Finally got back on the bike.

It is Wednesday already and I am just getting round to blogging the Sunday happenings ...



We went for a ride, we did, Team Duvel that is. I hadn't been on the bike since the Rond Van Vlaanderen (early April) so it was quite a stretch for me. We only did 25km, but it was a hilly 25km. Somehow Greg talked us into it - there is only two hills he said - he neglected to tell us that the first one was 4.5 km's long!!!!

Needless to say, we were pretty stoked that we had taken Monday off, main reason being that we had another doggy recky to Antwerp to change the splint.

Joni Mitchell - 1970 - a good year!

Living ev'ry day - My Title ...

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons ev'rywhere
I've looked at clouds that way
But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on ev'ryone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As ev'ry fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way
But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away
I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say 'I love you' right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way
But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living ev'ry day
I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

HiDef - BGT - Andrew sings Pie Jesu

Sorry to keep harping on on one theme - but this guys has to make you think ...

This little girl is amazing - persevere through the build up - it's worth it!

Words of wisdom

When in doubt, act happy - it will drive everyone nuts.

Heathrow Terminal 5

I was in Heathrow terminal 5 yesterday and what an outfit that was. Everything was brand new and the shopping was pretty good. I had several hours so once I exhausted the shops, I sat at a seafood bar and had some King Crab and Champagne, not a bad way to spend Saturday lunchtime - except that I was alone, as were others sitting around the same bar. While people watching I noticed one in particular that tickled my fancy. On the opposite side of the bar a young man with bright yellow Blues Brothers sunglasses sat down and never removed the sunglasses, then this popped into my head...

Sunglasses fastened to his face
in yellow, a mellow fellow was he
he drank his coke, alas no smoke
as we're in Terminal 5, a hive
of activity and revelry

One of the things I like about Europe

MarkJ makes the following post on his own blogspot last Wednesday...Beem me there

"The following email appeared in my mailbox today. I wonder in the future, upon reflection, if historians will view polictical correctness the same way that they do McCarthyism from the 40's and 50's. I believe it's gone too far, and sooner or later there will be a backlash....

The following is the winning entry from an annual contest at Texas A & M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term.This year's term was 'Political Correctness'.

The winner wrote:
'Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.'"

That same day I took a train from Brussel to Amsterdam and came across this billbooard in the metro...

Under the word drive it says "a mini". It is an advertisement for Spa Rood, which is water with bubbles. It goes on to say "win explosive gifts". I thought of Marks politically correctness blog and thought - in NZ, a billboard such as this would likely cause a stir - much like the Toyota bugger adds. Suffice to say I also thought how refreashingly practical the Europeans are, when it comes to free will to makes up one's own mind and make one's own choices in life, and hence take responsibilty for one's own self - what what!

Crickey it is June already

Back again, can you believe it is June already? The official summer time is almost here and the weather has been quite nice of late. Everyone is freaking out at work becuase Q2 is nearing an end and then in the summer months of July & August it is damn near possible to get anything done as people literally take at least one of the months off. Isn't it amazing what people get so uptight about. We have forgotten that we are really just there to earn money so that we can live and afford to do the things we love to do, but the ego seems to cloud that vision sometimes, well a lot of the time really ...

Finally things seem to be looking up in our household. You may have noticed that there has not been much blogging of the last few months and there is a good reason for that, or should I say a dreary reason. The reason is you will not find doom and gloom on this blogg, just as you will not hear us complaining about life's mishapppy meanderings in person. The point is things are looking up, even though Mr Forrest has had said accident he is on the way to recovery and the sedatives work wonders to keep him in a calm, sleepy, and healing mode - they work wonders on triming the edge of his brother too. While I write, I am at home with both of them fast asleep in their cages, it needs to be done I am afraid so that we can continue to bring in the bacon that keeps them in a manner to which they are accustomed. Today I am leaving a tad later to work as I need to catch a train to Amsterdam for a meeting. Quite a long way for a two hour meeting, but that's they way it goes with pan european business. So long as I can still sleep at home most of the time, it's quite fun to have the variety.

Well time to get to metro to catch that train, way easier than driving into Amsterdam and mucking around with parking. It's a 3 hour ride so better get into it. Ciao ciao ...

Mr Forrest and a Series of Unfortunate Events...

Sorry to say that Forrest is in bad way and his parents are a little worse for wear as well.



Monday last week, Fozzie broke his leg and it has been a hell of a week. Monday night saw Mik driving to Antwerp, while a thunder and lightning storm followed him up the highway, taking Fozzball to a specialist clinic. He had surgery on Tuesday and we were able to bring him home on Wednesday - several tousand Euros poorer.



Both bones in his lewer leg snapped in half and he now has pins and plates holding them together and needs a splint and bandage for at least 6 weeks. So now we have to keep him calm for the whole time - yeah right ... try keeping a Yorkie calm? Especially when his brother is Frodo alias nutcase! So luckily we have sedation but it is still a feat!



Sorry for the sad news - normally i try not to blogg unhappy stuff - but this is pretty big news.

We're back

Yes, well sorry to our loyal readers that it has been a while. After Sue got back fromm NZ, it was a bit of a whirlwind; first had to ponce of to Barcelona for a couple of days and then for a week's work in England. We then spent a lovely weekend in Holland with the Bussum Venniks. It was nice time of sitting and playing in the garden and on Sunday we went for a lovely walk in a Forrest. F&F loved it - for sure!



Thanks Eric, Marija, Neils and Judith for a warm stay.

Mik and Judith ahead of the pack...