Mandalas & More

Arja's mandala / step 2

2012-02-13T09:41:00.000+01:00

8 red-violet flower petals

Arja is born on the 18th. I Always start with the day of birth in the middle. So step 2 is number 8, which I always paint in red-violet.

This mandala is made with Inktense watercolor pencils. I love their vibrant colors.

♥♥♥

Arja's new mandala / step 1

2012-02-12T09:30:00.002+01:00

Step one 1; red heart, symbol of love

Last year when Arja and I should go to Amsterdam I had to buy her a train ticket online and for that I needed her birth date.

I looked it up in my mandala's and then I saw I had made a mistake in her mandala! Can you imagine how shocked I was?!

I made her 10 years younger, who doesn't want that? Well I........

So I intended to make her a new one whenever I would find the time. It took me one year and all that time this was like a monkey on my shoulder.

Yesterday I finally gave her the new one.

Must say the description in this one fitted her better :)

As I will be in Bangkok for 9 days from tomorrow I will pre post the steps so you have something to see here while I am gone.

I will try to take my cousin Anna From Sweden with me, so I won't have time to blog much but being an internet addict I will try to read them from time to time :)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday

2012-02-08T20:29:00.000+01:00

It is cold outside......

I love the new floor-heating.....

See who is there in the tree?......

Birds eating.................

Who walked on the roof of our shed?.........................

It wasn't a bird....................

Well I am here so don't look at me!

Happy Animal Wednesday!

♥♥♥

My painting and winter

2012-01-30T18:36:00.000+01:00

Here is the progress on my painting.

It is coming along slowly as I only work on this on Wednesday afternoons.
I have also been painting a new mandala, which I can't just show yet.
And tomorrow I have to work again. How time flies. We have been working on clearing the garage, nearly done :)
Today winter has arrived, maybe this time for real. The first snowflakes are falling. It makes me nervous as tomorrow I have to report early for work and I wonder how traffic and trains will function. Today we had the 3th power interruption in Rotterdam this month. So I just hope nothing goes wrong tomorrow and I can catch my flight to LA. I am looking forward to some normal weather and shopping.
Life has been busy but I expect February to be much easier and quiet. I hope to have more time to blog and to visit you all. I also look forward to do some art. Hope to find time and inspiration for that.

Have a nice day and see you soon ☺
♥♥♥

Cockatoo mandala

2012-01-22T23:21:00.000+01:00

This oldie is for Teri.

She is seeing a lot of white birds lately and think it a sign. She also saw a cockatoo.

I have painted this one a few years ago and I remember The cockatoo had something to do with the sun.

So I looked up it's meaning, which I had stored on my PC.

Cockatoo; Symbol of sunshine and healing.

This really gave me goose bumps!

These are definitely signs Teri!

You know what Sunshine is trying to tell you dear ;)

♥♥♥

My future studio

2012-01-22T08:05:00.000+01:00

This is the garage that will be transformed into my studio.

I bet you can't get the picture yet...... :)

Half is cleared out. Still one half to go.

Normally I am not in favor of showing junk on my blog but this is to give you an idea of the amount of stuff in the garage.

I am having a hard time convincing my DH to trow away things.......

There have been times yesterday I was close to despair.

But in May our builder will begin so it has to be empty. I just hope he can part of some of his stuff so our new shed won't be cramped. I have to do a lot of convincing here........

When you click on the pictures you will see I will have a hard time choosing on which side I want to sit and work as both views are nice. The garage door will be replaced by a window and will be overlooking the deer yard. The windows at the back are overlooking my garden and the Nobelpoort (which you see in the first picture behind my house)

Hope you are all enjoying a wonderful weekend:)

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday / Art on Wednesday

2012-01-18T22:44:00.000+01:00

This is as far as I got today. Still a long way to go.......

I am not content with the shape of the rock in the front.

A hermit crab has shown up and do you see Mrs Jobse looking out the window of Martin's studio?

So a perfect shot for Animal Wednesday I hope.

Came home yesterday after a sunny trip to Panama.

Tomorrow we will work on the shed moving things and bringing a few loads to the scrap yard.

Hope my DH will wake up tomorrow in a "throw away mood". I know I will .

In between I hope to visit some blogs :)

Happy Animal Wednesday!

♥♥♥

Update

2012-01-13T17:41:00.000+01:00

(picture stolen from Marja)

Spent 5 days in Rotterdam . I was standby for my work.

I was called today for a Panama tomorrow. I drove home just for the afternoon and evening.

The shed is almost done , just needs a little bit of tweaking.

Tuesday night after my shift I went to Marja to visit Baron , her new puppy.

No need to tell you it was a wonderful visit.

Mr. B is the best possible big brother!

They have a new blog now called Beaudor et Baron. So please go there for a lot of ohhhh's and ahhhh's :)

When I came home the boys (DH and my son) were working on the shed.

In my leave we will move all the stuff from the garage in there and in May the garage will be transformed into a studio for me! I am very excited about that.

In those 5 days I visited a few blogs but most of the time I was unable to leave a comment......grrrr.

I visited my Mom twice did some chores for my brother and spent some time with him and my BIL. Went out for dinner twice.

In short had a good time there.

So tomorrow I am off to Panama and will be back on Tuesday.

Hope you are all doing OK. Will be around every now and then.

Have a wonderful weekend

♥♥♥

Painting................

2012-01-08T20:17:00.005+01:00

Friday my DH decided to put up the shed. He built it around the old one . He didn't expect that it would go that fast ....................

We have had a few dry days.

Yesterday we couldn't work as we had other things to do and had to visit our granddaughter who turned 1 year! How time flies.......

So today we continued and I painted the whole thing in one (long ) day. Just intime as they say winter will be here within a few days. Well I can tell you it was just warm enough to paint but to me it felt like winter already. I am happy the shed is up and tomorrow my DH will cover the roof. When spring is here I will paint the shed for a second time.

No naps for me the last 3 days so tonight I will go to bed early and hope to get a good night's rest for a change.

Hope you have had a nice Sunday :)

♥♥♥

Art on Wednesday

2012-01-07T07:10:00.000+01:00

I have very little to show at the moment .

I started a mandala the first of January. I thought that would be a good beginning of the year. Of course I can´t show it yet. You never know who reads your blog....;)

Here is a painting I started at my art class on Wednesday. I worked on it twice. Some spots I am happy about, some not or not yet but it is not finished yet.

The first time I worked with a knife just to try but I did not like the result.The colors were too vibrant, but I liked the structure it left. So I painted it over with different colors. Too bad I didn´t take a picture of the first version.

Have a wonderful weekend.

♥♥♥

Eight Below

2012-01-03T20:58:00.000+01:00

Beautiful. Saw this picture can't see this video without tears in my eyes........

PS Saw this movie years ago and when I saw this video yesterday the feeling came back I think the song goes so well with the pictures. Didn't mean to upset you all :( I understand that some of you don't want to see it Sometimes you are just not up to things like this. I watched it I cried a lot and only thinking about it makes me cry again. But I loved this movie at the same time. It showed the immense loyalty dogs have. In the movie the story ends better than in reality. (it is a true story).
In Havana I was amazed by how hard it is to break the spirit of the dog. The strays walked happy beside me, they stayed friendly no matter what had happened to them and how they were treated by others.
A dog really is a man's best friend, too bad they are not always treated like that the other way around.

