2022

I have been absent a bit lately, enjoying my sister's company and the Christmas period. I will be back in the New Year, but I just want to wish everybody a great 2022. Filled with good health, love and all other good things you might want. 

See you next year!

Hay ho!

Day one of the new year. And we all wish 2021 will be a different year than 2020, less isolation for a start! So, I wish everyone a great year with plenty of hugs and kisses, family and friends, parties and socialising and of course travel. 

For me the year started early as I had to work this morning. Which in turn meant I was in bed at 11.30 last night. Fortunately there wasn't too much heavy fireworks in our neighbourhood. There wasn't meant to be any as it was forbidden, but there are always people who think they are above any rules. Which is also the most likely reason one of our wheelie bins and all three of our neighbour's have gone up in smoke! Idiots!!!

The sign reads: you're laughing now...
Ominous

Anyway, after work I made a start with the challenge I had set myself: 790,8 kilometers to fulfil by December 31st. I had meant to do about 2 km, but when I got back to the car, I had done just 1,6. A mile. I had done all of a mile. Ah well, at least it is something. Tomorrow will be another day and another chance to whittle it down. And every journey starts with a step and these were my first steps.

So, that's it for now. Not much to report on this first day of the year. Enjoy your weekend.

Happy New Year

First of all I want to wish all my readers and commenters a very happy, healthy and fun 2018. May it bring all the adventures you wish for, big or small.

As for me, I hope there will be a new adventure this year, although at this point in time I cannot say much about it just yet. Although I can lift one tip of the veil: it will probably involve packing and unpacking at a large scale. Again. 

Other than that there are not many plans as yet for 2018. I will be traveling to see my sister in February. And there is a slight plan of doing a small road trip through the North of England, but that all depends on the adventure mentioned previously. 

But, as in years past, I will keep you posted about all that happens in my life. And of course not just mine, Miss Oswin's life as well. Not forgetting Brom and Mouse in this either. 

The change-over

She was outside for several hours on New Year's Eve. I got quite worried because she wouldn't come home.
She did in the end though and before it was dark and the fireworks started.

I never mind spending Christmas and/or New Year's on my own, in fact, I quite often want it like that. But this year I did spend New Year's with my friend. We had some drinks, had some food, had snacks. Saw some television, including a hilarious performance of Peter Pan and comforted Miss Oswin.

Miss Oswin is not a lap cat. She sits on my lap occasionally, but that usually lasts about 5 minutes, before she's off to her preferred places: box, floor, cupboard. But on New Year's Eve, she was close and stayed close. Not because she had all of a sudden decided to like that, but because she was quite frightened of the fireworks going off outside. 

It wasn't a massive amount, but cats do have really good hearing and those type of loud noises are not something they like. But she was quite comfortable on the couch between me and my friend. Until a bit before midnight, when she decided she had had enough. More, closer and louder bangs finally made her disappear under the sofa. Until the banging had stopped and she found her place on the floor again. No need for any more comforting thank you very much!

It's new!

An oil ball which looks like a dog with flying ears

First of all I want to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and wholesome 2017. Hope it will be a fantastic year for all of us. 

Personally there are a few things I have planned for this year. In only six weeks' time I will have a week's holiday (yes, again) and welcome two friends. Only one will be staying with me and even though there is overlap, their traveling dates are slightly different. It will be great fun though and we will have to see when and where we can meet up.

In a little over 5 months, I will be donning a wet suit, get on my bike and then run for a bit. Yes, I have signed up for this year's marathon triathlon. I thought I would have a bit more training time, but they moved the date from late August to early June. The good thing? My sister will be here to cheer me on and she will be roped in to be my water guard! 

And one that is just turning and looks like a very sleepy dog

As I said, my sister will be here in June as well and we have some things planned. We had planned some big trip to the very North of Norway, but that is quite expensive and we would like to take another road trip (2018, England) as well, so our Norwegian outings will probably be a bit closer to home and/or cheaper. 

And the last thing that is on my planning board is Christmas. Yes, I know we have just said goodbye to Christmas and the New Year has only just started, but sometimes you have to be early. I invited both my parents and my sister over for the holidays this year and they all said yes. Which is great.

