Monday 22 October 2018

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 23 October 2018 - T for turtles, milk and a bit of wisdom....

Hello lovely people,
It's time for the T-Party! More of that in a minute.
First off is some postcards: this one was sent to me from the USA. It is a turtle, my favorite animal. (together with the tortoises). I don't know what fascinates me about them. Perhaps it is the fact that the get to become so old or perhaps it is the fact they look so pre-historic. I like all the different patterns on their shells and I like the fact they carry their house with them and can retreat inside. Sometimes I'd like to do that too.
 These stamps are from this card or the next one. I can't remember now. They feature bioluminescent life. Very intereting...
 The next card comes from North Carolina. (obviously). As you know I love map cards. This one has the additional information of the flag, the seal, the state flower (Dogwood), the state bird (Cardinal) and the state animal (Grey Squirrel). 

Because it is T for Tuesday, hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard at Altered Book Lover, I decided to find out if there was such a thing as a state drink. And sure enough there is:

North Carolina's state beverage is....Milk! Although many may expect North Carolina's official state drink to be sweet tea, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation in 1987 that made milk the official state beverage.


As I use my own name on this blog, not many of you will now that my online name is Olddutch.  The name is apt as I am Dutch and not so young any more. It really comes from a restaurant that I could see out of our window when I was small. The restaurant was called Olddutch.


We used to live on the top floor of the block of flats on the right and I would look upon the restaurant. After the war there was no housing (Rotterdam was bombed almost completely) and people were told to take in lodgers. The flats on the right are really duplos. The downstairs people had the ground floor and the floor above that as bedrooms and bathroom. Above that was a similar set-up, so the top floor (which had a balcony) was the bedroom floor of the flat below. My mum had an improvised kitchen in the bathroom. Planks were put over the bath and that did as a kitchen. Luckily the toilet was separate. We all (mum, dad and me and my sister) lived in those few rooms. Every time my mum wanted to go out, she had to carry us plus a pram down three steep flights of stairs. How is that for logistics when the children are so small you can't leave one downstairs to go get the other one! No wonder my mum had a breakdown when my sister was a baby, and she had just suffered two mis carriages...
The restaurant still exists. This is what it looks like today:
 Sunday I went to our provincial capital city, Granada. I went with the photo club of our village to celebrate a 25th anniversary of the photoclub in Granada. The poster in the middle features a photo taken by the guy who stands behind it. His name is Antonio and he is a police man in our village. We are very proud that of all the clubs in the province, a photo from our club was chosen for the poster, which is all over Granada and the province.


Because of this anniversary, Granada is doing lots of events and exhibitions to do with photography. There are 6 totally different exhibitions that we visited on Sunday. Then of course there was a wonderful lunch with all the gang (all the representatives of all the clubs in the province). Our village is well represented as you can see in the above picture. A good time was had by all.

I will leave you with some wise words that I came across and that rang true with me.






Happy T-Day all!
Hugs,
Lisca

17 comments:

  1. Hi Lisca, this was a very interesting post-I did not know that their state drink was milk-I agree I would guess a sweet tea instead.
    I love turtles too-very unique creatures.
    the war time was definately a rough time to live through-I am happy I lived in peace time for the most part.
    Happy T hugs Kathy

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    1. Good morning, I think that is so good that you still have many choices for apple cider. hard pressed cider here can only be purchased at health food stores or perhaps right at the source of making it, the grocery stores can only sell the pasturized apple cider and for sure not as delicious. hard ciders are available too but in the liquor department in small bottles.
      you are right I will not be putting in a garden but being in the woods the weeds just get so out of hand-so want to get things cleaned up while the weather is still nice and cover the ground to slow them down

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  2. The turtle is definitely one of your totems. You should read more on it. I have a book 'Animal Speak' that I use very often and there is a great write up on the turtle-too long to go into here:) Such a bittersweet story of your family during such times. But how cool to see that restaurant still in existence.
    Great to have such community in your new place. Happy T day!