Happy New Year ♥

2012-01-02T07:12:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year

♥♥♥

Last Post of the Year..............

2011-12-31T17:59:00.001+01:00

The day after Christmas I flew to Havana.

One of our new destinations , so it was my first visit.

When you like old cars and buildings is is the place to be.

I didn't like the poor dogs in the street and horses which were skin and bones that had to ride tourists through the town. Can't believe people would step in a carriage like that.

I just don't like it to see animals treated badly.

I bought dog food for the dogs but most of them they didn't know what it was.

I saw the town took a lot of pictures and enjoyed the last sunshine of this year.

No (real) internet there so all in all I am happy to be back home to celebrate New Years Eve with my family and pets.

Lars returned home because he changed his mind . He wanted to celebrate tonight with his family instead of with his friends who were busy with fireworks all the time.

I am happy we are all together tonight and I am home so I can keep an eye on my deer and the other furry ones.

To be quite honest I don't like this last day of the year that much.

The best thing is the champagne ;)

I am wishing you a wonderful evening.

Have fun and be safe.

See you all next year.

Wishing you a new year filled with love, happiness, health, friends and creativity.

♥♥♥

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas.....

2011-12-25T04:05:00.002+01:00

We just unpacked our gifts and I am such a lucky one........

I really am enjoying this Christmas but at the same time I realize that a lot of my friends are pain.

Some are lonely

Some are grieving

Some are battling a terrible disease

Some are working their butt off

Some are trying to keep their head above water

Some are just too busy to enjoy this season

Some are missing their beloved pets or loved ones

I just want to let you know

That if you enjoying the Holidays I am happy for you!

But know when you are one of the above , I mentioned in the list, you are in my heart and thoughts.

I love you and how I wish I lived closer to come and hug you personally!

But for now all of you have to do with a virtual heartfelt HUG.

Hope that everyone will feel a sense of light and love!

Merry Christmas!

♥♥♥

Coloring page

2011-12-18T17:51:00.000+01:00

A Christmas coloring page for you.

Enjoy!

Just click, save and print.

♥♥♥

A colorful home..................part II

2011-12-16T07:55:00.003+01:00

In march 2008 I posted this picture of a colorful home

Not knowing who took it or where it was . I just found it on the internet.

This morning I got a mail from the artist who lived here.

His name is Geert Limburg and you can see more of his work here.

(picture by Geert Limburg)

I found out that he lived very close to were I lived when I first moved out in 1984. I lived in the Schutterstraat (Rotterdam Crooswijk) for a couple of years just a few blocks from where this picture was taken.

In the picture you can see the street name Boezemlaan . My mom was nursed there in a center for Tuberculosis when she was in her twenties.

Both the hospital barracks and the colorful house (more pictures here) are torn down.

Because of his e-mail I did some web surfing and took a little stroll on Memory Lane as well.

Thanks Geert :)

(my first home in the Schuttersstraat # 7)

My town: Rotterdam (seen from the Maasboulevard)

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday / Singapore

2011-12-14T18:59:00.001+01:00

I had to take Felix to the Raffles hotel

and enjoy a Singapore Sling in the writers bar (Long bar)

Felix had a virgin ;)

Look who wanted to sip as well.....

Loved these fans waving simultaniously

And now for Animal Wednesday: look who were above our heads in the bar

Later on we met this one, they had elephants all over Singapore

Saw the Merlion (half fish half lion) at Marina bay

And Felix spotted his favorite dog: a Chihuahua (or shall I say an Emma as Felix always calls them)

Of course he had to pet her

And she seemed to like him

It was mutual

Another beautiful elephant at Orchard Road

A white peacock at Sentosa Island

Macaws

another Merlion

Scary...........

Almost scary.............

Tiger Balm garden

Felix is born in the year of the tiger, so what could be more perfect?

Flying horses

This one reminded me of a very dear friend :)

Turtles in the Chinese garden

I thought this was a lizard until he flew away.............maybe I need new glasses........

Happy Animal Wednesday!

♥♥♥

Giveaway winner.........

2011-12-12T06:25:00.004+01:00

First of all a free Christmas Wallpaper for your desktop or laptop :)
Just click, click right and save as wallpaper.

And the winners of the giveaway are ...................

.............................................

Suki

Lisa

and

Katie Jane!
(my DH picked 3 numbers under and including 10)

And you know what? Yes I see that girl with that finger waving :)

Made me think of a scene from Schrek, which I think was so adorable, so

Patty I will send you a print as well :)

Meanwhile yesterday I returned from an 8 day trip to Singapore. I took my youngest son with me and we had a great time~!!!!!!
I will show pictures later, but first today I need to tidy the place here and get the Christmas decorations from the attic.
It is good to be back home again with lots of good memories.
I will be off until the day after Christmas, so enough time to enjoy the Holiday season.

Hope you are all doing well. I will try to visit you all in the coming days.

♥♥♥

New Look and Give Away!

2011-12-01T10:16:00.000+01:00

A new blog look for the Holidays :)

This week I made this mandala with Inktense pencils and micron pen.

You can win a print of this mandala on Archival paper by just entering a comment. In fact there is one print on A4 and two on A5 so 3 chances to win.

Next week I will be in Singapore for 8 days, so I will pick a winner when I come back the 11th of December.

Meanwhile enjoy the Holiday season!

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday / Art on Wednesday

2011-11-30T20:53:00.000+01:00

Last year I started this painting on my Wednesday art class

Something completely different than I am used to paint.

I studied pictures, clouds and worked without color!!!!

I started painting the skyline of Rotterdam

The city where I was born and raised

Can't tell you what a struggle those clouds were

But I managed to get them to my satisfaction

And this is the result: the skyline of my hometown

(120 x 30 cm / 47,2 x 11,8")

And here are Mrs. Jobse and Guus two of the three dogs who are always there on Wednesday.

Happy Animal Wednesday!

♥♥♥

Before and after...........

2011-11-27T19:32:00.003+01:00

Finally after 3 months all is finished.

Here are a few before and after pictures

I have been painting for weeks. I got rid of all the yellow,

which was in the house when we moved in.

And replaced it by white.

I rearranged the art and had to store some. As I am missing part of a wall where my bathroom door is now.

But I will hang these in my new studio which I will built next year.

We also replaced all the doors except the front door and the one at the end of the corridor. These were originals from 1920. The others were done in a later renovation probably in the sixties.

A corner I didn't use

was turned into a bathroom

Here the outside and...........

TA DA!

A peek inside.........

In the kitchen this green had to go

I also painted all my kitchen cabinets and this paneling.

And all the walls ...........

And ceilings...............

I am so happy it is over.......

And the yellow is gone.

New knobs on the cupboard where the electric installation is.

When I stepped in this corridor 8 years ago it was love at first sight.

I am so happy to live here :)

I always love to step inside my home.

I will be off until next Sunday!

Yeah a whole week and guess what I will do?!

PAINT!

But this time I will be a mandala.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

♥♥♥

Sunshine

2011-11-25T18:20:00.000+01:00

Today my heart was filled with sadness when I saw that our beloved Sunshine had died.

It was Teri's bird who flew into her life two years ago.

