Retirement

Since 22 December 2017 I'm retired as an employee of Aeres Hogeschool in Dronten. After 39 years and 11 months my working live seems to be over. Very strange and I don't know what to think of it. In the past year it was not a problem. It was a kind of sabbatical in which we complete have renovated our house. This was a huge and long project and the result is nice, comfortable and pleasant to see.
Now it's January again and I wonder what else I will do?
I'm not planning to sit still and let life go on without my interaction. Therefore I'm looking to find a new task again.
Not only some writing or registration work, but something which makes me happy. I have a few idea's and I am working on them now. I hope it will deliver some results soon.
:-)

Memoirs of a Geisha

On Saturday afternoon I found the DVD of the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" in the "Plato" cd-shop in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. Japanese culture is always interesting and Geisha's are always mysterious!! J  (But I think that the photo on the DVD box also triggered my attention.)

So on Saturday evening we watched this movie together.

The movie starts with the selling of two girls from a pour farmer with a sick wife. The whole scene is depressed by darkness and rain. It rains a lot in this movie!!

The movies shows the struggle of one of the girls to find a living in the house where she will be raised. She suffers under the way the other women in this house treat her, and make her life miserable. But one time on the street she is treated by a friendly man on sweet ice cream. This man is the one she adores during the rest of the movie, without the possibility to show him her love.

The life of a Geisha is hard and she has to hide away her personal feelings all the time.

She becomes a famous Geisha: an Artist as it is called her, but at the same time her virginity is sold to the highest bidder!!

The Geisha is high esteemed, but it is very hard for her to live. There is a lot of jealousy all the time.

When the second world war starts, she is brought in safety in the mountains, where she has a hard job at a kimono workshop.

At a sudden moment one of the rich business men shows up and wants her to come, to convince an American general to fund his factory.  She is still obedient and  hopes that this will bring her back to the man she adores. It does, but she is also sexual assaulted by the general and the man she adores is aware of that. This brings her in deep distress.

On the end it appears that the man of her adoration is a better man than she even expected and he calls for her and then they both express their love for each other.

The movie is changing very sudden into a happy ending. It's almost a bit unusual for a Japanese movie. Very often they have a very "black" ending. Maybe it is because of the American producers of the movie? Anyway, on the end it is rather pleasant, and it gives a good view on the life of a Geisha!!

Hugo

Hugo

Last Friday, 12 November 2010, our grandson Hugo was born. He is the first child of our oldest son and his girlfriend Kristien. When I write it in this way it sounds very abstract, like it is the 8 o'clock news. But it is much more and emotional experience.

Friends are teasing a bit by saying: "you are getting old grandpa". Of course they are just teasing. Some of them have the same experience already. They hurry to continue that I am "a young grandfather and that my wife is a beautiful young grandmother" and they are right. But there are always more aspects on a fact like this.

Of course we are extremely happy!

Happy that our son and his girlfriend are happy with their beautiful child. Every parent wants to see their children happy!

Also happy because Hugo is born well, that he is happy and without any flaw! New life is always endearing in its helplessness. It brings emotions and that is good, because by bringing this emotions the child "binds" us to take care of him. In this way nature guarantees to continue the generations.

I'm also happy for my own mother. Although she is already 88 years old, she sees the child of her grandson, and that makes her proud.

I'm happy that my family is continuing in this child. So there are reasons everywhere to be extremely happy.

But still: there is also a feeling of sadness. I'm really getting older, my fertile phase of life is over. No more children for myself, but grandchildren. My life is getting into a later phase, closer to the end.

Especially because I feel young, this is a little bit difficult feeling.

Probably I will get used to it, and I'm sure that I will have a lot of pleasure with and from my grandson Hugo, but I need some time to get used to this phase of life.

On the end, pleasure and satisfaction will reveal, that's for sure!!

Changing Generations

Yesterday we visited our oldest son and his girlfriend because of their mutual birthdays. They are living together for quite some time and they are doing very well. It's always a pleasure to visit them, especially because they are living in a nice city in the south of the country.

