Fear

Who ever saw Bowling for Columbine from Michael Moore got a feeling of how the American media is instilling fear on viewers by the news they are presenting and how it is presented. I don't want to go into the debate if this is done on purpose (Frightened people are more likely to support the country's defense policies? Fear makes citizens gun- and pharmaceutical consumers??) or if this is just how journalism developed in the US.
Moving to the USA we immediately noticed how different the news broadcasts are from the Dutch broadcasts, in the news selection and in the presentation of it. Now we are in Britian we see a different version yet again.

Anyway, when Martin and I went out for a bite to eat in Rickmansworth, we ended up in the Caesar's Bar above the Italian restaurant La Perla. It turned out that every so often there are live perfomances from a variety of artists. Enjoying a Chianti and a tricolore dish, I noticed a lone dark bearded figure sitting in a corner. I said a silent prayer to Whoever is in charge up there to please let this not be a chosen night for a terrorist attack. I couldn't help but stare at him from time to time though. After a couple of musical performances, some okay, some less than okay, the bearded man was introduced as Scroobius Pip to do the spoken word of the night. Martin smiled at me and whispered "Good, I thought he was a suicide-bomber". The spoken word consisted of little poems and a letter from God to mankind, it was hilariously funny, and right on.

I try to be free-thinking, tolerant and all of that, but sometimes prejudices and fear get to me as well. It's like stepping on a plane after September 11, or on the tube after the bombings, you can't help yourself but look anxiously at your fellow travelers....
Events like these, and the drawn out news reports of them makes us watchful, if not fearful....It's to bad that the world has become this way.

Is it the English, her, or is it me?

- Dokkum - The Netherlands

Opening Christmas Crackers - a British tradition

Last week we loaded up the Explorer in the wee hours and hopped on the ferry to France. We spent a midweek at a Centerparcs in Heijen, where we floated lazily in the pools, drank cocktails in a jungle dome, enjoyed Dutch bitterballen while humming along with some dreadful bands in the evenings and sweated amongst some Germans in the sauna; A great way to avoid Christmas shoppers and start the Christmas break. The Dutch schools were not out yet, which meant no lines (or queues for the Brits) for the pools' slides.

Christmas was spent with family up North in Frisia, and I guess I'm going into the New Year a couple of pounds heavier. (Another thing I don't believe in: New Years Resolutions....)Slowly I'm getting back into some healthier lifestyle.....By the beginning of next week we should be done with all the junkfood we brought back from Holland.

We're back on the British Island again since last night, and I decided today that this really is not where I want to be... The neighbor brought me a package that someone left for us while we were away. I said thank you, and before I could get a neighborly chat started, she already turned and walked away. No "how was your Christmas?" or anything in that direction. Is it her or is this just typical British behavior, or maybe a trend that is seen in our western society? I mean; we share a driveway..... It's not that I'd like to have neighbors come through the backdoor and walk straight through any moment of the day, like it is in my parent's neighborhood......but some sort of neighborly friendliness, a little chat, showing some interest or concern, might be nice......
Of course, it could be that they saw me running through the house naked one too many times......Yeah, I guess that could be it.

Well, I hope all of you had a good Christmas, Hannukah, buffet and/or day off. Stay warm!

Christmas and all that

We bought our first Christmas tree the first Christmas after we had moved to the USA. And we still use that very same Christmas tree today. Before that, we were in an orthodox environment where having Christmas trees is seen as a distraction from what Christmas should be about, in the opinion of the orthodox Christians there at least.
But as a young family in a new strange country with no further family we got to develop our own little traditions. These traditions are little events the kids are expecting and looking forward to now, including the making of a yearly gingerbread house.

I'll be honest and tell you that I don't believe in Christmas. Assigning certain feelings to specific dates, may it be Easter, a birthday, or a death, is not something I believe in. I'm not a sentimental person, however I do appreciate that others are attaching values and remembrance rituals to certain days of the year.
Personally, when the page of the 24th of December falls, I am not getting sudden emotions of peace and goodwill. God knows I certainly don't get feelings of peace trying to do some shopping in the mall these days. I almost feel like we as a people are being like sheep following the other sheep, spending money on gifts that are hardly needed. All the songs of peace and movies about children deserving a Christmas experience can stir up feelings of guilt and generosity. Christians have claimed these days as theirs, while the origin of the festival most likely has nothing to do with Christianity, and we almost buy into it.

