Learning to fly

Pic of the week

My little girl turned three yesterday, and how time flies. In the blink of an eye she’s three. Blink again and she’ll be four, five, sixteen. 

Okay, let’s back it up. She’s nowhere near sixteen, thankfully. But still, time does seem to fly when you have kids around. Maybe it’s an optical illusion: it’s freakish how much a kid changes in just one year. It happens right under your nose too but you can hardly see it until – wham! – they’re walking, speaking, driving. 

Okay okay, back it up again. She’s got a few more milestones to hit before it’s time to start worrying about her driving, like riding a bike, tying her own shoes, her first sleep over, Coca-Cola. 

It’s cliché but true: you’ve got to just enjoy every moment. For the second year in a row we celebrated her birthday in the park with friends and family. Monika made some delicious cakes and I was in charge of the entertainment. 

Inspired by a guy I met back in May, I made giant bubbles which the kids loved chasing and popping. 

Here’s how you do it: 

• For the soap: mix together 8 cups warm water, 1 cup dish soap (e.g. Dreft or Dawn), 2 tablespoons glycerine, 2 teaspoons honey 
• For the bubble wand: thread a piece of yarn through 2 straws (I used half a straw) and tie a knot 

Dip and let 'em rip!

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Forecast for 2050 

We were very happy that the weather report for Saturday was wrong and instead of thunderstorms, as was predicted, it was warm and sunny the whole afternoon. Phew! 

But unfortunately they’re not always wrong and ahead of the UN’s Climate Summit on 23 September, meteorologists around the world have been raising awareness about the effects of climate change in a clever campaign of forecasts from the future. 

What can we expect for Christmas Day 2050 in Belgium? “Temperatures between eight and nine degrees. A fickle day with periods of rain and hail, and even thunderstorms. And be careful: there will be storm winds.” 

Storm winds? I hope my grandchildren can still dream of a white Christmas…