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  3. That is a fantastic story about the restaurant and you childhood apartments in Rotterdam. It is amazing the stories people have. That is what I love about blogging. You look great in your photo group photo too. How cool that it is being shown in so many places. Have a wonderful T day. Hugs-Erika

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  4. Great postcard and stamps. I would never have guessed about milk! Interesting to read about Rotterdam. I grew up in bombed out London just after the war. We lived on the fifth floor of a house with no lift, my mum had to pull the pram up 5 flights of steps each time. Must have been a very hard time for all concerned. Have fun with your photo group! Hugs, Valerie

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  5. A lovely post to read, the story of your early home. We also had housing issues after the war, we lived with my grandmother for many years and I stayed with her after my parents got a flat because they had to work.
    The postcards looked super and your photography group sounds so interesting.
    Your wise words at the end were super, I particularly like the last one.
    Happy T day wishes Lisca.
    Yvonne xx

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  6. Such an interesting post. I loved hearing about your childhood after the war. Fascinating.
    Happy T day!

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  7. You have always the most interesting posts Lisca " This one is no exception!" GREAT! Happy T-day wishes!
    Hugs, Susi

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  8. What a fascinating post! Your turtle and North Carolina postcards are beautiful, the Red Cardinal is such a lovely bird too 😀. Thanks for sharing you childhood memories and it sounds like you had fun meeting up with all the photographic clubs. Wishing you a very happy T Day! J 😊 x

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  9. It sounds like such a hard life :( Thanks for sharing this eye-opening memory.

    I'm always glad to see a business that stays open over such a long period. Your photography group gathering sounds like fun. It seems milk is popular, as Tennessee chose it, too. I'd rather have sweet tea ;) Happy T Tuesday

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  10. How traumatic for your family, Lisca. Especially your mum. It must have been heartrending trying to put your lives back together again and deal with the massive destruction.

    Very nice photo of your photo club - love your smile:D Congratulations on one of your own being so honored.

    Great wisdom in your quotes.

    Happy T-day. Hugs, Eileen

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  11. Very interesting that there is such a thing as a state drink and that it is milk!
    Perfect T Day post! I just wanted to tell you that you have a good eye, because that artwork you saw at our lmuseum was a “Massive Chihuly Chandelier”! I wasn’t sure you woul be back to see my reply.

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  12. What a post today Lisca! Love the postcards and those gorgeous stamps! How great that the Olddutch is still there today! Sounds as though you have been having fun! Happy T day! Chrisx

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  13. Love your postcards and hearing about your life post-war. I can't imagine having to carry go up and down three flights of stairs so often. I really like how you shared the then and now pictures of the restaurant.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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  14. I never would have guessed milk was the state beverage for North Carolina. I would have thought that would have gone to a big dairy state. the state beverage of Massachusetts where I live is cranberry juice because the state is one of the largest producers of cranberries. Your description of your family's apartment reminds me of my dad describing how he had to take a carriage (pram) down three flights of stairs for his mother. It would be great to be like turtles. You'd have your house with your and everything all on one level. Sounds like a good time with the photography club. Happy T Day

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  15. Your postcards are gorgeous Lisca !! Love them. The photographs of the restaurant are interesting, it still exist ! After the war, most people had to live in very hard conditions, and your mother did not have it easy living in that house with so many plants.
    Surely you spent an excellent day in Granada with your friends from the photographic club. I live in Almeria capital, we are "Andalusian" neighbors and I am very glad that you like to live in Granada, my son is studying there. This is a great post.
    I wish you a very nice Thursday, big hugs, Caty

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  16. I am SO sorry to be so late visiting, Lisca. The turtle postcard was perfect and you have shown why you love them so much. The stamps are great, too. I can't believe MILK is the drink of choice for No. Carolina. It makes a fabulous drink for T Tuesday, though.

    I was saddened to read about your time during and after the war. It is such a sad memory. I feel for you and your poor mother.

    Thanks for sharing your postcards and a bit of your history with us for T this week, and again, I'm so sorry I was late visiting.

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