A few days of glorious sunshine and now there is grey sky and hail.
We are all slightly less snotty. I have progressed to green snot, and I think Adam is on the same stage of the 2007 Dutch-Snot-Fest-of-a-Cold.
On Edward's behalf (as he can't write yet), there has been much middle of the night of coughing and then copious vomiting. I took him to the doctor who said that at his age only homeopathic medicine was the only thing advisable. After buying expensive homeopathic cough medicine (which is marketed as having the amazing benefit of being able to both stop coughing and expectorate the phlegm), I was not only told by my Aussie Pediatrician sister that homeopathic medicine is as effective as giving a child water. Not to worry - Adam managed to break the cough mixture bottle so there is none left.
So no medicine for Edward. He can cough and vomit in peace.
Adam has escaped to a few wonderful nights' sleep on the downstairs sofa, leaving me to the coughing, vomiting, snorting of our little Edward.
I think I am in the running for Mother of the Year. Definately Mother-of-the-Year for the Netherlands I think.
I am planning my mother's day present.
Now to buy the homeopathic medicine, I had to find the pharmacy, which is (if you can believe it) in a sort of island surrounded by canals on the other side of the village. I have not yet found a direct way there. I get lost every time I go there & I have been there twice this week.
One good thing about this week is that Adam has finished the last assignment for his second Masters. If I have my way, it is the Last Asssignment Ever as it is so stressful (for me). The awful thing is that he is so clever that he can not only skip all lectures and do the assignment in a couple of weekends before it is due, but (on a bad day) he gets a distincion, and on a good day, a high distinction. Anyway, this last assignment was for a course that he was supposed to attend in 2005(!!) but he forgot to attend in 2005, so had an exemption to attend in 2006. But the 2006 course was held when we were already in the NL, so he skipped all lectures and did the assignment anyway.
I sincerely am thankful that this is the end of the course.
Adam told me a few days ago that he is the most ambitious lazy person that he knows.... and that I am the most disorganised but diligent person that he knows. I am still offended.
My wonderful sister Suzie inspired me to search for where we could buy fresh food near to the house. I have found a link to a local organic farm and we are going there tomorrow.
Oh! I forgot the most important thing. Adam's lovely brother Damien had a successful operation and we are looking forward to his speedy recovery. Also, we have decided that once the lease on our house is up, we are going back to Canberra. I can't wait. Adam (such a lovely and patient man) told me this evening that he was 'having quite a good time in the Netherlands". I asked him was he not hungry? I am full of plans for our next stage.
Must go. Adam is listening to Johnny Cash, Edward is (finally) sleeping and I am tired but looking forward to Easter.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Edward ill
Friday evening again and it's been a bit of an unfortunate week. Edward picked up an awful gastro virus at Eveline's party and on Tuesday morning he woke up and vomited all over the hotel bed. I've never seen Adam leap out of bed with such alacrity. Poor Edward was trembling all over and felt a bit hot.
After Adam went to work I packed E in his warm clothes, I thought we should go to a pharmacy and get something to make him feel better. Well! The hotel reception man (Alexander) thought I was crazy when I asked where the nearest pharmacy was. He told me he thought we should see a GP. I wasn't sure, but Alexander not only looked up a GP, phoned them to make an appointment, he also drove us there. What a lovely man, I thought. While Alexander was parking the car I sat in the GP waiting room and Edward was really grizzly. I thought it's got to be the little bit of a sniffle that he has had for a few weeks.... saw the GP and she had a look at him. Edward did a huge smelly poo, and then she said she wanted to have a chat with the older doctor to get a second opinion. I thought to myself (she was very young) that maybe she was just qualified... she came back in and said "you need to take him to hospital. I'll phone them, here is the address."
Well that was a shock.
And then Alexander drove us all the way across the Hague to a lovely modern hospital. No waiting - straight into an examination room with 2 nurses, and then 2 doctors, and then .. they said he had 2 viruses and we could go home but if he became dehydrated to come straight back in.
Went back to the hotel and spent Wednesday and Thursday nursing sick Edward. Edward managed to pick up a new cold on Wednesday and so we came back to Eemnes Thursday evening.
Poor little Edward has lost his voice (very peaceful) and still has a squirty bottom.
