Newt week Monday, the factories and industries are allowed to start work again - and trains, buses and trams will be running on their full schedule once more.
The government decrees we'll have to wear a mouth mask when using public transport. Problem is, they promised to get every Belgian one, but aren't managing (like always) to have them in time. They suggested you make them yourself.
Now that's all well, but what when you don't have the ability to sew? The only thing I manage is to sew on a button. My sister has the knowledge, but her sewing machine broke down some years ago, and I don't want to spend some 300 Euro for a new one, just to make ourselves a couple of mouth masks.
So I went searching the web. Didn't come up with a lot of results, though. Found a site where they sold masks, but they cost like 38 € a piece. That's a bit stoeep! Then yesterday I heard an interview on the radio. It was a manager talking, he had a sewing atelier in Bruges and he said they're gonna make mouth masks to sell. I went online and noticed they only asked 5 € a piece. So I quickly ordered a number for my sister and I. Hopefully, we'll receive them in the course of the coming week, as there is a possibility we'll be able to visit the seaside on May 20th.
In Belgium they always run behind the facts. The politicians talk a lot - but mostly nonsense. They are not able to speak directly about a problem. And they never suggest a solution, either; How I wish we'd have someone who could deal with this crisis in a decided manner!
Hello everyone! I'm a writer of historical fiction next to being a pensioned teacher. I like to share my views on life and actuality, along with bringing you interviews with bestselling authors and guest blogs.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Corona update
On Friday night, the National Security Council met and had a long session. Late at night (you wonder how aware they are of what's possible, and what not) they finally held a press conference to relay their decisions.
The prime minister talked for about two hours (in bad Flemish - I think a prime minister should speak the three official languages of the country without flaw) - and didn't actually say a lot. That's what policticians in Belgium do best: talk for hours without saying anything sensible.
What we could conclude is, that the politicians think economy is more important than people. On May 4th, the factories and industries are allowed to work full force once more (keeping some measures in mind) and on May 11th, all shops are allowed to open again. And the schools will reopen on May 18th - at least some kids can go to school. The kids from the primary schools in year 1, 2 and 6 and the students of secundary school in form 6. Not more than 10 students are allowed in a classroom. But the schools are obliged to mind all the kids whose parents will be working as of May 4th or 11th. I never see this work. A couple of hundred kids in the playground, and only 6 or 5 in a classroom??? In my opinion, they'd better had kept the schools closed for the remainder of the schoolyear and then reopend in September just like it always is.
For the rest, nothing is sure. Nothing about being allowed to travel, to meet parents or grandparents, to go to your second home.
We did get some good news though. The Celine Dion concert is cancelled in May, but Celine will return to Belgium some other date and we can use the same ticket. And the run of Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg (normally happening in London, from July to August this summer) is being postponed to next year, same period. So those tickets aren't lost either. Well enough, because the two pair of tickets cost a pretty penny.
The prime minister talked for about two hours (in bad Flemish - I think a prime minister should speak the three official languages of the country without flaw) - and didn't actually say a lot. That's what policticians in Belgium do best: talk for hours without saying anything sensible.
What we could conclude is, that the politicians think economy is more important than people. On May 4th, the factories and industries are allowed to work full force once more (keeping some measures in mind) and on May 11th, all shops are allowed to open again. And the schools will reopen on May 18th - at least some kids can go to school. The kids from the primary schools in year 1, 2 and 6 and the students of secundary school in form 6. Not more than 10 students are allowed in a classroom. But the schools are obliged to mind all the kids whose parents will be working as of May 4th or 11th. I never see this work. A couple of hundred kids in the playground, and only 6 or 5 in a classroom??? In my opinion, they'd better had kept the schools closed for the remainder of the schoolyear and then reopend in September just like it always is.
For the rest, nothing is sure. Nothing about being allowed to travel, to meet parents or grandparents, to go to your second home.
We did get some good news though. The Celine Dion concert is cancelled in May, but Celine will return to Belgium some other date and we can use the same ticket. And the run of Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg (normally happening in London, from July to August this summer) is being postponed to next year, same period. So those tickets aren't lost either. Well enough, because the two pair of tickets cost a pretty penny.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Appointment at the hospital
Tomorrow, I'm expected at the hospital for my check-up. I wonder how that will go. Before corona, you just entered the hospital and spoke with one of the clerks to have your paperwork in order. I suppose you won't be able to enter the hospital freely now.
I made a phone call yesterday, to ask if the appointment would be kept. They told me it would. They need to draw some blood, to test all my functions (liver, kidney, white and red blood cells, etc.) - so I wonder if they'll also test for corona immunity. Would be nice to know you're immune.
