Did you notice?

DNA specimen bottles filled with what the inhabitants
of Leeuwarden thought their city consisted off.

Perhaps you only read my blog and never comment and in that case you will not have noticed anything different. However, if you do leave a comment now and then (or always), you may have realised something is not as it was. 

Because for the time being all comments need to meet with my approval before they are being published. Nothing to do with spammers (although they are a real pest), but everything to do with the upcoming Tuesday's Travels, where a prize can be won. 

Tower Bridge in London, not to be used now...

On normal TT's I publish the photo and you can give your answer for everyone to see, perhaps giving them clues. However, for the prize TT I want to give everybody an equal shot (and don't worry, it is not something that nobody will know, I may be mean, but not that mean). Which means not giving anybody ideas or clues or whatevers. 

Once the next TT has appeared and the prize has been awarded, things will go back to normal. Promise!

Tri-Mara

I'm running! And winning!!

I had my first real training today as sanctioned and advised by the physiotherapist. I saw her on Friday and once she had the lay of the land (or the aches and pains of me), she advised me to take it easy, especially in the beginning. 

She told me that for the first two to three weeks I should do most of my training indoors, ie at the gym and then we would evaluate and see how I should continue. I try to cycle to work every day, and that was good, but a big event coming up in a few weeks was a decided NO! from her. Mind you, it is about 70 km (I think you can do half as well), but that would still be over ten times what I do now. So, no. 

Apart from the gym however, I am supposed to go outside at least once a week and do a proper walk. Like the one we did last week to Mount Hodna. There is a big nature area quite close by and there are plenty of walks I could be doing there. I have done several of them before, but they are always nice to do again. Especially if my condition is on the up.

The physio did suggest to me to keep a log of what I did at the gym. Also, so she could keep tabs on me. So as not to bore the living daylights out of any of my faithful readers, I started a new blog. Called Tri-Mara. A blog where I tell exactly what's what. The whats, wheres, hows and how longs. Oh, and the how much, once a week. It should be going down. I hope. 

If you are interested, the only thing you need to do is to click on the little link all the way at the top at the right. The one that says Tri-Mara. And you will come to an absolute boring blog. Well, it is now, but it should be getting a bit more interesting after a while. 

I will of course still be telling you about my achievements along the way, but at least the boring "I did 769 meters on a rowing machine today" will not be happening here!

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)

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!!!

Spinning a blog

Instead of the usual prompt for the Spin Cycle, this time there were a lot of questions (well 10) to answer. And where I don't always find the inspiration to follow the prompt, answering questions is something I do do! So here goes:

1. What do you love the most about blogging? 

Oh wow, where to start. I think the best thing about blogging is the people you meet. They might only be in cyberspace, but on occasion they cross over! And I haven't been disappointed yet. This year I met Yamini and I had a wonderful week being her guest in Scotland. 

2. How do you find the time to keep up with all the aspects related to blogging (posting, reading, commenting, responding, etc)? 

I don't always unfortunately. But I am very happy to put off housework if that will get me to the posting, reading etc. No qualms about that at all!!

3. Does your family know about your blog and does this affect what you blog about? 

They do and it does affect what I blog about. Mind you, not very much, since I will blog about anything anyway. If it is important I will make sure of telling my parents or whoever is involved first though and some things I will tell the people I feel are important to me, but will not blog about. I think what affects my blog more is my job. Having learned from experience that it is sometimes wise not to blog about everything!

4. If you didn’t blog, what would you be doing with that time? 

Not blog? Wow, even though I have been a lazy blogger of late, I can't imagine not blogging at all. Nope, not at all!

5. Have you been in a blogging rut and how did you pull yourself out of it? 

Oh yes, the last few months have been a bit of a blogging rut. I just decided to start posting again. People are interested in what I write, so I might as well. Doing prompts also helps a lot, that way you are forced even if you are not quite out of the rut yet. So thank you Spin Cycle! And of course there is also Oswin! 

6. Have you ever considered leaving the blogging world and why? What stopped you? 

No, never considered. I love to blog. I want to write and since I am good at writing my blog...

