Bringing some Chrismas spirit into the house

 Although it's not even Saint-Nicholas (December 6th), we decided yesterday afternoon to put up the Christmas decoration already. Everyone is doing it. All the streets in the various towns are already in Chrismas mood. The big fir tree is up at the Grand Place in Brussels and despite the corona measure the light festival is going on as well. According to the news, there were a whole lot of people at the Grand Place to watch it - which is not very clever, imo. They should have cancelled the light festival for this year. 

We were in Brussels for a weekend last year, and also watched it. It's quite beautiful and worth going out for. I remember it was a cold night, but this was before corona and then you could still buy a cup of mulled wine at one or other stall...

I quite like the atmosphere around Chrismas. It's a special season, although this year it will be somewhat different. Not so much for us, as we don't have any close family which we meet regularly. We are used to celebrating by the two of us. So Chrismas and New Year's Eve will only be that different in the way we can't go to a restaurant but have to order take-away instead. Luckily all the best restaurants in Knokke-Heist are preparing food boxes for the festive season, so there will be more than enough choice. 

Parcels, parcels, parcels

The lockdown is definitely a boost for the online sales! Here in Belgium all non-essential shops (such as fashion shops, shoe stores, furniture galleries, etc.) are closed and will probably remain so for a longer while.

But the festive season is coming ahead and people need to buy presents for their dearest. On December 6th we celebrate Saint-Nicholas, then Christmas and New Year arrive. And of course, you don't only need to buy presents. You also need ordinary stuff, and normally you go to the shop and buy it. Now you have to order online, and as a result you see delivery vans stopping in the street all the time. DHL, Post NL, Belgian post, ... 

Our Belgian post system isn't coping well. They have trouble going through the vast amount of parcels waiting to be delivered. At the end of last week, they made a statement they wouldn't deliver a certain percentage of these parcels at home, but people need to collect them themselves at some depot or other. You can image the reaction! The minister who deals with the postal system talked with the board of directors and now they've agreed that all parcels will be delivered - only it could take some time! 

Personally, I prefer other services than Belgian post. I don't have a big regard for BPost. Last summer, they managed to claim I no longer live at my address and so they didn't deliver any mail/parcels anymore. Took me a few weeks to sort this out!!

Today, I'm expecting two deliveries. One of them is a parcel from Amazon and the other one from Marks&Spencer. Normally we buy a lot at M&S when we are in the UK, but for the biggest part of the year, this has been impossible and so I now order online. I know my sizes and can safely do that.

Darkest days

 We're well into the darkest days of the year. Those on which it's only clear sky around 10 am and dark once more as soon as it's 4 pm. And they're even darker when the skies are cloudy or when it rains. These are days for snuggling up in a cozy sofa, reading a book or watching some tv show. 

With the lockdown, all kinds of organisations ask you to put up some lights, to bring some sheer into the world. Even when it's not yet Saint Nicholas (a kind of Santa Claus for Belgium and Holland) most people already have their Christmas decorations up. We'll do ours next week. 

Thinking of dark days, I must think of an ancecdote. It goes back to when I was writng Maria Gonnzalez, my 16th century novel. I regularly sent chapters to my group of proofreaders, who could give their say-so about them. One of these guys was a former CIA-agent. When one of the scenes in London plays in the later afternoon, I wrote about the settling darkness around 4 pm. Do you know what that guy did? He actually dug up old records and came to the conclusion that the sun had indeed set at 4.01 that exact date! He wondered if I'd done the same research? That made me laugh. The sun ALWAYS sets around this time in December, so it must have been so centuries ago... Fond memories!

The older you get, the more importance you put to memories. Had a good (online) conservation a few days ago, with a former student of mine. As I'm well into my pension, it's nice to see you're remembered and your former students still think kindly of you.

There's a light shining at the end of the tunnel

 At last we can see some light shining ahead in what concern the corona crisis. Both Pfizer and Moderna announced they have a vaccin that is safe for around 90%. With a bit of luck, both will be ready to sell their vaccin at the end of this year/beginning of the new one.

