Post Pause!

After a little gap in these blogs, back to the keyboard as I sit in the newly-peaceful, tidy apartment of old after the departure of my son and daughter. I have enjoyed a super fortnight starting with the arrival of Cait, my youngest and naughtiest, on July 27^th, a day before my 86^th. We left for Britain on July 30^th so that we could both attend my sister’s 80^th party given by her children on August 1^st then returned home the next day together with my son. They left on Friday last, August 7^th neatly beating the new 14 day quarantine restriction by the UK on all travellers from Belgium which kicked in at 4.00 a.m on Sat. Aug 8^th.! Sadly the new rule led immediately to the cancellation of my youngest grandson and his girl’s visit to me, just arranged, later this month.

The family party for Heather’s 80^th was great; it was small as my sister is at high risk, 
Corona-wise, but it was so delightful to enjoy time in a chiefly family group of different ages, in a lovely home and an especially gorgeous garden if that is the right word. My niece and her husband were able to buy two plots of the farmer’s field behind/beyond their existing garden and lawn some time ago, to provide a huge grassed area which now boasts extensive accommodation for geese and fowls; fruit and vegetable cages plus more.

We spent virtually the whole time sitting outside and often were separate in younger and older groups. I noticed that the older group was punctilious about social distancing and several of the mature group barely moved from their seats! Interesting!! I remain astonished that my lovely horsey niece co-responsible for the party, has metamorphosed into a real, a proper, gardener of fruit and vegetables. Her mother, my sister, has always been a notable gardener, responsible for creating several lovely, interesting new gardens in different locations, chiefly in Suffolk. She is the one to whom one always went for advice on plants, flowers, garden layouts etc. There is obviously late-onset gene inheritance at work here!!

Although I have thoroughly enjoyed lock-down since March 13^th, nonetheless, to return home on August 2, in a car, [a rare occurrence] with my son and younger daughter who then stayed for most of the following week, was great and has been a total treat for me though must admit that around ten or eleven days with other people was unsurprisingly tiring, cumulatively. My lovely Ger

Enjoying oysters in De Mangerie

man boys were also here for the chiefly cancelled MA Festival so we have met up several times for lunch and beers and even a concert in the nearby Sint Gilliskerk on Saturday evening. [Surprisingly, I didn’t enjoy the latter; discomfort from ghastly chair, hot mask and dirge-like music, combined to have me shuffling in my seat longing for release!] This is in fact, fortuitous for my main beloved activities like the conversation Thursday evening group and the Mah Jong etc are all now discontinued as the Belgian Covid19 response has reduced meetings to a bubble of five, AND the same people in the bubble each week. As I don’t have such a bubble I think it is almost back to lock-down though there are no restrictions yet about outside distance so my early morning walks alongside canals are still fine. And I do treasure those!!

The three of us did manage one little outing to Oostende for lunch at a fish restaurant, discovered in February. De Mangerie at 10 Albert Eenste Promenade can boast wonderful food at pretty reasonable prices with just the most superlative service imaginable. We loved it and my daughter enjoyed her longed-for wander along the beach with a soupcon of paddling in the warm sea. I made a brief effort to try the sand but it was far too deep and made walking in it, much too effort-ful so I quickly retreated to walk along the promenade with my kind son! But it was a pitch-perfect day; sun not too hot; clouds bobbing overhead in a sapphire sky; long beach with not too many people, it being a Tuesday. Altogether gorgeous for what may have been at least my third special meal to celebrate my birthday!! However, one never needs to justify over-enthusiasm in one’s eighties!!

On my actual birthday my daughter had taken me to the super Park Restaurant on Minderbroedersstraat near Astridpark where we had a marvellous meal again accompanied by amazing service. Rose petals on the cloth; complementary glass of champagne; fab food and wine. And Axel as over-the-top host!

Host Axel dressed for birthday congratulations!