Today we had a nice day as a family. We went to Amsterdam to visit Madame Tussauds. We sure weren't the only ones visiting this place - I recognized many famous people - even some ones that I didn't expect to be alive anymore. They did look a bit stiff, by the way. But I am happy to say that all these famous people are excellent posers for portrait pictures. Just have a look and let me know what you think of these pics. (Click pics to enlarge). More to follow...
I looked outside the window and saw this cat sitting in our tree... Looks like he has a bad conscience. This food in our tree - some little peanuts and netted fat balls - is intended for birds, but this cat had some other ideas...
Haven't been blogging for a while - just because I am too busy living my life ;-)
This is a busy time of the year with book fairs and many other things to do. I am also involved in alpha in prison ministry and that activity takes some of my time too.
Just an update... Sosha (our eldest daughter) broke her right leg two weeks ago (at the end of her soccer training). She's doing well, but this was a very painful experience and she needs several weeks to recover from it. Her right leg (shinbone and fibula) was broken just above the ankle and the doctor has places a metal plate with some little screws under her skin to re-connect the broken bones.
We will go on a short holiday to the isle of Texel with our family - just as planned. But of course we will take it easy because of Sosha's situation.
Haven't been reading any blogs recently - sorry about that too... Just drop me a line if there's anything I really need to know. Blessings to all of you!
“There is a 99 percent chance of California experiencing a quake of magnitude 6.7 or larger within the next 30 years, according to the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, the California Geological Survey and the Southern California Earthquake Center and published in Science Daily in April.” Source
Today I’ve heard about the ‘small’ earthquake in California. This again is a reminder that – from a geological point of view – that part of the world is a dangerous place to live. But… I live with my family in an area 4,5 meters below sea level and with rising oceans, where on earth can we be safe?
Well, to be honest, I believe I do know the answer to that question. Read these words and listen carefully if you want to know it too.
So, are you waiting for the Big One, or are you putting your trust in the Almighty One, just as I do?
All three of our children are off to summer camp. They stay at the island of Schiermonnikoog, one of the Waddensea Islands north of the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen.
Robin, Sosha and Pasalle love to go there and they were really looking forward to meeting their friends again. They go to this Christian youth camp each year - which gives us time to do some projects in our house and spend some time together with 'just the two of us'.
Pics - Robin (16) is relaxed as always. He is looking forward to playing on his electric guitar with his friends... Sosha (14) never has a problem to 'fit in' - she will especially enjoy all the sports and games activities... It's easy to see that Pascalle (11) is very excited too - she was immediately reunited with a friend she got to know last year. She is a sensitive girl and the look in her eyes (picture above) tells you that she has some mixed emotions about leaving home for a week.
We are happy for them, but of course we can't wait to have them back home next Saturday!
Robin,
Sosha and
Pascalle
Today I went to Rotterdam with my son Robin. We had only three goals: having fun, eating and drinking something delicious and buying him a new acoustic guitar. We succeeded three times! I also wanted to take some pictures as part of the fun, but today was a wet and dreary day, so I switched my camera to sepia. The window of the music shop was decorated with old instruments (probably traded in by their former owners), so this was a nice addition to my nostalgic mood. It was a great day, no matter the weather. And Robin is very happy with his new Yamaha western guitar, of course.
Click pics to enlarge.
Yes! We had a great holiday in France (Dordogne) and it's good to be back again! I want to give you some photographic impressions... click pics to enlarge and see the details! Please do come back soon to see some more photographs. I did use my new Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS camera quite often and to be honest, I can't wait to share some of my best shots with you here and on my photo blog!
Just want to thank my blog readers for visiting and sometimes even leaving comments while I was away with the family. Thanks for keeping this blog alive, guys.
The picture above is dedicated to an anonymous commenter - please check the comments section below (in my former blog posting). My question for this commenter and for all of you is... did these rolls get there by accident or did somebody put them there on purpose? And how do you know this?
By the way, we have no complaints about the weather in France. We've had sunshine and blue skies most of the time. And when it rained (one or two nights) I was grateful for some new photo opportunities the next morning. Life is great.
It will be very quiet here for a while because of our holidays which are due to begin. But don't worry, there's plenty of cyberspace left to explore... In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line abspoel at gmail dot com - and I will reply later.
Whatever you are planning to do this Summer: have a great time too!
Last Sunday, June 8, we celebrated Pascalle's 11th birthday. To quote Stevie W: Isn't She Lovely? Yes, she is my beautiful 'little' girl!
Robin, Pascalle and Sosha (left to right) had their pictures taken as a surprise for their mom and both grandma's. And dad is very happy and proud too, of course, as you all can see.
We've traded in our good old red Mazda 626 for a newer Citroen Picasso. The Mazda looked so good after going through the car wash, I have to admit that I had some second thoughts... Until I saw how happy Pascalle was with our new car! Yeah - our new Citroen Picasso is so much cooler - now I totally agree.
We are celebrating Lydia's 29th birthday for the 14th time! Yes, she still looks young - must be because of our kids. Happy birthday Lydia - we all love you very, very much!
Last Monday our son Robin (15) broke his upper arm and dislocated his shoulder during a judo match. I took him to hospital for an x-ray and it turned out that he needed an operation the next day. I stayed with him during the night and he had to wait until Tuesday 20:30 PM for the operation (there were several emergencies in the hospital that needed attention first).
He is at home now, after three nights in hospital, and he is doing reasonably well - but still with a lot of pain in his arm and shoulder. Your prayers are appreciated.
Last Sunday our daughter Sosha (13) was baptised in our church. It was a great day for our family and we are all so proud of Sosha's personal decision and her public testimony of faith in Christ!
Just wanted to share this with you... I did try to upload a video clip here, but I'm afraid the file was too big. But believe me, it was great to watch the testimony of our daughter and the baptisms of 17 other brothers and sisters in Christ!
Today I finished Pascalle's romantic blue & white bed room too! She has the same bed and desk (with add-on unit) as her teenage sister Sosha - see last posting. The bed / sofa can also be used as a double bed in case nieces, nephews or friends want to sleep over. But we can also use these two double beds when we have grown-up guests!
We want to make a big wardrobe with sliding doors in the little corner next to the bed where we also want to hang an IKEA chair (see pic right). 
Pascalle still needs to decide where she wants to hang the green poster with the sweet little doggie. She assisted her daddy by keeping him company every now and then, by handing over the tools and screws - she persistently calls them nails - and by bringing soft drinks and chips upstairs. She even fell down the stairs yesterday with a plate full of paprika chips :-( but she's okay now and very happy :-) with her new bed room...
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