There are two more destinations that might happen as well: Edinburgh for a short break and London for a short break. Plus whatever else I can think of and have the money for.

Those are the plans so far. To be changed/added to as necessary. 

Looking back on 2015

I usually do a month by month break-down of the year that has just passed, but I have the funny feeling it might just become a gloomy, dark and depressed kind of post this year. Because this was not my year. What with body troubles, head troubles and house troubles. It got me down.

The thing that got me through this year was the support and friendship of my family, friends and cyberfriends: human, animal or stuffed. The love shown through telephone calls, post cards, emails, visits and on occasion just an arm around my shoulder or an invitation to go walking did the world of good to me. All your thoughts and prayers were very much appreciated.

I had set out some goals at the beginning of the year. I think I met about three or four of those goals. I don´t mind it´s not more than that. The main ones have been met (the pain and meeting up with friends and family) and although it would have been nice to go sky-diving, if the choice would be between that and meeting up with family or friends, I would choose the latter every time!

2015 was not my year. But I will do my best to make 2016 the best year ever. And with your help and support and friendship, I think I might be able to pull it off!! So, let´s say goodbye to 2015 and HELLO to 2016.

The photo was taken by a friend who took me on a walk to a beautiful spot back in the summer, just to take my mind of things. 

Looking back on 2014

I think this year will stand out most in my mind as the year of pain. Not constant, but getting progressively worse over the year. Of course it was also the year of Oswin, my new friend. Of holidays, of getting used to living in the country and of a lot more. Here a short look back. If you click on the months, you will get to the post of that month. 

January: It was cold and windy. Both outside and in. Mind you, leaving the front door open is not a clever idea in the middle of the night when it's blowing a gale! But, I did manage to get the first thing that was on my bucket list for 2014 done. 

February: I watched the Olympics and was rooting for both the Netherlands and Norway. The first symptoms of the pain showed up, although not a clue what it was. And I needed to get a new car!

March: The mystery light, Murphy's law and the bathroom flood. But especially the bathroom flood!

April: The conclusion of the watersaga. I went cross country skiing. A visit to my sister in Northern Ireland didn't go quite according to plan. Although it did get dirty at some point!

May: Another tattoo (the musical one, not the body one), this time in Oslo.We rowed to victory in the annual rowing race. I met some new Dutch friends, who live on the same road. My Frysian inspired outfit had its first outing. I told you how my life has changed in the last 25 years and I got a new housemate.

June: I spent a week in Scotland with my new friend Yamini and Oswin got used to living in the country. And I had a massive brain freeze which caused me to not blog for a week!

July: It was summer in Norway. Proper summer with temperatures over 20 degrees for several weeks. There were visitors from the Netherlands, there was work, Oswin and of course the best birthday present ever. EVER!

August: I started walking. The storm that killed my apple and plum harvests. A holiday to the Netherlands. And the pain.

September: Free entertainment in the form of sheep wrangling. Another win at the Tide Games, this time for best horse. Plus I was nominated for a gold bus. The visit to the doctor that finally got the ball rolling. And cowshit.

October: I saw toadstools. And had an MR scan. And my sister came to visit. And we went on a walk.

November: This was the month where I slipped and slided with a bus. With a great deal of laughter as well, since it was on a specially prepared course. I had a visit to my gp again. Who finally referred me to a gynaecologist.

December: I did culture Icelandic style (ie shopping). I baked two cakes that tasted of Christmas according to my colleagues. Love for a feather duster was the order of the day for Oswin. We had a white Christmas. And the source of the pain was finally discovered!

A new bucket

Linette wishes you a great 2014 too. If she weren't sleeping that is!!!

Let me just start by wishing you all a very happy, healthy, relaxed and fun 2014. I hope this will the year all your dreams come true, however small they may be!

Now, I have long since stopped making New Year's resolutions. Basically, because they are broken by noon on New Year's Day already. But this year I decided to do something similar to resolutions. I will make a list of the things I want to see/do/learn this year. It will be a list of twelve, so it should be doable to do one a month. Some will come from my main bucket list, others are new. All have in common that they are relatively easy to accomplish (she says, confidently). So, here goes:

1. Have a professional photoshoot (from the main list). Should be achievable in February/March, depending on the photographer. 

