Hundred Days of Happiness - Week Seventeen
Juggling life in the Netherlands, from "Pancake Tuesday" to conquering Mt Doom of laundry and indoor skiing!
It took a bit, but we’re getting back to the routine of life here in the Netherlands. I dove straight back into the thick of things at work and am getting used to juggling everything - trying not to let too many balls hit the ground - and mostly managing.
Mar 3 – Day 114
I forgot to take a photo - oops! I was still so tired from our whirlwind & whiplash of a trip and slept so poorly on Sunday night that I slept in until 11 am and then worked the rest of the day, trying to catch up on emails, etc. I also did mountains of laundry between computer work.
Mar 4 – Day 115
Somehow I remembered that it was pancake Tuesday. We didn’t have any bread on hand for morning breakfast and we had brought back some Bob’s Red Mill gluten free pancake mix from our trip, so I quickly made delicious pancakes and told David about having this tradition from my grandmother.
I fondly remember having pancakes on “Shrove Tuesday” with Granny when I lived with her from 1983-5 - but it must have been in the spring of 1984 and again in 1985. She would make thin British pancakes - and then add butter, white sugar and lemon juice. I can still taste that in my mind.
Mar 5 – Day 116
I finally conquered Mt Doom of laundry; seven loads over three days and we also put them all immediately away. It felt like an accomplishment in adulting. :) Now I just need to repeat until the end of time.
In the early afternoon, I took a photo of some crocuses for a friend - the sunlight was so pretty through the petals. I didn’t post it for a couple of days and I was surprised by how many people reacted, but I’m glad to bring some joy and beauty and “timeline cleanse” to people’s feeds.
Happy spring! The crocuses are out and they are gorgeous in the spring sunlight. #photography
— Beatrice Murch (@murchstudio.com) 2025-03-07T19:55:00.050Z
Mar 6 – Day 117
Thursday was a “studiedag” for our son, which meant that he was home all day while the teachers did some trainings. We went to the storage unit facility and dropped off loads of Halloween stuff that we had been storing in our attic for the international women’s community that I am part of. A little bit of an adventure for us during the normal day.
That evening, I went out with a girlfriend to watch a taping of “The Importance of Being Ernest” from the National Theatre in London at a movie theatre in the Netherlands. The play was so camp and so much fun. ‘Ncuti Gatwa was awesome.
Gatwa’s Algernon brings delightful mischief to a high-camp production pointing up the classic Victorian comedy’s subversive queerness – The Guardian
I saw this with my Granny back in the 80s and a lot of it flew right over my head as a child. Still, I really appreciate being exposed to art of all kinds as a child, even if I didn’t fully understand or appreciate it. It is always good to revisit stories, art, paintings, etc at different stages in your life because they “hit” differently as you experience life and mature.
The theater was GORGEOUS - very art deco and lovely. I am constantly amazed at how much Art Deco architecture there is in Amsterdam - it always surprises me when I come across it. The past and future are both now and it’s awesome.
Mar 7 – Day 118
I spent Friday in AMS once again preparing and organizing our work meetup in the afternoon. It went really well with a lot of different presentations on working touching the Internet Archive’s various collections. It was a long day and I got to see the sunset on the way home through the beautiful building that is the NEMO science museum.
Mar 8 – Day 119
It was beautiful and warm enough to sit outside in the back garden and have breakfast in the spring morning sunlight. One of those warm spring days that tricks you into thinking that summer is right around the corner. Sipping my coffee in the back, was a lovely start to a really nice day. Santi and I took a bike ride and shared mate in MaximaPark while David was at bouldering practice. We then all went to the local mall to get Santi skiing clothes in preparation for his trip later this month to Austria. That evening we had dinner with a friend at an Indian restaurant in downtown Utrecht. It was a long, but good day.
Mar 9 – Day 120
We spent a couple of hours at an indoor ski park near Den Haag with friends who helped teach DH and DS to ski. I hadn’t skied since University days, so ::cough cough:: a while ago. Not too many bumps and bruises on the body or ego and it was mostly fun. Hopefully this will help DH prepare for his trip. Should be fun for him, if tiring.
I am “late” getting this newsletter out, but I’m not letting perfect get in the way of done. I am glad to send these missives out and I hope you enjoy reading little tidbits from our lives. Till next week!
Here’s a new song from Randy Rainbow. It’s been a while since he has released a song and he’s still amazing - sometimes you gotta laugh or you’ll cry.