Waving Bye-Bye

We finally got through it. The winter is gone. To be honest, I can’t really complain about the winter this year. We only had one week with snow in January. This week the temperatures will rise up to 18° Celsius. Hurrah! Spring is my favourite season of the year. I love to see everything coming back alive in the nature.
I’m also happy to report I’m back walking after some mild physical discomfort although I still need physiotherapy the next two months. But having an espresso in the afternoon outside cheers me up a lot.

Jimi is back in a good condition. He had a bladder infection for the third time in one year. He was checked thoroughly and found in an excellent health. The problem seems to be he’s having acute stress attacks the last months which are probably the cause of the infections. A lot happened in my house recently; the AC installation, the solar panels installation and some other small works inside. So fingers crossed he stays calm the next months…

One more thing… I rediscovered the Shazam app lately. Shazam is a useful application that can identify music based on a short sample played using the microphone on your phone. I had a few returning songs on my playlist of which I thought were from an American artist. After using Shazam I found out the songs are from Sarah Dawn Finer, a Swedish singer/songwriter and the Hindley Street Country Club, an Australian band. Life can be full of surprises.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

About Time

Almost December, so it’s about time for another brief update. Jimi is ok, I’m ok although I’m already looking forward to the moment that the days are getting longer. But hey, I woke up with a double rainbow… signs of new beginnings, signs of hope and peace. Well, that’s what I tell myself…

Maybe there’s one minor fact: I have relapsed into an old injury, a foot stress fracture, through my own fault/stupidity, (don’t ask). Unfortunately, my walks are postponed for a few months. 

I ordered new custom made shoes and shoe soles to speed up my recovery. I will be ok, there are much worse things happening in our world right now. I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the post and the photographs.

Despite the abundant rainfall, I decided to use some additional savings to order an air conditioning and heat pump installation in combination with 24 solar panels. It was quite a fuss and a complicated process to meet my requirements but eventually everything fell into place.

Jimi was not amused and very scared for a few days due to the hard noise disturbance.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Almost 5…

Okay, it’s been a long time. I know. Unfortunately, 2023 is not going the way I wanted. But no worries, I’m ok and Jimi is ok. In fact, he’s the reason I have to write a post today. Jimi’s birthday is coming up tomorrow; he turns 5 and his Gotcha Day is just around the corner. I enjoy his company every day although I still miss Mr. Bowie a lot. 

The summer isn’t great in this part of the world but I’m not complaining. We have normal temperatures but a lot of rain. It didn’t hold me back to go outside for a walk and have my meditation exercises in the forest. It helps me weaning off anxiety and sleep medication. And for the first time in my life I am in therapy. I’m feeling really good right now and that was years ago. Knock on wood.

It’s a tradition to invite my friends in July, to have pizza, chocolate cake and coffee. We had to stay inside because of rain but we had a great time. I am blessed with a good circle of friends and a wonderful family. I don’t know what I would do without them.

I recently discovered some new hiking trails in the neighbourhood. It’s so funny to see Jimi checking my boots to see where I’ve been.

I wish he could join me for a walk. But he loves to stay at home and go hunting grasshoppers…

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Greetings!

Greetings, planet Earth. We come in peace!

First, let me tell you I’m ok and Jimi is ok. I know it has been quiet on this blog, very quiet. There were some minor health issues and I got infected with Covid-19 early December. I lost my taste and smell for almost 6 weeks so I couldn’t enjoy my espressos and chocolate. What a bummer…
I’m glad we’re heading to spring and we can enjoy the days getting longer. So I won’t start complaining about the 2 days with snow so far… Knock on wood and keep fingers and paws crossed!

A few days ago Jimi received a surprise package from Christine, a dear friend living in Saint Paul, Minneapolis (US of A). Christine is a long time follower of the blog from the early days.

Immediately, Jimi picked the purple ball and it’s still his favourite toy. I loved the Kitty Stardust poster that Christine added to pay tribute to Mr. Bowie. Thank you so much, Christine.

