The walk through town

This photo shows the Oldehove, the leaning tower of Leeuwarden. It was supposed to be a lot higher, but the builder didn't realise he was building on unstable ground. When it started sagging, he adjusted his plans and apart from leaning it is also wonky. It kept sagging though and he had to give up. The rough bits on either side (half way up) were where the cathedral bit was supposed to be joined on. That never happened either. 

Now, Maria Louise lived just around the corner from this large tableau made from the Makkumer Potteries. She was a royal and is the ancestor of I think all of the current and several now defunct European royal houses. She was highly regarded by the town's people as she was very good to them. After the death of her husband, she did not return to a palace, but instead chose to continue living in Leeuwarden. 

This was the actual place Marijke Meu (as Maria Louise was affectionately known, meaning aunt Marijke) lived in. In the basement of the building there is an exhibition of MC Escher, who was actually born in the house right next door (where the scaffolding is), which belonged to this place when Maria Lousie lived there.

On we went, but not that far as there was another house of another noted person: Margaretha Zelle. You have never heard of her? What about Mata Hari? Yes, the very same! And she was born right in this unassuming house on one of the three hills of Leeuwarden. Or as she called it: the castle on the mountain. She claimed to be much more than she probably was and in the end it cost her her life. Did she spy for the Germans? Did she spy for the allies? Or did she spy for both? Nobody was certain, but they thought they did. She got shot in 1917 by the French.

We passed lovely gardens and lovely houses, which had been built and rented out by the charitable organisation of St Anthony's. They provided homes for the widows back in the day, but also had a hospital. All the buildings that are in their possession (still) are easily recognised by the bell, which was St Anthony's trademark. The houses in the photo are the homes of the gardeners. According to the guide, they still live there!

On we went and we got to the Great or St James' Church (Jacobijner kerk). It used to be a catholic church, but after the reformation in the 16th century it became a protestant one, which it is to this day. The north of the province of Fryslân is still largely catholic and there is a pilgrim's route that you can walk from there all the way to Santiago de Compostela, passing this church and plenty more. The route is called the Jabikspaad (Jacob's or James' Way).

Just across from the church is the Jewish monument and the Jewish quarter. Out of the 700 or so Jews living in Leeuwarden before the war, about 545 did not return. The photo I show is of the shop owned by one Jewish family who were told to report to the train station where they had to buy their own ticket to Westerbork (the transit camp). From there they were put on transport to the East and died within weeks of arrival. The current inhabitants of the shop/home have decided to keep the signs out of respect to the former inhabitants. (It says umbrellas and walking sticks)

Now, I hadn't even noticed when I took the photo what it was of, but once home and once I had read the information on the information board next to the church, I realised I had actually taken a photo of a facing brick representing young St James. He was the most chaste of all Jesus' disciples and he is shown here holding a club. St James had his 'day' on May 1st, in the 'old religion' the day of the eruption of new life force. The club is symbol of him taming that force.

Orange beerhouse

Where you come home at the end

of a messy day,

where your world intensifies

to singing, talking, laughing,

table cloths are ready,

it is cosy to the hilt,

you are transported 150 years

back on your timeline,

where you come home at the end

of your weekly pressures,

you have the chance of disappearing 

in a fog of old happiness.

Judith Nieken, 2016

Belonging

I think it's the old telephone cable system. Underground obviously!

Mouldy fungi. Weird.

Because we all know hub cabs grow on trees!

A forest gnome getting out of the ground

So, a few things I found on several of my walks. Hope you enjoyed them and yes, it's a lazy post today. 

Sorting the photos

I am working through a lot of photos lately. Yes, I need to paint too, but as they will be working on the chimney, there might be dust and painting and dust don't go together. Apparently. So, working on photos it is. 

I have now copied all my father's photos from his/their holidays onto my computer. They were on discs here and there, but not all were still accessible. Before none of them are: on to my computer. I will then get an external hard disc to safeguard the lot, including mine.

Miss Oswin was not in agreement about it. She had much rather be outside, but only if I am outside as well. Otherwise, she will stay in thank you very much. Strange kitty. 

