2008-May-13 - The Holy Ghost
The day before yesterday we celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit, The true Spirit of God. The Spirit Jesus already showed to his disciples : the Spirit of love, understanding, respect, forgiveness. The Spirit that knows no hatred to those who don't believe. and no revenge to those who hurt and despise us. That is the Spirit that belongs to God and to Jesus. That is what we call the Holy Trinity. Three different ways of God to show Himself to this world.
|
|
Comments (12) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-May-9 - Not just a job...
Job Description - PARENT
If it had been presented this way,
I don't know that any of us would have done it!!!!
POSITION TITLE :
Mum, Mummy, Mama, Ma, Old Girl
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Old Man, Old Boy
JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging,
permanent work in an
often chaotic environment.
Candidates must possess excellent communication
and organizational skills and be willing to work
variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends
and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
Some overnight travel required, including trips to
primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!
Travel expenses not reimbursed.
Extensive courier duties also required.
TERM OF EMPLOYMENT:
The rest of your life.
RESPONSIBILITIES :
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,
until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a
pack mule
and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat
in case, this time, the screams from
the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,
such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets
and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and
coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings
for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute,
an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a
half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for
the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and
janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:
None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,
so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because
of the assumption that college will help them
become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that
you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension,
no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and
no stock options are offered;
this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love,
and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.
Forward this on to all the PARENTS you know, in appreciation for everything they do on a daily basis,
letting them know they are appreciated
for the fabulous job they do...
or forward with love
to anyone thinking of applying for the job.
** FOOTNOTE -THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!! **
|
|
Comments (8) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-May-5 - Then came fair May...
The weather is fine, sunny and therefore I decided to go for a bicycle ride and take my camera. There was lots of white cow parsley and yellow rape or colza.
|
|
Comments (5) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-May-2 - Leny's Lime Tree
On the 4th of May we commemorate the victims of WWII. On the 5th of May we celebrate our Liberation Day to commemorate the fact that the Nazis were defeated, the occupation was over and that we could start rebuilding our bombed cities. But then the survivors of the destruction camps came back and the horrible facts became known to those who never had a clou of what had been going on.
This is about a woman who lived in Bathmen, where my sister now lives. Her name is Leny Polak and she was born in 1919. Her father David and his brother Jacob had a drapery and a furniture shop. THey were neighbours and lived happily in Bathmen, where they were members of a drama group for which they wrote plays and played roles in them. They were respected citizens of this village and socially involved in all kind of matters concerning the village. They knew everybody and everybody knew them. Life was good to them.
In front of the house of Leny's uncle was a lime tree, which stood there before Leny was born and which is still there. This tree was very important to Leny. She confided her dreams to it and often played under its branches.
Leny grew up and became a teacher at the local elementary school. She taught needlework, sewing and knitting.
At that time there were all kind of rumours about the behaviour of the Nazis in Germany towards the Jewish people. The cruelties they had to put up with and the humiliations became known to the Dutch, but everybody thought that this couldn't happen in our country. But.....
The Netherlands were invaded on 14th May 1940 by Germany and already
in July 1940 the first of a series of anti Jewish measures was taken: Jews were not allowed to be a member of the Civil Defence. On 22 November 1940 Jewish teachers and civil servants were dismissed., Leny was one of them.In the begin of 1941 the Jews were forced to register and from 3rd May 1942 they were obliged to wear the yellow Star of David. On 10th April the little group of Jewish people in Bathmen were transferred to the Dutch concentration camp Vught. Leny and her husband Hartog de Leeuw were tranferred to Auschwitz where Hartog died. When the Russians were approaching Auschwitz the prisoners had to leave for Ravensbrück It was a long walk to the railroad and those who were too slow or too tired were shot. Leny did her utmost to keep in pace with the rest .For three days and nights they walked. When they reached the railroad they had to climb in an open freight train. There was no place to sit: they all stood squeezed together. They were hungry and the thurst was unbearable. They tried to eat icicles from the train. Leny had to face more hardships and when she finally got back in the Netherlands she found some relatives in Goor. During all that time she had thought of the lime tree, which was now a symbol of freedom, of comfort. So she went to Bathmen and was glad to learn that her old friend had survived like herself. From that time on the tree was called Leny's Lime Tree. There is a small plate on the tree with Leny's name on it.She is the only survivor of the whole family.
.
|
|
Comments (6) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-May-1 - Ascension Day and International Labour Day
This morning I got up rather early, for church started at 9 o' clock. We celebrate Ascention Day by having a church service. It's a public holiday in the Netherlands, whereas we don't celebrate the International Labour Day.
We all know that today we commemorate the ascension of Jesus to heaven. Difficult to understand ? Yes! Difficult to explain too!
|
|
Comments (7) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-30 - Today's celebration.