There’s still a lot of misery in the world. And a lot of bad and dramatic things are happening everywhere. So please, try to make this world a better place. Enjoy the little things in your life if possible. Life is too short to be sad or angry.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Almost November

Where do I begin? Maybe I should start my twice a year rant about the DST (Daylight saving time)? We’re setting the clocks back by one hour next weekend. I can already feel my SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) waking up in my mind. I know people say each season has it charmes, and it might be true. But I wish summer lasted for 12 months. Okay, there would be no spring to look forward too…

You can also see in Jimi’s behaviour something is changing outside. He returns back inside to the sofa much earlier now the days are shorter and cooler. A few days ago he was caught in a rain shower and asked me gently for a towel.

The local internet provider offered me a 3 month free subscription for a ton of sport channels. So last week I was watching live the football match (soccer) Liverpool vs Manchester City in the Premier League. Jimi wasn’t interested and fell asleep after a few minutes…

Life can be full of surprises, like opening a little jar of coffee pudding and seeing this drawing on the inside. Does it mean I have to share this dessert with Jimi?

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Almost 3 Years

A special day. Tomorrow it’s 3 years ago when Jimi moved into my house. I enjoyed every day and I’m still surprised by the little changes in Jimi’s character, in a positive way. He also became more passionate about his job as a studio technician. And as you probably know, that’s a very heavy task.

I finally bought a Neumann microphone. I wanted one for years but for some reason I never got my hands on one. Accidentally, I found a TLM 103 mic in a shop a few minutes from my home.

As promised in my comments in the previous post, here’s an update on Jos. The little guy has recovered completely and enjoys his outdoor adventures again. Jos doesn’t seems to suffer from his tailless life, thank goodness.

Meanwhile the days are getting shorter. And colder. I’m not happy about this. Spring is my favourite season and I wish I could move to the other side of the globe for the next 6 months. I’m also still very concerned about the situation in Ukraine and that unpredictable irrational madman in Moscow. I’m afraid history doesn’t offer much hope for a happy ending.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

August 2022 Update

Time flies. I can’t believe we’re already at the end of August. Time flies so I guess I must be having fun… There were good things and there were bad things. The heat and drought in Europe could be the worst in 500 years. It almost makes me long for the winter. Jimi seems to enjoy these warm and hot days. He refused 3 times to come inside in the evening and spent the night outside, while I was laying awake worrying about him.

Jimi’s birthday is coming up later this week. He turns 4! The next day he’s scheduled for the yearly checkup with his vet. I requested a home visit because Jimi doesn’t like the car rides and I’ll spare you from the nasty details.

But I’ve got also some sad news for you. Jos, the cat from my dear friends got wounded in a fight with another animal and needed surgery. Unfortunately they had to amputate his tail. Jos has recovered well and is doing okay right now.

My neighbours were away for 2 weeks and asked me to take care of a stray cat living in their garden. After a few days the cat was already waiting for me and we almost became friends.

So let’s enjoy this summer and don’t think too much about autumn or all the bad things in the world. And the bloodiness barbaric inhuman Russian army. Enjoy all the little things around you and cherish your family and close friends. Invite them over for a drink. And ice cream.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Summer of 2022 Update

It’s been a while. Europe is suffering from deadly heatwaves and intense wildfires. From India and Pakistan to Tunisia and the US of A, numerous countries have suffered heat waves this year. Sweltering temperatures hit much of Western Europe last week. We’ve recorded the second highest temperature ever. It’s hard to deny there’s something wrong.

Once a year I invite my close friends and family for a low profile garden party. Unfortunately, we had to stay inside because it was raining the whole day, (the only day with rain since months). Jimi was not amused because he thinks “two’s company, three’s a crowd”. Thank goodness the chocolate cakes, ice cream and fresh fruit was delicious!

The next day Jimi had a great time outside chasing butterflies and drinking rain water. But it’s always disappointing when you just have to deal with a setback: no leftovers from the chocolate cakes…

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Hottest Day

Hottest day of the year again for third day in a row. The hottest day of the year so far has been recorded, with temperatures exceeding 34º C (93,2º F). So we have to stay cool and hydrated. Water is essential for keeping you cool during hot weather. And ice cream.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Stratocaster

Keep on rockin’ in the free world. Despite living in a world of electronic music with synthesizers, samplers, computers, trying out new things, tweaking knobs and pushing buttons on vintage analog machinery and high-tech equipment, I have always dreamed of owning a real Fender Stratocaster guitar one day. Just bought an almost 50 year old vintage 70’s USA Mocha Brown Maple Fender Stratocaster! The guitar belonged to a good friend and member of the LNE collective, a group of musicians, singers, artists and one comeback electronic musician.