Next job: my sister's photos! I only have to scan those...

Cross-eyed

Setting the table 

I have made a little start on scanning photos. Only the ones that were actually in one box and it took me nearly all day! After scanning them, I only kept some family photos, the rest was binned.

I did find some nice ones though. The one where my sister and I are screaming in a wet roller coaster. I had won some tickets and asked if she wanted to come along. And then she didn't want to go in any of the rides! I was not having that, so in the end she went in all but one of the roller coasters. On occasion screaming her pretty little head off!!

I also found a photo where we were going to the zoo. Can't remember being there (another zoo yes, not this one) with her, but hey, there's a photo, so it must be true. The shorts I do remember: they kept riding up and were quite annoying. 

We were at a wedding. Aren't we the cheery bunch?

Mind you, I didn't even empty the one box. There are still school reports, vaccination reports, baptism program and all sorts of other things to go through. If 1% gets thrown out from all that, it will be a lot!

Soooooo...

I have made a start on a blanket and I must say it looks pretty good. Of course I am quickly running out of thread, so I will have to go down to a thread store soon to get some more. As I am using Christmas fabric, I thought using red and green thread would be good. However, the red that came with the machine (thank you Gera) is doing fine, it's the green that is moving at lightning speed. 

This morning I made a little start on the photos. First of all the photos already stored on my computer, all the way back from April and May. I take the photos off of my iPhone as well on occasion and found some nice ones I might be able to use. 

Now it's the crates that are waiting, although I am not sure which photos they are. I also have several albums filled with photos of my younger years, especially the foreign seasons I did (Italy, France, Yugoslavia) and my childhood. I want to get those done as well, but as people who scan will know: it takes aaaaaaaaagggggggggggeeeeeeeeeesssssssss!

I wanted to get some breakfast this morning and I knew for a fact that I had taken a carton of milk out of the garage yesterday. But, when I wanted to pour said milk over my rice crispies, it was nowhere to be found! In the end I had to get another carton from the garage. When I then looked in the fridge (again), I found the first one. Of course! 

The wall

The big ferris wheel in Vienna, Austria

As soon as I got my present this year (ie the photos on canvas) I knew I had to scour my vast collection of photos for some more beauties. In the end, there were 22! *Gulp* 

Kylemore Abbey, Co Galway, Ireland

But, some major weeding turned those 22 into 7. This time I didn't forget to put in the 25% discount code (I forgot the first time grrrr) and then the wait started.

The Cliffs of Dover, England

I got the notice for each and every one that it had been made and sent. Then I got a notice for each and every one that it was on the way. And today I got 7 text messages saying they had arrived. Oh joy!

Bryggen in Bergen, Norway

I picked them up, got them home, unwrapped them all and then the big ponder started: where to put them? In the end, after a bit of precarious balancing on the back of the sofa, I got them all up. 

Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

I had to change some of the others with the new ones and yes, there is still room on the wall for more! 

Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy

I think it looks smashing. If you want to have a better look at the photos, please biggify, although it is a photo of a photo, so some detail might be lost.

Poulnabrone Dolmen, Co Clare, Ireland

Now, before I get a call from a certain parental unit: yes, this photo was taken by you! Mine were rubbish and yours was brilliant. 

The wall

Some more Club Med

These photos were all taken during my first season at Club Med. You can see how tanned I am, although my nose never got any other colour than red for some reason. The top photo is taken during a 'living painting' I think. I can't remember drinking whatever it was I had in my hands.

Being in the mini-club, meant I had to do shows with them as well. Mostly they were tried and tested, but this one was more or less thought up by yours truly: a tiger show with me as the tiger handler. And no, the stick was purely decoration!!

During the last few months of the season, several other shows starting popping up and the big circus show was one of them. I am in the photo, although not really recognisable. I am the one in green at the front. Please don't ask me to do that move now, I will need an ambulance!

One of my favourite shows was the fire and water show. The butcher (who lived upstairs from me) had a fire-eating act and I was in several routines in the water. Not sure what the plot was, but it probably looked nice from the shore.

