7 Mar 2009

SMILEY SATURDAY - Sicilian funerals

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I don't know if it still exists in Sicily but in the past professional morners were engaged for a funeral. These were women whose job was to sob and cry as loud as they could while showing an immense grief and sorrow sitting around the coffin. When the payed time was over they went away took up their normal lives and chatted and laughed and counted the well earned money.

It came never in my mind that I would assist to such a funeral, but I did. The only difference was that there weren't professional mourners but the sicilian husband himself. While following the coffin of his wife, he sobbed and cried so loud that people all around could hear it even when they were very far away on the street. We tried to calm him down, it was as if all the deads would wake up with this noice, but that didn't work, it was part of the show.

When the coffin was out of the van and stood there, he throw himself on it, banged his head on it again and again, so that I feared he would get brain damaged if he wasn't already and was looking for a cold bottle of water to cool his red front before it turned to a blue bruise. When he had finished with banging his head, he started with his fists and hit and hit while crying out lout "Why, why, why ?". Now people from northern Europe are not used at all to this exaggerated manifestation of grief and when I looked around I saw scandalized faces and eyes as big as saucers. But that didn't bother him. As quick as this special mourning show had started as quick it was finished. He liftet himself up, brushed his trousers, and told the waiting intimidated little group : "Now lets eat something" and that was what we did. The restaurant's name was "Amusing place".

The only thing which surprised me was that his wife in the coffin didn't bang back !

Afterwards at home I realized the comic of the situation and I laughed so hard that I cried !

6 Mar 2009

SHOW & TELL - Terrace Heater

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In February we had this pergola put up for warmer weather. But spring seems far away and I am still waiting. I am so fat up of this cold weather.

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Last summer too it had been cold and rainy and we only could sit in the garden maybe 5 or 6 times during the whole season. When the sun was shining it was too cold outside, and when it was warm it rained and without roof it was impossible to sit outside.

Now I found a solution. Lidl, a well know food shop in Europe sometimes sells other stuff at a very good price. This time they sold terrace heaters ! I found this a wonderful idea. I had seen them on café terraces or outside restaurants. Since smoking is not allowed inside anymore the owners found a solution and put heatings outside on their terraces.

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Now I am a proud owner of a terrace heater ! Doesn't it look nice ?

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There are 3 heating levels but already on n° 1 it becomes very warm. Now I am waiting for a little sunshine and warmer temperatures and then I will be sitting outside and write my posts !

4 Mar 2009

THURSDAY THIRTEEN -

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more participants here at new THURSDAY THIRTEEN

In my painting group we were talking about grandchildren. Some had a few once, some already very "old" once and some none yet. This gave me the idea to this Thursday Thirteen.

13 quotes about grandchildren


1. Why do grandparents and grandchildren get along so well? They have the same enemy - the mother”

2. It's funny that those things your kids did that got on your nerves seem so cute when your grandchildren do them”

3. Perfect love sometimes does not come until grandchildren are born”

4. Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.”

5. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your children.”

6. Grandchildren don't make a man feel old ... it's the thought that he's married to a grandmother.

7. “Our children are not going to be just "our children"-they are going to be other people's husbands and wives and the parents of our grandchildren.”

8. “Never have children, only grandchildren.”

9. Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children.”

10. Just when a couple is able to afford to go out evenings, they're too busy babysitting with their grandchildren”

11. By the time most of us can really afford to have children, we are having grandchildren.

12. The nice thing about grandchildren is that you aren't too busy supporting them to have time to enjoy them

13.Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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Seen in Brussels on a rainy day !!

