Snowy weekend

Yesterday was a good day. I cycled through the snow to the KeeK to knit with the girls (and Brent) and sang Händel’s Messiah in the afternoon. The concert was good, the vibe too. The city looks beautiful in the snow. Today I’ve been inside and around the house most of the time. We made a bog snowman and our dog went completely crazy in the snow. Here’s a picture of our street taken from our bedroom window this afternoon:

And here’s a picture of me with my new mittens. I got them in a kit from Canada yesterday. I received them because I take part in something called the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap and all the other goodies that were in the kit can be found here (will be a link when post is done). Go read about the swap! I’t an insight into the knitter’s interweb. It rocks!

My mum thinks I look cute, I think I look stupid, but of one thing I am sure, I LOVE these mittens. These mittens are my new best friends. They are pretty, and soft, and toasty, and they don’t make your hands sweat. Yay for the Olympics!

Here are some snowy pictures by Mick:

Since we didn’t leave the neighbourhood we didn’t get to see the inner city’s beauty in the snow. It was very pretty yesterday already but look at these pictures my friend Aart-Jan took this afternoon! We surely missed something there! The full set can be seen here, and these are my three favourites:

Giving thanks

Our captain suggested we tell what we’re thankful for, since the American holiday of thanksgiving is on, or just been I’m not sure. I thought long and hard about it, since my year has been particularly bad, but then I decided to just sit down and start, and see what I come up with, so here we go:

In no particular order, I am thankful for:

My family. Even though being married and having children is suffocating and stressful now and then, I know I have found someone in my life who knows all my good and my bad things and still loves me. That’s special. My children are the most beautiful, smart and lovely people in the world, and sometimes I love them so much it almost makes me cry.

My parents. My mother has had cancer this year and I am very very grateful she survived. My parents have never done anything than love me. They are good people.

My friends. I have three best friends. Judith, Simone and Brent. Judith moved to Australia a few years ago and I miss her so much it’s sometimes hard for me to talk to her about the things she does there, I just want her near. She’s been my strong one for so many years. I love you Jude, thanks you for everything.And thanks for giving us your dad as a third grandpa. He’s ace. Simone was my little sister. We met when we were 12 years old and pretended to be sisters all through puberty. She died in a carcrash in January. I am thankful for the 20 years we had together. For her modesty. For the way she put me in my place when I was being rude, for helping me and loving me always. For being a musical inspiration, for showing me that I should not take things for granted, and that you can find love in the funniest places. My heart Simone, has a big aching hole in it since you’re gone. And Brent, who came into my life, and just fitted in. We’re like twins. Thank you for coming back babe, for being here with me again. Thank you for loving me, for telling me I’m too smart for my own good, for saying what you said outside the tattoo shop. I love you sweetheart, and I’ll always be there for you. Don’t you worry about a thing.

Gifts :-)

Today Sinterklaas arrived in the Netherlands… He is the one who gives all Dutch children presents on the evening of December 5th. It’s our version of Christmas and it is one of my favourite holidays 🙂

The tradition comes from st Nicholas wo gave the poor presents on his birthday, Dec 6th, and I believe the good man lived in what’s now Turkey, but the current Dutch little ones believe he lives in Spain.

There he prepares all year for the fest in November and December, aided by his loyal helper Piet (Pete?) who is black as the night, due to his sneaking into the houses through the chimney to get the presents inside. Threats are that if you’re not good one year, he will put you in his big bag and take you with him to Spain, something that actually sounds pretty appealing, but nevertheless, kids still shudder in awe when the Saint and Piet are anywhere near.

Here’s a picture (not by me) of his arrival in our lovely city of Utrecht. We went to see that with the children today, and had a blast.

One ultra-cool thing about Sinterklaas is that he lets you put your shoe by the chimney or the front door in the time when he’s in the country and if you’re a good kid he puts small presents and candy in it while you sleep. I have to admit, I had a small peek at our front door and look!!!!! I LOVE that man, even if he’s, like, 700 years old.

Cursed week

I apologise for being absent in the past week. RL has caught up with me. I’ve been feeling sick and weak and have been sleeping a lot. Will be back at training soon though!

 

Enna

Where’s our Winnie?

I think Winnie is at Queerditch Marsh and Appleby Village in England

Skin Art 30/6/2009

Simone has the real guy, I’ll have to be satisfied with the monogram. Here’s to you Simone, a reminder of our mutual passion for JSB.

The tattoo was done by Rick from Skin Art Utrecht.