On Saturday we were sitting at the table outside in their garden when he suddenly told my wife that she is going to be a granny. In fact both of us went into tears at that moment.

It was very unexpected, but also very joyful. It seems that in a way this is one of the aims in life!!

Although it is not the only aim by far, of course!!

Before this moment, when talking about family and generations, I was mainly thinking about my relations to my parents, grandparents and even their parents. Not so much about my children and not at all about their children. Now, this option is becoming reality, and I am in the middle of this line of generation, looking forward to the next one. At this time, I'm going to be the grandfather.

It's not so much the fact of age, but more the fact that soon, in a number of months there will be a grandchild, for which I will be the grandfather. (We saw the black and white photos of the echo.)

This places me in a complete other situation. It's not me anymore who is reproducing, that's not necessary anymore. The next generation is taking over. That's a strange and very emotional feeling.

On the other hand, I feel so much happiness about this tiny little child to be, which is growing now well protected inside his or her mother. That is another very pleasant and very emotional feeling.

When my wife and I were praying for them today, both of us went into tears again! As my wife said: tears of joy!!

I really hope that everything will go fine, and that the new parents and us will enjoy this new life. Most of it, that "the new life" this "child of us", will have a happy life.

That it will be loved, there is no doubt about it. We are overwelmed!! J)))

Leaves in autumn

This morning, when I was going on my bike to my university, it was raining leaves! J

Very gently small storms of leaves were falling down under certain trees, while it was drizzling a little bit of rain.

When you look on the ground you can see the big coloured spots under the trees, according the colour of the leave. I think it had to do with the relatively cold night. Certainly the leaves are separated from the tree.

Some of the trees already lost their leaves, and some didn’t even start with that. But especially this autumn it is very obvious. You could see it the last few weeks that trees were getting a very specific colour. Bright yellow, dark red, brownish, light green. I think it has to do with the type of summer we had.

Anyway: Autumn has his very nice and colourful features this year!!!

Arie

Weekends

Weekends are so important in a persons live!! Actually that should not
be necessary, when all the work would be just as relaxing as the
weekends itself but unfortunately it's not!
Last Saturday was a real good day for me. No obligations, just time for
myself.
Listening to music, wandering about in the garden, and even doing some
of my office work.
Doing some work on moments when it's not necessary gives also a relaxed
feeling. You can take away some of the stress, so it becomes easier to
start the Monday, knowing that some of the rubbish is gone! :-)

Springtime 2009

This winter we had the coldest winter in 12 years!! Strange, because
everybody is talking about global warming and in the same time it's
freezing here! :-)
I know, they told us that because of this global warming the weather
become more unpredictable, and that's true.
However: we don't feel it so much in the Netherlands, because weather
is ALWAYS unpredictable overhere!!
I used this nice cold time in this winter to have a long ice skating
tour between Roggebot (near Kampen) and Elburg. This long lake is
created between the original main land of the Netherlands and the Polder
Oost Flevoland. In summertime it is very popular for sailing and
swimming and other kinds of water recreation, but now only for ice
skating.
This is SO MUCH better than skating in an artificial ice skating
ring!!! On the lake you can skate along the sides with the high reed
protecting you from the harsh wind.
On the following website you can see the photos I made during this
trip:

http://picasaweb.google.com/akeijzer/SchaatsenOpHetVeluwemeer#

Now, in the beginning of March I can see new green emerging from the
soil. The first blossoms are in the trees, and small flowers bloom
already. Still we know that untill May the weather will be very
unpredictable and it can freeze during the nights.
This is a tricky period for nature: don't show too much, or you will
die!!
What we CAN notice is that the day's are getting longer. Early light in
the morning and longer light in the evening. I don't need to swith on my
light on my bike when I go to my work in the morning.
In the garden many birds are wondering about, looking for food or
company.
All signs explain the development of nature!! Especially in this
"Darwin Year" :-))

Hope you feel the warmth and see the colours of the new Spring!!!!