Important message: belangerijk bericht!
Visit my other blog for up to date blogging please! I have got recent news and photos there.
Ga naar mijn andere blog voor recentelijk blogging, nieuws en fotos alsjeblief!
www.paperladyscraps.blogspot.com
Thanks!
Bedankt!
Finally a LO which features Peter! We were driving back from Hoorn at the weekend when we saw lots of kites over the beach at Schellinkhout, so we went there later with our camera’s to capture the wind and kite surfers at play! It is a super beach there for them, ideal as it is shallow water and in a curve so there is always a lot of wind and wave for them to ride – or jump! It was very entetraining watching them all, and I got a good few nice photos for my scap collection. I am pleased with this one of Peter, which is going in a frame in our bedroom when I get around to doing that!
(so frustrating when I want to add a photo and it won’t let me!) Good morning! I am sneezing so much with my Hay Fever due to the endless days of rain at the moment. I always suffer more when it is wet.
It may not delight the millions, but it made me very happy to have made it!!!
At last! Some of the excess in our garage was taken to the car boot sale over the weekend..and sold! (practically given away would be closer to the truth,) but Peter had decided that it was better to do this than get nothing at all, and I agreed with him. So to all the people who bought our stuff, thank you! Actually it was the first gorgeous day we’ve had for ages, and thank goodness because from 8.30am until 4.30pm we were in Andijk with the car at the holiday village there. We took ages to find it as the TomTom sent us in another direction,( or was it incorrectly filled in??) but finally we arrived and set up shop! There were so many cars and vans there; packed, and a lot of people the whole day dribbling past our car, buying the odd item or two. I have to take the remains to the dump-it tomorrow but it is not much really, and I got some spends out of it too!!! Peter met a German guy there who bought some Technics stuff and later in the evening came to our home and bought another piece of equipment so that meant that Peter had got rid of something too. Anyway, it was a very, very long day, and totally boring, but it was ok. It was peaceful, and lovely outside all day with only each other for company, and that wasn’t bad at all!!!!
Good morning! I have been so distracted by the setting up of my scrap-blog that I have been forgetting to update this one, sorry!! The other one is more complicated as it is in blogspot……"out,damm spot!" (I’ve been known to cry at times), and requires totally different skills to get it full of my scraps! Anyway, with the brilliant technical help and input from Ineke, I actually managed to get a photo bucket slide-show on there……..took all day but hey, I did it!!!! So the link to this other blog o’ mine is:
www.paperladyscraps.blogspot.com Hope you visit it and let me know what you think!
So, what have we been doing lately? Taking it easy is not the answer! Peter’s mother fell in her bathroom and had to lie there overnight, last Saturday, but she escaped serious injury thank goodness, and is now feeling fine again. She is 88, so it was very worrying for a while. Saskia has had her plaster removed from her hand and her thumb just hangs…not good. She needs physiotherapy for 3 weeks ( I’d suggest an OT as well, but who am I?) and then they will take an echo and see what is happening to her nerves etc. What bad luck she seems to have had!!! Peter is going for a massage this morning. Our hairdresser, Marloes, knows so many people, and when she was here this week she told us about the guy she is seeing for her shoulders. He was superb according to Marloes, so Peter made an appointment immediately and we will see how it goes today. He is not keen to see the guy about his breathing – my guess is he doesn’t believe that will work – so at least this might help him relax. And his holiday is coming up in another week so all good!
Becci and Roy are in London at the moment for a Marxist Rally. Yes, what can I tell you? Her boyfriend is a green political activist who wants to work for the UN in the future, so Becs is going along with him to her first rally! They are there for 5 days, and actually I think she will enjoy the experience of sleeping on floors, not being able to wash, listening to folk go on about their political views etc, music and generally slumming it in central London!! She has been a vegetarian for 7 weeks already, and is not buying so many clothes etc now she believes in saving Mother Earth, so maybe it is all good..? I am looking forward to meeting this young man when we go to England! He does sound more interesting than the other lads she has had as boyfriends and she is pretty keen on this one. Only hope it lasts when he goes to university..
Ah well, busy with the scrapping etc now all it does all day is rain! Went with Tim to buy him some trendy gear with his own money from his work this week – just waiting to get a photo of him all dolled up! Cost a bomb so glad he knows what he needs to save for in the future if this is what he wants to wear! He looks really great in them too, and he is growing up so fast, still mad keen on joining the army too. Don’t think that will change anymore so might as well get used to the idea. Must be in his blood!
