Our sparrows are happy.

 Goodafternoon everybody.

We are having probably the last lovely day with around 23C, next week they expect a few days of much lower temperatures. like 17-18C with rain etc. May be next weekend it will get better again. 

It was a much better week this time, recovered on sleep, so a bit more energy was there. Between the usual things we had twice a pop-in visit of our neighbor. He is having vacation and is doing some DIY jobs. We could help him with some small tools and when returning them I invited him for a drink. It was nice to have someone on visit, specially for Jan it is good, while he doesn;t get out much and this way he speaks someone else. Our neighbor is a nice guy, sometimes we don't see eachother for longer time and then a few times a week. (We also take parcels from the post for him when he isnt at home).

Our birds specially the sparros, are very happy at the moment. I bought them a new type of birdseed container The old one was also good, but that one was always attacked and emptied almost by the crows and that costs a lot of birdseed.

Now I have this one and it is a pleasure to see the sparrows hope in and out, and make a lot of noise, hahaha.

During the week we had several visits of the neighboring cat, one day I was in the room in the morning watching some tv and suddenly saw something moving. You guessed right, it was the cat, looking around in the room. Well, I like him, but it is better he doesn;t come into the house, so I gently removed him.

Friday I seemed to be quite filled with some energy, so I changed the bedsheets, but also cleaned the whole bedroom, taking of the dust with a moist tissue of all that was in the room, removed a few small spider or dust webs in corners, and then went through with the vacuum cleaner. I felt quite happy with myself, LOL. Even did some gardening also, so it was a well spent day.

Yesterday I bought me a clematis plant, I was on the search for a long time for a new clematis, but couldn;t find it. Now I found one, even with discount, but this one was still looking good. So I will put it in a big container, together with something that will give some shadow on the roots, and we will try growing it near our sitting area. It's a clematis from the "So many purple flowers" it will grow not higher than about 3 mtr. and will grow not too wide either. I foud a picture of it on the web, I think it is the one I have, it has not so big flowers, but many smaller ones. Looks real nice.

I hope that tis one will survive, our other two clematis plants are completely disappeared. I think Jan pruned them too hard, and may be the roots drowned a bit when there was a period of much rain. Oh well, it is nice to have something new too.

Okay, time for me to finish now, my laundry is ready, so I have to hang it out to dry and then I will go to the garden to first remove a bad growing rose from the container and then plant in that the clematis. 

Wishing you all a wonderful week, stay safe, 

A week of mostly trying to have some sleep recovery.

 Goodafternoon everybody!

Our weather still is a bit strange, it isn;t cold, but not summery temperatures either, here and there some rain, today it is very windy. I just returned from some work in the garden. Small jobs, like a bit of pruning or deadheading , a few plants needed repotting and that was about all.

This week hasnt been very busy, but not too good either. It had to do with Jan. soemhwere Tuesday he started to have some nasty pain in the belley, more or less as he had a few times before, but not as bad as then. You can imahine that Tuesday night he didnt get much sleep, but I neither. The pain didn;t become worse, thank God for that, and even Wednesday evening it became less. That was something to be happy about. So not yet need to call a doctor(and you just see, our doctor just was on vacation!), the only thing was that the stool didn;t work all too well and certainly with Jan we have to be careful with it. It still isn;t on "normal"behaviour, it's coming difficult and rather slow. Let's see how today will go, I hope better, because otherwise I don;t know what to do.(Jan isnt very much for calling in doctors if not really necessary, you know him). Now you  can understand a bit about the post title. Almost not sleeping Tuesday night, the Wednesday was a day of trying to get some sleep, sitting around and feeling tired. And even the day after I didn't feel still great, although much better after some recovery sleep. 

I planned to do some things this week, but as very often, they didnlt work out. Why don;t I learn from the past? I just know, that making plans isnt such a good thing for me, often it just works out very differently. Never mind that, I am for now glad that it wasn't necessary to call for doctor. Let's hope it only will go better with his stool and so in one or two days.

In between we did see some of the Olympics and I am very proud of our athletes, they did extremely well this time, they have 36 medals, which is amazing for such a small country as we are. And there were some of the medals that came as a surprise, because of amazing performances. So a deep bow for our sporters and for all of the participants. 

I made it easy for myself yesterday for dinner. I've made a big pan of soup and there is more than enough for today too. So a big bowl of soup, with perhaps a sandwich with dairy butter on it on the side will do perfectly well today too. And if we might feel a bit hungry later on we always can take a sandwich with a tasty topping. 

I hope you are all doing well, and I wish you a very lovely week to come and stay safe.

My hair looks better again.

 Goodafternoon everybody.

Our weather is a bit up and down, but not really summer temperatures. We have around 19-21C in our area, which is a bit low for now. Here and there some rain, but also periods with sun, little windy too at times. Would be nice if it soon will get a little bit warmer, so we could enjoy our patio a bit more. 

It is very bad in Southern Europe and part of Turkey too with very big and fearce fires, and they have temperatures of 338-40C or even  bit higher. It is really sad too see all the nature destroyed.

Last Monday I finally went to my haridresser too have shortcut again. Oh my, how wonderful that feeling is and easy too comb in the morning. I did wait far too long to make that appointment, but now I am settled again for a month or two I think.

For tomorrow I already have something on the planner. This morning I wanted to make some coffe, I still have an "old-fashioned"coffeemaker with paper filter and a drip stop. All worked well for a long time, but this morning suddenly the dripstop fell off and I cannot get it fixed again. Well, it isn't such a big thing,I can put back the dripstop when I quickly also put back the coffecan under it. Only if I want to pour some coffee, yes, the dripstop fells off, hahaha. It will do for today. Tomorrow I will buy us a new one, but one for less cups of coffee, we can do with one for around 6 cups, no need to have one for 12 or 15.

What else did happen this week? Not too much, we watched quite  a lot of the Olympics, there are events also live during daytime (our time). It is nice that we can do it if we want too. But in between all, I did some of the usual stuff, not interesting too tell about. 

Our tomatoes are really becoming tomatoes. Still rather small, but they need a bit more warmth and also sunshine I guess. So it will take still some weeks before we can harvest a tomatoe. I noticed however that we will have a few beans. The plant flowered and I saw that already a few beans are shaling from it. I don;t expect to have a big harvest, I even wonder if it will be enough for us for one meal, LOL. But it was a try, and now that I now they grow rather well  in a big pot, I can plant a bit more next year. Usually I am rather animal friendly, I could say, but that doesn;t include slugs. They do well in this weather with some rain, some sun, they like it and it is visible early evening and also very late. It depends a bit on their mood I guess. Sometimes I am in the kitchen at around 8 p.m. to make some coffee, look into the garden and see them crawling all over the stones. And then I am a very bad person suddenly. I go out with a small plastic bag and an old pair of sugartongs and try to pick up as much as I see. sorry for them, but I hate it when they eat too much plants and I don;t want them to lay too many eggs. Sometimes I do it early evening and again much later(then I'll have to go out with a small flashlight). But I am convinced there are enough survivers left, it's almost impossible to find them all. It is however funny when I am slughunting, I very often meet with one or two toads, and this week I noticed even three, so they made a family, LOL. There are less frogs now in or garden, although we still have the tiny pond and it seems there still is at times a frogg living in it, but I didn;t see any young ones. Perhaps the spawn was eaten, who knows?

Well, thias is about all about our not so imteresting life at the moment. But you know by this post that we are still in more or less good order, hahaha, and perhaps next week there will be some more exciting news, you'll never know.

I will go and watch a little bit Olympics again(it is nice now because there is quite some athletics at the moment), and then soon I must start with dinner, we will have a small ham of the bone, have to put it in the oven, and I think I will put in some potatoes to roast with it and make fresh applesauce.

Wishing you all a wonderful week, till next time. 

We have guest visits from a cat.

 Goodafternoon everybody!

Yes, today very late, I slept a bit longer and then was busy with things, Our wether has been quite okay, yesterday there was some rain, it will rain possibly too in the evening again, temperature today is about 23-25C. Later this week it will drop to may be 20-21C, which is somewhat  low for July. 

I was later this morning because I slept longer than usual. All due to the Olympics. We have a time difference with Japa of about 7 hours, so a lot of events take place in our nights. There are of course summaries to see of tod enough for a medal, They start often at 02.00 night (our time). Not best for the sleep, I know, but ..................

We had again a quiet week, I love to say it, although sometimes it seems dull. However, we had a visit from Heidi and Séverine this week on Tuesday and it was ever so nice. Séverine explained us a few things on our phones, not all, but every time something is okay. we had a drink and a few laughs, sitting in the garden.

And we have a visitor lately from a beautiful young cat, at home somewhere in the neighbourhood. No, it doesn;t look astray, looking far too clean and well-fed, but it seems to like our garden and our chairs with the pillows in the garden, hahahha. It's a very friendly cat, grey with white and very light green-greyish eyes. I will try to make a photo and put it in my next blogpost. I only have to try to learn him/her( I didn;t check, LOL) that it can be in our garden and lay around but cannot harm the little birds. Will be hard, I know, but I can always try.

