heaven in belgium

Would you?

2009-04-23T01:01:00.002+02:00

Can I ask you something?
Would you still love me if I moved to a different place?

Would you like it if you get to see BIG pictures from now on?
I mean, HUGE ones?
Would you mind if you had to change the URL in your reader?
Would you still love me then?
Would you still want to visit me as much as you did before?
Would you follow me like you used to?

Would you?
Okay?

I've got something to tell you.
Heaven in Belgium, is now called Heaven is in Belgium.
There was no other way.
But you can still visit me, and see my pictures?
I promise, it will be even better than before!

Just come on over ... HERE.

There ... that's right!

Weekly Winners, Let Me Take You There ...

2009-03-22T10:43:00.006+01:00

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

2009-03-21T08:32:00.012+01:00

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

2009-03-20T10:00:00.006+01:00

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

2009-03-19T08:45:00.006+01:00

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

2009-03-18T10:24:00.005+01:00

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!

Ruby Tuesday, Ladybug

2009-03-17T07:02:00.000+01:00

For this week's edition of Ruby Tuesday, Mary suggested us to go "green" in honour of St. Patrick's day. I'm more than happy to oblige. I think I've got just the thing.
This is the very first ladybug I've seen this Spring, ain't she cute?

Find more Ruby Tuesday pictures here.

Macro Monday and a Secret Wish

2009-03-16T09:30:00.016+01:00

Before I show you my Macro Monday post, there is something I want to talk about.
You see, there is this secret wish on my "bucket list".
But in keeping it secret, there's no chance it's ever going to come true, so there ...

My wish is to maybe one day meet some of the friends I've met in this blogosphere.
Welcoming you in Belgium and showing my country would be one step,
another one would be to travel and meet people myself.
One of the places to be to meet a lot of bloggers is the upcoming BlogHer event in Chicago, in July. I would love to be there, but I need to know one thing before I can take further steps.
Is anybody I know going to be there too?
Or am I going to end up a little duckling in a sea of strange people?
After all, it is a big strange city, and I would have to travel alone?
Can anyone advise me on a place to stay that does not cost an arm and a leg?
What paperwork do I need to get to travel to the States?
Is there anybody out there who can help me with this? It would mean so much to me?

And now for my Macro Monday post.
Pussy Willows.
First signs of Spring.
I have never before witnessed their week by week development from that close.
It's amazing what your camera can see that you don't.

The first ones are taken a couple of weeks ago.

Some weeks later some kind of yellow sheen started to appear.

Another couple of days later ...

Dozens and dozens of tiny little flowers!
Gorgeous huh?
I never knew?

Find more Macro Monday pictures at Lisa's Chaos.

Now, don't go just yet!!
I have to ask you one more little favour ?

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.
Would you?

Awwww, thanks!

Weekly Winners , Dancing on the Ceiling

2009-03-15T07:18:00.029+01:00

Yesterday was D-day.

Or should I say P-day ?

Painting my kitchen ceiling is a heavy duty chore I had been procrastinating for much too long.

It involves a lot of "stuff" to be cleared out.

Oooh, I have way too much stuff!

One needs tape and tools...

and hubby also needs his tools ...

And then you'll end up clearing up the tools hubby left there

as well as getting the paint job done!

*sigh*

One will need some " stress food" ...

and a little Pastis break

Taping ...

And still manage to take some "artsy" pictures in between it all.

On request: this is how I looked when the job was done. Ahum.

Yep. But I did use paint brushes too, in case you're wondering!

Update!

For those of you who requested an after shot, here it is!
Oohhh okay then ...

Can you see how much it needed to be done?
I did the painting yesterday, and spent most of today cleaning and putting everything back where it belonged. It was a hell of a job, but it's done, and I love it.

Now, don't go just yet!!
I have to ask you a little favour ?

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.
Would you?

Awwww, thanks!

Click here to visit Sarcastic Mom's and find the other Weekly Winners players.

Photo Hunt " Four"

2009-03-14T08:13:00.006+01:00

( Click to enlarge)

quadrigeminal,
quadripartition,
quadrivium,
quadrumvirate,
quadruple,
quadruplet,
quadruplets,
quartet,
quartette,
quaternary,
quaternion,
quaternity,
tetrad,
tetralogy

or just simply ....

FOUR!

Find more Photohunt pictures with this theme here.

Friday's Fave Five, a Rewarding Week

2009-03-13T11:59:00.001+01:00

Friday again, time to reflect on the week that has passed.
Some of the best things happened to us this week, it's been a week of accomplishment.

1. My husband got an important promotion this week, and I'm very very happy for him.
He has put huge dedication into his work since the day he started working there about four years ago. We had suffered major set backs before -not through his fault though- and I always have had a huge admiration for the way he has dealt with it. The past years have not been easy for either of us, but all the hard work seems to pay off and starting Monday he's going to be able to do the kind of job he has aspired all his life. He has earned it, and I'm proud of him.

2. This blog and the things I learn through blogging. I started this blog to educate myself in English language. I have tried to raise the bar a little higher each day.
Like the barre in the ballet class I used to attend as a young girl, pushing my own boundaries and limitations. Reaching for a higher level, and the triumph of attaining it.
Yesterday's post was all about that. Your comments and support give me wings.

3. The Kreativ Blogger award.
Paz gave me one some time ago, and it's been gathering dust in my archives for some time until Libby bestowed me with it again yesterday.
Thanks girls, receiving an award really means a lot to me. It means that somehow in my own humble way, I make a difference to some people, and that's a wonderful feeling.

I am going to pass it on to some of the people who have made a difference to me in this blogosphere.
They have made me explore and push my limits, they are role models to me.

- Quilly: Her clever way with words has made me reach for dictionaries ever since I met her.
- Lisa: Her stunning (macro) photography has inspired me to try harder each week.
- Mary The Teach who has made me explore Photoshopping skills with her Sepia Scenes.
- Secretagentmama: Where great words and amazing photography go hand in hand.
- Louceel: He has me googling interesting things all the time when I'm reading his blog. I have a deep admiration for his writing skills.
- Lilacspecs. She's the one who dragged me into English blogging in the first place.
I know some of them don't care for awards, but I'm giving them anyway, as a way to say thank you. All of these people are role models to me, in photography as well as in writing.

4. A compliment for my hairdo.
New shoes ( Yay!!! a girl and her shoes huh? )
Some more weight loss ... It made me feel like a million dollars!

5. A new recipe I tried this week. It was a papillote of seafood and it was delicious!!
You can find the recipe here if you're interested.

(Click to enlarge the collage.)

It's been a great week as you can see.
A lot of happy moments to cherish.

Find more Fave Five's at Susanne's Living to tell the Story.

Quilly's Three Word Challenge "No Quitter"

2009-03-12T00:03:00.003+01:00

This post is my answer to Quilly's Three Word Challenge and Dr John's Quivel.
All you have to do is write bad poetry,(or something that resembles poetry) using Quilly's words.
Dr John says anyone can do it.
So I thought I'd give it a try, and I had a blast.

You 'd better run while you still can.
And I'll go hide myself now, okay?

For weeks now I have set my sights
on Quilly's
Three Word Challenge.
I was at a loss,
for the words she puts forth
sounded
double Dutch to me.
At first
I decided to steer clear of
this dare.
For
my volgivagant vocabulary
would never be
adequate.
She called me "no quitter"?
Well ...
saying is one thing,
doing
is another.
I knew I'd have to
strain my every nerve
and get myself into this state of apanthropinization
to be able to deliver
a mellifluous piece of writing.

There is
a paucity of
good dictionaries.
Famelicose for words,
I am, that's true.
But my quondam school dictionary
is about as useful
as a chocolate teapot
with this.
Vocabulary
is a hecatologue
of shades of meaning.
You should know
I'm the kind of person
who wants to dot all the i's and cross all the t's.
Joining this challenge
feels like I'm biting off more than I can chew.
But I have been known
to jump in at the deep end before.

It's time to beat my brains
and deliver
isangelous poetry
instead of opprobrious Quivel.

Gaudiloquent voices
speaking words of praise.
Ingeniculations
and standing ovations
for my
awe inspiring
magnum opus tour de force.

Rather than
teterrimous scribbly.
Or
hitonious
balderdastic ( yeah, I made that one up!)
fiddle-faddle
written by a phlyarologist like me ?
I think I'll call it a day
before this oracle
becomes
fallaciloquent.

Maybe I'd better
take up
playing the zither?

Find the other player's stories at Quilly's.

Melli's Alphabet Challenge

2009-03-11T08:25:00.010+01:00

We have reached O and P this week in Melli's Alphabet challenge.
O was not that hard, O's are everywhere.

P on the other hand is a little bit harder ...

This is a detail of a gate I saw last Saturday.
It held yet another interesting detail.
I think Melli will like it, but I'm not sharing it just yet ...

Find other Alphabet Hunters at Melli's

Nicole's Scavenger Hunt

2009-03-10T00:01:00.001+01:00

NicoleB's Scavenger Hunt.

I'm participating in NicoleB's Scavenger Hunt today.
The idea is to post pictures representing different aspects of your own country.
People from all over the world are participating in this challenge.
It will be a very interesting trip around the world.

And what does the winner get?

can choose between either 8 postcards, 3 Greeting Cards, 2 magnets or 2 key chains
Shipping is included

Here’s the list (it’s a bit focused on the “local” theme):

1) local currency

People in Belgium pay in Euro.

2) local flag

3) local food

Belgian waffles.

4) something rusty

5) local wildlife

Well, it IS wild and it's local. ;-)

6) local nature

7) local stamp

This was in the window of a stamp auctioneer.

8) part of your neighbourhood (it can be a very small part )

View from my patio.

9) traditional house

10) a local person

11) local weather

Capricious.

12) local transportation

13) traditional local clothing

14) night sky

Christmas lights in Bruges.

15) sunrise

16) local product non food

Art at the local garden show.

17) something furry

Yeah well, I just could NOT resist this! ;-)
It IS furry, right?

18) something feathery

19) a sign of the season

20) a part of you

21) your main hobby

Photography.
Just in case you're wondering, this has not been photoshopped.
The reflection is a real reflection. I took a zillion pictures before I got it right!