7. Show some blog love: Name another blog that you adore. 

Are you really asking me to name favourites? Really? Well, if you must know: this blog is a great one. It's not really a blog anymore, but the person behind it always shows great photos of his trips to Norway and other places. I wouldn't mind getting some photography lessons of him!

8. What’s your favorite social media outlet for sharing your blog posts? 

Ehm, did I ever mention anywhere that I am quite a digilliterate? So, I don't quite get this question. Sorry. 

9. What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself since you started blogging? 

That I blog like I talk. And that blogging takes tension away from me. Not having a sounding board at home to complain to when things go awry at work or elsewhere in my life, my blog takes on that role. 

10. Any new blogging plans or ideas for the new year?

No, no real new plans or ideas. Just to continue blogging, either with help from prompts or by what happens in my life. And you are welcome to come and join my life!!

This post is prompted by Spin Cycle. Thank you Ginny Marie at Lemon Drop Pie.

Sorry

The scene of some severe water damage right now

I have been getting some grief over my non blogging habit of late. Not even a Photo on Sunday! Not good. Not good at all. 

It's not just blogging that is down at the moment. It's facebook, emails, anything to do with my laptop. No, it's not broken. No, my internet is not down. It's me. 

I am a bit down. All to do with that pain in my lower abdomen. With not hearing from the MRI. From waiting and taking pills and not having had a good night's sleep in a long time. Add to that some new duties at work, a very dry course and of course my ordinary work. Not conducive to a happy Mara!

I will be visiting my gp again next Monday (she doesn't know yet), and will be wanting a referral to a gynaecologist. Hoping that he/she can figure out what is wrong. Because I am now strongly inclined to think it has something to do with my female parts. 

Taken last summer, it is now a lot higher and wilder. And more destructive...

Now, if you are worried about me because of the all the flooding happening in Western Norway: don't. It's not too close to me and so far we have had no problems. If you are wondering when The Man is going to go, the geologists are unsure now, but I hope it will be during the day so they can film it. Oh, and The Man is the name in English for a mountain that is breaking up. Not volcanic, just rock, but breaking up anyway. 

So, hoping that I will soon get answers, get some good night's sleep and some more Christmas films (did I tell you I loooooooooove my birthday present to myself: best thing ever this satellite!). And of course to blogging a bit more often.

First things first

Okay, I know today is Sunday and Sunday's are usually reserved for Photo on Sunday. But then again, the other days of the week are usually reserved for some type of ordinary post. Which didn't appear. It wasn't a case of not wanting. I did want, since I had so much to tell. It wasn't a case of not being able to. I had access to a computer and could have posted ten posts a day if I had wanted. It was a case of severe brain freeze and my fingers not cooperating. In other words: I had forgotten my password!

So, there I was at my new friend Yamini's place over in Scotland and my fingers were hovering over her keyboard. And for the life of me I couldn't remember my password. At all at all! There was a letter missing (which I found again after a while), but the numbers never came. At least not the right numbers or not in the right order. I was unable to post. 

It didn't stop me having a good time over there in Scotland though. Because yes, this time I did go to Scotland. Flew out to Edinburgh, rented a car, drove, took a ferry, drove a bit further and arrived at Yamini's doorstep. During the whole week the weather stayed good. Only giving us/me a few drops every now and then, but never so much as to ruin anything. 

Yamini, I thank you for your hospitality and hope to be meeting up with you again in the future. The photos today are just a bit of a tease for you all. Over the next few days I will be posting more and telling more. 

Reply

Now, anyone who has read my blog for some time has noticed I don't reply on my blog itself. Basically because I always found it a hassle. I had come up with a perfect solution though: I would reply via email. Which worked perfectly.

Until of course people started commenting with a no-reply email address. Which left answering questions impossible. I had seen a feature on my other blogs though: reply to the comment itself on the blog. I liked that feature, but couldn't for the life of me figure out how to do that!

Fortunately there is a little thing called google and within seconds I had my answer. So, as of today I can answer your comment directly on my blog. Don't know how much I will be using it, since some answers might need a bit more in depth answer than I am willing to share publicly. 

In other news: spring clean today and then off to see a bit of the world tomorrow! Because it is HOLIDAY!!

