WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

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Autumn is slowly approaching, and while out for a walk, I saw these strange mushrooms. I used to look for mushrooms with my grandfather, and in the evenings, my grandmother would prepare them. They tasted absolutely delicious. 

Unfortunately, I've never seen again the mushrooms my grandfather found. I would not just look at them myself I don't know much about mushrooms, so I'd rather buy them. The last picture has nothing to do with mushrooms, but at least there are autumn leaves around it.

 

AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 13

 My cats without 

 now 19 year old Rosie

 

 

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WEEKEND

Unfortunately  we had a lousy weather over the weekend ! There was everything on the menu, rain, wind, cold, dark clouds, white clouds, sunshine, thunder etc result, we had to stay inside

Luckily, we enjoyed a fun game and then had a good laugh over coffee time. My friend J had informed me that a new pair of lovers had been formed : my neighbor, who lives next door to me with her husband, has fallen in love with a "young man" of 98, whom we call Mr. Wikipedia because he wants to share his knowledge with everyone, even if it doesn't interest us. He used to be a physics, chemistry, and math teacher, all subjects I hate.

Anyway, my neighbor listened to him with wide eyes, and we noticed that she was wearing makeup for the first time!  J. also reported me that they were 3 sitting at the same table at lunch time, she, her husband and the new love. The husband was annoyed and ranted; the couple, both hard of hearing, sipped their soup and smiled lovingly at each other.

My friend and the others had a great time. The husband quickly disappeared after the meal, while she followed her new love in her wheelchair.

I saw them in the afternoon he showed her something on his tablet which he only can use for showing photos. Suddenly the husband showed up after an hour and looked for his wife and then they argued again, the husband gave up and returned in his room. I hope he will not try to come into mine, which had happened once when he suddenly showed up and declared that he wants to stay with me, because his wife is naughty. I pushed him out of my room and told him that he is in the wrong room. Then I closed my door. This couple is here already a long time, nobody likes them and they are very rude with the staff. 

Sunday it was even colder and we played several games, my group played cards.  Those who weren't in the mood played another game, and those who were quite brain-damaged built towers with wooden blocks. It was a good idea, to play different games and everyone was happy. Our Nightingale wanted to sing again, but we were able to stop her.

Afterwards, I thought that I was meeting so many interesting people and I am never getting bored. One of the people who played cards with us was a cemetery administrator and could tell us incredible anecdotes

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

We started the week with a nice game which is called "Who will be a millionaire" Unfortunately it wasn't me, it was Jeannie, who is 100 years old. I wonder if she still has time to spend it all, otherwise her heirs will be very happy ! 

The new ones have settled in well and aren't so shy anymore. Old Mimmi, who thinks she's a nightingale, now sings all day long. It's worst when we play and have to think during other games. Yesterday, I lost my temper and told her I would put a plaster on her mouth if she didn't stop singing when we play. The others threatened her too, and today when she had sung two notes, we all gave her an angry look, and she stopped. Hopefully, it stays that way. The poor girl who shares a room with her is at her wit's end, but doesn't dare complain ! 

Otherwise, Mimmi is friendly and cheerful ! I will have to put that on my list for the next meeting with the management. 

It becomes urgent to put back on the 4th floor these poor people. The renovation is not yet finished so some of them are with us during the day.  They are like vegetables, and it's not good for us to see what could happen when we get older. Better putting the head in sand. 

My friend Jacqueline called me and asked if we could eat mussels together. She picked me up, and we had a lovely afternoon. 

The next day a resident came back, she had fallen. She sometimes has balance problems and falls. This time, she fell on the left side of her face and had a beautiful black eye and purple cheeks. We suggested she performs in a circus.  

One of the new girls seems to have an age complex. She dresses like she's 20, which obviously makes her look older and doesn't suit her at all. I mean mini skirts at nearly 80 ! She told us right away that she has a boyfriend. Instead of being envied, she was teased. The other women were all widows like her, but had absolutely no desire to replace their husbands with boyfriends 

In general, I'm amazed that those who are normally separated from us because they are severely brain-damaged are always looking for a man or woman. Then they hold hands and cling to each other, and have jealous scenes. So, it's not boring here, and we "normal" people have fun. 

The ones with dementia disease can get really angry and aggressive if you try to separate them. One nurse got a glass of wine in her face when she tried to put a "couple" at different tables. 

No wonder that from time to time the staff needs a cigarette !

The sneakers which I had worn 3 or 4 times were suddenly too small and my feet hurt. 