22) a local shop

23) a local restaurant

24) a street sign

No dogs allowed.
Even those on a leach.

25) a local mail box

Macro Monday Texture

2009-03-09T09:22:00.009+01:00

One of my favourite challenges for macro shots ... textures.

Find more Macro pictures at Lisa's Chaos.

Weekly Winners How Funny?

2009-03-08T10:16:00.002+01:00

How Funny...
I've been playing Weekly Winners every week before I even started this blog.
Lotus was the one who invited me, we "met" through Nablopomo.
And in a way she has been the drive I needed to take up photography in the first place.
Before that, I took some pictures now and then while on holiday or something, but that was it.

Through Weekly Winners I have started to look for things to photograph.
I am thankful for the encouragement and the inspiration I got through this meme.
Making photo walks and visit places just to get enough pictures to publish each Sunday became a new and fascinating habit. Looking at other people's photographs both inspires and educates me.
A year and a half later, I take pictures of just about anything.
And I love it.

But what amazes me the most, is that now I can see things I would never have seen before.

Great textures in an old tree trunk.

Or an exotic palm tree in Antwerp city?
I would never have known it was there before!

Some things make me smile, like this display in an antiques shop.

Or this bike. Fully equipped for Belgian weather.

I do take pictures of just about everything. I do.
I caption this one " Anticipation".

Colours at the local market.

Always remember to look up.

Because if you do, you discover even more.
This is the logo of the railway company, it's at the train station in Antwerp.
I had never seen it before. Even my husband did not know it was there!

And sometimes things can make me smile ...

And wonder...
Dangling shoes?
I don't know why they're up there.
Does anybody know?
I've seen it on other blogs from other parts of the world.
It always makes me wonder why on earth people would hang their shoes outside?

"Now where do you think you are flying off to? "

Go on over to Lotus' place AKA Sarcastic Mom and discover more Weekly Winners.

Photo Hunt "Space"

2009-03-07T08:32:00.003+01:00

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "space"
Like ever so often, I used my dictionary to look for inspiration for this post.

Among the many definitions of "space" I have found in there, this one caught my eye because I knew I had the perfect picture to go with it:

"Reserved or available accommodation on a public transportation vehicle."

And while I was at it, I found a quote that made me smile:

"Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards." [Sir Fred Hoyle, "London Observer," 1979]

Find more pictures with this theme here.

Fave Five

2009-03-06T00:37:00.002+01:00

Time to reflect on the week that has passed and share five favourite things from it.

1.There was the return of the sparrows. I don't think I've seen it happen before, but they have been gone for a couple of weeks this year. It was probably a little bit too cold here.
I really really missed their quarrels at the birdfeeder. But they're back!

2. Had tea with a friend yesterday afternoon. It's nice to have someone dropping in in the middle of the afternoon and share the latest news and gossip!

3. My favourite TV program is back. It's the Belgian edition of "my restaurant", and I love watching it. Some of the participants have an awful lot to learn still. It will be interesting to watch their progress throughout the series.

4. The Hyacinth on my kitchen table. It was supposed to be a blue one according to the label,
but it turned out pink. I think I told you about that one last week didn't I? Well, here it is, as pink as pink can be! But it smells great!

5. A good night's sleep. I was wondering why on earth I was feeling so tired until I noticed it was WAY past midnight already!! I like to get up early in the morning, it's time to get the lights out!

Click here to find more Fave Five participants at Suzanne's blog.

J for Jientje

2009-03-05T13:13:00.001+01:00

Libby hated to do it, she said ... but she did it anyway.
She tagged me with this meme.
Here are the rules ...

1. Copy the questions from my post and paste them in a new post on your blog. Then type over my answers with yours.
2. Use the first letter of your first name to answer ALL of the following questions.
3. If the first letter of your name is the same as mine, use your middle or last name.
4. You CANNOT use any word twice, and you CANNOT use your own name for the boy/girl questions.
5. After you are done, tag 5 people.......

So, here we go:

1. What is your name?: Jientje. People often ask me how they should pronounce it.
Like the boy's name Gene, followed by "chu". "Gene-chu", that's how you say my name.
2. A four-letter word: joke
3. A boy's name: John
4. A girl's name: Joanne
5. An occupation: a janitor
6. A colour: Jade. Or would you prefer "Jaune de Joucas"?
Some of my early readers might remember this. I did this meme before.
It was in my early blogging days and I could not think of any colour starting with a J, so I made this one up!

7. Something you wear: .Jeans There's a sale going on at my local jeans store. Maybe I should buy a new one. I've lost some weight lately and I can remove the one I'm wearing now without even opening the zipper!!
8. A Food: Jumping Jackets, it's a recipe I've found with jacket potatoes and chicken. Click on the link to see the recipe. I thought the name was kind of cute and the recipe looks delicious, maybe it's worth a try huh?
9. Something found in the bathroom: Jill Sander bodylotion. I think it has been there for fifteen years, and I don't even like it. Maybe it's time to say goodbye to it.
10. A place: Joucas, it's a little village in the south of France near Gordes and Roussillon.
Click this link for a little virtual tour of this beautiful place.
It's certainly going to be on my visiting list this summer.
11. A reason for being late: just as I wanted to leave the house the phone rang.
12. Something you shout: Jeeeez!
13. A movie title: Jaws. One, two Three, Three D, you name 'm!
13. Something you drink: Juice
15. An animal: a jaguar
16. A song title: Just the way you are, by Billy Joel, or Barry White. I love both versions.
17. A verb: to jump

That's it from me today.
I'm breaking rule number five though.
While I love doing meme's, I don't mind BEING tagged but I hate to tag someone.
Feel free to pick it up if you feel like it, just let me know so I can visit you, okay?

Melli's Alphabet Hunt, M and N

2009-03-04T09:16:00.009+01:00

Wednesday already.
For this week's alphabet hunt, Melli wanted us to look for M and N.
So here we go again ...

I think this character on a Chinese calendar holds just about the whole alphabet if you search long enough, that's why I took the picture in the first place!

And if you flip the picture, ...
there's your m, see?

You should always remember to look up.
Anywhere.
I saw this beautiful house in Leuven,

and this is a detail of a balcony in Antwerp.

As for N ...
I saw this one when I returned from the supermarket where I found my A.

But I did not think it was pretty or interesting enough, so I kept looking.
There's one on this teapot.
There is ... look!

And now I'm off to Melli's to see what the others have posted!
Click here to get there!

Ruby Tuesday Spring Rubies

2009-03-03T00:01:00.000+01:00

Those of you who might think I live in a tropical forest I'll have to disappoint.
These were not taken on some tropical location.
I live in Belgium.
The pictures were taken at the botanical garden in Antwerp.
These are merely tiny new sprouts on some kind of a a shrub.
I forgot to look what the name of the bush was, I'm sorry.
All I was thinking was that it would make a great Ruby Tuesday subject!

But I did remember to take a look at this one ...

Because of it's blossoms ...

I thought they were gorgeous.
I think I may want to go back in a week or two to have another look?

Find more Ruby pictures at Work of the Poet.

Macro Monday, Close to Spring ...

2009-03-02T08:11:00.011+01:00

I'm joining Macro Monday again today.
This past weekend I have made so many close ups with the first signs of Spring
it would be a real shame not to use them ...
Enjoy ....

Look for more Macro Monday pictures at Lisa's Chaos.

Weekly Winners, First Signs of Spring

2009-03-01T10:30:00.002+01:00

How would you know that Spring is in the air?
Let me take you with me ...

There are of course the Spring flowers at the local market.

We could have a drink or even eat outside again ...

The street artists are back ...

More colourful than ever it seems.

Or not so colourful ...
But he's handsome, isn't he?
Or ...
I could take you to the botanical garden,

and we could look for signs of Spring there ...
Not much ... at first sight?

There would of course be some Spring cleaning going on ...

New sprouts .

The old and the new ...

Hamamelis blossoming.

Crocusses of course.
Click to enlarge this one, there is a bee on that leaf, can you see it?

Primula's .... aaahhhh ...

So sweet ...

Don't you just love Spring?

I know I do!

Find more Weekly Winners at Sarcastic Mom's.

Photo Hunt Thankful

2009-02-28T08:35:00.010+01:00

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "thankful"

I'm thankful for all the happy things, great and small, happy and sometimes sad ...
that have made my life what it is now.

Find more Photo Hunt players here

Fave Five Little Every Day Happy Stuff

2009-02-27T10:25:00.012+01:00

Time to look back and reflect on the good things from the past week.

1. Home baked bread. I love to bake my own bread. It's been a while since I last baked one until last night, when I realized how I had missed it. It's aroma slowly spreading through the whole house while it's in the oven. The rustic look of it when I put it on my wooden cutting board.
That crunchy crust, and the taste of that first slice when you have hardly given it the time to cool down thoroughly... It needs nothing more.
Hmmm, unless ... some real butter, some marmalade or home made jam ... strawberry jam mmm yes! A hand cut thick slice of that bread, with some Parma ham, a little salad on the side and some mustard and pickled onions to go with it? I think it would be a great idea for lunch!
Eww, I must be hungry? Or seen to many Nigella Lawson cooking shows on television this week?

2. The days are definitely getting a lot longer now. The last day of February already today, now where has that month gone to? March will be on the calendar as of tomorrow.
Next week is the tenth week of the year, and for some reason, I don't know why that week has always been some sort of wake up call, when new energy starts to flow. I think I carry the genetic heritage of a hedgehog inside of me! Oh well, it could be worse!

3. Coffee. Yeah I KNOW I talked about coffee last week too, but that was about the first coffee in the morning, which is very different to the coffee I treat myself to some time in the afternoon.
That's when I make myself a little espresso. My latest treat is some foamed up milk to top it off.
I add some flavour to the milk, ( cinnamon, vanilla, sweetener, or that new orange - star anise sugar I bought yesterday) heat it in the micro wave and stir it with my aerolatte milk frother.
( You can find recipes through this link)
It works great to get a terrific low fat creamy layer on top of the coffee! Yum!