This photo was taken during the same show. I always tried to get the blue outfit (there were only two), so I had to come in early to bag it. I am slap bang in the middle here. 

This photo was taken right at the beginning of the season. I know, because of what I am wearing. The further in the season, the skimpier the bikini really! And yes, that was my work outfit! Not too shabby. Mind you, if I were to wear it in my current job, I would probably be hospitalised with severe frostbite!

Hello!

When we go on those hiking/walking trips, we both take photos. Even if we have been there before, we will take new photos of the same thing again. It means as well, that our trips usually take a bit longer because of all that photo taking. 

One plus of the both of us taking photos is that I get some photos of myself. I haven't got a nice and fancy phone with which I can take photos (shock, horror, but yes, it's true), so if I want to take a selfie it has to be done with a big cumbersome camera.

The first two photos were taken during the drizzle-trip. We came to a bridge and the water was just running down. I had a good rain suit on and stood underneath while my friend took several photos. The second one was taken a little later during that trip. For some reason I have my eyes closed. 

The third photo shows me at the beginning of the no-drizzle-trip. Well wrapped up, but the hat came off within ten minutes, as did the gloves. The coat was opened and the scarf was loosened as well. And the last photo shows me walking from the photographer (Unni). It looks emptier than it was, because there were a lot of people about.

Ehm?

Right, third time is a charm as they say. This is however the fourth try to write this post. I am never completely satisfied with it. 

There is plenty I want to say, but I can't seem to find the right words to do so. 

So, photos it is! Sorry!

Strike

We went on the purple (bog) walk

Well, the short holiday is over. It took a bit of work to get everything home (my sister needed to loan me another suitcase), but I managed in the end. I waited for ages at Dublin Airport. I scored a Danish flag at Copenhagen Airport and I forgot to buy duty-free at Oslo Airport. But when I got home, all that was forgotten. Because I was home again!

The path over the bog, with Pepperfly and my sister

On Sunday I didn't do much. I just enjoyed the sunshine and my new books/dvd's. And I waited. Waited to hear about whether or not we would go on strike. When I went to bed, there was still no answer. 

Perfect!

Norway is a country with a strong unionised workforce. And every few years, those unions demand across the board pay rises, better training, and whatever else is necessary to do a job properly and have a decent life. If the employers don't at least meet somewhere, the unions call for strikes. Last weekend was the mediation bit of the negotiations of our line of work: busdrivers, the initial talks having ended without any result.

Gorse

Early Monday morning I still didn't know whether the strike was on or off, so I made my way to work to... well... work. And after about an hour and a half of driving I got a text saying: there is a deal on the table, so no strike! The deal consists of extra money per hour, paid training and probably some other things as well. We still have to vote over it, but I think it's an okay thing.

In other news: I have a cold; I can finally order my Norwegian driver's license (I could two weeks ago, but what with Easter and then my holiday...); the grass in the garden is growing too fast and on Sunday I might get a new...

All photos today were taken on Friday, first we went on a walk and then on a drive. During that drive we saw beautiful things, however, my sister (who was driving) and the hedges didn't make it easy for me to take any photos. Well, apart from the one just above. I thought it was hilarious (Oma means grandma, I am easily pleased). Another thing that aparently was hilarious, was my ranting about said hedges and the fact that my sister wouldn't stop the car at all to let us poor passengers take a single photo!

Hello!

A former colleague of mine found some photos the other day and decided to scan them in. One of them was of yours truly and he sent it to me! I am not quite sure where or when it was taken though. I think it's of a football run somewhere (looking at the sign at the top of the window) and it's in front of some station or other. 

The people on the bus however, don't look like your average football supporters. Yes, there is a man wearing an FC Utrecht scarf, but the lady sitting next to me is wearing a business suit, while one of the people behind me seems to be wearing a scary mask!

A bit of a mystery, but a nice one.

Update: photo was taken on May 13, 2005 at the Dutch cup final between FC Utrecht and someone else. In Rotterdam, where the final was held. Don't I look young?!