FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

What a week ! Raining every day, grey skies a real blue Monday week ! I stayed home on Monday and did such an interesting thing like pushing on the button of the washing machine. Then I dealt with old pictures from 1974 which I updated a bit and now they are nicer than the originals.

This brought me back to the past, when we were just young parents of a one year old little boy. At that time we used to dress the same and here you can see that we were both wearing flower printed jeans ! Instead of a hat, I wore a wig, which was so fashionable at the time. I remembered this picture well because 2 minutes later little Dario pulled my wig over my nose! Such funny memories ! 

I was so busy that I forgot the laundry in the machine, and only took it out the next day ! As distraction I had to go shopping which I did in no time, bought for at least 3 weeks, because snow was announced.

and for once the weatherman was right, it really snowed. Not very much compared to other countries but still enough that the whole traffic broke down and there were many accidents. 

Toby's Dad sent me these two pictures, showing Toby with his new and very sophisticated computer for which he had saved money for 3 years, that thing costs a lot. But since he is very talented in computer things, the purchase was worth it.

He was very proud when he told me on the phone that he had a 10/10 in German, I didn't even know that he had chosen German as a foreign language, since he already knows French, and English is spoken at school, so he thought of German as second language. Soon we will be able to speak German to each other ! 

In the afternoons Adeline and I visited each other, to see something else then the same walls all the time. I also selected interesting posts to keep for a book which took me some time, and memories came back again. 

Meanwhile I also had booked our cruise on the Danube filled in all the documents and sent them back, everything by email, that's much faster. Because of all this, I had forgotten my laundry again, that had been in the laundry basket now for 3 days. The laundry was nearly dry but a little wrinkled, I stretched everything and now it looks as if it was ironed. 

Rosie had the same week as me and as activity put her tail from left to right, moved an ear and even yawned once. Here is her resume of the week, during the day she sleeps in her basket but in the evening on my lap to watch my Miss Marple like crime stories.

Rosie's favorite fives !

What is that white stuff ?

 

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FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

 It seems to me that each week I am writing the same things with little differences ! 

I started the week visiting Nicole, who wasn't well at all because it was the week after her monthly chimeo which she still has to continue. But she was happy that I came, apparently I am the only one who still calls every day and visits her at least once a week. Now she has difficulties to walk but her brain still is the same despite the cancer and she is quickly tired, but plenty of plans for travelling ! That's good that she can dream. 

With the so said friends it's the same with me, the whole group has disappeared. I am a bit disgusted about friendship, but fortunately there are still two on whom I can count, who didn't belong to the scrabble group.

I had taken an appointment with our doctor to get the results of my blood test, but she thought I wanted to talk about Rick so that we spent an hour talking about him and she really cheered me up. At the end I asked about my test results and she laughed, because she had forgotten but everything was OK I have no problems at all. 

Spring showed its nose and the trees start to become a bit green and the bushes too. How nice to look out of the window.

I visited Rick, he looks very well physically but he finds it increasingly difficult to speak and find the right words, making it impossible to have a conversation with him. I agree to everything and follow the change of things he wants to talk about, now after half an hour he is tired and wants to be alone. 

Our printer died and doesn't even do photocopies anymore and I badly need to do photocopies for the moment ! In normal times I need a photocopie once in the blue moon, but now with the health insurance I make copies for everything. My computer has also a problem it shuts down whenever I move it a bit and has become so slow that my son suggested me to buy a new one. After having done a market study about computers and printers I finally found both on promotion at Carrefour the supermarket, where I usually never would have looked. 

The printer is cute, compact and has everything I need and even photo printing ! It doesn't take much space. The computer is a HP 8go Window 10 I didn't want 11 although I could take it later. Now I have to install the whole thing. I hope it works, so far Rick had done all these things. 

The people in front of my terrace had their roof cleaned and I had home cinema ! Fortunately the man didn't fall down as he would have done probably in a movie !

in the evening the weather changed and dark clouds appeared.

and the next morning when I looked at the thermometer I stated that the temperature had dropped tremendously from 14°C to 0°C !!!

I got up and went into the living room and that's what I saw !!

In fact it happened a lot this week ! We went in 5 days from warm spring weather wearing T-shirts to winter wearing our winter coats already hidden in the wardrobes !