( You can click to enlarge this collage)

4. The new things I learn through blogging. I learn something new every day, and I love that.
Sometimes I have to Google stuff I don't quite understand, but that's what makes it interesting.
It can be fun! Having to Google stuff sometimes makes me feel stupid, but then I discover that I am not the only one to never have heard of "a dog and pony show" before.
But I'm afraid it will still take some time before I'll be able to participate in Quilly's Three Word Challenge though! Or do a Haiku, or a 100 word challenge ... **Sigh**
Still. I've come this far, and I'm grateful for what I learn each day.

5. I was feeling a little lonely yesterday, so what does a girl do? Yes, I went shopping at the mall! Not that I spent that much money, nor did I spend it on clothes.
I ended up in one of those shops for foodies like Oil and Vinegar, and a trendy tableware shop.
I KNOW I do not NEED more new plates, but I could not resist, besides, they were a steal!
Beautiful plates always inspire me to create a new recipe to use them for.

Mind you, these are just a few highlights of the week that has passed.
There was also that deliciously creamy Veal Goulash I made, the Blue Tits inspecting the nest on my patio, the blue Hyacinth I bought and it turns out to be pink, the first good lace design I have finished this week ( No, no pictures of that just yet, I'm building up some tension here!)

Find other people's Fave Five's at Suzanne's, on Living to tell the story.

Sepia Scenes Mirror, Mirror ....

2009-02-26T08:31:00.006+01:00

For this week's Sepia Scenes I have used this picture, taken in a costume museum in Pernes-les-Fontaines. It's an authentic old tailor shop, all the original furniture is still in there.

First I created a layer, and then I put a sepia effect on it by using the time machine in Corel Paint Shop Pro x12. I then erased the sepia from the reflection in the mirror with the eraser tool.

Because it is a reflection in a mirror, I get this really soft colour.
I think it's a very subtle effect, I like it a lot.

Find more Sepia Scenes here

Melli's ABC challenge ... K and L

2009-02-25T08:46:00.005+01:00

Time for Melli's ABC in pictures again ....
K and L this week ...
So here's my first K,

okay ... okay, I did flip the picture(s), but a little creativity never did any harm, did it?

As for L ...

they ARE everywhere.

But it did take me some time to find an interesting one though, but I love how the daylight makes an L shape in that window.

Visit Melli's to meet the other players.

Ruby Tuesday Three Roosters

2009-02-24T07:46:00.002+01:00

They were sitting on that bench in the garden of the bed and breakfast hotel where we took breakfast last week. Three noisy roosters... I wonder what it's like to sleep there, and have them wake you up in the morning. It beats an alarm clock, but still?

They made a very photogenic threesome. I should have made more close ups I think.
Anyhow ... they're my rubies for this week ...

Check out Mary's Work of the Poet to find more Ruby Tuesday pictures.

Fun in the Kitchen

2009-02-23T10:13:00.000+01:00

~~It looks like~~ I'm multitasking this week. Christina at had this wonderful real German Cuisine recipe challenge I simply could not resist. She wants us to ~~mess~~ experiment with German cuisine and asked us to ~~ruin~~ prepare Rahmgulash this week, a creamy veal goulash. In Belgium we call it Hungarian Goulash.
I really don't know why, but I have never made Goulash before in my life, so I promised her I would participate. And then I remembered I had signed up for Fun Monday as well!

But given the fact that both challenges happen in my kitchen ... I'm doing them both!

Ari is our host for today, and this is what she wants to know:

It's time for show and tell. What does your kitchen counter look like right now? (And no fair cleaning just for the picture!) Do you have any favourite or unusual items on your counter?

Now, all of you ~~nosy~~ sweet Fun Monday people who want to know ~~what mess I made while doing this awesome recipe~~ what my kitchen counter looks like, you'll better scroll down. Now GO! Shoosh!
But ... it would be such a pity to miss out on such a delicious recipe, don't you think?

So here's the recipe:

By the way, you can click to enlarge any of the collages, okay?

You'll need:
2 1/2 large mild onions.
2 cans of peeled tomatoes
3 tablespoons of clarified butter
About 1/4 liter of beef stock ( I used a stock cube)
1 kg of veal for goulash, cut in bite sized pieces.
150g of heavy cream.
2 tablespoons of Crème fraîche ( sour cream)
salt, freshly ground pepper.
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika powder.
a sprinkling of hot paprika powder.
1 tablespoon of citrus zest. ( I used the zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon)

Gently melt the butter on low heat, to clarify.
Use the oily part of the butter only to brown the meat in.
The oily part of the butter supports much higher temperatures without burning.
Brown the meat ( in small portions ) on a high heat.

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onions.
Add the chopped onions to the veal, and let it cook for a minute.
Sprinkle everything with the paprika, and let it sweat for a moment.

Heat the beef stock.
Drain the tomatoes and chop them roughly as well.
Add the stock and the chopped tomatoes.
Cover with a lid and let it simmer on a gentle heat for 45 min to an hour, until the veal is tender.

Stir in the cream, salt, pepper and citrus zest.
The original recipe did not specify what kind of zest to use, but referring to an Italian Osso Bucco recipe, - which is also veal in a tomato-ish sauce - I decided to add some orange zest as well.
Cover with the lid again, and let it simmer for another fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the side dishes.
We had steamed baby potatoes, a green salad, cherry tomatoes and grated black radish with lemon and sour cream. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on it as a finishing touch.

There was no denying. It tasted delicious!

Okay. Now STOP DROOLING!!

This is what my kitchen counter looked like afterwards.
Anyone care to do the dishes for me?
Thanks.

What? Show off? Now don't give me that!! You did get dirty pictures as well, didn't you?
Of course it's clean, I can't stand a dirty kitchen.
And what about my favourite stuff? All of it, actually.
Let's see, I really really like my espresso machine, and the steamer right next to it.
And I love how my utensils are all within reach.
And yes, I do have a lot of stuff. There are three pepper mills and three salt mills there, that's correct! And I do use all three of them!

There, that's it from me today, now go off ~~and snoop in somebody else's kitchen now!~~
Visit the other Fun Monday players here .
And don't forget to drop by at Christina's for the German recipe challenge, okay?

Weekly Winners, Home and Homely ...

2009-02-22T09:42:00.001+01:00

There were many great moments this week.

First signs of Spring.

Lounging ...

Cosy.

Reflections in a tea pot.

Breakfast

but not at Tiffany's.

Domed food.

Done.

And last, but not least...

Home is where the heart is ...

Find more Weekly Winners pictures at Lotus' blog, the homeblog of Weekly Winners.

Photo Hunt " Warm"

2009-02-21T10:04:00.006+01:00

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "warm".
When I started working on this post this morning, my initial idea was to upload a landscape from the Moroccan desert. It had been very warm when I took those, but when I saw the picture, I realized that was not what I was looking for. There are many more definitions of "warm" ...

(Click to enlarge the picture.)

1.	having or giving out a moderate degree of heat, as perceived by the senses: a warm bath.

2.	of or at a moderately high temperature; characterized by comparatively high temperature: a warm oven; a warm climate; a warm summer.

3.	having a sensation of bodily heat: to be warm from fast walking.

4.	conserving or maintaining warmth or heat: warm clothes.

5.	(of colors) suggestive of warmth; inclining toward red or orange rather than toward green or blue.

6.	characterized by or showing lively feelings, passions, emotions, sympathies, etc.: a warm heart; warm interest.

7.	strongly attached; intimate: warm friends.

8.	cordial or hearty: a warm welcome.

9.	heated, irritated, or angry: to become warm when contradicted.

10.	animated, lively, brisk, or vigorous: a warm debate.

11.	strong or fresh: a warm scent.

12.	close to something sought, as in a game.

13.	uncomfortable or unpleasant: His opponents made things so warm that he decided to quit.

14.	British Informal. well off; in easy circumstances.

–verb (used with object)

15.	to make warm; heat (often fol. by up): to warm one's hands; to warm up a room.

16.	to heat or cook (something) for reuse, as leftovers (usually fol. by over or up): to warm up yesterday's stew.

17.	to excite enthusiasm, ardor, cheerfulness, or vitality in (someone): The wine soon warmed the company.

18.	to inspire with kindly feeling; affect with lively pleasure: It warms my soul to hear you say that.

19.	to fill (a person, crowd, etc.) with strong feelings, as hatred, anger, or zeal: Restrictions had warmed the crew to the point of mutiny.

–verb (used without object)

20.	to become warm or warmer (often fol. by up): The room will warm up when the fire gets going.

21.	to become ardent, enthusiastic, animated, etc. (often fol. by up or to): The speaker quickly warmed to her subject.

22.	to grow kindly, friendly, or sympathetically disposed (often fol. by to or toward): My heart warms toward him.

–noun

23.	Informal. a warming: Sit by the fire and have a nice warm.

—Verb phrases

24.	warm down, to conclude or follow a period of strenuous physical exercise by walking or gentle stretching.

25.

warm up,

a.	to prepare for a game, sports contest, dance, etc., by moderate exercise or practice beforehand.

b.	to increase in excitement, intensity, violence, etc.: The racial situation was warming up.

c.	to become friendlier or more receptive: No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't warm up to that proposal.

d.	Radio and Television. to entertain (an audience) prior to a broadcast to increase receptiveness.

—Idiom

26.	warm the bench, Sports. to serve as a substitute who rarely plays in a game: The young outfielder warmed the bench for the Yankees last season.

Find more pictures with this theme here.

Fridays Fave Five, a Review of a Wonderful Week

2009-02-20T11:42:00.000+01:00

It's time to look back on some of the favourite things from the past week again.
I love this meme, it's great to remember the good things in life.

1. I had my daughter over for supper last Friday evening.
The poor girl had been in a traffic jam for almost two hours just to get here, but it was worth it she said! I love it when she keeps me company in the kitchen while I cook.
I enjoyed every minute of it, even doing the dishes together is special to me...

2. The next day, my husband surprised me with my favourite perfume as a Valentine's day gift.
I had only a few drops left in my old bottle, and I was reluctant to use it. But now I can spoil myself again with a luxurious fragrant puff each morning ... Wonderful.

