Yesterday afternoon, D and I went to Bruges (Brugge in Dutch) for the 15th Brugs Bierfestival. This particular event used to take place in the month of February. I guess the organizers decided that a beer festival would be more pleasant and enjoyable during the warmer months, and moved the event to June. And what luck they have, yesterday was the second day of a heat wave! Beer festival was really fun, Bruges was fun, even the walk back to the car in the rain was strangely fun?!
Yesterday at lunch time, D and I biked to De Gavers. We bought broodjes to eat by the lake. We strolled about, and took photos.
There were a lot of frogs in one of the ponds next to the lake. I am glad they are there. I am glad that D and I do not have frogs in our pond this year. In this natural habitat, they are amongst their own sort, and need not deal with cats, cars, dogs and all sorts of man-made dangers.
Before biking home, we drank beers at the cafeteria. It was a lovely afternoon. I am thankful to live so close to De Gavers.
This afternoon, D and I left the house together. D cycled to his hair salon appointment, whereas I did my errand walk.
My first stop was to the ATM to withdraw cash. Then, I went to the pharmacy to enquire about evaporated COVID-19 self-test kit. I got a vial of test liquid for free.
My next stop was the library. I have not been here for a while, and I missed it. After a few minutes of browsing, I left the library with three graphic novels.
The final errand of this afternoon was to the grocery store, to take advantage of some promotions.
It is such a luxury to live within safe and comfortable walking distance to all the above mentioned places.
After our dinner on Saturday evening, D and I cycled to the city square to attend the third edition of Harelbeeks Bierfeest. I was pleased with the beer selection, but must admit that the highlight of my day was the short bike ride to the event and back. I was worried about being on the bicycle again because my balance has been an issue since my fainting episode.
On Sunday, we went to Gent Smaakt. The few hours in the city were spent eating (tasting), drinking new beers, strolling about, and just simply enjoying one of my favourite places.
It has been a fun weekend. 🙂
Last Sunday afternoon, D and I went to Marke for its annual garden fair. It was rainy, but that did not stop many die-hard gardeners from doing their rounds. This year, D and I did not purchase any plants; nor cheese, sausages, honey, or soap. Instead we drank beer in the rain, under a tree, next to the stand. Before heading home, we bought a few bottles of beer (the ones that we have not tasted) and a small jar of paté.
A few hours later, D and I were on our way again, this time to Gent. D won a couple of movie tickets, and Supereroi is only shown at a limited number of cinemas. The weather was miserable in Gent as well, but I can always make allowance for my first European city.
Why was the film Supereroi categorized as a comedy? I did not hear a single laugh during the entire movie, even though there were only five of us in the theatre. To me, it was not funny ha ha, but intense, complicated, and sorrowful.
D and I went to Asper to buy our last batch of geutelingen for the year. However, because of popular demand, we might not have to wait till next February to get our hands on them again. According the the lady at the butcher shop, geutelingen were available since last October! Oh yeah, and since we were at a really nice butcher shop, we ended up buying weeks worth of meat, on top of the special pancakes. 😛
We then proceeded to Gavere, so that I may do some ATM transactions. The entire city square was dug up and was undergoing some serious renovations and changes. Now that I think about it, I hardly ever come across a Flemish city which is not under some kind of construction…
This skirt was given to me by my mother when I went back for holidays in Malaysia many years ago. She has worn it when she was a student in teacher’s college and when she taught school in later years.
The cloth was from a textile store in the United Kingdom. It was a gift from my uncle to my mother when he returned home after his studies in England. My late grandmother promptly turned the cloth into this lovely skirt.
A few years ago, I removed the elastic waistband that grandma put in, and sewed a zipper onto the side of the skirt. The addition of the zipper and my occasional wearing of the skirt are my contributions to the tales of this globe-trotting piece of clothing.
My bank in Malaysia has a product called Golden Savers Savings Account. The advertisement goes: Embrace your later years with confidence. Created for senior citizens, retirees and early retirement. For individuals aged 50 and above only.
In Malaysia, I am in the same category as senior citizens. Well, I guess when retirement age is 55 and most of the population do not get to see their 60s, people in their 50s are considered old.
Then there is the US, where the gap between rich and poor is so drastic it is beyond words. The current taxation system tends to sabotage the economy rather than helping it. If things do not change, most working Americans today will probably not get to enjoy their social security when they retire. In this case, they are in the same boat as I. I have a build up of thousands of dollars which I probably do not have the right to receive when I reach the US retirement age of 65. Knowing this however, does not make me regret leaving and crossing the ocean…
My experiences and encounters of living in three countries in the past five decades, allow me to have very different opinions regarding education, work, life, identity, retirement, health, death and what really counts as a good life.
What makes us happy is answered by an article I read not too long ago. But that is another story. Another blog post for another time. 😉
Time to try out the moelleux.
Yesterday evening, D and I cycled to the culture centre to attend a ticketed talk by Frank Deboosere. Flanders’ favourite weatherman presented ‘De grootsheid van het heelal’ (The vastness of the universe) with enthusiasm and mind blowing numbers. Even though I am not a stranger to the topic of planets, stars, space and have watched some big budget programs presented by scientists and professors; it was something else to listen to someone standing on a podium just metres away from me. It was worth every Euro…
We are all but specks of stardust. Miniscule specks, yes. But stardust!
It is oogstfeest (harvest festival) at the kids farm Bokkeslot today. At around three in the afternoon, D and I cycled there at a relaxed tempo. We took the scenic route.
The entrance was full of parked bicycles! Cars were parked several streets away. Inside the farm, there were more people than animals. Thankfully, the animals did not seem stressed and were used to noisy ‘grabby’ kids. The donkeys even came close to the fence, so that the people may pet them. Ah donkeys…
D and I visited the animals, drank beers, ate oliebollen, bought something from the store, took photos, and were laughing at how noisy the little ones can be! At golden hour, I ate a hamburger (photo below) before we cycled home.
What lovely weather on an October day. What a lovely Sunday afternoon!
