Warm visit and sad goodbye

I had a wounderful time my dears, cause my parents were visiting me for the very first time in 7 years I live here in Belgium. It was so great!!! The weather could be better - with this I actually mean worse or colder - as travelling around in 32 C is bit too much for me. But nevertheless we had super lovely time together.

Two weeks are not enough to see all the places I have wanted them to show, but we still have managed to visit a couple of really cute locations...

One of my favorite places in Belgium - the Ardennes. The nature is so overwhelmingly beautiful there, I just love it.

You will find plenty of small villages like this one - La Roche-en-Ardenne. Some of you will recognize the name from history lessons - famous battles during the WW II happened right here.

And as it was so hot we have decided to take a kayak from Maboge to La Roche. You can really enjoy the views from a different angle.

And of course, Fleur was with us -her very first kayak trip!

Visitng Luxembourg city on the Royalty Day.

As some of you probably know there are more than 800 different sortes of bear in Belgium - 853 to be exact. We have visited one of the small breweries in Achouffe. I love their blond bear. A couple of years ago you could only buy it in the Ardennes region, but now they also have it in my local supermarket. If you ever have the chance to taste you should really do so, it is a very nice bear.

And do you know Bruges? Have you ever seen all its lace shops and chocolat madness? Isn't it ne of the cutest towns in Europe?

So many good memories. It's a pity that all good things are tendingto end that fast. My parents areback in Sint-Peterburg and I stay here in Antwerp with Fleur. Oh yes, this is the second part of my sad goodbye - my other dog Felix has moved out together wth his owner. I miss him soooooooo much but there as no other way. I wish him the very best!

Well, enough sentimentsfor today, the life goed on and there are some practical decisions to be made. As we have stayed with Fleur alone and we want to keep on travlling but we don't have a car, there is no other option left as to start hiking. Yes...sounds terrifying I know. I did it when I was a child so I have to be able to do it now also. So what I am busy with right now is looking for a good tent - it must be light, strong, very waterproof, considering this wounderful weather in Belgium, and last but not least not too expensive. Not that easy to find something if you really know what you are looking for. Anyway for the moment I am considering this model from Coleman, what do you think:

Btw I hope you do't think that I've forgotten my crafty business for all this time. Noway, I should tell you. I have ben actually quite productive for my humble norms. But this is for another message... tomorrow.

Wish you all a very nice day!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summer moods

Oh dear, don't tell me it's already May and I haven't posted anything yet.
I am not good in blogging, no discipline at all! Please don't think that I have forgotten you, but I just don't manage to find this extra minute to write all things down.
I am studying, studying and again, studying very hard and working, and cooking and crafting... not much crafting lately... but anyway.

As you remember this year the Orthodoxe Easter was at the same day as the Catholic one. To give you an idea about how I do celebrate Easter:

Special Easter cake, the dough is a bit like white bread dough but sweeter. It is quite dry but the scent of cardamom and cinnamon makes it very aromatic. I also paint eggs (they are hard boiled and then painted) or use special stickers - quite modern isn't it ;-) A very special one - Pascha - is a dessert made of cottage chees, eggs and butter. It is very sweet, a real calory bom but soooooooooooooo tasty. And we eat it just once a year!

All these goodies I bring to the church on Saturday morning before Easter so that they can be blessed and sprinkled with holy water. After a long Lent wich lasts 7 weeks we may taste our special cuisine on Sunday morning - the Easter Day!!!

I have been reading Attic24 and Lucy wrote there about her caravan. Well isn't it just so cosy and nice all those retro and vintage models she introduces. I love them all. Our camper is far from being vintage as my second half doesn't allow me to let my fantasy fly...

He wants to keep it NORMAL whatever he means with it (well he means white and black and a bit of grey...normal BORING I call it)... But I am trying here and there, you know...

We have already managed to get away for 1 week this spring. It was fantastcic - Belgian Ardennes can be so beautiful. The weather was super good, around 25 C all the time so we have really enjoyed us - the doggies also, of course.

By the way the doggies have a new way of transportation...

Very very handy - I also do my groceries with it. Love it!!! Am not I so very ecological-enviromental minded? ;-)

Yes I also have a couple of finished craft projects but as the weather is has changed to very bad and rainy I haven't had a chance to make nice shoots of them... So have to postpone posting any pics for the moment.

