Birthdays, Beauty and Because Dutch News is News Too.

Birthdays

Way back in late October and early November, Nico and I celebrated our birthdays. Nico, 30, me, 32. Yes, yes, for those of you who didn't know, I am a cradle snatcher! We were supposed to celebrate the 30th in style, but not having finished the flat by that point we had a few friends over for a few drinks and a quiet night. The party was supposed to come later but I think Nico's night out with the boys a couple of weeks ago may have been it? On my birthday, we headed to Drenthe and checked out the Hunebed. 5000 year old tombs that look like mini-Stonehenges. For some reason, blogger isn't letting me upload photos at the moment, but if you have Facebook, you can see a few shots there.

Beauty

On the 18th November it was 6 months since we got hitched. To celebrate, we went to Den Haag to the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, home to Vermeer's famous Girl with a Pearl Earring. Although we did sneak a peak at this portrait, we were there to see the exhibition Dutch Portraits - The Age of Rembrandt and Frank Hals. The museum is small and intimite and the soothing sounds of two young violin players filled the air with a more than fitting soundtrack to rooms packed with aristocrats, merchants, scholars and families staring down their pointed noses at the curious creatures of the 21st century. Being able to compare portraits of the same era in such close quarters highlighted why Rembrandt has such a well deserved reputation. His depth and detail, in my eyes, surpassed many of his contemporaries. If you're in the Netherlands, you can see this beautiful and rare exhibition until 13th January 2008. After that, I guess these masterpieces go back to their private owners and galleries that are scattered around the world.

Because Dutch News is News Too

So goes the line from CCN - a short news comedy programme that airs nightly on TV in the Netherlands. It's part of the Boom Chicago crowd. We have a couple of friends, Jessica and Geert, who enjoy CCN (among other silly things) as much as we do. So we arranged to go to Amsterdam to see a live comedy improv show by Boom Chicago. We warmed ourselves up with a pint or two at a pub, then made our way to the theatre for food and fun. The theme of the night was Me, MySpace and iPod, quite fitting for me, especially since I had just got back from nerding it up in Milan at a 3 day conference on technology and education. The show was quirky and sarcastic and had the audience roaring with laughter. Add that to the best little cafe we had found earlier in the day, and the discovery of one of the funniest books ever published - Animals with Tourettes - and the company we had, it was a fabulous day and evening out.

Addendum to my last post

Well, it seems that with all the writing I have to do for work and for uni means that I don't have any other writing energy. Yes, curriculum writing and academic writing, as much as I love them, have squeezed me of any creative writing juices for Nanowrimo. You know, I love writing, but doing it full time makes me not really interested in writing in my free time. *Sigh*. I would have once thought that blasphemous!

So, I will postpone my Nanowrimo for next year, or the year after. Or whenever work and study don't involve so much, well, writing.

It's that time again...

Well, in about 30 minutes it's that time again.

What?

NaNoWriMo of course!

Remember last year I joined this crazy group of people who write 50000 words in the hope that it turns out to be some kind of story during the month of November?

Well it's almost November and I'm jumping back on board that NaNoWriMo ship.

Why?

Well emails that contain the following messages for a start:

The secret of NaNoWriMo. Which is this: There is a door in your brain. The door has been there your whole life. You may not have noticed it before because it blends in with everything else in your brain. Weird art. Mismatched furniture. Squishy gray bits clinging to everything. So what does this door have to do with your novel?Your job this month is not so much writing a book (which is intimidating) as it is finding that door (which is easy). It's easy because you'll have guides in November who will take you right to it. These guides are also known as your characters. They're kind of an abstract notion now, but you'll meet them in all their glory in Week One of NaNoWriMo. They'll be a strange lot. Insecure warlocks. Stamp-collecting squirrels. Teenage detectives. Whoever shows up, go with them. And go quickly. You may have a general sense of where you're going together; you may not. It doesn’t matter. Just write your allotment of 1667 words (or more) on November 1. Don't edit any of it. Editing is for December. Then come back and write another 1667 words the next day. And the next. And the next. By Week Two, you'll be at the door. A few words later, you'll be through it. You'll know you're there because the writing will feel different. Less like work, and more like watching a gloriously imperfect movie with cringe-worthy dialogue, heaps of confusing tangents, and moments of brilliance so delightful that you'll want to scream. Once you've stepped through that door into the vast reaches of your imagination, you'll be able to return there as often as you like. It's an enchanted, intoxicating place, and there are other great things besides novels in there. But we'll talk about that later. (Extract from an email to all the NaNoWriMo-ers out there from legendary creator, Chris Baty).

The hinges on my door are starting to creak.

D.I.Y?!

Trading in brain for brawn for a few days, we set about fixing the apartment that we're moving into at the weekend.

Thursday 20 September
18.30
Meet at Nijmegen station.
Find food.
Drive to our current 2nd home.
Eat.
19.00
Tape skirting boards, windows, light switches, edges of ceiling.
20.45
Run out of tape.
Go back to Eindhoven.

