Snowdrops

Snowdrops are the first signs of Spring, and I love it when they bloom!

Project 366 # 60

At the head of Flora's dance;
Simple Snow-drop, then in thee
All thy sister-train I see;
Every brilliant bud that blows,

From the blue-bell to the rose;

All the beauties that appear,
On the bosom of the Year,
All that wreathe the locks of Spring,
Summer's ardent breath perfume,
Or on the lap of Autumn bloom,
All to thee their tribute bring.
- James Montgomery, Snow-Drop

A Walk in the Park ...

As promised, a couple more photos from my photo walk in Middelheim Park ...




Project 366 #59

Shit Happens!

This is Pandora, by Edwin Scharf ...


and a very artistic dove. Author unknown ...

Shit happens!


Project 366 #59

Energy

Doel, Antwerp



Project 366 #58

Cutting ... chopping ...

Today I'm going to spend the afternoon cutting, chopping, mixing, braising ... cooking...
My friend Annie and I will cook up a gourmet meal, and our hubby's will be joining us for some real fine dining later in the evening.
Photos will follow.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Project 366 # 56

Friday's Fave Five, a Fabulous Week

The last Friday of February already! Time to join Susanne's Friday's Fave Five at Living to tell the story by sharing the highlights of the week that has passed.
It's been a fabulous week for me, I hardly know where to begin!



1. We celebrated our 30th anniversary this weekend. I cooked up a little gourmet dinner with all our favorite food, and we had a lovely evening with romantic music and candlelight. I did a post on it here.

2. My camera is repaired! So glad I have my Big Guy back and that it's functioning again! Can you believe I took loads of photos this week?

3. The new car! My hubby bought a new car and we took it for a spin last night. I felt like a princess in a silver carriage, it's beautiful!

4. Some extra time together with my hubby. He took two days off and we went photo hunting together in the Zwalm region on Tuesday. The Zwalm region is a very photogenic region in Belgium even now while it's still Winter and nature still looks a bit gray and dull.

5. The sunset I photographed there, isn't it breathtaking?

Project 366 # 55

Middelheim Park

Project 366 # 54



Note to self: Next time I take photographs in Middelheim Park I should include the name of the artist and the title of the work. Unfortunately I forgot to do this!
Anyway, this is one of my favorite works at the park ...

Misconceivable

Middelheim Museum has acquired the key work from Erwin Wurm’s exhibition Wear me out. The bendy boat, known as ‘Misconceivable’ (2010), has found a permanent home in the museum’s collection.

The work is typical for Erwin Wurm, presenting a form that is familiar and yet subtly different from the reality we expect. This work brings out a sense of doubt and uncertainty in those who observe it: after all, its very title – Misconceivable – demonstrates its likely misinterpretation. Like other works by Wurm, Misconceivable represents an exploration of the limits as well as the opportunities of three-dimensional art, and incorporates both an absurd sense of humour and a bitter undertone of impotence.

The placement of the boot ensures that it will become an important landmark for the museum. The large scale of the work is a remarkable element at the main entrance of the art park in the Middelheimlaan.

In response to the museum’s purchase of this work, Erwin Wurm also donated two others: Pedestal for One Minute Sculptures (2011) and Disziplin der Subjektivität (2011), both of which he created for the Wear me out exhibition.

Food, Glorious Food!

Project 366 # 52

Foie gras, with an apple pear roquette and endives salad on the side.

Scallops with a tomato, saffron and basil vinaigrette.

Veal sweetbread with salsify and an Armagnac cream sauce.


Moelleux au chocolat.

What did you do this weekend?

I spent most of Saturday making preparations for the little anniversary dinner we were going to have later that evening. We've been together for 30 years since Wednesday and this called for something special. We had to go to the fish monger, the butcher and the supermarket to get all the necessary ingredients in the morning, and some serious cooking had to be done in the afternoon.
Below you see our second starter, the scallops with a tomato, saffron and basil vinaigrette.
I'll show the rest of the food pictures in a new post tomorrow.

We ate all our favorites, foie gras, scallops, sweetbread and a chocolate moelleux with ice cream for dessert. We drank a lovely Saint Amour with it, there was romantic music ...
My hubby even invited me to dance!



