May 5, 2009

Goodbye Doggy

IF IT SHOULD BE
If it should be that I grow weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then you must do what must be done,
For this last battle cannot be won.
You will be sad, I understand.
Don't let your grief then stay your hand.
For this day, more than all the rest,
Your love for me must stand the test.
We've had so many happy years.
What is to come can hold no fears.
You'd not want me to suffer so;
The time has come -- please let me go.
Take me where my need they'll tend,
And please stay with me till the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me,
Until my eyes no longer see.I know in time that you will see
The kindness that you did for me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering
I've been saved.
Please do not grieve -- it must be you
Who had this painful thing to do.
We've been so close, we two, these years;
Don't let your heart hold back its tears.
--- Anonymous ---

Yesterday the vet had to put asleep our dear family friend Doggy. Although our dog has not been a part of my life in the Caribbean, his death brings back so many cherished memories, of years with our children in Holland, living on our farm, of Doggy so very happy and always cheerful in executing his dog-tasks. The poem above tells it all.
Thank you dear Doggy, for all you have given to us, unconditionally

May 4, 2009

Holland remembers...

on the 4th of May
all victims of WW II
Many years may have past,
but in this sometimes crazy world of today, it is good to remember
and take time to think about all these people that were chased and murdered, the soldiers and resistance members that have given their lives for our freedom
I made this digital collage and haiku in honour of these heroes
Inner glow
in
nature's beauty
modest colours
on this
4 th of May

May 3, 2009

Sunday Haiku

She looked at me
from the woods
Innocent and wild
Such pure, wild beauty

May 1, 2009

Carnaval and Queen's Day 2009

The 30th of April we celebrate our Queen Beatrix' birthday in Holland and abroad. In Sint Maarten however, it is carnaval on the Dutch part of the island. This because the French side celebrates this party at the original time, somewhere in February.
Queen's day is a fantastic day, a real Dutch tradition with each and every city and village in the Netherlands chockfull with activities, flea markets, silly and traditional games for the children etc.
Our entire royal family, the Queen and her sons, their partners and children, usually visit two places and join the party as much as possible, and most people love it that they are so close to the public on this day, the family being almost one of them.
Yesterday, you may have heard it, a fool decided to change this celebration day and tried to attack the royal family by driving like a lunatic in his small car, hitting lots of people and finally coming to a halt against a monument. The royal family is safe, fortunately, but 17 people got seriously hurt, at this moment 6 have died, including the attacker. Holland is in shock and Queen's Day will never again be just a fantastic day of fun and celebration; it will have a bittersweet black rim forever by remembering the innocent victims of this year.

But: though SXM is still part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, on this day it is Carnaval here!
And with mixed feelings I walked to the place in our neighborhood where the groups gather and prepare for the Big Parade. I made a lot of pictures, abundant with colour, pictured lots of happy and proud people and seeing and feeling the joy of these folks made my day.
Look at these faces, these costumes!

And in honour of queen Beatrix of the Netherlands,
we will have a orange party tonight at this beach,
it is one of my favorite places

Indeed, no single fool can keep us from this tradition!

April 30, 2009

Looking back...


to my blog, I notice that the Caribbean world has played a major role in this month' posts.
Next month I hope to make some art, before we leave to pick up our Roadtrek and start our USA-trip.

So to finish this April month in style I made a mosaic of the ocean, the sea and their treasures.

April 29, 2009

It isn't Manhattan here...


Frontstreet Sint Maarten
yesterday

No, it isn't Manhattan here but
Yes
there is so much beauty and

INSPIRATION
even in dilapidation
Please feel free to use these pictures if
you
feel inspired!

April 28, 2009

Earrings

I love beads
I love silver
I love junk, yet stylish jewelry
and
I love creating!
yesterday I made my very first earrings
until now the focus was on necklaces, mainly beaded in a bold and often ethnic style, but I had some grungeboard laying around and gave it a try.
This material is light, flexible, strong and can simply be cut with a scissor, can be hammered and painted with acrylics.
And, important for me, I don't have to worry about its value, it's absolutely worthless!
It's main purpose is to adorn...
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