Dispatched

The #EarthquakeAid magnetic bookmarks have all been packaged…

… and were dispatched today. All envelopes have been sent as letterbox packages and without track and trace, to save on postage costs. I hope the bookmarks reach their destinations without any problems! Now all that is left is to find out the final tally of how much will be donated to aid the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. Thank you to everyone who purchased a bookmark and/or in any way participated in this impromptu fundraiser!

#EarthquakeAid for Turkey and Syria

Guylty has organized an impromptu charity sale of Richard Armitage items to benefit the victims of the terrible earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. All details on Guylty’s blog HERE.

I’m reading this an hour after the sale has gone live and see that some items are already gone. I have donated some magnetic bookmarks to the sale…

… and as I type this, those have not all be sold out yet. So, if you are so inclined and can spare a small amount, pop on over to Guylty’s Etsy shop and pick an item or two to benefit the #EarthquakeAid. Thank you!

Quick update

Been busy with work.

And volunteer work.

And supporting Junior in his new study plans.

And supporting Junior in looking for a small place of his own.

And sending Junior off on a two and a half week holiday to Israel (with my brother) and from there on to Malta on his own next weekend.

And supporting Mr E, who’s dealing with close-to-burnout issues.

And daily almost endless cat combing because she had some fleas we couldn’t get rid of. They seem gone now.

And taking my mother to the doctor tomorrow for what I hope is a minor issue. She’s 87, so you can never be too careful.

Also been keeping up with some news and this following clip is pretty much me on the whole Prince Harry revealing all issue. I’m a little more interested in the royal family than this guy below, but otherwise the sentiment is pretty much the same.

And I totally get it when Harry says this on setting stories straight…

And why do we have to be “Team Harry” or “Team William”? Why does everything have to be so black and white? Anyway, keeping comments open for now but, despite posting this, I am in no mood to discuss and debate this whole Harry issue, it’s being discussed to death as it is.

What’s been far more important and has been occupying us most for the last few days is this: this past weekend a possibility popped up for a big penthouse apartment in another city that I’ve wanted to live in for years at an affordable price! We’ve been dreaming, calculating, talking and driving around the city and the area to assess it and this Thursday we have a viewing scheduled. Should this happen, it would mean a major shift in our lives. Eek!

So, that’s my update: just too busy to post and lots going on! I wonder when things will finally settle down a bit more. If this house thing really is happening, it’ll be a while… Yikes…

Seoul

Mini me is in Seoul right now, visiting my 22 year old niece who studies there (in the blue jeans in the first picture), accompanied by my other 17 year old niece (riding piggy back in the green sweater below). They’ve been having a blast there.

Earlier this evening the news reached us that something horrible was happening in Seoul. Apparently at Halloween festivities in the city at least 146 people have died and 150 have been injured in a mad crush of the crowds. We contacted mini me and were assured that she and the girls were fine. She told us that the three of them and a fourth friend were also headed to that Halloween party but on nearing the area found it all too crowded and had decided to turn back. They were safely back at my niece’s apartment when they heard how bad it all really was. Thank goodness they are all fine! My heart breaks for the terrible loss of life and all those who have been injured. Our thoughts are with Seoul tonight.💔

11 things that made me smile

So friggin’ busy of late that ‘real’ blogging is really falling by the wayside. Making time this evening to share a few recent highlights that I meant to share over time but never got around to…

1- The town where I live has been celebrating its 750th anniversary and the old church has opened its rooftop to visitors. We finally went up two weeks ago to take an eagle-eye peek at our town. It was beautiful.

2- Cats. One sleeping on a tray, the other cuddling on top of my daughter’s head.

3- Speaking of my daughter, she has started her applied sciences university and is studying nursing and loving it. She’s bang in the middle of this group picture taken the other day.

4- Honourable mention for my son. Since the fall of 2019 he’s done internships, finished his vocational college online and had a gap year, so he basically hasn’t been in school for three years. He has now started applied sciences university in The Hague, studying sports management. Going back to school again is a bit of an adjustment for him but it looks like he’s off to a very good (albeit exhausting) start. We’re very proud of him for giving this a real and serious shot.

5- Rainbow last week.

6- I thought I’d play the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon thing the other day. I thought I was four degrees removed, then three but now I realize it’s two!

Apparently even Kevin Bacon himself reacted to this one…

7- Nicola Walker is joining Richard Armitage in narrating the audiobook Geneva that he wrote! It can almost tempt me to listen to an audiobook, because I think Nicola Walker is awesome…

…. but just like some other fans already requested, I’d love to see a print version of this book too.

8- While I’m at it, this picture of Richard as Father Quart appeared. Don’t think I’d seen it before but it’s fascinating. I can’t seem to take my eyes off it.

9- So yes, I watched Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at the beginning of the week. Fascinating and impressive pomp and circumstance with so many impressive and some touching images but I think I liked this image (by artist Eleanor Tomlinson) best, made just after the queen died.

10- I was clearing photos off my phone camera and came across this image that I snapped very quickly back in June or so. I was leaving the metro to go to the office and saw Anne of Green Gables infront of me! That’s who she reminded me of in any case.

11- The situation in Ukraine remains depressing and very scary but I did enjoy this bit from a Dutch comedy programme offering a referendum for all Russians (made by the same people who made the ‘America First, The Netherlands Second’ video after Trump was elected president).

Right, off to bed now. Another busy work day awaits tomorrow.