Dear all,
On Wednesday, or actually Thursday morning very early, Derek came over, as we had to leave very early on Thursday. The report was finished! 'Slightly' on the late side, but finished all the same. Thank God for that. That was one stressful day and night...
Anyway. Promised I'd not talk about it anymore:). On Thursday we took a cab to the airport. First we had a fry-up there, which cost a whopping £8!!!!! And was manky... Damn. Then Derek bought some presents for Sinterklaas. Bought me a very pretty bag and brooch:). We then walked to the gate, only to discover we'd lost my wallet! AAA! As if the night before had not been enough strain on our wee hearts we got another panic-drawn adrenaline rush. Thank God it turned out Derek had put it in his bag, but in the back pocket. We made it!
We got to Schiphol safe and sound, had a nice lunch there and then went to Coevorden. Finally got there at 4.45pm. We had zuurkool stamppot (a Dutch type of sauerkraut with mashed potato, banana and raisins), which was nice. Don't think Derek was too sure about it though;). The next day we went to Groningen to visit Ineke, my Grandad and pick up Jan and the cats. Must have been a bit of a weird day for Derek as neither Ineke or Grandad speak English, but think we managed ok to translate. That night we went out with an old friend of mine, Susanne, and her boyfriend Marco. Had a great time! Derek got on with them really well, and Marco's English got better and better after a few beers;). Had a few too many... But made it home safely only to find my mum still up writing Sinterklaas poems! Crazy.
The next day we still had to write our poems, so spent most of the day doing that. Was quite a struggle for Derek, but they turned out really good at the end. It's only a bit of fun anyway. Took my laptop to the computer shop (I pray it's ready in 3 weeks, so that mum can take it to Scotland!) and Derek installed some extra RAM-memory in my parents computer to make it run faster. That night we (finally, 1.5 months late) celebrated Sinterklaas. It was a lot of fun:). Nice to have Derek there as 'part of the family':).
The next morning we had to get up very early, as we needed to catch the plane at 12.40. Mum took us to Zwolle, because there are no early trains from Coevorden on Sunday. Got to Schiphol by 10.20am, so we were number 13 to check in;)! Had something nice to eat and flew back. Derek's mum was so sweet as to pick us up:). We did get stuck in the car park, but managed to get out in the end. Went home only to discover the heating had broken! It was bloody FREEZING! Couldn't get it to work, so had to make do with the gas fire in the living room and the wee electrical heater in my room: BRR!
The coming week I'll spend at Derek's:) as his parents are on holiday. Look forward to a relaxing week, and to finally have some quiet time together without reports to worry about.
Hope you're all very well!
Love
Monday, January 24, 2005
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Netherlands
Over the next couple of days, from Thursday to Sunday to be precise, I'll be in The Netherlands. If anyone wats to reach me: I'll be using my Dutch sim!
Derek is still writing... The poor thing. He is a genius though, so I'm sure his report will be brilliant!
Back here soon to tell you how my wee break was:).
Love
Derek is still writing... The poor thing. He is a genius though, so I'm sure his report will be brilliant!
Back here soon to tell you how my wee break was:).
Love
Monday, January 17, 2005
Orange? Or Drunken Night with Fiona part 4567
Dear all,
On Friday I spent a tiny wee bit of time with Derek, which energised me:). He's still stuck in his report... but the deadline is Wednesday, so there are happier times ahead:)!
Friday night I went to Tennents with Fi for some pub-grub and some pints. It was a drunken night, but for a change it wasn't us;)! Hadn't been out with Fi in ages and ages and we really needed to catch up on some girly talk:). Only problem with Tennents on a Friday night is the hordes of drunken 30-70 year old men... I mean it's fun(ny) usually (as they talk shite and buy you pints;)), but this time the particular guy that was trying to talk to us got quite annoying quite quickly. He kept calling me 'an orange' (as I was wearing orange jewelry) which at first I thought was a sectarian comment, and I was adament to point out I'm an agnostic. He then clarified himself by winking and saying I was 'very fruity'. Hmm... He then bought us a pint. Should have said no of course, but hey, I'm Dutch (cheap!) and therefore could not refuse. He kept asking me where I was from etc., over and over and over again, which worked on my nerves... Thank God he realised he was too drunk, and went home. All in all it was a god night though. Must have spent about 3,5 hours in there, just talking away. Always good!
