit tired and said she would go to bed. I wanted to do some shopping for her but she didn't need anything, so I helped her with her bag and she went inside She was very sad and upset about the behaviour of her daughter, who preferred to watch the installation of solar panels instead of taking care of her mother. It was good that I didn't know the street number, I was so furious that I would have driven there to tell her what I think !

It was still very warm in the evening when it was getting dark so that I took my computer outside and did my work there. Rosie sat inside on her cat tower and watched what I was doing.

 

 

 

 

 

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The next morning at 8 am a moving company arrived and had to go on our terrace to move the furniture of our neighbours who moved out. Of course they had told us before, but we are the only access to the next apartment. Anyway it didn't bother us at all, the people were very nice and everything they had moved to make space they put in place once the work done.

When I looked out of the window I saw my cats in a meeting in a corner, they had put them there because they were afraid to break them. 

As usual we went to the "Dolce Vita" this time we were only three, and they joked that poor girl goes out with two old handicapped ladies ! And as usual the lunch was very good !

 

After lunch I sold my car ! It went very quick. A friend had recommended me a dealer and when I called and told him that I have a Hybrid car for sale, he was so interested that he wanted to come immediately and look at it. Finally we agreed on the price (through the phone) I haggled a bit and got 200 € less and when I arrived in the garage he immediately made an invoice, and immediately transferred the money to our account ! And then he drove me home and we chatted the whole way about Waterloo and how it had changed. He had bought the car for his wife ! 

 

Each year I make a collage of Grandson Toby, and this year it should be the same. I asked my son for 8 or 10 photos, new once, and of course I got at least 25 ! 

 

Above is the old collage still framed and the new one

And here it is : edition Summer 2020 !

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FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

We returned to winter temperatures and the heatings are running full speed, especially in the mornings and evenings.

We were five for our Scrabble, a new member has joined us. Unfortunately she is so good that she made TWO Scrabbles and won of course. Nicole and I were the last onces ! As usual we had a lot of fun and the fruit cake was also very good. The fifth member is just going through a very ugly divorce battle after 39 years of marriage, which I personally find stupid, an official separation would be enough. The trouble was, she still loved him and was crying each time somebody mentioned a man. Now it's the opposite ! Thanks to a beard ! She had seen him again with a beard and the love disappeared all of a sudden, she found him so ugly ! I thought what teenage worries even the over 70 have !!

I had my shopping day, not very much to buy for food, but household products and some decoration stones for the garden. Just when I wanted to put my flowers in the 4 pots I had bought, it started to rain so I had a good excuse to sit down and watch a bit TV

With Mr. G being hospitalized I have a lot of paper work for the insurance company ! When I get all the useless papers which anyway land in the waste paper basket, I think what a waste ! It's anyway in the computer ! So finally I get all in double ! Makes me crazy.

I went with my friend Monique to visit him, and he looks a bit better. Apparently the flu and infections are gone and he could even walk with a walker of course. He also starts to notice the people around and even took the tablet in his hands I had brought him to play his beloved cards  ! So far he always had refused and spent the days looking at the ceiling ! Maybe he thought that it is a landscape in the snow. Everything I brought him to distract him a bit he refused. It seems to become better. The only thing he wants is coming home, but that is impossible according to the doctor he has to stay at least 2 to 3 weeks more. Difficult ! He is not a very patient man !

Before I went to my painting class I had again a few papers for the Health Insurance. They know me know ! Fortunately they are all young women and very friendly. I felt completely empty and had no inspiration for a painting. So I put all my stuff on the table in the hope that inspiration would drop from heaven, but nothing dropped, and I gave up. Fortunately there was another one in the same state and we chatted.



For Nicole's birthday I had her cat Isis printed on a cup ! It had finally arrived and I brought it to her. She was really happy with the gift and I was happy that I had found something what she liked, it was her 80th birthday and that's an important date !



Doesn't she look great ? And all natural, no Botox or surgery !

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FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

This week started with a holiday, it was Easter Monday. I had more or less recovered from my guests and was happy that my friends came for a Scrabble. Distraction is very important for me to keep my strength. They admired my Easter decoration when we had finished our game, we had a fudge cake with blueberries and whipped cream.



My Lebanese neighbors made a barbecue and it smelled delicious. They asked about Mr. G.'s state and when he would come out of hospital. I told them that he is still too weak and must have an infection because they did a lot of other analyses and the reeducation has to wait. Suddenly the Lady disappeared and came back with a plate of Lebanese food and said, "you are alone, here is your supper ! You have to be strong, have a nice meal !' Isn't that cute ? I was really touched.

Then the Teenagers put on Lebanese or Arabic music and we were delighted, we felt on Holidays in Egypt ! The sun was shining and it was warm, an absolutely nice afternoon !

When somebody is ill, you also get a lot of administration work. In my case as it was not me who had brought Mr. G. with the ambulance to the hospital, there were some errors and I was blessed with tons of invoices. I went to the health insurance and said that I have not won in the lottery and I am not the wife of a millionaire like Mrs. Trump. The employee smiled, looked at my papers and told me that I will get all the money that I had payed back in the next days and that I will not get other invoices anymore, they will handle it directly with the hospital. Good news, my mood raised !

To celebrate that, I went to the hairdresser because I thought I needed a new head !

We have a travel agency in Waterloo who does daily excursions. This time they proposed the Keukenhof in the Netherlands. As we had never seen these amazing Tulip fields, Nicole had booked for us and we met at the bus at 7.30 am !

It was a wonderful day ! While it rained and it was rather cool at home in Waterloo, there was sunshine and warm weather at least over the Keukenhof !



