Flevoland (MDMNL AtoZ Challenge 2015)

Have you read my brief introduction to this challenge?

If not, here is the link: Introducing HFNL A to Z Challenge 2015

My personal blogging theme for this year: the places I have been in the Netherlands.  

At Happy Feet in the Netherlands (HFNL), I'll be writing about the places (which is not only limited to city, towns or villages but may also include restaurants, stores - places we go for hikes, where we sailed, or a special spot etc.) from the perspective of a runner.  

The blogs here @ My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands on the other hand will be from a perspective of an expat, mom, traveler, writer, who seeks to simplify life.

Today, "we go to" : Flevoland, specifically to the waters of Lelystad: Markermeer.

Unedited pic of Mijn Liefste P
taken at the sailing club, last week 31st of March
after we brought our youngest daughter to the doctor

Last weekend, the sailing season officially began at the new harbor of our sail boat: Sail Drifter 25 (we still have to give it a new name, so for the mean time I refer to it by this name).

We were not there because we decided to have a quiet Easter weekend at home.

But we are very excited to sail in Markermeer from the new home of our sail boat.

A collage of pictures taken last (July) Summer 2014

Markermeer
from Grashaven, Hoorn
the old home of our sail boat

Markermeer
seen from Hoorn

Markermeer
 our oldest @
Jachthaven Naarden
taken August, 2014

Markermeer
seen from Naarden

Hope you enjoyed the pictures above, and if you would like to follow our sailing adventures, please check out @ Sail Drifter 25 blog.

We welcome name suggestions! The family is still not completely one with a new name.  But hopefully  before Spring ends we have a new name!

You could send suggestions via comments, or via the email : saildrifter25@gmail.com.

If you are on Facebook, you could also follow the FB page, which my husband set up to connect with other sailing enthusiast: Drifter 25 "Petroesjka".  Petroesjka is the name the former owners gave the boat.  Feel free to send a private message, there OR leave a comment. My husband will be replying to you.


BTW, if you are wondering where blogs C-E are - a very short explanation can be found: here.

Hope you are enjoying, the A-Z blog challenge!

FYI on A to Z blog challenge

Hello, readers and fellow A to Z bloggers!

I'm still very much in the A to Z blog challenge but (due to personal reasons - blog link to follow) I have been lagging behind, and have not been able to publish my 3 blogs (C-E are still in draft mode). 

Just in case you're wondering where they are after reading F - Flevoland, this is my FYI post! :)

image courtesy of
 A to Z Challenge 2015

They will all be up one by one in the next days. 

Hope you all had a great Easter weekend.

Wishing a great new week for everyone!

Couch (MDMNL AtoZ Challenge 2015)

Have you read my brief introduction to this challenge?

If not, here is the link: Introducing HFNL A to Z Challenge 2015

My personal blogging theme for this year: the places I have been in the Netherlands.  

At Happy Feet in the Netherlands (HFNL), I'll be writing about the places (which is not only limited to city, towns or villages but may also include restaurants, stores - places we go for hikes, where we sailed, or a special spot etc.) from the perspective of a runner.  

The blogs here @ My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands on the other hand will be from a perspective of an expat, mom, traveler, writer, who seeks to simplify life.

Today, "we go to" :  our Couch. Yup. You read it right! 

Have you read my
"Couch" blogpost
 @Happy Feet in the Netherlands?

P bought this couch in 2003.  

4 years later we met.

This couch has - as ridiculous as it may sound! - "played" a huge role in our time together.

2013

A few weeks after moving into our yet unfinished and not completely renovated house.

The couch or "Chilla Couch" as we fondly call it helped make us feel at home.

Cuddling on the couch is the best! 

18th of August, 2010

Being read while sitting on couch follows second...

For the A-Z challenge, I'll keep this post short and will post a continuation to this topic, soon after the blog challenge has been completed.