On her blog she posted about this sweet little bird and she always filled my heart with joy.

I know Teri will be heartbroken and that she will miss this little girl.

And so will I and many others. I enjoyed her adventures so much!

Teri I am so sorry for your loss.

Hugs from Sjimmie and me.

♥♥♥

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T20:09:00.000+01:00

I can make a long list of all the things I am grateful for but the most important ones are my family, (blog)friends and pets. They brighten up my life.

Thank you for being one of them :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

♥♥♥

Cactus Monday

2011-11-21T20:22:00.000+01:00

Cactus Fruit Mandala

After painting wood all day I decided it was time to do a little art. I miss painting ..................

Well I haven't done much else but I mean art of course.

My corridor is coming along fine. I only have to paint my doors (6) and then I am finished.

But then in December my shed will be delivered and that means again a lot of painting :(

I returned from Shanghai yesterday. In Shanghai I couldn't visit any blogs....... some kind of censure I guess.

Thank Goodness for freedom of speech.

I had a good trip, did a lot of shopping, most of it gifts.

The weather was strange, warm the first day nearly hot, the second day chilly and foggy.

I didn't take any pictures as I nearly spent all my time inside.

But I always enjoy my time in the Far East. I just love it there and I love the food!

Hope everyone is doing OK! And that I will have time to visit you all this week.

Happy Cactus Monday!

♥♥♥

Poppy day 11-11-2011

2011-11-11T19:20:00.000+01:00

What a special date today is!

Lots of weddings today and planned births I heard.

But also a beautiful day to remember our heroes.

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday / San Francisco

2011-11-09T18:46:00.001+01:00

The first one we met was "Emma"

elegant dogs and owners.............

I forgot her name but she was cute and sweet! I think Robin remembers what her name was.

A turtle

Mr. Orange greeting Robin ♥ Oh my...he is so handsome and sweet!

I loved her!

Waiting at safe distance

Aware of the strange woman.........(me) but you see still looking at his mistress :)

At Bay Bridge

Pelicans (click to enlarge)

Our sister joined us for lunch

A blackbird. Can you believe it was the first time I saw these?! We don't have them here.

I think they are very elegant and they have such smart eyes!
(I think the female look sweeter and the male smarter, but maybe it is just like in real life, that it looks that way but it is the other way around.....)

Animals make our life complete. And a trip without is just a trip.

This was a journey with animals and a dear friend. Wow I guess that makes me a lucky duck ( as KJ would say).

HAW to all of you!
♥♥♥

San Francisco!!!!

2011-11-06T20:52:00.001+01:00

An impression of a few glorious days in SF with Robin!

It was hot when I arrived. Beautiful sunny weather.

Frida joined us for a drink

The view from my hotel. Look at the Bay Bridge!

backstage at the Opera

Shopping! I didn't have hands enough to carry my stuff. Poor Robin.....

.......................

Robin on her rooftop

The ocean

The Golden Gate Bridge

SF and Bay Bridge

A little video :)

having fun

And yes we drank coffee as well :)

Talked to a dear friend ♥

Enjoyed the sun and each others company.

I had a great time. Next Wednesday I will show you more (AW) pictures so stay tuned.....

I will go to bed now and have a good night sleep.

Hope to visit some blogs tomorrow but I will also start (or continue) painting my corridor, so lots to do again.

This trip was a lot of fun. I realize I have the best job. I got paid to see a friend, to have fun, to see sights, to laugh to eat . I consider myself lucky.

Robin I will miss you but we will meet up again next year, maybe somewhere else, maybe not just the 2 of us...........

♥♥♥

Happy Halloween!!! / Happy Cactus Monday!

2011-10-31T18:48:00.001+01:00

Happy Halloween!

and from the archives: Sjimmie in his Halloween outfit from last year.

Happy Cactus Monday!

♥♥♥

Happy Birthday !

2011-10-29T18:23:00.000+02:00

This Great White Egret will fly to Robin

and probably arrive next week :)

Make sure you all visit Robin to say Happy Birthday .

Happy Birthday Princess!!!!!

Schöne Geburtstag mein Schwester!

Hope this year will bring you much happiness and love.

♥♥♥

Sjimmie with an evil smile...........

2011-10-27T08:46:00.000+02:00

Just beware of your pumpkins!

You never know what Sjimmie is up to..........................

Visit to Sweden

2011-10-26T06:41:00.003+02:00

Home again after being away one week.

First I flew to Johannesburg and when I returned Friday I flew to Sweden (Gothenburg) with my brother to visit my family.

My uncle has had a tough half year in which he got a stroke and had his leg amputated.

We really feared for his life a while.

I was so happy to see he was doing so much better now. He looked good and his spirits were high again.

I am so happy we made the trip to visit him. We also visited a sweet aunt of mine I haven't seen in 5 years and of course I enjoyed my stay with my dear Swedish sister (cousin) Anna.

1. uncle Eskil, aunt Ulla, brother Per and I

2. Anna and I

3. Per Ulla (another aunt) and I

4. Shopping at Haga Nygatan

5. Haga Nygatan

6. Butterflies in Vasaparken (AW)

7. In a tree

8. deer in the park (AW, does this count?)

We had one day of rain and for the rest lovely sunny autumn weather. It was fun to travel together with my brother and to see my family again.

I still have a few days off before I fly next week.

The first (yesterday) I spent relaxing and sleeping as 2 trips in a row is tiring I found out.

The kids have Autumn holiday now so I decided not to continue painting the corridor. I will do that after my next trip. Tomorrow we will visit my Mom and see Johnny English with the family. I think the boys will love it and think I will too ;)

Have a nice and sunny week ♥
HAW
♥♥♥

Mul Mantra

2011-10-16T17:59:00.003+02:00

Ek Ong Kar
Sat Naam
Kartaa Purkh, Nirbhao Nirvair

Akaal Murat
Ajuni, Saibhang Guru Prasaad Jaap

Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach
Hai Bhee Sach, Nanak Ho Si Bhee Sach
Nanak Ho Si Bhee Sach

Repeat

Ek Ong Kar
One Creator, Creation

Sat Nam
Truth is God's Name

Kartaa Purkh
Doer of everything

Nirbhao
Fearless

Nirvair
Revengeless

Akaal Moorat
Undying

Ajoonee
Unborn

Saibhang
Self Illumined

Gur Prasaad
It is by Guru's Grace

Jap
Repeat and Meditate!

Aad Sach
True in the beginning

Jugaad Sach
True trough all the ages

Hai Bhee Sach
True even now

Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach
Nanak says Truth shall ever be.

Mul means root, it has a similar etymological origin to the Punjabi language word Muli which means white radish. A Mantar or Mantra is "an empowering formula for repetition". The Mul Mantra is thus the root statement of Sikhism

This is a mantra which is in my head lately. This song just makes me feel good and helps me to get over a bad mood.
Well I just hope it will make you feel good as well.

Have a nice Sunday
♥♥♥

Toilet / a room with a view

2011-10-13T17:36:00.000+02:00

The decoration of my bathroom is finished.

There is still a small problem to be fixed but

I hope that will be solved soon

I am happy with the way it turned out

I have a small window overlooking........ Does anyone know where this is?

A place I would love to visit next year........

In real the colors are a bit more vibrant but the flash makes them a bit pale.