On Saturday I didn't really do anything. Did a bit of uni work, watched telly. On Sunday I was hoping to meet Derek, but he was way too busy...:'(. I will be so relieved when this bloody report is handed in! So will he of course, even more so as he's the one typing it.
On Thursday we'll fly to The Netherlands (as I already mentioned before in this blog: sorry if I repeat myself). Really looking forward to having time with him, and with my parents and brother. They'll have some time to get to know oneanother a bit better. it'll also be nice to show him where I grew up.
Uni is going well. Remarkably on track with the reading for the honours courses. I am even starting to see what I would like to write my dissertation on! Yeah! I would like to focus it on Scottish women's fiction between the wars:)! Catherine Carswell, Willa Muir, Nan Shepherd etc. Do read them! They are great:). Never thought I would go into 'feminist' writing... Always said I wouldn't, because I fear the stigma of being a woman writing about women's fiction. I guess though that as I get older these 'novels of development', about women finding who they are mentally, sexually, what their place is in the world, become more and more interesting to me. In this particular period there is so much going on in fiction and art generally (think Joyce, DH Lawrence, Woolf, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, The Glasgow Girls), as well as in the feminist political movement, that it makes a fascinating subject. Would like to read some more Virginia Woolf, DH Lawrence as well as male Scottish authors of the period to get a better feel for the period. Do let me know what you think (if you have some kind of clue of what I'm talking about that is;))!
Anyway. I'm sure by now I've lost my readership... Sorry! Back here soon! Off home now, as I'm having Derek for dinner (although I think it'll be pub-grub or chippy;)).
Love
On Friday I spent a tiny wee bit of time with Derek, which energised me:). He's still stuck in his report... but the deadline is Wednesday, so there are happier times ahead:)!
Friday night I went to Tennents with Fi for some pub-grub and some pints. It was a drunken night, but for a change it wasn't us;)! Hadn't been out with Fi in ages and ages and we really needed to catch up on some girly talk:). Only problem with Tennents on a Friday night is the hordes of drunken 30-70 year old men... I mean it's fun(ny) usually (as they talk shite and buy you pints;)), but this time the particular guy that was trying to talk to us got quite annoying quite quickly. He kept calling me 'an orange' (as I was wearing orange jewelry) which at first I thought was a sectarian comment, and I was adament to point out I'm an agnostic. He then clarified himself by winking and saying I was 'very fruity'. Hmm... He then bought us a pint. Should have said no of course, but hey, I'm Dutch (cheap!) and therefore could not refuse. He kept asking me where I was from etc., over and over and over again, which worked on my nerves... Thank God he realised he was too drunk, and went home. All in all it was a god night though. Must have spent about 3,5 hours in there, just talking away. Always good!
On Saturday I didn't really do anything. Did a bit of uni work, watched telly. On Sunday I was hoping to meet Derek, but he was way too busy...:'(. I will be so relieved when this bloody report is handed in! So will he of course, even more so as he's the one typing it.
On Thursday we'll fly to The Netherlands (as I already mentioned before in this blog: sorry if I repeat myself). Really looking forward to having time with him, and with my parents and brother. They'll have some time to get to know oneanother a bit better. it'll also be nice to show him where I grew up.
Uni is going well. Remarkably on track with the reading for the honours courses. I am even starting to see what I would like to write my dissertation on! Yeah! I would like to focus it on Scottish women's fiction between the wars:)! Catherine Carswell, Willa Muir, Nan Shepherd etc. Do read them! They are great:). Never thought I would go into 'feminist' writing... Always said I wouldn't, because I fear the stigma of being a woman writing about women's fiction. I guess though that as I get older these 'novels of development', about women finding who they are mentally, sexually, what their place is in the world, become more and more interesting to me. In this particular period there is so much going on in fiction and art generally (think Joyce, DH Lawrence, Woolf, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, The Glasgow Girls), as well as in the feminist political movement, that it makes a fascinating subject. Would like to read some more Virginia Woolf, DH Lawrence as well as male Scottish authors of the period to get a better feel for the period. Do let me know what you think (if you have some kind of clue of what I'm talking about that is;))!