So, my homesickness continues to grow. This year is my 7th in Holland and I have got the 7-year itch I think! Anyway, I am going to England more times this year than ever before so I suppose there is a need for it. I am unsettled deep down in my heart if I am honest, and for tuppence would go back home tomorrow! It is not that I am unhappy here or anything, but it is not my home and never will be, and I miss it very much. It is not something one can put one’s finger on, or describe or say precisely what it is, this feeling of dis-placement, but it is there and it is growing. I’m not sure what I should do about it other than ensure I get plenty of opportunities to go home regularly and see my friends more often, and just keep in touch with all that I hold dear. Maybe if I find a job I enjoy and get a sense of purpose back into my life it would be easier………we’ll see!
And on that note I will go and do the shopping! I lost 8 kilo’s with my diet and am now trying to keep it off or lose some more but that involves following a weekly menu and THAT involves shopping!!!
On Monday the rains came to South Yorkshire. They flooded Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and the surrounding area…………..and because this is where we lived before moving to the Netherlands, our hearts are toughed by the tragedy facing our friends at this time.
The first 2 photos were taken by Trevor, a friend of ours, who lives in the Chapeltown area of Sheffield.The pub is just down the road from his house and despite the fact that they live on a hill, the water just kept on coming!! The other photos are in and around Sheffield and there are so many more on the website: www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire. Lives have been changed for ever, and when I look at the lack of water defences and the number of reservoirs in this part of the county, one can only pray that they don’t burst their banks too. We don’t seem to learn the lessons of the last few years either, but I have to say that no-one living on the seven hills of Sheffield would have ever thought that their town would flood………….and it did. So it can in other places too. Wake up England! Do something about this NOW!!!!
These are the last few I have done as I am busy making chipboard boxes at the moment with books inside, ready to give away as Christmas presents!!! And I am waiting for the new Basic Grey paper to arrive this week!!! I have done some other stuff but not taken the photos as yet. And I need to get my new workshop programme set up and on the site………..and so many other tasks!! Not enough hours in my day right now I fear! The first one is of Faye the daughter of a lady who comes here scrapping, and the other two are of Mika, the grandson of my friend Loes.
ok, so this photo was taken by our friend Trevor in Sheffield on Monday. A guy surfing down the road on a railway sleeper….cool! There has been so much flooding in Sheffield and Rotherham this week and since that is where we used to live and work it was rather disturbing to see it on the BBC news last night. Cattcliffe where Peter worked was completely under water and the roads leading up there were under water to the height of a bus shelter!!! Even the centre of Sheffield was flooded and that is quite a feat since the town is built on seven hills and is not low down at all. The football stadium pitch was a swimming pool! There is a resevoir threatening to burst its banks too, so people were evacuated etc. Our friends were ok and luckliy not affected but I can imagine how frightening it is to see water cascading towards you and your home, and then pouring in through the front door and being unable to stop it from destroying your belongings. There are lots of photos and information to be found on the website: www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire. Only hope they dry out soon! The main problem we have had here is that our lovely trees along the drive have been totally destroyed..aah. The long branches and leaves just tumbled out of the trees when the wind was at its height yesterday. They look so sad!! Hope they re-grow soon, they are still dropping this morning as the wind remains quite strong, but the clearing up job will have to be done later on today. Xander is enjoying being blown along the garden though! Genghis is inside, not his thing at all! "Too old for all that nonsense", I can almost hear him saying that!!
Tim went to his disco last night which was ok – too much hard core music for his taste apparently and none of the girls in their class turned up! So all that titivating for nothing!!!! He looked great all in white – mum having gone out and bought white cars jeans with him in the afternoon, and a new t-shirt which is currently in the sink, soaking, trying to remove the chewing gum stuck on it! Ah well, at least he went and had a good time. I suspect we are starting with the going out not before 9pm, a time when I start to think about going to bed, so it was a late call for me picking Tim up at 11.30pm ( eyes are suffering for it this morning!) He said he danced and had a cool evening – it was only for 1st and 2nd year students, no smoking or drinking so that was good. One girl was in a fight but that was the only incident all night. And today he will hand in his books, come home,deliver papers and then it is HOLIDAYS! He has to go to work too later on, so I expect I now have to run out with a few papers and then I can get on with other more interesting things!!! I have so many scraps on the go at the moment that I don’t know where to start! I have to re-do one before Saturday as I am not really satisfied with it, and it is for someone else… I guess it is not one of my photos so it is not easy to relate to it and find the right style……..excuses excuses!! I can do this!!!!!