2. Learning how to ride a horse (from the main list). Should be achievable. Not quite sure where to go, but I can find out.

3. Visit my sister in Northern Ireland. Well, if the Tide planners work with me on this one, this should happen in April. 

4. A tattoo. This year it will be the 200th anniversary of the first constitution of Norway and that will be celebrated by a bigger and better tattoo! And when 'my' band (KMKJWF: the one I occasionally drove around in the Netherlands) is also on the poster, I certainly should go! May for this one.

5. A German Christmas market. Yes, yes, I know Christmas has just been and most of you probably still have the tree up, but this is a list for the whole year and I hope that in December I can make my way over to Hamburg to visit its Christmas market.

Buckingham Palace

6. A musical in London. Or just London. With my sister? In November? 

7. Aurlandsdalen. You have read the horror story that was Aurlandsdalen. It was the one where I was walking on the fumes of the fumes left over after the fumes had burnt! And I want to do it again? Well, yes. Since I hope to be in better shape this time. I should be, because if I'm not, I won't be allowed to come! Probably August.

8. It will be my Mum's birthday this year. Strange thing: it happens every year! But this time she will turn OAP! So, definitely worth a visit. August/September.

9. See some more Norway. After all, I haven't really seen that much of this vast country. I would love to visit Hardangervidda. I only drove through it a couple of times, but we never stopped to enjoy the scenery. Summertime for that!

10. Get a second satellite dish so I can FINALLY watch Doctor Who and so much more. End of January most likely! Yippee!!!

11. Get a dishwasher. Since I am not too fond of washing dishes (understatement here people), I think this would make me a perfect birthday present. So, June it is!

12. Meet a fellow blogger. Somewhere. At some point.  

So, that's my list. Should be doable, achievable and accomplishable. There will be a lot more things happening hopefully: like the May 17th Parade and rowing race. Outings to other places. People visiting and me visiting people. Hope you will be there enjoying the stories with me. 

Looking back on 2013

This year contained a lot of firsts. A lot of things I had never done, seen or heard of. And I just wanted to look back and see how much I do know now and have learned. Click on the coloured months to go to the post of that month!

January: I had a run in with a large bread knife (which I still own by the way), it was cold, the dentist and I finally started driving on my own. 

February: Losing weight and househunting. Especially the househunting. And realising I should listen to Pepperfly. When she says I have as much chance of getting something, she is right! Oh, and an interview.

March: Again to the dentist, a new (well...) car, talking to myself, feeling under the weather and another interview. 

April: This was a month about proportions and walks, getting the keys to my new place and friends visiting.  

May: Friends and family, underdressing, parades and rowing and goats. And Wuppie.

June: Pepperfly knows all about birds, German and problems with the mail. 

July: My parents were here, the weather, the water, red shoes and the garden. That big big garden. That needs a lot of tending to. Because it's big, did I mention that already? And of course Preikestolen. That first lesson in 'how to go on a Norwegian walk'. 

August: 'How to go on a Norwegian walk, part 2', protest against cabotage, falling in love, escaping sheep and Herman's mackerels. 

September: The best job in the world, friends, booboo with the big cahuna and the potato-race. And plums. Lots and lots of plums.

October: A third interview, learning how to knit socks and Sweden.

November: My one year anniversary of living in Norway, being the bravest driver, the calendar for 2014, firewood and curly kale. 

December: Christmas dinner à la Norvège, storms and Wuppie. Especially Wuppie. 

So, this was 2013, tomorrow a new year starts. With hopefully a lot more adventures. 

Day 1 of 365

Well, the old year has gone and the new year is here. All 365 days are fresh and exciting and full of promise about what they will bring. My sister and I didn't do much last night: we watched Christmas films, a bit of tv and when the clock struck twelve we went outside to enjoy the fireworks. Mostly sparkly lights and not as much hard noise and by the time it was half past, it was all but done. As we stood outside there was another sound we could hear though: ships' horns! 

When we got back in, my sister's phone rang: our parentals! After the 'happy new year etc' from my Dad, it was my Mum's turn. And then she told us, she would phone us some time next year! Well, thank you Mum, but this year would be a bit nicer...

