Diabetics R Us

JoKalsbeek

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You're right about the harassing on Facebook, but mine definitely harass me and everybody else on my birthday parties to join in in the food!
That's the parties I avoid. ;) If I know a certain someone'll be there, I won't be. And I have celebrated my birthday at the Efteling with no-one but my husband and the elves, up until Corona blew it this year. ;)
 

Antje77

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That's the parties I avoid. ;) If I know a certain someone'll be there, I won't be. And I have celebrated my birthday at the Efteling with no-one but my husband and the elves, up until Corona blew it this year. ;)
I love having my birthday in my garden with a fire and people (mainly a couple of good friends and my neighbours) bringing foodstuff and drinks. Which is of course an open invitation to all my cats, dogs and visiting dogs to either harass people for the food or simply steal it.
This year I opted for a guided city walk in Leeuwarden with 2 friends because of depression and anxiety, and visiting a good friend and her family the next day, saving myself from the (mainly mental) hassle that comes with organising.
That was a good birthday too, but I expect there will be a small random garden party to make up for the missed birthday party this summer :)
After all, no need for an excuse to have a party!

Hopefully you can enjoy your Efteling birthday again next year!
 

JoKalsbeek

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I reversed my Type 2
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I love having my birthday in my garden with a fire and people (mainly a couple of good friends and my neighbours) bringing foodstuff and drinks. Which is of course an open invitation to all my cats, dogs and visiting dogs to either harass people for the food or simply steal it.
This year I opted for a guided city walk in Leeuwarden with 2 friends because of depression and anxiety, and visiting a good friend and her family the next day, saving myself from the (mainly mental) hassle that comes with organising.
That was a good birthday too, but I expect there will be a small random garden party to make up for the missed birthday party this summer :)
After all, no need for an excuse to have a party!

Hopefully you can enjoy your Efteling birthday again next year!
Ooh, guided walks... I like those. Excellent alternative! Storytrail.nl 's Stadsavonturen has amazing ones, I'm a bit of a fan and have done quite a few by now. Just in case, Bastiaan and Godefridus are my favourite story tellers/actors. ;) But yeah... I do miss the Efteling, and I will absolutely need to do a rain check when I can. (Or rather, with Covid-19, when I dare.) It's funny how birthdays, which are a celebration of our being in this world, are so taxing to the one being celebrated eh.... I don't mind feeding and watering people, but the stress.... Yikes! That's no celebration, that's me being ill for weeks beforehand with the sheer terror of the thing. My in-laws have been trying to convince me for the past 15 years or so that I really, really should do them. This year they don't want the hassle either and have cancelled theirs. Seems like they finally clued in that the Holy Have-To's aren't all that holy after all. Sometimes, you just have to choose you. ;) Random parties are a good idea too... Less pressure, somehow. :)
 
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Antje77

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Storytrail.nl 's Stadsavonturen has amazing ones, I'm a bit of a fan and have done quite a few by now.
I'll look it up!
We went with Free Tours, very cool concept, you pay at the end of the tour, depending on what you think it was worth and your financial situation. I think they work international in many cities.
 

JoKalsbeek

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I'll look it up!
We went with Free Tours, very cool concept, you pay at the end of the tour, depending on what you think it was worth and your financial situation. I think they work international in many cities.
I'll keep an eye on them, looks like fun!
 
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Antje77

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I'll keep an eye on them, looks like fun!
It was! Not only the expected historical stuff (which is interesting enough in itself) but also heavy on the street art that can be found, legal or illegal, and the message of those artists, a street where many people chose to have a local poet write poems on their front doors (so very cool!) and an art project where someone puts very, very small people in places where you can hardly see them (https://miniaturepeopleleeuwarden.nl/2020/01/26/street-art-tour-a-guide-to-leeuwarden/ all in Dutch, sorry).

Miniatuurpoppetjes-Leeuwarden.jpg
 

JoKalsbeek

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It was! Not only the expected historical stuff (which is interesting enough in itself) but also heavy on the street art that can be found, legal or illegal, and the message of those artists, a street where many people chose to have a local poet write poems on their front doors (so very cool!) and an art project where someone puts very, very small people in places where you can hardly see them (https://miniaturepeopleleeuwarden.nl/2020/01/26/street-art-tour-a-guide-to-leeuwarden/ all in Dutch, sorry).

Miniatuurpoppetjes-Leeuwarden.jpg
That is so up my street, I have no words for it! Cool pic...! :) So, yeah... I think we'll have to drive up to Leeuwarden sometime, when all this madness is over and done with. :)
 

Ryhia

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I am glad you started up the thread again. :) How are you? I have just moved to a lovely little town out in the country. The KittenCat and I are still getting used to our new home. It is very nice, especially now that I have found the cat treats and the coffee!

Hope you don't mind me crashing this thread but I just had to say I am so pleased that you were finally able to make the move to your little town. Last time I read of anything the move was stalled. Interested to know if the apartment was just where you were hoping it would be. Hope you and KittenCat settle in quickly. Regards C.
 
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Antje77

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Hope you don't mind me crashing this thread
Thread-crashing is very welcome, as the thread had gone a bit quiet :)
And I fully agree to your sentiments towards @SaskiaKC . Saskia, care to tell us more about your new place?
 

