24 May 2004, local time 08:29

Ascension day was a very sunny day. I like the sun, because it always feels like he’s “charging my batteries”. So my day was good already. My son, his wife and their 2 kids visited us and had a great time together. They live, not far away, on the other side of our village.

Friday we had planned to make a path in our son’s garden. (He has got an other house a year ago and therefore is much to do around the house). So, in the morning we took his car and a trailer and went to the house of his wife’s dad. Loaded a heavy freight of cobble-stones and went back to his house. Meanwhile my son had excavated soil where the path had to be placed and filled with yellow sand. We vibrated the sand with a very heavy machine we had hired and then equalized the surface. The stones were laid on the bed in the desired pattern and locked up in concrete aprons. Covered the stones with sand to fill the space between the stones and were ready. Pfffft, a heavy duty, we were total loss.

Had a quit weekend and now it’s Monday morning again, a new week. What shall we decide to do with it?

16 May 2004, local time 21:37

We have had a beautiful weekend.
The weather was excellent, about 22 degrees Celsius.
Yesterday I’ve been the whole day in the garden, mowing grass, pulling out weeds and planting plants.

Today I’ve done nothing, I may not lie, I’ve cooked ,eaten and together with my wife washed up.
We had spring-onion-soup garnished with baked bacon, garlic and mustard. Farther we had our first asparagus this year, with butter, ham and eggs, delicious.

This afternoon I’ve been idle, sitting in the sun, protected by a sun-umbrella. A bit puzzling, a bit sleeping and a bit look around.
Yeh, really useful occupations.

6 May 2004, local time 20:22

Yesterday it was beautiful weather. We had to build a carport for my son. We already had placed a week ago two poles of steel on concrete foundations. On the poles and on the walls of an existing shed we mounted two H-balks of steel. In between the two H-balks we mounted wooden rafters, about every 50 cm one rafter. When we had done this, on top of the balks we screwed plywood and then the carport was half done. Because it began to rain we covered the whole with a tarpaulin. Next week we are building a slanting roof on it.

Today I worked the whole day in our garden. I like gardening, good to settle down.

5 May 2004, local time 09:22

Yesterday, the 4^th of May, we had our Commemoration of the dead. It’s the day we think of the (wo)men who died during Worldwar II. Flags are flying half-mast and every town and village have their ceremonies.

Today it’s Liberation Day. It’s the day Germany capitulated and was the end of Worldwar II.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

30 April 2004, local time 00:52

It’s Koninginnedag today. Translated to English it would be *Queensday”.  Birthday of our deceased Queen Juliana. The present Queen Beatrix hasn’t changed the date of Koninginnedag as a mark of honour to her mother. It’s always a day of festivities and the Royal family is visiting a town or village in the Netherlands. Towns and villages are decorated with flags and orange graces-notes and the local societies show where they stand for. Everywhere are flea-markets and it’s fun time. http://www.coolness.demon.nl/koninginnedag.htm

We had a splendid day, weather was excellent, sunny 23°C.

A few beers did the rest, hmmmm. J

24 April 2004, local time 21:10

Last Tuesday the lecture on geology went quite well. There were about 25 people of all ages and (wo)men) fifty/fifty. Today we were with the same group in a enormous sandpit in Germany, to do some practice in looking for fossils. The extracted sand is used for building houses, highways, bridges, etc. The sand is extracted by suction-dredgers and bigger stones and gravel are sorted out on a heap. In such heaps you can find fossils like (pieces of) ammonites, sponges, coral, etc.

During the Ice-ages they came with the ice from the North (Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland) to our country. We had a beautiful sunny day, found several pieces. At the end we drunk a coffee and/or beer(s) together and discussed the day. After that we went home for a well deserved rest.

Tomorrow the group will come together for a walk along a geological path or trail in our surrounding. We try to show them the influence of the Ice-ages on our neighbourhood.

This morning I had to go to my dentist to get a dental frame for the lower jaws. Last week the cutting-teeth and an eye-tooth were pulled out. This morning the other eye-tooth has been cut off, bored and filled, to serve later as a grip for the frame. Then I had to bite in a waxy substance to get an imprint of the remaining teeth and the holes.................................................................. Now I'm waiting with a half empty mouth for a new appointment. A remarkable sensation! .................................................................When you get older you always go through new adventures. Bye!