This is only a little bit of the Tulip fields and the flower beds, statues and houses, I will write more about it on Tuesday for "My World". We stayed there for 5 h and I am sure we haven't seen it all, but we were hungry and thirsty and there was a restaurant, so we had lunch there.



Before returning home, we stopped for an hour and a half in Scheveningen at the beach. After half an hour suddenly a terrible wind came up and it started to pour ! We all ran inside the restaurant with our glasses and waited that the rain stopped ! Then we just had the time to catch our bus home.

Next morning I had to get up early because the cleaning lady was there already at 7.30 h ! I met with four friends for an Asiatic meal and then drove the 20 km to Mr. G. to bring him a paper to sign and of course clean laundry. He was still feeling weak and we tried to walk along the corridor, he with the walker and I besides. But he only did a few steps and then we had to return as he got dizzy. Before he had been without the walker to the bathroom and the nurse was angry with him apparently he is not a very easy patient. I tried to explain and told him to be patient and do what they want him to do to heal quicker, but I got the impression to talk to Arthur the cat who never does what we want !

I stayed until 4.30 am and it took me more than an hour to come back the traffic had started. I was very tired when I came home. Tomorrow I have to talk  to the Doctor again to know more about the results of all the analyses they have done !

Fortunately I have a lot of support from my friends and my little neighbor nurse who really mothers me ! Which for once I need !

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WEEKEND APRIL 7

Somebody had recommended me a new lung doctor in a little town near Waterloo. I have to say I was a little fed up with my pneumologist because she was very expensive and a real pessimist, because I got the impression that I had already one foot in my grave.



We all were used to go to the Braine hospital belonging to Waterloo too, but it had become a real factory over the years and it's not at all the same anymore. You are just a number.



This one was a medical center and in a house, it was old, but the machines were the same and modern and that's what counts. The doctor was very friendly and competent and an optimist, he prescribed me a new inhaler and told me that I don't have to worry.  I paid less then half because in Belgium "posh" doctors can ask what they want, but the health insurance always pays the same amount for the consultation.  I was quite happy with the result at least it hasn't gotten worse.

Finally spring arrived and we had sunshine and Ilona and I celebrated her birthday outside sitting outside.



it was a wonderful day, and you could hear everywhere the lawn mowers !

On Sunday it became even better the temperature climbed up to 25°C (77 F) and made the warmest April day ever since 1902 !



My friend Bunny who had the intention to do her paper work on this Sunday left everything when I called her and proposed a walk to the park of the Chateau de la Hulpe.

We walked along the lake and the orchards there were a lot of people who had the same idea as we had and had a drink on the terrace of the restaurant near the castle. Which of course was full and we had to wait a little until we got a table with two chairs. Since we know each other since we were teenagers there are always a lot of memories to dig out and we enjoyed the first real sunshine.

Mr. G. sunshine or not was glued on the TV screen to watch the Formular 1 and was happy that Ferrari won again which hadn't happened in the last years. I have to admit I couldn't care less.

It is really amazing what such a warm and sunny day can do I was feeling much better



and could have purred in the sunshine like cat Arthur did.

MY PERSONAL ER SERIE

Today's prompt : Hospital

One morning years ago the phone was ringing. On the other end of the line I heard somebody whisper with a very weak voice, and I heard "Can you come, help me please", suddenly I recognized the voice of my best friend Jeanine. I didn't ask anything, because we knew each other so well, no words were needed. I quickly dressed with whatever I just found, jumped in my car, opened the front door of her house with my spare key and found her laying half on the sofa and half on the floor, the telephone besides her.

I knew that she had chronically asthma and sometimes terrible attacks where her spray was not sufficient.I don't remember how I managed to carry her to my car and put her on the seat. In emergency situations you develop special strength. I drove as quickly as I could to the emergency service of our hospital. I managed to get a stretcher and she was pushed into a little room with a curtain and one seat for me and a nurse told me the doctor would come immediately.

My friend's face looked worse and worse and I could see her efforts to breath, I kept my eyes on my watch and realized that "immediately" was apparently a word you could stretch for hours. After 10 min I had enough. I went outside looking for a doctor or at least somebody who would take care of her. Nobody was visible. Suddenly I heard laughter and followed the noise and there they were all, the doctors and nurses, drinking their coffee, while my friend fought for her life. I saw red like a bull, stormed in the room and asked if somebody could come after all this was not a café but an emergency service. An angry nurse throw me out and said the doctor would come "immediately" yes I said, I know this word. The nurse went away and I sat down and suddenly I had an idea. I saw the sign "non smoking" looked in my purse and took out a cigarette which I lightened and blow the smoke out the little cabin as far as I could. Not one min later they all came in a hurry shouting and screaming that smoking was not allowed. Now I had them all the doctors and the nurses and other personal. Yes I said, I know but this is the only mean I found to get your attention, and as you can see my friend really needs help.

And then I got what I wanted thanks to a cigarette. One nurse threw the cigarette away and the doctor came and ordered to bring my friend for medical examination.

I waited outside for the results and then the doctor finally arrived and told me that it had been about time to bring her to the hospital I That was the summit ! I told him to watch the ER series on TV where he could see that everybody was running around and safe lives, while here they make coffee breaks and let people die and I had to lit a cigarette to get some attention ! In fact I told him smoking doesn't kill, but saves lives. The doctor had humour, he laughed and told me that now I shouldn't worry anymore about my friend and that he would watch the ER series, with a twinkle in his eyes. 

Conclusion, if you need attention in a hospital just light a cigarette, even if you are not smoking !

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