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Mellien & Bas

Pirates of the Caribbean: Ascension Day

Friday, May 26, 2017 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

Continuing on with what seems to be the theme of this week: do all the things! Wednesday Nienke came by for lunch and trying on some of Mom’s left over clothes I’d kept apart. She had made soup, I made an omelette and bought tasty bread and fried fish. We were so stuffed after that 😀

Around two I (gently) kicked Nienke out, I was getting so sleepy. Besides getting home late the night before, it also took a while to fall asleep and I didn’t sleep well. So after she’d gone, I stretched out on the sofa, set my alarm for a good hour later and was gone in minutes. I woke up on my own a few minutes before the alarm. Monkey then decided that the pillow my head was on would fit him perfectly as well 😀

Taking that as a sign, I got up and got ready to go the city again. This time to go to the movies with Ingrid and her friend Romana. We met up in the centre and headed for cafe De Oude Wacht to eat something. It was cheap but good cafe food. I had satay which came with fries and a good salad. The movie didn’t start until eight, so when it was getting colder after dinner, we traded the cafe terrace for the inside cafe in the cinema for a drink and a cookie.

The movie was a pre-premier of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. We’d all gone to the supermarket before to stock up on a drink and such for during the movie. But it turns out that, as this was an event-thing, we could all pick a bottle of soda and got crisps for during the movie. Good deal 😀

The movie itself was pretty good. The gimmicks are getting old (although the bank robbery is hilarious), but structurally I found this a better movie than the previous one. I liked the throwbacks to the original trilogy with Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, and seeing more of Jack’s past.

I wanted to stay seated throughout the credits but the others we’re more eager to leave. Luckily they (and I, too) had to use the bathroom. I was done quickly, but the ladies’ always has a much longer line. So, fortunately, I was still near the screen when the inevitable after credits scene came on. It was brief, and definitely hints at another sequel. After that, we split up quickly as their buses we’re almost coming. I strolled to the station, taking the opportunity to catch me a great many Pokémon 😀

Yesterday was Ascension Day. And as is tradition, we go to the annual Ascension Day Market in my previous town Eenrum. Ingrid always comes over to go with. This year Nienke and Kim also agreed to go. We convened at my place at ten. The other three then left to go there by car. I went by bike. I decided, two weeks ago, to try exercising again. But the gym and all that doesn’t really work for me. I do like cycling, though. So I installed an app (Strava) and did two rides that first week. The week after I didn’t get around to riding because of a zit on my sit 😀 This week I’m good to go, though. So the trip to the market was to be my first workout of this week. Unfortunately I mistapped and it didn’t record the way to Eenrum.

We met up again and took a gander down the market. We decided to check out one side of the road first, and then at the end turn around and do the other side. That way we would end up back were we started. I bought some new pairs of ankle socks, some plants for the empty pot in the front yard and, as usual, traditional sausage.

Mellien and Bas were also coming, but they came later. So we didn’t get to meet up until we were already halfway on the way back. They joined us for that bit, and at the end we all got something to eat for an impromptu lunch. I’d already had my traditional spring roll and decided on churros for dinner 😀 After that, it was time to go home again as Kim had to work in the afternoon. We split up and I got back on my bike.

For the way back I chose a different route. There’s basically three main ways to get to Eenrum from Winsum (and vice versa). The first two I’d already done and tracked in my first week of using Strava. So now I went for the third route. I knew this was longer, but as it turns out, the difference is 3 km. I made good time, though. Did the 8,2 km in 23 minutes. The others were home before me, but not by much.

Kim and Nienke then went home and Ingrid stayed. We chatted and played board games. First the gold rush edition of Carcassonne. It’s a different version of Carcassonne (versus an expansion). The base rules are the same but the theme is different and it has specialty rules that fit with it. In this case, cities are mountains with gold in it. As you build them, you place gold tokens and can mine for them. At the end, the tokens are turned and scored which is added to your regular score. Because the amount of points on the tokens is hidden until the end, it keeps things exciting. Other difference is that monasteries are, sort of, replaced by named cities where railroads end. You score points when all railroads leading out of the city are finished. The field, prairie in this case, also scores differently. It’s not the amount of completed somethings, but how many Indian settlements or horse herds (drawn on the tiles) are present. I really like this version of the game.

After that we played Rummikub and then decided to do something about dinner. Quick trip to the shop later we had easy food to stick in the oven. We waited it out with a few games of Tea Time (an Alice in Wonderland inspired tile taking game). After dinner we played a quick best-of-three set of Pesten (similar to Crazy Eights). We tied two for two between all games as I won Carcassonne and Rummikub and Ingrid won Tea Time and Pesten. Ingrid then went home.

Today is one of two days during my time off that I had no plans. So this morning I got on my bike again and went for a longer route, 21 km as it turns out. It took me a good 57 minutes. Which is faster already than the first week.

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Board Games, Cycling, De Oude Wacht, Eating Out, Eenrum, Food, Friends, Ingrid, Kim, Mellien & Bas, Movies, Nienke, Pathé, Photos, Review, Workout

Om Nom Nom

Wednesday, June 22, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

Today treated us to good weather, so we had a barbecue over at Mellien & Bas.