I wish you a nice week for the rest and I really truly hope to be back ASAP with more news!!!

Snow in March

I can't believe it, t is snowing again. Here in Belgium!!! In March!!! It is almost impossible,  live here for 7 years and this is the first time that I see so much snow in this country... I just had to share it with you guys.

 Just to compare this is how it looked here last year in March:

And now off I go - have to catch my train to Sint-Niklaas. I have medical practice today, we are going to learn how to make all sort of injections. I love it!!!

Oat cookies

Oh dear, it was a busy day! Don't remember if I have already mentioned it but I am dancing flamenco and our school gives a show every year in Antwerp. This time it will be on 13th en 14th of March, which means that today I have had a rehearsal in the city. Not a big deal to be honest, we don't really have to do our dance but just to stand for a couple of minutes at the podium to memorise the exact place for the big event. Fleur was with me today. She was really great, she stayed in her bag all the time without making any sound. I am quite proud of her actually...

But before going to the repetition I had to clean up first at home, windows including cause they really look out like mess. Finally we have some sun here in Belgium, which is nice, very nice, honestly. But the same nice sun seems to figure out all the places in my appartement which do not look all that clean and tidy and to lighten them up for me.

Well this post is not about me being all that busy all the time. In fact I wanted to share with you a very nice oat cookies recipe which was posted at Attic24 a couple of days ago. You can find the English version of it at Attic24 blog, here I am just giving a translation into Russian so that my mum can make them too:

Овсяное печенье

100 гр маргарина

50 гр коричневого сахара

2 ст л меда

Все ингридиенты растопить на водяной бане, тщательно перемешать.
Добавить

100 гр муки для выпечки ( обязательно добавить пекарный порошок)

100 гр овсяных хлопьев

50 гр суховруктов, орехов и тп

Перемешать все тщательно вместе с растопленной смесью. Смазать противень маслом. Столовой ложкой выложить массу, каждый раз немного ее придавливая. Выпекать 12-15 мин при температуре 180 градусов. Печеньки должны подрумяниться.

Here is the result of my Saturday baking.

The flowers I used for the photoshoot I have found in the park during one of my morning walks with the doggies. Have no idea what they are called... maybe you have a tip...?

For the resta I am still studying hard as you can see:

And I am trying to not put aside all my crafty hobbies:

Have a very nice and productive week guys. Hope to see you all very soon again.

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Still a bit crafty

I can't really call myself a crafster at the momement. There is just no time left for most of my hobbies. Sometimes I have the feeling that the only thing I do after I wake up in the morning is just sit and study, study, study... If I see all my courses together I start to hyperventilate. How in God's name am I going to get through them all???

Anyway, sometimes in the evening before I go to bed I manage to crochet a couple of rows of this baby blanket:

The choice of colours was inspired by some spring flowers:

As you can see it's a bit modified granny block pattern blanket, nothing to complecated for me at this moment. The number of hdc varies between 2 and 3 in each row, for the rest it's quite the same pattern. I love the colours anyway. I think it will be a nice blanket for a baby, so colourfull nad spring-feeling.

But off I go to finish my breakfast, walk with my doggies and yes...study!!!

The days are flying by...

As you can see even my knitting basket has been occupied in the last weeks... and not by me!
Fleur has chosen it to be her new " place to sleep". Can't say I am so thrilled with this new way of things are going on here, but she does
look kind of cute. The blanket I am crochetting specially for her. She is still such a cold froggy and as the weather ain't gonna be better in the next few weeks, I need something warm to put in her cycling basket whenever I take her with me on a ride (which is pretty often I must say). I think she likes her blanket...

No way she is sleeping while following the photo camera with one eye! Do you see it? Wat here comes the close up:

And yes, she is awake - alive and kicking as you see:

Well to add some colour to this post I'd like to share with you my second favourite flower - he Tulip. Now is their season and you can find them in every little supermarket here in Belgum in all possible colours and sorts.

Fun, fun, fun!

Yes, I know...my doggies again. But they are so cute, and the time is passing on so quickly that I just want to capture those dear moments. They are just once puppies, you know...

As you have probably noticed the snow is gone. The dogs are just loving it, because finally they can dig out one or another rubbish from the ground to eat it up as quickly as possible before I get there and take it out of their mouth!

The snow is gone but the ice. It will take a bit longer...we wait and see.

Have a nice day you all!