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Good to hear that Mike is feeling better and I hope that he continues to improve; my thoughts are with him, Graham.

I read the bad news and felt Mike's pain having survived a blown aorta myself. I can only hope that Mike can be saved in the same way that I was. All the best Mike.

Thanks Jean lovely photos with good explanations, you should get it all down on paper even if you don't intend to publish. Graham.

As I've said before the Flemish have some wonderful sayings and one I like is, (translated to English) "the mice are all dead" meaning that there is no food in the cupboards. I was wondering if there is a Brummie or English equivalent.

You know I don't understand this as historians tell us that after WW II the German nation received $ 1 000 000 a day in goods to help rebuild their country, this while us back street kids of Brum were starving to death!:(

In Belgium the MOT stations are totally independent from garages so that they don't earn one penny on servicing or parts, a good fair system I think even if they are very strict. Each area has one station and sometimes you are in big queue but you can make an appointment via internet.

A 50's Ford 'Pop' bought for £5, top speed 50 mph and refused to go any further than 60 miles without a half hour rest. First trip was over 200 miles, sold it for £25 :)

Lovely! Thanks, Graham.

The writer that did a 4 page piece on me cycling in Flanders polders, Chris Sidwells, is going to do an article in Cycling Active Magazine on cycling along Birmingham canal tow paths and is looking for people who know the canals well and also their history. This was his message on Facebook:-...

Bob, thanks for sharing the photos and sorry I missed you in Flanders, you'll have to give me more notice next time, Graham.

Jean, Athena & Wendy, thanks again, my wife is now improving in leaps and bounds. I've told her about all your well wishes but she still doesn't quite understand how the internet works. lol Graham.

A bit of news that might interest those of you planning a trip to the WW I graves in Flanders. At the end of this year Flanders' Field Museum in Ypres is closing it's doors for a month and in September next year for six months due to a major renovation project. Best to consult their website...

Fred, Lyn and all you other wonderful people, thank you for you well wishes. Things are looking a lot better now, Graham.

John0, thank you for an interesting thread with a strong Brum connection. I don't know who this engineer was but it started me thinking. Here in Brussels there is war museum with a fantastically full section on Napoleon and the battle of Waterloo. I wonder if Wellington used ammo or guns made in...

Shera, you must be thrilled with such a beautiful and typical Brum work from Eric, I'll bet it'll get pride of place in your home, Graham.

Latest news is that next month, October, the council where I live are going to decorate me (again) for putting their little Flemish village on the world map in this 'Cycling Weekly' reportage written by Chris Sidwells. Now that the days are getting shorter and darker I have some more bright...

Mellisa, only this week I bought a 1963 'Cycling' magazine on Ebay because it had some nice photos of me when I was 'sweet' 19, but on page 10 it had this:- Though I didn't know anyone that worked there, hope it helps? Graham.

Around New Year both the Belgian and Dutch radio have a similar program where listeners can send in there choice for the 'All time top 100' and even after all this time the Moody Blues are usually in the top three, number one is nearly always Bohemian Rhapsody from Queen...

Peter, Yes that's right, the Frisian language. You can find my history on French Fries here https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28248&page=4 Graham.

Peter, Yes I agree the age of a country has a lot of influence regarding the development of dialects. And your observation on social isolation and limited movement are also correct. Some years ago while in a Flemish hospital I made acquaintance with another patient, an old farmer who hadn't...