From left to right: The crown prince Willem Alexander, his wife princess Maxima, the Queen, her sister,princess Margriet,
The weather was not so bad, though the sun didn't show herself. Anyway it didn't rain. My neighbours were all flyng the flag. I couldn't for I haven't got a standard to put the flagpole in.The flag is red, white and blue. The orange banner is added when a member of the House of Orange is having a birthday. The Queen visited two small towns in the north of the Netherlands, in Friesland.
|
|
Comments (10) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-29 - Koninginnedag
A stall at the Vondelpark in Amsterdam
Typical koninginnedag-humour in Amsterdam; the sign says 'overthrow the royal house', referring to the pictures of the royal family on the pile of boxes one can throw balls at.
Koninginnedag in Amsterdam, 2005Queen's Day (Dutch: Koninginnedag) is a celebration in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba on April 30 (or April 29th if the 30th is a Sunday[1]). Originally a celebration of the queen's birthday, it is now mainly known for the 'vrijmarkt' (literally 'freemarket'), the one day in the year that anyone is allowed to sell anything in the streets and 'koninginnenacht' (Queen's Night) on the preceding night. It is also a Dutch holiday.
It started as a celebration of the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962), on August 31. After 1948 Koninginnedag moved to April 30 (the birthday of Queen Juliana). When Queen Beatrix succeeded Juliana on jan 30, 1980, she decided to keep the holiday on April 30th as a tribute to her mother. Furthermore, the weather on her own birthday (January 31st) tends to prohibit the traditional outdoor festivities. April 30th, however, is renowned for having very pleasant weather.
During the reign of Queen Juliana, and the Queen would welcome people who came to the Soestdijk Palace. The Queen and her family would stand on a dais, and a long line of citizens would walk past, congratulating her and presenting her gifts. These days, Queen Beatrix visits one or two towns where she is shown traditional Dutch dances and demonstrations of old crafts.
|
|
Comments (6) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-29 - The mystery of the handbag
Her Majesty has always a meat hook in her handbag.
Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain celebrated her eighty-second birthday on 21st April. I shall never forget this, for my husband’s birthday was on the 23rd of April. And he too would have been 82.
Well, back to the Queen, she is a member of the most colourful royal family of Europe and apart from the Danish, the oldest family. The Danish Queen Margarethe and the British Queen are descendants of Vikings. William the Conqueror, the ancestor of Queen Elizabeth, was a Viking.
Queen Elizabeth is known to carry always a handbag. But something that not everybody knows, is that she uses the bag to communicate with her staff. They watch her bag carefully. If she places the bag on a table during a cosy tête-à-tête it means: Time to go!
Bag on the floor means: This guest is very boring!
What are the contents of these handbags? This question kept journalists busy for years. Anyway it is said that her handbag contains an S-shaped meat hook to hang her bag on. For the rest it contains articles of personal matter.
Queen Elizabeth cannot do without her handbags. Our Queen Beatrix cannot do without her hats. They are her trade mark. BTW tomorrow we celebrate her birthday. It's a national holiday and everybody is taking part in it.
|
|
Comments (5) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-27 - A Thought for this Day
I read this in church this morning.
An Angel is somebody,
whom God sends in your life,
just like that, suddenly
and undeserved,
to light a few stars
when it gets very dark
( translated from a poem by Phil Bosmans
|
|
Comments (6) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-23 - More Interesting Vehicles.
This bike can carry 4 little children. It looks smaller than it is!
Yesterday I was visiting an elderly couple of our church. It was a nice visit, but when I wanted to go home I noticed that the rear tyre of my bike was flat. There was nothing for it but to walk home with my bike on my hand. This morning I took it to the local bicycle repairer as I still cannot repair tyres myself. My husband always did that. Anyway I could fetch it at 5 o' clock. The bicycle shop was interesting enough, for apart from "normal" bicycles , there were tricycles and bikes like the one I wrote about two weeks ago. I asked the shopkeeper if I could take some photos and he said it was ok. There were several carrier tricycles. One of them was able to carry 4 children or two children and a big dog. A good idea to preserve our environment. An other bike was designed by the shopkeeper and could be used for commercials, which could be pasted on the boards at the back of the bike. On the whole these bikes were not expensive at all.
This tricycle was designed for commercial purposes.
|
|
Comments (4) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-20 - Under the spell of the tulip
These paintings are made by Els Schuring, a Dutch artist who was inspired by the fanciful shapes and colourformations of this flower.
She was born in Naaldwijk in the Westland, the bulb-growing area of the Netherlands.
Her work of art is spreading around the world, as her paintings are to be found in, among other countries, South Korea, Germany, Spain and in Great Britain.
If you want to see more of her work consult: www.elsschuring.artolive.com
|
|
Comments (6) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-18 - Wildlife in my Backyard......