After Adam went to work I packed E in his warm clothes, I thought we should go to a pharmacy and get something to make him feel better. Well! The hotel reception man (Alexander) thought I was crazy when I asked where the nearest pharmacy was. He told me he thought we should see a GP. I wasn't sure, but Alexander not only looked up a GP, phoned them to make an appointment, he also drove us there. What a lovely man, I thought. While Alexander was parking the car I sat in the GP waiting room and Edward was really grizzly. I thought it's got to be the little bit of a sniffle that he has had for a few weeks.... saw the GP and she had a look at him. Edward did a huge smelly poo, and then she said she wanted to have a chat with the older doctor to get a second opinion. I thought to myself (she was very young) that maybe she was just qualified... she came back in and said "you need to take him to hospital. I'll phone them, here is the address."
Well that was a shock.
And then Alexander drove us all the way across the Hague to a lovely modern hospital. No waiting - straight into an examination room with 2 nurses, and then 2 doctors, and then .. they said he had 2 viruses and we could go home but if he became dehydrated to come straight back in.
Went back to the hotel and spent Wednesday and Thursday nursing sick Edward. Edward managed to pick up a new cold on Wednesday and so we came back to Eemnes Thursday evening.
Poor little Edward has lost his voice (very peaceful) and still has a squirty bottom.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Den Haag
Yesterday we packed our bags and drove to Den Haag. We are staying here until Friday as Adam is working on his big client and I am having a holiday. Yesterday evening was Eveline's 40th birthday party and we had a nice couple of hours. Great buffet and Eveline is absolutely blooming. Edward is recovering from a cold and so didn't really enjoy the other children at the party. There was one horrid little girl who kept taking his toys away. Poor little Edward didn't know what to do - just stared at her. We need to teach him to stand up for himself.
We are staying in a great little serviced apartment, called Hotel Plato. Very clean, not too expensive and great bathroom.
The only catch is the check-in. The reception man started out by warning us that if we broke anything we had to pay for it. Vigorous nods from Adam and myself.
He then pulled out a few forms and showed us some lists of things that are (allegedly) in the apartment, with the corresponding Hotel's valuation of them. He said that we had to do an inventory of the room, sign the sheet and hand it in on Monday (today). Well, it lists things like 1 sofa, 1 bed, 2 pictures, 1 mirror, the loo is called a "Sanitary".... and the kitchen list has 4 forks, 4 glasses etc. But! I did the list very diligently last night, and 2 of the kitchen implements are missing (1x soup ladle and 1x bake-oar). I have no idea what a 'bake-oar' is, but whatever it is, it is not in the kitchen. I'm going to hand the list in tonight so hope we don't have an argument with them about the soup ladle and bake oar.
OK so we thought that was the end of the check-in. But no! The receptionist took us up to the room, opened the door and started pointing out things that were expensive. Eg "this is the curtain. It costs 1000 euros. Very expensive. Do not break it." "This is the microwave. Do not put metal things in it. Do not boil milk in the kettle. It is for water only. There is a first aid kit in the cupboard. This is to use if you are hurt. Do not take it home. If you take it home, you will pay for it. It is very expensive..... etc etc"
I unfortunately got the giggles... and he eventually left.
This morning I took some clothes to the laundromat and it was snowing! Pretty, but very, very cold. After Edward's nap we took a tram to Centraal Station and then walked to Jan-Maarten and Leo's house. Den Haag is lovely. It is relatively clean, is not too crowded, has lovely shops and lacks the horrible grime of Amsterdam. Didn't see or smell a single dope-cafe, such a relief!
JM and Leo are well and Edward had a lovely cuddle with JM.
Well, Adam is home from work and we are making dinner. Edward is sleeping off a 6 (!!) hour play in our bed and I am keeping an eye on him. He is still quite snuffly and I think he needs a few more saline nose drops (aka the Anti-Snot).
Hoping that the lead up to Emma's wedding is going well and we are thinking of you all.
We are staying in a great little serviced apartment, called Hotel Plato. Very clean, not too expensive and great bathroom.
The only catch is the check-in. The reception man started out by warning us that if we broke anything we had to pay for it. Vigorous nods from Adam and myself.
He then pulled out a few forms and showed us some lists of things that are (allegedly) in the apartment, with the corresponding Hotel's valuation of them. He said that we had to do an inventory of the room, sign the sheet and hand it in on Monday (today). Well, it lists things like 1 sofa, 1 bed, 2 pictures, 1 mirror, the loo is called a "Sanitary".... and the kitchen list has 4 forks, 4 glasses etc. But! I did the list very diligently last night, and 2 of the kitchen implements are missing (1x soup ladle and 1x bake-oar). I have no idea what a 'bake-oar' is, but whatever it is, it is not in the kitchen. I'm going to hand the list in tonight so hope we don't have an argument with them about the soup ladle and bake oar.
