Friday, February 29, 2008

No milk today ...

Today is the official "no blog today" one day off of blog 365.
I even received an e mail telling me not to blog!
But I decided to go against the rules and blog anyway!
Being told NOT to do something awakens the rebel in me ...
So there, ... my protest song!

I have changed the lyrics a little bit to make it mine ...

( Does it show that I'm a child of the sixties?
I mean, rebelling, protest songs, climbing fences?)
Oh and that music of course, that's a give away!!!

free music



Artist : Hermits Herman's
Title : No Milk Today
-----------------
No post today, my words have gone away
The blogger's left alone, an e mail sent at dawn

No post today, it's not a common sight

But bloggers passing by don't know the reason why

How could they know just what this message means
The end of your hopes, the end of all my dreams
How could they know the stories there had been
Behind the door where my fridge reigned as queen
No post today, it wasn't always so
The company was gay, we'd turn night into day


But all that's left is a place mute and lonely
A lonely blog in a mean street back of town
Becomes a shrine when I think of you only
Just two down ... ten left!

No pictures today, it wasn't always so
The company was gay, we'd turn night into day

as 365 reigned the faster did we write

We signed in all at once, the start of our romance


How could they know just what this message means
The end of your hopes, the end of all your dreams
How could you know the stories there had been
About the fridge where my love hides the food

No blogging today, my words have gone away
The fridge stands all alone
, an e mail sent at dawn

But all that's left is a place dark and lonely
A lonely blog in a mean street back of town
Becomes a shrine when I think of you only
Just two down ... ten left!

No feeds today, my reader has gone empty
The blogroll stands for love, a symbol of good friends

No posts today, it's not a common sight

But people passing by don't know the reason why


How could they know just what this message means
The end of my hopes, the end of all my dreams

How could they know the stories there had been

Behind the door where my fridge reigned as queen

No entry today, it wasn't always so
The company was gay, we'd turn night into day

But all that's left is a place mute and lonely
A lonely blog in a mean street back of town
Oh all that's left is a place dark and lonely
A lonely in a mean street back of town
Oh all that's left is a place dark and lonely
A lonely blog in a mean street back of town

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Thirsday Thirteen, Thirteen Comments that Made my Day!




Thirsday Thirteen again, and I have chosen thirteen comments
that made me smile this past week!
Comments ALWAYS make me smile, yes you're so right about that one.
Today I have picked some of the wittiest ones, for everyone to enjoy,
and added my own comments on the comments ...
Just to encourage all those witty commenters to keep up the good work!



1. Great picture of such weathered wood - it's like someone's weathered face,
telling a lifetime of stories!
2. Every time you mention Provence, I start planning our vacation!
3. Some of those pictures of the trees look straight out of Dr. Suess's The Lorax! love it. And what a wonderful man who would turn around and let you shoot some pictures.
4. So that is what mistletoe looks like. Those trees look like they have sprouted dandelion puffballs. Thank you for the pictures. They are wonderful.
5. I have an award for you jientje
6. Those trees look like something from a Dr. Seuss book...little puffs on all the branches. Neat pics!

7. -I just had this dish for the first time over at Hans' sister's house. I really find endive too bitter most of the time, but this indeed, is a delicious way to eat it and definitely a "Belgian" dish!
Hans plans to make Flemish stew for my parents when we go to Pittsburgh. Sounds good to me!


8. Now we know--I've always speculated that Jientje may just be your name. Agree with you that blogging is a heavenly pastime.
The ending photo of your endive dish would tempt even the laziest person to get in the kitchen.
Thanks! I enjoy blogging as well as cooking, I think they're both heaven!
9. oh my gosh, that is just gorgeous! I wish you lived closer!
Sandy | Homepage | 02.25.08 - 7:13 pm
I wish I LIVED CLOSER TO YOU!!!!

10. If by chance you ever open a Bed & Breakfast in your slice of Belgium, please send an invite. I would love to sam1ple your cuisine. I was stationed in GE for a couple of years, and loved the food. Thanks for sharing... NLM
11.I like the picture too. What's the table with the writing on it? Lovely poem....
12.The words will find their way back. Mine take regular coffee breaks and long vacations....It happens!
My words seem to be on a cruise to the Caribbean!
13. How do the buds know when to...uh...bud? Nice picture!




Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Wordless Wednesday ... Four Seasons in one Picture

Wednesday ...
let's go Wordless, I really love Wordless Wednesdays ...