We'll see tomorrow. And on Friday, our national security council will gather to decide what will happen after the lockdown (May 3rd). Probably more shops will be allowed to open, and perhaps the primary schools as well. In some European countries they are already less restrictions.
I was looking in my photo album earlier this morning, and am glad we've been to so many places already. Most likely, it won't be as much in the future. Luckily, we also have the flat at the coast, so at least we'll be able to get away from time to time. Our Belgian coast is beautiful too, especially when the sun is shining.
I made a phone call yesterday, to ask if the appointment would be kept. They told me it would. They need to draw some blood, to test all my functions (liver, kidney, white and red blood cells, etc.) - so I wonder if they'll also test for corona immunity. Would be nice to know you're immune.
We'll see tomorrow. And on Friday, our national security council will gather to decide what will happen after the lockdown (May 3rd). Probably more shops will be allowed to open, and perhaps the primary schools as well. In some European countries they are already less restrictions.
I was looking in my photo album earlier this morning, and am glad we've been to so many places already. Most likely, it won't be as much in the future. Luckily, we also have the flat at the coast, so at least we'll be able to get away from time to time. Our Belgian coast is beautiful too, especially when the sun is shining.
Sunday, April 19, 2020
5 weeks and counting
Today we've been in lockdown for five weeks already - with at least two more to go, until May 3rd. I suppose it's more or less the same in most other countries.
And I don't know about you, but I'm getting enough of it. I'm fine - in all my life, I never got a bout of flu - and would like to do what I'm used to do. Like going to the seaside, to breathe the fresh sea air and enjoy the sun on our roof terrace. And at least there is a fine restaurant (Bartholomeus) that delivers food to your home. I don't understand why owners of second homes are not allowed to go to them. The (falty) excuse they offer is that the hospitals can't cope with a lot of people who suffer from corona. But what in high summer, when the coast is full of tourists and day people, and a disaster would happen??? Can the hospital cope then??? As it every owner of a second home has corona.
And when will we allowed to travel? Another big question mark. These are indeed strange times!
And I don't know about you, but I'm getting enough of it. I'm fine - in all my life, I never got a bout of flu - and would like to do what I'm used to do. Like going to the seaside, to breathe the fresh sea air and enjoy the sun on our roof terrace. And at least there is a fine restaurant (Bartholomeus) that delivers food to your home. I don't understand why owners of second homes are not allowed to go to them. The (falty) excuse they offer is that the hospitals can't cope with a lot of people who suffer from corona. But what in high summer, when the coast is full of tourists and day people, and a disaster would happen??? Can the hospital cope then??? As it every owner of a second home has corona.
And when will we allowed to travel? Another big question mark. These are indeed strange times!
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Counting on Trust
Please welcome author Mary Ferguson Powers today. Mary is doing a virtual Name Before the Masses Tour for Counting on Trust, a mystery/suspense audio book available now. The tour will run every Wednesday for 20 weeks starting on February 26th, 2020.
A randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter will receive a digital copy and an audio copy of the book. Please use the following link to place your comment:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3294/
Blurb
Excerpt
Author bio and links
A randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter will receive a digital copy and an audio copy of the book. Please use the following link to place your comment:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3294/
In
this suspense-charged, touching novel, Counting on Trust, information is stolen
from a U.S. genetic engineering company (Omniprotein) by an employee promised
payment by a Chinese general who wants to profit from selling the company’s
technologies in the military region of China he commands.
• To
force quick payment the thief attacks fellow employees and threatens to
continue until his money arrives. Will his next targets be: young lovers,
computer geek Gabriel and gorgeous biologist Selena, who are discovering loving
sex while trying to overcome post-traumatic effects of Selena’s girlhood rape.
•
Company president, Eleanor, who’s determined to keep some privacy and intimacy
although her job’s high profile and her husband, Charley, has just had prostate
cancer surgery.
•
Venture capitalist, John, who plans to duplicate Omniprotein’s facility in
China and reunite with his ex-wife, fashion designer Ziyi, who returned to
Shanghai after their only child died.
The
personal stories of these couples explore how privacy, intimacy and trust are
changing in our social-media age. They paint a compelling portrait of our time.
Excerpt
Excerpt – Bad Day - https://www.facebook.com/countingontrust/videos/2207571426229974/
I asked Mary how she got interested in fiction writing. This is her answer:
My
biggest inspiration for writing was Jane Austen. I appreciated the way she
deconstructed relationships and the social norms around romance and marriage in
her day. She had the courage to interpret, critique and comment upon the
British landed gentry in her time, especially as regards things such as the
dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favorable social standing and
economic security.
