Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

So yesterday was the cats big adventure, flying to Brussels then onwards to their hotel. We all arrived at the cat collection counter at the same time, I picked up the hire car and we were off. I had decided not to take the highway due to the ever present chaos on the Antwerp Ring, and known roadworks heading east from there. Bad move. Roadworks, detour, roadworks, detour, and again and again. The journey should have taken 90 minutes, it ended up taking three hours.

As I'd lost so much time, I didn't even unpack the cats, just left them with the vet and jumped back in the car. This time I thought that if the highway is clear, I can afford to get banged up on the Antwerp ring and all in all it wasn't too bad, only 30 mins of bumper to bumper crawling along. Down to Brussels was fine and the Brussels Ring was clear, so I hit the airport back on schedule.

The plane was looking to be just a few minutes late, about 30 of us had boarded when the pilot announced that the aircraft had a hydraulic fluid leak which couldn't be fixed that night, but they'd found another plane. Everybody off and back to the terminal to wait for the buses to get to the replacement aircraft. Boarding this one, I was pulled to one side and given a seat change - to business class. I was one of four lucky people to be pulled out of the hat. Meal and drinks arrived, I tried to pay and was told no, it's complimentary in business. I said but I'm economy and received a shrug of the shoulders and a huge grin. Yay!

At this point we were about 90 minutes late, no time was made up, so we landed just after 11 and I was back home a whisker before midnight.

A 16 hour round trip for me, I reckon the cats got off lightly.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

You do have an exciting life :rofl:

I normally find the ring looks worse then it is once you're stuck on it.
Like you said, a bit of bumper to bumper and then it clears.

You really fly to Belgian to put the cats in a hotel ? My my you are amazing ;)

And now you have to move ... Bonne chance ! But after this it will be a walk in the parc. :fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed:

.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Day one in the new country, we went first to the house, where we found our wonderful electrician and his gopher, working on a Sunday morning. The house is now about 98% finished, the rest is basically crossing 'T's and dotting 'I's. It is gorgeous...

We had fixed a rendevous at the bedding shop for the afternoon, that went well, we came back with a carload, and the big stuff will be delivered on Thursday.

On the way to the bed shop, OH expressed a need for waffels, so we went to our local hotel/restaurant for lunch.

As promised, I toasted Expatrick in beautiful sunshine.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...c83e66d50d.jpg

Santé!

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Well done ! And a blue sky to welcome you !
Mmmmmmm Waffles ..... probably the one thing I miss here :nod:

Good luck with settling down in your new life :starsmile:

.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Dank je wel!

Day two was equally productive as day one, we had a meet and house walk-through with team renovation, I fixed an appointment with the electrician to come and help me set up the 'phone, TV and wi-fi after we have some furniture in place, so that will be Friday.

We noticed that the cat flap on the external side was a bit of a jump-up, mentioned it to the boss, who 15 minutes later presented his creation of bricks matching the rest of outside, giving the cats an elegant staircase from ground up to the flap entrance. ;)

This afternoon we visited two garages looking for a 'run about' for OH, and we bought a 2 year old Toyota Yaris with very low kilometerage, for an amazing price, 12 month guarantee from the garage and still with 42 months Toyota guarantee. :thumbup:

Tomorrow will see our first tangling with local government as we go to open our 'foreigners files' at the newly relocated town hall. :huh:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

I now have my official Belgian registration number, so just need to meet with the nice policeman, and then provide proof of health insurance and a bit more spondoolies documentary stuff.

Today was 'trucks' incoming, we were on-site at 07:13, the first truck arrived bang on time 2 minutes later, A team of six from their side, we were OH, sis-in-law and myself. Truck #2 arrived just after midday. We worked on unpacking and sorting for eight hours solid, then all three of us called it a day. The only major problem was that we were missing half a bed. Yup, one half of one bed base didn't make it, :confused:

OH 'phoned our bed people (who are delivering other stuff tomorrow) and they promised to send us a bed base. Not sure if this is on loan, or whether we have to buy it, but either way, it won't be mega-euros. The house - at least downstairs - looks full already; we're just throwing things in cupboards, the final placement will take weeks/months...

The bloody brand new freezer won't 'boot up', we'll check with the electrician on Friday before raising hell with the kitchen supplier. Also have a potential 'bad one' with the washing machine; ours was geared up to run at 360 volts in CH, which is not an option here. We're hoping that there's a switch 360/250 inside the machine, again to be confirmed on Friday.

