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What's Up in April 2017?


Athena

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17 hours ago, Athena said:

How exciting :D!! I wish you lots of fun in Croatia, family of mine has been there and they really liked it. I also wish you fun in Amsterdam, are there any particular things you would do in Amsterdam? There are some nice book shops there to visit as well as nice buildings, lots of museums, the canals, etc.

I thought I'd replied to this, not sure where I put it if so! :blush:

 

Thanks Gaia, everyone I know that has been to Croatia has loved it and we have been keen to go for a while. We really don't know much about Amsterdam, we want to go to the Anne Frank museum, there is a walking WWII tour I would like to do but Maddie isn't so keen! Obviously a river cruise and maybe hire bicycles. I need a good guide book! Recommendations welcome! :)

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15 hours ago, Talisman said:

 

How exciting - everyone seems to be going to Croatia this year. I am going too at the end of September and can't wait. I agree it can be tricky finding the right accommodation - I always use booking.com as they have a lot of lower cost properties like hostels and so on that other sites don't list. I prefer hostels as that way I get to meet other travellers, and I also have access to a kitchen which is important when you have a gluten free diet as I do. 

Hopefully they won't ALL be there in August! I agree re the accommodation, I have a complex diet and whilst I don't have severe reactions if I 'cheat' I do feel amazingly better if I stick to it. We have an apartment so we can self cater when we want to, but we will eat out a lot, I just stick to salads and meat and 2 veg type meals while away. 

 

Can you recommend a guide book, June? We are staying in the Split area. :)

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The weekend is here!:doowapstart:

 

I have absolutely no plans for the weekend, I'm just gonna wing it.  I might try a new recipe from a cookbook I bought a few weeks ago, as I should have the kitchen to myself tomorrow.  My cough is starting to get better now, I seem to be sleeping better and I'm getting fewer coughing fits, so hopefully I'll see the end of it next week.

 

Have a good weekend, everyone. :) 

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7 hours ago, chaliepud said:

Hopefully they won't ALL be there in August! I agree re the accommodation, I have a complex diet and whilst I don't have severe reactions if I 'cheat' I do feel amazingly better if I stick to it. We have an apartment so we can self cater when we want to, but we will eat out a lot, I just stick to salads and meat and 2 veg type meals while away. 

 

Can you recommend a guide book, June? We are staying in the Split area. :)

 

I am pretty much the same - I can have the odd bit of wheat now and then, but if I overdo it (like a whole pizza or something) then I know about it. Being vegetarian complicates things a bit more for me, as a lot of restaurants think all we eat is pizza and pasta, which of course is wheat, hence the fact that I try and self cater too as much as I can. Of course travelling solo means you have no one to share the cost of an apartment with, which can get expensive. This is why I tend to use hostels instead, as it's cheaper and I still get access to a kitchen. It's okay until one of your room mates starts snoring, which can be a nightmare. I spent 6 sleepless nights in Wales last summer because of that - not good. It's the only way though I can afford to travel as much as I do. When I go to Croatia I am staying in both Split, where I have a room in a shared house, and Dubrovnik where I am staying in a hostel near the port, both of which have shared kitchens.

 

As far as books are concerned, I haven't really looked as yet. Normally I find the Insight guides are good, so I will probably look at one of those - or possibly Marco Polo.

 

I am glad though to be home. At lunchtime today I found one of our clients in the smoking shelter having had what appears to have been a stroke and had to raise the alarm. They took him into hospital to do tests and everything, and I just hope he is okay, as he has a lot of other health problems, including diabetes.

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Hey y'all!

 

I had a productive morning and plan to do nothing the rest of the day/weekend. I walked almost four miles and I finished packing all 3k books. I know have naked bookshelves eyeballing me every time I walk pass them. They hate me so I'll have to put them in the shed to stop the disrespectful glares.

Last night I weeded out our closet and got rid of a bunch of stuff and packed away the winter items. In the event that we need them before moving, I have them in an easily accessible place. There's not much else that can be packed that won't make the house look bare so I'll save that for later in the year. 

 

Hubby washed the stinky dog and I'm washing her bedding. He's cleaning the shower. The chores are done for the weekend and I plan to do nothing but relax and read.

