The good doctor A good doctor is hard to find. Just as difficult as a trustworthy person. When it comes down to it, you simply have to be lucky. Happiness when it comes to the interest, expertise and appearance of the doctor. Gone are the days when doctors, like mayors and pastors, were looked up to. That village mentality is not part of modern man, especially in cities, especially now that the average person is higher educated and, in addition to many medical reference…
Tortoise's hidden side *"Come outside and have a look at what I found!*" I call at my child, *"it's a turtle or?".* A tiny dark shield is what I believe I'm looking at. Indeed in front of my feet is a small tortoise. My child is enthusiastic and so am I. I never saw one outside in my garden. We lift the tiny thing to study it. Where did it hide, come from? I grab a box and shovel some soil and a piece with grass in it. Quickly my new pet digs itself into it. I can hardly…
Bank account **It is almost impossible to live without a bank account.** Whether you like it or not you need one if you receive a salary. I can still remember the time when I received my salary on Friday in a brown envelope. I liked that and to this day I still pay a lot in cash. It helps me and also my children to keep an eye on expenses and to know the value of the money. An empty wallet means you can't buy anything until the new month has started. In any case, this is a…
Apple pie, applesauce and soft bread **Today was a good day although it didn't feel like it.** Even better is this day when I can finish this writing in time. The past few days (weeks?) I've been going to bed later and later. I usually don't go to sleep until after 1 a.m. and that is way too late for me. The more the sun shines, the more time I spend outside, although I am also indoors in between to do the most necessary things. I often have everything in mind that I want to…
Mother's day complicated It's mother's day, at least that is what it is today. Finally, I'm tired of doing all the work alone so I stay in bed longer because I know if I get out at 5 am I won't go back to bed. My life shouldn't look the way it is. At times I say it out loud to vent because I hate the fact I don't make it easier on myself. "Why am I always busy," I asked the youngest a few days ago. The answer was that I am always busy and care about hygiene. Hygiene... Do I…
Chicken food Lately, I bought a mix of grains meant for the chickens. Not that I have chickens yet I'm still waiting till they will be delivered. Hopefully, it won't be a no again. I wondered if the grains in this mix can be used to sow. *I tried to germinate seeds between wet kitchen paper before. This was unsuccessful. I don't know what exactly went wrong but I think it was the cold. I don't have a warm place in the house where seeds can germinate. No, nor a TV, modem or…
Grey morning When Hippo opens his eyes, everything is grey. It is a grey morning, he thinks, as he snuggles up to his mummy. He is in no hurry to get up. This day will be no different from yesterday and the day before that. He can't remember what the days before were like. All he knows is that mama has always been there. He recognises her heartbeat and voice even though she doesn't say much. She pushes against him with her snout when she wants him to move. Imperturbably, she…
Fact check *Last night I could not fall asleep. Too much energy from the sun and vitamin C pills or is it the planes that fly over almost every 45 minutes. The more I listened to it the more it irritated me. I like peace and quiet and that's why I live far away from my fellow men.* After less than six hours of sleep, I was awake again. Once awake, I can't fall asleep again but I decided to stay in bed even though I never feel comfortable. My back, shoulders and feet,…
Worries **Children.** What hurts them hurts most parents too. Not my parents, by the way. I did not get much empathy from them. It is hard to say whether this still hurts after all these years, but it has made me watch out that what happened to me does not happen to my children. Of course, it is not always possible to be a good or perfect parent. That is not my aim either. By now I have accepted that I am not perfect, nor do I have to be, but I also know that my children do…
Anatomy of a scandal *This is about a topic that can be hotly debated which isn't my intention. I share my opinion about a Netflix series.* It took me some time to watch the miniseries 'Anatomy of a scandal'. I can't tell you why but for some reason it was easy to fall asleep while watching. Time passed, and I watched some other films and series and had things to do. Yesterday I decided to finally see how this series end. To be honest I forgot the first 3 parts which means I…
Stay away I thought it was Monday, it turns out to be Wednesday. So I'm missing a day or two, depending on how you look at it. It's a good thing I still have a diary. I write a bit less in it because I'm busy but I also keep a garden diary. Gardening is not going well for me. It is either too cold or too hot. In the former case, nothing happens to the seeds and in the latter case, the soil dries out so quickly that it does seed, seedlings and plants no good. The state of…
The chickens arrived! **We (our family) all seem to feel down from time to time.** I say down because I do not mean depressed. 'Down' is a feeling that comes and goes and can be gone just as quickly once we start being active. A while ago I wrote about how the unexpected presence of the little pond tortoise cheered up my child. It is nice that he notices it himself. It does not always take something special to feel better but you have to make an effort and not just spend the…
The Prof. Dad... He's in the room next to my bedroom and I haven't seen much of him today. Now I know what he does there. I also know what the old man with the heavy voice is doing with him. That old man is a professor. He teaches Daddy how to do maths. Daddy says that this gentleman doesn't come anymore. That man says that daddy is stupid and can't do arithmetic. He will never understand arithmetic. That makes daddy angry. He says that he is not stupid and that his teacher…
Single, on my own, something great *I'm not a loser, not lonely and it's not that no one shows interest in me as a partner but let's say I'm not easy to get and by now I'm not to get. I can honestly say I tried but since I'm the product of my childhood and the way people treated me I am not that caring, loving, sharing person without a voice anymore.* I figured out a partner doesn't make me feel complete. At times I ask myself if children made me complete. Back then, it was…
Treasures of mother nature - Vegan or not? *I remember the first vegan recipe I tried and called vegan, it was for Christmas, very well.* It was with spinach and although I love spinach, it was disgusting. Not only was it gross, but there was nothing festive about it. Why did I eat this? Maybe to try something new. In any case, the ingredients were not cheaper than if I had bought a great piece of meat. This meal was disappointing, not enjoyable and it occurred to me that…
Fine dining Are you already used to the fact that there is no more flour in the shops? Flour is not the only scarce product. Oil, sunflower oil is too, just like sugar, green tea, instant coffee and milk. Today was shopping day and I noticed that many products that the shop had on sale are not available. It feels like a bad joke. This shortage is going on for a few weeks and it has been staged. Now and then there is a box and that box just comes from the warehouse. How do I…
Christians: Central Control **When it comes to investments, I have lost a lot of money.** That was in the past because of scams by insurance companies that invested the deposits. It should be a great savings plan for the future they said. My future and that of my children. The Consumers' Association recommended it and of course, it was all approved and there was a guarantee that nothing could go wrong, a minimum of payment. None of this turned out to be true, it was a lie…
Free bankaccount *I think we should get a different bank account*, my child remarked yesterday. He had read something about the bank where we both have an account. That bank is suddenly changing very quickly and has now left the USA. The option of a free account would no longer be offered in every country. Our country is not included and given this information I wonder what will happen to our accounts. To which online bank did all Americans, perhaps also other users of this…
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