Pictures by Menke van Daalen

Remember Simone

Dear Friends

Many days, weeks, months have passed since we’ve lost our dear Simone.

Yet it feels like only yesterday that she brightened up our lives with her sparkling personality, endless love and affection, and her musical talents.

To honour her, and everything she gave us during her life there will be a performance of one of her favourite pieces, in one of her favourite churches on july 5th 2009.

We will play the b-minor mass (Hohe Messe) by Johann Sebastian Bach in the Willibrordkerk in Utrecht.

For this concert we need a group of experienced choir singers, who know the piece, and are available on friday night july 3rd, and saturday july 4th during the day for rehearsals.
The concert is on sunday night july 5th.

To join this project email me at jantinebootsman@gmail.com

Today I saw

The Vredenburg concert hall for the first time in ages! It is a place I feel like I practically grew up in. It is being rebuilt and is surrounded by a huge wall. While shopping for childrens’ clothes today I found out there are some holes in the wall an decided to stick a camera through, just to see what’s left of it.

As  one can see there’s actually loads of the building still there, and it didn’t even look like anyone is working on this at the moment.

As to how things are going, well, sunday was a setback with a huge emotional outburst triggered by a stressful situation. Hmmm, what to think if that. Be worried? Try and ignore? Talk to my shrink? We’ll see how I feel about it in the morning.

Work is going great, knitting, however, is slow. I have to give myself some time to get back into that properly. First finish the bow-tie I’m making Rom (I promised I’d have it done next saturday), and then decide on the next step. Honeybee Stole? Mick’s pullover? blown-up Lyra? All things either planned or in progress. And the socks, oh, all the socks.

At the moment all I feel is an enormous desire to be in control of my life. To be able to sing solos without freaking out, so I committed myself to another one in 3 weeks. It’s tiny and totally innocent. I can deal with that right? RIGHT?

We’ll see.

Is my life a mess much?

Oh yes it is.

Are things getting better?

Yes they are.

In a matter of months we lost so much, it’s mind altering. The world has turned upside down and is not going to turn back. I’m still trying to regain my balance. I doubt it will be back any time soon.

I miss Frodo. I miss my Simone, I miss knowing exactly who I am, but most of all I miss my Brent.

I hate to see my mother lose her hair, and throw up for days when she has her chemo, it makes me equally sick to the stomach, and frightened about the future.

I love Frodo’s house, now ours, we call it Bag End. I love cycling through town on Brent’s bike, sucking up the spring sunshine like it’s a drug. I love the fact that spring means easter means lots of singing to be done.

I love the fact that through losing Frodo and Simone we’ve met and love so many new people, their friends, our friends, who, by proving to be amazing people, underline that Frodo and Simone we just that. Amazing.

I look forward to being at the airport and seeing Brent again in June. He’d better wear protective clothing, I will crush him if he’s not careful.

I look forward to finishing all Simone’s knitting projects. That girl had a serious case of SSS on her hands and I will finish every last stitch on every sock and give it to their rightful owners.

This week, it almost looks like someone found the lightswitch that was lost late last year. Plans erupt, trying to push me into action. Singing, knitting, enjoying company, smiling at new things and old memories, blogging must be done.

So here we are. At Bag End. Wanna see? I actually wanted to take a picture of the beautiful tree at the end of our road, but it turned out  as a picture of the whole street.

Carnage……

I must share with you a sight that is horrible indeed. For those of you that are weak at heart, look no further. If you think you can take it, however, be sure to be sitting down…

Last night my sister and my brother in law, who are strangely enough a couple since a few weeks (!), were over at our place for dinner. my sister knits socks as well by the way.

After dinner I pulled out my knitting. I am still working on the dueling socks from the duel I lost to my friend Eugene, since he has graciously allowed me to pospone finishing them so I could finish my handmade item and make the early sending date…which I did. The socks are knit on Harmony 2,5 mm needles.

I told my sister about the needles. They were, in fact a present from Queen Frysia
to earlier mentioned Eugene in a RAOK that she sent him a few weeks ago. He had lend them to me for the duel (did he curse them? He os SO going to be in Slytherin next term!), and during it, I had sat on one needle. He told me since there were 6, he didn’t mind too much.

I bought him a new set though, and kept the old one. While telling this to my sister I pulled out my sock, and gasped. NOOOOO! There was a break! I had broken another needle! I was so sad and took out my DPN tin to grab a bamboo set. I wasn’t until I wanted to take the broken needle out of the knitting that I saw the true damage that had been done. Every single needle was broken. There is one left. The one that wasn’t in the knitting to start with.

Sigh…..