Interbellum..

is what one can call the period between Xmas and New year. And it is usually a quiet time. Nothing much to do, just finished the Holidays and now slowly gliding towards the end of the year. I am working these last days, must say the atmosphere is relaxed, not manu people available, so the tempo is down.

We have a small amount of snow falling, as i'am typing, but temps are to high, it won't last. I am recovering off the xmas. First day was just fine, went to church with my mother, than drank some coffee over at my house with her, and my sister collected her for the feastmeal in her family. I cooked my own dinner, quit nice all Eastern cooking in a special frying pan
baked and cooked some large shrimps, noodles and ginger garlic and ate it all..

The second day was fine too, met with my best friends and had a dinner in Rotterdam talked and laughed till 2.00 in the morning. Unfortuately Sjaak had to work the next day so at 08.00 the alarm sounded and we all got up and left.

2004 what?

Still a few days to go, but i feel like sharing little thoughts..
It is a wonderjful year for me, in many ways. But still a bit strange as well.

Lost contact with two friends, their still on my mind, but there is no contact anymore. Probably because the value and interest is gone. The contact was declining anyway. This because i moved out of Amsterdam area into a different city, 40 kilometers away from 'the city'. The two guys i'am reffering to visited me (an my former bofriend) april 2003 for the weekend. And i haven't seen them since. Contact ranged between Hi and what are you up to? I valuated it to be a one way direction thing, going not my way..And becoming aware of it,

And to put it all in historical prespective; went on winterholiday to Zwitersland for a week, alone, my xboyfriend doesn't like cold and snow and getting wet. In the same week my cat died after taking care of it for 18 years (are you still there?) Felt bad because i wasn't there when it happened. Had some skintrouble (looking back on it, it could have been a reaction to the situation) the doctors couldn't find anything wrong, cost me still a little fortune just to find that out and a hospitalvisit as well.

Had a amazing summer with two holidaybreaks visiting three locations in Europe (spain greece and germany..)
Attended the Eurogames with my choir, preformed three times, and with great succes. Two months later broke up with my x
and when autumm set in, i witnessed it alone. (welcome to the real world...)My careerline dind't rise but bent a few times into a different direction.
We will have to see 2005 will bring (new education, different assets, new skills to employ? )

And now I'am decorating the artifical tree. With 200 red lights (o yes, one has to do his best in his free time...)
and only red tinzels and balls (sure , of glass ofcourse, what do you expect... ;)

And this is going on now for 17 years already. And believe it, my tree is letting go of its damm artifical needles too. But that makes it a bit more realistic...
To make sure 2004 ends well: my castironfireplace is being cemented to the already made chimney, and on friday a specialist will apply 'sputspachtel'
(i dont' know how to translate that: it's little bubbles in plaster, you can only paint, can't use wallpaper on that surface..)

a poet for thougths, just befor xmas

a poet for thougths, just befor xmas
Originally uploaded by paulphoto.

here it is:

"And suddenly from sound bytes, I heard with my ears,
A "ho ho," a sleigh bell and something like deer(s).
As I clicked on the icons and surfed all around,
Up on the small screen came St. Nick with a bound.
He was barely dressed in all red and he looked pretty glad;
And to download hiim took all RAM I had.
A bundle of e-mail he had in his sack;
And he looked trimmed and trained from travellling to Venus and back.

The monitor, it twinkled! My mood, it was merry! :-)
But then "momma" saw all the "e's," and 'twas "hairy!" :-(
When she grimaced and winced , and shook her fair head, {{{ >;-C }}}
She gave me to know I had plenty to dread. :-O
Then without a word, she left really quick, :-I ----> {?}
And I was alone with my jolly St. Nick. :-D
But pointing his finger straight out at my nose,
He orderd me to stope and the computer to close..".

goodie goodie

Oooh, this is nice.

Monday's never been so good. Since a few months I dont work anymore on this dreadful day. I am off.....

And so pleased with all the freetime. I wil try to dedicate more time for painting, sketching and reading. Never the less every mondayevening the rehearsal of the all male choir 'manoeuvre' is a thing that i have to attend. We'll sing popular music, and i might add not without succes.

later on i'll publish some foto's. Meanwhile you can check
www.manoeuvre.nl and find out more, or click the link above this article

Do some paininting now....

and this with the fire place.

Filmet haard
Originally uploaded by paulphoto.

You can already see the great amount of dust settling in on everything in the house (even the second floor..)
They still have to finish it. can use it on 24th of januar 2005...

how it was before the open fire place

zonder haard
Originally uploaded by paulphoto.

I didn't know that much, underestimated the situation. Thougt just some drilling with a diamant water drill, can't be that bad....
Little did i kow. It took two days to create the fireplace.

is this wright for your name?

Why don't you try it out. Just type in your name and see if the result fits you...

P	Principled
A	Altruistic
U	Unforgettable
L	Lazy

Name / Username:

Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com

dead perret...

dooie papegaai
Originally uploaded by paulphoto.

This is so strange...
In Holland we didn't have any perrets living here.
We had all kind of winterhard bird staying with us like goose and ducks and raven and all kinds of smaller bird like robins etc.
just recentrly these little buggers came into the land and manage to stay alive (exept this one ;)
their subtropic and still get through the winter somehow..

how autumm can look..

heerfstbladeren mooi
Originally uploaded by paulphoto.

This is a fine picture of my frontgarden.
It is adjacent to the mainsteet. I like this pict. It has it all. Freshly fallen leaves, old ones already rotten in a way. It is a true pict of autumm leaves falling...

the latest thing...

deurbel mooi
Originally uploaded by paulphoto.

Yes, this is my nedw doorbel...Don;t you fancy it.
Mind you, if i slam my door: the sound of this iron alternative sounds througout the street. Some people don't know how to use it. They tick on my windowpain. But nost do know how to operate it..
I am pleaded with it anyway...

An abundance of gifts..

Yes, I mentioned Sinterklaas before...
He visited my house and left an abundance of gifts there to unwrap. My complete fammily gathered and was reading poems that good old Sinterklaas made for them.
Like there is no recession at all. We have a little usage that the one who unwrapped his own gift, picks one for somebody else. This went on for two hours...

But the best gift was my mother, she never attends these once in a year event.
She hasn't done so for 10 years. Neither does my secnond sister, she has a family of her own. They stopped celebrating Sinterklaas two years ago, she missed it. So two new people attendend and afcourse goold old Sinterklaas gave them a gift and poems aswell..

who wins?

At this moment it look like, the darkness will win.
Although autumm is here, the light vasnishes fast. There are more hours covered in darkness than there are gilded with light.Personally i' get in a light state of depression. I hate these gloomy, grey daylight hours. No blue skies just bleakness and the day glides by in one color only. At four o' clock i have to put on lights in my house. Fortunately we can look back on a fantastic spend summer, with light more than one wishes for. click and find out.

Do you hate this period of the year?