Anyway. I'm sure by now I've lost my readership... Sorry! Back here soon! Off home now, as I'm having Derek for dinner (although I think it'll be pub-grub or chippy;)).
Love
Monday, January 10, 2005
Reading
Dear all (I know that there are people out there that read me, although I cannot fully comprehend why...)
I spent a big part of last week doing work and worrying about going back to uni on Monday. Thankfully I managed to catch up ok, ok enough to go back anyway. Then they announced in my class today that they changed the schedule, so me reading "The Quary Wood" by Nan Shepherd (read it: lovely book) like crazy over the past couple of days was a slight waste of time, as I should have spent it on Sorley MacLean's poetry (if you like poetry, try his "Dain do Eimhir"(yes, it is poetry in Gaelic, but he translated it himself) collection. It is very passionate, about love, war, loss, memory, politics, about life really:)).
Spent Saturday with Derek:). Was really nice to see him, as hadn't for 5 whole days (very long...;))! We went on a half-hearted search for Sinterklaas presents, went to see "The Aviator" (really good, though slightly long), and met up with Joe, Liisa, Peter and Christopher. Nice day:). Spent most of the next morning in bed;) and then went to Tennent's to watch Celtic-Rnagers. Even though I support Celtic and Derek supports Rangers we didn't strangle each other, so that was good. We even held hands most of the time:). Of course I'm happy Celtic won though;). After that he had to go home to get back to his report... Will probably not see him over the coming week, as the deadline is very near and the report far from finished. It's ok, as I know this is very very very important. Will catch up on lost time later!
Off home now to read some Sorley MacLean for my class tomorrow!
Love
PS Another book I can highly recommend (gee, this could change the whole purpose of this blog!) is "The Piano Teacher" by Elfriede Jellinek (she won the nobel prize for literature in 2003 I think). Derek gave it to me for Christmas. It is so strong, passionate, haunting. I read it in between all the other reading I have to do. I loved it a lot, even though it is terribly painful and sad. It's about a woman in her thirties who still lives with her mother and then discovers love and sexual desire, but does not know how to deal with it, and therefore gets hurt in a gruesome manner (this discription does not do the book justice: just read it). I think I would like to read the original (in German I assume) as well, as the translation sometimes seemed a bit lifeless.
I spent a big part of last week doing work and worrying about going back to uni on Monday. Thankfully I managed to catch up ok, ok enough to go back anyway. Then they announced in my class today that they changed the schedule, so me reading "The Quary Wood" by Nan Shepherd (read it: lovely book) like crazy over the past couple of days was a slight waste of time, as I should have spent it on Sorley MacLean's poetry (if you like poetry, try his "Dain do Eimhir"(yes, it is poetry in Gaelic, but he translated it himself) collection. It is very passionate, about love, war, loss, memory, politics, about life really:)).
Spent Saturday with Derek:). Was really nice to see him, as hadn't for 5 whole days (very long...;))! We went on a half-hearted search for Sinterklaas presents, went to see "The Aviator" (really good, though slightly long), and met up with Joe, Liisa, Peter and Christopher. Nice day:). Spent most of the next morning in bed;) and then went to Tennent's to watch Celtic-Rnagers. Even though I support Celtic and Derek supports Rangers we didn't strangle each other, so that was good. We even held hands most of the time:). Of course I'm happy Celtic won though;). After that he had to go home to get back to his report... Will probably not see him over the coming week, as the deadline is very near and the report far from finished. It's ok, as I know this is very very very important. Will catch up on lost time later!
Off home now to read some Sorley MacLean for my class tomorrow!
Love
PS Another book I can highly recommend (gee, this could change the whole purpose of this blog!) is "The Piano Teacher" by Elfriede Jellinek (she won the nobel prize for literature in 2003 I think). Derek gave it to me for Christmas. It is so strong, passionate, haunting. I read it in between all the other reading I have to do. I loved it a lot, even though it is terribly painful and sad. It's about a woman in her thirties who still lives with her mother and then discovers love and sexual desire, but does not know how to deal with it, and therefore gets hurt in a gruesome manner (this discription does not do the book justice: just read it). I think I would like to read the original (in German I assume) as well, as the translation sometimes seemed a bit lifeless.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Tsunami...