It takes the stress away,
and I can share my favourite pictures.
Even that is sometimes hard,
not knowing wich one to choose...


I really love this on this week.
It tells of autumn, winter and spring
and it holds the promise of summer ...

Please visit the others as well, and leave a comment?

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

I'm all out of words today ...



There are so many words,
but they don't seem to get in line today...
So many thoughts,
just slipping through my head.
Staring at the keyboard,
losing so much time.
Clicking,
clicking here,
clicking there...
and ending up with nothing...
I'm lost ...
And all out of words.
Unless I change my mind
that 'll be it for today...
Sorry...
I'd rather visit
all of you,
who dropped in
and left me
all of these comments...
Tomorrow will be
wordless...
That's a relief!
See you!

Monday, February 25, 2008

Fun Monday ... Monday already huh?




This week's Fun Monday is hosted by Mariposa

This is the new assignment:
1) Please share to us how the NAME of your BLOG was made? I can't wait to hear interesting funny stories!

2) Please share to us (in words or photo, though a combination of both will be a bonus!) your favorite/ most common dish!

1.My blog name is Heaven in Belgium, because you know, obviously .... I live in Belgium!
And because I think blogging is creating a little piece of heaven right here on earth,
and on the internet. So there, Heaven is not my name unlike some of you might think.
It's just my little piece of paradise, a place where I meet new friends every day.

2.This is one of my favourite dishes, I have many more but I chose this one for a reason.
If they asked me to write a Belgian cookbook, this would be in it!

NL: witlof
EN: witloof chicory
NL: Brussels lof
EN:
Brussels witloof
NL: andijvie
EN:
French endive
NL: witloof
EN:
Brussels chicory


I tried to find a translation for this very very "Belgian" vegetable,
and I think I'll stick to the Brussels chicory rather than the French endive!
If I have to choose a famous and typical Belgian dish this would be the one.
For several reasons, I will try to explain to you!
Not only do we not agree on the name of the vegetable,
( it gets claimed by the French as endive by the way!)
We in Belgium see endive as a kind of curly lettuce!
Not the same thing at all!
This is what it looks like straight from the supermarket.

Remove the bitter core at the bottom with a pointed knife.
Melt some good dairy butter and let those delicious white chunks
take a slightly golden colour on a gentle heat.
Put the lid on and let them soften, until tender.


Remove the lid, turn the heat up a little bit and let them caramelize very gently.
Let them cool down a little bit or you'll burn your fingers in a little while!

Make a Béchamel sauce and add some grated Gruyère cheese.
This too is typically Belgian behaviour.
Any other country would have it's own cheese to make the dish.
And it's not that we don't have any cheese ... we do, but us Belgians
are used to choose the best from neighbouring countries,
in this case it's Swiss Gruyère!

Wrap the chicory in some very tasty pork ham,
and arrange them side by side in an oven proof dish.

Poor the creamy sauce over them ...

.... and chase your hubbie out of the kitchen!!!
Or else all of the sauce is gone before the dish hits the oven!

When it's all bubbly and hot, the dish is ready to eat.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Weekly winners ... Mythical Paradise


We were on our way to Tongeren, when the tops of these trees caught my attention.
It was a magical, mythical view and I asked my husband to turn the car.
This is where we found this hidden paradise.
The weather was very grey that day, but I was still able to take some nice pictures.
Treetops covered in mistletoe ...




The lush green telling me that spring will soon be here...








If you want to know more about Mistletoe, click on this link!

I owe it to Lotus, she makes us go out every week to shoot pictures.
It makes me discover new things every week,
but my greatest joy is to be able to share those pictures with all of you ...
Please visit the others at the homeblog of Weekly Winners.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Photohunt ... Wooden

Photohunt's theme for this week is "wooden".
Since I already featured the wooden elephants
( at the entrance of the zoo in Antwerp)
on a Wordless Wednesday,
I decided to look a little bit further away from home.
I can't resist photographing doors whenever I'm on holliday on France.
This is one of my favourites.
It's in Eygalières, a tiny little village in the Provence.
I love how they have used different pieces of wood over the years.
The rocks in the wall ande the big rusty nails add to the authenticity I think.


I love the "cat door" and the faded colour of the wood ...

Please visit other participants here,
don't forget to leave them a comment!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Fridge Friday ... Magic fridge

Grammy sends you all of her love.
Unfortunately, she is feeling a little bit "stuffed" this week,
( my little sister is coming over )
so I have searched a colleague of hers to replace her!