Here is my abalone painting

And here the real ones. The 2 small ones Lori sent me a while ago. She found them on the beach near her.

Can you imagine finding treasures like that so near where you live?!

I am happy to have this treasure in my home.

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday / Another shot........

2011-10-12T17:41:00.001+02:00

May I introduce myself? I am Bassie I arrived yesterday to do what my predecessor didn't succeed at last year.

I have to make these 2 mature ladies pregnant. A big job for a young boy like me...... but I will do my best.

My new Mom doesn't know where I come from, but she thinks I must be from a situation where I was around people, because I am very tame.

I arrived yesterday and without any fuss I stepped out of the trailer right into this yard where 2 ladies were welcoming me with grace and curiosity.

My Mom will call me Bassie , named after a terrible clown who always says "Everything is for Bassie"

Being a male I think it is my right to have first choice on everything and the girls will get the leftovers. My Mom doesn't agree, she thinks emancipation hasn't reached the world of the deer yet. Well personally I would like to keep it this way.

The girls have to go on a diet anyhow otherwise I can't make any babies according to the man, who brought me here. So I am just doing them ,more than one favor.

Please keep your fingers crossed the ladies will loose weight so they will ovulate and I will succeed in what Lancelot couldn't accomplish.

Happy Animal Wednesday ☺

Shell finished

2011-10-06T20:38:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I finished this shell at my art class.

I am so happy I finally created something again. I loved working on this.

This painting and all my abalone shells will be in my new toilet once it is completely finished.

Today I will fly to Suriname and next week I hope to start painting my toilet which will be a fun job! I will show you pictures next week.

Have a nice day and see you soon ☺

Animal Wednesday / Minoes

2011-10-05T19:48:00.000+02:00

No, I am not drinking. I am falling asleep with some support for my beautiful head.

A little cramped here on my spot at the desk and the water glass was in my way as well, but I made a virtue of necessity.

♥Happy Animal Wednesday♥

A shell

2011-10-04T23:18:00.000+02:00

Finally something else painted than walls.

I started this last Wednesday in my art class.

It is a little painting of a shell which I will hang in my toilet.

I struggled with a landscape for weeks. I know I learn from this but I don't like all my lessons in life ;)

Than I got the idea for this painting for my toilet and this is how far I got in one afternoon.

Amazing how things you do with your heart are so much easier.

Well at least they are more fun. ☺

Tomorrow afternoon I will continue and make pictures of the progress.

The renovation is nearly finished. After my next trip, which will be to Suriname again I will paint my toilet and corridor and then I will take a few weeks off. I hope to get more time to do art . In 8 weeks my new shed will be delivered and I have to paint it 3 times!!!

The house is back to normal and clean again. That feels great!

Slowly life get back to normal as well.

Thanks for all your patience I also hope to become a better blogger and blog friend soon.

♥♥♥

Cactus Monday / an Oldie

2011-09-19T18:56:00.001+02:00

Since I have no new art to show I thought of this reprise after reading Teri's post today.

Still busy here............................no time for art.

Hope in October all will be finished and live will be back to normal.

But don't feel sorry for me. I am grateful to feel I have lots of energy again. After a tough half year I am completely recovered and feeling great again. I am enjoying the process of the renovation.

Today I worked in my garden.

Workers came to do work for a pavement.

I moved all my hydrangeas

Moved them over here, together with 6 m³ of soil.

After replanting I pruned them

here is the pile.....

I am very happy with the results. We were so lucky with the weather today, a lovely sunny day!

Tomorrow my day will be easier, I will continue to clean up inside here.

Happy Cactus Monday!

♥M♥

10 years ago...............

2011-09-11T07:03:00.007+02:00

These pictures were taken last year

When Felix and I traveled to New York, Rhode Island and P-town.

We visited Ground Zero, which was very emotional to me.

Just across the street there was a fire department

and while there a truck came out

of Department 10

They lost 6 of their bravest fire fighters

Time heals all wounds, but it seems this one stays just as it was 10 years ago.

All week I have looked at several TV specials. I can never watch without pain in my heart and tears in my eyes.

Just 6 of so many heroes, just 6 of too many victims.

After 10 years it is still too much to understand, too much to forgot .

I will remember today the shock of 10 years ago. This changed my live as well. Just like it did of so many people. Please don't let any madness like this ever happen again.

Animal Wednesday / Koekie

2011-09-07T20:46:00.002+02:00

(Click to enlarge and spot the animal on Wednesday :))

The opening to my corridor of what is to be my new toilet.

In the corridor you can spot Koekie.

No need to tell you this renovation is hard on the animals. But just a few weeks more and all will be over again.

I must say I still like the progress and so far all I could do was just clean every day.

But next week I expect to have lots to do. Cleaning, painting and re-installing.

And........ I received this award from my best friend Emily!!!!!

Thank you dear.

I am supposed to nominate one tough chick......but eh I have a few!

Well I know my friend Emily doesn't stick to the rules , so why should I?!

I would love to nominate all my blog friends because they are all special and tough at the right moment, but I would like to highlight just a few whom stand out being tough and brave at this moment:

First of all: Marja, who just had the same operation I had November last year and she is one tough chick! I never hear her complain and she is always worrying more about others than herself!

Please visit her blog and give her your get well wishes :)

2nd: Lo. She found a job and is working her pretty a.. off and doing the best she can. I am very proud of her!!!

3rd: Robin , who has an interview next week and who I admire for staying sweet and positive as always. I hope she gets the job next week!

4th: KJ, for being the best grandma and friend! And for being able to deal with my friend Emily!

5th: Doris, my sweet friend from GA, who takes care of a bunch of stray cats and has to cope with a lot of ignorant people. They killed one of her beloved cats and spread terror in her neighborhood.

She is sure one courageous lady!

Happy Animal Wednesday ♥

Cactus Monday

2011-08-29T17:51:00.000+02:00

Remember I showed you this cactus in bloom a while ago?

Meanwhile these flowers are gone

But when I moved it out of the kitchen yesterday I discovered

This tiny new plant!

Without the clip which prevented the flower from falling down this little plant would have landed on the soil....... What an ingenious system :)

This was my kitchen before the builders started this morning.

This is end of day 1..................

You don't want to see the rest of my house now. Mess everywhere.

Tomorrow I will leave for Toronto leaving poor hubby in this mess.

Yesterday I cooked for 3 weeks and we still have a coffee machine and a microwave.

At least they won't be hungry.........

Thinking about you all at the East Coast! Hope you are all safe and that Irene won't ruin your home or garden or hurt your loved ones.

Happy Cactus Monday!

Animal Wednesday / More pictures from Italy

2011-08-24T07:06:00.000+02:00

Life is so much better when there are animals around ;)

Happy Animal Wednesday

♥♥♥

Cactus Monday / Italy

2011-08-22T07:13:00.000+02:00

Happy Cactus Monday

♥♥♥

A few pictures from Italy

2011-08-20T09:08:00.000+02:00

Had some lovely days in Italy

Felix had fun with his best friend and sister

This makes me want to be a believer...........

Moderne tijden zijn ook tot de kleinste kerkjes doorgedrongen

Electric candles!!!!!