So I decided to go shopping with Jeanine, and then we went to a shoe store she didn't know, but I had been buying my shoes there for years. I found a nice pair which I liked and she bought a pair of slippers as inside shoes. 

Rosie worries me a bit, because for the moment she doesn't eat well, but she still looks good for her 19 years !
 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE SEPTEMBER

1. What gives you energy? What takes it away ? 

 

 

Sunshine, warmth,  the sea and rocky mountains. 

 

Darkness, rain,  cold, trees loosing their leaves

2. How often do you shop for clothes? What accessory do you always wear ?

Only when I need something. I am not interested in window shopping, I like to be dressed nicely but I don't need to shop every day.

As accessories, I always wear matching necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, rings and my Swatch. Shoes are not so important but I pay attention that I don't forget them and that the color matches my clothes.    

3. What's something free that you feel grateful for?

Sunshine 

4. Breakfast, lunch, dinner...which meal of the day do you enjoy most? What's your go-to comfort food? 

If I enjoy food I prefer supper when we are all together and have cooked ourselves. I have no go-to comfort food. I love the Italian kitchen, that's the most difficult thing to get used to here, the classical kitchen is all made with potatoes ! I have never eaten so many potatoes in my whole life as now here in our castle. 

5. This week the world remembers the tragic events of 9/11. Do you mark the day in any way? How do historical events shape your perspective on your personal challenges? 

I think looking back at 82 years of my life, I have more memories than I have of the last 20 years. Nothing has really changed; buildings are always being destroyed, people are always being killed, somehow I feel like everything has already happened before. Politicians are making the same mistakes. Auschwitz is now called Gaza, people are starving, and others are bursting from eating too much.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This week was nice, and also the weather, I thought that soon (in November) I will be here two years and  I am actually happy with my third phase of life. 

Now, all the residents come to me with their worries or when they don't dare to complain about something. I kind of stumbled into it, but I like it.I feel needed. It doesn't bother me at all to demand something from someone that is really necessary. If you scold them humorously, you can achieve a lot. Just don't get aggressive. Now, the residents jokingly call me their union representative.  

What I can't understand is why people put up with so much, and why even their relatives don't dare go to the management. After all, they're adults and they pay, but they behave like schoolchildren afraid of their teacher.

 

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

A few years ago a friend of mine who was very much interested in the Buddhism asked me to go there with her. She had made me curious and one day we drove to a little town called Huy, where a Tibetan institute and a real Tibetan temple is established in the Fond l’Évêque castle It is called Yeunten Ling institute. I was very much surprised by the beauty and serenity of the site. I had the impression to be in Tibet.

The castle "Tibet" is behind in the park

 

 

 

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AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND SEPTEMBER 6

 

 

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WEEKEND 

 I had a nice warm and sunny weekend. There was no activity this weekend, because Kim had to be hospitalized, and we don't know what he has exactly. Taysir had the weekend off, the poor girl had worked non stop for 9 days. 

But it was nice to be together and to talk about the past, how Waterloo was, 50 years ago and how it is today. Most of the residents are from the area where the castle stands had played as children in the park and knew the same bakery and neighbors when they were still working. One was working alone in the little post office, which of course doesn't exist anymore and she was now with us and remembered a few old customers who are now residents here. 

one of our physiotherapists had brought his 4 month old "baby" a little Golden Retriever, to present him to us, of course he was the attraction for all of us and the little guy sniffed all legs and landed on several laps. 

Sunday it was also very nice and I decided to make a long walk around the park, but then I landed on the balcony of Therese, she was lucky when she choose her room, it was the one with a nice balcony. When I arrived it was occupied otherwise I had taken this one.

 

   

As she was sitting outside I joined her and we chatted together, I don't know her very well yet, she is only 77 and has a beginning of Alzheimer. Therefore her family didn't want that she stays alone in her apartment because she didn't feel safe there anymore she feared that she would forget to switch off the gas or other things. It was very nice to talk to her, she is only here since a month but she loves it here, she is feeling safe and at home. Then we joined the others on the terrace for our coffee.

 

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

This week wasn't boring, but I didn't feel like doing anything. Fortunately there is always a friend who comes and convinces you to participate in the afternoon activities. That's nice because if I would be alone, I would hide myself behind the television and escape the real world. 

So I went along, and it was really fun, we played a funny word game.

 

Behind her sits Gilberte who is 103 years old !