Jimi H (the cat) wonders if he can set the guitar on fire to honour the historic night when Jimi Hendrix sets his Fender Stratocaster guitar on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival (1967). The burned guitar would later sell for more than $380,000 at an auction. It was definitely time to show Jimi the way out to the garden. And let’s all unite to kick the barbaric and inhuman Russian army out of Ukraine.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

How to Enjoy Spring

Spring is finally here! The spring weather brings forth renewal and rebirth just as the promise of Easter brings you chocolate eggs. One more thing: don’t forget to brush and feed your cat.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Fixing a Hole

Wild is the wind. I just realised I didn’t write a post this month. Shame on me… So here’s a quick note. I’m ok, and Jimi’s ok. We’re both enjoying the first warm sunny days in spring. Unfortunately, snow is predicted for tomorrow and it’s no April Fool’s joke.

“I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in. And stops my mind from wandering. Where it will go…” – The Beatles

In February two storms passed over Europe, Eunice and Franklin. I had some minor damage on the roof and a few weeks ago a team of experienced roofers came to fix the problem. Thank goodness we had a devoted supervisor on the site.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Spring-cleaning

Why I should stop recycling. So glad to enjoy this sunny Sunday right now. Just had my first espresso outside in the garden. Ok, I was wearing  a coat and my roof needs some minor repairs after the 2 storms from last weekend. But I can feel spring is near. And it makes me happy.

I started the spring-cleaning and decided to recycle some of the big boxes a kept aside. It was clear from the start this was not going to be easy…

One more thing: I’m always trying to avoid talking about awkward political situations or controversial topics on my blog. But this week a lot of us woke up in shock after a barbaric dictator launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine. Figuratively speaking this is happening in my backyard. This action is definitely a war crime. Can’t stop wondering what’s next… Invasion of Poland? Finland? Lithuania? Latvia? Estonia?

Poisoning opposition leaders, murdering journalists, suppress populations, invading Ukraine, violently breaking up peaceful demonstrations… Welcome to the world of a pathological liar, dictator and war criminal.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

It’s There!

No Jimi, I’m afraid I can’t believe you… Spring isn’t just around the corner. It’s still far, far away, to my great regret. Dark and cold days lie still ahead of us. The weather forecast predicts snow. Yes, snow! The horror… the horror!

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Three Years Ago Today, Approximately

Happy Birthday! It’s Jimi’s birthday today, well kinda. He turns 3 years old in human years. We don’t know the exact date of birth. Jimi arrived sans papiers in the shelter and the local vet estimated Jimi was born early September and wrote down ‘2018, September 1’ on the registration papers.

Jimi gave himself a little present, namely a mouse… I’m always trying to save the life of a caught mouse and set it free again. But this time I was too late. But hey, it’s Jimi’s birthday!

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

I’m Still Here

Missing us? I just noticed I didn’t post something on the blog in July. Shame on me! So here’s a quick update…

Well, there was a lot happening, I had good days, I had bad days. There were some unexpected issues concerning the inheritance from my father and the real estate sales. And summer doesn’t seem to start overhere.

Two weeks ago we were all shocked by the disaster floods. It was one of the greatest natural disasters Belgium has ever known. It cost the lives of many people. I’m lucky to live in an area that was spared.

Last week I invited a few friends to celebrate a special day. All of my friends and family are vaccinated but we still follow the Covid-19 rules, just to be safe and sure. We had delicious desserts, wine and coffee outside in the garden. Jimi seemed to enjoy the people hanging around and had some treats too.

Jimi loves my garden and is always trying to catch some butterflies in the large bushes of lavender. He also tries to catch mice in the stone walls and waits patiently for hours…

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding. 

June 10, 2021 Partial Solar Eclipse

The Beginning

……….

Hey Jimi, there’s a partial solar eclipse in a clear blue sky…

……….

The Observation

……….