3. A champagne breakfast on Wednesday in a charming bed and breakfast hotel. Bacon and eggs, smoked salmon, fresh fruit salad, vanilla yoghurt, croissants crunchy baguettes ... It was all there, and everything was delicious.

( You can click to enlarge the image)

4. Snuggling up on the couch with the new book I bought. It turns out to be a very witty entertaining read. It's written by a Belgian biologist and it's based on Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory. A fascinating and very well written book.

5. And then last night we dined out again! A fun formula with small samples of food on tiny plates, tapa style. The tiny domed plates come rolling by ( like at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant) only it's not sushi but Basquish pinxtos. And you have to use your fingers to eat it.
Delicious and fun!

So there, those are just a few of last week's happy moments.
Go here to read more Fave Five posts.

Sepia Scenes Au Naturel

2009-02-19T09:20:00.006+01:00

Today I wanted to find out what would happen if you turn a natural sepia,

.... into sepia.
I think I prefer the natural sepia. What do YOU think?

Find more Sepia Scenes here.

Melli's ABC in pictures, I and J

2009-02-18T00:02:00.001+01:00

It's time for Melli's ABC in pictures again, and this week we have to post the letters I and J.
I have spent so much time looking for the rest of the alphabet, that I kind of overlooked I and J, because they're so easy to find. Or that's what I thought. So I did not look all that well, and now I find myself desperately browsing through my archives to find something suitable!
So here we go.

I think those columns can pass for I's don't you think?

If not, there's always this one, okay?

Now, J was just a little bit harder, but I found one.

One of the key hangers I made a while ago.

So there, that's it from me this week.
Click here if you want to find out what the others have posted.

Ruby Tuesday Rose Hips

2009-02-17T08:50:00.001+01:00

This is what's left of those shiny red rose hips after the winter ...
Counting the days till Spring now ...

Find more Ruby Tuesday players here.

Fun Monday, Show your Feet

2009-02-16T11:31:00.005+01:00

My compatriot Gattina offered to be our Fun Monday host for this week, and this is what she wants us to do:

Please show us what you wear on your feet inside your home ! Do you wear slippers, flip flops, shoes or nothing ? just take a picture and show us your feet !

Oh, I thought, that sounds easy, all I do is take a picture of my feet and I'm done!
So I signed up, and then I thought, oh no!!
What have I done? I have to show my feet! NAKED feet, eww!
And my pedicure is only due next Thursday? Ewww!
So I took a shower, (okay, I do that every day, but still, I gave them some extra care and attention. Some extra feet balm, washed my hair, put on my make up...
Now WAIT a minute, why on earth am I putting on make up to take pictures of my feet eh?

When all that was done, I took my camera to the bathroom to do a photo shoot.
And I was lying on the floor doing macro's of my flip flops when my husband walked in.
" Fun Monday" I mumbled, giggling.
"Oh" he shrugged, and walked off.
Well to be honest he HAS seen me do some silly stuff before since I'm blogging.
Remember that time I posted a picture of my bra? Yeah, right!
(yeah, go on, click the link if you haven't seen it)

Okay, well ... without further ado ...
Here's the result!

You can click on the picture to enlarge it, okay?

No big secret, I wear flip flops all year around.
I have to have naked feet when I'm in the house. I can't stand shoes or socks when I'm inside.
So each year, when we go on holiday in France, I buy some new ones.
It's part of my holiday fun!

Which ones I choose to wear depends on the mood I'm in, the hour of the day or what kind of chore I'm doing.
At the moment I'm wearing the red ones. Red ones, in honour of Valentine's day!
But they are rather noisy, so in the morning when I wake up, I prefer wearing the ones on the top right in the collage. They're very worn and rather torn, but they're very silent, just the thing you need when you get up early like I do. The ones on the bottom right are the ones I use when I clean the house. They're old ones. And the white ones are very soft, they feel nice.
And I use the black ones when I'm cooking. They're a little bit higher, I switch heights as well.

So there. Now you know.
Want to find out what other people wear?
Go on over to Gattina's and find out!

Weekly Winners No Trespassing!

2009-02-15T09:44:00.028+01:00

What did you say?

Are you afraid to come with me?

Don't you want to find out what's in here?

Oh, come on!

Look ...

A room with a view.

Now look up...

Ohhh, careful! Don't trip!

I want to know what's up there.

Follow me, come ...

Ooooh, don't be chicken!

Yeah, it's old and rusty ...

What? Of course there are cobwebs and spiders!

Don't you just love this?

There's that tower again, I wonder what it used to be?

Careful.

Look at that wall, it's a hidden treasure.
Art where you least expect it!

I wonder what's up there?
What do you say? You've seen enough?
You want out?

Okay, head on over to Lotus' blog, and visit the other Weekly Winners!
Go!

Photo Hunt Nautical

2009-02-14T09:29:00.007+01:00

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is nautical.
I had a hard time picking only one picture ... in fact, I just could not!

So I decided to publish this series of pictures, taken May 2008 in Honfleur, Normandy France.

To find more pictures with this theme, click here.

Friday's Fave Five Week Three

2009-02-13T09:25:00.002+01:00

It's Friday again, time to look back at the week that has passed and pick five favourite moments.
It was kind of a lame week, there was not much going on, in fact I was stuck inside the house all week. But even when you don't go out, there is still a lot to enjoy, so here we go.
(You can click on the image to enlarge it)

Today I'm sharing some of my favourite morning routines, okay?

1. Getting up early. The anticipation of the new day before me. Today I'm especially looking forward to see my daughter. She's coming for supper tonight and I'm going to spoil her with a delicious meal. It'll be great.

2. Checking emails FIRST thing in the morning.
Because of the time difference between me here in Europe and you people out there in the rest of the world, a lot of comments on my blog come in while I'm asleep.
So first thing I do, is to switch on my computer and look for my emails.

3. That first cup of coffee in the morning. After checking emails I return to the kitchen.
By now, the whole kitchen smells of fresh coffee. Even my cat loves that smell.

4. My purring cat on my lap while I'm having my morning coffee. She KNOWS she can sit with me for a while, so as soon as the coffee machine makes that distinct spluttering rattling noise, she starts meowing, urging me to sit down so she can sit on my lap.

5. Reading my paper. I haven't got time to read the whole paper, but quickly browsing through it and read a couple of headlines is also a favourite part of my morning routine.

So there ...
My fave Five for this week!
I'm very anxious to see what the others have posted!
Go over to Suzanne's for more Fave Five posts, or join us, it's fun!

Sepia Scenes The Kiss

2009-02-12T08:49:00.003+01:00

Almost Valentine's day ...

Do you see these two doves? Boring huh?
I made a series of pictures them. Well, ... to be honest, I thought they were going to ..um ... do "it" and I was ready to make full coverage of that event.
I stood there waiting with my camera, ... but in the end they did nothing. Duh!
And so I ended up with more than a dozen(!) rather boring pictures.
(! Hmmm, yeah I'm a very patient girl)

After all, they're just two doves up on a roof huh? Doing ... nothing?

Now this morning at breakfast I was wondering what on earth I'd have to come up with this week for my Sepia Scenes when the series with the doves crossed my mind.

So I opened my Corel Paint Shop Pro x12 and had a little fun.
I picked the cutest picture, "the kiss".
First I cropped it. Then I created a layer.
I used the time machine option for the sepia effect.
Which was nice, but I thought it looked rather plain.
Well you all know how I love to play with half sepia, so I removed the sepia from the doves with the eraser tool.
And this is the result. I uploaded the full sized picture, so you can click on it to enlarge it.

Happy Valentines Day!! Even though it's not quite Valentine's day yet!

For more Sepia Scenes go on over to Mary the Teach and visit the other players as well?

Melli's ABC in Pictures, G and H

2009-02-11T08:09:00.018+01:00

Wednesday today, time for Melli's ABC photo challenge.
The idea is to find the letters of the ABC, but they can't be real ones, they have to be disguised. Now I have to include a little warning here, this is not an easy challenge.

At the end of an exhausting day, desperately trying to find them- looking at all kinds of shapes and forms and shadows and what not- you'll find that your brains feel like they have been boiled.
Or fried. It's torture! Pure torture, but I'm doing it for Melli. An act of love for Melli, right?

This week we do H and G.
H would be no real problem, but will I be able to come up with a G?
To G or not to G, that's the question!!

Let's find out, shall we?

I looked everywhere.
The pub at the corner of my street. That was my first one.

In church ...

In shopping streets ...

I even went through the trouble of doing a photo shoot in an old factory.

And another old factory!

There ... Do you think that will do?

At the Chinese restaurant I even found both!
As for G ...

This is one from my archives ...

You won't believe where I found this one!
At a cemetery in the snow!

A detail of a church door.

And last ... but certainly not least, my pièce de résistance ...
I give you .... g!!

What do you think?
Looks like I've done it!

Ruby Tuesday,Work in Progress.

2009-02-10T09:26:00.010+01:00

Work in progress ....

I'm working on this today ...
I'll tell you more about it sometime this week, I hope.
I'm very excited, I'm really on to something now, and I want to continue working on it today.
Oh um ... this is how it's done ...

Complicated?
Well ... I don't know, any child can do it, look!

Visit Work of the Poet for more Ruby Tuesday pictures.

Fun Monday, This is Where I Live

2009-02-09T11:38:00.007+01:00

Pamela, from thedustwillwait is our host today, and this is what she wants to know ...

Show me in pictures or tell me in words what defines the place where you live.
I want to leave the interpretation open to include any possibility.
I'm looking forward to finding out more about the place you call home.

I tried to find as much video's and pictures as possible to show what life is all about where I live.
You can click the links if you want to, and you can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them as well. Enjoy ...

I live in the municipality of Schoten. ( click on the link to see the Wikkipedia page. I'm not going to bore you with history and facts and figures and all that stuff)
Schoten is a lovely place not too far away from Antwerp.
As a matter of fact, the bus across the street takes me to Antwerp in less than twenty minutes.
This is the skyline as seen from my patio.

