One of our favourite activities in Brussels is meeting K at Cinq. park, going for a run together and then out to the Creperie for icecream and crepes. Today K did a fast run as she is training for the Brussels 20 km at the end of May. I did 30 minutes of very slow jogging as I am tired today and was pushing the stroller and Frunty. After Frunty had a "red" icecream (framboise), K had a goat cheese crepe and I had a salad nicoise. I will try to take a photo of our special Cinq. runs as it is one of our highlights here in Brussels.

En route to our home after the run, we ran into one of our friends from Taiwan who is also our Mandarin teacher. She phoned her mother in Taiwan yesterday and discussed, it seems, my pregnancy and the mother told her to tell me that I should do my stair climbing every day. Slowly but try for at least 20 minutes. On days when I run though, I don't feel like doing the stairs. I like to do stairs followed by weight lifting. Anyway, her mom says that my labour should be fast and easy if I continue with the stairs. I am willing to do this a) because I believe most Asians (of the older generation) know how to live b) I will try anything to avoid pain c) most importantly, I want a healthy baby and body. I just hope she is right. I do know that since starting stairs, I have had absolutely no lower back discomfort. If you do stairs with correct posture, you will strengthen your back, inner thighs, buttocks and of course, heart. I will keep doing stairs just to keep my back feeling great.

Yesterday our Mandarin teacher gave us a container filled with seaweed that she cooked in a Japanese style and I am to add a little to rice every now and then and for Frunty too. I was not in the mood for it yesterday but will try to eat some tomorrow. Again, I am very grateful for this support.


We got home and who should surprise us with an early arrival at 4 pm? Da-da!!!!!! And with our favourite chocolates from Marcolini. The dark chocolate filled with Earl Grey is particularly lovely. Frunty loved the duck shaped, milk chocolates filled with oozing caramel. There are other days when Da-da comes home very very late so what a treat to have him home early! Sometimes he is able to work from home like this and it is nice to have him in the house. On days when he has meetings in and around Brussels, he is able to work partly from home instead of driving to the new office in Leuven, half an hour away.

Time for a hot tea on this cool and windy day. Cheerio!