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I love The Martian. I went to see it with Gert yesterday and it’s a great movie. I found it to be very realistic, in so far that is possible. Matt Damon portrays a very ingenious and likable main character. It’s intriguing to see him struggle in trying to survive on a hostile planet like Mars. I definitely want to see this again, and I can’t wait to read the book.

Today I went to pick up my new folding bike. I’d been thinking about getting one for a while now to help me when I travel to people or places that are far from public transport points. I can’t always walk those ends and I also don’t always want to rely on others to pick me up or drive me. With a folding bike I can take, for example, a bus or train and then bike the rest to go see Eva instead of hoping she can pick me up.

I started looking at Marktplaats last week for a cheap, but good, folding bike. I bid on one on offer a town over but got outbid. That turned out to be my luck as I came across a beautiful bike. One of those tiny models, in red and grey. And even better, it was in perfect condition. The previous owner used it for her commute and had it serviced every year. Because of a job change she didn’t need it any longer so she was looking to sell. I bid, and it got accepted.

It was a bit further out of the way than the first one, so Mom drove me there to pick it up. We made a first stop in the town before to go to the Action. I’m in need of cake plates for birthdays and such. I’d checked at Blokker and online but couldn’t find some that were both pretty and affordable. I need about twelve so no way I’m buying sets of four or six for € 15,00 – € 20,00.

The Action came through as it usually does. I found gorgeous glass plates with a design in them that made them almost look like crystal. And, even better, they also had serving plates in the same design. So I got me twelve cake plates and two different sizes of the serving plates. I love pretty things 🙂

20151024_153458Then we went on the pick up the bike. It was just as cute in real life as on its picture, and it fit in the back of the car perfectly.

Once home, I took it for a little practice round around the block. It’s felt a bit odd at first. It’s so small and the front wheel and handle react very fast. Especially compared to the heavy front end on my regular bike (I have a crate on it). It’s low enough so I can put my feet on the ground, though, so if I need to pull an emergency stop, I can.

Later, I made a new centerpiece for the coffee table to celebrate the fall. A good end to a good day!

Books

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The vet appointment went sort of as expected. Monkey was throwing his usual hissy fit. Together the vet and I managed to get one shot done. Then we let Monkey be for a bit and decided to do the other two next.

Milo was easy, he didn’t want to move so he just sat there in as tight a ball as he could make himself 😀 Captain wasn’t planning on staying on the table this time. He immediately jumped off to look around. After putting him back on the table, the shots and a re-check of his ears was easy.
By then, Monkey was sitting in a corner. I managed to grab him and just hold him as I usually do. He was looking over my shoulder to the wall, giving the vet excellent access to his neck for the second shot. So while I held his head, he growled and she pricked 😀

20151003_131911This morning I went to Groningen. Gert alerted me to a book sale at a thrift store there a few days ago. We met up at the bus stop near the store and headed there. They were selling the books by weight, one kilo for a euro. We combed throught the books on offer and I came away with nearly 2,5 kilo’s of sale books. And another two from outside the sale for a euro each. Total score: ten books for €4,40 😀

I found some good novels. One of which was on my wish list (Vrij!), and another one I’d borrowed from Gert once and also wanted myself (The Athenian Murders). Also got a couple interesting non-fiction books including a dictionary of superstition.

Transporting

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This is how Mr. Squeekypants and Mr. Clumsyass spent a whole ten or so minutes when I went to bed the other night. I don’t think they’ve ever been this close to each other without either one of them running off or protesting. Progress!

The day after was another relaxed movie day for me and Gert. We started the afternoon with a drink outside enjoying the sunshine. Then we hit the cinema for The Transporter Refueled. This isn’t normally a movie I’d go see in the cinema. Or at all, really. I’ve not seen any of the previous movies either. But we saw the trailer a couple times before other movies and it just seemed so fun. And it was. Some semblance of plot but mostly a lot of fast and skillful driving and some action in between. I enjoyed it very much.

20150930_154432We then went on to see The Intern. I had fairly high expectations of that movie. I like Anne Hathaway, I like De Niro and from what I’d seen in the trailer this seemed to be a smart comedy without an overdose of romance. I’m glad to say I wasn’t disappointed. Hathaway and De Niro were awesome together. I liked the plot a lot. It was nice to see the modern-ness of it. Female CEO, working mother, stay-at-home husband, trying to find a balance between work and private life, internet, social media all that stuff. It really is a movie of this time and I like that it’s more a slice of life thing. The issues don’t magically get resolved just because the end of the movie is approaching. It has it’s happy(ish) ending, but there’s still work to do.

Tomorrow I’m taking all three monsters to the vet for their annual regular shots and their semi-annual anti-flea shots. Always a fun operation to run. Monkey hates the trip and the vet. Milo is generally terrified but quiet and calm. And Captain is the wild card. This will be his second time at the vet. The previous time I got his ears done and he got the anti-flea shot. Then he didn’t mind and was curious to walk around the room and sniff. This time around he knows what’s coming…

Elfia Arcen

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I had an amazing weekend at Elfia in Arcen. The atmosphere was great, the whole thing looked fantastic and our camp rocked.

Friday morning, Mellien and Bas picked me up and we drove to The Farm. There we packed up the rented van, Harry’s van and Anneke’s car. Bas had to go to work and would join us in the evening. With the whole group, the packing was done quickly, and we were on our way. All together we were ten people and three dogs.

After arrival, we had some trouble finding our designated camping site. With some help of the organisation, we found it. They had moved us to a better spot. We were now across from the main stage behind the line of food carts. So our back was towards that, and we faced a beautiful pond. The build of the camp went very smoothly and before long we were ready. The visitors wouldn’t be there until Saturday so we could relax for now.