We get a small lie in tomorrow, don't have to be on-site until 09:00 :ohmy:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

You've arrived then. :p

Did you bring the woodpecker with you.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Not sure yet. If we did, he'll be in a box somewhere in the garage...

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Wooden box?

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

I'll get some photos out soon, but we have a whole bunch of brightly coloured nesting boxes on the terrasse wall left by the previous owner. ;)

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

We're in, we slept here last night, for me over eight hours for the first time in weeks. Needless to say, it's total chaos, but liveable in a knee-scraping, box-dodging kind of way.

Team renovation spent the whole day here, finishing up on lighting, filling in holes in the driveway, sorting out the washing-machine 'non-issue', and a few other things besides. OH has given them a couple of days off, as there's nothing critical left for them to do. Still some residual stuff, but that can wait a few days.

We ate out last night and tonight, tomorrow I'll check out one local supermarket open in the morning, if I get inspired then I may break my cooking duck, always assuming that I can locate the manuals for the hob and oven. :unsure:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

The end of the journey ... :thumbsup:
No ghosts in the house (yet) ?

Settling in will take months ... I still have packed boxes in the garage (should throw them out without opening, obviously not something I need).

Enjoy your new life, will come and visit if and when I visit my family (you're very safe at the moment, no trip in the planning and not likely to come up neither ;) )

We can all relax now, thank you :amen:

.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

The end of the physical journey maybe, but the real journey starts now,

I thought that we maybe had a ghost last night; there was a big crash, a vase of flowers had fallen over, luckily the vase didn't break.

We'll be open for visitors printemps 2019, you will be very welcome, we have enough space ;) And we should have gotten rid of most of the boxes by then...

Tomorrow I go to fetch the cats from their hotel and bring them to their new home, I'm a bit nervous about this, as we will still be having quite a few people in and out, however if all respect the 'double door' rule, we might get away with keeping them in for the required 3-4 weeks.

It felt so good to be able to go to shop on a Sunday morning for jus de pommes, kip curry, filet americain, and, and ...

;)

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Just had a the visit from our friendly local policeman to verify that we are indeed installed, and that we are who we say we are. He's happy, but says that it will be another 2-3 weeks before we can hope to see our ID cards, which means that we'll be slightly buggered on the transport front, as I am due to drop off the rental car this coming Sunday, and we need OH's ID card to pick up her 'new' car...

He did however say that he thought that the provisional ID numbers already assigned to us might be sufficient to get hold of the car; OH has just emailed our insurance courtier to confirm. :fingerscrossed:

Otherwise, I'll fly down to Geneva Sunday and bring my car up on Monday... :unsure:

PITA but cheaper than extending the car rental for another 3 weeks...

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Three and a bit weeks in the house now, we have broken the back of the moving process in terms of unpacking, but there’s still a load of stuff in boxes, nothing that we’re desperate to find though.

Everything from the renovation company seems to work just fine except for the outdoor lighting, but we knew about that and it’s not urgent. The alarm installation however has been a complete shambles (our electrician agrees) we’ve had three separate visits, I’ve lost count of how many hours various people have been working on it, but on Monday it was declared finished. We had already decided that we wanted nothing more to do with these people, OH had sent out emails for quotes for maintenance and control room monitoring etc. One supplier came yesterday, looked at the installation quote, checked the system and then asked when the missing bits would be installed. OH became furious (understandably), stopped me just in time from paying the last chunk of the invoice, then we discussed with the new supplier how to proceed. He gave us step-by-step guidance, and it looks like he will get the contract once we’ve sorted out the crap with the original company.

Bureaucracy is still with us, but there’s a difference now from CH, the people at the town hall – in fact everywhere – really want to help. We’re registered as residents, but don’t yet have ID cards. The problem is to do with ‘proof of regular income’ which I don’t have, (not going into that now) but I pointed out that there are loads of people in the same situation, and the lovely person at the town hall, said ‘yes, indeed, I understand, we don’t have that knowledge, I’ll ask Brussels’. The major issue with the ID cards is that we can’t get health insurance without them, so have been forced to re-enter the Swiss (spit, hiss, spit) system until this is sorted.

Haven’t found a language teacher yet.

I love the supermarkets, there are more chains, with more choice, arguably better quality than CH, sooooo much cheaper, and one can shop on Sundays. The government rule is that a shop must close for 24 hours straight at least once a week, so the various chains have worked out a rota between themselves, brilliant. Ok, seems nothing to UK & US residents, but it’s a great improvement for me.