Hope you liked the "sneak preview"! :)

What's the story with your couch?

published from draft mode:

8th of April, 2015

00:12

(Spiegel- en) Blijkpolderplas (MDMNL AtoZ Challenge 2015)

Have you read my brief introduction to this challenge?

If not, here is the link: Introducing HFNL A to Z Challenge 2015

My personal blogging theme for this year: the places I have been in the Netherlands.  

At Happy Feet in the Netherlands (HFNL), I'll be writing about the places (which is not only limited to city, towns or villages but may also include restaurants, stores - places we go for hikes, where we sailed etc.) from the perspective of a runner.  

The blogs here @ My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands on the other hand will be from a perspective of an expat, mom, traveler, writer, who seeks to simplify life.

Today, "we go to" : (Spiegel -en) Blijkpolderplas.

I'm sharing an image (the one at the very top), which was originally posted for the A to Z challenge  April 2011: Thoughts of Travel! (23rd of April) 

The two other images,  where you could see the silhouettes of my family, were taken on the same evening but was not shared here before.

I ran last Monday (30th of March) past this lake but I did not stop to take pictures.  I could have taken dramatic pictures of the water but I resisted because I was afraid I might stay there longer than I should (I was on a mission to run 30+ km!).

Today, I will be running by it again, this time a short run so I will take pictures, which you will see later on, tonight @ Happy Feet in the Netherlands (HFNL).

Do you like watching sunsets by the lake?  I would love to watch a sunrise by this lake with my family this year. Wish me luck?! :)

do 2 apr. 14:14

Ankeveen (MDMNL AtoZ Challenge 2015)

“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.”

― William Shakespeare

I took this photo during a run in November, 2014.
Although not in Ankeveen (Spanderswoud is the woods parallel to our village)
this place inspired my theme for this year's A to Z blog challenge. 

Have you read my brief introduction to this challenge?

If not, here is the link: Introducing HFNL A to Z Challenge 2015

My personal blogging theme for this year is the places I have been in the Netherlands.  

At Happy Feet in the Netherlands (HFNL), I'll be writing about the places (which is not only limited to city, towns or villages but may also include restaurants, stores - places we go for hikes, where we sailed etc.) from the perspective of a runner.  

The blogs here @ My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands on the other hand will be from a perspective of an expat, mom, traveler, writer, who seeks to simplify life.

Today, "we go to" : Ankeveen.

A Wayback Wednesday image!

Behind me is the Hollandia, the windmill landmark
near the entrance of our village.

I remember at this time how I begun settling completely in Ankeveen, 2 years after we moved.
Feeling lucky that we live somewhere, where people come to relax and have their holidays.

If you've been following this blog since it began, then you would have read about our village: Ankeveen, a lot of times, and the images I will be sharing will be familiar to you.  It's a great opportunity to travel back on memory lane with this blog challenge!

I've mentioned @ Happy Feet in the Netherlands, that moving to Ankeveen was the jump start my slumbering running passion.

The first few years after we moved in the Netherlands, I took more pictures than I have ever taken  in the total years of my life.  It kept me sane amidst the craziness that goes with moving to a new country (yet again!).

Writing the stories, that went along those pictures - initially on my anonymous blogs, later on my personal Facebook account, and finally here - was what made me focus on the positive rather than dwell on the negatives of life as an expat.

Are you still living where you were born, or have you lived in many other countries?

do 2 apr. 13:20

Spring & "Our" Fledgeling (2015)

“Pan, who and what art thou?" he cried huskily.

"I'm youth, I'm joy," Peter answered at a venture, "I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.” 

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

2nd of February, 
2015

My family & I love nature & birds!

This was a picture I took for my bike log blogseries @

The Lightness of Being on the Bike

2012

This year, I will attempt once again to blog for 365 consecutive days.

My first successful, fulfilling month-long blogging was in April 2011, in the year I began this public blog.

May, 2011

Previous to that, I blogged 5 years anonymously.  I am actually very excited to begin on the 1st of March* April (edited: 27th of March!*) , and determined to see the project until it's beautiful end on the 1st of March* April, 2016.

