9 Oct 2026

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

This was a very "exciting" week. I had a terrible virus, nobody knows what it was. I felt terribly, and finally called my (female) doctor, she came a few hours later ! It was a long time I hadn't seen her and when she opened her bag, she took out things I had never seen !  

Inside a case the size of a manicure kit was everything needed for a blood draw. My blood filled the mini-tubes, and her relayed watch displayed various colors and numbers—I have no idea what that was ! Naturally, she had a mini-computer with her that was the size of a tablet in which she had the files of all her patients. 

 I felt like a living dead until Wednesday; Isabel picked up my medication from the pharmacy, and Jacqueline kept me supplied with sparkling water.

from Wednesday until Friday !

I went from bed to sofa and return. I was reading my blog and realized that, at exactly this time last year, I had the same mysterious illness—a mix of flu, cold, and Covid. Since all these illnesses are treated with the same medications, it doesn't really matter to me what I actually have. Maybe one of you can come up with a name for all three... CCF or FCC which sounds better ? 


more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.
 
 
 
 
 
 

8 Oct 2026

BOOKS FOR KIDS OF THE FORMER GENERATION

 

How do you expect children to listen to their parents?
 Tarzan soundtrack album cover
 Tarzan hopped half naked in the woods
 Disney's 'Cinderella' is 75 — Here are the Real Stories That Inspired the  Classic
Cinderella comes home at midnight,
Pinocho (Mis Clásicos Disney): Volumen  
Pinocchio does nothing but lie,
Aladdin (2026) - IMDb 
Aladdin is the prince of thieves,
 Batman | Rotten Tomatoes
Batman drives at 500 km/h,
 She was 16 in the film. But Sleeping Beauty turns 67 today. Released on January 29, 1959, the animated classic took nearly a decade to produce and cost $6 million, making it Disney's most expensive a
 Sleeping Beauty is just a lazybones, and Snow White lives with seven guys.

6 Oct 2026

HODGEPODGE OCTOBER 8

 

1. Let's embrace it shall we? What's something you recently forgot to do? Is your memory these days more like a sieve or an elephant?

I could use my advanced age as an excuse for having a memory like a sieve rather than one like an elephant's.But the truth is, I’ve always been this way. When it comes to things like keys, glasses, or my smartphone, my memory isn't even a sieve anymore, it’s completely gone. Yet, when it involves a doctor's appointment, the theater, or something similar, my brain acts just like an elephant's. It’s always been that way! A classic example—which Rick loves to share with anyone willing to listen (or not)—is the time we spent, nearly a whole day looking for my slippers to finally find them in the fridge !! That was probably my masterpiece.


2. Share a trick/strategy you have to help you remember things you need to remember. 

 A paper calendar that hung in the kitchen and the small notebook I used to lug around in my handbag. Today, my entire life is inside a Samsung smartphone

3. What's your favorite fall vegetable to cook with? Do you prefer your fall veggies roasted, blended into a warm soup, or fresh in a crisp autumn salad? 

I have no fall vegetables. I have two seasons, winter and summer. In winter there you eat vegetables like Brussels sprouts, sauerkraut, chili beans, etc., while in summer you have more cold food—lots of salads and anything that keeps you feeling fresh.

4. October 5th is/was National Do Something Nice Day. Did you? If so tell us about it. Or maybe someone did something nice for you, and if that's the case please share.

I have never heard of this day. Maybe it’s because I do a good deed every day, or perhaps my memory is like a sieve has simply forgotten it. Anyway I had a cold and was laying on my sofa, suffering in silence ! Too many people did something nice for me .... they wished me to get better !


5.  Nathaniel Hawthorne is credited with the quote "I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."  

Do you tend to spend more time outside this time of year? 

Do you actively pause to soak in fleeting moments of beauty in your daily routine? Elaborate. 

As I hate autumn in general, I don't care about sunshine or not it's too cold anyway. I only go out when I have to or if somebody forces me to walk with her because it is good for the health ! 

6. Insert your own random thought here.
 
I think I have already mentioned that the entire castle is currently being renovated. After nearly two years, it’s now our wing’s turn. People have to move out and stay in other rooms until their own are finished. When I heard that, I didn’t want to move to a different room for a few months only to move back to my old one later.
 
With Beti’s help, I was shown a wonderful room on the second floor with a beautiful view. I took a picture of the room plan, and now I’m constantly moving! And yet, I have until next February—or so I was told, though they didn't say which year!
 
The room is a little smaller, but still I can put all my furniture and of cause Rosie in it ! 
 

On  the left is the bathroom and straight ahead the entrance
 
and this is the view I have, laying in my bed or sitting on the sofa ! There are two huge windows in the room. As soon as I can show a bit more I will show you new pictures.