Hard work and much needed rest

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

These three pictures kind of capture my weekend. On Saturday we packed some my father’s possessions (that sounds so much easier than it was) and stored it in our shed for the rest of the weekend. I took out his nice jackets and ties, because they get ruined after days and days in a stuffed suitcase (and sadly, he needs them this week for a funeral).

On Sunday T. had a date with our girls for his birthday and Father’s day (I had my date with them last month), so I was without a car for the day.. Not that I would have been able to drive or do anything. I was so tired that I spent the day on the couch, watching Youtube and knitting. I needed that!

And then I spent some time trying to plan the week. I want to get the whole moving/packing/sorting stress over with as soon as possible, so we’ll be driving a lot (my father’s old apartment is 2,5 hours away from us) and making long days moving things around. But it will be worth it. This has been weighing on my mind too long already. Knowing we have to do this, is one of the main reasons we decided to stay here longer (after being able to see my father of course). Part of me is panicking because of the amount of things we’ll have to go through (we haven’t even made a dent – or so it seems), but it’s also good to be able to finally do something.

Wishing you all a great start to your week (and for my American readers: Happy 4th of July!)!

July

~ Maggie ~ 1 Comment

Well, that didn’t go as planned. I wanted to post more often, but this week was quite the emotional roller coaster.

My father got offered a room in a care home, so we were so happy to finally be able to have him live in a place where he can have his own things surround him (he has been in hospital rooms for almost three months now). But… we went to look at it on Sunday and that room was ridiculously small, dark and depressing. We were shocked, to be honest, but we have no experience with care homes, so we asked around first, to find out if this considered normal. Turned out it wasn’t, so we didn’t take it.

Then they offered him a bigger room. My sister and my father went to see that one on Wednesday. I had a severe cold, so I stayed home, but I did see the pictures. And this time it is a good one. Light, bigger, with his own bathroom (the other one he had to share) and enough room to put in a small table, his favorite chair, a little bookcase and a small display cabinet for his collection of knickknacks that all hold special meaning to him. So he will move next Wednesday. T. and I are going to his apartment tomorrow to pack up his things (well, the things he wants to have in his new place).

I am trying to be reasonable about it and I do focus on being practical, but I feel sad that this is how it’s going for him. He can’t go pack himself, so everything he owns will be going through our hands the coming weeks (we need to empty out the house and sell it). Of course we won’t get rid of things without consulting him, but it feels wrong that his privacy is totally gone this way.

We also were very stressed out this week about the tropical storm that was about to hit Curacao. While it was good not to be there in case it hit hard, it was also frustrating not to be able to do anything to protect our house. Luckily it passed without any major problems. Just minor flooding from the rain in the lowest regions of the island, but that happens regularly.

Anyway, all’s well that ends well, but I’m ready for some peace and quiet. Let’s hope July turns out to be a good month!

(unrelated picture, but isn’t he cute?)

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Thrift store therapy

~ Maggie ~ 5 Comments

Today I decided that I needed a little bit of help with my not-so-severe, but lingering depression/burn-out/stress, so I drove to town to find myself some rhodiola, because what I read about it is giving me high hopes that this will work for me (disclaimer: don’t take my advice on these things, do your own research and ask a doctor).

On the way home I had to stop at the thrift store, because, you know, that’s what I do. It makes me happy.

Here’s what I found:

  • A book about first aid (because every home needs one, in my opinion and also because I like to read books like that every once in a while to feel prepared for when something happens)
  • A little pouch. I thought I wanted it to organize stuff in my purse, but now I think I might use it for my growing stash of knitting notions (I left the pink pouch Elizabeth made me many years ago at home)
  • Some yarn. I’m thinking about starting a scrap blanket. It will be fun to pick up yarn for that every time I’m at a thrift store and it will provide some mindless knitting. I need that.
  • A giant stack of magazines. The title literally translated is “Country living”, but that’s actually another magazine. Love that one too, but this one is more about the actual living (keeping live stock, gardening, recipes) thought it does have articles about beautiful country houses too. I was tempted to buy the newest one in the supermarket, but it’s expensive, so I put it back. Now I have 13 for not even half the price! I don’t care that they’re older. Ducks will be ducks 😉
  • Two glass jars. I have some herbal teas that need jars, or maybe I’ll use them for sugar and powdered milk. Endless possibilities.
  • Not pictured: a little kitchen shelve for herbs and spices. I’ll show that when I’ve hung it.
  • Also not pictured: cooler clothes. Four dresses/tunics and a skirt. I’m finally warm enough to ditch the woolen sweaters.

