A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 7 February 2022 - T for royalty, gin&tonic and Rotterdam

 

Good morning lovely ladies,

I'm still in the Netherlands, and my mother is a lot better (she had had a fall). I'll tell you a bit more later, but lets start with my postcard for today. 

My hubby has emptied our postbox and has photographed a few postcards with his phone. 

My card for today comes from Norway. It shows a 40 yr old image of the Norwegian royal family:

The man in the picture is King Harald V, born on 21 February 1937.

Son of King, then Crown Prince, Olav V and Crown

Princess Märtha. Succeeded his father as king of Norway on 17 January 1991. Consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral on 23 June 1991. Children: Princess Märtha Louise and

Crown Prince Haakon.

This is what he looks like now:

His wife is Queen Sonja, born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937.

Married then Crown Prince Harald in Oslo Cathedral on

29 August 1968. Became queen on 17 January 1991. Consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral on 23 June 1991. Children: Princess Märtha Louise and

Crown Prince Haakon.

Here she is:

Their son is

Crown Prince Haakon, born on 20 July 1973
Son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. Heir to the throne. Married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in Oslo Cathedral on
25 August 2001. Children: Princess Ingrid Alexandra
and Prince Sverre Magnus.

Here is a recent photo:

Did you notice that his sister Martha Louise is older, but that he is the crown prince....  At birth, she was not in line to the throne, because until 1990, only males could inherit the Norwegian throne (Salic law).

Princess Martha Louise, is fourth inline for the Norwegian throne after her nephew prince Sverre Magnus.

And here is a recent family photo of the king and queen with their eldest son and his wife and children:

Here is the stamp that was on the card:

It looks like a sweet calf. It's from a series about domesticated animals:

OK what have I been up to...

It's been a slightly stressful time and one of he first things I treated myself to were some gin and tonic glasses.

Don't worry, everything is fine but I have used them once as my sister had bought a bottle of Tanqueray Seville (with bitter orange), and I was keen to try that. (Yes, it's delicious)

My mum has been transferred to a rehabilitation center. It is right on the other side of the city but there is a very good connection with the metro. It takes me exactly an hour from door to door.

Here are some images I took from the window of a moving metro train (above ground):

The pointy thing in the middle is the bridge over the river Maas. Here is a better image from the Internet:

Below is a tower visible to the left of the middle. That is the Euromast.

The Euromas was built in 1960, and I remember it being built. It's not very clear on my photo, so here is a better one:

There is a restaurant in that bulbous bit.

The building where mum is now is unassuming, but inside is really nice.

It feels like a hotel. This door is mum's room:

There are vintage photos of the Rotterdam harbour.

The room is long and narrow. On one side is her bed:

On the other side is a sitting area:

And in the middle is a desk and a large TV screen.

So after we took her there, my cousin and I had a bit to eat at the adjoining shopping mall.

And as this is T for Tuesday, hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard, here is my qualifyer: tonic water. (Here it still comes in a glass bottle)

Yesterday (Monday) mum has started her excercises, and her hairdresser came to do her hair:

And here I am with a happy mother:

I will close with yesterday's sunset out of mum's window. (You can see my reflection)

Wishing you all a happy T-Day,

Take care,

Keep smiling,

Hugs,

Lisca

A Postcard A Day - Friday 4 February 2022 - Friday Smiles

 Hello lovely ladies, 

Here I am again. This time from a different location. I'm in the Netherlands as my mother had fallen and had ended up in hospital. Luckily she had broken nothing but she is bruised and shaky and has lost a bit of self confidence. 

My postcard for today comes from Germany:

It's quite a fun vintage photograph. Those bathing costumes are hilarius, but that was the fashion in those days. Sometimes I wish I could get away with a little skirt like that, as my 70 year old body is not a pretty sight. (It's not really a problem as we never go to the beach.)

The stamps are colourful. The one on the right is one of those new digital stamps with QR code. (Am I the only one that is fed up with QR codes?)

This blog post is going to be short as I am not at my own computer, but I do have my daily collages to show you. Here goes:

On Friday morning we had to leave the house at 5 am(!) to drive to the airport, which is a 3 hour drive, and we allowed a bit more for the morning rush hour. For some reason I couldn't check in online so it was good I was there in plenty of time. I said goodbye to hubby and I then had an unevenful 3 hour flight to Amsterdam. The train station is underneath the airport and I bought a ticket while waiting for my luggage. So it didn't take long before I got to Rotterdam. I went straight to the hospital, where my sister was waiting for me. I was able to see mum for a short while and then we went out for dinner. My cousin and his wife had driven all the way from Friesland to see us. (They couldn't see my mum as only one person per day allowed to visit).

My sister then left on Saturday afternoon. 

I think Sunday was mum's worse day. She hadn't slept for several nights (she is a bad sleeper), so I got her into bed and she promptly fell asleep in the late afternoon. I really thought she was going to deteriorate.

Monday morning I treated myself to some proper gin & tonic glasses. So I could have a big one when I came back from the hospital.

I didn't need one as mum had perked up and was much better (she had slept)

On Tuesday I saw my friend Ineke, who treated me to lunch at a local beauty spot. There was a storm raging so it was not so beautiful, but we had a table by the window overlooking the lake. And of course it was good to catch up with my friend of forty odd years.

Mum is feeling much better, so the staff talked about her going to a care hotel for rehabilitation. These places are quite sought after, so we are not expecting an immediate move.

Wednesday morning is market where mum lives. I can see all the stalls from the window and all the hussle and bussle. So I popped out myself. I always like the cheese stalls. All those lovely Dutch cheeses. 

My cousin came to have coffee and lunch with me.     I showed her my new jigsaw and we decided to start doing it. She is now totally hooked!