OK so we thought that was the end of the check-in. But no! The receptionist took us up to the room, opened the door and started pointing out things that were expensive. Eg "this is the curtain. It costs 1000 euros. Very expensive. Do not break it." "This is the microwave. Do not put metal things in it. Do not boil milk in the kettle. It is for water only. There is a first aid kit in the cupboard. This is to use if you are hurt. Do not take it home. If you take it home, you will pay for it. It is very expensive..... etc etc"
I unfortunately got the giggles... and he eventually left.
This morning I took some clothes to the laundromat and it was snowing! Pretty, but very, very cold. After Edward's nap we took a tram to Centraal Station and then walked to Jan-Maarten and Leo's house. Den Haag is lovely. It is relatively clean, is not too crowded, has lovely shops and lacks the horrible grime of Amsterdam. Didn't see or smell a single dope-cafe, such a relief!
JM and Leo are well and Edward had a lovely cuddle with JM.
Well, Adam is home from work and we are making dinner. Edward is sleeping off a 6 (!!) hour play in our bed and I am keeping an eye on him. He is still quite snuffly and I think he needs a few more saline nose drops (aka the Anti-Snot).
Hoping that the lead up to Emma's wedding is going well and we are thinking of you all.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
A bit Lonely
This morning Adam left very early in order to catch a 7am flight to London. He had to drive from Eemnes to Schiphol, and I heard him in my sleep up and down, packing and very restless as he doesn't like the very early morning start.
So I don't think darling Adam slept much at all. And he is unlikely to get much sleep tonight or tomorrow night as he has booked himself into the (usual) round of catching up with various people whom he hasn't seen for years and years. Ah well. I only hope that he can function well at work tomorrow and is not late out of bed. And my mobile is broken so I can't phone him to wake him up.
So, back to Eemnes. Edward and I have had a strange day, because it is the first time that Adam has been away from us for 2 days (well it will be 2 nights and almost 3 days). Inside myself I am pretending that he is really coming home tonight... but I must double-lock the front door tonight. Tomorrow morning will be even stranger.
We had a very quiet day today, we left the house once only - to go to Boni. My major achievement was hand-washing all the cushions. Unfortunately the covers don't come off so I washed them all (as in entire). They got very wet and dripped on the balcony until 5pm or so and now I have 3 dripping in the bathroom and 4 making puddles in the attic. Good this is a rental property.
Edward is very sweet and is starting to really communicate with me. If I'm too long on the computer he pulls himself to standing and offers me a toy! In the bath tonight he realised that he could see a reflection of 'a baby' in the big silver knob which I turn to empty the water. He called out in happiness, and then bent right down to say hello. It will be easier for him when he can walk, as he clearly wants to play with the neighbour's children who play on the pavement in front of our house. When we see them he tries to get out of the pram, calls out to them and flaps his arms. I love my little boy.
Oh, Edward really enjoys eating bananas. I've given up on the baby spoon thing (Edward has a very strong will) and this afternoon he sat on the floor in the kitchen and ate about a third of a banana. He starts out with little bits and then when he realises he likes it, he puts adult sized bits in his mouth and sits there trying to chew it all. I manage not to laugh because he is quite solomn when feeding himself.
Hmm. On the topic of feeding - I actually made a nice dinner last night! It's amazing how much cooking I have learnt by being in a country with awful food and no decent takeaway.
Congratulations to Auntie Suzie on her new job.
So I don't think darling Adam slept much at all. And he is unlikely to get much sleep tonight or tomorrow night as he has booked himself into the (usual) round of catching up with various people whom he hasn't seen for years and years. Ah well. I only hope that he can function well at work tomorrow and is not late out of bed. And my mobile is broken so I can't phone him to wake him up.
So, back to Eemnes. Edward and I have had a strange day, because it is the first time that Adam has been away from us for 2 days (well it will be 2 nights and almost 3 days). Inside myself I am pretending that he is really coming home tonight... but I must double-lock the front door tonight. Tomorrow morning will be even stranger.