A 365 project has actually not been in my mind, as it usually is, as early as beginning of December of previous years but revisiting a blog - "Spring & 'Our' Fledgeling (2012)", made me nostalgic for the 365 feeling.  If you read that blog, you will understand better what I mean! :)

Writing my recent blog @Happy Feet in the Netherlands, and Running in Holland & Biking with Frodo: The Fellowship with the Seasons, here motivates me to take on this project again.


I feel like a fledgeling, ready, excited and curious for my first flight!

Speaking of fledgeling…

Blue tits are nesting once again in our bird house, at the back garden of our house, almost 2 years after we moved!

May, 2012

February, 2015

Below are pictures my husband took 2 Sundays, ago - 15th of February.

Before I typed these words, I parted the curtain to look out of the window and check the bird house.  I saw once again the parent blue tit on the perch of the bird house! 

We've been busy and have not checked if they are still there.  But they are!

I'll try to make pictures and share them as the weeks pass by, and hopefully we could have great snaps as we did 3 years ago. :)

Wishing you all a great start in the week!  Spring is just around the corner!

Running in Holland & Biking with Frodo: The Fellowship with the Seasons

Summer, 2013

“Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces together.” 

― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

Late Summer, 2013

“You know, bicycling isn't just a matter of balance," I said. "it's a matter of faith. You can keep upright only by moving forward. You have to have your eyes on the goal, not the ground. I'm going to call that the Bicyclist's Philosophy of Life.” 

― Susan Vreeland

Last weekend, I was still not feeling strong enough to resume my marathon training, and was also not up for the social visits we scheduled during the week.

This is why I stayed at home with oldest daughter (who needs to catch up on finishing school work!) while Mijn Liefste P and the girls went off without us to welcome a new member of the family - more on this, next time,

I went under the duvet after preparing snacks, set up the DVD to watch The Hobbit 1 & 2, and mentally let go of my need to do everything.

"Everything", I feel I should be doing to feel deserving of the good life I feel will be taken away from me, if I don't make myself worthy…

Deep, huh? :)

Digging deep within the recesses of my consciousness is what I have been doing since I started with blogging - first anonymously 9 years ago, and publicly since 4 years - and I think this year before Spring has sprung,  I finally struck "gold".

Nope, this blog is not getting a huge sponsorship*! :D

No. What I gained from blogging, what I considered as "gold", my positive precious are: life balance and quiet contentment.

I've learned after years of what I call as "My Ground Hog Days",  what gives me peace of mind is having acquired the ability to embrace my life with the best, as well as the worst, the moments of serenity with the daily threat of chaos.

In doing what I can (and enjoying what I can!) until I can do better - I easily breathe in life's daily blessing, and exhale out the distractions, which in the end, in the big scope of things , do not truly matter.

The daily biking, running everywhere (!!!)  and taking  thousands of photos to document everything - they all contributed to helping me see life with clarity, and living the lessons learned in the process.

February, 2015

Winter, 2015

The energy I gained from the pursuit of living & documenting  a life outdoors, helped me blog again @ Happy Feet in the Netherlands & The Lightness of Being on the Bike with more enthusiasm.

I feel more liberated, open and natural in my writing because I feel good in my skin, and in turn I find it rewarding in seeing, how it is reflecting in my blogging.

“Writing is the only way I have to explain my own life to myself.” 

― Pat Conroy, My Reading Life

November, 2014

I added a quote to the Google+ enhanced image - it was a picture
(see above this picture)
I took while running in the woods of Hilversum

My family and I have now seen many seasons here in  Holland, and we feel truly at home.

A collage of 2008 and 2011 pictures

A collage of 2009 pictures

January,  2011

2011

Images above clockwise:
upper left corner ~ Summer, 24th of July, 2010 - 17:21
upper right corner ~ Autumn, 30th of October, 2009
lower right corner ~ Spring, 19th of May, 2010 - 08:18
lower left corner ~ Winter, 17th of December, 2009

January 2015

31st of December, 2014

We went through a lot, and we gained strength.  We weathered through the seasons, and flourished. We accepted the changes, and gained wisdom.