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Since a week the weatherman announces us "SNOW" so far we had three snowflakes these pictures are from a year we had snow. The last two years nothing in Brussels.

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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

When the week's end comes near, it becomes more and more difficult to remember what I have done during the week, I think I should write it down. It is as if I should describe a basket full of white eggs which of course look all white.

As usual the Monday now is declared "MY" day, dedicated to my "beauty" ! Mr. G. is away the whole day, I mean until 4pm which makes me think of school times, when at 4pm the peace was finished and the house invaded by one intruder. So besides phone calls, TV and movie watching, I relaxed. I have to say that this long lockdown doesn't suit him at all and makes him feel unwell. Besides the household scores which we share he spends his days behind the computer and TV. 

Then his mobile gave up it's soul and as it was the very old model he wanted the same but it's not sold anymore everybody has a smartphone now. Or at least one which looks like. I thought there must be smartphones for seniors easy to handle and understand ! And I found one ! Mr. G. very reluctant to everything new and only used to computers as it was his job, finally agreed he had no choice either he absolutely needs a mobile, he is nearly 80. 

I went to the shop and had to order it because it was not in stock. Now he has it ! and it has everything he would need even Internet and Whatsapp, emails, camera, video, calendar etc the basic things of a smartphone. The keys are big and easy to read. And you push the buttons and don't have to slide !

Now, the problem is it's so easy to use that he is looking for complications !  He will get used to it. Over the weekend his friend will come and intall everything. For the moment he can call, receive calls and see his emails. That's the most important. 

We had our lockdown meeting twice this week which is really a good therapy. Many people suffer depression everybody is tired and has a lack of energy ! We were informed that the lockdown will last until beginning March !!

The vaccinations continue now it's the turn of the medical staff and then it's the turn of the over 65 and then the others. It's not an obligation, it's more subtile ! Because those who refuse to be vaccinated can't travel into another country ! And Belgium is so small that if you drive 200 km in all directions you arrive in France, Germany, Holland, and Luxemburg !

A new tourist attraction has been discovered a little Flemish town 30 km from Antwerp, where the COVID vaccine is produced !  

And if after walking around and taking photos, there is also the Brewery of a very famous Belgian beer in the same city !

Where in normal times you certainly can have a few beers ! For the moment all restaurants and cafes are still closed. Duvel means Devil and you can try if the name is right !

Besides that to close the week it's snowing !!

view from our Balcony

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SNOW AROUND THE HOUSE

Since maybe four years we have snow again in Belgium. There was a pause of seven years. I remember that when I was a teenager there was snow and it was even very cold and as a young mother I always went each year on a slide with my little son. And then nothing anymore.

This year after having announced snow for a week and nothing came, finally it snowed. In my city not that much, the most came down in the Ardennes. But still it was for some people who like snow very nice. Only driving was a mess. Belgium is not well equipped or organized for even 3 cm snow and on the streets it was a mess !





I had this view for two days ! The street was even a bit salted !





snow had melt with the salt



When I came back from shopping I took this picture of our house



The view out of the living window



My neighbors beautiful tree



When I went to my aqua gym the house looked very pretty in the snow



and the pool in a friend's garden too !



Cat Arthur was not happy at all with the snow and sneaked along the walls to find green spaces !





And now the snow melts slowly and we go back to green again.

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SNOW THE BELGIAN WAY

Snow is something rare in Belgium, but not so in the last 3 years we always had a bit. But as we are not equipped for snow, only few people clean their sidewalks and when it's cleaned it becomes an ice rink due to the humidity, and then everybody walks on the dirty road where a little snow lays along the street.

In the little streets and gardens of Waterloo, snow even only a few cm can be very pretty.



When it starts to snow and the green grass becomes white











I took the pictures out of the different windows of our house because i didn't want to go out, snow is not at all my cup of tea !



And then when it starts to melt, it becomes really dirty ! Not so much in our street or the little streets around but the main streets are a catastrophe. Mountains of dirt and snow are laying besides the roads.



Now it has started to rain again, no snow anymore, but just an awful wet weather



A real inviting day to go out for a walk !



At least we had Myriam's birthday to celebrate which we did forgetting the bad weather and leaving our dirty boots outside and changed shoes ! It had been a very cheerful birthday, now except one we are all in the 70th and two already 80.



and in her garden the snow was still there

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