Last weekend we celebrated Sinterklaas. Here are some photos:)


Last minute attaching of the poems:)


Just while dad Jaap was in the bathroom, someone pounded on the door, threw in pepernoten (candy cookies) and then Ruben discovered Sinterklaas left a basket full of presents in front of the door! Woah!


First tiny present has a poem explaining they have to find big present number two with a particular wrapping...


Ruben dives into the basket to find the next present:)


Unwrapping is very exciting!


Hans got a girlfriend from Sinterklaas (ahw)


The poem hopes he finds a real life girl again soon;)


Hmm, another prank present from Sinterklaas: his helper Pete has hidden the real present, but where?


Jaap gets a big container to ship furniture to Australia, when they move there (next year?)


Ruben is excited about the big tube of handcreme his mom Gayleen got.


Click here to see how it was made!


Grandma Ina gets a piece of art to inspire her next painting:)


Once again Ruben is eager to help with the unwrapping:)
We had so much fun!


Aaand this is my loot \o/

On Saturday October 22 I went to Amsterdam to spend a day with brotherdearest. Forgot my camera, but made a few photos with my phone;)


Before meeting up with brotherdearest I did a bit of shopping. I had hired a bicycle at the station and got a bunch of toothbrushes at the Witte Tanden Winkel (the white teeth shop) at the Negen Straatjes before cycling to the Bijenkorf on Dam Square.


There was an amazing fair on Dam Square. Unfortunately we didn't have time to try one of these rides.


We preferred more subdued activities;) First stop: De Drie Graefjes for pie \o/ Hans had a cheesecake, I chose the Lemon Meringue pie. Om nomnom.


After a quick stroll over the fair (and buying a bag of fudge:) we cycled to the Cinecenter arthouse for Florence Foster Jenkins with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. A lovely film. Recommended.
Also: I LOVE THE CARPET IN THIS CINEMA SO MUCH.


They also had awesome caroussel lamps in the auditorium. Can I live in this place for ever?


From the cinema we cycled to the Bazar at the Albert Cuypstraat for dinner. More cool lamps:)


So happy we got a place upstairs. What a view.


Appetizer dish: Abdul's selection of delicious meaty snacks.


Main dish: Calfsköfte, served with BBQ sauce, but I asked for garlic sauce, just because;)


After a final photo of the magnificent tiles on the wall, we cycled to the station


We picked up M. and then sat down for a chat and icecream (well, I had a rocket popsicle but still;) before I got on my train. Which turned out to have a fifteen minute delay, so I missed the connection that runs every half hour, but because I could catch a stoptrain in between, I got home only twenty minutes later than scheduled.

It was my mom's Birthday on Friday (June 24th) and we had cake. And pizza. And then more cake \o/


I brought 'Zwolse Truffel TomPouce' from the Bonbonnerie. (Blue and white are our city's colours)


Look how cool on the inside! (Made with a drop of Blue Curaçao;)


Mom had a fishy pizza, I had a calzone, chockful of meat and cheese (no veggies except the tomatosauce!)


When we got back to mom's house, she had more cake: a Christoffel Merengue for me and a Strawberry flan.

My good old electricity and gas meter were replaced on Friday (June 3). I made pictures before and after:)


The old electricity meter; mine's on the right (neighbour's on the left). I love that its counter is mechanic (with those rolling numbers).


The old gasmeter, don't mind the dust and cobwebs. I only check this thing once a year;)


New digital meters, not as good looking as the old ones, in my opinion, but oh well, times they are a changing. These will be read automatically, so no more meterman visits.

A trip to Amsterdam with mom (free traintravel with the bookgift we got for buying a book during Bookweek!) - she walked into town from the station, I travelled on by tram to brotherdearest. The two of us then walked to the citycenter from his apartment. We all met up in the fancy coffeecorner of gorgeous bookshop Scheltema (Rokin) for a bit of a nibble: we shared a selection of delicious Homemade Sweets and Carrotcake.


We highly recommend these:)

Mom and I already saw parts of the Amsterdam Light Festival in December, but last Saturday (January 9) my family got together for a boattour through the canals to see all the Water Colours Light Art as it was meant to be seen. It was gorgeous and we had a lot of fun, also thanks to the bilingual commentary from the tourguide:) Here are a couple of photos, including some artistic blury ones *g*


Walking to the Stadhouderskade.

Jumping man: also see December photos and below at the end of the tour for the full set: he jumps from one side of the bridge to the other side, where he ends with a somersault!

The lights in blue are two people rowing made up of all seperate lamps moving around in different frequencies.



The Skinny Bridge (Magere Brug) from the windows in the roof of the boat:)

IJ river with citylights in the background.

So many bridges, such a pretty sight:)

<3 Beautiful.





From left to right: Brother Hans, SIL Benthe, Me, Nephew Ruben, Mom, brother Jaap.

Spent a day in Utrecht

On Tuesday 5 januari 2016 Gayleen and I got together in Utrecht. We strolled through town looking for the old Grocerieshop museum, but I accidently led us to the closed Watertowermuseum first. It was a nice walk though;)



































Souvenirs from the museum. I bought old fashioned candy 'borsthoning', nom.

After Gayleen went back to The Hague, I visited Jelle for dinner. The train home had to go real slow because of ice on the tracks, but I made it safely back to Z. around midnight \o/