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Well done, Virginia!! Seems like the Spring Cleaning Bug has bitten you, too. :D I've been on a mission to clean out my apartment of all the little cluttery things I don't need and have been separating them into "sell" and "total crap" piles. I'm hoping I can get a nice chunk for the sell pile and have a charity come pick up the other one next week. The next job is to clean out the car, which I hate with a passion. 

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14 hours ago, Madeleine said:

That sounds terrible, but he shouldn't be smoking with all those health problems!  Hope he's OK.

 

It did give me a bit of a scare. I was getting some stuff from our housekeeping storage shed, which is near the smoking shelter when I saw him. He appeared to banging his head against the side of the shelter while slumped backwards in the chair, so it was obvious something wasn't right. When I went over there the left side of his face was all droopy and his eyes rolled back and he couldn't speak, so straight away I thought "stroke". Luckily we carry radios so that we can keep in touch with each other and be contacted, so I radioed reception immediately asking for help. The first aiders all came running and one of them called an ambulance, which then took him to hospital.

 

He is such a lovely man though - a bit rough and ready around the edges after years in the building trade, but still a lovely man. I will be really upset if it turns out to be serious. I think a lot of people will be, as she is such a character.

 

Coran is out for the day again today, so I intend to have a nice quiet day of reading - not sure if it will be warm enough to sit out, but I intend to try. I might treat myself to some Sushi from the new Sushi bar in our local Sainsbury's for lunch.

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22 hours ago, chaliepud said:

I thought I'd replied to this, not sure where I put it if so! :blush:

 

Thanks Gaia, everyone I know that has been to Croatia has loved it and we have been keen to go for a while. We really don't know much about Amsterdam, we want to go to the Anne Frank museum, there is a walking WWII tour I would like to do but Maddie isn't so keen! Obviously a river cruise and maybe hire bicycles. I need a good guide book! Recommendations welcome! :)

 

I've never been to the Anne Frank House, because there is always an enormous queue, but I hear it's impressive. I've never read a travel guide for Amsterdam, because growing up I was just taught things through school, friends, family, TV, books, and such (we even went on a trip to Amsterdam with my school class). But my brother really likes the Lonely Planet travel guides for the countries he's travelling to in South America. Here is a Lonely Planet Guide for Amsterdam (on Amazon), there is a pocket version too that's cheaper, here. I'm sorry I can't give you a more direct recommendation.

 

16 hours ago, chesilbeach said:

The weekend is here!:doowapstart:

 

I have absolutely no plans for the weekend, I'm just gonna wing it.  I might try a new recipe from a cookbook I bought a few weeks ago, as I should have the kitchen to myself tomorrow.  My cough is starting to get better now, I seem to be sleeping better and I'm getting fewer coughing fits, so hopefully I'll see the end of it next week.

 

Have a good weekend, everyone. :) 

 

I wish you a good weekend too :)!

 

15 hours ago, Madeleine said:

It's been a nice short week with the Bank Holiday.  I've nothing planned either, have a lovely weekend everyone!

 

Have a good weekend :)!

 

14 hours ago, Talisman said:

I am glad though to be home. At lunchtime today I found one of our clients in the smoking shelter having had what appears to have been a stroke and had to raise the alarm. They took him into hospital to do tests and everything, and I just hope he is okay, as he has a lot of other health problems, including diabetes.

 

I hope he will be okay :(.

 

12 hours ago, Virginia said:

I had a productive morning and plan to do nothing the rest of the day/weekend. I walked almost four miles and I finished packing all 3k books. I know have naked bookshelves eyeballing me every time I walk pass them. They hate me so I'll have to put them in the shed to stop the disrespectful glares.

Last night I weeded out our closet and got rid of a bunch of stuff and packed away the winter items. In the event that we need them before moving, I have them in an easily accessible place. There's not much else that can be packed that won't make the house look bare so I'll save that for later in the year. 

 

Hubby washed the stinky dog and I'm washing her bedding. He's cleaning the shower. The chores are done for the weekend and I plan to do nothing but relax and read.

 

Sounds like you've been busy! I wish you a good weekend :).

