Simple things in Life

I notice by myself for a while that I am really more and more enjoying the Little and often Simple Things of Life. Guess it has to do with getting older but also with all things happening to me in my private life and the complexity of the world around me and the world we all live in. While in Glasgow I got a few little gifts from my Slovakian Colleges as this very sweet plate with cookies on it all made to eat. Hard to do in a way because it looks so beautiful...I love those things. Very traditional in a way but it gets right into my heart and I can feel it is made with love and attention. Perhaps you have to come into a certain stage in life that you appreciate those things. Because Bram is not very healthy and his mobility is not good we can't go for a day to Amsterdam (wheel chair could be an option but we both are not at the stage that we are doing it) we stay at home more and more. Sometimes that doesn't feel good but than we try to make a nice day here in Deventer of it. We have a coffee in a cafe in the centre (I take him there by car). I do some shopping while he reads the newspaper and it feels OK. Last year this was very hard for me because we were almost doing the shopping together and everybody in town knew that we belong together. If friends than asked me how everything was going my eyes would fill with tears and I would feel very lonely and sad. That really goes better not. But if someone now tells me to go to Amsterdam alone on a saturday I reply that that is not a good idea because I would feel the missing of Bram next to me more and more and it would make me sad. While in a shop in Glasgow I found this little "Gem" and I loved the text: Life is not about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself. Because of the stage where my (and our) life is in now, my mind can panic and when that happens I want to run away. After looking at it without judgement and accept that panic it brings me back to a calmer stage and I can accept things more easily. Looking at the things which can be done is a better option than looking at the things we can't do anymore. Hard sometimes but it works for me. So I stay in Deventer which is a very nice city and I take time for other activities which make me happy. As there is cooking: the smell of a "cooked for hours stew" makes me happy. Eating together with a glass of wine and to have attention for each other brings me in a good mood. Talking about the issues of life is one of our favourite topics. Our grandson Jim who brings such a joy with his energy and his smiles go directly to our heart. And of course there is my Knitting which has become a part of my life for already some years. To make something personal and beautiful feels so good. I am so One of my favourite textile magazines is Selvedge and I have a subscription form the beginning. Beautiful photo's and inspirational articles as this article about The Handman's tale with all info about different "crafters". More good news is that photo's from Knitted landscape will be featured in the - next year to be published book: "Greatest Knitting of" by Lela Nargi and that photo's will be in the book from Knitta Please about Yarn graffiti (also next year). And my gloves are almost finished so I can wear them the coming week in Copenhagen were I will visit my students who are doing a 20 weeks training. Copenhagen is great to go to and I know the way round very well because I have been there soooo many times. Next to work there is some time for shopping and on Wednesday evening I will go to a knitters meeting at Wilfert's and there also I will meet up with a Ravelry friend. There is some really nice and special yarn for sale at Sommerfuglen as this Shibui Knit sock yarn in a stunning colour.. and perhaps some yarn for this new Cowl...I fly on Tuesday morning (a little more than 1 hour) from Schiphol airport to Kastrup Airport and return on Tuesday afternoon. After taking my luggage to the hotel one of the first things I will do is have a cake at Konditori La Glace which is the oldest in town. So... a nice week to look at.. and after returning home on Thursday I will go for a 2 day trip with my class to Antwerpen on the following Monday..