I
became interested in writing during my academic career and saw it as a way to
highlight important issues of our time in a fictional story format. I have been
writing for over 15 years, since before my retirement from faculty life. I
published my first novel Each Unique and
Fascinating in 2012. My second work was OrcaSpeak
which is actually the sequel to my latest novel Counting on Trust. Both of the
earlier stories take place in the Pacific Northwest and involve themes of love
intermixed with eco-activism.
My
latest novel, Counting on Trust
evolved out of my interest in globalization and its impacts, especially with
regard to China and its relations with the U.S. This started when I accompanied
my husband on a trip to China in 1978 with a delegation of faculty members from
the University of Pittsburgh. At that time, China was just opening up to the
West.
The
idea for making it a story about corporate intrigue came while my husband and I
were living in Nebraska. There was a lot of research on GMO foods being done at
some of the universities there. We lived on a small lake, and I decided to
invent a company, Omniprotein, that was doing research on GMO fish. The theft
of this company’s intellectual property by a Chinese general kicks off all the
subsequent action.
As
its title implies, the book is all about trust. A major intention in writing
Counting on Trust was to use the personal stories of the characters to explore
how privacy, intimacy and trust are changing in our technology driven society. The book follows three couples of different
ages and backgrounds, each struggling with issues of trust. I wanted to draw a
good picture of how easily trust can be broken and how difficult it can be to
restore that trust.
Author bio and links
Themes
of novels by M. Ferguson Powers reflect the author’s varied interests,
including preservation of the natural world and its creatures;
Challenges
of building and maintaining loving relationships in a culture with decreasing
respect for personal boundaries and privacy
Influences
of globalization on world events and how the U. S. and other nations relate to
one another
Public
policy issues such as controlling the military-industrial-political complex and
requiring the health care industry to be more respectful of its clients
The
need for cooperation across governments, cultures, and societies to address
global challenges such as climate change
Developments
in business and university administration and management
Powers
has taught microbiology, headed a university office of research, served as executive
director of two university-business partnership programs, and co-authored two
books on university administration. She has a bachelor of science degree in
bacteriology from The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s in experimental
psychology from George Mason University, and a doctorate in educational
leadership from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
She
lives on an island near Seattle with husband David R. Powers and their two
shelties. Her first novel, Each Unique and Fascinating, about a bullied young
girl whose father has gone to war, was published in 2012. OrcaSpeak, a novel of relationships and
suspense, was published in 2013, and its prequel, Counting on Trust, was
published in 2017.
Website: http://www.mfergusonpowers.com
Buy
Links for audio book:
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Summer in April
One of the things that makes the quarantaine bearable, is that the weather is at its best! For a couple of days already, we've been having sunny days with summer-like temperatures. And when you have the space (garden) to spend some time outside of the house, so much the better!
Yesterday, it was even so warm we could take out the recliners and pretend we were at the coast, sunning on our roof terrace... We could even wear a bathing suit (although we lack the swimming pool). Only the view was somewhat different, plus the sounds. No trams passing by, or screaming seagulls, but the laughter of the neigbor's kids playing in their own garden and our other neighbors doing some work in their little patch of earth.
We don't have a garden anymore. Nor my sister or I are inclined to work in a garden and as there are only the two of us, it's not more expensive to buy fruit and vegetables at the grocer's. Now I only have to pluck an occasional bit of weed. But nevertheless we have the space to go outside and enjoy a bit of fresh air.
Today is Easter. The Easter clocks forgot about us... and for most kids it won't be as usual either. In the old days, our mother used to buy us some Easter eggs from the bakery in the street before we woke. But now neither our mother or the bakery is there. Mother died in 2008 and the bakery closed two years later. The first bakery is to be found in the town center right now.
Yesterday, it was even so warm we could take out the recliners and pretend we were at the coast, sunning on our roof terrace... We could even wear a bathing suit (although we lack the swimming pool). Only the view was somewhat different, plus the sounds. No trams passing by, or screaming seagulls, but the laughter of the neigbor's kids playing in their own garden and our other neighbors doing some work in their little patch of earth.
We don't have a garden anymore. Nor my sister or I are inclined to work in a garden and as there are only the two of us, it's not more expensive to buy fruit and vegetables at the grocer's. Now I only have to pluck an occasional bit of weed. But nevertheless we have the space to go outside and enjoy a bit of fresh air.