We had a very quiet day today, we left the house once only - to go to Boni. My major achievement was hand-washing all the cushions. Unfortunately the covers don't come off so I washed them all (as in entire). They got very wet and dripped on the balcony until 5pm or so and now I have 3 dripping in the bathroom and 4 making puddles in the attic. Good this is a rental property.
Edward is very sweet and is starting to really communicate with me. If I'm too long on the computer he pulls himself to standing and offers me a toy! In the bath tonight he realised that he could see a reflection of 'a baby' in the big silver knob which I turn to empty the water. He called out in happiness, and then bent right down to say hello. It will be easier for him when he can walk, as he clearly wants to play with the neighbour's children who play on the pavement in front of our house. When we see them he tries to get out of the pram, calls out to them and flaps his arms. I love my little boy.
Oh, Edward really enjoys eating bananas. I've given up on the baby spoon thing (Edward has a very strong will) and this afternoon he sat on the floor in the kitchen and ate about a third of a banana. He starts out with little bits and then when he realises he likes it, he puts adult sized bits in his mouth and sits there trying to chew it all. I manage not to laugh because he is quite solomn when feeding himself.
Hmm. On the topic of feeding - I actually made a nice dinner last night! It's amazing how much cooking I have learnt by being in a country with awful food and no decent takeaway.
Congratulations to Auntie Suzie on her new job.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Edward 'pushing' the high chair
It's a sunny Sunday morning and what could be more fun than pushing the high chair around the room! Here is Edward doing his favourite exercise regime - High Chair 'Pushing'.
Apart from watching Edward push the high chair, we've been for a drive to see the old Dutch coastline (now the shore of an inner lake) 5km or so from the house. On the way home we made a detour through Blaricum, which is our now favourite village in the Netherlands. Trees are starting to sprout leaves, so I think spring is on the way.
Now Adam is up in the attic/study doing his assignment, I am making him a cup of tea and looking after Edward, and Edward is helping me in the kitchen.
Apart from watching Edward push the high chair, we've been for a drive to see the old Dutch coastline (now the shore of an inner lake) 5km or so from the house. On the way home we made a detour through Blaricum, which is our now favourite village in the Netherlands. Trees are starting to sprout leaves, so I think spring is on the way.
Now Adam is up in the attic/study doing his assignment, I am making him a cup of tea and looking after Edward, and Edward is helping me in the kitchen.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Blaricum & the Boni
This morning I thought it would be a good idea to go for a walk as the sun was shining. Was a bit undecided about which way to walk and it was a contest between the garden centre at Laren, the Kringloop Winkel at Baarn or the Great Unknown of Blaricum. I decided upon Blaricum as I felt like a change. So I packed a few nappies, 1 orange and a bottle of water and set off.
With Edward in the pram, walked left along the Wakkerdijk and then turned left and walked through fields, then over the motorway and was there.
Blaricum is wonderful and it made me feel a bit sad as it is much nicer then Eemnes. The problem with Eemnes is that it has a nice 'old' bit along the Wakkerdijk, then going further in, it is rather like Dickson with duplexes and nasty little front gardens and wheely bins. It is all a bit dingy.
On the other hand (from my half hour walk), Blaricum has a real 'village' feel. Its streets and lanes were obviously created over time - they radiating out from its centre. A very large and lovely church, very quiet with no traffic noise. Other bonuses are that it also has an Albert Hein and a Gall & Gall, and a few cafes as well.
Ah - Albert Hein! AH is like the Dutch answer to Woolworths, but it is a bit more upmarket than Woolworths. I really like the Blaricum Albert Hein - it has a feel of the pre-renovated Supabarn in Canberra - far too crowded, lots of stuff on shelves and..... it has a great selection of stuff to make stir-frys.
Eemnes is not big enough to have an Albert Hein. It has Boni and Co-op.
Walked back to Eemnes along a disused track along a canal and felt quite happy - sun was shining, ducks were swimming, birds singing... then over the motorway and back into Eemnes.
Adam came home at about 5.45 and we walked to the local supermarket (the Boni). The Boni is... oh dear. Well, Adam's comment as we walked in sums it up.. "Hmmm. It smells like a tip". Yes. The "fresh" fruit and veg.
Will post a picture of Boni tomorrow.
Edward is sleeping, Adam booking flights to London and I am finally relaxed after a busy day.
With Edward in the pram, walked left along the Wakkerdijk and then turned left and walked through fields, then over the motorway and was there.
