WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?

This meme helps you to remember what you did on the weekend of 2 June

On Saturday we were invited to a birthday lunch of a very old friend whom I know since 1966. We have worked for 10 years in the same company and became friends. He married a French girl 2 years later than we married, his first son was born 4 days later than ours. And now he reached the proud age of 70 !

The lunch should be a surprise and his wife had organized everything together with the youngest son. We should all arrive 15 min earlier than him.



The restaurant was an old farm, very beautiful, with a nice garden and surrounded by woods and fields with horses. The weather was beautiful and we could have our aperitif and coffee outside. On the above picture you can see Mr. G. entertaining the mother in law and friends.

 

I made this picture myself and had put it in a frame. I think he liked it very much.



The food was delicious, there were two menus for choice, one with fish and the other with meat, and of course the birthday cake !



and here we were all together, his sons with girlfriend and wife, the grandchildren, the parents of his daughter in law and friends.

We talked about old times and laughed a lot. He is a very cheerful guy and loves to joke. We sang I don't know how many times "Happy Birthday to you " and he sang "to me". It had been a wonderful surprise for him, we all laughed when he entered the room and saw his face ! He only had expected his sons and the parents of his daughter in law.



Outside I could take a picture of these beautiful poppies before we returned home at 5 pm. Long time I hadn't sat 4 h at table ! But it was so much fun that time flew by.

On Sunday when I opened the shutters it rained cats and dogs ! The man who was supposed to finish the joints on our terrace, showed up at 8 am just to tell us that with all this rain he couldn't work.

I sorted out my birthday pictures and after lunch I took a blanket and lay comfortable on the sofa to watch the Queen's Jubilee.





Unfortunately it started to rain in London too, but I could take my pictures on the TV and stayed dry. While I was watching I called my friend in Eastbourne (UK) and we commented together, because she was watching too. Isn't modern technology great ? I am in Waterloo she is in Eastbourne and we watched TV together. The pictures are not of the best quality, but at least a nice souvenir.

The evening ended as so often with Dominique and Inspector Barnaby who this time had a glass of cider from a barrel which contained the corpse of a man and poor Inspector Barnaby had an indigestion and was sick.

THE DAY AFTER

We went to a birthday party





Mr. G. just felt like this


and I like this,




I just checked the house a little




and tried to train my cats ....

FIGHT AGAINST THE CRISIS

It's the crisis in all countries and everybody should participate to get out of it. All TV stations remind us this every day ! The Belgian Bart De Wever, a ferocious Flemish nationalist and politician who is the president of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a Flemish party, strives for an independent Flanders in a united Europe, probably then only under his leadership. 

Of course he is not at all appreciated and rather hated by the Belgian Waloons. I have to say that when he speaks he me makes think of a guy who did the same speaches in Germany in the 1930th !

But now he is admired from all Belgians ! He did something for the economical crisis ! He lost weight ! and not a little bit, but a big mountain of grease, he shrinked from 142 kgs (312 lbs) in December to 92 kgs (202 lbs) in May. He has lost 50 kgs (110 lbs) in 6 months ! Now he became an example not for his politics but for his diet ! It was the Pronokal method which is certainly not for poor people. Don't ask me what that is, I don't have any grease to loose with a special diet, but rather with a diet of my wallet. That's my way to fight the crisis !

I am sure he still earns enough to feed his family, drive a big car and go on holidays, unfortunately it looks as if he has no money to go to a good hairdresser ! It's probably his wife who cuts his hair.




Before



Now !

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.


1. On Monday was Whitmonday and a day off. The weather was beautiful so Ilona, her mother and I went to the Greek festival in the Domain of Huizingen near Brussels. Apparently it takes place each year but it was the first time I went there.



It was a very nice afternoon. There were lots of people who had their own picnic, and many food stands with Greek specialities. A Greek lady took this picture of us, Emilienne (Ilona's mother 88 !!) and the "young" girls of 69. We watched women dancing the Sirtaki apparently men are more lazy when it comes to dance ! Except in Zorba the Greek ! It was quiet hot and noisy so we didn't stay too long. But we had a nice lunch of something I had never eaten and I forgot the name.

2. As soon as the shops opened again after this long weekend I went to look for a new camera as a pickpocket had stolen mine, and I felt like somebody who has lost his leg. Fortunately I had my little spare camera so that I could take pictures of the Greek festival. This time I didn't buy a Sony Cybershot anymore, because they change their models each year and my stolen one didn't exist anymore and I had bought it just a year ago !



Finally I found this one a Fuji FinePix Z90, which has much more features and was much cheaper than the Sony one. It also has a touch screen, allows collages, and is very performant.



Of course my cats had to pose for me to try out the new camera.

3. We had again a heavy thunderstorm with a lot of rain, some towns around Waterloo were severely damaged with flooding and mud ! Fortunately we only heard some thunders and it poured but nothing was damaged.

4. I had to do some shopping to fill in our fridge and couldn't find my glasses ! Without glasses I can't drive as I am blind like a mole. Mr. G. grumbling "each day you loose something" helped searching everywhere in the house even in the fridge, but we couldn't find them the worst was I have no spare glasses ! Finally I remembered that I had taken a shower in the guestroom, looked there and found them in the sink ! Then I could do my shopping !

5. Once a year I go to the ophtamologist to have my eyes checked and was happy to hear that everything was OK even my view hadn't changed so I can keep my old glasses.The rest of the day I was busy to learn all features of my new camera and tried it out. I still have to get used to it, but each day it becomes better .



a close up                                                                     a collage with my camera




and just our entrance

THE BALOON

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

When I was about 6 I was in my parents bedroom. I don't remember why but there to my delight I found a baloon on the bedside table. In 1949 baloons were not easy to find. The color was not very exciting for a child, not red, blue or green it rather looked quite transparent and boring. But nevertheless I took it and tried to blow it up. I blew and blew and blew but it was very hard to blow up !

My cheaks got thick and thicker, my head red and redder and suddenly somebody stormed in the room snatched the still not blown up baloon out of my mouth and hands and screamed in horror ! I didn't understand the world anymore, it was my mother ! Why was she so upset that I had taken a baloon on her bedside table ? I had only taken one and there were cerainly some more left !

Later on I understood. And I thought if she wouldn't have put up such a fuss I would never had remembered the scene.

So keep this in mind : whenever your child finds a "balloon" or a X-Video in your home, don't forget it has not (yet) such a dirty mind as you have !

 

Why do you always buy baloons for Dad and never for me ?

WORLESS WEDNESDAY

more participants here








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