University boat race

My youngest daughter Annebelle and I were at the Bosbaan today, near Amsterdam, where she had a university boat race. Rowing teams from all over The Netherlands were present. The weather was perfect, with only a light breeze and lots of sunlight.

It was difficult being there at first, for both my daughter and I, but the lively atmosphere brought back lots of good memories. More than twenty five years ago, my husband and I took part in the same rowing championship, in a men's coxed eight by SKADI  (Rotterdam). My husband being the stroke oarsman and I the (slightly too tall) cox. Standing there beside the lake, I could still remember the power and the synchronicity of the boat and its men. The feeling was simply fantastic!

My daughter Annebelle was one of the crew (first one bow) of a coxed four by ASOPOS (Leiden) and took part in the 500 metres. The girls were afraid they would finish last, but fortunately they ended somewhere in between. My husband would have been so proud!  I thought I would share some photo's with you.

Wishing you a Happy Sunday!

Love,

Madelief x

Love

 

It's been two weeks since I had to say goodbye to my husband. We have done so much and there is still a lot we have to do. We all miss Jan dreadfully. At times our hearts literally ache with sadness and longing, but there are times as well when photo's and memories of happy times put a smile on our faces.

I visited the garden today, after more than a month...It felt good being there. It's a place we both loved. The sunlight, the birdsong and flowers filled me with joy. A kind neighbour made a heart shaped display of hazelnuts on the table. So very thoughtful.

I cut the grass, planted some bulbs, turned of the water and emptied the terracotta pots. I picked the prettiest flowers and berries I could find, to put on my husbands grave. Hope he will be able to see them, from wherever he is. 

The girls and I would like to thank you for your beautiful words, prayers, cards and flowers. They warmed our hearts! I wish I could thank you all in person, but at the moment my life is still so hectic, I simply cannot find the time.

To me, there are two things in life that matter most: health and love. Love is what you gave us in abundance. Thank you so very very much! A big kiss and hug to you all.

Happy weekend!

Love,

Madelief x

 

A pool of tears

After thirty years of  happiness & fun, I had to say goodbye to my husband Jan yesterday, who fought against cancer for more than a year.

Jan was my knight in shining armour, the love of my life, my anchor. It's only been a day, but the girls and I miss him so very much. It feels like drowning in a pool of tears. We try to be strong, be 'big girls' like Alice in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' or 'Marines', like Jan used to say, but it's so very hard.

My heart is broken. It feels so unreal sitting behind my laptop. Everything could easily be normal, but it isn't. I can't see him sitting in his chair any more, while I am writing this post.....

Don't know where I will go from here and when I will be around again.

Sending you Love,

Madelief x

A lonely tea cup & new crochet project

Not long ago, while arriving home from work, I found a small parcel on my dining table. You have to understand that when a parcel arrives in our family, we are all full of anticipation. Who is it from and what's inside? This time more so, because the parcel was small, it did not include the sender's name and we were not expecting anything.

Somehow, despite my curiosity, I always tend to leave a parcel unopened until I find a quiet moment. This time even I could not wait a minute longer :-) After getting through several layers of tissue paper, a blue porcelain cup and saucer appeared, covered in tiny flowers. A little card was attached by Gerry from the blog Merel-viool, saying that the cup felt lonely in her dresser and was looking for a new place to stay, among other blue floral brothers and sisters. She thought my cupboard would be perfect. Dear Gerry, thank you once again! I think your sweet cup is feeling quite at home already. I noticed her standing rather close to a pair of handsome bowls yesterday. I think they must have formed a liaison ;-)!

In this post some photo's of my new crochet project. Now temperatures are dropping, I thought the time was right to start on a scarf!  I use several shades of blue, black and grey of the acrylic mix 'super soft' by Zeeman, wool/acrylic mix Partner 3.5 by Phildar and the wool/acrylic mix Strass light by Phildar. I decided on a ripple pattern, which is easy and fun to make. I still have a looooong way to go, but I will keep you posted on my progress :-)

What are you working on at the moment?

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Love,

Madelief x