In the same vein I hung out with Nienke and Kim yesterday. I went for tea at Nienke’s place, and then later Kim came by here. She made pancakes and we watched Guardians of the Galaxy. I love that movie. And the pancakes were great.

 

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Eva & Jarig, Food, Friends, Ingrid, Mellien & Bas, Photos

Frisia Fantasia @ Elfia Arcen 2015

Monday, September 21, 2015 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment
Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Elf Fantasy Fair, Elfia, Eva & Jarig, Fantasy, Friends, Frisia Fantasia, Julius & Anneke, Mellien & Bas, Photos, Re-enactment, The Farm

Elfia Arcen

Monday, September 21, 2015 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

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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Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Elf Fantasy Fair, Elfia, Eva & Jarig, Fantasy, Friends, Frisia Fantasia, Julius & Anneke, Mellien & Bas, Photos, Re-enactment, The Farm

Arnie, Joy, Food

Sunday, July 19, 2015 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

BBQI’ve never been a terminator fan. I’ve never seen any of the movies beyond bits and pieces during channel surfing or online maybe. But after seeing the trailers for the new Terminator Genisys I was intrigued enough that I wanted to see it. So that’s what Gert and I did Wednesday. The movie was fun and entertaining, not particularly special, but I enjoyed it. And I liked seeing Schwarzenegger reprising his role and poking fun at himself and his age.

After that we went on to see Inside Out, which is a really good movie. The themes were really quite heavy, which I wasn’t expecting. It shows well how depression affects a person. The layering is pretty good, in that it has something for both kids and adults, but I would’t directly recommend it for really young children.

Friday I headed over to The Farm for a barbecue with Eva, Mellien, Ingrid and Julius. The food was glorious, the company was great, and the weather fantastic.

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Market DayThen yesterday, we had a market in town. Mom and I took a stroll around. I didn’t really find anything that struck my fancy. Since the weather was still fantastic, Mom and I decided to hit the cafe and get a drink and something tasty. She went for apple pie, the standard snack for cafes, and I picked strawberry tiramisu. It was delish!

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Eva & Jarig, Food, Friends, Gert, Ingrid, Mellien & Bas, Mom, Movies, Pathé, Photos, The Farm

Around the World in a Handful of Towns

Monday, April 13, 2015 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

20150412_155757Sunday proved to be a day of moderate adventure and great fun 😀 Eva’s little boy had his birthday earlier this week, and Sunday they were celebrating.

So early in the afternoon I traveled to Groningen. I met up with Mellien on the train, which helped ease the half hour wait for the next train. We then boarded for Grijpskerk where Ingrid picked us up to drive to the farm.

20150412_155915We chatted, drank tea, ate tasty cake and gave presents. I’d bought a couple children’s books in Frisian and Gronings for him. Two for him directly, and one and a audio book first to Eva as he’s not old enough yet. Both parents and boy seemed to like it, so I call it a success 😀

They had bought a pair of young rabbits the day before, and on Sunday Eva’s brother in law was bringing two more young rabbits as a birthday present. They are very handsome, but turned out to be a weeee bit larger than expected.

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Hop Hop Hynke, Frisian rhymes and songs

Instead of about the same size as the others, they’re about double that. Which made the cage that was supposed to be their home for a day or two rather on the small side.

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Sikko kleedt zich aan/trekt zuk aan, about a goat who wants clothes

We left at the end of the afternoon as Ingrid, who had come from Leeuwarden, had to go back there as well. However, as saying goodbye is wont to do, it took a while before we set out. We then had the bad luck of finding the bridge open, which resulted in Mellien and I missing the train.

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In Nije Stjer, a Frisian tale of the Three Wise Men

After comparing options, we decided to ride with Ingrid to Buitenpost to grab the train there. This was more fun, because more time with Ingrid, and left us a half hour wait in Buitenpost as opposed to waiting an hour in Grijpskerk.

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De Bruorren Liuwehert, and audio book version of the Astrid Lindgren book by theater company Tryater

Fortunately the weather was fairly nice so the wait was easy. And once back in Groningen, I treated myself to a milkshake to pass the half hour wait there for the train home. So, quite a trip, but it was worth it!

 

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Animals, Birthday, Books, Dogs, Eva & Jarig, Friends, Ingrid, Language, Mellien & Bas, Photos, The Farm

Going Out

Wednesday, February 4, 2015 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

20150204_204008Went out to eat with Eva, Ingrid and Mellien again. We went out to eat at Het Koetshuys in October, which was a great evening. So we set out to repeat it and after long planning, we settled on tonight, at Kaap Noord.

I met Mellien on the train, and then we met Ingrid and Eva at the restaurant. I’d never been to Kaap Noord, but it’s a very rugged and rustic looking place. I like it.

I had a salad of smoked chicken and bacon with a chutney of pineapple, red peppers, and cilantro as a starter. Then for the main course I went with a Groninger mustardsteak with herb butter and finished with a cherry mon chou cheesecake for dessert. It was all very tasty, but the dessert was not my favourite. The cherries were kind of dominant, and I didn’t really like the crumble they used for the crust.