Despite the fact that supermarkets are open, it seems that the majority of people don’t cook on Sundays, so make that restaurant reservation in a timely manner.

The weather is ‘interesting’, but I’ll put that where it belongs.

Recycling is very complicated here – OH hasn’t fully got her head around it yet – and it varies from commune to commune, so sis-in-law can’t always answer our questions.

Enough, I’m boring myself now. Photos of pretty bird nesting boxes to follow.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

This one's for BEVS:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...57e773f2e9.jpg

These are next to the kitchen door. OH says that she's seen visitors, I haven't yet.

The squirrels bouncing around the garden seem unperturbed by the cats sharing their turf.

The alarm system is finally sorted, the last issue was fixed remotely, and we’ve tested the whole thing to our satisfaction.

The town hall has come back with more precise requirements on documentation needed in order to get our ID cards, and it seems that we only need a statement of ‘intent to insure’ for the health insurance, so we’ll be giving that another try tomorrow.

Recycling just got a whole lot simpler, thanks to an Android ‘phone app! As well as a full calendar of when and where to take what - that bit is still complex - it can send a reminder out on the evening prior to home collection should one wish.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Sounds like you are settling down to the Belgian way of life ! Well done.
I'm a bit amazed it is so different to your previous life but then my last trip to Swiss was about 30 years ago ...

It's good that shopping on a Sunday makes you happy ;)
Been to the ''Vogeltjes markt'' already ? Even though I understand that's not the same as it used to be ... too many foreigners :lol: (Dutch).
Do not miss the Xmas market in Antwerp and eat some waffles on my behalf please :tounge_smile:

I haven't lived in B since I left when I was 16 but I do know recycling is a bit of a minefield. Whatever you do, don't put it out too early :eek:

Nature will be very happy with you with all these palaces you put up (sorry took the pic out to make this shorter).
Keep up the good work :thumbsup:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Oh my :wub:

We would love that

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Still no luck with medical insurance. We did however get the insurance agent to speak with the people at the town hall to discuss, the suggestion being some 'temporary' ID card which would be enough to get the insurance. The town hall passed this request back up the chain, then emailed out last evening that it's not possible. They did however suggest trying a different insurer, so we've an appointment that's fixed for next Wednesday.

There remain two other possibilities, the tenuous one being using our re-found Swiss health insurance, but it is doubtful that that would be accepted here.

Plan C (which we only discovered yesterday) would be to take out short-term private health insurance here. This would be a last resort, as it's considerably more expensive than 'standard' health insurance, besides we already have that from CH. But if it provides a means to finally obtaining our official ID cards then we'll go down that route.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Belgium ? What is it for ? An artificial creation made up of Flanders, Wallonia and a few German-speaking districts on the borders of the Reich.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Yes, it may be 'artificial', yes it sometimes has problems getting a working government installed, but it also has excellent beer, awfully good friteries and great people to name just a few things, loads of other good stuff going for it. And so far the weather is 'acceptable'...

Oh yes, almost forgot ;) as a pensioner it's an eminently affordable place to live whereas CH was not.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Take it easy Tiger :sneaky:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

It is simply The Spanish Netherlands under a new name, created in 1830.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Belgium was / is so desirable that everyone wants a piece of it :nod:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Belgium my uninitiated friends is one of the best kept 'secrets' in Europe .Many scoff. ( thinking of Jeremy Clarkson here ) but once they discover the chocolate, the best cuisine in the world, the myriad types of beer.the delectable and REAL frites with mayonnaise ,not to forget the mussels. The shopping in the beautiful city of Antwerp.The craftsmanship...Yep I am a little homesick for Antwerp. To dismiss it as 'nothing' place is to miss a real treat.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

I am surprised that the inhabitants of Spain have not laid claim to their former colony.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

My sister just spent a week there and I haven't even looked at the pictures yet.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

And the point of your inane posts is what in this context?

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Just spent a hugely fun afternoon/early evening with Team Renovation. They came over for coffee and cake – followed by beer (boys) and rosé (girls). We worked on the plan for fixing the last two niggles – really small stuff – then moved on to the ‘home improvements plan’ for 2019. :ohmy:

How to hang all the curtains, mostly being the ones that we don’t currently have; the ones we brought with us are too short for downstairs big living room, so they’ll get hacked and put upstairs, also in the downstairs bedrooms, all of which have half windows.

How best to avoid having to ask the Gemeente for planning permission for converting a small chunk of lawn into a paved parking spot. Standard Belgian officialdom avoidance stuff, but better executed with someone in the know on board. The Gemeente started it anyway, on street parking is apparently frowned on. Go figure...