Today is Easter. The Easter clocks forgot about us... and for most kids it won't be as usual either. In the old days, our mother used to buy us some Easter eggs from the bakery in the street before we woke. But now neither our mother or the bakery is there. Mother died in 2008 and the bakery closed two years later. The first bakery is to be found in the town center right now.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Spring cleaning and making plans
Now that we are forced to stay at home and most of the time indoors, we decided to give our house a (athorough clean. The past two days we took on the shed - the most dirty place around. It's where I do my washing (machine is there) and also the boiler for heat and warm water is placed - but at the same time it's where we put our bikes, keep all kind of tools (saws, vices, nails, screws, just name it), and stow away rubbish that needs to be taken to the container park.
After a year, the dust is everywhere and needs cleaning. We took out everything inside that was movable, pushed the washing machine to another side and started cleaning. Must say that after those two days the place looks spotless!
Now the next undertaking is the downstairs of the house - living room, dining room, kitchen and veranda. As it is expected to stay nice and sunny up to Saturday, it's the best time to wash the glass curtains and also clean the windows, checking the varnish covering the wood and doing repairs where necessary. Then cleaning out all the cupboards (and throwing out everything that we don't need anymore) and polishing the furniture. Will look good too.
Today is a day of rest, though. We need to go shopping this afternoon and with all the special measure this is quite an undertaking nowadays. There will be a long waiting row to enter the shop. The rest of the time is spend reading and browsing the net. My sister is keeping herself busy to look at the option of rebooking our airplane tickets for new trips this winter and in the coming year. We just can't keep from dreaming of future travels that's what we like best!
After a year, the dust is everywhere and needs cleaning. We took out everything inside that was movable, pushed the washing machine to another side and started cleaning. Must say that after those two days the place looks spotless!
Now the next undertaking is the downstairs of the house - living room, dining room, kitchen and veranda. As it is expected to stay nice and sunny up to Saturday, it's the best time to wash the glass curtains and also clean the windows, checking the varnish covering the wood and doing repairs where necessary. Then cleaning out all the cupboards (and throwing out everything that we don't need anymore) and polishing the furniture. Will look good too.
Today is a day of rest, though. We need to go shopping this afternoon and with all the special measure this is quite an undertaking nowadays. There will be a long waiting row to enter the shop. The rest of the time is spend reading and browsing the net. My sister is keeping herself busy to look at the option of rebooking our airplane tickets for new trips this winter and in the coming year. We just can't keep from dreaming of future travels that's what we like best!
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Stay at home - Blijf in uw kot!
This last part of the subject has become 'the' phrase in Belgium - our Minister of Health, Maggie De Block, said it a couple of weeks ago. 'Kot' is a dialect word for 'home', but it's used more often as nearly everyone in Belgium talks one dialect or another.
Stay inside as much as possible. Not easy now the weather has taken a turn for the better and it promises to be a week full of sunshine and high temperatures...
A person can only leave the house for a walk or bicycle ride in the neighborhood. So don't take the car and drive somewhere to go walking/cycling there. And you can't be more than 2 people together.
Inviting friends or family to you home is also forbidden. When you want to BBQ, you have to keep it inside the family who lives in the house.
Normally we would have been at our flat at the coast these days. But we can't go there, it's also forbidden. (Not that I see why - the politicians argue that the hospitals there aren't prepared to a big mass of persons - but what when a disaster happens in high season, when the coast is flooded with tourists?) I do hope we'll be allowed to travel to the coast by summer. I can't imagine having to spend two months of summer vacation at home in Dendermonde!
What we intend to do, is put our terrace table outside and have lunch or dinner in the open, as long as the weather co-operates. And make a cocktail, to create the feeling of vacation. My sister is a great cook, so what we'll prepare will be just as good as in a restaurant (the only difference being, she doesn't have to prepare it and do the dishes afterwards).
How are you spending your days in confinement?
Stay inside as much as possible. Not easy now the weather has taken a turn for the better and it promises to be a week full of sunshine and high temperatures...
A person can only leave the house for a walk or bicycle ride in the neighborhood. So don't take the car and drive somewhere to go walking/cycling there. And you can't be more than 2 people together.
Inviting friends or family to you home is also forbidden. When you want to BBQ, you have to keep it inside the family who lives in the house.
Normally we would have been at our flat at the coast these days. But we can't go there, it's also forbidden. (Not that I see why - the politicians argue that the hospitals there aren't prepared to a big mass of persons - but what when a disaster happens in high season, when the coast is flooded with tourists?) I do hope we'll be allowed to travel to the coast by summer. I can't imagine having to spend two months of summer vacation at home in Dendermonde!
What we intend to do, is put our terrace table outside and have lunch or dinner in the open, as long as the weather co-operates. And make a cocktail, to create the feeling of vacation. My sister is a great cook, so what we'll prepare will be just as good as in a restaurant (the only difference being, she doesn't have to prepare it and do the dishes afterwards).
How are you spending your days in confinement?
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