After dessert we spent a long time just talking, which was great <3 So long even that I had two cups of tea 😀

When we finally did decide to call it a night, Eva got to her car, Ingrid to her bicycle and Mellien and I headed for the nearest bus stop. Unfortunately, we missed the bus by a minute or two.

Waiting for the next one would mean standing still in the cold for half an hour or more. So we decided to turn back and walk to the train station. We ran into Ingrid who had to ride in the same general direction so she kept us company as we walked. It was a bit further than I thought, though, so that wasn’t very pleasant. We did manage it, and caught the next train home.

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Eating Out, Eva & Jarig, Food, Friends, Ingrid, Kaap Noord, Koetshuys, Mellien & Bas

Of Milestones and Merriment

Sunday, July 27, 2014 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

Ingrid Prezzie20140726_134020Dear Ingrid turned 30 yesterday, so we had a celebration!

Nienke and I gave her a gift certificate to go to the movies with us to Step Up 5 and Begin Again with a cute candle holder and a giamt clothespin to hold notes and stuff. I’d also made an elaborate slideshow with photos from our history, back to early high school when we met all through the years, festuring her and our friend group. Nienke then put a lovely score behind it. Unfortunately the music wouldn’t play on the laptop when it was shown 🙁

There was also a pub quiz, expertly put together by Bas & Mellien. I was mighty pleased when my team won 🙂

Then there was talk and laughter and tasty food and a round of Guess Who? to top the evening off.

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Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Birthday, Friends, Ingrid, Mellien & Bas, Nienke, Photos

6391 Words

Saturday, March 17, 2012 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

I love how something as little as a week, week-and-a-half, off from work can restore your balance. I’m not particularly motivated (yet) to get back to work on Monday, but I’m sure that’ll come once I arrive back in the pit 😀

In the meantime, I’ve had a relaxing week. Monday I hung out with Eva, did some shopping. Eva needed a radio for the baby’s room so I took the opportunity to buy a new SD card for my camera. Afterwards we stopped for some groceries and some browsing at the Wibra. I’m a sucker for cheap/discount stores so I ended up with a bag of easter/spring inspired items to decorate the house with while I wait for spring proper to arrive.

Using the new items with the stuff from last year led me to this:

Tuesday I hung out at the Parents’ place. It had been a week and a half or so since I’d seen them, and as I usually see them at least once a week, it was overdue. It was a quiet afternoon, which is nice.

Friday evening Eva, Ingrid and Mellien came over to see me and Nienke and we went out for pancakes at the pancake restaurant in town. It was gloriously delicious (I had a ham/cheese/pineapple pancake) and we had a lot of fun talking. Afterward we went back to Nienke’s place to play Just Dance 3 on the Wii. Even Eva, despite being 37 weeks along, did a dance. The rest of us all went twice, and then we decided to do a quick round of Glee Karaoke before the other three had to go again.

Today I had lunch at the Parents’ again before returning home and finding Nienke cutting up all the trees in her yard. I didn’t really have anything better to do, and I love playing with the tree cutter so I gladly assisted her with this. Nienke’s upper arms thanked me 😀

We cut huge amounts from the conifer near her bedroom window, so to make it all fit, we had to push down on the cuttings to create more space. And to allow the lid to close…

Today I also found my very first Postcrossing card on the doormat, it came from Poland. Earlier in the week I got a message from the website that my first sent card was received. Score is now 1 for 1 and there’s four more from me underway to far away places 🙂

 

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Decoration, Eva & Jarig, Food, Friends, Games, Garden, Home, Ingrid, Mellien & Bas, Nienke, Parents, Photos, Postcrossing, Spring, Wii Games, Work

Photos June

Saturday, November 19, 2011 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

Walking @ Lauwersoog with Eva, Gregorius, Nienke and Tessa. From left to right: the tree that Nienke threw Gregorius’ toy into, Eva & Nienke trying to get it out, and continuing the walk.

  

Fabric Day at Verhildersum. Bags of coloured wool, an awesome! quilt, and a display of tin figurines in historical clothing. The guy who ran this table made these all himself, from photographing people in historical outfit to sculpting a mold, casting it in tin and painting it to match the photo.

  

Going out to eat @ Pappa Joe’s with Eva, Mellien, Nienke & Ingrid, with ice cream from Toscana across the street after.

  

Random stuff

Monkey in the sun, the day my parents had to get a new car… since dad put the coolant fluid in the oil tank…

  

Marshmallows indoor style, Monkey & Murphy sharing the window sill and Tessa taking it easy on my sofa.

  

Monkey and his weird ways of getting to water, and sitting behind plants. Plus awesome! thunderstorm.

  

Bored at work during lunch 😀 an angry egg, and an ‘eiphone’. Also, summer is very pretty. I miss it.

  

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Cats, Crafts, Creativity, Eating Out, Eva & Jarig, Food, Friends, Groningen, Image Dump, Ingrid, Lauwersoog, Mellien & Bas, Monkey, Nature, Nienke, Pappa Joe, Photos, Summer, Tech, Tessa, Toscana, Verhildersum
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