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The next morning, before the festival opened its doors, Jarig and I went to walk their dog. The park around Arcen Castle is fantastic and very elaborate. The big glass building is a greenhouse that also features a Jurassic Park bit complete with fake dinosaurs.

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When we returned it was time to get the picture going. This meant find something to do all day so you’re useful, while having fun and presenting an interesting and pretty picture for the crowd. I mostly held fire watch where I kept the fire going and watched the food we were cooking. Beyond ourselves, the camp is dressed up with many accessories that make it feel even more alive. When the visitors stop and want to know more, or are impressed, you know you’ve done a good job.

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It’s important that the camp always looks complete and lively. We get the free entrance in return for doing just that. So, during both days we took turns going out for a bit to stroll the festival grounds, take a look at other stands, maybe buy some stuff. Every one has something they can do that is sort of authentic to the middle ages. Julius gives little workshops in blacksmithing. Anneke cooks for all of us. Margreet spins wool, Harry does some wood working. Mellien does little felting workshops. Eva varies but this time around it was needle felting. Jarig, Bas and I don’t really have a niche, so we do whatever needs doing. Bas ended up assisting with the Blacksmithing a lot. And I did fire and tried my hand at some wood working with the small axe on the second day. This was quite fun to do, and I think I want to do that more often.

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The evenings are almost an event on their own. After the visitors have gone, the music has died off, the sky has grown dark. Candles are lit, the fire is still burning. There’s a quietness but all around you hear the different camps still living. The last evening we sat around the fire for quite some time.

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Monday morning we got up fairly early so we could pack up everything without having to hurry. In the afternoon we got back on the road to our Highland. Saying goodbye to Arcen for this year.

The stake I made. It needs some sanding to be nice and smooth and then it will be a gift for Nienke to hunt vampires with.

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To the Sixties and Back

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Monday I saw Man from U.N.C.L.E. with Gert. It’s a fantastic movie, I love it 😀 It’s campy, and a glorious throwback to the sixties. In terms of plotting and general vibe it reminds me some of Kingsman, but then with Americans and in the past. It earned itself an immediate spot on my want-on-disc list.

After this we went straight on to The King’s Garden (aka A Little Chaos). This is a period film about the gardens of Versailles. It features Kate Winslet as a female landscape artist who gets hired to design and build a part of the gardens. She has to face her own insecurities, contempt and sabotage by other male landscapers and navigate the budding romance with the head landscape artist who happens to be married. It’s a cute film, with very good locations and a very nice Alan Rickman as King Louis.

Wednesday it was time to see The Fantastic Four with Nienke. It’s a fairly bland movie. I liked that the way they got their powers was different but other than that… I like the 2005 movie better and that one isn’t good either.

20150828_192052Today was market day in town so I took a gander with Mom. Bought some jeans on sale for €5, which was a steal. It’s a nice model with some flare around the ankles and a three-button close instead of a zipper. I also got this cute, light blue, stoneware pitcher. It’ll look nice with some flowers in the spring, or as a general decoration in the bathroom once I have adequate furnishings there.

At the end of the afternoon, Eva and Jarig came by with Feije. We briefly strolled around the market some more and then headed to La Sicilia for dinner.  We ended the day with a quick cup of tea at home before they left for The Farm.

This Sunday should be fun as well, it’s my cousin’s baby shower 🙂

It’s On!

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20150810_174854The past few days have been exhausting, but so worth it.

I got the keys to the new house five days ago. I had taken that day off work so right after that we got the show on the road. My Mom started cleaning, and then shortly after Joran arrived to help move. We’d borrowed a little handcart from Eva so we could go back-and-forth across the hundred or so yards between the old and the new house. Joran and I spent the day moving big cabinets and related stuff to the new house with the handcart. At the end of the day, we had another barbecue with the left over meat from Nienke’s birthday.

Over the next few days we just moved things whenever we could. Me around my work hours, Nienke throughout the day. It’s damned convenient she’s home right now 🙂

And whenever we’re not moving things over there, we’re moving things in the old house from upstairs to downstairs.

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Today, the 15th, was the big moving day. My aunt and uncle came to help, along with their big cart and toolbox. We moved even more big stuff, including the sofa’s and beds. Tonight is the first night we’re sleeping at the new place!

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Paper Towns, Little Prince, Ant Man

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Gert and I planned to go see Paper Towns so I wanted to read the book before hand. I did the same with The Fault in Our Stars so figured I’d continue the practice. I really enjoyed the book, it was fun, a bit weird sometimes, and still felt realistic.

Wednesday afternoon was the day we planned for movies. We started with The Little Prince. This was a very sweet movie, but I was still a bit disappointed. I was expecting something a little closer to the book. Instead it was a new story where an eccentric old man meets his new neighbour: a serious, studious little girl. As the summer vacation progresses, she spends more time with the old man and he tells her stories of his travels. In those travels he met the Little Prince. Now, he wants to go back out and find him. So he’s building a plane in his backyard to do so and then weird adventures happen.

20150805_160627Paper Towns was next, but we had some time to kill in between. So we ended up on the market square and enjoyed the sun before heading back to the cinema. Paper Towns was a pretty good movie. The ending didn’t match the book, which is a shame. I felt it lost some of its impact this way.

Thursday I hit the cinema again, this time with Nienke. We went to see Ant-Man, which is a great movie. Not quite up to Guardians of the Galaxy standard, but I had a lot of fun watching this.

Afterwards, we decided on a whim to do another movie and headed for a re-watch of Jurassic World. ‘t Was a great night 😀