Monthly Archives: February 2024
Mondays & Tuesdays
Starting this month, I have made some adjustments to my routine on Mondays and Tuesdays. On top of having to do the laundry, ironing and running the dishwasher, I have grocery shopping and buying bread added to my list of things to do on these two days.
This Tuesday has been particularly productive because I swept the walkway, raked the vegetable patch, and sow some early pumpkin and peas seeds.
Today, dinner will have to be prepared a bit earlier because D has a meeting to attend. Household waste will be going out to the curb in the evening, and I have a chat session with mom and dad. Busy busy indeed…
Weekend Errands
The weekends have been busier for D and I. We now spend some time on Saturdays and Sundays doing groceries, visiting the parents, or run miscellaneous errands which require the use of the car.
Yesterday, I went with D’s mom to the open-door-day at the garden centre. We had free pancakes and drinks. And then, I did it one more time on Sunday, this time with D.
Today, I received an email reply from someone whom I was in contact with as regards to some administrative services. My many years of living in the US and Belgium made receiving a reply on a Sunday felt really weird. Someone in Malaysia was working on a weekend…
Broccoli Fried Rice
I never use broccoli florets in my fried rice dishes before, but I really need to use up this one broccoli that I bought a week ago. There is always a first time. It was unusual, but tasty. đŸ™‚
Strange Sums
About three weeks ago, I put in a request for an administrative service by a legal office. First, I was informally given a probable sum, which I found agreeable. Then, I received a quotation for the service, more than double the initially stated fee. What, why?! This prompted me to pause the process, put a hold on the request, while I explore other possibilities. A week later, today, I received an email of an amended quotation. The cost for the service has dropped back down to the sum quoted to me the first time. What the heck?!
Meanwhile, lesson of the day on the Belgian front: It is more costly to defame the wrong people, than to knowingly torture and accidentally kill another human being.
A Bucket Per Day
Before it started raining this afternoon, I picked up a small bucket worth of yard waste in the front of the house. Actually, I started this activity yesterday, filling a bucket with fallen leaves and dug up weed from the backyard. I shall try to make this a daily routine. Some fresh air, a bit of moving and gradually a tidier front and backyard.
Geutelingen & Jumbo
I was planning to do a Too Good To Go purchase from the the baker this Sunday afternoon. But after taking a good look in the pantry, fridge and freezer, I decided not to.
D and I bought several bags of geutelingen this past Friday. And yesterday, we were running around in Jumbo supermarket like kids let free in a candy shop. Well, at least I was… đŸ˜›
Never Bored
D started his internship two weeks ago. Since then, the parents have called me twice to make sure that I am not bored to death…
The following list shows some of my activities from yesterday:
- Changed, refreshed, and laundered beddings.
- Jotted down numbers from electric meter, and inputted these into a spreadsheet.
- Visited the weekly Thursday market.
- Bought fresh bread from baker.
- ATM withdrawal.
- Refilled bird feeders.
- Updated and analysed the finances of four people.
- Emailed my decision to the law firm as regards a matter of administration.
And just like that, D got home while I was prepping dinner. I did not even have time to read the pile of magazines, go to the library, or plant the rest of the endive roots…
Bored? Never! I have not known boredom since I can read.
Lent & Valentine
Today is Ash Wednesday. It is also Valentine’s Day.
February’s TournĂ©e MinĂ©rale is ongoing. I have even started that a week earlier, in January. As of today, I will also try to avoid meat on Wednesdays and Fridays for the entire lent season.
Cutting down on alcohol and meat is good for my health, the food budget, and the environment. Win, win and win!
Wait, Wait & Pause
Yesterday, my uncle helped me solve the year-long issue of an old SIM card replacement. Amen to that. Now, I wait for it to be sent to me.
This morning, I walked to the post office to send off certain important documents via registered mail. Though there was quite a long line of people, my turn came and the process went on smoothly and quickly. Issue number two will reach the other party by tomorrow. All I have to do now, is wait.
At this moment, I am putting a pause on issue three. I need to think this one through. I need to know my options. Then, I will decide what is the best approach and actions to take.
Eating an elephant, one bite at a time…