Friday 21 September
18.00
Meet the fabulous but slightly ill Jurgy at Nijmegen station.
Find restaurant.
Eat.
19.30
Drive to Nijmegen flat.
Nico finishes tape job.
Jurgy and I wash walls.
21.00
Bid farewell to Jurgs.
Drive back to Eindhoven.

Saturday 22 September
9.00
Drive to Nijmegen flat.
Slight diversion for coffee.
10.30
Paint walls.
Paint walls.
Paint walls.
13.00
Find food.
Eat.
14.00
Paint walls.
Paint walls.
Paint walls.
21.00
Drive home to Eindhoven.
22.00
Cook.
Eat.

Sunday 22 September
10.30
Drive to Nijmegen.
11.20
Smile at our yellow walls.
11.40
Unpeel tape from skirting boards, windows, light switches, edges of ceiling.
Lay foam.
Lay floor.
Repeat x 57458709740987487540074311704756538282932.
21.00
Drive back to Eindhoven.
22.00
Cook.
Eat.
Beer.
Drink.
Mmm.

We still have to lay the floors in the kitchen/dining area/hall/2xbedrooms/clean Nijmegen flat/pack Eindhoven flat/clean Eindhoven flat/move/unpack/have a life.But so far so good.

Road Trip **Warning: Very Long Story**

Setting off in the wee hours of Saturday morning wasn't even hard. It had been too long since our last road trip and our super tent needed to be used for more than a few days of festival going. We loaded up the car and set off with a bang. Literally. It was just a little bump into the car that was parked far too close for comfort, especially at dawn. But soon enough we were on those famous fast freeways of Germany. We were well on our way.

We drove towards the sun but it was a long way away. We sojourned in Graz, Austria for a meal and a night's rest. We woke early and drove towards the sun. Through the mountains and yo dee lay hee ho landscapes of Austria and Slovenia, we finally crossed into Croatia. We drank good coffee in roadside stops and breathed in crisp air. Our eyes opened in awe at the scenery. National park after national park. Craggy mountains. Glistening blue sea. Bright sunshine.

We kept driving south and the sun beat through the windows of the car with an intensity I hadn't felt for a long time. I wound down the window and let my arm work up a trucker's tan.

Split started to appear on the road signs. The kilometres clocked up in the car and clocked down on the road side signs. And then it came into view. A mish mash of buidlings straight out of Tito's times mixed with those of more distant reigns. It was Sunday and somehow the city felt like it had been deserted along with all those who had claimed Split as their own, so many times, so long ago.

We found a small hostel for a couple of nights. Super tent would have to wait a few more days to break out of its bag. Cool shower. Fresh clothes. And then down the hills to the heart of this brilliant city, home to God of tennis, Goran Ivanisevic.

Palm trees line the crystal clear waters of this harbour city. Diocletian's palace dominates. This is a palace that is truly public. Markets, cafes and restaurants are sprawled throughout this Roman emperor's retirement home. It also houses some of the city's residents who live on the poorer fringes of society - their flats handed down from generation to generation. Letting my eyes gaze up from the age old columns and gates, simplicity of life hits me: Laundry hanging out to dry. You can find the unexpected in the most amazing places.

Knowing we only had a couple of weeks to explore, and not able to find Goran, we headed further down the Dalmatian coast and pitched our super tent in Basko Polje. Not surprisingly, we didn't have a pump for our matresses but our friendly camper neighbours lent us theirs. Armed with a local brew, I got to work while Nico sat back in our Pevec chairs, sipped his Karlovacko and took some happy holiday snaps.

We'd hoped for endless sunshine and lazing on the beach, but Nico had secretly packed some Dutch weather. This didn't stop him from his first frolick in the Adriatic.

Our days here were spent walking, eating and drinking. Pizza was the specialty of, well, all of Croatia, and it was nicley complimented with any of the local pivo. We sampled such delicacies in neighbouring Basko Voda and Makarska. We also got closer to those craggy mountains that tower over and sneak through so many of these coastal cities and towns.

After filling up for a couple of days, we again headed south. After stopping off in Bosnia for lunch (and may I add that Bosnian pizzas outdo Croatia's, hands down) we drove into a most fascinating city. Dubrovnik. Little did I know that Nico didn't unpack that Dutch weather at our last stop and we had rain, rain, rain for our first few hours. But then the skies cleared and the sun shone and our expectations were more than met. And sometimes, pictures definitely speak louder than any words.

After a few days of sights, sounds and smells to fill our senses for a long time to come, we chased the sun to Hvar. This island boasts the most hours of sunshine in Croatia and it did not disappoint. Finally I submerged myself in refreshing salt water and joined the lizards on the rocks, lapping up the vitamin B that had been missing for a few years!

We stumbled on an amazing cocktail bar in Hvar and we spent most afternoons / evenings there sitting on cushioned couches, in cushioned archways and windows, enjoying a few drinks with the setting sun.