I paid 30 Euro and 5 cents for the whole lot. That’s more than I usually spend at a thrift store (most of it was for the clothes), but it’s still much cheaper than therapy…

Hello Summer!

~ Maggie ~ 3 Comments

Two years ago, a friend and I were talking about the pros and cons of living on Curaçao. She was born and raised in Spain but lived in Ireland for a long time. We both agreed that we loved the warm weather, but we both missed having real seasons. After that talk I started to take a closer look at the cycles of nature on the island and I noticed that we do have seasons there. They’re just not as obvious and they feel opposite of the seasons in the north. Since summertime in the tropics is when it’s really hot, trees are bare and there aren’t many flowers in summer. Even the birds tend to be more quiet and hidden. In winter nature comes back to live again.

We have been in The Netherlands since April (though we went back for five days to take care of some things because we left in a hurry). I have seen the trees go from mostly bare to lush and green. I’ve seen the evergreens go from winter green to summer green (there’s a difference, I never really noticed that before).
I’ve also welcomed the arrival of warmer weather though I still feel cold most of the time. It’s hilarious to compare my cloths (sweaters, cardigans, leggings) to what everyone else is wearing (t-shirts, shorts, dresses). I really, really try to get used to colder temperatures again, but it’s not going so well. I’ve lived here for almost half a century. How can four years in the tropics change so much in my body system? It’s just weird.

Anyway. Seasons. “Real” seasons. T. thinks they’re overrated. He loves the tropics. Me? I’m not sure anymore.
But I am celebrating the arrival summer today, by noticing the green leaves and beautiful flowers, by trying to soak up the warmer weather and enjoying the sunlight on these long, long days.
(We also have shorter and longer days on Curaçao, but there’s only 85 minutes difference between the shortest and the longest day. In the Netherlands the difference is 9 hours 7 minutes).

The wheel is turning, no matter where I am. And that’s actually a comforting thought.

A whole lot of nothing

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

Even though we’re home together almost every day of the week, I still feel like weekends should be a little bit more special. But sometimes it’s just not. We didn’t do much at all. Or maybe that made it special? I was planning on taking pictures, but the blogger in me is not fully awake yet. The picture above is all I have.

It was finally a bit warmer last Friday and Saturday (the rest of the country was complaining it was hot), so part of me felt more alive then I’ve felt since we arrived here, but the other part decided it was time for a three-day-headache, so I spent most of the weekend on the couch (again – I’ve been sick on and off for weeks months now).

We visited my father on Sunday for Father’s day. He was very happy to have all his children together for a little while (we arrived early and left shortly after my sister, brother and sister-in-law arrived).

Despite the headache, T. and I took a (short) walk in the woods both on Saturday and Sunday. I hope to keep that up during the week. I really need to get off that couch more. Living in a tiny cabin with a low-maintenance garden should be relaxing, but I find I’d rather be a bit more busy. Even though I’d like to be one of those really calm and relaxed people, I think I need the thrill of a to do list get me moving.

I do have a rather busy day ahead (well, sort of, compared to what I’m used to these days – twenty years ago I’d call this an easy day). I want to clean the cabin, wash the sheets, maybe organize some cupboards (at least the “pantry” – I shoved everything in there the last time I went grocery shopping and I can’t find anything anymore). I want to take that walk, need to pay some bills and this afternoon one of the girls will be visiting and staying for diner, so I have to see what I can make for that with what I have. T. is at a client’s, so I don’t have a car today.
Oh, and I also want to knit a bit. I was planning to show you the finished project of what I was working on in the picture above, but a few hours after I took it, I frogged the whole thing. Sometimes “winging it” doesn’t work out.