Loads of other small things, but TR now have a plan based on our wish list. We also discussed restaurants, we’ll invite them to one of our favourite places, and they’ll take us to one of theirs – which IQ reckons I’ve already visited… :confused:

On another practical front, we hope :fingerscrossed: to have the health insurance ‘dispute’ sorted this week, which would be the last obstacle to us finally being granted ID cards.

This would be extemely useful as otherwise we’d be forced to quit Belgium - albeit for just one night - and then start the registration game all over again.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Sounds like you're settled in the Belgian way of doing things :thumbup:
I'm not sure the French way of doing things would work in Belgium (Don't ask so they can't say no).
Nice you found a RT you can count on though.
I assume they comunicate in Egnlish with you ?
I am surprized how difficult it is to sort out your health insurance.
I'll :fingerscrossed: it will get sorted very soon now.

In case you wonder about the weather in the South ... it's crap ...
We've had rain for the last 2 weeks, warmish but very wet. I hope something better is on it's way. Golfcourse is 1 big mud pool.

Keep up ''The good life'' and enjoy :nod:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Learning quite quickly now... ;)

I fixed that a bit... ;)

Yes, Ms TR speaks English, Mr TR only speaks two languages - Stabroeken and betalen. :nod:

Honestly didn't see that one coming, which is why we have had to drop back to Swiss health insurance for a couple of months, but even that is 'not good enough' for the Gemeente. :blink:

Hmm, a bit like up here, except we have coldish and very wet. Still loads of people out on our 'local' golf course though, the one on Miksebaan.

Thank you. Forgot to mention that I now have a Flemish language teacher, lessons will start later this week. Should help to reduce the embarrassing incidents like last Saturday when in a restaurant I started a sentence in Dutch/Flemish but somehow switched to German half way through... :blink:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

This one goes in category classic I feel. Following on from Sunday’s meeting with the house renovation team, the electrician/plumber spent a large chunk of yesterday here sorting out issues with the heating system. It’s underfloor heating downstairs, all the circuits combined run to about 850 metres of pipe, and we also have three backup radiators for winter ‘insurance’. We knew that there was air in the system, so we’d asked for a full purge, also that he narrowed down some other anomalies.

My room has been cold ever since the heating was first turned on, we’d sort of put this down to a combination of air in the system and a long run of pipe. The lounge/diner had been tricky to balance, it’s quite a large L-shaped room, with a high ceiling in part.

Late yesterday afternoon a torrent of bad language erupted from around the master control panel, followed a few minutes later by a somewhat calmer explanation. It turns out that two of the room thermostats had been mis-mapped in the control panel, so raising the temperature on the thermostat in my room had the effect of raising the temperature in the lounge. Obviously dropping the temperature on the lounge thermostat resulted in my room becoming even colder.

Problem fixed within a few minutes, and a few chuckles exchanged over beers. ;)

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Sounds like MrBEVS the plumber was somehow in your vicinity :p

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

:rofl::rofl:

Thank goodness no mayor works to be done :thumbup:

I've got that here and I L.O.V.E. that system :nod:
Mine is electric so I have to anticipate the temperature in an hour time. One gets used to that though.
At this moment I survive with just the fireplace for 1 or 2 hours in the evening but colder weather on the way.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

Someone once told me that's it's mandatory in 'Plumbing 101'...

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

We did have a fireplace originally here, but we decided to have it removed, bricked up and plastered over. And the chimney was capped.

We had an open fireplace back in CH, but we never used it in all of our 19 years there.

Who needs to witness a cat on fire screaming though the house at 22:00... :lol:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

I think a cat has more sense than that
Here it's not an open fireplace but one with an ''insert'' (too late to look for English translation) and it warms this room (58 m2) perfect.
Another plus side, with a powercut (this is France you know) I still have a bit of light to look around for the candles :nod:

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

I know what you mean by "insert", but I can't find the English either. :blink:

The cat thing is sadly true...

Just as OH and I were getting together, she would take a bath with some candles on the borders of the bath. Tache (predecessor of Pom) was still very much a kitten, and wanting to explore everywhere.

Tache came into the bathroom, OH playfully splashed her with some water, Tache backed up, straight into a candle. OH grabbed her and dunked her in the bath, I came in a few minutes later to find one extremely pissed off cat trying to hide in the kitchen... :(

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...
 

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Thanks for that, needed a laugh almost being on my way to ''The Dentist''.

Re: An imaginatively titled Belgian thread...