Ryhia

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It was! Not only the expected historical stuff (which is interesting enough in itself) but also heavy on the street art that can be found, legal or illegal, and the message of those artists, a street where many people chose to have a local poet write poems on their front doors (so very cool!) and an art project where someone puts very, very small people in places where you can hardly see them (https://miniaturepeopleleeuwarden.nl/2020/01/26/street-art-tour-a-guide-to-leeuwarden/ all in Dutch, sorry).
Thanks that you don't mind me being here as I also wanted to say that your pic of those little figures caught my attention as they reminded me of some miniature bronze sculptures that can be found in different villages along a stretch of rugged coastline in the Scottish Borders. We love the remoteness (for Britain) of the Scottish Borders and go there quite often but are unable to at present because of lockdown. The miniature figures are of women and children looking out to sea, waiting to see if their menfolk will return. The sculptures were commissioned to commemorate a disaster that happened in 1881 when 189 fishermen lost their lives during a really awful storm. Its quite difficult to look at these figures without feeling emotion, they are really evocative and remind me how people relied on the sea for their livelihood. Hope I haven't depressed anyone as the area is outstandingly beautiful with stunning vistas from cliff walks, a bird nature reserve on the doorstep and if you are lucky you may see seals swimming in the harbor.

upload_2020-5-23_20-7-19.png
St Abbs


upload_2020-5-23_19-51-47.png
Eyemouth

EDITED to say Only an hour and a half drive from Tynemouth/Amsterdam ferry terminal.
 
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Antje77

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The miniature figures are of women and children looking out to sea, waiting to see if their menfolk will return. The sculptures were commissioned to commemorate a disaster that happened in 1881 when 189 fishermen lost their lives during a really awful storm. Its quite difficult to look at these figures without feeling emotion
They're beautiful and are giving me goosebumps. We have a small village in the Netherlands (Paesens-Moddergat) where all the men between 12 and 60 (or so, can't remember exactly) except 3 were lost at sea in a storm in 1883, march 5 - 6. Impossible to imagine how that must've changed the village for a century or longer!

Many coastal places have some monument, often women looking out at sea for all who are lost at sea. They always touch me, because my mother has drowned in a freakish storm when sailing when I was 20 years old, so those monuments are for her as well.

The area you describe sounds like a place I'd love to visit one day!
 

SaskiaKC

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Hope you don't mind me crashing this thread but I just had to say I am so pleased that you were finally able to make the move to your little town. Last time I read of anything the move was stalled. Interested to know if the apartment was just where you were hoping it would be. Hope you and KittenCat settle in quickly. Regards C.

Thank you! I am happy to see you here. :)

The apartment manager here called me out of the blue on about May 8th and said Surprise! You can move in from the 13th. So after checking the weather forecast we settled on the 19th.

My apartment is in a great place, looking out onto a huge lawn that is more like a small field, with woods beyond and another field beyond that. No floodlights, no revving cars, no sirens, no traffic. It is on a semiprivate road that goes nowhere so no cars that don't live here. Just acres and acres of grass and trees and wildlife. :)
 
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SaskiaKC

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Thread-crashing is very welcome, as the thread had gone a bit quiet :)
And I fully agree to your sentiments towards @SaskiaKC . Saskia, care to tell us more about your new place?

Yes thank you and I will try to post some pics from my laptop. Can't from my phone.
 

Antje77

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Ooh, guided walks... I like those. Excellent alternative! Storytrail.nl 's Stadsavonturen has amazing ones
I've just looked them up and it sounds very good! Too bad none of them are kind of close to me, except Groningen, which is still an hour by car. I'll keep them in mind though!
 

SaskiaKC

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It was! Not only the expected historical stuff (which is interesting enough in itself) but also heavy on the street art that can be found, legal or illegal, and the message of those artists, a street where many people chose to have a local poet write poems on their front doors (so very cool!) and an art project where someone puts very, very small people in places where you can hardly see them (https://miniaturepeopleleeuwarden.nl/2020/01/26/street-art-tour-a-guide-to-leeuwarden/ all in Dutch, sorry).

Miniatuurpoppetjes-Leeuwarden.jpg

I would love that.
I've just been over on YouTube and the Efteling website. Wow!! That place is my age! I made the mistake of opening the YouTube video of the Baron 1898, "rode" it to the top, then tried to chicken out and X out of it -- and couldn't stop it!! :wideyed::D:eek:
 

Antje77

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I would love that.
I've just been over on YouTube and the Efteling website. Wow!! That place is my age! I made the mistake of opening the YouTube video of the Baron 1898, "rode" it to the top, then tried to chicken out and X out of it -- and couldn't stop it!! :wideyed::D:eek:
I've visited the Efteling for the first time in at least 25 years 2 years ago but I skipped the Baron. Just no way I'd go in that thing!
But on youtube you can always chicken out by closing your eyes...
 
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SaskiaKC

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I'm feeling very pleased with myself. I have just repaired my utility knife, which has seen a lot of use recently opening boxes. The blade had gotten stuck in the barely open position, so I found my screwdriver and opened up the casing and got the blade unstuck! And got my fingers all nice and oily-greasy in the process. Fun! And a pleasing sense of achievement.
 
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SaskiaKC

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I've just looked them up and it sounds very good! Too bad none of them are kind of close to me, except Groningen, which is still an hour by car. I'll keep them in mind though!

For me Groningen would be worth the hour's drive just to see the lovely horses.

ffe113c1669cfd82a1a48dc4a4ed718c.jpg
 
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