Right!

                                                 

I think the only thing I can say is "I am a terrible blogger!" Several things have happened during the last week and I have not typed a single word to throw into the www. Awful. Terrible. 

Mind you, nothing much special has happened to me during the last week, but in general. Life wise. And such. You know... 

To start off. The local football team managed to secure third place in the national league, which in turn apparently means they are up for European football next year. Something great to strive for or so I have heard. Since I am not really into football at all (as you know), I am not too bothered by it, but if they do go Europe and there happens to be a Dutch opponent at some time: I have a big garden with plenty of room for tents and a spare single bedroom. Just so you know! Bring a bottle of Beerenburg and you are very welcome!

Then. The Norwegians have this weird relationship with television. They love their repeats and if they don't repeat, it's most likely a rerun. And if they do come up with something original, it annoys the &%$#& out of the whole world (What does the fox say? Anyone??). Anyway. On occasion they do have an original idea. Like the first time I was in Norway: following a canal in the Telemark region from beginning to end. Like the summer just past: 24 hour coverage from a ferry to the North of Norway. Sea, sea, sea, some land, some people and more sea. It took them over a week to get to the North, so you get the idea. 

But, that wasn't enough. And all the repeats and reruns and boat and ferry programs weren't enough. Somebody had to come up with another thing to air. The wintersport season is still a few weeks off and there was airtime to fill. And then somebody came up with a brilliant idea. What if we make a program about knitting. My girlfriend loves knitting. We could do a half hour show? Not enough? What about an hour? Two hours? Four hours? No, an all night knitting show! Showing from sheep to sweater! That's what I pay my tv-license money for...

On the subject of knitting: I am still at it as well. As a matter of fact, my hands feel empty when not knitting, which might explain the lack of posts lately. I am knitting like mad and have finished the first order already. I got several hugs for it as well! Plus the yarn money. But the hugs were best...

I will try to better my life and blog a bit more often. After all, there is plenty happening. Sort of.

Lazy

Perfecting the art of being lazy. Although it's not hard for them.
At all!!!

I am going to do the lazy thing in my post for today. I am lazy today anyway, just hanging around and doing a bit of internetting, reading, knitting. But the lazy thing for my post today is quite simple. I have noticed several new commenters (welcome by the way) and they and you long-time followers might actually want to know a bit more about yours truly!

So, instead of me telling what I did today (not much and not likely too either), I am asking you: what would you like to know about me? Chances are I've written about it already, but in that case I will put up a link to the corresponding post. And in case I haven't written about it yet, I will do! 

Do your best! Or worst for that matter. 

On an other subject (sort of). I tend not to reply to comments made on my blog on my blog. I prefer to do so by email. That way I am able to give a few more details without the whole world knowing. However, several of you have a no-reply address, which means that questions go unanswered. So, if you want to be answered, please change the settings on your whateveryacallit to include a working email address. I promise never to use it for anything other than answering comments and very very very occasionally send an ordinary email. No spam-like things and no 'funny' emails, since I don't like to get those either!

So, lazy? Perhaps a tad!

The book

A few posts ago (about school and money and things) I was given a suggestion: write a book and recoup some of my losses. Sound advice of course. Especially since I have always wanted to write a book. 

But the question is: what would I write about? Should it be fact or fiction or a mixture of both? Should I write about all my adventures in foreign and not so foreign lands? Should I write about the inner workings of the cow that swam the Atlantic? Should I write about... 

And who would read it? Of course my parents will get a copy, because they are proud of their dearest oldest daughter. My two siblings might do so too. And some friends. Blog friends. And then who? Because only selling about ten books would not make me recoup any loss at all. 

Any ideas anybody? 

On the update side of finances: I don't have to take the course this year and will not have to pay the second installment. However, I won't be refunded the first installment and it will serve as a downpayment for next year's course. I can manage that!

July 27th, 2009

Debbie (Just Breathe) asked a question on Facebook yesterday: what did you blog about 4 years ago? I just had to check it out of course. Because I might have been away on a trip to somewhere nice. I might have enjoyed a lovely day in. I might have experienced something profound and thought provoking. 