Sunrise, one February morning - seen from the backyard  of our cul de sac

February, 2015
Simple life, simple morning
waiting for their ride to school

From here on, I (together with my family!) will embrace the positive possibilities of the present & future with open arms* and lighter being!

___________________________________________________________

*This was never ever my purpose when I began with blogging.  Although I did attempt to give it a try 2 years ago out of curiosity.  

I recognize the same conflicts of emotion I did, when I was working in advertising and media. I seem to alway lose my motivation to write after a while.

It was then I recognize that although the process creatively challenges me, it also stifles me creatively.

At this point in my life, I have other priorities, and accepting this makes blogging for me liberating as opposed to limiting.

A Walk in the Cul De Sac

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” 

― John Muir, John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir

As I went online today to finish my second blog for this year @ The Lightness of Being on the Bike, I was amazed to find the enhanced picture (see sunrise photo, above) on my Google images of a photo I took, when I went out for a very short walk out this morning.

It is only this year, that I am using the special feature, where you can automatically upload pictures taken with your smartphone to your Google+ account.

This has helped blogging @ Happy Feet in the Netherlands so much easier.

It helped revived my love for taking pictures along the biking route, I take daily the whole year around.


In, "Once Upon A Sunny Morning in Ankeveen", I was able to share how my morning was, and retell the story of how I have overcome the challenge of adjusting to the biking lifestyle here in the Netherlands.

This was very fulfilling - telling one's story.

I came back here to tell stories.  Simple stories, I would not like to forget.

Before I wrote the first blog @ The Lightness of Being on the Bike, I saw a post of a friend on FB about the documentary over Joan Didon's - We Tell Ourselves Stories In Order To Live.  It is the same title of her book, which is  a collection of her non-fiction works.

Watching the teaser of the documentary only strengthened my resolve to keep on writing.

I would like to share our stories, the beautiful stories of my family,  and what made me strong, kept me strong and continues to keep me strong to be there not only with my physical presence but with my whole being.

When one has a bipolar disorder, simple things can be difficult but at the same time the simple things are exactly what brings back the most deep felt joy.

I am back here @ My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands to make sure I won't forget that there are many simple things that brings joy in our life, and hopefully might bring joy in other's life too.

The simple life in the Netherlands…what is a simple life story?

For example, this simple walk in our cul de sac.

Cul de sac - I fell in love with that word, the first time I read it.  I think I was in grade school.  I can't exactly remember now.

2 years ago, when circumstances led us to living in a house in a cul de sac, I thought I would write about this.

But I never took the time to do so.

Today, I can tell you a short story involving our cul de sac.

This morning, it snowed, and when I woke up (after an upsetting night), I knew I would not be able to bike and bring the girls to school because I would not be feel confident and secure enough on the bike.

Each year, I take a fall in Winter from my bike no matter how careful I am.

This year, I am determined not to take a fall.

I asked two parents from the girls school to help me out.  They did not hesitated.  They've offered their help many times before in the past 4 years.

The girls went happily and safely to school in a warm car of a very thoughtful mom!

Instead of going straight to the house, I took pictures before I slowly walked back home.  I love the smell of the morning air.  Even the cold air that hit my face as a greeting, brought a smile to my face.

As I turned towards the path leading to home, the sunrise coming from our cul de sac sweetly beckoned me to take more pictures.  I would have normally said to myself, "Tomorrow…another sunrise..."

But not this time.  It seemed to have said to me with bright celebratory colors, "Good job for finally reaching out to others and asking for help!". I had to acknowledge it!

original non-enhanced picture of sunrise above

“How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo. … It shines on a good many folk, but on none, I dare bet, who are on a stranger errand than you and I. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!” 

― Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes