First things first. If you want to participate in a give away, go to Honeysuckle Lane’s Simple Joys and leave a comment. That makes you eligible for a prize and it is a nice weblog also. You have to do it before Sunday night, I think.
Having gotten that out of the way, I must sit here and type some sensible words, although I don’t know if I am at all capable of it. I didn’t sleep much last night, because my stubborn mind wanted to be up, although my body said to go to sleep. It was a battle between the two and I think my mind won in the end. Now I have a somewhat coherently functioning brain that has been fed coffee and may be quite capable of turning out a halfway decent post.
I think I am suffering from the same problem as Babaloo and that is a shortage of material to write about. So, when short of material, wrack your brain and come up with something.
Well, one thing I can tell you, is that the weather has been nice these past couple of days. I hasn’t been cold at all, 10 degrees Celsius and for the time of year, that is pretty warm. If it was up to me, but of course it isn’t, it would stay like this until springtime and then magically the weather would turn beautiful and we would all go outside bare armed and bask in the sunlight.
Of course, it is possible that Father Winter has some more cold weather in petto for us and we mustn’t jubilate to early and start any wishful thoughts about spring and happy lambs in the meadow. Which leads me to lamb chops and why people would want to eat those?
Anyway, my daughter called me last night to say that she had arrived home safely and that the rest of her trip had been lovely. They had loved Barcelona and Northern Spain and want to go back there and see the rest of it. They saw a lot of Gaudi, of course. I am glad she is home safe again with her son and her cat and dog and that she can get on with her life again after such a long holiday. She didn’t sound jet lagged and maybe she will be spared the worst of that.
My sister and I walked the dogs around the pond yesterday and it was a real outing for me after having had such a strange day the day before. I am trying to put that day out of my mind as quickly as possible.
So, we walked around the pond and the grass and the weeds have all been cut back and the path has been cleaned of all the fallen leaves, so it makes for a much more comfortable walk and the dogs can roam around a bit better too now. Jesker is such a super cool dog and pays no attention to what my sister’s dog is up to. Jesker is there to sniff in all the possible interesting holes and burrows and doesn’t care which other dog comes walking by. My sister’s dog challenges every other dog and it can be quite a problem, so I am always happy when we go there and we don’t meet anybody else.
When I got home, Eduard came home shortly after me and had gotten the groceries. I am so glad that he is doing them for now, because, although I am feeling very much better, I am not feeling inclined to do the groceries yet, as it seems all rather stressful to me still. I worry about the tiniest details of it and the grocery store doesn’t seem like a very friendly environment to me right now.
Now, if you gave me 100 Euros, I would go to M&S Fashions and spend it gladly, but that would not be stressful shopping to me. That would be an entirely fun and relaxing experience.
Eduard keeps trying to make short films of Jesker doing adorable things, but Jesker stops doing them as soon as the camera is pointed at him. He doesn’t have any movie star ambitions. All he wants is for me to sit on the sofa and pet him and tickle him behind his ears and you can only film that so many times. When he does do something funny, Eduard doesn’t have the camera handy and he is too late to capture the moment.
Eduard has also tried to take candid photographs of me and candid they are indeed, as I look like an idiot on all of them. I have him delete them all. I don’t know what it is, but I am just not photogenic. I think that one day I will have my portrait painted and have the artist paint me in the most flattering light and remove all my blemishes and other less attractive features. Or I’ll go to a photographer who will photoshop the hell out of me.
Th other option is that there will be no photographic record of me of the last thirty years of my life. Mmm, that’s a viable option. It will be as if I never got beyond a certain age. I will be frozen in time at the age of thirty nine, when most of my photographs stop.
On Dutch TV, there is an interesting series that just started about the British Museum. Last night it was about the art restorers and it was very educational. Leave it to the BBC to come up with something good like that. The Museum is wonderful and looks like a place where you would gladly get lost in. They have a cornucopia of items from all over the world, some of them looted of course, but nevertheless very impressive. It would be something if all countries started demanding the return of their national treasures. Such mayhem would ensue. Think of all the Rembrandts in the Hermitage.
No, I suppose it is best that all of these items are lovingly looked after and cared for properly and that they are made available for all the people in the world to see them in the best possible circumstances.
There was another program on about a male gorilla named Yvo, who was raised by people and who did not identify with his fellow gorillas and did not mate with the females. He was sent from one zoo to the next and did not do his job. The question was, what do you do with a gorilla that does not reproduce? Obviously, it is very important that those in captivity do, because of the threat of extinction in their natural habitats. Poor Yvo just sat there and did nothing.
It is really sad when animals can only survive in zoos and not in their own environments. A zoo is not the best place to be. It is a place of captivity, after all, even if they are looked after well. I am sure that a lot of these animals are bored beyond tears and that they don’t appreciate being looked at by hordes of curious people all day long, who laugh at them for being funny and showing human like behavior.
Well, here I go getting on my soap box again. Animal rights and all that. I just think that they are at the mercy of us and that so very often we do them no justice. I think that my political party should be more vocal about animal rights. They do a good job about hum
an rights, but I think they can do a better job in this other area as well.
Speaking of human rights, can we all go to the Olympics in Bejing when China tramples human rights so very much and suppresses other people? What are your feelings about that? On the one hand, it is good for the Chinese to be exposed to modern democratic people and ways of thinking, on the other hand you want them to feel some amount of international pressure to stop abuse and oppression of other people. What is the best choice?
Okay, now I am going to look for some images, lest I start to stand on too many soap boxes all at once.
You can tell I am feeling better, can’t you? There is some spit and vinegar back in me. I need that, because I need to vacuum the whole apartment today and I need energy for that.
I hope you all have a lovely day and that your part of the world is peaceful and tranquil. Ciao…
Irene, you are indeed sweet. I got a laugh out of the comment you left me about my characters having a secret laugh at everyone. They do! But only at the dummies who don’t get it and you are no dummy, so don’t worry.
I’ve read the posts that are here on your main page. 1)I deeply understand the struggle with depression and wish you the best. 2) I adore dogs and Jesker looks like a real sweetie. 3) I find zoos rather depressing because of the animals locked-up. Most of them looked quite depressed and/or bored. The apes especially with their oh-so-human facial expressions. The gorillas always look the saddest. It is heartbreaking.
Anyway, thanks for the comment and for mentioning my blog on one of your posts!
Irene, I’m totally with you on the zoo topic. As a kid I think I liked going (didn’t we all?) but the older I got the less I enjoyed it. I always thought it was sad the animals were all locked up. Now, I know zoos play a vital part in conservation and saving endangered species and all that. Still, I don’t feel right walking around and staring at animals behind fences and in cages.
I love today’s pictures. Hope you don’t mind but I think I actually like the original photo even better. Have to add that I LOVE toy shops especially with toys like in your photo (not a fan of all the electronic stuff). In a shop like the one in your photo I could spend hours! And MONEY!
Zoos bother me a lot and have for a long time. I think you are right on target.
Fun photo.
My God, you have to hook up with a kid’s illustrator and do a book that focuses on what kids love and they have to find your hidden little treasures….clues etc.
I do not mean to talk down to you here – I mean when I clicked on the picture I had the delight of a seven year old discovering a tiny picture of their most must wanted toy.
I have the utmost respect for you and what you do and am glad we ran into each other.
To misquote bad politics, “no artist will be left behind.”
By the way, I tried a pink apple cherry and based on what I read they are hallucinogenic. You will either become rich or jailed. Luckily you live in Holland where there are those coffee houses.
I had a chance to go to Amsterdam once and did not. Stupid mon.key moment.
Zoos, I much prefer aquariums. For kids zoos did have a purpose before there were nature documentaries. May be needed to breed endangered animals.
I dislike beqar, lion, tiger, elephant animal acts in circuses.
Bear, we killed all the beqars a hundred years ago. All these typos publicize my blog you know.
riley is the same way as jesker, when it comes to performing for the videocamera. he can be racing and zooming around the backyard nonstop and as soon as i start filming, he stops and stares at me.
Hi Irene,
Is there room up there on that soapbox for me too? I would say similar things for sure!
Thanks for telling us too about that great museum show.
It is fun to get this kind of perspective from you!!
~ Diane Clancy
http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog
wow – Irene, the first one really captures the kaleidoscope of toys. I love those kaleidoscope pictures with so much colour.
China, Zoos – who can disagree? Though I did spend a very happy 5 weeks in China some years ago and my mother did voluntary work there for 3 years and had a GREAT time… like all things, the situation there is more complex than we sometimes hear about. Governments apart – the Chinese people I met were lovely and the country is so enormous and lively, I am not sure what kind of political regime could keep any kind of control there and prevent anarchy. Sometimes places have the governments which can manage them, and not the most pleasant and humane we would wish for them.
Some night when you must wrack your brain for material to write about, I hope you will tell us about the places you have lived and how you came to be there. I really enjoy reading your blog!
Irene-new to your site and I love all your images. I will definitely be back. HappY NeW YeaR!
Hi Irene,
I can’t believe you had to wrack your brain for something to say, as your writing is so much fun to read!
Your blog is wonderful, and I like these toy images too. Thanks so much for visiting me. It’s nice to meet another new (to me) blogger!