Shops are just around the corner from where I live, look ...

Yes, well okay, it was made around Christmas, but it gives a pretty neat idea what I'm talking about. Oh and um, it is not custom for us to walk in the middle of the street when we do our shopping. There are no cars in the video, it must have been filmed on a car free shopping weekend.

Is there a college or university close by that seasonally changes the way your world operates? Or maybe a winter influx of retired snowbirds?

No, no retired snowbirds I'm afraid, but we do get to see some exotic people from all over the world each year in Summer. Schoten is very famous for it's Folklore festival, an annual folk dance festival that has been held here for over fifty years now. The slogan they use says: " You can see the world in Schoten". And it's true ...

Did a famous person put your town on the map?

Bob Mendes, writer of thrillers and detective stories (b. 1928)
Michel A. J. Georges, biologist and professor at the University of Liège (b.1959)
Marijke Hofkens, television actress (b. 1963)
Marie-Rose Morel, politician (b. 1972)
Véronique De Kock, Miss Belgium 1995 (b. 1977)
Geert Steurs, professional road bicycle racer (b. 1981)
Thor Salden, a.k.a. Thor!, singer (b. 1997)

I found this list of famous people from Schoten on Wikkipedia, and I was amazed we have so many! There is one person I would like to add to this list though.
His name is Dos Winkel. He's a world traveller and an amazing photographer and he does some very extra ordinary underwater photography. Among other things he photographs fishes' eyes!
This link will take you to his website, to the page with the astonishing fish eyes.
(Click on them to see them full size)
Reproductions of this work adorn the walls of our new police station by the way.

Oh and one other thing...
A jazz event called Schoten blues. They're great!

Is there something about your neighbourhood that makes it unique. Good or bad?

It's beautiful ...
This is very unique to me. It's the old windmill. Or what's left of it.
This is my view from my kitchen. Regular readers have often seen it appear in my pictures.
I think it's still very photogenic, despite the fact there's but half of it left.

Our neighbours live in there. It used to be much much higher, but they took the top off years ago. The walls of that mill are so thick and the building was so tall, that when they took the top off they built three small houses with the bricks that came off it.
The next pictures were not taken by me, I've found them on the net while I was looking for old pictures of that mill. But the funny thing is, this one has my car on it. Well, this used to be my car some years ago. And for one reason or another, I don't think I have one single picture of that car, ... until now!

The building on the left is the apartment building where we live.
But this is how it used to look ...
Awwww ...
From days gone by ...

Weekly Winners Let Me Take You for a Walk

2009-02-08T10:01:00.025+01:00

A walk through Huy./ Hoei in Belgium ....

Come ...

Follow me ...

Underneath the arch

through small alleys.

The past is everywhere...

Three is a crowd ...

but two is company ...

Four in a row ...

View from the bridge ...

Blue skies Belgian style ...

Look for more Weekly Winners at Sarcastic Mom's.

Photo Hunt London Bridge

2009-02-07T09:05:00.003+01:00

This week's them for Photo Hunt is "bridge(s)".
Now, if I'm not mistaken, this is probably the London Bridge.
It's in London, no doubt about that, but there are so many bridges there that I'm not really sure.

Find more Photo Hunt pictures here.

Favourite Five, a Great Week

2009-02-06T10:01:00.007+01:00

It's Friday again, now where did my week go?
It's time to share my five favourite events from the past week, and I'm really having a hard time picking only five again. It was a fabulous week!

1. On Saturday we went out to buy something for our daughter Patsy's birthday.
She and I both love to cook so we went to a kitchen supply store to look for a couple of kitchen gadgets. I can spend HOURS in stores like such and I always seem to find a little something I can use! I'm only allowed in very few times a year, ahum!
BUT this time I had my own gift cheque to cash in at the same time, so I COULD!!!
It was a good thing the shop closed at 4.30 pm. Too early for a Saturday I think!
Too early for me that's for sure!
Anyway, one of the items I found is a measuring cup for cups and oz, so I can finally figure out the measurements in the American recipes.

2. The next day we were invited to Patsy's for her birthday.
She has the most gorgeous kitchen and it's always a pleasure to cook a meal together there.
We had a wonderful evening cooking and eating and unpacking gifts!

3. On Tuesday I spent some time tidying up my office, and I'm quite happy with the way it looks now!

4. On Wednesday I had a date with my husband.
We wanted to explore Hoei, which is a town in the Southern ( French speaking) part of Belgium.
Needless to say I took loads of pictures, some of them on rather surprising locations.
More of that later ...
In the evening we had dinner in a gourmet restaurant.
The name of the restaurant was "Un temps pour soi".
And that's exactly what our day off meant to us, some time to ourselves.
The food was to die for. But I didn't. I took pictures of it instead ....

5. I spent all afternoon yesterday working on my lace project.
(click the link above to see all posts about lace, especially this one)
I had to really get into it, sit down for it and figure out and draw a new design.
I think I'm getting somewhere now ...

Find more people sharing their Fave Five at Suzanne's.

Sepia Scenes House in Normandy

2009-02-05T09:17:00.000+01:00

I love creating special effects with half sepia.
I opened this picture with Corel Paint Shop Pro x12 and duplicated it.
I then used the sepia effect on this layer, and removed the sepia layer from the flowers
using the eraser tool.

Find more Sepia Scenes pictures here.

Melli's Alphabet E and F

2009-02-04T07:36:00.001+01:00

Wednesday already huh? How time flies!
When you think you have ALL week to find the next letter for Melli's alphabet?
Finding an E was not so hard.
I found it on our day out in Leuven which was last Wednesday.

And once you know what you're looking for, it 's easy.

BUT!
I'll probably slap myself when I see other people's F's, but I had so much trouble finding one!
Until suddenly I remembered one of my husband's tools in his toolbox. I would not know what to use it for or how to use it, but it's an F! Not the most perfect F shape around, but it 'll have to do!

So there. I've done it again!!! Heehee!
I'm safe for another week!
Now go no off to Melli's to see what the others came up with huh?

Ruby Tuesday, From the Office

2009-02-03T14:07:00.008+01:00

Mary the teach wanted us to show some rubies from the office today.

So this is my "office": a little bit of blogging space in my husband's office at home.
Both my chair and the curtains are red, as well as most of my "stuff"!
I took some time to clean and declutter a little before taking pictures today, which is why I'm late with this update. It probably won't last very long, but I'm very happy with it now!

Visit Mary the teach for more Ruby Tuesday pictures.

Macro Monday Mother Nature's Lace

2009-02-02T08:43:00.007+01:00

It looks like I'm not the only one making lace around here ....

Mother Nature added a little frosting ...

to make it look even more enchanting ...

Find more Macro Pictures at Lisa's Chaos.

Weekly Winners Art in the Streets of Leuven

2009-02-01T09:36:00.003+01:00

We made a long photo walk in Leuven last Wednesday, and I took dozens of pictures.

Follow me ...

The town hall alone is worth the trip, look ...

It dates from the fifteenth century.

Late gothic style.
You could look at it for hours and still find new details.

Did you think time had stood still in Leuven?

It has not. There is also contemporary art .
This is " the Totem", a work by Jan Fabre.

A giant beetle on a stainless steel needle. Bizarre?
Jan Fabre often uses beetles and bugs ( even real ones) in his work.
Take a look at this work of him, it's called Heaven of Delight and it's a room at the Royal Palace, where the ceiling is covered with the shields of shiny green beetles.

This is the Balloon of Friendship by Danny Tulkens.

The sculptures inside are copies of the original ones.
They had to be replaced because some of them were damaged by vandals.
One of them even got stolen, never to be retrieved again.

This statue is at the city park and it's called "Kamerood 60" by Jan Rosseels.

This is just a tiny impression of Leuven.
There is so much more ...

Find more Weekly Winners at Sarcastic Mom's.

Photo Hunt "Furry"

2009-01-31T10:07:00.010+01:00

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "furry"

I had the chance to take several pictures of this little bumble bee, because he was taking a nap on this flower. At first I thought he was dead or maybe dying, because he hardly moved.
But when I looked closer I saw him breathe. The poor little fellow must have had a hard day at work ... he was absolutely exhausted.
This picture was one of the first macro's I made when I got my new camera last summer.

Click here to find more Photo Hunt pictures

Friday's Fave Five ... um ... Fave Six!

2009-01-30T14:24:00.001+01:00

Friday's Fave Five is an open invitation to share favourite things from the past week.
I like that idea. There are so many nice things in our lives, but sometimes we tend to overlook them, or forget all about them. I'm used to taking lots and lots of pictures each day to document my daily life but sometimes even those fade into oblivion ...

Counting last week's blessings, I discovered that there were many more than five things that made my week. And that I did not get pictures of all of them?

My daughter came over after work last Friday. A glass of wine, a real old fashioned comfort food meal I cooked for her and a looooooooooooooong conversation over two pots of tea ...
THAT was the REAL highlight of the week!

The next morning I woke up to a beautiful sunshiny morning. Instant energy!
It was cold, but that bright sun inspired me to go outside and do some gardening on my patio.
I had to line my gardening gloves with woollen ones, but it felt great to be outside and tidy things up a little.

And while I was busy gardening, I was looking for the first signs of Spring.
That's me ... can't wait for Winter to be over, first signs of Spring always make my heart jump ...

And then one evening while I was blogging I looked outside and I saw the most amazing pink sunset. I hurried outside with my camera to capture it. For a brief moment there, I thought I was in Tasmania, my friend Kim seems to capture sunsets like this each week!
The next morning there was this equally stunning pink sunrise ...

Oh yes, in case you're wondering, I put the sunset pictures at the top of this collage and the bottom ones are from the next morning!

Blood oranges are in season right now, and they always seem like a special treat to me.
A memory from my childhood perhaps?
My father used to shape them like cupcakes when I was little, and so did I.
Somehow they seem to taste much better this way ...

And then last Wednesday I had a wonderful day out in Leuven with my hubs.
The weather gods were cooperating, we made a long long walk, and I took loads of pictures of this beautiful town ...

So there, my fave five , fave six to be exact!

Go here to read about other people's favourite five things.