Blaricum is wonderful and it made me feel a bit sad as it is much nicer then Eemnes. The problem with Eemnes is that it has a nice 'old' bit along the Wakkerdijk, then going further in, it is rather like Dickson with duplexes and nasty little front gardens and wheely bins. It is all a bit dingy.
On the other hand (from my half hour walk), Blaricum has a real 'village' feel. Its streets and lanes were obviously created over time - they radiating out from its centre. A very large and lovely church, very quiet with no traffic noise. Other bonuses are that it also has an Albert Hein and a Gall & Gall, and a few cafes as well.
Ah - Albert Hein! AH is like the Dutch answer to Woolworths, but it is a bit more upmarket than Woolworths. I really like the Blaricum Albert Hein - it has a feel of the pre-renovated Supabarn in Canberra - far too crowded, lots of stuff on shelves and..... it has a great selection of stuff to make stir-frys.
Eemnes is not big enough to have an Albert Hein. It has Boni and Co-op.
Walked back to Eemnes along a disused track along a canal and felt quite happy - sun was shining, ducks were swimming, birds singing... then over the motorway and back into Eemnes.
Adam came home at about 5.45 and we walked to the local supermarket (the Boni). The Boni is... oh dear. Well, Adam's comment as we walked in sums it up.. "Hmmm. It smells like a tip". Yes. The "fresh" fruit and veg.
Will post a picture of Boni tomorrow.
Edward is sleeping, Adam booking flights to London and I am finally relaxed after a busy day.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Friday's Nikky / Tante Ida visit went quite well. I could not sleep much on Thursday night as I was worried about it. I spent Friday morning frantically cleaning the house & then we made a quick trip to the supermarket to get supplies for if they stayed for lunch. Just as well, because they did stay for lunch.
The house passed inspection, but (surprise, surprise) my child-rearing does not fit with their ideas.
Nikky asked if Edward had been weaned, as I had made the mistake of breastfeeding Edward in front of her in November 2006.
So I had to confess to Nikky that he is not weaned. Whoops! I was told that this is "disgusting". Tante Ida was slightly more tactful - she merely said that we all make mistakes with children and that Edward seems to be very contented. The Dutch (in my opinion) really are still in the 1950s with their play-pens, bottle-feeding etc.
After they had left I made myself feel better with some chocolate. And then Adam came home with yet more chocolate and a bottle of wine, so that was nice. He is a lovely husband.
Now, Adam had a very good working week - he is doing quite long hours but comes home happy as the work is interesting.
Yesterday was Saturday, and I was very tired as Adam was snoring a lot on Friday night, so much so that I had to move down to the sofa in the sittingroom in the middle of the night. And then Edward woke up yelling in the early hours of the morning so we all had a disrupted night. We all had an afternoon nap and felt a bit better by evening.
This morning we walked in a lovely area called the Groenwald, which is an old country house surrounded by parkland. Lots and lots of people walking their dogs. Beautiful, but weather quite cold and grey, as to be expected.
Well, Adam is upstairs in the attic (hopefully) reading things for his Last Ever university assignment. I can't wait until he finished it. I think it is due at the end of this month.
The house passed inspection, but (surprise, surprise) my child-rearing does not fit with their ideas.
Nikky asked if Edward had been weaned, as I had made the mistake of breastfeeding Edward in front of her in November 2006.
So I had to confess to Nikky that he is not weaned. Whoops! I was told that this is "disgusting". Tante Ida was slightly more tactful - she merely said that we all make mistakes with children and that Edward seems to be very contented. The Dutch (in my opinion) really are still in the 1950s with their play-pens, bottle-feeding etc.
After they had left I made myself feel better with some chocolate. And then Adam came home with yet more chocolate and a bottle of wine, so that was nice. He is a lovely husband.
Now, Adam had a very good working week - he is doing quite long hours but comes home happy as the work is interesting.
Yesterday was Saturday, and I was very tired as Adam was snoring a lot on Friday night, so much so that I had to move down to the sofa in the sittingroom in the middle of the night. And then Edward woke up yelling in the early hours of the morning so we all had a disrupted night. We all had an afternoon nap and felt a bit better by evening.
This morning we walked in a lovely area called the Groenwald, which is an old country house surrounded by parkland. Lots and lots of people walking their dogs. Beautiful, but weather quite cold and grey, as to be expected.