Anyway, it’s time to start tackling that to do list. Wishing you all a great start to your week!

Noticing

~ Maggie ~ Leave a comment

We’re in The Netherlands for a few months because my father is not doing so well.This wasn’t the way I imagined to spend my summer and to be honest, I’d rather be home. It took me so long to really feel at home on Curaçao and now I feel uprooted again. It’s quite tempting to wallow in frustration, fear, worry and all kinds of negativity.

But that’s not changing anything, so I’ve been trying real hard to stop, take a deep breath and notice the beauty of where we are right now.

It’s actually a very good place to be.

Time for tea

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

I was making myself some tea this morning and it suddenly occurred to me that this is definitely one of my characteristic things: I always end up buying a fancy teapot (at the thrift store). It may take me a while (on Curaçao apparently nobody ever makes a pot of tea), but eventually I will find myself one (yes, even on Curaçao, but it’s not as fancy as I’d like it to be).

Here in our cabin I happily replaced the simple glass Ikea teapot I was using before with this beauty.

Also, how cute are those flowers on the light and the little dish?

I know those simple glass Ikea teapots are perfectly usable and probably make a lot more sense for a vacation cabin that will be rented out to strangers eventually. And who really needs a teapot, a tealight and matching dish for the teabag in a vacation cabin anyway? Most people I know, including my own daughters, make tea in giant mugs and dump their bags in the sink even when they are in their own homes. My inner critic has been nagging me about this for a while now.
But you know what? These little treasures make me smile every single time I use them.
And I do think that’s a very good reason to keep them around.

(I am now on the lookout for a fancier tea glass or maybe even a cup and saucer)

Unexpected

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

I don’t know why I thought these roses would be yellow, but I love this dark red color they are turning out to be instead.
It’s always fun to get to know a new garden!
(no, we didn’t move again, we bought a vacation cabin in the Netherlands to stay in when we’re visiting family).

PS: I wrote a long-winding post about why I quit blogging a year ago and why I deleted my archives and why I’m back again and a whole lot more about blogging and my life and everything else, but I deleted it. Let’s just see what happens if I start posting again and take it from there.


PS 2: I don’t really think anyone is actually following this blog anymore, but I’m going to pretend someone is reading this. It’s easier to find my blogging voice again that way. But in case anyone is reading this: hi, thank you so much for visiting. Feel free to say hi in the comments 😉

Harvest

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

I know… that’s not what you’d expect from a tropical garden. But that’s what we’re at right now. Some papaya fruits and a few tiny tomatoes.

Tomatoes and me… not working. In the Netherlands I struggled with it being too cold and too wet and I had a lot of diseases. And here… too hot and too dry. I know it can be done, but you need to pay a lot of attention to the plants and put a lot of energy and time in it. And right now… well, that’s not an option. I need a garden that can mostly tend itself. Goodness, it’s so hard to accept that – I would love to be a “real” gardener, but I doubt I will ever have the time and energy. Anyway, tomatoes are out for now.

The papaya tree though… Granted, only one of the several trees I tried to grow last year is thriving. But it is full of fruits and oh my… they taste so, so good! I’m trying to let them ripen on the tree as long as I can. I lost one of them to the birds, but since they wake me up with their singing each morning, I think that’s a good trade.

Progress

~ Maggie ~ 11 Comments

I didn’t knit much these past few weeks. Last time I posted about my knitting (4 weeks ago!),  I was pretty optimistic about finishing this sweater soon, but I didn’t feel like knitting a lot and we watched an awful lot of series and movies at night (I don’t knit while watching something that I really want to get into). Oh well. 

I am working on the sleeves now and I would like to finish it before our trip to the Netherlands. I hear it’s rather cold there, so I could use an extra sweater. 

I don’t like how the bottom rolls up though. According to the pattern it would be okay if you knit with cotton, but I’m not convinced I like this look. I may decide to add a small garter stitch border. I don’t think that would look too bad (at least not worse than that rolling).

My crafty to-do list is short:

– finish cardigan

– find something to knit during our stay (it’s not permitted on the airplane, but I figure I’d better take something – I always miss it when I don’t).

linking up with Chris’ Tuesday To Do