peeking

It is no secret that I often peek out of our floor to ceiling window  on the side of our house and look at our neighbors gorgeous pool. (i know you would do the same thing) 

 Saturday morning as I was peeking I saw a duck in their pool. Then I noticed the dog trying to get he duck. So I told Joe I need his telephoto lens on his camera so I could take a pictures, however Joe did all the photo taking of the duck and the dog. I just enjoyed the show.

The black and white dog is up on the right side.

I can fly and you can not! 

Sheep

This is another reason I love Paris (I hope to go there this June)...I must have been busy traveling or packing or something to miss this last November. I thought it was crazy when tractors drove down the streets in Brussels. If I would have know there were sheep at the Effiel Tower I would have hopped on the next train to Paris. Yes Anne and Kate I would have dragged you with me.

Sorry if you don't find this as funny as I do (I'm still giggling as I type this) I still wanted to share it. Sheep in Paris. Not sure what the one Germany guy is doing in the clip below.

The other reason I find this funny is I have a book called "A Spree in Paree" where a farmer takes his animals to Paris for a vacation. (yes a children's book)  Here is a little bit of the book- When they arrived, Monsieur Monmouton circled the Arc de Triomphe and parked his truck under a shady tree on the Champs Elysees.  The sheep immediately jumped out and hurried off to the Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honore to check out the latest fashions. 

 
I wonder if this farmer took his sheep to Channel or Hermes! 

To get rid of the ad that appears just click on the half an x that is on the right side. Not sure why the whole thing will not fit - I even adjusted the sized on You tube.

Are you...

Going to get a job?  maybe this will answer that question.  

City of LA unemployment rate 12%  (out today)

LA county unemployment rate 10.8% (out today)

Even if i was looking I don't think the odds look very good for my area. (retail/fashion) 

 

Fun Friday

Besides the space challenges in the house (no basement) my other challenge has been to merge Joe's European treasures with mine. In Brussels he had is own area to display them. Here are a couple of examples of what I have done.

His mirror merged into the guest bathroom. Works nicely I think.

One old photo/painting of a Italian cyclist + a big empty frame and voila 

Hilary

So I leave Brussels and the first political figure I would like to see or deal with the motorcade traffic jam was there Thursday.  Brussels is a major hub for leaders of many countries because of the EU headquarters (so all the European leaders are in town and there is NATO)  Not to mention lots of Kings and Ambassadors get police escorts around town that makes bad traffic worse. 

 

Ellen

Did any one watch Ellen today (thursday)?  She had her PA in Valencia, Ca, that isn't the amazing part...They were at the apartment complex we lived in for a month and a half.  How crazy is that. 

If you missed it looked on her website for the gold digger game - it was the clip of the day (for thursday) 

Life's a Beach

Saturday we drove to the beach! 

Looking at Santa Cruz island

Foxy trying to help Joe with the kite

Foxy soaking up the sun and sand

Little pink houses for you and me

Please sit and join me

As promised more photos of our house. These are from our sitting/living room. 

If you look closely in the mirror you can see the lovely track lighting we have but don't use.  It is like a giant spot light on the wall and it is way to high to adjust with a normal ladder.
Our Belgian tapestry, photos of our European adventures and an Emily Lamers painting of Belgium 
The pillow on the chairs are Belgium tapestry my very last minute buy at the Grand Place the night before they closed the container up to be sent out.  (also got a matching table cover you saw on monday)
You have seen our Flemish hutch before on our other Belgium blog but here is again with two photos I took in Europe and had made in to 8x10's.  The one on the left is from Berlin, Germany it is part of a very ornate light pole.  The other is by our old belle Maison of a antique yellow fiat car.  

A couple hours in Belgium

We Went to see the movie Moscow, Belgium this weekend.  Click here to link to their website.

You can also watch the clip on youtube below. The movie was in Flemish and after watching the trailer you will see why I chose to learn French not Flemish. (they speak both in Belgium depending on the area you are in)

Both Joe and I liked it but I don't think it was a comedy maybe something was lost in the translation.  It was fun to see the country again and see them shopping in Colryt (spelling) it is like a warehouse grocery store.  Between Joe and I chatting and the man behind use talking someone actually quieted us.  I didn't think we were that loud but the man behind us was really loudly talking to his wife. I think he was deaf and didn't know he was talking that loud.  For a Sunday night and a movie that was only playing in one theater in LA it was pretty packed.  I was looking around the theater before it started and was wondering why all these people would want to see this movie...did they also have a connection to Belgium??  Or did they like Flemish?? do they like very independent movies??? 

Here is what it is about:

Moscow, or 'Moscou' in Flemish, is a densely populated working class neighborhood on the outskirts of Ghent, Belgium. That's where Matty (Barbara Sarafian), an ordinary housewife with nothing but three kids to her name, works at the post office. Her art teacher husband Werner (Johan Heldenbergh) has run off to the bedroom of one of his students. At 43, life seems pretty hopeless. Then she gets in a fender-bender at the grocery store with 29-year-old truck driver Johnny (Jurgen Delnaet). After some harsh words, Johnny finds himself attracted to Matty, who finds that she likes being wanted. A romance ensues just as her wandering husband comes home. Now the center of attention, Matty must choose whether to settle back into the life she was leading or step into the unknown. A heartfelt dramatic comedy about a woman whose soul is full of dents and bruises, from award-winning director Christophe Van Rompaey.

Hungry?

First I have to say sorry these photos were taken with my old camera. Second you have to imagine the dinning room with ugly brown carpeting (now cherry colored fake hardwood on the floor) and a huge 80's white ceiling fan with 4 spot lights coming out from under the fan blades. I actually thought of emailing my landlord and asking him to send me a photo of room before we changed it.

Joe put up a new chandelier, our Emily Lamers painting of Brugge, tapestry & 3 euro neighbor's candle holder on the table and Prague print on the back wall.  (Prague print we got in Minneapolis on summer when we were back for a visit and it lived at my parents house for a while)

Curtains Joe put up (which are ironed now)that are covering white mini blinds and the other Prague print 

Eat in kitchen area.  Huge Emily Lamers painting that didn't fit in the car when we bought it so we tied it to the top of the car in the rain.  Small table from troc in the corner with a sketching of Lake Garda Italy above it. 
Our kitchen table from Petite Rien (Belgium's Goodwill) with 2 chairs it has hand carved lions on the corner with rings hanging from their mouths.  Also our very first Emily Lamers painting that we bought.  Just not sure what to put in that alcove area?? The only thing we can think of is one of those status of the virgin Mary, but would that freak you out if you saw that in our house??