9 February 2004 - 23:33 local time.

It was a stormy night and this morning it was raining. So I stayed inside and looked after the results of Cha0tic in the contest at http://www.20six.co.uk/ �. Till now he can manage it and has no reason� to complain.

Farther I made copies of some pages of Libelle, a women�s booklet, http://libelle.vrouwonline.nl/ , made a pdf-file of it and mailed it to my daughter in Birmingham. That I do each week, so she doesn�t miss some stories.

In the afternoon the weather became sunny, so I went outside and rummaged a bit in the garden. Then I went in the garage where my lathe is and turned some mushrooms. Then it was time to eat.

Till next log, bye!

5 February 2004 - 22:21 local time.

This morning we went to Aldi, no not that one from Blogbrothers, but a grocer in our village. They have good stuff for low prices. We went there to buy the normal things for a household, but also to get the ingredients for Spaghetti Bolognese. They had almost all but not the minced meat, chopped tomatoes and spices. Therefore this afternoon I got that from a grocery nearby, about 100 mtrs from our house. Then the fun could start. I have used the receipt from http://www.denning.org.uk/cooking/bolognese/

except for the spaghetti. It was delicious Cha0tic! �As we are the two of us the quantity of the sauce was clearly to much. We can still eat 4 times of it, but we�ll freeze that.

Till next log, bye!

2 February 2004 - 23:42 local time.

Today I�d speak to my brother from Curacao through Messenger. He had bad news. A sister of my brother�s wife had passed away this morning, she was 63 years old. Now my brother and his wife have to hurry and look for a plane which brings them to the Netherlands. Friday or Saturday she will be cremated. Probable my sisters with their husbands and my wife and I are going there too, but we have to deliberate it.

Yesterday it was really bad weather. Rain and thunderstorm over the whole country, with wind speeds of 120 km/hour. No weather to go out and so we didn�t.

Till next log, bye!

31 January 2004 - 00:26 local time.

I�d read the log of Cha0tic where he was talking about climbing. It did me think of the time we were climbing too. It was a fabulous time. How the whole family went to the first courses to learn the basics of climbing. Later on the more difficult exercises in real mountains. The trips through snow and across glacier. Sitting on top of the world, great sensation. http://www.nkbv.nl/ Its all over, we only have our memories and photographs/slides.

Today I have reread and browsed a lot of books about woodturning. I like it reading about that, what techniques and which tools they use for the different products.

Btw our Queen has her birthday now. Till next log, bye!

29 January 2004 - 23:26 local time.

Hello everybody. This morning had a surprise, we waked up with snow!!!! I took a picture of it in my garden. http://www.fotolog.net/fossilfossil/ It was very slippery and cars were driving very carefully. All day long it kept snowing more or less.

Till next log, bye!

28 January 2004 - 21:37 local time.

Hello. In the morning we ringed by our sister in law. She asked if we could have the children today, because of the fact she was sick of the pain� in her throat. The youngest, 3 years old, should come first, the boy of 5 had to go at school first them we had to go and get him. Of course we said yes and after a while the girl was brought by his father (who went to work). She is a easy child and adorable. Till noon she was playing, then it was time to eat and drink something. My wife had to go and get the boy, meanwhile I made bread and put buttermilk in the glasses. When my wife and grandson came back we had lunch together. After lunch my granddaughter went to bed. My wife made a bed for my grandson in the livingroom, a sleeping bag upon some cushions. Then started a video for children and she laid down on the sofa. My wife and grandson together were watching, I went upstairs to the PC. After a while it was time to drink tea and eat a cookie. Thereafter my wife and the kids went for a walk in the park nearby. Meanwhile I made the diner. When they got back diner was almost ready. After a while my son came home from work, we have dined together and then he took the children with him to their own house. We enjoyed the children, but now we are enjoying the rest.

Till next log, bye!

27 January 2004 - 23:49 local time.

Hi there. Yesterday our video had died. So we ordered a new one at my former employer, a mail order company. This morning after the coffee it was brought and so I had to install the thing. The cables were put in the proper holes and then the party could begin.

No wait, I had still to program the VID to get the right canals. You have to read the instructions for use at first, but I didn�t get it. By try and error I discovered that the instructions were incomplete. It have taken two hours to do the whole thing. Aarrgghh.