Conclusion: I don’t care…

……….

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

The Missing

Summer’s here! Late spring/summer finally arrived in this part of the world, after weeks/months of rainy and cold days. Temperatures are above 20° Celsius and everybody is so happy, especially from a mental point of view. Sunlight is often perceived as a cure to your health, however, because of risks of sunburn and skin cancer, we need to be careful how much sun we get. But it feels so good to have breakfast outside in the morning sun…

Unfortunately, there’s someone who’s going to miss the daily rainfall. Jimi went outside between the rain showers to drink fresh rainwater almost every day. Mr. Bowie also loved to do this, probably as most cats. 

Jimi stays outside the whole day and is still discovering all the special places in the garden. Some of his favourite spots were also the spots Mr. Bowie liked to stay for hours. I noticed he prefers to stay in the shadow from noon. One of my previous cats, Mrs. Jones, was a sun cat. She stayed in the sunshine, even on the hottest days during a heatwave. Jimi loves to disappear under the numerous bushes.

Finally, I just got the message I’m getting my Covid-19 vaccine next week. I should had it weeks ago but due to a human error or computer failure, my name was removed from the list in the local vaccination center. 

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Chairman Part 2

Garden update. A few days ago, on a rainy day and Mr. Bowie’s birthday (he would have turned 12), a crew of technicians and workmen arrived at my home. They brought a lot of heavy duty material to install a construction covering the terrace outside my kitchen.

Lately, we’re having a lot of rainy days and I would love to stay outside having my coffee instead of running inside for shelter. I decided to use the same materials like the carport; dark grey painted posts made of aluminium and transparent polycarbonate panels. Can you spot Jimi in the photograph?

After the construction was finished we had some heavy rain showers but we could enjoy our coffees without running for shelter.

Jimi also likes this new place a lot. Immediately, the chairman picked his favourite spot on the wooden bench. It looks like I have to look for another spot…

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Chairman

What is a chairman? Someone, especially a cat, who is in charge of a garden, a meeting or directs the work of a committee or an organisation. Meanwhile, new outdoor chairs arrived and new work planned in the garden. Something big is about to happen. I will soon be updating my blog.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

The Guard Post

Shedding new light on a geopolitical hotspot, confronting the myth of a war between a cat and two blackbirds.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

CIS

Feeling like a fraud? Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Like your friends are going to discover you’re a fraud? Research has shown that cats experience impostor feelings. Cat Impostor Syndrome (CIS) refers to an internal experience of believing that a cat is not as competent as other cats perceive the cat to be. While this definition is usually narrowly applied to intelligence and achievement, it has links to perfectionism and the social context.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Beware

Forewarned is forearmed. I decided to place a warning sign at the entrance of the garden so that unexpected visitors know which hazards are waiting for them. A cat under the influence of illicit drugs like catnip may suddenly and unexpectedly act very weird and threatening.

Meanwhile, Jimi’s chilling out on a rock. Unfortunately, the negotiations with the blackbirds ended in a stalemate.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Snow On a Tuesday

And you may ask yourself, “Where is that beautiful spring?” Last week I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I was drinking coffee outside in the garden. Today I’m wearing winter clothes. It’s cold. It’s snowing. O Spring where art thou?

Jimi keeps checking out all the special places in the garden, just like Mr. Bowie did. While walking on this high gabion wall he can spy on the neighbours.

Meanwhile, I declared war on those pesky blackbirds. Each morning, they keep destroying our catnip plantation. Jimi’s also kind of in a foul mood. We need to take some action asap…

A few days ago I came across this remarkable phenomena of nature. This tree fungus is called Tonderzwam Fomes fomentarius. According to a specialised website this is lethal for the birch in a long term. I’m always enjoying my daily walks in the nature. There are always new things to discover. While walking is the most underrated form of exercise, it improves fitness, cardiac health, alleviates depression and fatigue, improves mood, creates less stress on joints and reduces pain. And when you get back home there’s always chocolate and an espresso waiting for you…

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

High On a Monday

Catnip is the healing of a cat nation. Jimi was willingly to help me with the fresh catnip plants. He knows alcohol depresses the nervous system but catnip and chocolate does not! 

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.