After I woke up this morning I first had a cup of tea and something to eat, watched a bit tv and then started to prepare for dinner. I still had some big shrimps in the freezer, so I thought I might use them up and they are in a simple marinade of sunflower oil, some pepper, salt and garlic. I also made a potatoe salad to go with it and I also have a few slices of smoked salmon with it. As dessert we will have some yogurt with fresh strawberries. I think it will be yummie. It's a bit luxurious dinner, I know, but we don't have that too often. During the week we also have sometimes just a hamburger with some salad or boiled veggies and potatoes.Another day perhaps just some pasta, or a Sheperd's Pie with some salad,  But every now and then we can make an exception, isn;t it?

Oh, I also turned on the washing machine to have the laundry done, it's hanging to dry now in the extension room we have. All together I think I filled my day well enough, so now it is about time to do a little game perhaps on the laptop, and later hang some food for the birds and then the afternoon will be gone already.

I wish you all a wonderful week, stay safe, take care of yourselves, and till next week.

In several weeks we will have all the curtains.

 Goodafternoon everybody!

Weather is good again, We have around 22-24C, sunshine, little bit of wind, and it will stay like this probably all next week. So somewhere this week Jan has to water the garden again. This seems strange, if you know that in the south of our country, as well as in Germany and Belgium there was very much rain and there are terrible floods. It hurts your heart when you see the disaster and the dammage that it has done. Lots of people lost everything in their house, if not even their house too. There are also a lot of casualties, for all in Germany and Belgium. And there are still people missing.

There was also another really bad news item, on Friday the 8th of July a crime journalist was shot and badly too, they hit his head. He died of the attack last week after struggling for his life about a week. It is shocking that things like that happen and it seems if it happens more often. Journalists, lawyers, program makers etc, seem not to be safe anymore to do their job. If you want to know more details I have alink for you:

Peter R de Vries: Dutch crime reporter dies after shooting - BBC News

Thursday the man of the curtain-shop came by to measure everything to the detail, and during his visit we even changed a few things, and now all the house will be having new curtains, or blinds or net-curtains. It is really a lot of money we will spend, but it certainly will last for a longer time, because it is good quality and will be well-made. Of course it hurts a little bit in the wallet, LOL, but it will be worth it. I tried to find some examples of the curtains we will have, and i did find some, although it looks as if it isn't really the colour I have in mind. Nevertheless you will have a slight idea.

For the living room front and back we will have net curtains(of which I didn;t find a foto)and curtains.Here the curtains

I have the idea that there is a slightly more green in it, but you can see the kind of tissue, which is linen.

For the little bedroom Jan wanted a warmer colour which is about this one

Because of starting of holidays, we will have to wait somewhat longer on the curtains to be ready, we hope to have them mid-september.

My friend Heidi also returned from their vacation, they even came home one or two days earlier, because they didnlt have nice weather at all, or only two days of wonderful weather and the rest of the time cloudy, rather cold, even rain. Well, if this is the case, you better can be at home. If all comes right Heidi and Séverine will come by next week for a moment, which will be nice. The Séverine will also explain a bit about our phones, may be even install some small things or so. 

Returning for a moment to the flood disaster, even then there are happening kind of miracles. read the following article if  you want

 https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/07/cow-survives-100-kilometre-swim-downstream-in-river-flood-waters/

As long as it is nice weather i should spend some time outside, under the parasol as I already did earlier this morning with my coffee and the book. It is so nice in the morning, real quiet and peaceful.

Wishing you all a lovely week, stay safe!

New curtains, net curtains, blinds, all in short sight.

 Goodafternoon everybody.

Weather report: Today looks quite nice, we have mostly sunshine, temperatures are around 20-22C, we've had a little rain, so all in all it is not bad. Next week will be of about the same weather.

Well, Friday was the day. Jan and I went for the new curtains(I will call them all just "curtains"is easier), not too far from our house, with a bit of effort and here and there a very short break, Jan did walk it. The shop where we went wasn;t the most cheapest, but it is one, that is doing business for years and years, it is a family business, and they have still time for their customers and good service. Time we took for our order, I think we stayed there about 3 hours, but the lady took her time, and that was very agreable. We ordered now net curtains for front and back of the living room and for the small bedroom, also curtains for there(in the bedroom a sort of blackout curtain), then blinds for the kitchen and lamets for the expansion. So we've done all the house. It's quite some money, but we have real good quality, that should do for some years ahead. Next Thursday the husband of the business will come to measure for all and when all will be ready, he will hang it all, with new rails etc. It will take a bit of time till it will be ready, because it is just start of holidays, so we hope to have it all hanging by end of August. Oh gosh, how wonderful it will look with all the new curtains, all fresh and well hung and sliding etc.

