Busy Busy Busy

 I've been really horrible about posting lately, and I'm sorry about that.  But in my defense, things have been more than a little busy lately.  In the last week or so, we moved out of our lovely home and into an apartment/hotel in another town near by.  We've come full circle once again, because these are the apartments that we staying in when we first moved to Belgium, 3 very short years ago.  This is a difficult move for me, because as happy as I am to be going back to our friends and family in the states, I'm sad to be leaving the beautiful country of Belgium.  I know the odds of us ever getting to come back here are pretty slim (practically non-existent), so I'm trying to take in and enjoy every last minute that we are here. 

 So here is our last week in a nutshell.  We went to a nice little carnival in Peer.  It looks pretty empty here, but we walked around a lot when it first opened, and the crowds came later in the evening. 

 I paid one last visit to my favorite antique store, Slegers-Heise, with some friends and shared a few laughs.  I really do love this place.  You never know quite what you will find there.  I really wish I knew the history behind this grouping, don't you?  By the way, you'll be very proud to know that I didn't actually buy anything there!  (Of course, the fact that my household goods are shipped and they didn't have any new scales might have helped a bit on that one.) 

 I attended a couple of local weekly markets with friends as well.  I'm going to miss these so much.  It's so much fun to walk around, buy fresh produce and other interesting items, and then have lunch in a small cafe and chat. 

 One last trip to Achel Abbey with friends as well.  Heavy sigh.

 I have started organizing our belongings at the apartment in preparation for our flight out.  I'm sure the airlines won't have a problem with our 700 pounds of stuffed suitcases.  Maybe I need to organize a little more. 

And last, but not least, I've probably gained 10 pounds with all the eating out I've been doing with friends this week.  (There is a waffle buried under all that ice cream and fresh fruit.  The fruit makes it a healthy meal, you know.)  I'm going to add a Belgian waffle maker to my Christmas Wish List.  My booty won't thank me for that, but my heart will.  It will remind me of my time spent here, and that will make me smile.  It's so hard to say goodbye to the friends that I've made here at KB.  There are some really fantastic people stationed here, and they made our Belgian experience just that much better.  One step closer to home.

Got Milk?

Here is a little something that I picked up over the weekend. It's an antique aluminum milk pail. I've mentioned it before, but I can't resist an object with a history. This one caught my eye immediately, because my Grandparents used to have a dairy farm in Texas. My Dad worked there before and after school for many, many years while growing up. He used to tell us a story about his Dad milking the cows. Kittens used to hang out in the barn, looking for a free handout, and one of them fell into a pail of milk while trying to steal a drink. My Grandpa calmly reached in the pail, fished out the kitten, and proceeded to wring the milk out of it back into the container. Then he put the kitten back on the ground and continued with his work. Waste not, want not. I could never decide if I should be amused or disgusted when I heard this story. In the end, amusement always won. Anyhoo, as soon as I saw this, I knew it was going home with me. Judging by the dented lid and scratched sides, I'm sure it has a few stories of it's own to tell. And I like that.

The purchase paid for itself within minutes of my getting it. Russ offered to hold the tin for me when we stepped into a nearby shop to look at Polish pottery. I had just started to look around when I heard the clerk giggling. I turned around and saw her looking at Russ, who was standing near the door, holding the milk pail and looking like he would rather be anywhere else than in this store full of brightly colored dishes. She asked him where he was going with his milk. We told her that we were looking for a bowl for his cereal.

Surprise For Stanley At Slegers-Heise

A couple of days ago, I mentioned that there was one more thing that Stanley was interested in seeing before he left Belgium. He'd heard a lot about antiques, and was curious to go and see the place that I've been raving about...Slegers-Heise. He wasn't overly excited about what he might see, mind you. He just wanted to know what all the talk was about. After all, as Russ would say, it's used furniture, right? Not so, little man, not so. I have a special surprise for Stanley, inside the magical world that is the antique warehouse. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It would appear to be just another big warehouse, but in reality, entering this building is like being allowed to peek into your rich (and somewhat eccentric) old aunt's attic. There is no telling what you will find! Ahhhhhh. Lots and lots of glorious antiques! They aren't all about overpriced merchandise and snobby attitudes in here. Everyone is welcome, and anyone can afford something inside. (Granted, the furniture is pretty expensive, but fairly priced). I tend to buy the inexpensive, but interesting, items that are found on the second floor. This is where I bought my scale, Speculoos cookie molds, and bread rack.) Things are literally stacked everywhere. You can meander around, poking in and out of aisles, searching for hidden treasures all day if you like. The owners are very kind, and are quick to offer you a cup of coffee and answer any questions that you might have. If you ask for a specific item, they will take you right to it, but I prefer to just wander around. Now do you see why this place is so much fun to explore? You probably also see why the hubby tries to avoid it completely.

Tucked into one of the corners, slightly hidden behind random pieces of furniture, lies the surprise I had in mind for Stanley. Remember when I said that there's no telling what you'll find in this place? Well, I wasn't joking. This lovely carousel has been in here since I first started coming to Slegers. I can't imagine why someone hasn't snapped it up by now!