My wife Ria, at 14.30 hours, went to a niece to see after her children. She does every Monday en Tuesday, while their mother is working then. She comes home then at 18.00. So I had to cook. We got sprouts with cheese.

Till next log, bye!

Saturday evening we had a party at our �old� neighbours. They have left our neigbourhood and therefore they had the party. All former neighbours were there and it was very sociable.

Sunday morning my daughter in law came back home from hospital. When she was talking she had a high peeping voice. She was very tired. They and we were glad to have her back home.

Today I am working on the horses again. I have done the basics painting now and they need to dry. It has to be done 3 times and this was the last time. Then I will start with the finishing touch, the painting of the bridle, saddle, manes and tail.

http://home-5.12move.nl/~sh458027/Co.Demoed.html

This evening we have a meeting of woodturners. They will show the things they made. Someone is showing how to make a certain thing or we will see a video.

23 January 2004 - 23:57 local time.

Hello boys and girls how are you?

Today our grandchildren were here, because their mother is in hospital now, where she is operated. Her tonsils are taken out this morning. This afternoon she phoned us already again, so it seems to go well with her. Sunday she will probably come home. The oldest grandchild, a boy, is 5 years old, lovable and sometimes real naughty. The youngest is 3 and a girl. Almost always in a good mood,but can be very stubborn. We both like them and they like it to be here.

Today it was my turn to cook. I like it to do, especially meals you don�t cook every day. This day I made Nasi Goreng. It�s rice mixed with vegetables as onion, carrot, leek, green beans and paprika. Farther pieces of pork and baked bacon. Spiced with coriander, garlic, curry, cumin, soy, white pepper, chilipowder,ginger, trassie, etc. You can serve it with gherkins en little sour silveronions, kroepoek and accompanied with a cold beer, hhhmmmm.

Nasi Goreng comes from Indonesia. The Amboineses introduced this receipt and many others in the Dutch society after they came to the Netherlands when Indonesia became a republic.

22 January 2004 - 23:55 local time.

Hi again.

Today a sunny day, but cold. After drinking coffee this morning, did some odd jobs outside.

Finally cut our Christmas tree in pieces and threw them in the garbage collector.�

A barrel, in which we collect rainwater, coming from the roof of our garden shed, was sagged because of the weight of all the water. Because of the fact that the rain pipe was fixed to the barrel and the gutter, last one was pulled down and drooped on one end downwards. I lifted the barrel to solve the problem.

Then cut off some twigs from a shrub which became to long and joined them with the pieces of the Christmas tree.

Because of the cold I went inside and went on with the toy-horses.

In the afternoon I had a conversation with my brother, living in Cura�ao (Netherlands Antilles), using Windows Messenger. He has been there for more then 25 years and now wants to come a bit closer to us. The isle of Malta will be his new place to live.

Goodbye and till next log.

20 January 2004 - 20:35 local time.

Not much is happening here. Rain, rain and rain. Tomorrow it will be a dry day the weather prophets said and it�s becoming colder -3C. Will enjoy the sun!

Still busy with the horse toys. Here, on the following shortcut, a couple of pictures to show how they look like. http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/albert_mulder/album?.dir=/2004-01-20

This day I have searched the internet to find websites about woodturning. Found a lot of them, so much new ideas too.

Till next log, goodbye. ☺

18 January 2004 - 00:59 local time.

This morning at 9:00 exactly my friend woodturner was there with another guy. Together we went to a little town Neede about 50 km�s from our home. There we had to seek for the address where the sawing demonstration should happen. Turned out to be in the middle of nowhere. There were about twenty people. The saw was a translocatable one. The owner of the machine goes with it to where they need him. It�s impressive to see how a tree is cut into pieces. It was in the open air so no lark with the bad weather we had, rain, cold and windy, brrr. After we had drunk coffee we could buy the woodpieces we wanted, about 16 eurocent a liter. My friend bought some pieces and then we went home again into the warmth.

We had an excellent birthday party, however bad for the weight. All is so tasteful, impossible to say no. Tomorrow therefore hunger strike. Only water and dry bread. Now I�m enjoying my own Grolsch-party. J

Skolllllllllll !