30 years later we're still as much in love as we were the first week we were together!


On Sunday, after breakfast we made a little photo walk in Middelheim Park which is now a bit chaotic because of the renovation works that are going on. We will definitely go back at the end of May when the works are finished. However I did manage to take a couple of photos. I'll do a post on that later this week.

Project 366 #51



But then hail began to poor down, so we had to return home early. I did a couple of small chores at the house, and we spent some time behind the computer editing the photos and preparing yesterday's Weekly Winners post. If you haven't seen it, it's here, I'm quite proud of it, and my hubby is very pleased with it!

Weekly Winners, Love and Romance

Weekly Winners makes you grab your camera during the week and publish your best photos at the end of the week. It is hosted by Lotus, at I am Lotus.

My favorite photos for this week, I think they speak for themselves ...





Project 366 # 50

Weekend Reflection, The Canal

Project 366 # 49

This photo was taken with my baby camera. It is just around the corner from where I live.

To see more reflections from around the world, go visit James' Weekend Reflections.

Railroad in Antwerp

Project 366 #48

RAILROAD, n. The chief of many mechanical devices enabling us to get away from where we are to where we are no better off. For this purpose the railroad is held in highest favor by the optimist, for it permits him to make the transit with great expedition. -- Ambrose Bierce

Bike City

These bikes are for rent in Antwerp. It is part of public transport. There are 82 bike stations all over the city of Antwerp.
You can buy a day-, week- or year pass online. A day pass will cost you 3€. Biking is free the first half hour, 0.50 € the next half hour and you can use the bike for up to four hours in a row.





I think the bike stations are rather photogenic!
Project 366 #47

Midweek Blues

Play along with Midweek Blues. Colors, moods, music or poetry, you can be as creative as you like! Midweek Blues is hosted by Rebecca at The Dusty Cellar.



Project 366 # 46

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's day!


Project 366 # 45

What did you do this weekend?

We had a long weekend again this weekend, but nothing spectacular happened. We took advantage of the extra time we had together by doing some household chores, like thawing the freezer. It was the right moment for this chore because of the cold. I could put everything outside while we cleaned the freezer, and we got the job done in less than two hours.
Weekly market on Saturday, grocery shopping in the afternoon ... Business as usual ...


Dinner by candlelight on Saturday evening. We had Devil Scampi's.

I made buttermilk crepes for breakfast on Sunday. It's a Weight Watcher's recipe, but it's a real treat with fresh cheese and some fruit.


Project 366 #44

In the afternoon we drove through the port of Antwerp looking for some interesting photos.
We had a drink in a pub in Lillo and I was planning to make some more photos there, but then it began to snow so we headed home instead where I spent some time editing my photos.
So there, another weekend that went by much too fast!

The Port of Antwerp

My photo for today, the MSC Maureen entering the sluice.




Project 366 #43

Weekend Reflections, At the Arboretum 2

Another reflection I saw at the arboretum.

Project 366 #42

Friday's Fave Five, Cold Weather Comfort Food

The week went by much too fast! I can't believe it's Friday again!
Time to look back and share some of the blessings of the past week. Time to join Susanne's Friday's Fave Five at Living to Tell the Story...





1. My photographer's gloves I found at the weekly market. At least now my hands stay warm while I can still operate my camera.
2. The new Phalaenopsis hubby bought me. The other one has dropped all it's flowers, so I cut back the stem, but it's already starting to grow shoots. The new one is a lovely pink one with big flowers.
3. We made an early morning walk on Sunday. It was cold, but it felt good to be outside.
4. I made " hutspot", now that's real cold weather comfort food! It's made with green cabbage, onions, carrots and potatoes. You brown your meat first, remove it from the pot, drain the fat, and put the veggies and the potatoes in. Add some water, put the meat on top of the veggies and let it simmer until tender. Let it rest overnight.
5. Another fave of mine is Chili con Carne. I prepared it before we went shopping and let it simmer while we were gone. The hearty smell of that lovely stew was all over the apartment when we came back! It gave me the coziest feeling!

PS: I almost forgot! My photo of the day, project 366 #41