And they are not the only players. Also the university of Oxford is practically ready with its vaccin, and others are also on their way. Here in Belgium we count on Janssens Pharmaceutica and on the test the university of Leuven is carrying out for a vaccin, developed from the one for yellow fever. That would be ready in 2021 and would give lifelong protection, just like the shot for yellow fever.

Our government thinks that by the end of next year, all Belgians will have their vaccination. They are working on a strategy to disperse the vaccins, once they have them. Question will be, who will get one first? Those who work in hospitals and clinics, of course, but then? It would be great if we could have a vaccination before summer, because that would allow us to travel once more. 

Anyway, it's great that science has come so far. Normally it takes years to develop a vaccin. Now they succeeded in only 11 months! We can finally see the end of all this misery and have some positive thoughts!

Friday 13th

 Are you superstitious? Do you believe in black cats, Friday 13th etc???

I'm not. I walk under ladders as long as no guy is standing on it, a paintbrush in hand. I don't think that numbers have any special meaning. I've broken mirrors (that's what happens when you have no feeling in your fingers) and not experienced seven years of bad luck.

Really! Just the same with horoscopes. Making one is not very difficult. Talk to a person, and you can safely make some predictions. It's a case of psychology, not superstition. 

My sister and I (both blessed - or cursed - with a high IQ) have the ability of putting a label on people, just on sight. And in 99% of the cases it proves to be correct. Yesterday evening, she and I were viewing a list of candidates for a new job at her workplace. As the eldest co-worker and the one with the most knowledge, Chris has a say in most things that happen in the office. So she brought the list of candidates home to have a look at it together. As you know, lots of candidates for a job add a photo to their CV. And from that picture, you can tell a lot. Of the list of 28 candidates, only 5 or so seemed worth a try. That's our idea. Just hope that one of them will be good enough to help Chris and Stijn to do their job properly. Now they're both sinking away in work and both have more than 100 hours overtime. 

Armistice Day 1918

 Today we remember the end of World War One. A day of remembrance and one in honor for all those who fought for us and lost their lives.

At 11 am the Last Post will be held in Ypres. Normally a big celebration, but due to corona it will be a minor occasion this year. The bugles will sound, and the poppies will fall down, but that's about all.

Our own grandfather fought in WWI. He was only 17 years old when it started. He was at the military academy and all these students were made officers in the army. He had the command of a bunch of guys who were between 30 and 40 years old and all who spoke Flemish (officers in those days were educated in French). Luckily he had grown up in Limburg because his mother was Flemish and so he spoke the two languages fluently. His father, equally an army man, had married this girl from Bree and they had 3 children. The mother died giving birth to the third one. We assume - we don't know for sure, because he never spoke of it - that the kids were taken in by the girl's parents or one of her sisters and raised in Bree. Must be, because according to a former colleague at the school in Temse, I use phrases and expressions that are typical for Bree. 

Granddad suffered some injuries and also took in some gas, but he survived the war and was given various decorations for bravery and such. After the end of war he met my grandmother in Antwerpen, they fell in love and married. Some twenty years later the next war broke out, and he equally took part in that one.

He survived a second time and could return to his family and home. He lived to the age of 75. He was a great granddad, he loved me a lot and I've taken over many of his traits. I remember well he used to read to me (I was 1,5 - 2 at the moment) from his French novels - that's where my love for books comes from. He took me visiting friends in Brussels and Wallony, and although I didn't speak French, I must have understood it unconsciously. 

I'll always remember my grandfather with pride and love, just like my grandmother and my parents. Both my sister and I had a great childhood, we felt loved and protected.

Sunny days at the coast

 The autumn break we began last Saturday has been unexpectedly sunny. The weather forecasts didn't predict this kind of weather but we don't complain!