Celleno

The lake of Bolsena

Buying and tasting olive oil

Nice shops

Viterbo

Having fun in Orvieto

ahhhhh

Just a few pictures of Italy. I took about 400.......

Felix and I had a real wonderful time. We came home Wednesday evening and back to being busy here again.

Yesterday I took the kids to an amusement park, where they had fun with the 5 of them and I spent time with a friend drinking coffee in the sunshine. I did just one ride as I really get sick of all this tossing and turning.

Today I have to do work in the garden and inside. Tomorrow family from Venezuela will visit and Monday I will start work again.

I saw 2 new grandchildren from blog friends were born. Congrats to you both. I looked at the pictures but had no time to comment. I hope later today I will have.

Have a wonderful weekend :)

♥♥♥

Greetings from Paramaribo

2011-08-12T17:45:00.000+02:00

I returned today from Paramaribo

Here are some pictures of the town

Unfortunately some of the buildings are in poor shape

But I loved this one : De Waag

I enjoyed a cappuccino and some shade here.............

The Suriname river

All pictures taken with mobile phone.....

This afternoon I returned home and tomorrow I will travel to Italy

with my son Felix for 5 days

I will take my Nikon with me this time

Glamour....................

Have to start unpacking and packing. Am I crazy?????? Think so!

Had a good time in Paramaribo. I love the country, I love the people.

From nasi and sateh I am flying to pizza's and pastas.

What a life! Sometimes life is good:)

♥♥♥

3 in a row...........Happy Birthday KJ!

2011-08-08T07:55:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday KJ!!!!

Make sure you pop by KJ to make her birthday special;)

Another oldie from last year.At this moment I am still not creating anything new. I have been painting walls instead of canvasses :)

Felix' room is finished and I cleaned the whole floor , what a mess I had . But now all is ready and clean.

Tomorrow I am off to Paramaribo where I will just relax and enjoy the sunny weather and the friendly people over there.

After that I will travel to Italy with Felix.

So another 2 busy weeks.

Lars is home again and he thoroughly enjoyed his trip to Sweden. Today it's back to work for him again. He has a holiday job at a supermarket.

The kids still have 3 weeks of summer holiday.

Have a wonderful week

and Happy Birthday KJ

♥♥♥

Happy Birthday Lolo!

2011-08-07T09:53:00.000+02:00

Be sure to visit our dear friend Lolo to wish her a very happy birthday!!!!!!!

Hope your birthday will be fun dear

♥♥♥

Birthdays..............

2011-08-06T19:07:00.000+02:00

Lars 06/08/1994

My son Lars is turning 17 today.

He will celebrate his birthday tonight at a party with more than 30.000 scouts from all over the world in Rinkaby Sweden. He has packed and is ready to go. The closing ceremony will be tonight. After that they will travel home by bus. Tomorrow at 17.00 I can finally hug him again.

1937 World Jamboree in the Netherlands

My Dad (Lars) as a scout .

He looks a lot like my Lars. How I wish he could have witnessed his grandson going to the World Jamboree in his home country Sweden.. But somehow I think he does. He was so proud that his grandson enjoyed scouting as much as he did when he was young.

My boys. Lars and Felix.

Happy birthday sweetheart♥

Animal Wednesday / PoD

2011-08-03T20:37:00.000+02:00

While Mom is busy as a bee

I am doing what I am best at

Enjoying those rare rays of sunshine today

Hey what are you doing behind the window?! The sunshine is here! Outside!

OK your choice....... Back to being busy

relaxing and sunbathing..........what a life.........

Happy Animal Wednesday♥

Cactus Monday

2011-07-25T19:09:00.001+02:00

The blooms are not spectacular..........

But the fact that it blooms under my care......

Happy Cactus Monday!

Animal Wednesday / Little swans

2011-07-20T07:45:00.001+02:00

I took these pictures last week but forgot to post them for AW

We have a family of swans living in the moat next to our house.

Felix and the dogs are waiting at a safe distance

Here you can see how close they are near the road.

They are there every day . The road separates the moat in two.

Aren't they just cute? And aren't swans magical?

I know I have been very quiet lately. I have been so busy ever since last week. Have been to Dar Es Salaam .

After my return we went to a birthday party.

At this location.

Monday I started redecorating Felix' room.

This is the process so far after 2 days work

Felix want his sun and clouds to be painted over. A new school a new room.....

Meanwhile a tree in my garden was taken down and I had to pack for Lars who leaves today for a 3 week trip to Denmark and Sweden.

My boys are getting big....... :)

So I have been busy.

today I will take a break. I will play tennis and take a nap this afternoon.

Tonight I will have to drive 3 hours to bring Lars to Valkenswaard where he will join the scouts for the world Jamboree. They will travel by bus to Denmark.

Hope everyone is doing fine. And in between all things I have to do I will try to visit your blogs, but I know already I will be busy all summer................... and not with making art or mandalas. After Felix' room we will start a small renovation in the house we will get a new shed (that's why the tree was taken down).

Happy Animal Wednesday♥

Mandala and Blooming Tuesday

2011-07-12T10:36:00.001+02:00

I made this thak you card with the pencils I got from Axelle :)

Some of the flowers I got...............

Incredibly Beautiful

And these orchids are blooming for the second time. A gift from Marja, a long time ago.

purple and orange/yellow

A mandala bouquet

Thanks for all the congratulations I got on my birthday.

Presents, flowers, congratulations and comments.

Without friends and family a birthday is just a birthday.

Thanks for making it special for me :)

Happy Blooming Tuesday

Cactus Monday / Cacti in France

2011-07-11T10:56:00.000+02:00

Marja led me to this huge Prickly Pear cactus.

Unfortunately it had bloomed already....

Beaudor is checking it out

We found these in "les Halles" in Nimes

Wish we had a place like that to shop here.......

Happy Cactus Monday!

♥♥♥

Thankful Thursday!

2011-07-07T21:33:00.002+02:00

I spend my birthday with my oldest friend Marja (we are friends for over 45 years!) , Ruud, my husband and ..................Mr B!!!!!

This picture is one of the many gifts Marja gave me. The words on the back made me cry.......

My brother collected me from the train after my flight from Calgary.

We went for lunch with our Mom

Oops.....self timer disaster.......

Me and my Mom (86 years )

My husband came later that afternoon and brought me loads of presents!

From a dear friend from RI ;) ♥ Lo spoiled me as well.

But the best gift is her friendship

In the afternoon we went to France.

A Chinese patio in the South of France was waiting for me

A promise for the next day............... :)

please................

I woke up with this view

I know the cookies came from this trolley..............

I am a good doggy..................

♥

In the picture..........

In Nimes we found this poster

And we found the Casa Blanca

Enlarge to see my age :)

The 23th Sting will perform in Nimes.......... Too bad I can't be there :(

Well I saw the arena ;)

Marja, the perfect hostess as ever! She made a delicious fried rice and satay. My favorite;)

See the shirt Robin? I told you it would look gorgeous on her.

On the patio

35 degrees............... (95 Fahrenheit)

Unforgettable sunset.

Palmtree reflection in the rosé wine

My sweet guy.............

We have a lift off..........

I had a wonderful birthday!

And all of you made it that special.

I had lots of birthday wishes here on my blog and on Facebook.

I was spoiled rotten in France and by my loved ones.

And when I came home more presents were waiting for me from RI and SF!!!!!!