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Did you know that Photobucket has a quite ignorant vice squat who doesn't know anything about history ? Don't be surprised if they take out a nude of Michel Angelo or Greek Statues ! I showed in The Baloon Parade in Brussels the Manneken Pis, a little statue of the 14th century. But because it appeared as a big baloon it offended the prude eyes of some Photobucket vice controllers and they took it out with the mention : THIS IMAGE VIOLATED OUR TERMS OF USE (I wonder what use ?? )

3 Mar 2009

MY WORLD - Brussels Baloon Parade


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On Saturday was the annual Brussels Baloon Parade and of course I had to see that. The participants gathered at the Gare du Midi (the South Station of Brussels)

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a little Smurf is already expecting us. Not very far from the station is the publisher of the smurfs and its creator worked there.

to be continued .../... here

2 Mar 2009

FUN MONDAY - My Grandma


Jo at Chocolate and other Things we should tell her something fun about our mother and/or her mother. "What fun, weird, laughable memories do you have of your Mom or your Grandma?"

I have no laughable memories of my mother, not even weird once. She didn't have any influence on my life, but my grandma, her mother did. She was the most important person in my life when I was a child. She took care of me after my birth until I was 6 or 7 when I started to live with my parents. My mother was afraid of babies. (apparently this exists)

My grandma was born in 1895 and was 95 when she died. For her time she was a very modern women. Grown up with 11 siblings she swore to herself not to have more than one child, but after a first daughter she had another one, my mother. My grandma married late for this time she was already 24 which was very old for being a bride. She worked as a cook in a castle and was responsible for the whole kitchen and it's personel. She had to prepare dinners of 80 to 100 people sometimes. Then finally she married my grandpa who worked for the German railways and gave up her job.

She was quite an impressive woman. Tall, 1.75 (5.7) she of course had difficulties to find the right man. But my grandpa didn't care that she was a little taller as himself. My grandma ruled the household and settled all fights between her siblings or the neighbors. After my grandpa died she started to travel what she had always wanted. She was 74 when she took the plane for the first time and went to the States to visit her daughter in Madison/Wisc. There without any shy she talked to everybody in German and curiously everybody understood her. My grandma had no complexes whatsoever and wasn't afraid of anybody either.

When she was 86 she decided to live in a retirement residence and left her appartment. Without telling anything to the family she sold all her furniture, put all decorative things, plates, vases etc on the street for the garbadge collection. My cousin just could safe a few family things.

My grandma had decided to start a completely new life and for that she needed new things and new furniture. She bought everything new she needed for her flat a new TV included and moved in. It didn't take very long and she ruled the whole retirement home. She settled fights when a resident stole the false teeth from another and hid them, when they were fighting about a piece of cake etc. She also did all the accounting things for those who weren't able or didn't want to until she was 94 ! Most of the residents were much younger.

Each time we visited her coming back from Italy she had a Schnaps (strong white alcohol) and bottles of Baby Champ in her fridge, so that we would get fit again after such a long travel.
When we walked together we could hardly follow her she was so quick.

She died in front of her TV while watching her favourite soap opera where the nurse found her the next morning.

To me my grandma has always been my example and I wish I just could be like her until I have to leave this world.

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my grandma at 20

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and I at 20. We look quite similar.

1 Mar 2009

WEEKLY WINNERS - Tour & Taxi Brussels


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In the 70th when I got a parcel from my aunt in the States, I had to go to Tour & Taxi to get it through customs, pay a tax and pick it up. But then it closed down and stayed empty for quite a long time.

Tour & Taxi was the Royal Warehouse Brussels and a trading palace built in 1904.

It was entirely renovated in 2001. Today it houses next to 40 companies some very interesting shops and restaurants and an impressive series of cultural events.

I had never seen the "new" Tour & Taxi so I went there last weekend.


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The outside hadn't changed except there are now a lot of parking places

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The entrance already looks very impressive !

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Looking up to the glass roof and four floors

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I took the elevator and looked down

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I admit, I didn't stay long, it was so high that I got dizzy !

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A view on a souvenir stand and the reception

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At first it reminded me a little of a prison, because of these balconees

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A little spot to rest

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A very nice restaurant

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and a wine bar. There you could find bottles in all prices from 5 € on to 150 € the bottle ! This little corner was made to taste the wine.