Sepia Scenes, An Experiment

2009-01-29T11:25:00.013+01:00

For this week's Sepia Scenes I did a little experiment with this picture.

I wanted to see what kind of different moods the picture would get if I highlighted

... the people in the background ...

Or only the Ricard ...
Which makes it look like an advertisement, but I kind of like the effect on this one ...

Or the whole table ?
Which one do you prefer?

Find more Sepia Scenes here.

Melli's ABC Wednesday

2009-01-28T00:01:00.000+01:00

Wednesday again. This means Melli wants two more letters from the alphabet. *sigh*
I'm doing this because I like Melli. What did I say? I love Melli.
I love her very much, but this assignment is killing me!
Okay okay, now don't run off. If you're visiting this blog for the first time, maybe you don't know what the hell I'm talking about huh? Maybe you'd think I'm a little bit crazy?
Go off and read this post first then? Last week's adventures, and they were hilarious.

You're back. Good. By now you KNOW I'm ~~a little bit~~ crazy!

Melli wants us to find a C and a D this time, but they should not be real C's and D's?
Get it? They should not be meant to be a C or a D? Disguised ones, that's right!
Now, I had a whole week to find them for her!
Yeah, but she already did the easy ones when she introduced the challenge!
Can't do the coffee mug trick, uh-uh!
By the time this challenge is over, the men in white coats ARE going to come and fetch me!
How many more weeks? *Counts on her fingers* Eleven?????
My God!
Okay. Calm down. Relax. Breathe.
*Breaths deeply*.
Okay. I'm done for this week right?
And I've already got an X, right?
And an N?
And that C was just outside from where I'm ~~working~~ blogging, right?
There was more than one, right?

I even managed to get down on my old knees and make an "artsy" macro out of it, how about that huh?

Right!
But that D was a real drag.
It was not until yesterday morning when I saw this ...

And this, my dear Melli, is as good as it gets!
It is a D, right?

Okay. Now I'm off. See you all again tomorrow!
I'm going to spend the day in Leuven with my husband and I'm taking my camera.
I'll see if I can find the rest of that alphabet before it kills me!

Oh and um, don't forget to check on Melli's other ~~victims~~ players!

Ruby Tuesday Primula's

2009-01-26T22:21:00.011+01:00

I bought some Primula's to add a little splash of colour on my patio.
And they just HAD to be ruby. I started taking some pictures for Ruby Tuesday, but when I saw this one I thought it looked rather boring.
I don't like it much, what do you think?

I remembered the little trick I read to turn that camera up to find a much more exciting angle to photograph flowers. And so I did, I had a little bit of fun with it.

I like this one better, but I think there's still too much going on here.
Less is more, remember?

So there. I think I'm rather pleased with that one!

Visit Mary the Teach at Work of the Poet to see more Ruby Tuesday pictures.

Macro Monday, The Lace Project

2009-01-26T09:30:00.012+01:00

Remember the lace project I'm working on?

I finished my first sampler.

When I removed the pins, I thought it would make a great subject for a macro photo shoot.

Find more gorgeous Macro Monday pictures at Lisa's Chaos.

Weekly Winners View from the Backyard

2009-01-25T09:52:00.000+01:00

When I was twelve years old, I stayed in this château for ten days.
My very first holiday, and the first time I was away from home.

I remember the long walks with girls my age in the surrounding park.
I can even recall some of the conversations we had.

This is how the château looked in my memory.

I can still hear the music coming from this window, as a signal we had to gather in front of the building.

And then we would cross this bridge to go inside.

I think we had to go through this door to the place where they served our meals.

But when I revisited this place, I was truly surprised to discover that this is the real front door.

And this is what you're supposed to see when you visit the château.

The front side.

And the real main entrance!

Find more Weekly Winners at Sarcastic Mom's.

Things I Want to Do Today ... + UPDATE

2009-01-24T09:05:00.013+01:00

There is a promise for a bright sunny day in the sky today.
The kind of day that makes my energy flow.
A day like that makes me yearn for Spring.
I think I might be in the mood for a little bit of Spring cleaning on my patio.
Clean the windows, get rid of dead plants and dry remnants.
I know it's probably much too early, but maybe I could go to the market and see if I can find some flowering plants?
Winter Violets or Hyacinths or something, ... ANYthing!
A little splash of colour to brighten up this depressing view from my kitchen window?
I want Spring!!!
And I want it now!

We'll see ...
Maybe I'll update with a picture later today.
But this is how it looks now, and I've had enough of it!
I'm off to get some work done!

UPDATE!

I know you'll think I have all my priorities wrong. While my Christmas tree is still up inside, I have this urgent need to create a little "welcome-to-Spring" look outside.
It's the end of January, I know, but I could not resist.
I can take my tree down any time next week I guess.
The sun and the crisp fresh air tempted me to get outside and clean up the Winter muck, leaves and dead plants cluttering my patio.
The sunshine did not last, but it lasted long enough to get the job done.
Mind you, it was cold. I had to wear woollen gloves underneath my garden gloves, long john's and a body warmer, but I could not care less.
I'm tired and my back aches but I'm glad I saw it through.
It's clean and tidy again and the Primula's I bought add just enough colour to create an illusion of Spring in January ...

Belgian Cuisine, Vol au Vent

2009-01-23T07:50:00.002+01:00

Some of my friends have asked about Belgian cuisine.
Maybe it's time to share another recipe
on Favourite Ingredients Friday.

Let's see?
I'm sharing something special today, it's called Vol au Vent.
Vol au vent ( fly with the wind) was invented by Carême,
a French chef from the nineteenth century.
It has become an old fashioned Belgian classic, something
my grandmother made on festive occasions.
Nowadays, you can buy it at any supermarket or food caterer,
but the home made version is so much better!
It was the first thing I ever cooked for my husband when I met him.
Twenty six years later, he still can't get enough of it!

You need:
One whole chicken, minced porc.
Celery, a carrot, half a leek, an onion.
Some parsley, thyme and a bay leaf.
White mushrooms.
Some fresh lemon.
Flour, butter, cream, salt and pepper.

I always make a good vegetable stock first, and add the chicken later.
Tie the vegetables and the herbs together, and put it in a large pot of cold water.
Add some salt and some peppercorns and the onion.
Gently heat and let it simmer for about twenty minutes.
I usually add some frozen chicken stock to enhance the flavour even more.
You don't have to bother peeling that onion, it gives the stock a beautiful golden colour.

When your vegetable stock is ready, add your chicken.
Let it simmer on a gentle heat until the chicken is cooked.
By now the whole house is perfumed with that lovely chicken stock mmm!
Remove from the stock, and let it cool down.

Slice the mushrooms, and cook them in a knob of butter.
Add a little bit of lemon juice to keep them nice and white,
and to enhance the flavour.

Add one egg, breadcrumbs, pepper salt and some chopped parsly to the minced porc. Roll small balls from it, and cook them in plain salted water until they float. Drain them and get rid of
their cooking liquid, it contains too much fat. Remove the bones and the skin of the chicken and cut it into pieces. Next thing to do is to make a blonde roux.

Melt butter, add the flour, and let it dry
for ten minutes on a gentle heat to loose the floury flavour.
If your roux is hot, add cold stock,
and vice versa, otherwise you'll get lumps in your sauce.
Add enough of the stock to obtain a rich velvetty sauce.

Add the mushrooms, the meatballs and the chicken.
Flavour with salt, pepper, and maybe a few more drops of lemon juice.
Finish the sauce with some cream.

You can serve this fricassée with rice,
or in a puff pastry "Vol au Vent" case.

In which case you serve it with fries. We call them "frites".
I refuse to call them French Fries, they are not French.
Fries are a genuine Belgian invention!

Melli's ABC Wednesday ... on a Thursday!

2009-01-22T00:01:00.008+01:00

Melli has made up a new ABC photo challenge. (Click on this link to learn what this is all about.)
Melli is a good humoured and fun blogger friend I met when I did Quilly's ABC. She's also the one who made us hunt dragons last Summer. Hunting dragons was fun. You have no idea how many dragons there are once you start looking for them. There are still quite a few dragons in my archives that never got published because the challenge ended too soon in my opinion. Anyhow. I'm still photographing dragons, can't resist them!
If you know Melli, you know she'll come up with something to keep us occupied sooner or later.
And she has. But it's not an easy challenge she admitted yesterday.

Now tell me something!
I started looking for an A from the very first day she announced the challenge and it drove me crazy!! If you look for a dragon, at least you know where you most likely can start looking for one, right? Although you would be amazed, look ...

A's are everywhere. Or so they say.
But they are very cleverly disguised into something else.
And when you want to find them, you just don't see them. I spent hours looking at shadows and shapes and forms and even tried to manipulate it a little, but nothing satisfactory came out of my quest.

My B on the other hand revealed itself rather quickly I must say.
I wasn't even looking, but it yelled at me. Yoohoo? Look at me? It's me.
I'm your B** for this week.
You must be kidding I said. You cannot be my B.
Still, it said. I am. I am your B**. Say whatever you want. I am your B**
I'm not going to do this I answered. Uh-uh.

And that was it. It was inauguration day, and I did not want to miss the ceremony, so I decided I was not going to join in. I had lost too much time already.
I told Quilly I did not have the right brains to do this and I got an e-mail back from her saying:

"Jientje, go out and take a photo of the eave of your house for an A, and post!"

And a little while later there was Melli's comment:

"Jientje - as I told Dr. John... I think you should PLAY the Alphabet Challenge anyway - and just put the ones you find. I am almost CERTAIN that even I am not going to find EVERY letter! Some of them are just too hard! But I'm going to TRY! That's the challenge... I know it's gonna kill you to NOT do this! LOL!

Okay, I said to myself. I'll take my camera with me on the way to the supermarket and try again. It won't kill me if I do. I'll just do what Quilly advised me to do and I'll be okay.
But that did not work. None of the houses had a roof I could pass as an A. Not even remotely!

