Will You be My Running Mate?

Yes, will you be my running mate?

Then .....let's run together!

Warming up!

First stretch. Then swing your arms and legs and jump a few times up and down!

Rotate your hips to the right and to the left.

Everything loose?

Are you ready now?

Then...let's start!

No, nooo..... “you” must not run!!

Do you have 3,25 minutes? Then.... take an easy chair, sit down and see “me” running!

Like I've told you before: I run every other day. The circuit that I run now is 6 km and it's a very beautiful parcours.

(Around the age of 45 I ran 20 km and until a few years ago I still ran 9 km .)

I've often thought, I must take pictures of it because I'm no more off the youngest and there will come one day that I can run no longer. That will be very heavy for me because I love running, it's my long life! So ...if I take pictures of my circuit then I still have the beautiful memories on photograph.

I thought also: why shouldn't I share these memories with you. So ....early in the morning I took my camera and went running. I took pictures of the views in order that they appeared between my run, so you can follow my circuit and you also can see what my eyes saw!

I started to run from my home to end there also, so the first and last pictures you see are views of the other side off my house.

There are many pictures, some less interesting than others but for me they are all equally important.

Of course, for you that shall not be the case but this will give you a “good image” of my neighborhood and the Belgian countryside.

As a preview and also to make you curious: here are my three favorites!

Also this I encounter on my running circuit.

On you to decide if you like to see more!

Attention:

Because the original slideshow made and published here in 2009 was no longer available I made a new version of it and published it on May 25, 2025 on Youtube.

- Click on this link, to watch the new version. 

And ... how was the run? Did you enjoy it?

I hope you liked the view!

Now...do you understand “why” I love to run........it's not only the running at it self but also to be whole alone in nature and being immersed in it. To hear the birds singing... the rustling of the trees....to hear only nature sounds!

Every time I encounter different kinds off new and beautiful scenes as for instance: red squirrels...their color can be so intense red and brown ( I think there are only grey squirrels in the USA!) and pheasants in the corn fields! Then I also can hear the cuckoo calling in the distance and the woodpecker knocking on the trees. But.. there are not only the animals but also sometimes very simple objects....small things ....which becomes almost like a “still life”!

I think I'm going to take photographs more often, I enjoyed it very much!

My life can be so beautiful when I can run!

To run can give you a complete different look on life! I can recommend you to do it also!

 

Easter Last Year

It was a very early Easter last year and it was still freezing. Like I told you earlier: I run every other day.

That Easter morning, I was running my normal circuit and after a few km. I came on a small woodland with there beside a ditch. At a given moment I saw almost 25 m. in front of me a small animal jumping on the small road, I saw that there was something wrong with it. When I came closer ...it jumped up and fell into the frozen ditch. It was a black bird. It was wet and entirely soaked and it could fly no more. I saw one of its wings was hanging down and It couldn't get out the ditch. Therefore I stepped into the frozen ditch and picked it up. It was so cold and shivering. I opened my runners jacket and kept it close to my body between my sweater to keep it warm, it remained very still. So I went back home walking with the little one close to me and so now and then I caressed it gently.

When I came back home I took some lukewarm water and gave it a bath and now it became more alive. I took the little one and blew it dry with the hairdryer.

That was the second time in my life I did that. The first time I did it with a soft yellow duckling (Pipke) and now I did it with a black bird. They had both things in common they were both in need.

We discovered it was a Jackdaw ( in Dutch: kauw) a very common bird here in Belgium.

I let it rest for a while in a small plastic ice cream box on a soft lining and then I inspected it.

I saw blood on the wing that was hanging down and it seemed not good at all! I saw the wing was broken and you could see the bone in the open wound. The poor thing, what could I do for it.... what is a bird that can't use its wings and can fly no more!

There is a Dutch proverb that says: *het is een vogel voor de kat! It had little change to survive!

I called a bird relief center and they said we could bring it to them. So we took the car and brought the bird towards the center.

There they examined it also and their conclusion was also “not good”! The veterinarian would treat it if he could save it! If it was not possible to save it, then they would take care for it so that it would not have to suffer. He then would give it a lethal injection.

I gave it a last cuddle.... and we went back home with mixed feelings! It made me sad... I wished we could have done more. Now I know ....we did everything we could do !

Two days later we received an email from the relief center with the message that: the poor little thing had died!

As a sign of gratitude for their efforts we donated an amount to the bird relief center and since then we receive every three months a magazine with news about their work.

