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

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

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


There.
Boring huh?

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

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


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


Two R's in one picture?

Two more?

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

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

There.

Nothing more to add!


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


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

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

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

Weekly Winners Art in the Streets of Leuven

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.

Macro Monday, The Lace Project

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.

Pay it Forward

There is this fabulous Paying it Forward give away going on in the blogosphere
and I was one of the three lucky winners to win a small painting over at Lceel's blog.
So I must now in return Pay It Forward to my readers.

The Rules, such as they are, are quite simple:

1. Be one of the first three bloggers to leave a comment on this post, where the first word in the comment is "Yes". By saying "Yes" as the first word, you signify you want to participate in this give away. Being one of the first three to say "Yes" will then entitle you to a handmade item from me. I will create a little piece of modern lace art, something that can be worn as a jewel, or put in a small frame, according to the wishes of the winner!

2. Winners must post this challenge on their blog, meaning that they then must Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first three bloggers who say "Yes" in a comment on THEIR post.

3. The gift that you send to your three friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the spirit and the thought that count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!

5. If you are not one of the top three commentors on today’s post, you’re still a winner in this Time of Grace and Giving. Please take this symbol of the seasonal spirit and post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward Chain, and encourage your bloggy friends to do the same!




This is really great, and I'm very much looking forward to creating something special.
If you're interested to see what I used to make, and how lace is made, read this post.
It includes a video demonstrating the technique and some pictures of my work.

I spent most of the day yesterday digging up all of my tools and materials .

They haven't been used in over twelve years.
It's been that long since I made anything,
so it IS going to take some studying to get back in track!


But I'm working on it!!

Weekly Winners Middelheim Park in Antwerp

For this week's Weekly Winners,
I'm taking you to the Middelheim open air museum.



It's an open air museum for modern sculpture.
I'll just let the sculptures do the talking today ....












For more Weekly Winners, click on the banners,
or visit Lotus, AKA Sarcastic Mom.
Loads and loads of gorgeous pictures are to be discovered there each and every week.

Sky watch Friday Electricity

Remember the reflection of the angel in last Saturdays Photo Hunt picture?
Here she is in all her glory.
She's one of the statues you'll see on top of the houses if you visit Antwerp.
I thought she would make a great Sky Watch picture.
I'll show you more pictures of Antwerp in next Sundays Weekly Winners.

Click on this link or the Sky Watch button
to see beautiful skies from around the world.

But then I feel it move me
Like a burning deep inside
Something bursting me wide open
Impossible to hide
And suddenly I'm flying
Flying like a bird
Like Electricity, electricity
Sparks inside of me
And I'm free, I'm free

Electricity sparks inside of me
And I'm free, I'm free

Oh, I'm free

(Lyrics by Elton John.)