(Thanks a million dear sisters!)

All together made my birthday something unforgettable.

Have been busy preparing for a party I will have Saturday. Bought all the groceries and tomorrow I will spend in the kitchen. Monday I will be back spending more time online.

For now thank you all for all your special wishes and gifts and for making me feel special instead of just old :)

♥♥♥

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T07:01:00.000+02:00

Today I will return from Calgary and after a short break in Rotterdam, I will fly to Montpellier to celebrate my birthday with Marja and Mr. B in France.

Happy 4th of July to you all.

Will be back later this week. No internet in France....:(

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday / in the garden

2011-06-29T17:50:00.000+02:00

Here you can spot 3 generations of fish

Croc on the look out................

Feeding time

Time for Sjimmie's dust bath

On a clean patio

He was in a fight with a big rat yesterday

But Lars chases him away with a broom. We want to keep Sjimmie in one piece

Picture time....You need us?

Sarah enjoying the lovely weather after 2 hot days.

3 in a row.........

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Josje step 7 / Ta-da!!!!

2011-06-26T14:02:00.000+02:00

Here The mandala is finished. The 3 clouds have become 3 Hibiscus flowers.

Hibiscus is a tropical flower which belongs to the family Malvaceae. Its name originated from the Greek words Hibiscus meaning “mallow” and rosa-sinensis meaning “rose of China” thus the flower is also known as rosemallow. Hibiscus is large and trumpet-shaped, with five or more petals, ranging from white to pink, red, purple or yellow. It is an exotic and gorgeous flower that has symbolical meaning as well. It blooms only for a short period of time so it is considered a symbol of delicate beauty.

Hibiscus has been called “Flower-of-an-hour”. When someone gives you a hibiscus, it can also suggest “Seize the opportunity” which of course is represented by the hibiscus’ full bloom which can end anytime.

Hibiscus is commonly associated with Hawaii, the yellow variety being its official state flower. A red hibiscus behind a girl’s right ear meant “ I have a lover” and if its behind her left ear, it meant “ I seek a lover”. A girl with hibiscus on both her left and right ear wants to convey the message that she has a lover but is seeking for another lover. In Hindu worship, hibiscus is used as an offering to their goddess while in Singapore it is regarded as a flower of celebration.

This picture was taken at Josje's home and somehow the colors are more true here.

Hope you enjoyed the process ;)

Today I am cleaning my patio with a pressure washer.

I am half way. I am enjoying this job. After 3 days of being lazy and tired I finally have energy to do something.

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday.

♥♥♥

Josje step 6

2011-06-25T16:47:00.000+02:00

The back ground color is green the color which belongs to number 4.

Her life path number added with the number of her zodiac sign 3 + 10 (Capricorn) = 4

This number is important because it's traits will help you to reach your goals and learn your lessons in life.

To stick to the rules, hard working and discipline will help you in this. The number 4 will appear later in your life so eventually it will be easier for you.

Tomorrow I will show you what became of the yellow clouds I only sketched them so far as they will overlap the green a little and I have learned it is better to paint the background before instead of working around a design.

Today it has been raining all day...... Good for the grass and all the green ;)
My deer are due any moment so I hope they will get their babies tomorrow. They always give birth around Fathers day so that was one week ago. Tomorrow will be a sunny day.
I really hope they will before I go away next Saturday. And I hope they will do it on a dry sunny day, but who am I? Nature will just do what is best I suppose.............
Hope you will all enjoy a wonderful weekend!!!!
♥♥♥

Josje step 5

2011-06-24T06:45:00.002+02:00

All her numbers added together gives number 3 as a life path number.

Here you can see the yellow circle with 3 yellow clouds which will become...........well you will see that later. Because first I had to paint the background which I will show you tomorrow.

Something about life path number 3:

The 3 loves connecting with people. The characteristics of the 3 are warmth and friendliness, a good conversationalist, social and open. A good talker both from the standpoint of being a delight to listen to, but even more importantly, one who has the ability to listen to others. Accordingly, the life path 3 produces individuals who are always a welcome addition to any social situation and know how to make others feel at home. The approach to life tends to be exceedingly positive. Your disposition is almost surely sunny and openhearted. A happy and often inspired person, you are constantly seeking and needing the stimuli of similar people.

Josje step 4

2011-06-23T19:31:00.000+02:00

Josje is born this year. So for 11 I used 2 (2 x 1) red Malas. Buddhist prayer beads are a traditional tool used to count the number of times a mantra is recited whilst meditating. They are similar to other forms of prayer beads used in various world religions: thus some call this tool the Buddhist rosary.

A mala has 108 beads. You can read an interesting article about the mala here.

This chain of beads symbolizes the endless repetition of life. The color of this chain is red , the color that belongs to the number 1. The first color in the rainbow.

Animal Wednesday / Josje step 3

2011-06-22T19:15:00.001+02:00

Josje is born in 2011, so the next step is the ring with the 2.

The color which represents 2 is orange. For this ring I chose 2 orange cats.

Cats stand for deep understanding in this natural world. Cats are very treasured animals, due to their beauty and gracefullness, they were once worshiped as a God, a female God named Bastet.

People do not seem to realize the depth of the cats' knowledge because of their fear for them. Cats are very loving creatures, they know their master's emotion by sensing and examining them, they seem to be very watchful too.

Symbol of independence, energy, mystery, pride, confidence, love, happiness and comfort. Among animals, the cat is the most important emblem of beauty and grace. In India, the cat symbolizes a spiritual dimension and bliss.

HAW!!

Father's Day

2011-06-19T06:00:00.019+02:00

When I heard this song a while ago I had to cry and think of a picture I knew I had.

Last Wednesday I searched the attic and finally found it.

So happy with it.

I hope that your Dad is the best Dad in the world. If he is not around anymore I hope you will cherish beautiful memories just like I do.

I still miss my dad....................

Happy Father's Day!

PS . This picture was taken last Friday, when Germain, Marinka (Germain's sister from Paris)and I visited Myrthe (Germain's daughter) and Josje (Joséphine)

Unbreakable Love

2011-06-18T17:51:00.000+02:00

Step 2

Josje is born the first month of this year so for that I painted a red ring, which symbolizes unbreakable love.

Empress Joséphine

2011-06-18T00:26:00.000+02:00

Here is step 1 of my mandala for Josje, which I gave her today.

She is born on the 7th so a violet flower with 7 petals in the middle.

And guess.... what is the name of this clematis?

Empress Joséphine!!!

How appropriate since Josje's name is Joséphine Charlotte.

(picture from Garden Harvest Supply Inc.)

In real the leaves are more pink, but just like a poet I allowed myself some artistic license here.

The clematis symbolizes ingenuity or artifice. It stands for creativity, intelligence and idealism. The clematis also means mental beauty.

Animal Wednesday / Veere

2011-06-15T17:46:00.000+02:00

When I saw Lo's post it reminded me of an encounter with a calf last Wednesday

It was near the picturesque town of Veere

Where we were camping with the kids

The kids gave this calf their mineral water and he loved it

and he enjoyed all the attention

The kids (most of them) loved to touch him

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Happy Cactus Monday!

2011-06-13T23:31:00.002+02:00

I have no idea if this is a succulent or cactus and what it's name is......

