Happy New Year!!

Hi all,


Hope you've all had a wonderful New Year's Eve
Wishing you all the best for the year 2011

Merry Christmas!

have fun today, enjoy your company and don't eat too much!

 A few presents from me for everyone, because I failed to meet Sinterklaas ...

 For the first time ever I made mincemeat pies

 and they are very nice!

 Francien having a personal after party ... next year Santa should get her a real moustache!

Here's DH: unwrapping a paper? No after this came the real present ...

And here's our Christmas tree

Have fun today, enjoy your company and don't eat too much!

Tour NL

Hi all,

Yesterday we did a tour through nearly the whole of the Netherlands ...
We started in Peize, of course, and left for Leeuwarden to drop off Irene and some of her stuff (wardrobe + desk chair).
At 12.00 DH had a meeting in Alkmaar and at 14.00 one in Amsterdam.
I had a look around in Bergen aan Zee, where there is a high percentage of SUV's: Range Rovers gallore! (a.k.a. city tractors)
En route we saw this funny sign:

If there wouldn't have been dikes, we would have had to drive through 4,8 meters of water ... impossible!
A beautiful an HUGE snowman said hello:

All the while I could finish by hand what I had made for may mum&dad-inlaw:

2 Chrismas placemats and on the back I've (machine) embroidered the prayer my dad-in law always says before they start their evening meal.

They were very happy with it.

Eindhoven was lovely and really the city of lights. Unfortunately only one picture came up well; and a beauty it is:

We arrived at home at 23.20 ... and knackered we were (well I was!).

Betty

alas ...

Hi all,

DH & I  went to town yesterday: we did the weekly shopping and then I bought a new pair of trousers. We  only travelled on the main roads, as there were so many warnings about icey roads. All went well.

My two daughters (18 & 21) left at about three in my car and phoned lateron that something had happened and I wasn't going to like it. So I asked which small post she'd hit. I wasn't too alarmed probably because she phoned herself, so it could never be serious .... or could it?
And very matter of factual she told me she'd skidded but she only hit a tree and then they ended up in a ditch.
OMG!!

We came to fetch them and waited for the tow truck. We went to our GP and all was well, he said. They would develop a few bruises, but nothing serious.
I was sooooooo relieved!

The snag is that my life of luxurious freedom is now down the drain ....

But I'm so thankful the girls are OK.
I'm grateful to all the people who have been working to make this a real safe car, because it was.
Now it's a write off ...

So be it

Betty

snow & ice

Hi all,

It looks beautiful outside: a real picture postcard!
But it means I won't be travelling up North to visit my friend. We had planned to have a creative get together. It'll have to wait till after Christmas in the Next Year.

This photo I took this morning. The rising sun in the east coloured the sky in the west.

Will it still be this beautiful next weekend: at Christmas.
I'll have to make plans for that: what will we eat, which presents to buy and which to make myself.
For my mum- & dad-in-law I'm making something really special: once it's finished I'll post a picture.

But first: I need to buy a new pair of trousers: holes are starting to appear (in this cold weather!)
Off to the shops ...
Well, maybe I'll wait till after the weekend and the roads are clean again ....

with love,

Betty

back home

Hi all! I'm back!
Rika and I had a really great time in the snow, in the car, in the shops and in the lovely house we stayed in.
We enjoyed the woodburning sauna every day but were too chicken to make angels in the snow ...
So we're not Superwomen, we're super though!

 Yep, that's us!

 Snow on the frozen lake and fog coming in

the house (on the right) + the sauna (middle) + no neighbours (far left)

 drool, drool

 Rika bought a star at ICA and quite a nice one, too

Ice chrystals on the window of the hunting lodge.

How I miss the snow!

Carel

Today exactly one year ago our lovely boxer dog had to be put down: he was in such pain!

His cancer was spreading really quickly.
What can you do?
There's only one thing: to put him out of his misery a.s.a.p.

He loved lying in his (plastic) basket and then he'd roll his neck right over the edge and SLEEP!

bye dearest Carel!

Sweden: here I come

Saturday morning we're off to Sweden for a week! In the snow at -25 ...
Surely it's not that cold anymore, I hope.
But just in case, I've ben forageing warm clothing: snow boots, ski pants, leggings (instead of long johns) and a woollen cardigan and jumper.
We'll take books (and I'll take my sewing machine too, of course), have long talks in the sauna, we intend to go fishing by drilling a hole in the ice (I've had bad dreams about that already) and we'll think of plenty more to do once we're there!
Yes, looking forward to it!

The only downside is that I won't be able to celebrate Sinterklaas with my family ... snif
But then again, they're not kiddies anylonger!
They'll have fun without me (and I without them).
....