Hmm, let me see….so much has happened since I last wrote in the blog that I am not sure whether to start with the good, the bad or the just plain ordinary! So, first of all I have to say that Peter is fine and although very tired, is ok after being in hospital last week. He has got a chronic form of hyperventilation (apparently) which was undiagnosed previously and only discovered when a neurologist examined him in hospital. He suddenly felt unwell last week, complaining of elephants sitting on his chest and tingling down his left arm…alarm bells going off!!!! So we called the GP who felt he was better off going into the emergency cardio department just to be on the safe side. So we went in the ambulance and Peter was there for 2 days being tested and x-rayed and anything else they found necessary with the result: heart in tip top condition but breathing is crap! It does explain many symptons Peter has always complained of, so I know he has had this longer than I have known him, so maybe if he goes for the therapy many annoying problems might disappear! It was quite a shock but I have always believed that Peter is made of strong stuff, and it didn’t feel like this was going to turn out horribly for us, which is an enormous relief and at the same time not something we ever wish to repeat. One positive thing is that it explains why he is always so tired; if he changes his method of breathing this will improve as he is getting the wrong mix of oxygen into his lungs presently ie. too much, and maybe he will have more energy as a result. I hope he finds the time to do this, but as usual he is off to work this morning; 3 days in Germany tomorrow and Denmark next week…………I love my husband very much so please, Peter, DO THIS FOR YOUSELF, ME and the CHILDREN!!!!!
So now the ordinary! Diet ends to morrow which is fine as I did it perfectly and have lasted the 23 days without any problems. It is certainly a 7kilo weight loss in that time so that is making me happy, but I had hoped for more…never satisfied! Still weigh-in is tomorrow so that will tell me exactly what has been achieved. Now I have to continue with it long-term, much more difficult I know!
Tim has started his summer job well. He enjoyed going to "peel tulip bulbs" on Saturday and earned 18 euros which he was delighted with. I think he sees the prospect of large amounts of money in his bank at last! He was there all day and there were about 13 other kids many of whom he knew from school so it was fun too. He finishes school this week so will be able to do more work – and his paper round (which he detests) and basketball this week; phew, busy lad! gets him away from his room for a while at least……………
Sadly I am going to the funeral of my neighbour’s father this morning. He died from cancer last week, after a fairly short illness, but one in which he had to struggle with operations and many difficult times. It is a relief for him to be free from his pain, but always a sad and emotional time for his family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.
I am now officially a member of the Scrapfever Design Team and it is fun! Not sure entirely what it all means but so far I have uploaded millions ( seems to me) of photos into my album on the site, and nice ladies send me e-mails saying how much they like my work! I can live with that!!!! I also get to judge any competitions which I shall enjoy, and after that……..don’t know! So that was the "sensational news" for this week! Tonight it is Guus Meeuwvis in Eindhoven with Lily, and despite a poor weather forecast I am really looking forward to it. We are going to the Philips Stadium which is a football stadium so NOT UNDER COVER….so we will either be: cold; wet;dry;warm;soaked;happy;miserable; depending on the weather this evening! Ah who cares, we are excited about going and it will be great. And tomorrow we are going to see Stomp in Alkmaar which I have wanted to do for a few years now, so I am hoping to be stunned and amazed by their performance.
Diet is going very well. 11 days WITHOUT CHEATING must be some sort of record for me, but I want to do it and it is very easy to stick to since it invloves so little!!!! I went round Albert Hein with Tim yesterday and after we had got food for him, some lettuce and chicken fillet for me, we were done!!!!!! I wonder what the loss with be tomorrow when I go to Zeewolde to be weighed…………..I am sad that I cannot wear any make-up etc or colour my hair which looks very grey right now, but I will do it in another 12 days time when I have completed the regime. And then maybe I will try Sonja Bakker but I am not sure. Is it all too hyped now? Due to all the publicity does she really have the perfect diet or is it just better spread about and used more than others? I admit to having bought her books and the summer one looks reasonably easy to follow but maybe I have to stick to the one I have with this diet for 8 weeks before repeating it again – all too much choice! And now I am going to be very decadent and watch Celebrity Masterchef at 8.15am in the morning as it is the final today and I will have to record that as well……….good luck Craig!!! You MIGHT win but I think it will be Nadia actually if she doesn’t make any mistakes. Soon know!
