166

One of my goals this year is writing more posts than last year, in which I wrote 171. I certainly wanted to beat the 165 of 2011, which was the worst blogging year. And no, I am not counting 2008, because I didn't start until August.

Well, I beat my record low of 2011, since today is my 166th post of the year. On to the 172nd...

(Mind you, writing nothing posts like this, will certainly help me get to my goal)

I am telling you

I seem to be having a bit of trouble lately in filling my blog with interesting tidbits about my life. I could write about the weather, but it's autumn, northern hemisphere, close to the sea. I don't need to tell you that that means wind, rain, nice, rain, nice, wind. 

However, despite having trouble in the recent past, I have plenty to tell. Like the fact that I just preposted 2 posts for November. Both posts containing giv... not telling you yet. 

Like the fact that I am doing better headache wise. Yes, I had a headache last week, but I know exactly where that came from (the seat) and I managed to get rid of it, not by swallowing a pharmacy's supply of pills, but by using heat and massages (although yes, I did take a few pills). 

Like the fact that I am feeling very proud of myself over the whole food and dishes thing. I do have to do the dishes from yesterday, but I think there was two plates and a food container. 

Like the fact that my knitting actually looks quite similar to my sister's. Even if I have to knit in a way that is not my way, I knit a lot looser (more loose?) than she does, but for the sake of not wanting to unravel everything she has done already, I stick to her way. 

Like the fact that I am doing a lot better inside my head. Perhaps because I have been so busy with my genealogy, but I love doing that. If you let me I would talk about that all day long! Every gold nugget I find gives me more impetus to continue. I now have asked my family to come up with contemporary stories about the experiences of my ancestors. Have things changed or are they still the same? So far, I have one story submitted and a bit of my own story and a letter from my father to me. 

Anyway, time to do the dishes and/or the laundry and go back to work for a few hours. 

Photo on Sunday 2015-35

I was told off this week for not posting a Photo on Sunday last week! Anything would have been okay, but there was nothing at all. So, here's this week photo: of my home made pizza. It tasted fine, although there was something missing. Which I found after I had eaten one half and frozen the other half: fresh basilicum in the kitchen window sill! 

PS: Sorry, I couldn't find a spider...

Bad day

Due to a seat I couldn't get adjusted, another seat that kept adjusting itself and a very very busy last bit of my shift, the area between my shoulders had started hurting. Which then travelled up to my head and stayed there. 

However, I really knew it was a bad day when I couldn't get the company car in gear. I tried and tried and was cursing and grumbling. I turned the engine off and on again and still nothing. 

Until I realised I had to actually use the clutch as well. That's when I really knew. 

Bad day!

PS: it rained all day as well...

On a journey

One of my great-grandfathers

As you know I have been quite busy with my research into my ancestry. And it makes for fascinating reading so far! I find out so much about some people and so little about others! Here are some of the discoveries I made so far:

I already knew I was descendant from Charles the Great, but now I found out there is actually some debate on whether he actually existed! Listen to me folks: he did! Because I have to come from somewhere and he is a great person to come from!! So, not based on any science or fact, I vote for his existance.

I found out one paternal ancestor killed a man in France. Now, this was a long time ago and happened in what is now a suburb of Orléans (he was a student there). I say killed a man, but all I know so far is that he was arrested for killing a man, so it might just be a storm in a glass of water that.

I found out one maternal ancestor had two children while unmarried. One passed away when about 3 years old, the other was my great-great-grandfather. On his marriage papers it said that his mother hadn't acknowledged him. I know (from other sources) that he lived with his grandparents. 

Job Ulbes Faber
1827-1906

I found out that the brother to a paternal ancestor thought he was married in 1900 when his 'wife' had actually divorced him 4 years earlier on the grounds of 'left the joint abode in a state of malevolence' and 'he does not reside in this country'. In fact, only 2 years into their marriage, he had sold everything he owned, including the canary in its cage. And 3-4 years into their marriage, he had not only left their joint abode, he had actually left the country. He had emigrated to America with seven of his children (they were not hers). 

I found out that one maternal ancestor was killed by a priest over some court case. I still have to find out all the particulars, but apparently the priest lost the court case and was about to lose another due to my ancestor. Not happy about that, he decided to kill him!

Menno Simons

I found out that a lot of my paternal ancestors were baptists, which I found very surprising at first. Until I realised that Menno Simons (the mennonites) was born and raised in Friesland, where nearly all my ancestors come from as well. It would even be a possibility that some of them even knew him personally!!! 