But when I arrived at the supermarket ... there it was!! My A!! Tadàààà!
I had my point and shoot with me, and when I finished my shopping I tried to take a picture.
But the camera behaved rather strangely, it would not go off.
I tried again, and looked at the dial. That's when I saw I was probably filming this!
So I stood there fiddling with that camera, for the third time trying to take a picture of that stupid A, when this man entering the supermarket turned around and gave me a very strange look above the rim of his spectacles! Oh yes, by then I was getting even more embarrassed and self-conscious!

Can any of you imagine what kind of conversation would have enfolded if that man had asked me what I was doing there?
"Um ... I ... I was taking a picture sir? "
"A picture of what, lady?"
"Of an A".
"An A"?
"Yes, I need an A for Melli"!
"Melli? Who is Melli?"
"Melli is my friend and she lives in the US and she wants a picture of an A. And not just an A, she wants the whole damn alphabet!"

Don't you think there would have been a slight possibility they would have asked for the men in white coats to come and fetch me? Huh?
Anyhow ...
Here is the video I accidentally made...

And ... drumrolls please ..... Here's my A!!!

She's perfect, isn't she?

And because I know that he who says A must say B ...
Okay.
Ahum.
My B!
Well, it IS a B, right?
Right!!

History Seen Thru my Eyes

2009-01-20T22:27:00.007+01:00

History was written yesterday, and I was watching it happen.

While he was being sworn in his wife Mishelle was right there with him.
And I do mean WITH him.
She never took her eyes off him.
The third picture shows the little word struggle he had there
- only for the briefest moment-
At precisely that same moment the look on her face became so similar to his,
as she wanted to try and help him. As if she reflected him.
Stand by your man ...

Don't you just love how his daughter was taking pictures with her own digital camera?
I did!

Even though I could not really be there in the flesh,
I saw it ... Thru my Eyes.
I did not google these pictures, or steal them from the net.
I took them with my own camera straight from the television screen as I was watching CNN.

Ruby Tuesday Thru my Eyes

2009-01-20T00:01:00.001+01:00

"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get"

"Thru my eyes" meets Ruby Tuesday.
I challenge myself to take at least one picture each day.
And since today is Tuesday, I went looking for rubies.
Macro rubies, since Mary asked us to try some macro shots today.

I did not have to look very far, my husband had just bought me a box of Mon Chéri cherry chocolates as a gift. Delicious dark chocolate with cherry liqueur and a cherry. Yum.
Mon Chéri in French means "my darling", and to us they're a cute way to say I love you.

So there, Ruby Tuesday seen Thru my Eyes ...

Don't forget to visit some of the other players?

Fun Monday Come on in...

2009-01-19T13:09:00.005+01:00

This week's host for Fun Monday is Julie, and this is what she wants us to do:

I have decided to put a twist on the traditional Fun Monday. Instead of standing in your front door and taking a photo of what you see outside, let's turn around and take on of the inside. Maybe that will prompt some of us to pick up a tad (you know who you are). :)

Okay, come on in!
I'll give you the grand tour ...
You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them a little bit more, okay?

I live on the first floor, you need to climb a spiral staircase first.
I haven't photographed that one because it looks rather boring, ~~and it's in urgent need of a good cleaning.~~ Melting snow and snow boots have left there traces, I'm afraid.
Anyway.
This is what you see when I open my door for you.

My welcome moose is still on the door.
I've become rather fond of him and the winter is not finished yet.
I'll let him stay a little while longer. The chair with the wreath is outside.
That chair was put there years ago because of our upstairs neighbour.
He had lung cancer and desperately needed a place to rest halfway climbing those awful stairs all the way to the second floor.
Unfortunately the man died many years ago, but the chair is still there.
Inside is my old sewing machine, a place where we usually put our keys and stuff.
The door on the left is the door of my living room.

So there ...
This is my living room. And yes, my Christmas tree is still up!
The only thing I dislike about it is that there is only one big window in the front,
and the other one is at the other side in my kitchen.
This area tends to be rather dark sometimes, especially with gloomy weather like today.

If you walk past the dining room table to the back, that's where my kitchen is.
It's an open kitchen, and I like that. I can still talk to my guests and see them while I'm cooking.
The kitchen has more light because it's close to the window of my patio.
It's the heart of the house really. When I'm not blogging, I can most likely be found there.
It's also the place where I have coffee with my friends or family visiting as well.

And while I'm at it, I might as well show you the rest.
(Well most of it, I skipped the bedroom and the guest room)
On the left you see my blogging space in the study, and on the right my bathroom.

There. I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my world.
You were more than welcome.

Most of the pictures for this post were all taken today.
That's part of a photo challenge called "Thru my eyes"
I share with my partner in.... um ... no, not crime ... photography and blogger friend Gail.
We have challenged ourselves to try and use that camera every day to get to know it better.

Weekly Winners Snow is Falling

2009-01-18T07:02:00.003+01:00

Discover Chris de Burgh!

Click on the button of the radio above to hear the song " Snow is falling" by Chris de Burgh.
The lyrics are from this song written by him, and I picked some pictures from our photo walk from last week to go with it. BUT I think you really need to hear the music as well.
The warmth of Chris's voice and the music completes this, without it this post might look very cold, and that's not what I wanted.

Snow is falling, snow is falling on the ground,
In the forest, in the forest there's no sound;
A shallow grave is where we lie,

The boys and men who died,
And snow is falling on the ground,
And we are calling to be found;

And the seasons, and the seasons come and go,
In the springtime, birds will sing and flowers grow,
At summer's end, the autumn breeze,

Will whisper through the trees,
And leaves are falling on the ground,
And we are calling to be found;

And in our homes, so many tears,
They don't know where we have gone,
And snow is falling on the ground,

And we are calling to be found,
We are calling to be found......

Find more Weekly Winners at Sarcastic Mom's the homeblog of Weekly Winners.

Photo Hunt "Hats"

2009-01-17T08:03:00.001+01:00

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "hats"

This picture was taken in Saint-Rémy, in France when we were on holiday there in June.
It speaks of summer .... I'm counting the days ...

Click here to visit more Photo Hunt participants

The Interview. My Answers.

2009-01-16T00:01:00.001+01:00

There is this new and exciting meme going on in the blogospere.
The idea is to interview one another.
I first saw it at Maggie's blog, where Lou picked it up.
And when Lou answered his questions I asked him to interview me.
If you want to be interviewed by me, tell me in a comment and I'll send you five new questions. Not necessarily the same ones I'm answering here.

Want to be part of it? Follow these instructions:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone

else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them
five questions.

You have to link back to the original post

(http://maggiesmind.blogspot.com/2009/01/ive-got-answers.html)
and also to Lou's post

(http://louceel.blogspot.com/2009/01/questions-and-answers.html)
and to mine.

So here are the questions Lou sent me.

1-What is your favourite childhood memory?

Now, a lot of my childhood memories are very blurry, they are no more than scraps and fragments, but the most vivid ones are from the holidays I spent with my grandparents.
I adored my grandmother, she was a very sweet person.
They lived from their land and the few animals they had.
My grandmother and I were always together. One day, we made our daily trip to the barn to collect the chicken's eggs. I had my skipping rope with me and when I started jumping, my grandmother said she wanted to try it too. Despite being rather overweight she was also a very playful woman. She started jumping the rope but she had forgotten all about the eggs until they came oozing out of the pockets of her apron. I can still see her face, and how we both cracked up laughing about the omelet in her pockets.
(This should answer the question, but if you're in the mood for more, there's another beautiful story I've written on this blog once about lollipops and candy. It's here if you want to read it.

2-Who is the person you most admire - that is alive today?

There are many people I admire. I have a huge admiration for ballet dancers because of the way they control every muscle of their body. But I could not name one at the moment, and my idol Rudolf Noureev died years ago.
On a very different level, there is this blogger friend of mine who is going through chemotherapy right now. I know there are probably millions of people like that every day, but I don't know if I would have her courage and her strength if I had to go through this the second time around.
She was diagnosed with a totally different type of cancer than the first time. She said it felt like falling off a ladder and having to climb all the way back up again when she first heard the diagnose. But she is climbing. Step by step, day by day. Without ever complaining.
She's the person I most admire this present day.

3. If you could live anywhere, where would that be?

Hmmm, difficult.
To make it my home, I would have to understand and speak the native language.
That rules out countries in Eastern Europe, or Asia.
But there are so many places in this world I would love to go to.
I have friends all over the globe through blogging and I would love to see for real what life in their corner of the world is like. But if I have to choose a permanent place to reside it would have to include blue skies and sun. And warmth. There for Canada and Alaska would be no option. Islands like Hawai and Tasmania, - however beautiful- would be too small after a while I think. Not enough to photograph I'm afraid?
I'm not sure if the States would be an option, it's so different to Europe?
The cultural history, the food ... people's ways ...

On a long term basis I would probably end up missing Europe too much.
I would most likely stay in Europe but move a little bit further South. I love the Provence in France and it already feels like home because of the many holidays we have spent there.
I like the French way of living, especially in the South.
Much more easy going and relaxed. They say "bonjour" and they MEAN it.
Nothing like the commercial song
"hi how are you-but-I-don't-care-shit"
they did in Disney when I was there. Sorry but that's how it felt to me?
So yes, hmmm, France would sound right. Or Italy, if it was not for the language barrier.
But who knows, I might even learn Italian one day? Never say never?

4-What do you like to eat when you're feeling 'down'?

Anything ready to eat that is easily available and hiding in my drawers somewhere.
It has to be crunchy, you know like cookies or crisps. Chocolate is good too, but it has to have some bite to it, you know like that white chocolate with puffed rice in it? Or chocolate cookies?
And I have been known to attack a box of corn flakes when I was in a real desperate mood!
If I'm really unhappy I will eat sweet things first, and then switch to salty or hearty stuff like crackers or crisps ... and then back to the cookies again. Oooooo!

And because I liked this question best when Maggie asked me -

5-What do you like most about being a woman?

