FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

The heatwave last week and then the terrible thunderstorm with flooding has caused not only a lot of damages but also human victims, we had nothing, most of the residents slept peacefully as they didn't hear anything, the hearing aids were laying on the bedside table. Only a few thick branches of trees broke and lay on the grass.

On Monday the temperature has dropped to half and of course I had caught a cold. After a few days of thinking that my cold had moved to somebody else, it started yesterday night a new one.

I was sneezing as if I were getting paid for it and felt lousy when I got up. Armed with nasal drops and flu pills, I dragged myself from the bed to the sofa to occupy myself with my computer. It’s a good distraction.

I’ve already mentioned that I’m having fun with AI, restoring old, faded, or black-and-white photos. It’s fun when I see the result. 

To create the above picture I just wrote, mountains, grass a sheep, a white cat and a Tuxi cat. And this was the result !

Then I took a picture of my son dressed for a wedding and asked to transform him into Superman !
 

Me as a young mother with my baby. It looks now as if the photo was taken yesterday !

 

I love this photo which came out real good, it shows Rick as he really was ! Before he got Parkinson.  

 

Rosie bit me in my nose

my oldest friend, we knew each other since 1957 ! Meanwhile we are grandmas and she even grand grand grandma 4 times !

My friends in Bonn (Germany) besides my friend (third from the left ) with her little sister, I lost contact with the others.

My first wedding ! I don't even know the name of my "husband" anymore, this photo was quite damaged 

The original, Toby my grandson playing with his dog. I replaced the dog with our cat Arthur as he used to play with our cat when he was a little boy !

That was a really bad photo; I simply wrote down what needed changing and added the tissues right away. Now it's right—this is how I look like today!

Besides the food which changed every day, there was nothing special happening. I remained in my room I  didn't feel like taking part in the games. My friend and neighbor was also locked in her room, she had some leg troubles. Others reported me news. We got 3 nurses more and 2 air conditioned rooms were made in the 2nd and 3rd floor. And they are NEW and not such an old thing as in our restaurant. When the weather gets hot again next week, I go to the second floor, otherwise I will spent the summer with a running nose ! 

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE

1. What do you love most about your country?

I really don't know. My parents simply took me along to Belgium when I was 14 because my father started working for the European Union. I didn't choose it myself. What do I like best? Most of it, probably. 

2. Your favorite patriotic song? 

I don't know patriotic songs ! I would need to compose a song that concerns Germany, Italy, and Holland and, of course, Belgium.

3. Red, white, or blue? Stars or stripes? Something you own besides a US flag with some combination of those colors or decorations as part of its design?

We never had a flag at home except the one of Ferrari, as Rick was a Ferrari fan.  

 

To create a patriotic flag I should make this one :  Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands

4. What's one thing you want more of this summer: fun, rest, adventure, connection, quiet, or confidence? Elaborate.

I would love to do a lot of things this summer, travel, lie on the beach, visit friends, but unfortunately, I likely won't be able to; my illness won't allow it. So, I will probably go  to Amsterdam to visit my son and his family, and take day trips whenever the weather is nice. After all, the sea isn't far away. 

5. What was your ultimate, go-to summer activity when you were a kid? Do you still do any version of that today? If you answered yes, does participating in this activity as an adult make you feel like a kid?

When I was a child, there were no summer activities. Germany was still in ruins, and the Rhineland, where I lived, was under American occupation. Having food and something to wear were the adults' main concerns. No one thought about vacations back then. We kids played in the ruins and rubble. I certainly wouldn't do this activity now as an adult. As a child it was fun to play in ruins, we had no idea why it was like this.

Bonn

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I think we have a very special retirement "castle" ! If you want to work here, you really have to be a jack-of-all-trades. Yesterday, I saw our cook sitting at the computer at the reception, welcoming guests. A little later, our physiotherapist was chopping up thick branches, brought down by the storm, into small logs. Amandine, our director, helped serve lunch along with the others. The head nurse made my bed. I think it’s great; at least no one gets bored, and we residents pitch in too, as much as we can.

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

I learned to swim quite late—I was already thirteen. As a result, I remained a cautious swimmer who was also afraid of getting water splashed in my face. So, I always swam at a leisurely pace, like an old giraffe with its neck held high.

Nevertheless, I wanted to photograph the beautiful, small, colorful fish in the Red Sea. So, I sat under a bridge and took pictures. On the last picture I discovered feet, it must have been a snorkeler who was also  admiring the beautiful fish,  and who gave me the chance to photograph his feet amidst the fish. Unfortunately, I never saw the person those feet belonged to.

more participants here