8 Apr 2026

HODGEPODGE APRIL 8

1. Egg on your face, putting all your eggs in one basket, a good egg, walk on eggshells, nest egg, or a tough egg to crack...which eggy idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain.

Not all idoms are right for me. I don't put my eggs in one basket, and I'm not a nest egg. The best option is probably that I am a tough egg to crack.

2. April 7th is National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? If so do you have a favorite? Beer battered fish, beer bread, beer can chicken, beer brats...which one sounds good to you? Have you made any of these?

 

 
 
I'm not allowed to drink alcohol, but I don't like just water either. Soft drinks are too sweet. Fortunately, almost all beer brands here in Belgium now have non-alcoholic beer, which is great for me. I can drink as much as I want and don't risk to dance on a table! Belgium is famous for it's beer, they produce over 2000  types of beer.

3. Do you have siblings? What's the best thing about being your sibling? If you don't have siblings, what would you say are the pros and cons of being an only child? 

I am an only child and never was jealous when I had a friend with siblings. I even thought it is better that way, because friends you can send home, a brother or sister not. And when I observed my friends around me they often fought with sisters or brothers and even when they were adult it continued or they broke with sister or brother because of their partners. I never had this problem !  I had an only child too. His wife has a brother, but they are not in contact anymore. 

 

4. How do you feel about floral scents in products? Do you have a favorite?

I haven't worn perfume or even eau de toilette since I was with my aunt in Madison, Wisconsin, during her final days, until she finally passed away. She had skin cancer and smelled terrible. I used all the perfume and eau de toilette I had on her so she would at least smell nice. But now, just the smell of perfume, or especially "Miss Dior," makes me feel sick. Such awful memories.

For laundry I prefer discrete, fresh and natural scents.

5. What's one thing in your home that begins with the letter G that you would say is a keeper, something you'll hold on to? Tell us why. 

 I looked around and thought about it, but I can't find anything that starts with G to which I will hold on. I am really not a keeper of something, rather to somebody. When I sold our house I had to empty it. 50 years of rubbish and other things from basement to attic. My son camped in the house for a week to choose everything he wanted to keep for him or family. I didn't care, I just took framed pictures of Rick, our wedding photo, my cat collection, and my handmade doll house (from 1946) with me. 

doll house furniture

Now sometimes I think I should have taken this or that, but then I think what should I do with that ? As my aunt always said "The last shirt has no pockets".

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The last days we had wonderful weather, blue sky and sun shining. And of course I got my travel fever. In the past, I would have booked something long ago, but with the oil crisis, the unfortunately senile US president who keeps changing his mind, and the risk of being able to get to Tunisia but not knowing if you'll be able to fly back, I see little opportunity to travel this year. Add to that my chronic lung condition, which can be quite moody on some days. So, what's left is a country not too far away with a nice beach, but unfortunately, even those are limited and it's often rainy and cold there. High petrol prices are keeping many families at home. I could also go to Amsterdam to see my son; they live a 5-minute walk from the sea. So, I'm raking my brain for where I could go. 

 

Remains a dream .... holidays in Turkey
 

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 
Sunrise
 

 

The beach early morning

sunset

 

cleaning the beach early morning

 

 My late friend Nicole had an apartment at the Belgian coast. This was the view from her balcony

 


more participants here

6 Apr 2026

AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND APRIL EASTER



I was really lucky that I could take pictures of one of our 6 castle cats, which you can't pet and usually run away when you come too close. But here she cleaned herself from top to bottom on the terrace of one resident room, while we were inside. The sun had come out for a few minutes. 



 

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS 

 

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WEEKEND

It was Easter Weekend, but honestly we haven't gotten anything special. On Saturday an Easter mass was held, which is normal, but what I don't understand is why so many people attended and why a priest was specially hired who only had an hour free that day to celebrate an Easter mass. I mean, if you never go to church for mass, except at Easter and Christmas, then that's rather hypocritical, and besides, they are taking the places from those who are really religious. 

We were four of us who didn't attend,  my friends, who felt the same way as I. Our animator, Elinor, was with us, and we played an interesting game it was a very pleasant afternoon. We were given a special room that's usually only used for family birthday parties.

Fortunately Kim had decorated the whole castle with bunnies, little baskets and flowers and it looked really like Easter.  





But that was all. On Sunday the Easter lunch was honestly disgusting, for that we all agreed, we haven't even seen one single Easter Egg. 

Last year it was completely different, everything was nice and we were all in real Easter mood.

After the activity, the coffee was served. Usually there is a cake, waffles or other biscuits, this time the basket was rather stingy there were a few biscuits and 3 waffles not enough for all of us. Fortunately we had a guest who had brought chocolate eggs more then enough for us. We will ask why it was so different then the other years ! 

 

The cutest card I have got !