I got it from my tennis friend Christine who gave this in a container with other plants.

One of my cats thought it was cat grass and destroyed the other plants. He/she even bit off the tips of these leaves!

I saved it and now it is blooming. Wow, how special after all this poor plant has been through.

But that is the amazing thing about cacti they are expert survivors. They also survive my care of plants and the attacks of my cats.

I have been on school camp last week.That's why I was not around. It was fun but my........I came home exhausted.

(picture from the internet)

I have been sleeping a lot this weekend.

I am still tired, but I still have one week of summer holiday before I fly to Panama Sunday.

So I hope to catch up some sleep and do some blog visits too. I am behind with everything it seems.

Hope you are all doing fine and see you all soon.

Happy Cactus Monday!

To see who else has cactus fun to share visit Teri, our chief cactuteer ;)

Animal Wednesday / Tineke

2011-06-01T07:41:00.002+02:00

Tineke (17-05-1951)

My Mantra teacher turned 60 last week so I made her this birth mandala

I used violets and a poppy, because I know she loves flowers.

In one of the workshops I gave she made a mandala with only flowers and no other symbols.

I wanted to do the same, but somehow I just had to put the butterflies in (click to enlarge to find them)

I really don't like to make a birth mandala without a animal totem.

Tineke was very happy with her mandala and the butterflies, she told me that their was a butterfly on her birth announcement 60 years ago......... This gave her goosebumps.
I like it , when I find out I have picked out the right animal for someone.

The butterfly is about transformation. Butterfly fearlessly leaves the safety of its cocoon to meet a new world in a new form, trusting its untried wings to allow it to fly. It is a powerful symbol for anyone who's contemplating or in the midst of a major change. It is about bringing color and joy to our lives, learning to dance with joy as we make those changes in our lives transforming us and our lives.

Wishing you a colorful day filled with joy ;)

HAW!

♥♥♥

KJ's Alphabet Meme

2011-05-29T09:40:00.001+02:00

A is for age: Soon 50! Shocking to see the image in the mirror that doesn't resemble the girl inside......But eh I am healthy.....I should be happy.
.
B is for beer of choice:One of the few drinks I don't like.......Only in emergencies with Oriental food, when there really is no wine...........
.
C is for career: After a lot of jobs I started flying for KLM 26 years ago. I am a senior purser now and still enjoying my job just as much as when I started (had a few dips....) so I consider myself very lucky in this aspect!

D is for favorite Drink: Wine!! Red, white, rosé..............If there would be a green or blue one I would probably like it also :-P
.
E is for Essential item(s) you use everyday: Yes lipstick, never leave home without it, unless I am on my way to the dentist. If I forget to bring one I buy one along the way...... I have loads of them.
.
F is for Favorite song at the moment: Songs by Ashana. She has a voice like clear water. So soothing.....
.
H is for How About Whatever Favorite I Choose:Colors. They are very important in my live. I don't have a real favorite color I love them all although I wouldn't buy clothes in yellow, but I do love gold and the sun which are yellow to me too. I love the colors from indigo to orange in the color wheel the most at this moment, like purple violet and red, but I also love to wear turquoise and white. You see I can't really answer this one :)

G is for favorite Game: I love games. I love to play tennis, which I consider a game and not sport of exercise (although they are....) I love boardgames but not chess and checkers, too much thinking for me......I love games like Carcassone. I use to love games on the PC . I was addicted to commander Keen for a while.........Loved the Disney's Dinosaurs game .
.
I is for Instruments played: I played the organ :( Thought it was stupid I wanted to learn the accordeon, but no way I could choose myself.......I still want to learn that or to play the piano.
.
J is for favorite Juice: Fresh squeezed orange juice.
.
K is for Kids:I have 2 wonderful boys, 2 lovely dogs, 5 cats and 2 deer, which are all like children to me as well.
.
L is for last kiss: this morning. My DH and I always kiss each other good morning. We kiss a lot over here. Dutch habit to give 3 kisses to friends instead of hugging what is more common in the States and in Sweden. But I really like both. It is good to show friends and loved one that you love them♥
.
M is for marriage: Yes. 22 years. While writing this I just realized that we totally forgot the occasion 14 days ago. :(
.
N is for full Name: Maria Anna Severin Schillings. After marriage I added my husband's name to my own. This was possible because I still have the Swedish nationality. In Sweden you can choose, even your husband can take your name with marriage You have 4 options: either yours or your husbands and both in both ways.
.
O is for Overnight hospital stays: One when Lars was born, one when Felix came with a cesarean one a few when I had both my feet operated 10 years ago (hallux valgus); one when I had an operation last November. I must say I never mind staying in the hospital, it is more the reason why.....
.
P is for phobias: I hate to get my feet dirty. I always wear slippers. For the rest I have no real fears. I am not afraid of any animal so I am the one here who has to take all the scary things outside like spiders (which I pick up with my hands, unless to big then I remove them with a glass and a piece of paper) frogs mice etc mostly brought in the house by my beloved cats. I must admit cockroaches are my least favorite and I don't like them in my hotel room, I always leave my light on in the bathroom and pretend they will go to there so I can sleep.
.
Q is for quote: "We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want" (Tao Te Ching)
.
R is for biggest Regret: I have a few. One will haunt me for the rest of my live, I won't tell anyone, but I am punished for it nearly every day.

S is for sports: I love tennis. Love to play, love to watch.
.
T is for Time you wake up: varies, but most of the time I am an early bird.
.
U is for color underwear: Black white and nude, depends on what I wear.
.
V is for Vegetable you love:I am not a veggie lover unfortunately, but I do love salads.
.
W is for Worst Habit:I am disordered, not mentally..........I mean untidy ;)
.
X is for X-rays you’ve had: too many to remember the exact number, most of them of my teeth.
.
Y is for Yummy food you make: I am not a kitchen princess, but I make a few nice things, like spareribs, quesadillas, and Chinese noodles.
.
Z is for Zodiac sign: Cancer.

This meme I found on KJ's blog She invites you to try your hand at this alphabet challenge.
I thought it was fun. I would love to read your answers :)

Have a nice Sunday ♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday / In the garden

2011-05-25T22:08:00.001+02:00

This video I made yesterday in the garden..

Wanted to show you the 3 generations of fish in my pond but only the big ones are to be seen in the video.

When walking around there are always some pets in the garden. I am blessed to have these sweet animals, What would I do or be without them?!

The video is made with my phone so not the best of quality. But believe me when you'd give me a high tech HD camcorder I wouldn't do much better...... Somehow I prefer to take pictures.

My DH thought it was a silly video...... :(

HAW

♥♥♥

Aum Mandala

2011-05-22T09:59:00.003+02:00

Mandala made for Lilac Robin :)

In Hindu mythology, 'Aum' has another symbolic meaning: the letter ‘A’ also represents the process of creation, when it is said that all existence issued forth from Brahma's golden nucleus; the letter ‘U’ refers to Vishnu, the god who is said to preserve this world by balancing Brahma on a lotus above himself. The ‘M’ symbolizes the final part of the cycle of existence, when it is said that Vishnu falls asleep and Brahma has to breathe in so that all existing things have to disintegrate and are reduces to their essence to him. This is the ‘M’ of Mahesha, also known as the great god Shiva, whose long period of yoga begins so that the sensual world ceases to exists. Finally, the silence at the end of the mantra symbolizes the period between death and rebirth. One must not forget that this silence is an important part of the mantra.