There!
Maybe maybe come back?
Maybe next week?
Hehehehe!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Thirsday Thirteen, things that make me happy ...

Thirteen things that made me smile these last few days ...

1. The new camera, although it still looks rather intimidating to me.
2. I enjoyed buying a new shirt for my husband.
It's really a Valentine gift, but since we agreed on not buying anything
( we bought that new camera) I have not given it to him yet.
I did not want to make him think he had to buy me something!
3. I have hidden it a little while longer and I'm going to give it to him on Friday.
Looking forward to give it to him!
4. Going out on Sundays hunting pictures together.
5. He calls me from wherever he is just to tell me that he loves me.
6. That e mail he sent me instead of calling me yesterday.
7. We had lunch together last Friday to celebrate our anniversary.
8. The glass of Cava that went with it ...
9. Me, secretly trying to make pictures with that new camera!
10. Coming home from work at six o'clock in the evening and it's not even dark yet!
Yay, spring is getting nearer, and the days are becoming longer and longer...
11. We have fixed the date for our summer holiday in France this year!
12. My boss has agreed to it! Yay!
13. Thirteen already?
There is so much more I have enjoyed this week, the birds on my patio ...
comments on my blog, walking in the sun, my cat ....

PS: This is one the first pictures I took with the new camera!
Have a great day!
Ps2: I can't seem to be able to reach the homeblog of Thursday Thirteen?
Anyone else out there with that problem?

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Wordless Wednesday ... Before the storm rages

Wordless Wednesday ...

This is the skyline of the village where I live.
One night, I saw this wonderful sunset so I hurried outside to catch it.
A few minutes later there was a huge thunderstorm.



Don't forget to visit the others?
See you all again next week, for a new Wordless Wednesday!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Against all odds?



There's a 12% Chance You've Been Abducted ByAliens



There's virtually no chance you've been abducted by aliens.

But there's always hope for the future!

What Are the Chances that You've Been Abducted by Aliens?


I guess I already should have known.
I don't think those Aliens would ever want me.
After all, I have no unexpected nosebleeds, and I don't see any strange flashes of light either!
My mouth tastes perfectly normal, thank you!
I do not dream I'm being operated on,
nor that those wild animals are feasting on my delicious flesh.
That's why it's perfectly normal that I sleep very well at night.
I don't wake up in the middle of the night crying for no reason.
Of course, if I was dreaming about being eaten by wild animals,
I would not be surprised to wake up crying either!
There is no "lost time" in my life that I cannot account for,
exept for the fact that there just are not enough hours in my day...

See?
I'm a perfectly normal human being.

Oh well, I guess I can live with that.
I'll just have to find something else to blog about!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Fun Monday Signs that make you smile?


This week's host is Sayre, and this is the assignment:

Every day as I go to work, I see things around me that make me laugh. Usually these are in the forms of signs. So take your camera with you as you go about your business and take a picture of the things that make you laugh along the way (but it doesn't necessarily HAVE to be a sign).


I hope it does not necessarily have to be on the way to work?
My work is just around the corner from where I live.
It's a two minute walk really, and not very interesting either.
But reading this week's assignment, I immediately thought of something I saw in the Provence.

When we are on holliday in France, we sometimes go out to shoot some pictures.
We like to take our food with us and then we try to find a nice place to enjoy a picknick.
Picknick spaces are not always available
so we take our own little table and chairs with us ...

Only sometimes we have to bend their rules a little bit...
This sign says " sauf les ayants droits" wich means "only those who have the right".
We do not leave any clutter behind and we do not disturb anybody,
... so we gave ourselves the right!
But on an other occasion, we saw this one, wich was just a little bit more threatening ...


"No trespassing"
"Danger"
Minefield!!


Now really!!
Those French have a funny sense of humour ...
Or they are very protective about their properties!


Sunday, February 17, 2008

Weekly Winners At the market ....




We visited a market last week.
Looks like the latest fashion in winter accesories is very colorul ...


Socks from the Russian Army!
Really, they'll tell you anything!


Poncho's and dreamcathers, don't they make you dream?

Toile cirée table covers ...

Typical Belgian candy, we call them " noses"


Don't forget to visit the other players at the homepage of Weekly Winners!
Say hi to Lotus, the one and only Sarcastic Mom,
she's the one who sends us on this mission every week!
I love it!