Maybe it's because of our Christian upbringing that we never made the kids believe there was something like an all knowing Santa Claus, who would watch them to see if they are good or bad. I didn't want to place believes in their heads that were later to be crushed when we would tell them that it was all a lie. Also, we didn't want them to be fearful of a God or a Dutch Sinterklaas with his book of names (isn't that ironic?), or a Santa Claus who would watch their moves. Watching movies like the Santa Claus, and The Polar Express, almost wants me to believe......Oh heck, sometimes I would love to believe the Bible from beginning to end to get some sort of comfort that "everything will be all right", but I would only be kidding myself.

Despite all of the above, I have to admit, I love the lights and the decorations; the presents under the tree; the eggnog lattes at Starbucks, so I do enjoy it with my family as long as it lasts. I'm not that stubborn...

The Gingerbread house will slowly but surely be nibbled away by Boxing Day. I guess we all have our little rituals that help to keep us going.

"You may say that I'm a dreamer"

Who knew one of our best nights out would be to the schools conducted tour.
When picking up the kids from school I would hear the big bands practicing at the Music facility, so I expected it to be good. I'm sure Martin and I were not the only ones impressed with the performances last night, what a wealth of talent! We are so happy we can offer our kids this experience, the experience of a very positive and stimulating school environment.

Lately I've been reading Robin Pascoe's books for Expat parents, after she gave a very entertaining talk at school as part of her book tour. I've learned some new terms like "Global Nomads" and "Third Culture Kids", which gives us traveling families something to call ourselves and something to identify with. So naturally I've been thinking about our lives, our kids lives. As parents we want to give the kids the best experience and preparation for their future, we also want to give them what we missed ourselves in our own childhoods. It's hard to know what is best, giving them a broader cultural understanding by moving around means having to say a lot of farewells, it also means redefining what 'home' is.....
I guess there is no good or bad way, just different choices and different experiences. We'll try to prepape the kids as best as we can and hope they'll turn out to be responsible and considerate world citizens. (And the rest they'll work out in therapy.....)

Anyway, when I heard one of the students sing John Lennons' "Imagine" last night, I could hardly hold back my tears.

"Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people Living life in peace"

Now that we stand before big choices again, opportunities that are opening in front of us, cultures to explore, people to understand, borders to cross; now that I'm already saying farewells emotionally; this song gets to have a new meaning to me.

A Week Off

Monday: Going into London



















Wednesday: Visiting Warwick Castle

















King Henry VIII, who doesn't look embarrassed to show he's got balls..... He had 6 wives and had 2 of them beheaded....
















No, this is not a Halloween decoration....



















Sunday: Getting ready for Halloween

Martin is organizing a Pumpkin Carving Contest at work.





























"Trunk or Treat"

History's Mysteries

~ Stonehenge, 2005

What puzzles me about sites like these is how they can get away with putting up a fence around it and charge for entrance, when you can see the site from miles away... I guess they have to do it to protect the site and keep it maintained. It's a shame though; the ugly fence takes away some of it's original mysterious air, and turns it into another hyped-up tourist attraction...

To Much To Little

Behind some blue screens in Black Park a short railway has appeared. Could this be a railway station or/and a movie set for a new Harry Potter movie?

Friday I made a wrong judgement call and walked to school. The rain from a passing hurricane almost hosed me of the streets, while some kind drivers gave me a washing in passing as well. You would think a country like Britain would be able to handle this much rain, but I guess this was to much in to little time, and the drains were barely coping.

Armored with umbrella I walked soaking wet up the schools drive way where water ran down in a white-water-river kind of way. The lower level of the school got slowly but surely flooded, and I thought "Goodbye Indian Summer".

