FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

What a terrible week! The renovation work is happening right above my room, and my head is pounding; it’s impossible to talk on the phone, and the TV is turned up to a maximum volume. The only one who doesn’t seem to be bothered by it is Rosie the cat.

 

They’re tearing out the parquet flooring, and it sounds like a dentist drilling with a high-powered, amplified tool ! That’s probably why I’ve been feeling so unwell, too, there’s so much dust everywhere, even if you can’t actually see it and that is poison for my lungs. Personally, I find myself completely out of breath after just five steps and can't do no physical work at all not even my bed ! Fortunately I still have the strength to push the button to make a photo of our beautiful park in it's autumnal dress !

 

I found a brochure from our castle at the reception, and to my great surprise, it contained this picture of me and Rosie! I don’t even remember this photo being taken!

Despite the renovation works, Kim had decorated the whole Restaurant and also the reception
 

If you arrive you are received by this charming lady ! 

and the bar has its Halloween decoration too

 

 

On Wednesday I woke up because someone was trimming the hedges and bushes with a chainsaw!

I thought to myself: if the "dentist" starts working on the floor above my room, I’m going to jump right out of the window and strangle whoever is making such a racket! And then, when I looked out the window, I suddenly realized the hedge, which had grown halfway up my window was gone! For three years, I’d been complaining that the hedge was too high it hadn't really been a hedge anymore for a long time! The ground-floor rooms were completely hidden from view, and the terraces looked like a jungle.What a difference! For the first time, I could actually see the whole lovely white house, not just the windows!

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE OCT 28

 1. What most recently gave you goose bumps? 

I have never gotten goosebumps; instead, I tend to jump into the air and scream. That’s exactly what happened yesterday when I was standing in the bathroom and suddenly one of our residents, who isn’t quite all there, appeared right next to me! Did I get a fright! And the funny thing is, she looks just like a little 12-year-old girl and smiles all the time. She is there with her husband who is very tall, and holds her hand all the time, otherwise she escapes ! But I believe he is not quite right in his head either ! 

2. What does Halloween look like in your home and/or neighborhood these days? Do you participate? 

In my room I have nothing, but the whole castle is decorated for Halloween despite the works ! 

3. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy, chia...your favorite seed on the list? What's something you like to make/eat that calls for one of these seeds in the recipe? 

Halloween was not celebrated in Belgium or in other European countries, except Ireland, so I never ate something especially made for Halloween. It started to move in maybe 20 years ago, and not everywhere.

4. What's the most (or one of the most) 'fall photos' you've ever taken? Share it here. Just one. 

The view out of my window

5. Somehow we're rolling in to November next week. If your October were a chapter in a book, what would the title of this chapter be? 

How does one learn to endure loud noise?

(our castle is being renovated )   

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I’m slowly going crazy! They’re tearing out the parquet flooring above me, and it’s making a huge racket. Meanwhile, I’m waiting to get my new room and I’m already busy furnishing it, in my head, of course. Unfortunately I have to wait until February !

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

On one of my travels I discovered a "beauty shop" where you could have your feet cleaned by little fishes. Of course I had to try this out. It didn’t even tickle! But all the little bits of dead skin were gone!

more participants here 

 

 

 

 

WHAT PARENTS WRITE TO TEACHERS WHEN THEIR KIDS MISSED SCHOOL

“My dad forgot to do my homework for me.”

“Tommy wasn’t in school yesterday because he thought it was Saturday.”

“Please excuse my son. He will be out next week slaughtering goats for his manhood ritual. Thank you!”

“Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch and when we found it Monday we thought it was Sunday.

“Please excuse little Jimmy for not being in school yesterday. His father is gone and I could not get him ready because I was in bed with the doctor

“I won’t be in class today because I’m in love.”

“My son Michael won’t be in school today, he caught his thing in his zipper this morning while dressing and is in lot of pain!”

“Please excuse Johnnie for being. It was his father’s fault.”

“Diane was late on Wednesday. She fell asleep on the bus and was taken back to the bus yard.”

“Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrheea and his boots leak.”

“Please exscuse John from being absent Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.”

“Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating.”

 

 

AWWW - WEEKEND OCT 24

 

 The inseparables 

 

 

 

 

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS 

 

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WEEKEND 

Saturday, we played a game that made us forget the noise of the construction work ! We had to solve a crime! First, we had to figure out the name of the victim and where the crime had taken place. Our brains were working overtime! Eventually, we discovered that the victim was Lord Edgar and that the crime had occurred in the library. The suspects were the butler, a maid, a nephew with heavy gambling debts, a niece who was exceptionally greedy for money, and a friend. The murder weapon—a letter opener!

After one hour I was proud to have found the culprit ! It was the niece ! She was wearing  a sapphire brooch, and a piece of it was lying next to the murder victim. I thought of all the Agatha Christie books I had read and the Sherlock Holmes, too, and I won. We all found the game very interesting, and we’ll probably end up solving a crime every month from now on.