It's remarkable how many animals in need are brought in there! All types, large and small and it gives me such a “good feeling” ....to know that there are still so many people who love animals and care for them!

All critters great and small....I love them all!

PS:* litteraly translated that means: it's a bird for the cat!

Conversation at the Breakfast Table

Man to his wife: this morning I have read on the Web that women on the “top” these days seems to behave more and more like men! (With a look on his face that says: that cannot.)

Wife: oh, that's very good!

Man: do you find that!! (very annoyed as if it was an assault towards men)!

Wife: why are you angry when I say that? Are men “that bad” that you see this as a an assault! In fact you as a man, you must see that as a “complement” instead as an assault! If a woman shows her real female kind it's “not good”! Sometimes... you men, can have so much fun telling stupid and belittling jokes about women, and when women show then a little more a male side, then “also that” isn't good! Will it ever be good? I hope that those women will have “balls”!!! They must work much harder than men to get at the top and to stay there.They shall need “ big balls*” .... to survive in the men's world!

Man:.......silence ! (only an ugly look)!

End of the conversation!

PS: *Courage, truculence and decisiveness.

A Needle Work From the Past

To day I went to the attic “especially” to take out this piece, very valuable for me, a souvenir, now almost 50 years old.

A little tablecloth! I worked on it together with my mother in law.

I made a small tablecloth, my mother in law made one twice as large. When I had finished mine, I helped her to finish hers. So we spent much time together and I was always looking forward to the Sunday afternoons when we could sit together and do our needle work.

Many years it decorated my drawing room table.

It's made in “cross stitch”!

I think after so many years you still can say it's a very modern pattern. I still like the colors and I always found them very special.

I had so much pleasure in needle work in those days, it was my favorite hobby.

I also made my own dresses like the one on this picture where I was only 16 years old.

I often think back on those days with mixed feelings because my fiancée (now my husband) was at sea and often away from home for long time. So I had much time to do needle work.

Now these days, I do no longer needle work, only small adjustments (on cloths) so now and then.

It's all in the past!

Time flies fast! Much too fast!

Changing Plans

Yes, I've decided to change my plan!

As I told you in my first post, my plan was to tell Pipke's story first.

I read and reread the posts that I've already wrote and came to the conclusion that: this would not be the right approach!

I think for an outsider ... it would be very boring if I would talk “only” about Pipke!

I am afraid ... that you should think by yourself: “there she's again with her Pipke”!

And yes, I could understand that very well and I would not blame you if you should think that.

I agree, sometimes it can be toooo much. But she is so close to my heart!

In Dutch there is a proverb that says it so well: waar het hart van vol is, daar loopt de mond van over! ( maybe you can try the translator )!

So ... to avoid this, but also in the interest of my blog: I will take an other course!

And yes, I am interested in so many things: of course animals, but also in wildlife, nature, my favorite sport: running, health, arts, oil paintings, needle work, classical and contemporary music, popular science and all the things with “substance” that matters in life!

I would like to talk about these subjects too because some variation is always good! I must avoid to be boring!

In the mean time I will place some smaller posts.

And of course I will come back later with Pipke's story!

Till soon!

Time for a Funny Note!

I think now it's time for a funny note after all my bad news and I think ... no ... I even know that there are a few people on the blog that can use a funny note right now!

This is something I like to share with you! It's already a few years old and I kept it because it's so appropriate especially in my case! :)

I hope it can brighten your day!

Postscript: the text balloons are originally in Dutch. I have cut them out and gave them the English translations. It was not easy to find a correct translation!

In the head roll

Pipke as the duck.

My hubby as Hagar - Me as Hagar's wife.

Click to enlarge picture.

Correction: of course it must be "are you spying ON me"!

No Good News

Pipke is ill again!

She has again the same problems.

It looks like we are sitting in a “roller coaster” with Pipke's health!

The tops are no longer high, the valleys go much deeper and it goes faster and faster!

Again we had to go to the veterinarian, I will spare you the details because her situation is very bad.

It seems almost hopeless, and if she recover this time it will be a miracle. We do all we can to comfort her.....we cannot give up hope!

I have the first part of her story ready (already more then two weeks). I have written it with a relieved feeling and with so much pleasure when I was looking at her pictures, but when she became ill again....... I lost the courage to publish it.

Now I am writing this with tears in my eyes, but I will continue her story!

Will follow soon!