Taysir, our new occupational therapist, is a Moroccan girl, and that's why she has a name that seems strange to us ! She is very devoted to her job. 

We are usually around 20 residents and have now 2 girls and one boy as animation team which is very nice, as otherwise during weekends people would hang around and complain that their family doesn't come every day. I always tell them that when they were young, with children and jobs, they didn't visit their parents every day either. Most of them understand this.

We have three new ones; one has Parkinson's and can't participate in all the games because she's shaking so much. The second is so shy, it's as if she's apologizing for being in this world. She's getting better, though; we're trying to get her out of her shell.

Jacqueline who has arrived at the same time as me had told me that she is only here for a month because she has fallen and broken her arm. But then, when it was time for her to go home, she didn't want to leave because she loved it here so much. Since then, she's fallen at least four more times, and yesterday she came to coffee time with a black eye and a blue part of her face. Naturally, we made fun of her black/blue face, and one of us asked if her husband had hit her. But he's been in his grave for 20 years, Jacqueline answered with a smile. 

Unfortunately Mimmi has joined us too, she is a very old lady and very funny. The only thing which disturbs us, is that she sings all the time and we call her nightingale. Although she has a very nice voice for her 90 years, after a while we all have enough and then we ask her to shut up, but she thinks she has to sing more, until we told her we will close her mouth with a patch.

We are 5 "girls" who fit together well. The youngest is 75 and the oldest 90. But everyone is as cheerful as if we were 20. 

They've forecast 30°C for the weekend! We want to play mini golf. The golf course has been repainted, repaired, and has a fake green carpet. It surely will be fun.

 

 

 

 

 

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HODGEPODGE SEPTEMBER 4

1. Next Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

My grandma was the most important person in my life. I stayed with my grandparents from my birth on until I was 6. Then with my parents. I have been told (when I was adult) that my mother was afraid of babies ! This fact was probably my luck, that I am today how I am.

I am for the for equal rights, and that I should never be afraid of a man; I should just imagine him naked. That made me laugh. She was a woman born in 1894, and as soon as she could, she became independent and became the governess of a castle, like the one who directed the staff at Downtown Abbey I forgot his name. I spent many school holidays with my grandparents, my parents preferred to travel as a couple. We don't celebrate grandparents here in Belgium.

2. What's a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? 

I don't remember any quote from a book. I like the quote in my sidebar

   

3. What's your number one food pet peeve? 

 Mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, if "food pet peeve" means food I don't like. I prefer the light food with a lot of vegetables like tomatoes, aubergines, red pepper etc. And seldom beef meat. 

4. What's one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

I still say what's on my mind, unless, of course, it's about someone's appearance. Can't say to a fat person that she or he is fat. When I was a kid, I sometimes had problems with that because nobody likes to hear the truth!

5. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that's kept there. 

We have never thought of this and I now, don't think about it either. Some people tell me to at least prepare a bag with a nightgown, a toothbrush and some underwear, I think they are right but so far it is only in my mind. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I think autumn and then winter are coming soon, and I'm afraid I'll get my seasonal depression. I hope not. Last year, it was so-so, but the year before that was bad. 

I'm also worried about my cat Rosie, she sleeps all day and night, too. She doesn't play anymore and only eats her dry food, even though I also give her wet food. But her coat is still nice and shiny, she washes herself, and so far, she's been eating well. What's new is that she no longer takes me as her racetrack, she just checks three or four times during the night to see if I'm still there by washing my nose. According to Google, she's completely normal, after all, she's 19 and I don't want to stress her by taking her to the vet, if not absolutely necessary. 

Hopefully she'll stay a little longer with me, otherwise our family will be just the two of us, my son and me.

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - POTPOURRI OF FUNNY PICTURES

 

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AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND AUGUST 30

 

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WEEKEND 

Saturday it rained an it was cool too. I stayed home and sorted out the photos I had taken yesterday of the Castle de Seneffe. I was quite satisfied with the result. 

My neighbor came to say hello and that she didn't feel well, she had stomach troubles and would stay in bed. I told her that's a good idea, she had had too much wine and other alcohols and her stomach protested. She is 87, at that age it's even dangerous to stop drinking. Anyway she doesn't disturb anybody and we like her very much. Better to die happy then stop drinking, feeling sick and  still die.

Sunday it was again raining so we had to play inside and played bowling with soft skittle and balls. It was very funny, and we played not bad at all. André who sits in a wheelchair because he is too big and his knees protest to carry him, won, I lost and then we had our coffee and wafels, which to my taste are served too often !