View over Haugesund

This morning started bright and fresh and no sign of the rain that has been falling ever since my sister arrived. We decided we would go out again and see a few things/get the remainder of the boxes and off we went. Up a hill in search of a view of Haugesund. We were not disappointed, even though it had started to rain/hail a little. Unfortunately my sister wore the wrong shoes for walking and we decided to get back to the car and get the boxes. 

All the boxes are here now. There are still a few plastic and metal containers there, but all the cardboard boxes have made their way here. Today I will pack my Christmas stuff away and put up all the 'normal' stuff. And then I will make walls with the boxes and cover them in blankets (I have plenty of those). It's not ideal, but there may be a chance of a two-bed apartment coming up soon.

My hopes and dreams for this year? First of all, get that &^%$#&% driver's note so I can actually get behind the wheel and start driving a bus! Hopefully find a bigger place where I will be able to have all the furniture I own. And of course I am thinking about my monsters, but that is a difficult and very 'weighty matter'! 

Looking back...

Several years ago I did a post about the year that had passed and with everything that happened this year, I thought I would do so again. Click on the months to go to the 'post of that month'. So, here goes...

January: This month I kept up learning a new language, trying to figure out how and what and work as a tourbusdriver. 

February: It was cold in February with icy landscapes and lakescapes. It made for beautiful photos though...

March: Wuppie gave me a big worry with his hematoma (which never really healed by the way). I worried myself by becoming ill (urinal tract infection) in France.

April: I went to Norway for the very first time. I spent time in Oslo and in the Telemark region where it was still the middle of winter! 

May: I finally found a lot of photos back again. I was so happy! Remember: never hit a computer: it will hurt you back, especially if you haven't got any back-ups!!

June: In June it was time for the housing association to pester me again about the garden. I had to remove some trees that were too close to the fence or some such nonsense. I never did, since my neighbours hadn't had that note. And when I moved out in November, I never heard anything about it...

July: I got stuck in the sand. Unlike at this moment: I am stuck in red tape. I prefer the sand!

August: This was a strange month. I had a really horrific accident in France and ended up at a French police station for a day. It left me thoroughly shaken and I was off my driving game for a bit. Fortunately I got a lot of help from family, friends, colleagues, my job and a social worker to help me deal with it all and I can safely say I am over it. I also went on a job interview in Norway, which felt great!

September: I had to start driving again and was quite nervous about it. It did all go fine though and I went back to driving as if nothing ever happened. At least, after a few weeks that is...

October: Finally: news from Norway. They offered me a job and wanted me to start as soon as I could. So strange to deal with all that, but so exciting as well!

November: My old life in the Netherlands ended and a new life in Norway started.

December: Red tape and new colleagues, snow and learning to understand people. And my sister of course!

Strange

Isn't it strange how on only the second day of the new year, you think: it's the same as last year! Nothing is different. The alarm went off at midday exactly (in the Netherlands every first Monday of the month the alarm goes off, so we know the sound and react when it sounds at a different time), the weather is still the same old weather and I still sit behind my computer thinking of all these great ways to spend my time and not doing much about it. It's a good thing it wasn't a resolution or I would be in trouble already!

Tomorrow will be my last day off before I am back to another bout of work. School runs probably and not much excitement. But on the plus side: my head is a haven of tranquility right now. It's actually so quiet in there right now I started having funny dreams again. I always do when I don't have anything to do really. And the one I had going from 2011 to 2012 was a doozy! Dreaming of having dinner with a lot of biathlon stars is always good, but for the first time I also spoke Norwegian in a dream. A good omen I hope...

New

New Year's Eve 1993: fancy dress party in the local pub

I missed it! I missed the change from the old into the new. I never heard the fireworks sound in 2010. I didn't have a glass of champagne to celebrate. And the reason?

Over the last two days I have been feeling a bit under the weather. A headache that had taken up residence in my head despite several attempts to flush him out with aspirins. Normally I visit friends of mine on New Year's Eve Eve (December 30th if you don't want to do the maths), because their eldest daughter and my sugardaughter V celebrates her birthday on December 31st. I was glad I didn't go this year, because I was nearly looking cross-eyed! And I cannot look cross-eyed!!