I tried to lure this ( obviously) married couple into my house with a piece of bread, but they were still too shy to cross my threshold. I hope they will return tomorrow! I also made a video.
|
|
Comments (4) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-15 - Tulipland
The Van den Ende Panorama is a cylindrical painting depicting the Flower Bulb District in the fifties of the last century. The painting shows historical buildings, views and detailed pictures of the life and labour during this period.
Work on the Panorama started in 1997 and continues to date. Mainly during two months in the spring, the pictorial artist Leo van den Ende is engaged in painting this 4 by 63 metres large work of art. During that period, the Panorama is open to the public at Panorama Tulipland in Voorhout Until now he has been working on the Panorama for 9000 hours and 11years
Why this Panorama?
This is what the painter says:
"A destructive process that has affected the Flower Bulb District since the nineteen - fifties has caused the disappearance of many farms, flower bulb sheds, buildings, houses, windmills, etc. that were characteristic to the district. Also large tracts of land formerly used for flower bulb cultivation have been sacrificed to the expansion of the towns and villages in the district.
The artist himself. Leo van den Ende.
A growing group of people, including myself, who are increasingly concerned as they witness this process unfold, strongly believe that one ought to treat one's cultural heritage with care and respect, and we should make a concerted effort to stop the process and conserve what is still there".
Growing bulbs is a very interesting job in the west of the Netherlands, because the soil is exceptionally suitable for it. As soon as the flowers are fully grown, they will be cut off without their stems. The flowers are beautiful but will be used for decorations. The bulbs are intended for export
|
|
Comments (4) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-11 - Why did the chicken cross the road, yes why ????
Why did the chicken cross the road?
DR. PHIL:The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.
OPRAH:Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens
GEORGE W. BUSH:We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
COLIN POWELL:Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...
DR SEUSS:Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY:To die in the rain. Alone.
GRANDPA:In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
JOHN LENNON:Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
ARISTOTELES:It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
BILL GATES:I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% ........
reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN:Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
BILL CLINTON:I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?
AL SHARPTON:Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens
COLONEL SANDERS:Did I miss one?
|
|
Comments (4) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-10 - An interesting vehicle
I passed by my old school, where I used to teach, when my children were young, and saw this bike. I thought it such a great idea for a family with little kids to use this in stead of taking the car. The owner calls it a long vehicle.
|
|
Comments (8) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-9 - The wettest place in the Netherlands
These windmills were water mills and had to pump the water from the polder into the canal. Now an electric pump does the job and keeps the polder dry. During the war however there was no electricity and then the mills were used in their original capacity. Other Dutch windmills were used for, among other things, corn or paper industry.
One of you was saying that I should work for the tourist industry. If any of you wants to come to Holland I'd love to be your guide.BTW all these mills are now protected by Unesco and are on the list of World Heritage Sites, and they are lived in..
|
|
Comments (2) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-8 - The Windmills of my Mind
.
.
Origin of the name
The name Kinderdijk is Dutch for "Child's Dike". In 1421 during the Saint Elizabeth flood of 1421, the Grote Hollandse Waard flooded, but the Alblasserwaard polder stayed unflooded. It is said that when the terrible storm had subsided, someone went on to the dike between these two areas, to see what could be saved. He saw in the distance a wooden cradle floating. There was no hope that anything would be living in it, but when it approached, movement was seen. When the cradle came nearer, someone saw that a cat was in the cradle trying to keep it in balance by jumping back and forth so that no water could come into it. When the cradle eventually came near the dike, someone fished the cradle out and saw that in it a baby slept quiet and dry. In some of the stories the cat kept it balanced and afloat. This folktale and legend has been published as "The Cat and the Cradle" in English (Meder 2007; Griffis, 1918).
History
In the Netherlands, the drainage system is an important matter. The Dutch need a well developed water control system in order to keep large areas from being flooded, because some parts of the Netherlands are below sea level.
In Alblasserwaard, problems with water became more and more apparent in the 13th century. Large canals, called 'weteringen', were dug to get rid of the excess water in the polders. However, the drained soil started setting, while the level of the river rose due to the river's sand deposits. After a few centuries, an additional way to keep the polders dry was required.
It was decided to build a series of windmills, with a limited capacity to bridge water level differences, but just able to pump water into a reservoir at an intermediate level between the soil in the polder and the river; the reservoir could be pumped out into the river by other windmills whenever the river level was low enough; the river level has both seasonal and tidal variations.
Full control over the water level was never achieved. Throughout the centuries, the residents of the western part of the Netherlands suffered inundations, especially because of dyke ruptures; this is reflected the legend of the floating cradle at Kinderdijk ..
|
|
Comments (6) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
2008-Apr-4 - I have a dream...
Today we commemorate the fact that forty years ago Martin Luther King was murdered. Here is part of the
speech he gave at the Lincoln Memorial during the Civil Rights march in Washington, D.C.,
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
|
|
Comments (8) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
|
|