I like being a woman, and I would not in any way want to behave or be ( like) a man.
Although I sometimes wonder what a man feels when he makes love to a woman.
Anyway, that's besides the point, I'm just being curious but that's a feminine quality too right?
I'm glad I know what it's like to have life inside of me and give birth, and be a mother
but there are so many women out there who have never experienced this and still they are women.
So, to me being a woman is not just that. And it's not about dressing up and wearing high heels and make up to get men's attention either. (Although I do love attention.)
I enjoy all things feminine, you know, do the cooking and the baking while the man is out hunting? Yep, I love it. Call me old fashioned perhaps?

To my opinion, men and women complete one another. Male strength versus female tenderness and softness. I like being the girl and have a shoulder to cry on or a strong arm around me.

But what I like most about being a woman is that in the end we are a lot tougher than we look.

So there ... I hope you liked my answers. I enjoyed answering them.

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-15T00:01:00.002+01:00

Happy Birthday, my dear husband.
Thanks for all the happy years together.
For taking me places, and teaching me stuff.
Thanks for fixing my chairs and putting the garbage out.
For all the things you do for us.
You showed me the world beneath the sea
and many other beautiful places.
You stood up for me and you defended me when I needed that.
You worked night and day when things were rough.
You never introduced me as "your friend".
You love my daughter as much as you love yours.
And me for who I am, the way I am.
You supported me in everything I did.
Or wanted to do.
I knew I loved you the very first minute I saw you.

Happy Birthday!

Click here to see more Sepia Scenes

Honest Scrap and other Awards ...

2009-01-14T11:13:00.002+01:00

It looks like I'm popular these days.
I had a shower of awards being bestowed on me these last couple of weeks I could not believe!
I can never help thinking, "Who? Me?" when people give me one.
But at the same time it feels like winning an Oscar or something.
And it makes my day, I'll admit to that!

Anyway, this is the last one I got and it came from Suzanne, a new friend I met through blog 365 (after we finished!). The funny thing is we're both sorry we haven't met earlier!
She's a great writer with a great sense of humour and I like her a lot.
And apparently she likes me too! Thanks Suzanne!

But as always, accepting an award involves certain rules:
The rules for the Honest Scrap award:
The honorees are to:
A) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!
B) pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

Okay. I thought it would be a good idea to show you my true colours.

1. My eyes are green with hazel spots in them.
2. When my mood changes so does the colour of my eyes.
3. Over the years, I have dyed my hair in all kinds of colours, but the colour I have now is the closest I can get to my own colour.
4. I never go out without wearing make up.
5. Colour is very important in my life. Every room in the apartment has it's own colour scheme. The kitchen is yellow and blue for instance, and the bedroom is soft green and apricot with a touch of pink.
6. It has to be just right. I could not stand using a green pepper mill in my blue kitchen.
It can be natural wood or plexi, or metal, that does not matter, but if it comes in colour it should match with the rest.
7. My husband is colour blind! Now isn't that hilarious! He's hopeless with shirts and ties and matching socks. Greens are a nightmare for him, he just does not get it that all greens do NOT match together!
8. I am really really in love with the colour purple. It shows on this blog, doesn't it?
9. No matter how much I like purple I would never use it to decorate my home .
But I adore purple clothes!
10. I love red shoes. But not with purple trousers!

So there, ten little scraps of me.
Yeah, I know. I'm crazy, right?
Right!

Now, I will pass this award on to:
Melli: because I enjoy her daily scraps of life so much, even when she talks to a pumpkin!
Quilly often makes me smile, she has such a great sense of humour, and I like how she plays with words.
Tink from My Mobile Adventures. She lives in Florida and I love to see her pictures of Disney and Sanibel Island very much.
Kim from Frogpondsrock: Because the baby still has not arrived yet! Take courage girl!
Libby: Because she has become such a sweet friend since the day she delurked on this blog.
Gail from Gooselovingmamabear: Partner in ~~crime~~ um ... photography and the hostess
of Thru my eyes. Because I hope she gets well soon!
Robin from Around the Island: Lives in Israel. The war her country is involved in is a daily worry for her. Just wanted to say she's in my thoughts and prayers.

And then there is the award Christine from Chris' Coop gave to me about a week ago.

It's an award created by Rodger at Idaho Photo, and you really should read the story on this award here, it's a very funny story.
I got it for my "Art in Photography". Ahem. Who? Me?
Thanks Christine, you're such a great friend!

Now, I would like to pass it on to:

Mar
Terri
Paz
Lisa
Willow
and Secretagentmama
All of them are inspiring and amazing photographers who show me daily life in their corner of the world. It's always a pleasure dropping by their blogs.

And then there's this cute and fizzy Lemonade award I got from Gail.
It speaks of sweet sparkling friendship to me, and I would like to pass it on to:

Evelyn, from the Redbellfarm, because we share the love for Provence and France, and I would love to have a lemonade ( maybe we would prefer Pastis once we get there?) with her
at the Café de la Poste in Goult one day. Well,who knows huh, Evelyn?
Dragonstar, she lives in Ireland and I love Ireland so much. She has the cutest dragons living on her blog!
To Korie (Lilacspecs) who was my first English speaking blogger friend
and Gattina. They both live in Belgium too, so who knows, maybe we will drink that lemonade together one day?
And Jacki because I love how she has always something interesting and surprising to write about! And because she has the cutest family anyone could wish for.

And then there is this one, I got it from Korie /Lilacspecs ( a long long time ago, I know)
I want to pass it on to anyone who happens to read and enjoy this blog.
It's a big hug and a special thanks to all of my friends.
There are many, I know, and I'm grateful for it.

These are only a few of the awards I got in the past weeks, there are more. (?!)
It's been a while since I passed them on. That's because I have this double feeling about them.
I love getting one, I think it's a compliment being awarded. So I really love to give compliments to the people I love too. But you can never pass them on to everyone, it just would not be the same. That's why I save them until I have more than one, that way I can reward more than just a few at a time. And I can bend the rules a little as to how many I'm supposed to give, see?

People who did not get one today will get one next time, I really don't want to exclude anyone but this post is already getting very very long!
That's why I want to do another post with other awards from my archives in say, a week or two, okay?

Thanks for being my friends!!!

Oh yes, I almost forgot!!
My picture for today!
Thru my Eyes 2009

There...
Yours truly ...

Ruby Tuesday Holly Berries in the Snow

2009-01-13T00:01:00.002+01:00

If I remember correctly, Mary suggested to post some ruby macro shots this week.
I did not have to go far to find them this time.
There is a small Holly tree on my patio and I had already planned to make some macro shots of the leaves and the berries, but the snow from the past week made them even more attractive to look at. It turns out Mary wants those macro shots for next week! Oh well, it looks like I'm one week ahead with mine!

Find more Ruby Tuesday pictures at Work of the Poet.

Fun Monday Quirky Stuff

2009-01-12T11:00:00.001+01:00

Jan at the Prytz Family is hosting this week's Fun Monday, and she wants to know:

What is the quirkiest thing in your home that you will never give away?

Now this seemed easier than I thought when I signed up.

Collecting things is my second nature I guess, and over the years a lot of "stuff" has found it's way to our home. We started from scratch, my husband and I and we loved searching flea markets and antique shops. Corkscrews, eggcups, vintage kitchen utensils, you name it, we collected it.
Over the years I grew very attached to those findings and I don't think there is much I would want to part with.
So I thought it would be easy to come up with something to show and tell about?

But it was the "quirky" bit that worried me.
Sure, there are some strangely designed corkscrews around, and I could have come up with a Manneken Piss corkscrew or something, if it wasn't for the fact that I already parted with that one! We sold part of that collection and the ones we decided to keep do not fit into that category, so ...
And then there is my doll. I shaped her out of modelling clay and months after she was finished our next door neighbour noticed she had six fingers on one hand. Six fingers could qualify as quirky perhaps and I would never ever want to give her away, but still, that was not what I was looking for either. So I kept looking for something more interesting. Or more quirky.

This morning when I woke up, I had a light bulb moment.
There he was! The one that I've been looking for and wrecking my brains about all week!
Tadaààààààà!

He lives in our bedroom.
His colours have faded and he has been collecting dust since I bought him in the eighties.
If I put him in my washing machine I will surely ruin him.
The red nose, his red clothes, it's a recipe for disaster.
So no, he has never been washed since I have him. NEVER!

I bought this little prisoner to decorate the furnished apartment I had fled to when I left my ex husband. I had met my current husband but my parents did not approve of that relationship and the upcoming divorce at that time and they gave us a very hard time. My father worked as a prisoner guard, and the prisoner doll was a little joke between my husband and I.
I even wrote his own prisoner number on his chest. It was the date of the day we fell in love.

He was our mascot and I could never give him away. He has been in the bin between the laundry more than once, but I can never find it in my heart to put him in the machine because I'm sure it would kill him!

I did a photo shoot with him this morning, so these are also my pictures for today.
Visit Gail and find more pictures Thru my Eyes 2009 here.
For more Fun Monday quirky stuff, visit Jan at the Prytz Family.

Weekly Winners A Photo Walk in the Snow

2009-01-11T07:30:00.000+01:00

It's Sunday again, time to share my favourite pictures of the week.
Today I'm taking you on a tour in the village where I live.

Tuesday was a clear, bright and sunny day.

Blue skies are a real treat in Belgium,

so is snow.
We have not had any real snow in years.

It was a perfect day for a photo walk along the canal.

It was so quiet,

peaceful

and cold...
Even the sea gulls looked cold!

View from the bridge.

The marina

and the boats.

The snow made even boring things look interesting...

Message in a bottle?

Click on the banner or here to see other player's favourite pictures of the week.

Birds of a Feather

2009-01-10T09:41:00.001+01:00

It's been a very very cold week this week.
But it has it's advantages.
The bird feeder on my patio seems to attract a lot more visitors lately.
Do you remember the jackdaw that visited me the other day?

I think he has a girlfriend.
He invited her to feast on the suet balls with him.

Aren't they adorable?
They say they're bad luck, but I don't believe that.
That's just because they're black, right? Anyway, they're more than welcome here.
I stocked up on more suet balls and peanut garlands yesterday.
It's great to have birds visiting my patio, and it's good to know that I actually can take pictures through the window. They seem to come out reasonably well.

While writing this, I got visits from the robin and the blackbird as well.
More pictures to come! Yoohoo!! I love it!