Yesterday I did make it to the shops, my sister wanted proper knitting needles instead of those awful British ones which are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too short to knit with properly. I wanted leggings so I wouldn't freeze in my uniform and I wanted to get home again, because it was cold and I had a headache!

Fortunately the headache finally decided to leave after getting attacked by yet more aspirins: enough was enough. I then watched 'A Carol Christmas', yet another take on the classic tale by Charlie D. And I have to admit, it was a good version. After that I zapped a bit, saw Minnellium by the Dinnerladies (Victoria Wood is just brilliant!), caught a film and had some nibbles. But at a quarter past eleven, I had had enough. So, I went to bed!

2010 has started...

Oil-balls, apple-flaps and bombs

Oliebollen at the top, Appelflappen at the bottom!

It's New Year's Eve! Or as we call it in the Netherlands: Old Year! And 'Old and New' is celebrated in the Netherlands with the items mentioned in the title of this post! And you can see two of the three in the photo accompanying this post.

The Dutch name for Oil-balls is Oliebollen and basically they are some sort of dough nut. The original dough nut to be precise: before some silly person thought it would be better with a hole in the middle! It's like a pancake batter (quite often with raisins and/or apple and sometimes even containing beer) and it's thrown in hot hot hot oil using two spoons or an icecream scoop. Halfway through you turn the ball around and when both sides are golden brown, you take them out, put them on some kitchen towel, add some icing sugar and eat. Preferably while they are still warm!

The Dutch name for Apple Flaps is Appelflappen and they are made using the same batter (without raisins or apple). Peel the apple, take out the core and slice the apple so the hole is in the middle. Then dunk them in the batter and put the battered apple in the hot oil. When both sides are golden brown, take them out, put them on some kitchen towel, add some icing sugar and eat. Lovely!

And the bombs? Well, the Netherlands are mad for their fireworks. And the only time you're allowed to light them is on New Year's Eve! Between 8pm and 2am to be precise. You can only buy fireworks legally from December 29th or 30th and people spend lots of money on them. What do you mean: recession?! The people who buy them are mostly male teens, young adults and dads. They do not want the sparkly stuff, they want the deafening stuff. Even the dads, but they get talked into sparkles by their wives! All through New Year's Eve people are lighting those fireworks. Not the sparkly stuff, because that's only fun in the dark, but the deafening stuff.

Now, the 'best fireworks' are the carbide churns. They use milkchurns, put some carbide in, add a bit of water, put the lid back on, put a piece of firework in the hole and light it. Can you imagine the noise? Nowadays, the community where I live has banned them from town and assigned a few fields surrounding the community where carbide churns are allowed to be lit!

Of course I am not too fond of all those fireworks. It's loud, it's messy, it's dangerous and most of all: it upsets my monsters, since cats have a more delicate (and better) hearing than us simple humans! Ah well, I've finished the Oliebollen and the Appelflappen (they were good, even if they were already cold) and the fireworks is only for about three days a year!

Anyway, I want to wish all of you in blogland a very happy, healthy and financially secure 2010! May all your resolutions be kept. I will talk to you again in the new year!

Fireworks

Happy 2009

I am no great fan of fireworks. Even when it is used to see out the old and see in the new (yeah right, as if...) I am not great fan. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if all they (mostly boys and men) had was nice coloured sparkly stuff, but noooooo, they have to have big, bigger and biggest bangs. And of course the ultimate bang as well using old milk churn and a lot of carbide and gunpowder (probably). They are only allowed to do this outside the towns, but I guess for a fifteen-year old a bit of grass in the middle of a built-up area is like outside the town, so BANG it goes!

Now, I'm not the only one hating the fireworks, my monsters also hate it. Apparently the hearing of cats is better than ours and every small sound is magnified incredibly. So, they hate fireworks as well. And when it goes quiet outside at half past eleven on New Year's Eve, they feel safe and come and sit down with me. Until midnight that is, because then everyone lights their fireworks at the same time, sending my cats to their hiding places.

All that is done now though: the fireworks are more or less over (an occasional small bang, that's it) and the new year has started.