With this sunny weather you can do almost everything. My sister has been freshening up the facade of our rooftop flat - a job she started in summer but had to stop because of too much wind. Now it's almost windless and she can paint and repair. 

Each afternoon we go for a walk. Along the beach (where you don't have to wear a mask), along the promenade, in the park, through the dunes, ... Most shops and restaurants/cafés are closed because of the lockdown, but those who are real entrepreneurs have found a way of selling their goods. Here you can buy coffee, tea and hot chocolate, there you have warm waffles or ice-cream. We found a new place where the waffles are the best we ever had!

So we are  having a quite enjoyable holiday here at the coast. And we're not alone! More people than ever have come to the coast to enjoy the nice weather. Although in Heist it's still not too busy and still safe enough when you go walking. Everyone wears a mask and keeps distance. 

Tomorrow we're going to enjoy a take-away dinner. We've ordered fresh seafood and that will be a feast - a nice conclusion of our week here. On Monday we go home once more.

The Sinister Superyacht

 Let's say hello to Ana T. Drew today. Ana's doing a virtual book blast tour for The Sinister Superyacht, a cozy mystery available since October 31st. This tour will take place between November 2nd and November 6th.

Ana T. Drew will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a  randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3536/

Blurb

French tycoon Jean-Louis Ponsard is having a bad year.

Unwise investments, canceled orders, deals falling through…

In the thick of it, his yacht becomes the scene of a suspicious death, and his year of misfortune hits the bed of the Mediterranean Sea.

To make matters worse, the victim isn't just anybody.

She's his much-hated mother-in-law.

 

Onboard, caterer Julie Cavallo and her quirky grandma Rose do some poking around.

But every luxury cabin hides a secret.

Every passenger has an alibi or no reason to want the victim dead.

Discretion rules.

The crew keeps mum.

So do the marble countertops, gem-incrusted walls, and gold sinks.

When the cops take charge, things go to pieces, and not only for the Ponsard family.

 

Can Julie dive to the murky bottom of the sea, unravel the case, and come back up still breathing?

Author bio and links

Ana T. Drew is the evil mastermind behind the recent series of murders in the fictional French town of Beldoc. When she is not writing cozy mysteries or doing mom-and-wife things, she can be found watching “The Rookie” to help her get over “Castle”. She lives in Paris but her heart is in Provence.

>>> Visit ana-drew.com for a free cookbook and a game!

Website: www.ana-drew.com

 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/ana-drew

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnaDrewAuthor 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ana-t-drew

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/anadrew

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authoranadrew

Releases November 20

Amazon Buy Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Sinister-Superyacht-Provence-Mystery-Investigates-ebook/dp/B0882J3652/ref=sr_1_1

 

Twelve days of autumn break

Because of the new lockdown, the government has extended the autumn break with one week. My sister, however, needs to start work on November 12th. But it means we have at least 12 days of holiday! Twelve days in which we can sleep longer (normally we wake up around 7 am) and take it a bit more easy.

The new lockdown doesn't forbid owners of a second home to go to their other place, so we can travel to the coast and enjoy those free days there. Shops, restaurants and cafés will be closed, but we can walk on the beach and the promenade. Our favorite restaurant offers take-away too, so one of those days we can order some, and also the tearoom next room will have take-away waffles and coffee. As it is next door, we only need to take the lift up and down!

In the meantime, the number of infections keeps going up, and accordingly the number of people in the hospital and in intensive care. The number of deaths also rises, well around 100 per day.  

Yesterday was a shame. The new measures only start tonight, so the big masses went shopping yesterday. You should have seen pictures of the Rue Neuve in Brussels! Black with people. No care whatsoever. It's this behaviour that causes the virus to spread around.

In my opinion they should forbid people to see others besids those who live under the same roof. Forbid it and make the fines so high they won't be doing it another time. What's 250 € for most people? Nuts. But give a fine of 2500€ and it's something else. Not everyone has monthly wages that high. It would hurt - and that's the only lesson a Belgian understands. Touch his/her money and you reach your goal.