On Sunday my son came visiting me, last time we had seen each other was in August ! time goes by so quickly ! We had a nice afternoon together but I forgot to take some pictures ! We ate a delicious Pizza in my room because I didn't feel to go out there was a left over of a storm we had during the night and it was quite cool despite the sun. I just caught a picture of him when he came towards the restaurant, he had played a bit with his dog Leia. 

 

We had coffee with the others and he could admire the nice Halloween decoration which Kim our animator had made. At 4 pm he returned home to Amsterdam.

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

I actually started to think I was developing an age-related dementia, since I still hadn’t managed to find my dashboard after two weeks. There were so many new hurdles that I probably did everything wrong. At least I have an excuse: after that nasty flu/cold/COVID—or whatever it was—it takes a long time to recover at my "vintage" age. I’m constantly tired, I keep forgetting things, and I would love to just sleep for 24 hours straight; unfortunately Rosie the cat isn’t willing to change with me. 

So many things have happened lately that I’m trying to cram them all into a single week.The renovation of the castle has progressed quite rapidly, and has arrived in my section ! People were moved into temporary rooms while their own were being renovated. Since my room is at the end of the hallway, all the "lost souls" who didn’t know where their new rooms were ended up at my door. I didn’t know either, though, so I just sent them all to the reception desk.

One morning I woke up and, looking out of the window, I saw tracks next to my room with a small cart on them; it was being loaded with cement to be transported up to the second floor, and would then come back down filled with a lot of rubbish. Three workers were loading the cart. Naturally, I didn’t want any spectators while I was getting ready in the morning, so I quickly closed the curtains

Despite all the chaos, our activity staff didn’t forget about the Halloween decorations, even though many of our very elderly residents aren’t familiar with Halloween at all. I read to them about its origins and how it made its way from America back into Europe (with the exception of Ireland, of course).

 

at the reception

Restaurant

With all the renovations going on, many of the long-term residents are quite disoriented. For instance, I got a terrible fright yesterday when a little woman suddenly appeared next to me in the bathroom. I kindly showed her out; she and her husband are staying two rooms away on a temporary basis, but she keeps wandering off whenever he isn’t looking ! I really don’t care for surprise visits like that, this is the second time someone has ended up in my room.

I’ve reported it, of course, and now I make sure to keep my door locked, even when I’m inside. I’m happy to help, but there’s a limit to everything.

 

What is really difficult to bear is the noise ! They brake the old parquet and take it out and also destroy walls ! Sometimes I feel like my head is a pumpkin!

 

 

 

 

R

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

HODGEPODGE OCTOBER 14

 

1. Do you think you're driven more by curiosity or comfort? Explain.

Curiosity, without hesitation! I’ve always had a bit of an adventurous spirit and, above all, a curious nature. Anything which makes me curious drives me.

2. What non-food item is in your refrigerator or freezer? 

 I only have a small refrigerator here in "my" castle. There is nothing in it besides fruits and drinks

3. Are you comfortable with silence? If you're home alone, do you like silence or do you need regular background noise? Do you seek out times and places to be silent? What's your favorite place to find silence/be silent? 

 

It depends, there are days I love a noisy background, music or news etc and other days where I prefer the silence mostly when I have to look for some information or I have to write a difficult text or do some translations. I love the silence in the woods together with the smell or sitting at the beach watching the waves in a place where I am alone. 

4. Carpentry, electrical, plumbing, landscaping...which skill would you most like to possess and how would you put that skill to use today?None, I don't like these skills. I would rather hire somebody or ask a friend, Perhaps landscaping, that fits the best for my artistic soul.  

5. Do you lean more towards being too needy or too independent? Which do you find harder to deal with in others?  

I’m quite independent, I don’t like depending on anyone. I was very independent even as a child, and I also don’t like it when people are constantly clinging to me. It's difficult for me to deal with needy women, to me they seem to have no character. But I like to help them and try to change them. Especially when their partner is a macho.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Work has now started in my part of the castle—there’s drilling, hammering, and sanding going on; I feel like I’m sitting at the dentist’s all day, forced to listen to the drill. On top of that, I was so sick that I would have preferred to just hide somewhere. But where? It was too cold outside, and I couldn't visit friends because of my virus. I’m still in the process of setting up my future room, even though the move isn't until February.

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

These are pictures I took during a round trip in  Morocco. We visited a carpet shop (and should buy of course) I knew how it worked and they "smelled" it nobody bothered me, but there were three amongst us who bought one, far to expensive because they were not used to haggle. I love to haggle and helped my friend and finally she got her carpet for half of the price the salesman had asked for. He took it with humor laughed and said, fortunately we don't have often customers like you ! 

more participants here 

 

 

 

 

AWWWW MONDAY

 

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS 

 

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WEEKEND 

Today would have been our 57 wedding anniversary ... we made it only til 54.

Autumn moves in slowly slowly nothing happened I am still out of work. 
 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOOKS FOR KIDS OF THE FORMER GENERATION

 

How do you expect children to listen to their parents?

 Tarzan hopped half naked in the woods

Cinderella comes home at midnight,

Pinocchio does nothing but lie,

Aladdin is the prince of thieves,

Batman drives at 500 km/h,

 Sleeping Beauty is just a lazybones, and Snow White lives with seven guys.

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.