I blogged about a slug! An ordinary ucky yucky slug! 

That will teach me...

Original post

Ice

Well, it took some time. Almost two months in fact, but I finally got back online in the privacy of my own home. Me not having any credit rating because I haven't been here long enough turned out to be the main problem. Well, when added to general not doing much about getting internet that is. 

But I now have internet again. Ice cold internet I have to add. Since my provider is called Ice! So, expect some more stories on this blog again soon. Starting from tomorrow I think. Because after all, I am on holiday now!!!

Russia

I blog. As you know. Because if you didn't know, you wouldn't be here reading what I blog about. Which is sometimes interesting, sometimes weird, sometimes boring. I know. I will blog about nearly anything. When I visited Jacky in Canada last year, she actually said I would blog about a wrong fart or something like that. She is right. I probably would. I think it's interesting. If you don't, no bother. You don't have to read what I write. I am not forcing anybody. 

But apparently there are a lot of anybodies out there who read my blog. My family for one. And my friends. When the accident happened last year and I didn't blog, family friends were on the phone within no time to ask my parents what was what! It's a comforting thought. Through my blog I have also found new friends. From Canada and the United States. From Belgium and Great Britain. And lately quite a few of my facebook friends have found their way to my blog. Some of them are former colleagues who want to know what's up with me. They wonder how I am getting on at 59 degrees North. 

There are however also people that read my blog that I never hear from. I know a lady in the Netherlands who reads my blog. She never replies, we have never met, but I do know she reads my tiny blog (hint hint). 

And then there are the Russians. This month, most of my 'visitors' came from Russia. I don't know anybody from Russia. I have never met a Russian. I have never been to Russia. The only words I know are njet and borsjt. And what about the Ukranians? The only thing I know about them is that they were the bad and then the good guys in the remake of 'The Italian Job'. Swiss, Germans, French, Swedes? Really? Who are you people? Would you be so kind to just leave one comment here to let me know it's not some weird computer thingy that is trying to hack my blog? 

Please?

Entry	Pageviews
Russia	770
United States	613
Netherlands	529
Norway	291
United Kingdom	284
Canada	95
Ukraine	69
Germany	58
France	39
Sweden	26

On the blonde side

Over the years I have fought very hard against all the prejudices about blondes. Because apparently we blondes are of the silly variety. The dumb sort. The not so clever nitwit type. And I don't think I am one of them. Since I have encountered silly, dumb and not so clever women who didn't have blonde hair. So, I have started referring to the silly, dumb and not so clever as 'blonde on the inside'. With the brain of a castrated peanut! 

Anyway, to cut a very long dissertation about being blonde and all it entails short: I was blonde this weekend. On the inside unfortunately. Which makes it doubly bad, since I am also blonde on the outside! Oopsie!

What happened you ask? Well, I had an idea for a lovely blogpost on Saturday, but couldn't really be bothered to go up to my office/workroom/messy room to write it, deciding it would keep very well until Sunday. Which it did. It didn't go off, it didn't grow mould, it was still as fresh as on Saturday. Come Sunday however, my internet connection was playing up. It does that more often and there is a very simple solution: unplug the modem, wait fifteen seconds, plug modem back in and Bob's your uncle. 

I trotted down the stairs, nearly stepping on the big red monster and unplugged the modem (which is situated in the living room). I cleared some cat toys, emptied the snot-bucket, made myself a cup of tea and went back upstairs. But whatever happened: the internet didn't. I tried the baby, but here as well: no luck. I was grrrr'ing by this time, decided I would play a game and go back down. The story would have to keep until Monday.

Monday arrived and as I got back from my morning shift, I saw the lights of my modem weren't on, nor on the wireless doohickey. So, I phoned my dad, who had to trot upstairs to get the internet going, so he could find out whether they were doing maintenance on the line here. Which they didn't. He then asked me whether the modem was plugged in? Well, of course it was and I would walk up and show myself it was....

All you clever people have already noticed of course that between cat toys, snot-bucket and tea, I never plugged the modem in. I plugged it in and lo and behold, the lights came on (in the modem) and after I started the computer I could even get online again.  