(source: New World Encyclopedia )

Have a nice Sunday

♥♥♥

Frida Friday

2011-05-20T09:20:00.000+02:00

Frida was in La-La land as well

Here's where she finally met Robin

Frida was happy to be taken on a trip with us

Not afraid of any danger

At ease with the celebs

Met Obama

See LAX in the background?

Sniffed the ocean breeze

Pretty women

Shopped for Chanel (channel) and Gucci (gukki)

At Rodeo drive

She fired the comb over

Shopped at the Groove

Stopped to smell the (desert) roses

Back in the suitcase home..... Too bad it was over

Hope this answers KJ's Question of where Frida was........

With us sharing the fun in La-La land

click here to see other Frida Adventures

Thankful Thursday

2011-05-19T07:53:00.003+02:00

This is how our fun weekend began

With bubbles and gifts

And a lot of fun

Which lasted the whole weekend

We talked ate and finally raised our glasses

Our rental car ;)

At the Lido.

Wish Gordon Ramsay had done something about the music as well.(don't forget to click on the link here)

LA , city of famous people..... Who is this?

On our way to Hollywood..........

Indeed it was magic

At Venice beach

Beverly Hills here we come........

Click to enlarge and find the Hollywood sign.......

I found my favorite star on the walk of fame.............(my dad)

I bought this CD of this soon to be famous rapper. See how he bends over to fit in the picture......

The Chinese theater..............

Two ladies having fun and acting as tourists.............

We walked around in circles and finally found our Starbucks.....

And the Hollywood sign..............

A view of LA's skyline (Robin's picture)

Robin escaped the storm in SF and enjoyed the sun in LA with me........

The market Place and the Groove. Wow it was like little Disneyland........

Ready for our last evening together......

Shhhhhhhh...........

Heat........

We stopped to smell the pine trees...................

Robin ready to go home again.................

There she goes off to SF...............

(Did it really happen....)

No need to tell you we had a great time hope the pictures show it.

(Tomorrow part 3)

Today I look like a hamster, my face is swollen, my stomach hurts from the medicine but I am in less pain.

I will take it easy until after the weekend, like the doctor prescribed.

I know I am way behind visiting all your blogs, but I will try to catch up with all of you in the next days.

Blogger ate all my comments on the Animal Wednesday post from last week. Did anyone else experience this? What a bummer. I always appreciate all your comments.

Hope all of you are enjoying your week!

♥♥♥

Thankful Thursday

2011-05-19T07:51:00.000+02:00

This is how our fun weekend began

With bubbles and gifts

And a lot of fun

Which lasted the whole weekend

We talked ate and finally raised our glasses

Our rental car ;)

At the Lido.

Wish Gordon Ramsay had done something about the music as well.(don't forget to click on the link here)

La , city of famous people..... Who is this?

On our way to Hollywood..........

Indeed it was magic

At Venice beach

Beverly Hills here we come........

Click to enlarge and find the Hollywood sign.......

I found my favorite star on the walk of fame.............(my dad)

I bought this CD of this soon to be famous rapper. See how he bends over to fit in the picture......

The Chinese theater..............

Two ladies having fun and acting as tourists.............

We walked around in circles and finally found our Starbucks.....

And the Hollywood sign..............

A view of LA's skyline (Robin's picture)

Robin escaped the storm in SF and enjoyed the sun in LA with me........

The market Place and the Groove. Wow it was like little Disneyland........

Ready for our last evening together......

Shhhhhhhh...........

Heat........

We stopped to smell the pine trees...................

Robin ready to go home again.................

There she goes off to SF...............

(Did it really happen....)

No need to tell you we had a great time hope the pictures show it.

(Tomorrow part 3)

Today I look like a hamster, my face is swollen, my stomach hurts from the medicine but I am in less pain.

I will take it easy until after the weekend, like the doctor prescribed.

I know I am way behind visiting all your blogs, but I will try to catch up with all of you in the next days.

Blogger ate all my comments on the Animal Wednesday post from last week. Did anyone else experience this? What a bummer. I always appreciate all your comments.

Hope all of you are enjoying your week!

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday from LA

2011-05-18T20:32:00.000+02:00

This was the first picture Robin and I took after we met

We walked to the window and look who was waiting there to greet us?!

I know it looks like a breadcrumb but believe me it was a big crow.

(Picture made with my cell phone.)

Marja gave me a Bofie bag to bring to Robin.

She was in tears when she saw her perfect gift!

After our lunch we met this girl

Here she flew away with her beer battered fries.........

Click to enlarge. This one escaped from the Rhode Island squirrel huntress. Just popped in to say hello to us.

We went on the patio and he didn't go away.

Here is Robin. See how close we could come?!

Cute cute cute

Here is Robin , Hollywood diva at the walk of fame with cookie monster. Felix loves Cookie monster so this animal was for him:)

Hard to see but there was a crow in this tree as well.

Also this was the view from the back of our hotel.

These were made with my cell phone again while waiting on the train home.

Today just the animal pictures.

I have 2 more posts in store for you all.

One with pictures of the two of us and one with the mystery guest ;)

It was a wonderful trip and it was so much fun meeting Robin!

She is just adorable and the visit was the way I expected it to be and more.

Today I had an operation at the dental surgeon, so I am still groggy from all the Diazepam they gave me. I am also taking pain killers.

I survived........... I feel dizzy so I will return to the couch with my furry kids to keep me company and help me heal. I hope to feel better soon.

Happy Animal Wednesday ♥♥♥

Animal wednesday / Sjimmie still in the window sill

2011-05-11T22:00:00.000+02:00

This is the painting I was struggling with last week.........

I don't know if it is finished or not but I took it home.

I love how the sky and water turned out, but the rest....nah.

I will just look at it and see what I would like to change.

I feel much better after my cold and played tennis and went to my art class with the bike instead of the car.

When I came home I found Sjimmie in the window sill.....

Just like he was still there since 2 weeks ago....

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

John Lennon, "Beautiful Boy"
English singer & songwriter (1940 - 1980)

Don't forget to click on the link above to hear the song with the famous quote and enjoy it.

Sjimmie: "Now that is something for human beings
I just plan my naps that's all. and in between naps I just live by the moment."

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Animal Wednesday / Olga's Kitties

2011-05-04T19:53:00.000+02:00

After my Wednesday art class this was my view when we took a drink afterwards.

Two of Olga's kittens. Two year's ago I got a present like this from Olga.(Read and see here).

I just love her ceramic kitties.

I worked on a painting today or should I say struggle? I will show once I finish it. I didn't take a picture of it today.

I have been a bad blogger....... I have had hay fever for weeks and it is wearing me out. On top of that I caught a cold and my toothache is back...............:(

I still have 14 days before I have my appointment to the dental surgeon, so I hope this toothache won't get any worse.........

But I am happy I have this cold now and not next week. Then I will go to LA and meet a dear blog friend of mine!

The weather has been fantastic the whole month of April and still the forecast for the coming 2 weeks is great! So I am not complaining about that :) Hope the sun is shining also where you are ;)

Happy Animal Wednesday!