Can hardly bear to write a nice happy entry when all you see on telly is all these people that died, or are dying. It's just so so sad. What can you do? I mean I gave £10 to Oxfam, but what is that compared to all the suffering out there... NOTHING. I got very annoyed with certain programs on TV that were discussing whether we can still believe in God after this. For one I never did believe in God (guess I'm an agnostic), and for two: who the hell cares whether some person in Britain can still believe in God! What a selfish way to look at the whole disaster! Go give your time to some charity rather than wasting it that way. Fuck sake (excuse my language).
And now to my life...
I did have a really nice Christmas with Derek and his family. It was just very cozy and comfy. Derek gave me this gorgeous necklace and I got matching earrings from his parents. Dinner was lovely too.
Dee came over on the 30th:). Was so nice to spend five days with her! On Friday Derek and Fiona came over and we had a nice dinner (that I managed to drop on the floor first though!) and a lot of wine (apart from Dee who doesn't drink). Ross came over too and we went to the Uisge Beatha. I had a few pints of McEwans 80 there and got shockingly drunk... Oops. Guess it's allowed on Hogmanay! Was very embarrassed the next day though, as I realised I must have looked like an idiot too...
Sunday Derek took me and Dee out to the Chip! Had never been in before. The food was gorgeous. Went to the Uisge Beatha again after for the Sunday live music session. I was walking on my new sexy shoes (tweed with very high heels) and of course got a really bad blister... Got up early on Monday to go to Edinburgh. We went to the castle, to Holyrood and went shopping for a bit. Was really nice. Think Dee loved it too. She left on Tuesday afternoon:'(. Was sad to say goodbye. Realised how much I enjoy spending time with her, and how much I really do miss that. Hope to go down to Liverpool sometime in the near future.
Not seen Derek since Monday morning, as he is working on his report and I have a lot of reading to do (as my classes start on the 10th in stead of the 24th as I thought! Oops!). Hope to spend a full day with him on Saturday. Maybe go shopping for Sinterklaas (we celebrate it in The Netherlands on January 21st! Crazy, but fun!), have a nice meal, go to the cinema, or whatever.
Anyway, back to work now. For those of you that haven't given to charity yet: GO DO THAT RIGHT NOW! Every little bit helps.
Love,
Mariken
And now to my life...
I did have a really nice Christmas with Derek and his family. It was just very cozy and comfy. Derek gave me this gorgeous necklace and I got matching earrings from his parents. Dinner was lovely too.
Dee came over on the 30th:). Was so nice to spend five days with her! On Friday Derek and Fiona came over and we had a nice dinner (that I managed to drop on the floor first though!) and a lot of wine (apart from Dee who doesn't drink). Ross came over too and we went to the Uisge Beatha. I had a few pints of McEwans 80 there and got shockingly drunk... Oops. Guess it's allowed on Hogmanay! Was very embarrassed the next day though, as I realised I must have looked like an idiot too...
Sunday Derek took me and Dee out to the Chip! Had never been in before. The food was gorgeous. Went to the Uisge Beatha again after for the Sunday live music session. I was walking on my new sexy shoes (tweed with very high heels) and of course got a really bad blister... Got up early on Monday to go to Edinburgh. We went to the castle, to Holyrood and went shopping for a bit. Was really nice. Think Dee loved it too. She left on Tuesday afternoon:'(. Was sad to say goodbye. Realised how much I enjoy spending time with her, and how much I really do miss that. Hope to go down to Liverpool sometime in the near future.
Not seen Derek since Monday morning, as he is working on his report and I have a lot of reading to do (as my classes start on the 10th in stead of the 24th as I thought! Oops!). Hope to spend a full day with him on Saturday. Maybe go shopping for Sinterklaas (we celebrate it in The Netherlands on January 21st! Crazy, but fun!), have a nice meal, go to the cinema, or whatever.
Anyway, back to work now. For those of you that haven't given to charity yet: GO DO THAT RIGHT NOW! Every little bit helps.
Love,
Mariken
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