The story that could keep? Nowhere near as good as this post unfortunately...

Present and accounted for

You might wonder where I might have been over the last few days, but don't worry, I have been working (the joy) and being at home. However I didn't much feel for spending time behind my computer, hence I didn't spend time behind the computer.

This is so annoying: I had finished this post completely and was about to stick a photo in, when the whole thing got stuck! So, in a nutshell:

Saturday: last staff party ever organised by me. We went out for dinner and then bowling. I was rubbish! Sunday: day off. Monday: boring work again. Tuesday: I took 48 out of the about 50,000 striking special education teachers to Amsterdam. It took 430 coaches about 32 minutes to clear the parking lot after the event had finished. Wednesday: I had to train someone on the job. Awful! Thursday: I drove for Anouk (Dutch singer) who had a concert in the Gelredome. Friday: today: work. Saturday: tomorrow: work. Sunday: off!

The thing that was worst of this week however, was that it was the week the World Championships Biathlon were held. And I missed most of it due to work. Next time I plan a holiday I will need to check the biathlon site as well.

Oh, and what is with this blogger thing now? It can't keep up with my typing. When it saves (about every ten seconds), it will stop me from typing. Very annoying. 

Word verification

Some of you have commented about the difficulty of actually commenting due to a very difficult word verification system introduced by Blogger. It would probably have been more if it hadn't been for the difficult word verification system introduced by Blogger!!

Anyway, thanks to Anvilcloud who had a link to someone who knew exactly how to remove the difficult word verification system introduced by Blogger, I am now word verification free! So, I would suggest you take full advantage and leave a comment! Without difficult word verification introduced by Blogger!

In other news: the second day in my Norwegian class went a lot better than yesterday. We flew through the book and my pronounciation was a lot better than yesterday. Two more days of intensive Norwegian lessons and I should be able to buy an apple!

Plans

When dealing with high water, these windmills of old still do their bit to keep part of the country dry!

It was there! I saw it and Anvilcloud saw it too! But alas, it has somehow disappeared into cyblivion, because it's no longer there! Which of course is extremely annoying. It took quite some time to write it and find a nice photo with it. It was all about the water that has been pounding us from all sides (except the south) for the last few days. How in the north people were evacuated because of the rising water. I even made a little joke about if the dykes were to break in the part of the country I live in, my house would be completely submerged by the water. After all: I leave on the bottom of the sea. Literally! But the post has gone. And only Anvilcloud and I have read that brilliant piece of literature, that you will now never get the chance to read. Which of course is a great gap in your life, I know!

Ah well, since that didn't go the way I had planned it, I thought I might as well do something different and hope this one does come off...

Horse

A while ago I was away for a week without access to the www. Then a few weeks ago I was ill and couldn't really bear the www. And this week it's the turn of my little computer to be trojan horsed and I dare not use it.

So, please bear with me while I work on my large laptop that is soooooooooo slow! My small laptop will be going to the shop tomorrow (if I make it back on time) and otherwise next week.

"Sigh"

I don't know

I hope you are not angry with me! Because I know for a fact more people had commented on my last post, than the two it says right now. I didn't delete them (I only delete from weirdos and I don't think you lot are that far yet), so they must have been lost in cyberspace!

Mind you, I couldn't get on the blogger all day yesterday due to something or other, so it might have to do with that!

Anyhoo, yesterday was spent doing a very early shift and a very late shift. I started at half past six in the morning and finished at nine in the morning. And then, some joker planner had decided that it would be fun to do make me start again at 8pm and finish at 1.30am! Of course I didn't agree with how 'well' that worked, but never mind, I did both shifts.

The early morning jobby was the school run and the late night one was a concert run. One of the Netherlands biggest Dutch singing stars is Marco Borsato (yes, of Italian descent) and he gave four sell-out concerts in Arnhem. We arrive with a load of buses to get all the concert goers back to the station or the parking lots within one hour. And indeed, after only two runs (and a little detour), the place was empty and I could go home again.

The song at the top is one of his songs and it was actually the first one I ever heard. It was already hugely popular at the time and I was amazed at how people reacted to it. So, for all you Dutchies out there reading this blog: enjoy!