The breadrunner is on the left

I found out when my grandfather first went away to work: he was fifteen and a half. I found out the meaning of May 12th. I found out about turn skippers and millers, bread runners and farm hands, labourers and clothmakers. The main job on my paternal side is farming, be it farmer or farm hand, the main job on my maternal side is still to be found out. 

There are so many things to find out about, so many things to discover. The stories I have so far only touch the surface and I actually only have one story that is close to be written down into a chapter for a book I hope to make about all this. 

So, if I am missing in action, I am off discovering!

This post was partly inspired by this week's prompt from the Spin Cycle. Thank you Ginnie Marie at Lemon Drop Pie!

Inspired food

Pumpkin soup and bread and butter. Mmmmm

I love cooking and lately I have actually been doing a lot of it. Simple things mind, like boiled potatoes and cabbage and stuff. Last week I made a vegetable soup à la home, which tasted okay, probably a bit too salty. Although some extra water will certainly deal with that, making it a good soup like I used to have when living back home.

I also made a red cabbage 'pie' a week or two ago. It was gorgeous! I still have two more portions frozen, but I now know what to get to make it perfect. Basically it's small bits of (leftover) meat, ie beef or lamb, apple compote or apple mash, red cabbage and potato mash. All in layers in a sturdy oven dish and put for 45 minutes in the oven. 

I won't be going hungry soon!!

And then yesterday I made another dish from scratch. Something I had never thought I would do. Another soup. I am not really a soup person, but this pumpkin soup was so tasty when I tasted it over at Yamini's last year, I wanted to try it for myself. I had a bit of trouble slaughtering the pumpkin, but I got there in the end. I thought I had cumin, but I didn't. I might have put just a tad too much pepper in, but the result was absolutely yummmmm! With some thick slices of bread and butter I had a very enjoyable lunch. I have one portion left for today and another two go into the freezer. 

I wonder what culinary delights lay in store for me this week...

Photo on Sunday 2015-34

About a year and a half ago, my sister asked me to finish knitting her cardigan for her. She is more into cross-stitch and crocheting and was actually having problems with her hand/arm while knitting. So, I had a look at it. 

The thing I usually knit are socks or dolls and animals, so a cardigan was a bit different to me. Besides that, it is a lot bigger than what I usually do, it only has one (!) colour and my sister had already knitted part of it. Which meant I would either have to adapt my knitting to hers, or I would have to unravel the whole thing!

In the end, I only unraveled part of it and got going. It looks okay now. I will show again when finished. I just have to figure out about the pocket she wants and about the buttons. Any ideas? Oh, and the blue/white knitted thing in the bottom photo is a trial for another project I hope to do once the cardigan is finished. Although the trial will probably be turned into a cushion or something!!

A disgrace

I should call it that: a disgrace! Because that's exactly what it is! I promised a post about how busy I have been and what happens? Nothing! Nothing at all. Zip, nada, zilch, ingenting!!

And I have been busy! Busy doing the dishes (every day if you please), researching, busy cooking meals (every day if you please), working (almost every day), researching, laundry, cleaning, researching, watching television and then some more researching.

The research is of course into my family roots and I have found some amazing things only in the last few days. It is really exciting and it takes up a fair amount of time. Because you get sucked in, it is so addictive! The latest I have found is about a brother of an ancestor (the one who moved to New Jersey) and his "antics". Not only did his wife have to divorce him, three years after he left the country, during their time together it wasn't all sweet smelling roses either! I really get a picture of this man now and it is great fun!

And what about those dishes you ask? Especially those of you who have known me for a bit longer? Well, I don't know, but I seem to be on track, which is always good. Perhaps I finally realised that having to do the dishes for two hours because I saved all my crockery and stuff up is not a nice way to spend a Sunday morning. Let's hope it continues!

The other busybody in this house is of course Miss Oswin. She has found a new hobby: ruin the underside of the two-seater couch! Apart from going out twice (!) in an hour. The first time she will go out, do something or other and then come back to have some sweeties. After which she feels there is still a good time to be had outside! Like catching mice (I found one this morning). 

Right now however, she is busy taking one of her many beauty sleeps. Which are of course very important as well.

And one more thing I will get busy with from this weekend: my sister's cardigan. I promised I would try and finish it, ooh, about a year and a half ago! And did I do that? Did I ever... So, since I will be going to see her soon, I thought it would be nice to have a finished product in my luggage! It took me some time to locate the cardigan again, but I did in the end and from Saturday I will give it a go!

Right, that was it from a very busy (!) me. I will try and mend my ways!!

PS: It is even more disgraceful than I thought! I wrote this post yesterday, but never finished it! Shame on me!!!