Weekly Winners, Let Me Take You There ...

Today I'm taking you with me and I'll show you Antwerp like no tourist ever gets to see it. I'll show you the hidden places, the tiny streets and the things that made me smile when I was out on a photo walk last Tuesday.



To places where time has stood still ...

Where the name on the door says " Guardian Angel"

Far away from modern life and the big city.
And yet ...


Where the Madonna watches over you from her place in the chimney.



Where just a simple flower makes it even more pretty.

A blessed place, and I'm glad it's still there.

But come ... we have to go.

Ill show you streets with names like Paradise Street, or Princess Street ...

Doesn't it make you smile?

I did!

Well ... it WAS St. Patrick's day?


So if you're hungry or thirsty, we could go here.

We could still have fun with that camera while we're waiting?

I loved that one!

There is still so much more.


Like the old antiques shop.

There is a note on the door.

It says you have to leave a message with your phone number and a description of what you want to buy.
No cell phones though!

And then we could go for coffee.
Served in the old fashioned way.

No neon light pinball machines here!

On our way home we could enjoy a free concert.
What would you like?

I think I prefer jazz ...


That's it from me today.
If you want to see more Weekly Winners, just hop on over to Lotus,
AKA Sarcastic Mom, and visit the other players.

Willow Yellow

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "yellow".

This is one of Mother Nature's little wonders.
I took some macro pictures every few weeks, from mid Winter until today.
I thought it would be interesting to share the progress of a tiny Pussy Willow.

Before I started taking macro's, I had no idea.
The first one was taken mid Winter.

A few weeks later on in the season, the furry hairs start to grow longer,

as they turn pink ...

until suddenly a little yellow starts to shimmer through .

Then I discovered hundreds and hundreds of tiny little flowers growing out of the furry hairs.

And only a few days later they look like bottle brushes!


If you click on this one, you can even see the pollen.

Friday's Fave Five

Friday's favourite five, time to reflect on the week that has passed.
It's going to be very hard picking only five again this week.
It's been a wonderful week.

1. The weather
As I write this I look outside and see another bright sunny morning.
It has been like this all week!
Now, if you lived in Belgium, you'd know that this IS something to be grateful for.

2.The Daffodils and Primulas are in bloom. I love their vibrant colours on my patio.
Buzzy busy bumble bees are gathering pollen from the Pussy Willow flowers.
I spotted the first ladybug of the season...
The Great Tits are trying to make up their mind about which nest to choose.
Wonderful wonderful Spring ...

(Click to enlarge)

3. Spring always seems to give me so much energy.
I painted my kitchen ceiling last week.
It involved a hell of a lot of work, but I'm very happy with it!

(click to enlarge)

4. On Tuesday I had a little St.-Patrick's day celebration of my own.
I went for a photo walk in Antwerp when I came across this pub.
There was a sign outside that said they had Irish Stew on the menu.
It was noon, and I was hungry, so I decided to try it.
There was a delightful ambiance with Irish music I enjoyed so much.
The lady of the house told me how her Irish grandmother used to peel potatoes so thinly the peels that came off were translucent.
The stew was delicious, and so was the dark velvety Guiness I had with it.

(click to enlarge)

5. The best news of the week was an invitation by a befriended blogger friend.
I'm sooooo looking forward to cook for them in that kitchen of hers!

A wonderful week ...

Visit Suzanne's place and read all about other people's Fave Fives!

Sepia Scenes and .... Quivel

And then
there was nothing
else.
Nothing
but
the man
and his music ...

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."

Aldous Huxley

I used half sepia to draw all the attention to the man and his music.

Find more Sepia Scenes here.




And now, for something completely different.
Run!
Flee while you still can, and I'll seek a good hiding place.
For it's time for Dr John's Quivel
and Quilly's Three Word Challenge.
Bad poetry and rigamarole,
because there is a paucity of Quivel writers,
and I happen to be one of them ...
Don't take it too serious
I'm only in it
for the heck of it ...

Poetic drivel,
more specifically known as
Quivel,
lifts the spirit.

Also sprach Dr John.

No need for
a rhyme,
just go with the flow
and jot down a scribble.


An anopisthograph
of teterrimous
jargon
or perhaps if you're lucky
some mellifluous
parlando.

But be wary!
Quilly's words can be scary!

Zoilists
and under the weather
pettifoggers
could get
seriously aggravated,
and
irritated.

Their
sternutatory spasms
sternutations
volgivagant sneezes
aspersing
hitonious green dribble.


Enough of this nonsense,
this rigamarole
Basta,
ora basta!
Basta.

That's it.

Melli's ABC ... The Much Dreaded Q and R

It's time for Melli's Alphabet Challenge, and we've reached the dreaded week.
Today we have to come up with our Q's and R's.

I must have grown an alphabet brain since I got started on this challenge weeks ago.
Finding Q was easier than A!
I found my first Q when we went to Leuven. That was in the second week of the challenge.
It's the one on the bottom right.
All I had to do was to tilt my camera a little to get the right angle.
And once I knew what I was looking for, it was EASY!


There.
Boring huh?

Oooohh, Suzie Q!! Ain't she pretty!

And how about this one?
As for R ... Let's see...
Now wait a minute!


With a little bit of goodwill? That's Q and R in one picture.
Now ...


Two R's in one picture?

Two more?

And now for my little "pièce de résistance"...

Q and R right next to each other.
Okay okay, I can hear your protests!
" Those were probably meant to be!!"
Let me assure you, they were NOT.
Look ...
This is where I found them.

There.

Nothing more to add!


Find more Q's and R's at Melli's place.


Unless?
It looks like I'm going to have to do a little shameless begging.

Have you enjoyed my Scavenger Hunt pictures I published earlier this week? In case you haven't seen them, they're here. They're a great way to get to know Belgium and the way we live a little better. If you like them, would you do me a favour?
Would you vote for them please?
You can cast your vote here.

I hate to beg, but look ...
I'm in fifth place at the moment and the voting continues until the 31st of this month.
It's not that I want to WIN, it's just, I just don't want to drop down?
So please, pretty please?
Thanks!