After a few days of true holiday life, we caught the ferry back to the mainland. Planning is not my strength and not something I really relish in. And sometimes I am reminded by mother nature why I am this way. We had decided to camp at Sibenik to visit Trogir and Krka National Park's famed waterfalls. As we cruised on towards the mainland, the clouds darkened and the temperature dropped. There it was. Rain.

Our solution? We decided to drive until it was sunny again. We ended up in Opatija. It has good ice cream. We stayed for about 12 hours. It was a little too long. But we did get perhaps the best picture of our holiday.

With a few days left on this Adriatic adventure, we left Croatia. On our mission for sun, we ended up in Trieste for the best cappucino and foccacia of my life. A charming seaside city where we were greeted with that certain hospitality that only Italy and its inhabitants can provide.


We stopped here only for lunch and a little walk. We thought it would be nice to spend our last few days in Venice. And it was. The perfect ending to a fabulous trip.

Is it August already?!

What happens to the days, I ask you? Well. Let's see.

Jane and Edwin tied the knot, and looked beautiful while they tied it.

I finished working for the nuns and took up curriculum developing and sanity editing.

I decided to do only one course again this semester for my MA.

It seems that I live in the Netherlands, work in Japan and the UK and study in Australia. Less exoctically, I spend a lot of time in front of my trusty laptop.

We went for a cycle and happened upon the biggest windmill for something to do with wheat. Come on...I'm stretching my tired mind all the way back to last month. Here are a couple of pretty pictures from the day!

We had a smashing high tea in Dussen with Sheelah, Ed, Jane and Edwin. I think I put on about 10 kilos in one afternoon. It was just like Christmas and a birthday and a lovely Sunday afternoon all rolled into one. Check out Jane's blog for some fab-o pictures!

And we found a flat in Nijmegen! Yay. We'll be moving some time between September 16th and October 1st.

This weekend it's off to the Lowlands festival. R.O.C.K. O.N.

And then for a road trip to Croatia on September 1st.

And then I promise I'll have more pictures and stories on the blog.

If anybody's still reading?!

As an end note...it seems that I've lost the ability to edit a post properly and going against all my anal retentiveness, I'm going to leave this layout because I. simply. can't. be. bothered.

Revenge of the Nerd

Or, Three Pictures Paint Three Thousand Words.

Stuff and Things

How do you top a blog entry slideshow about your own wedding?

The answer is that you can't. Well, actually, I can't.

Life post-wedding is pretty much the same as pre-wedding, except now we have rings on our left hands.

But spurred on by Brenda's comment on my last post, I feel compelled to write more, write more.

So news of late is this:

I quit work. My last day is August 10. So from August 11 I am officially a full time student again. We're hoping to go on a short trip to Croatia around then, and we're also hoping that Tomas and Jessica can make it down here for a holiday before they become real, live parents.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jasper. Who is he, you ask? Well, apart from being a beautiful baby, he is the new (3 week-ish) son of Debbie (from work) and hubby, Arthur. Debbie looks fantastic...a very relaxed, natural mum. If I ever pop any kiddies out, I hope that I will look as good as and be as relaxed as Debbie is! Meeting Jasper almost made me want to have a baby.

Get up off the floor now. I said almost.

Nico and I are looking (well, kind of) for a place to live in Nijmegen. Hopefully we'll be able to move in August. Busy month that will probably turn out to be.

Even though all these post-wedding events and plans are great, the highlight, by far, has been Festival Mundial in Tilburg. €10 for a full day of world music is just too great to put into words! But even greater than that absolute bargain was that The Cat Empire (http://www.thecatempire.com/) played! I hadn't seen them for about 2 years and they didn't disappoint. They were amazing. But would anything less be expected of them?! They pulled quite a crowd despite the rain. Just wonderful.

Sigh.

Snapping back to reality, I must get back to writing my mini-essays for my final assessment for my first MA course.

Joy.

Already 6 Days as the Missus?!

The 18th of May, aka the Wedding Day, was a great day all round...happy, exciting, fun, laid back, meaningful and silly all rolled into one.

I'll let the slideshow tell the story. All photos are thanks to mum, Roxanne, Catherine, Johan and Jennifer.

Enjoy...we certainly did!

When the cat's away...

Why not organise a last minute Eurovision party?

Berenice, Sam, Jane, Geert and Jessica (as seen in the photo below) broke out the beer and wine and scorecards for Eurovision 2007.















I was quite disappointed that Sweden or France didn't win, as I gave them the full 12 points on my scorecard, or even the Ukraine who scored (on my scorecard) 3 x 12 and 1 x 11.

We judged (through wine/beer/port goggles) the competitors on song, performance, dance routine and outfit but the official judging from the voting public around Europe phoned in for neighbouring countries and/or largest number of expats in country. No surprises there. Serbia, and in Terry Wogan's words, not the glamour girl of the competition, won. I didn't like the entry, but then again, I didn't pick up my phone and officially vote.

Thanks Eurovisioners for postponing dinner and a film in Antwerpen, the yummy bread, the cake, the wine and the company! And here's counting down to Eurovision 2008.