Well, Adam is upstairs in the attic (hopefully) reading things for his Last Ever university assignment. I can't wait until he finished it. I think it is due at the end of this month.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Family visits
Well it is already the first of March! I am a bit tired after a couple of long days looking after Edward. Adam has been working very long hours.
We had a very busy final weekend in February - on Saturday morning we drove from Eemnes to Goettingen for a family reunion. The VIP guests were Uncle Marco and his wife Lila from Canada, and I think Edward was a secondary VIP guest. Uncle Jan Maarten was also there, but unfortunately Leo could not make the journey. We all had a lovely weekend. Dad and Gitty are very generous hosts.
Highlights:
- catching up with family and having some lovely conversations. I really value the generation older than mine.
- Edward drinking sparkling mineral water out of an eggcup.
- Edward crawling up both flights of stairs with Uncle Marco following closely.
- the magnificent dinner on Sunday night.
- my swim in the hotel pool. I was the only swimmer and it was just lovely.
And yesterday my cousin Eveline and her daughter Caesar visited us for the day. We went to an indoor children's playground - this must be a Dutch invention. I'm not sure it will catch on elsewhere. It was the most noisy place I have ever been in, if you can imagine a few hundred children running, playing, yelling, jumping, climbing... in a place the size of a school gymnasium. Edward was initially quite scared, and stayed very close to me and just looked, and looked at the place. He eventually adjusted to the noise level & other children and had a quiet play in the little baby corner. He has a slight cold this morning, which I guess was to be expected. It was excellent to have a long catch up with Eveline, who is now over halfway through her second pregnancy.
Adam came home from the Hague safely last night, he stayed overnight there and Edward and I both missed him very much.
Tomorrow Nikky (cousin of my father) and Tante Ida (sister of my grandmother) are coming to visit. There is going to be serious house-cleaning tonight! It will be lovely to see them and Ida is the last of that generation alive so I am glad that she will meet Edward. I'm a bit nervous about what to feed the visitors - it's hard in another country - I'm not sure what they expect. I bought some biscuits from the local bakery and there are also strawberries in the fridge. Perhaps some chocolate (I remember my grandmother always offered chocolate) and something savory as well.
Highlights of today (for me):
- Adam going in late to work and it was wonderful to have breakfast with him.
- this morning Edward said "book" (he was looking at a book), so I am delighted.
- the Eemnes market.
We had a very busy final weekend in February - on Saturday morning we drove from Eemnes to Goettingen for a family reunion. The VIP guests were Uncle Marco and his wife Lila from Canada, and I think Edward was a secondary VIP guest. Uncle Jan Maarten was also there, but unfortunately Leo could not make the journey. We all had a lovely weekend. Dad and Gitty are very generous hosts.
Highlights:
- catching up with family and having some lovely conversations. I really value the generation older than mine.
- Edward drinking sparkling mineral water out of an eggcup.
- Edward crawling up both flights of stairs with Uncle Marco following closely.
- the magnificent dinner on Sunday night.
- my swim in the hotel pool. I was the only swimmer and it was just lovely.
And yesterday my cousin Eveline and her daughter Caesar visited us for the day. We went to an indoor children's playground - this must be a Dutch invention. I'm not sure it will catch on elsewhere. It was the most noisy place I have ever been in, if you can imagine a few hundred children running, playing, yelling, jumping, climbing... in a place the size of a school gymnasium. Edward was initially quite scared, and stayed very close to me and just looked, and looked at the place. He eventually adjusted to the noise level & other children and had a quiet play in the little baby corner. He has a slight cold this morning, which I guess was to be expected. It was excellent to have a long catch up with Eveline, who is now over halfway through her second pregnancy.
Adam came home from the Hague safely last night, he stayed overnight there and Edward and I both missed him very much.
Tomorrow Nikky (cousin of my father) and Tante Ida (sister of my grandmother) are coming to visit. There is going to be serious house-cleaning tonight! It will be lovely to see them and Ida is the last of that generation alive so I am glad that she will meet Edward. I'm a bit nervous about what to feed the visitors - it's hard in another country - I'm not sure what they expect. I bought some biscuits from the local bakery and there are also strawberries in the fridge. Perhaps some chocolate (I remember my grandmother always offered chocolate) and something savory as well.
Highlights of today (for me):
- Adam going in late to work and it was wonderful to have breakfast with him.
- this morning Edward said "book" (he was looking at a book), so I am delighted.
- the Eemnes market.
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