 

8 hours ago, AbielleRose said:

Well done, Virginia!! Seems like the Spring Cleaning Bug has bitten you, too. :D I've been on a mission to clean out my apartment of all the little cluttery things I don't need and have been separating them into "sell" and "total crap" piles. I'm hoping I can get a nice chunk for the sell pile and have a charity come pick up the other one next week. The next job is to clean out the car, which I hate with a passion. 

 

You've been busy, good luck with the car :).

 

1 minute ago, Talisman said:

Coran is out for the day again today, so I intend to have a nice quiet day of reading - not sure if it will be warm enough to sit out, but I intend to try. I might treat myself to some Sushi from the new Sushi bar in our local Sainsbury's for lunch.

 

I hope you enjoy your quiet day :).

 

I've planned a busy Saturday and a quieter Sunday.

 

 

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Earlier today my goat William passed away :wibbly:. The vet said William has had a brain hemorrhage. I'm sad :(.

Yesterday we celebrated my granddad's birthday and my aunt's birthday. I had a great time yesterday. I'm very tired from it though.

 

But now William is gone, and I'm sad :(. The poor goat :wibbly:. He was old so maybe it was his time, but I'll miss him.

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13 hours ago, Lau_Lou said:

Aww so sorry to hear about William! I hope you're okay.

 

only one more week of work and then another Bank Holiday!

 

Thanks, Lau Lou.

 

Here on Thursday the 27th (upcoming Thursday) it's King's Day, so that will be a day off. Is the Bank Holiday you're referring to, Labour Day (May 1rst)? According to the internet that's a Bank Holiday in most of the countries in Europe but not in the Netherlands. I hope you have fun on your day off :).

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@Athena

Sorry to read about your troubles. Take care. 

 

I have spent a couple of hours in the garden today, but the weather has changed and so I am now indoors with an aching back and a cup of tea! I'm sure the ironing I will be doing later will help (NOT!). :D in the meantime I have some paperwork to get through. 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Madeleine said:

I think it's Labour Day in the US, and in the UK it's just called the May Bank Holiday, not sure why, but who cares, it's a free day off work!

 

That's the spirit lol. Here it's called 'Dag van de Arbeid', but it's not a Bank Holiday, people just go to work like normally.

 

49 minutes ago, Chrissy said:

@Athena

Sorry to read about your troubles. Take care. 

 

I have spent a couple of hours in the garden today, but the weather has changed and so I am now indoors with an aching back and a cup of tea! I'm sure the ironing I will be doing later will help (NOT!). :D in the meantime I have some paperwork to get through.

 

Thanks Chrissy :hug:.

 

I hope your back will feel better soon. Good luck with the paperwork :).

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Sorry about William Gaia - at least it was quick, which is always a blessing.:hug:

 

I share the sentiment about Bank Holidays too Madeleine - I don't need an excuse for another day off from work. It has been tough for me lately, but hopefully we have not turned the corner. Our new cleaner, Karen started  today and she is brilliant. It is s nice to have another woman to talk to as the only female member of a team of 9 men. Her husband who also works there brought her over to where I was working at 8am this morning, and she walked straight up to me and gave me a big hug. If she carries on like she did today I will be very happy. :) 

 

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8 minutes ago, Talisman said:

Sorry about William Gaia - at least it was quick, which is always a blessing.:hug:

 

Thanks June, that's true :hug:.

 

8 minutes ago, Talisman said:

I share the sentiment about Bank Holidays too Madeleine - I don't need an excuse for another day off from work. It has been tough for me lately, but hopefully we have not turned the corner. Our new cleaner, Karen started  today and she is brilliant. It is s nice to have another woman to talk to as the only female member of a team of 9 men. Her husband who also works there brought her over to where I was working at 8am this morning, and she walked straight up to me and gave me a big hug. If she carries on like she did today I will be very happy. :)

 

That sounds nice :). It can be difficult being the only woman in a group of men. I hope things will get better for you soon.

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Well, that's me now finished the Easter panto production of Puss In Boots (I was playing Puss). It's been a blast, and i've had a day off to go to the theatre to SEE a show (The Woman In Black), but tomorrow I'm back in rehearsals for a cabaret show which will be performed in a couple of weeks, then a couple of weeks after that, I have a WWII re-enactment to sing at, and in July, I'm singing at a 60th wedding anniversary (I'm getting rather busy all of a sudden and I'm even getting paid for some of it!).