Next project will be to find us a new couch, which will probably will be two smaller ones. I already looked into some websites of furniture shops and I saw one or two that have a good selection for not too expensive and still an aoky quality. May be we will go there in a week or two, if Jan feels up to it. And then we should stop for a while , because we already will have spent a lot of money this year. But....... it will be worth it. For years we weren;t able to invest in new stuff, now we have the possibility and we should do it now. It will be a good feeling to have some new and fresh furniture and together with the curtains and the new windows we will be settled for while again. 

There are still some other projects that I would have done, but those will have to wait for a while till we can save some moeny for that again. I will be happy as a child when the first things will be accomplished in , say, 3 months time. 

Yesterday Jan told me, he called again Séverine, just to check if all was still okay. Wow, he did it without me asking for it, that's a news item, LOL! All seems to go allright with her, she told Jan she would go out for diner to a small restaurant with her grandparents. And some day last week she had some girlfriends visiting her and they played old fashion board games and they had great fun.

Already next weekend Heidi and Danny will be back from their vacation. Then we should pick a day to visit them, finally. 

I managed to take a few foto's in the garden so here they are. First is to show that my tomatoes really blossom, now it is waiting till they make tomatoes!

We have several plants, so who knows what harvest we might get??????

Next foto's are from a rose bush, that already bloomed with several roses, now it is busy with the second bloom. It is quite a large bush, about 1,50 mtr or may be even more. It has beautiful roses, in fact this foto isn;t really showing how beautiful and big they are. When new buds will open I will try to take better foto's. And the next foto is from lilies that bloom like mad. I had once a few from Heidi, but now I have a whoe bunch of them and they bloom for such a long time and hold also well in a vase.

I am still learning how to take the best pictures with my smartphone, so they will get better in time, hopefully. And I edit them with Paint(already in the windows 10). It will do for now, but perhaps one day I will buy me a new Photoshop Elements again. You can do much more with that, who knows, may be one day I'll pick up designing scrapbook kits again. Don't get too enthousiastic, I am not sure about that at all yet. We'll see what future will bring us. For now, I wish you all a wonderful week, stay safe, take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Better weather makes better mood.

 Goodafternoon everybody!

Our weather is somewhat better now, not spectacular, but temperatures around 20-21C, some clouds, some sun, here and there(mostly there, hahah)lots of rain, even thunderstorms, but not much in our part. It's good enough again to have the gardendoors opened and I did have my morning coffee in the garden today.

It was a week in which not too much happened, as usual, we don;t get out very much, that's to say, I do, but Jan is much at home, it is not easy for him to go out for a longer time, it has to do with condition of course but his breathing too. However he can be a bit outside because of the garden, he does do some work there, every time a little bit, it keeps him busy and is good ofr his feeling still being able to do something, you know. Let's just be happy he still is around.

One day I was out to get us some new stock of cheese in another shopping street a bit further away from us, and I also found some wonderful jars and small sprinklers for herbs and spices. Lately I was a bit annoyed because of the unpractical cupboard, where I keep my herbs and spices. I often buy larger packs, which is much cheeper of some spices and/or herbs, but not arranged handy. Now with these smaller jars (for a very low price) I arranged all much better. All the spices and herbs in the bigger jars to keep fresh and dry and all the more daily used spices all in the same sort of sprinkler, it all looks a lot better arranged. It might sound just very little to be so excited about, but I am happy with it, LOL.

Also found myself two new t-shirts for this summer, I run out a bit, because I cleaned out the shelf with the long and short sleeved t-shirts too. Got rid of several very old ones, they were too small, or discoloured etc. Slowly I get around in all cupboards and wardrobes, as well as I cleaned out my little desk where I have my laptop on. It has four very handy drawers, but you know the trouble with drawers...........after some time they get more and more filled with .stuff. So I bought some small low baskets and the pens and staples and all such things are now well arranged again, and i can see what's in the drawer. The second one was mainly full of old manuals for older laptops/computers, some program cd's that will not work anymore in Windows 10, all kind of terrible stuff, that had no use anymore. Gosh, I have even space left over a bit in that small drawer! All drawers look great again, so another small job finally done. It is amazing that it always takes more time than you think.

Somewhere this week I will try to attack one or two drawers in in a cabinet. I fear there will come out a lot of rubbage too!

This weekend my friend Heidi went on vacation, so Jan will call Séverine somewhere today to ask if all is okay with her(he came first with the idea, gosh!). I think she will be, but I promised her mother to make a few phonecalls just to check. 

It's looking as if we might have a little rain , which is good news for my tomatoe plants. They keep hgetting more and more yellow flowers, so it looks good for a small harvest. 

Could be time now for a cup of tea, may be a sandwich, and hoefully a later today a moment on the patio in the sun. Wishing you all a lovely week, take care of yourselves!