Looking for the first signs of spring

Already since Christmas Maarten is seeking for the first signs of spring. In other words he is looking forward to the Eastern Bunny!
But searching for snowdrops in local woods was truly soothing after the stressful exam week.

First snow

After days of frost the first snow fall has arrived!
Nothing much, but still.
I wish for more and I would like it to last until at least February!
Being unrealistic?
Well, I would be most happy if it stays at least until this afternoon so Maarten can build a snowman.

Mushrooms anyone?

Since yesterday I can add another noble activity to my daily schedule.
Fighting mold!

I dearly hope we will soon move out of this creepy place before it will kill us all!

Happy Papi's Day!

Maarten gave this magic cookbook to his papi for father's day.

Juf G.: Wat kookt je papa? En hoe doet hij dat?

Maarten: Hij kookt alleen 1 dingetje: erwtensoep en ik vind dat heel lekker. Hij is dan niet lang bezig, en we eten met een lepel. En er was heel veel van die erwtensoep en daar waren ook boontjes in. Maar die boontjes waren groen en rond en ze zijn zacht. En aardappeltjes. Maar er was geen ham in.


Miss G.: What does your dad cook? And how does he do that?

Maarten: He cooks only one thing: pea soup and I like it very much. He doesn’t spend much time and we eat with a spoon. And there was plenty of that pea soup and there were also beans in the soup. But those were green beans and they are round and soft. And potatoes. But there was no ham.


And of course a little poem about cooking shouldn't be missed!

Weekend

Two days of partying in all this hot weather cost Maarten a bad ear pain and me a looong and sleepless night.

How come people have to make so much noise?

The village we live in is very green and rustic and it was also nice and quiet here till now!
It seems, with the sunny weather, everybody in our street has decided either renew the roof, dig a swimming pool, build an annex or completely rebuild the house or rearrange the garden. And the whole neighborhood enjoys the 'blasting' loud music which is obviously essential for a well done job.
The neighbors’chickens still do their best crowing and clucking but their lately rather fail adding some country allure to the village scenery.

I don't like an overheated home. If I lived alone I would be happy with 17 degrees Celsius.
However, I don't need to worry about that in our current dwelling. I believe 19 °C is the maximum you can achieve in this house. I doubt there is any floor, roof or wall insulation. And, with only one exception, all the windows are single pane, which is useless in keeping heat inside.
Our rental is not so exceptional since according to a recent study (Verbond van de Glasindustrie) approximately 33% of Belgian homes are still equipped with single pane windows.

Anyway, last Thursday the old kettle finally gave up the ghost and the indoor temperature of 9 °C is too cold even for me.

There has been already enough written about the "famous" Belgian customer service by others so I rather skip this subject. The fact that we are already five days without heating speaks for itself.


This weekend was awful. The weather got even worse and we have had to cancel a planned friend’s visit. Even though there is a nice fireplace in the living room it manages heating the room for only two more degrees.



Our Sunday outing did only little cheer us up. Chasing after Maarten on his bike through the foggy forest was a good way to warm up but returning to our frozen "palace" afterwards really didn't make us feel any better.