When I visited mum, the liaison lady came to tell her that they have found a room for her, which shocked mum and made her very nervous. Especially when told that she would have to move the next day!

As I have no car, our lovely cousin stepped in again. We had first booked a taxi, but when told that the ride would cost 62 Euros, mum said: I bet Margit would do it for half that money. We asked her and of course she offered to drive. So it was an early start for me to get everything sorted and be at the hospital at 9:45. But everything went well and we got there. The place is aptly called Intermezzo.

Mum's room is lovely, and she can't imagine why she was so nervous about it. 

All's well that ends well as they say.

Now I am back at mum appartment, typing this. 

I'm afraid I have no funnies for you today. But I have plenty to smile about as you can see in the above collages.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Stay safe and

Keep Smiling!

Hugs,

Lisca

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 1 February 2022 - T for Vincent, Clipper tea and a hospital

 Hello lovely ladies, I'm writing from a rainy Rotterdam (Netherlands). My mother is still in hospital. She had fallen and although she hadn't broken anything, she is still short of breath and there are no doubt underlying problems, so it's better that they get sorted out, if possible. My sister and I are fully aware that at the age of 97 anything is possible. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime I have changed places with my sister and I am now staying in Rotterdam. Obviously I don't have access to my own computer but I have brought a postcard with me:

In the picture you can see on the right Vincent van Gogh, the famous painter, and on the left his uncle Stricker. The building on the right is the Oosterkerk (East Church) where Stricker preached and Vincent would often go when he was in Amsterdam.

The card was sent to me by Cecile in the Netherlands. She tells me she also does lacemaking.

Willemina Catharina Gerardina Carbentus – Aunt Mina – was Vincent's mother's sister.

 

She had married Johannes Paulus Stricker, a clergyman. During Vincent’s time in Amsterdam, Uncle Stricker acted as a mentor to his nephew, who was hoping to follow in his footsteps. Vincent admired his uncle's enthusiasm and passion and enjoyed going to see him preach at services all over Amsterdam.

                            

 

                                    

On 10 February 1878, Vincent wrote to his brother Theo that he was taking lessons from Uncle Stricker twice a week alongside those he was receiving from Mendes da Costa. This was probably no coincidence: his father had come to Amsterdam that week to discuss how his studies were progressing, and Vincent must have decided he could use additional help.

The classicist Maurits Benjamin Mendes da Costa (1851–1938) gave Vincent van Gogh daily lessons in Latin and Greek. Vincent had to immerse himself in the classical languages to attain the proficiency required for the theology course on which he hoped to enrol. Vincent had difficulty mastering the material, but Mendes told him he was on track to prepare successfully for the entrance exam. Vincent consulted Mendes, a mere two years older, on numerous matters and greatly respected him.

Ultimately, the pressure became too great: Vincent was unable to take in the enormous amounts of new material he was confronted with. Mendes gave up hope that Vincent would be able to attain the proficiency necessary for the entrance exam and advised Vincent's family to allow him to quit. In July 1878, Vincent left Amsterdam in disappointment and went to Etten to figure out what to do with his future.

While in Amsterdam, Vincent visited the Strickers often, up to a few times a week. He joined them for coffee after church, went to their birthday parties, spent holidays at their house and sometimes had dinner there. He got on well with their daughter Kee, who lived on Prinsengracht with her husband, Christoffel Martinus Vos. A few years later, after Vos’s death, Vincent would fall in love with his cousin Kee and ask her to marry him.  (She said no)

The stamps are magnificent too. Of course right in the middle there is a large stamp featuring a famous painting by van Gogh: the Sunflowers. The bottom two stamps read: Think Green! The stamp on the right is about the small area of nature left in the Netherlands (It's a small country, very urbanized).

  

Here are the paintings from the stamps:

I love those sun flowers, even though they are dried out and discarded.

Now today is Elizabeth and Bleubeard's T-Party! So I will share a drink with you: 

I bought this yesterday and I like it a lot.

I'm staying at my mum's apartment at the moment. She lives on the 5th floor and this is the view:

She overlooks the car park and beyond that, the shopping centre. On the left there is part of the church visible (the low red bricked building).

The building at the end of the car park is a restaurant. The last evening that my sister was here, we went out for dinner. My cousin and his wife came all the way from Friesland to see us and they joined us for dinner.

In mum's building, in the foyer, just beyond the elevators, is this winter display:

It shows a little booth that one woud find along side the frozen waterways where people go skating. It sells hot pea soup and hot chocolate.

The skates are hanging up. The skates on the right are for speed skating, the white boots on the left are for figure skating.

At the bottom of this photo you see the old fashioned skates that bind onto your boots. I used to have a pair ike that. (like all Dutch people of my age, Due to climate changes, there isn't that much ice nowadays)

These are the old enamel pans that I remember frm my childhood. The pan on the left ison a petroleum burner. Nowadays he pea soup comes in tins which you can see on the right.

I go to the hospital every afternoon. Only one person per day is allowed to visit, so I go leave the house at 3 pm. It is a ten minute walk, then a ten minute train ride, and another ten minute walk. So between 30 and 40 minutes. Not bad. 

This is what the hospital looks lik on the inside (taken at night):

Downstairs is a communal area with little shops and information desk etc. The wards are built on either side, 3 floors up. All the behind the scene stuff like laboratories and operating theatres etc are on the ground floor on one side and offices, kitchen etc are on the other side. There are lots of surrounding buldings and a multi storey car park too.

This is it from me today. 

Wishing everyone a happy T-Day,

Stay safe,

Hugs,

Lisca

PS: Tonight (Monday night) mum is a bit better. She has been walking and she enjoyed her main meal tonight. All the drips have been taken down. Great!

PSPS: I won't be able to do a Second on the second as I have no access to my own computer. Sorry Elizabeth....