Stanley wanted to get a closer look at it, so he went over to check it out. Yep, he wanted to buy it. They do ship furniture, but unfortunately, they couldn't ship this back to Florida for him.

It was a little out of his price range, too, so Stanley just had to sit there and day dream about it instead. He sat in the fire engine and pretended to race around, while my friends and I continued on with our browsing. I didn't make any purchases today, but I have my eye on a few goodies for later on.

Note to hubby: If you happen to read this, these doors are really awesome. Wouldn't they look fantastic in our retirement house, leading into your "Man Room/Office"? They deliver. I'm just saying.

To Antique Or Not To Antique, That Is The Question!

Such a deep topic for a beautiful and relaxing Friday afternoon, but it does seem to be the question of the day. The hubby and I were talking about the chairs I found yesterday at the Antique shop. Let me just start by saying that Russ is pretty easy going, and rarely comments about anything I spend money on. (I say rarely, because we've all had those moments when we've brought something home and the hubby says "You spent good money on THAT?????") Anyway, I've been looking for a couple of chairs for our living room for almost two months now. We've been to furniture stores, antique shops, etc. I've found lots of things I like, but not the perfect item yet. (It doesn't help that I'm easily distracted by all the other goodies that they have at these places!) Last night, the hubby asked me these questions: Do you really want an old chair that hundreds of strange butts have been sitting on? Why would you spend that much money on a used chair when you can get a brand new one for the same price--or less? He does have a point. Technically, something has to be at least 100 years old to be a true antique, but there is a lot of gray area here, depending on who you talk to. How do you decide whether something is antique, or just old? It does seem like a strange practice to get old furniture from someones house and then put it in your own. Technically, that would mean that antiquing is nothing more than a snobby form of garage sale shopping. Just the word makes the item so much nicer. Think about it. I got this chair at a garage sale. Eeeeeeewww! I got this chair at an antique shop. Oooooohhhh! I guess the hubby does make some sense after all. Now I'm back to searching for chairs in furniture stores. Check out this FABULOUS coffee table I found while looking. Wouldn't that look great in the living room? (Didn't I mention that I'm easily distracted?) Besides, it's not my fault. The hubby sent me here to shop. Oh, in case you are interested, when Russ came home last night and saw the pig trough sitting in the corner of the dining room, he took one look and said, "Do I even want to know what that is?" "Uh, no," I replied. "You don't."

My New Treasure

Russ had the day off yesterday. He had visions of a quiet, relaxing day filled with sleeping late and lounging at the house. This was not the case. (He really should know better by now!) I had him up and out before he knew what hit him, and we were on our way to explore an antique store in Hamont. Thanks, Dawn, for recommending it! As with everything else in Belgium, you don't have any idea what lies inside such an unassuming old warehouse until you peek inside. Wow! Imagine a two story football field packed wall to wall with antiques. Aisles and aisles of treasures, stacked up all around you, just begging to be explored. It's a bit overwhelming. All of the big items are on the main floor, but there is a balcony of sorts that runs around the inside of the building on the second floor, and that's the section that I spent hours in. There are tons of the little nicknack's and items there from every day life that I find so fascinating. I behaved myself, though, and came home with this one little treasure. After watching a group of people leave with a rented truck FULL of big furniture, Russ was breathing a sigh of relief at my purchase. This beauty is a Roberval Scale. It's named after it's inventor, Gilles Personne De Roverval, a French mathematician. It's very interesting to play with, too. I'll be weighing objects all over the house.

I was lucky to find these glass weights included with the scale. Most of the time, these are lost throughout the years. They also make the weights out of lead, but these are so much prettier. I didn't take any pictures inside the Antique warehouse, but here is a link to their site so you can check it out virtually for yourself. http://www.antiek.be/antiques-antique-dealers-furniture=import-export_ENG-2773.html?submenu=NoAfter leaving Hamont, Russ took me the long way home through the town of Leopoldsburg. He had been on a motorcycle ride through here with friends a couple of days before and knew it was the sort of town I would love. He was right. I mean, how could you not love a town with a statute of Mary Poppins in a roundabout? That is Mary Poppins, isn't it? It sure looks like her.
There were beautiful, flower lines streets, and lots of little shops and outdoor cafes to explore. I will definitely be back here to check it out when I have more time!

Apparently Leopoldsburg is a town with a lot of military history. Camp Beverlo was established here in 1835, and the town formed beside it as people moved to the area to support the camp. Leopoldsburg is named after King Leopold I. He had a Royal Palace here and stayed here quite often while working with the establishment of the camp. That is a statute of him in front of the building. Much of the original camp still stands, and has been turned into a museum. A newer military camp is just beside it and is still in use today.

This tank is on the side of the road in the neighboring town of Hechtel. It stands as a monument to the war. The Germans bombed the camp in 1940, and then occupied it until 1944, when allied troops bombed it and took it over. I was used by General Brian Horrocks as his headquarters when he ordered the start of the Market Garden operation in 1944. The 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade moved into the camp 1970, and it remains the largest garrison in Belgium. So much history is packed into this beautiful little country. Hope you enjoyed your Monday off as much as we did.