Just as sudden as the rain came, just as quickly it stopped, and it was back to blue skies. We enjoyed some more sun, did some outside cleaning and took a picnic to Black Park.

It's back to grey skies today, but I'm not complaining. At least, not yet...

Something is blooming

When we left England for a vacation to America at the end of June, our patch of grass was yellow. Of course there was the 'drought'(still can't get over that one), and therefor a ban on using a waterhose.
Coming back from America, the flowers were all expired as well.
I went straight on with my vacation spree and visited Holland for a couple of weeks, where there was hardly a dry day in August. By the time September started our grass is green again, and I'm happy to see that a couple of brave flowers are appearing.
This week a headline in a paper caught my attention. Something about an "Indian Summer"...
Really not sure what to make of that, but let it come anyway!

Cooked What???

~Bath, 2006

Teaching the Young

In shock I watched a clip on BBC News today. The little report showed some scenes from what appears to be no ordinary Bible camp.
I hope the documentary Jesus Camp will be available for us in the UK soon, and I also hope it turns out that what seems to be indoctrination will in fact be not that bad.... I can only hope...

The term is "Excuse Me"

Getting your groceries in the UK just isn't the same as in the USA. I have not quite figured out why the grocery stores are so crowded most of the times. It's like shopping at Costco's on a Sunday in America; You do it once because you have to, but you'll learn quick.

First you have to drive longer than you wanted to, then there is the stress of finding a parking spot, hence me utilizing the Smart when I can, and then there are the people...

Skillfully avoiding any eye contact, customers navigate their shopping carts through the isles and around employees refilling products (can't this really not be done after hours?). Occasionally customers or employees (!) bump into you after they appeared not to have seen you while cutting you off. There is no polite "Excuse me" to inform you kindly you are in their way. If you're lucky you'll get a quick "Sorry" when there is a collision, no eye contact though.

No bagpackers at the 'till' either, although help is offered. When everything is said is done you're an hour and a half further.

The thing that bothers me most though, is not even the amount of time it takes to shop, but it is the effect the shopping experience has on me. The British "stiff upper lip" is starting to rub off on me...I find myself avoiding eye contact, and the corners of my mouth start to droop when entering a Tesco's. Please let this not be a permanent condition. Please stop me when you see me with an upside down smile, and just tell me to keep smiling!

Ah, next time, I'll order my groceries online again and save myself some aggrevation.

A Nice September Day

We visited Black Park today, the home of Pinewood Studios, and film location of scenes for the "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's / Sorcerer's Stone" movie.

I didn't even know of the park untill some weeks ago when I picked up some brochures for things to do in this area. It's only a 10 min drive from our home. I'm always pleasantly surprised to find these large green spaces in an area which is so populated.

There are still green spots on the map that we have to check out. Hopefully the weather will be on our side for just a little longer.

- A Scene from a Medieval Play in the Park

"To Blog or not to Blog"...

- Photo: Italy 2005

"Some observers have suggested that blogging is nothing more than the next step in a burgeoning culture of narcissism and exhibitionism spurred by reality TV and other elements of the modern media environment." ~ Senior Research Specialist Amanda Lenhart & Associate Director Susannah Fox.

Saturday Morning Tennis

"Only the Good Die Young"...

Freddie Mercury would have turned 60 earlier this month.
A couple of weeks ago we went to see the "We will Rock You" musical. If you are a fan of the Queen music like we are, this is the next best thing you can attend now Freddie is gone.

My daughter and I were watching a little biography on Freddie yesterday.
It's amazing to see what a great performer he was. I would have loved to have seen him live at Wembley stadium. But this was before our time.

I did find out he spend his school years in India and attended a boys school there. The piano he used to play at the boarding school is still there, but is totally finished. A school friend said he was both happy and sad, sad that the piano can't be played anymore, but happy he could still touch it... And no we can't see Freddie live on stage anymore, but we can still be touched by his music and the images that have been kept alive for 15 years now.

I guess, that at the end of my life, if I could sing "The bad things in life were so few", that would be good...