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I have had a really good week at work- for a change, but am still glad to have a three day weekend ahead of me. It is always a bit of challenge breaking in new staff and showing them the ropes. The new girl has settled in well though and already feels part of the team - she evidently does too for she was cracking rude jokes with the boys at lunchtime and giving as good as she got. :o  All three of us had to work together yesterday to deep clean one of the clients rooms, and it was great to finally have a team that get on so well together and have the same objectives - to do a really good job and have a laugh together. I knew it would come together in the end if I was patient.

 

I am now looking forward to a well earned rest and a long lie in.    

 

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I hope you enjoy your three-day weekend :).

 

It was King's Day two days ago here (on Thursday), but I didn't do anything special for it, other than wearing my one orange T-shirt.

I've been busy in and around the house, doing things off the to-do list. Two days ago I planted a lot of seeds (some vegetables, herbs and flowers), I'm hoping they'll be more successful than last year because unfortunately last year most of the plants didn't make it. Yesterday we re-organised our cupboard (I think the Americans might call it a 'pantry'? It is a cupboard though, with food items such as tins and jars, and with plates and other things in it).

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I had the day off on Friday, and after another trip to the DIY shop with other half, I went into town and treated myself to some new books and a coffee and a reading session in Waterstones.  Was enjoying one of the books I'd bought so much, I spent the afternoon reading it all!  We went to the garden centre yesterday morning and bought some roses and a grape vine that will be trained on wires in front of the fence.

 

Today is a lazy day, and I have nothing planned, but might try and catch up on some reviews and try and do some reading, but might also watch a film or something ... I'm just going to wing it. :D

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Hey y'all!

 

Been MIA for a bit, was only able to check in now and again. My past week has been pretty exciting.

 

As some of you may remember, I finished my degree in December. Although I did the paperwork for graduation, I had no intention of actually participating in the graduation ceremonies because I am still paying some fees. Here in the U.S. if you off school fees, the university places a "hold" on your account which can prevent you from enrolling during the next semester, prevent you from graduating or prevent you from getting your diploma and transcripts. I was okay with the later as I knew I was going to get it by the end of the year. My English professor and advisor (who is also head of the English Dept) had other ideas. He sent me an email last Friday saying that he wanted me to graduate. He wanted me to PARTICIPATE in the ceremony as he felt that I deserved it. Again, some of you know the drama and tragedy my family has undergone over the past several years. I actually had to drop out for 3 years before I was able to go back last semester. Death, disaster and dysfunction was the name of the  game. I told Pro. K that I really appreciated all that he had done for me but I couldn't walk. I had that fee looking down on me like an albatross. This was 21 April. Graduation was 28 April. I told him I was unprepared, no cap, no gown, no nothing. He told me not to worry about it. I was to make one phone call to the bursar's office on the following Monday. I did and low and behold, I got the ok. Graduation, as I stated, was on 28 April. I was slated to pick our son up (hadn't seen him since January) early on 28 April. That was one hour north of us. Graduation was 1.5 hours SOUTH of us. 

 

I picked him up and didn't get home til 10:30, had to drop him and hubby off to get haircuts, pick up a few things for myself, get home, showered, changed and on the road by 13:30. I had to meet my prof at a local Mexican restaurant to pick up the cap and gown. Bless me, the man also bought me a tassel!  Then we had to go to the university so I could get lined up by 1630. Three hours later, I was a graduate!

 

I didn't mention it to anyone except the son I had picked up, my mom and two of my classmates. They didn't know a thing til I posted pictures of me in my cap/gown!

 

Something else really special happened. Three years ago I had a falling out with my best friend. We didn't speak. Earlier this month, I kept getting this nudging in my heart to contact her. I did. She apologized and its been like we've never been apart. The best thing that happened out of that?! Well, we were both homeschooling our children. Our youngest son and her oldest daughter were best buds (but grew apart). I've always loved her kids, especially the oldest. So imagine my entire delight when I realized that we were to be marching together? We sat side by side on the front row!!!! 

 

What an amazing and truly blessed week I've had!

 

Gee, I wrote a mini novel. Hope I didn't bore you all too much, lol!

 

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