New Year's resolutions.

Making New Year's resolutions, that's something I never do really. Because usually you 'forget' those within a few weeks, and mostly because I think every day is a good day to make resolutions!

Like, earlier this year I was challenged to write more often. And I think I did! I haven't written for 3 weeks now but hey, it's December, I was sick, had really bad internet... And I had to get ready for Christmas!

And I had a wonderful Christmas this year! In the week coming up to the big day I got spoiled by some Facebook friends. Joy, Andy and Frodo sent me a lovely care package with a calendar of their home town, a card and nail-art stuff. So sweet and thoughtful! And Hettie sent me a really wonderful card that folded out to be a snow globe. So cute! Peeps, you made me feel so loved!

Of course every year I get to spend Christmas with my kids and grandkids. Usually my son and I go to see a movie on the 24th but this year he went to have a day with his girlfriend and her family. So I was in his home alone...until my soulsister Patrizia came! She brought me flowers, chocolats and macarons and a lot of fun and gossip ;) 

I don't have much money but plenty of time so I had been buying Christmas presents for a while already and I had to pack everything at Evan's place. Luckily I am good at buying thoughtful gifts -if I may say so myself- so I had something nice for everyone and loads of stuff for the kids!

But the best present was for me! My wonderful kids have given me an Asus ZenPad 7 because my other tab died a while back. I just can't say how much this meant to me! Because somehow the camera on my laptop doesn't work anymore in Skype so I hadn't seen Dan in quite a while and now I can again :D

Erik, my son in law, cooked lovely 'cheffy' food, the kids were wonderful -I got to know Xavi a lot better- we watched a wonderful movie together...it was a lovely day!

And now I am back in 'far away' Alkmaar. Thinking about what my kids asked, to come live closer to them in a 55+ house. I'll have to get to work on that, get a medical declaration and stuff and mostly awknowledge to myself my physical health is not as good as I like to think it is! And the kids want me to come live closer because of that, so they can keep an eye on me.

So, I think that's my main New Year's resolution! Get closer to my kids and grandkids and stay close to all my Facebook friends! Dan decided he won't be coming in April but wants to spend my birthday with me so that's something to look forward to too. And I will be revising the whole smoking thing once again :p 

Got a lot to do and think about! And of course I wish all of you a year full of wisdom, health, warmth, love and friendship!

See you all in the New Year!

Hugs, Anna

Bad internet and the common cold.

Hey there everybody! I am back! From what you ask? Well from fighting a BAD cold! And I mean I had it BAD!!! We have a saying here that goes something like: a cold with a doctor takes a week and a cold without 7 days. Well this one took quite a bit longer, about 2,5 weeks and I am still not 100% but getting close ;) I guess it took so long because I had to get out of the house several times (for shopping, and twice a whole long day) and I got really wet in the rain a few times too. Sneezing, coughing, runny nose: blegh! I went through almost 500! tissues, no lie!

 

What I hate most about it, apart from my brain not working and sneezing all the time or my leaky nose, is that all food tastes like sawdust. I accidentally put too much sambal in my food one day and I only noticed because it made me sweat when I was eating it. Had that food for 3 days LOL. But earlier this week this week I cooked and...it tasted delicious!!! My tastebuds were working again!!! And that made me very happy :D

Starting about half November the internet connection went really really bad! We have wifi here divided over 5 appartments and I know everybody uses it but still, I never had it so bad. Well most of the time I didn't even have it, LOL. I went to the neighbor that has the router several times to complain and see what we could do. She said she had a bad connection too and that she called the provider and they said it was a point in the neighborhood that had disturbances and that they were on it :p 

Sure! I already have no working camera anymore on Skype and now no internet to talk with Dan??? We reset the password because turns out I was the only one paying for the internet here but of course the others found out and got the new password too when they promised they would pay. 

Now it works again most of the time. Yesterday I even had the superfast dl-speed I was used to! But I bought a wifi range extender, and due to my cold I haven't installed it properly yet (via WPS) because for that I have to go to the neighbor's house again and they have a newborn baby. But I'll do it one of these days!

Now you all take good care of yourselves and don't get a cold or the flu!

Hugz, Anna

Ode to my uncle.

Last week my uncle died, very unexpectedly. He reached the age of 83, so it's not like he was robbed from the cradle or something. But still, he was my only uncle left (I used to have 2).

Last Monday my sister called me, the one I never talk to. And she gave me the news. Aunt and uncle were on their way to bed. Aunt fell asleep before uncle came up, which was apparently normal. But then aunt woke up because she had to visit the facilities and didn't find my uncle so she went downstairs and found him on the floor in the kitchen. He was unconscious and was rushed to the hospital. And there he died, without ever waking up.

Willem de Vries, July 27 1932-November 23 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

He and my aunt had been together for 48 years! Never married as the hippies they once were. Uncle Willem was a fun uncle! When my aunt met him he worked for a theatre company, Proloog, quite famous in the Netherlands. He was a very creative man and had so much patience! I remember we were once making a 'death mask' of me but I couldn't go through because claustrophobia kicked in, and he was super nice about it. He was an art teacher to mentally disabled people and great at that. And he used to teach us kids naughty songs :D 

He also loved nature. My aunt and uncle had a boat for 15 years and travelled with that a lot. Later they bought a run down house in Chammeyroux, France, and he did that all up himself (with the occasional help of course). And he went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela...all on foot, and up until the Spanish border with his dog, who had her own little backpack.

Uncle Willem was a lovely man. My aunt has been having health problems and uncle took a lot from her hands and took care of her. Now poor aunt is going to be all alone...

We will miss you, uncle Willem!

Sometimes I would like

that yesterday never passed, 

because today everything is so much different.

We will miss him so much.

Condolences to aunt Puck, Marga and Pete, Anton and Dikkie and grand- and great grandchildren.