Making herbal oils

In Lier several herbs were growing along the river Nete or nearby. I decided to take some St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and Camomile (Matricaria chamomilla), because there was plenty of it. Early in the morning Ron and I made the beautiful walk along the river and picked the flowers. From each plant we only took a few; we didn't want to harm them! Unfortunately a week later the banks were mowed to the ground...
I didn't have jars with me, so I temporarily put the flowers in Belgian milkbottles. I added "arachideolie"(peanutoil?) to make macerates (explanation). At home I put them in pharmacist's jars. They are now upstairs, in the window-sill or outside. I think I'll filter and bottle the oil during the next full moon.

I'm back!

Foofur and Boris walking along the river Nete

We are back from a wonderful vacation in Lier, Belgium. We stayed on the private property of friends, a lovely cottage surrounded by nature in the middle of nowhere. The river Nete was around the corner. Foofur and Boris could come with us and they had the time of their lives. Outdoors all day, watching the beautiful trees, birds, waters, etc. The weather was very good, although towards the end it was a bit too hot for me. I've slept a lot, read a pile of books, walked with the dogs... We have enjoyed ourselves very much. We relaxed and charged up our batteries in a way only nature, peace and quiet can provide!

She's not there!

I'm not online from somewhere today
until the beginning of July (probably around the 3rd-4th).

Feel free to read and comment.
I'll visit you as soon as I'm back online!

For Entrecard droppers:

keep visiting, keep dropping!
If you have advertised on my blog before,

your ad will be accepted automatically.
I'll try to return the favour a.s.a.p.

And the winner is..........

MOUNTAIN WOMAN !!!

Congratulations! Enjoy The Fey!
I'll bring you in contact with each other to close the deal. :)

The Fey Blog Tour hijacks Tinkerbell!

Hi! My name is Claudia Hall Christian. You may know me from my blog, On a limb with Claudia. I asked Tink if I might hijack her blog for a day to promote my book, The Fey. She was generous enough to agree. Those of you who know Tink know that generosity is certainly one of her many strong points.

Who the heck am I?
Tink asked that I post a photo, so here you go. That’s a picture of me on Halloween 2007. I am wearing a mini police officer uniform while my husband went as an inmate. (You can see my jaunty cop hat in the photo.) He took this photo after we returned from a DeVotchka concert. I know that most people pick their ‘best’ photo. I hate having my picture made, so this is close to the ONLY photo of me. But, honestly, I’ve looked exactly the same since I was about five years old. I’m taller, but I truly look the same.

What’s this blog tour about?
I am going from blog to blog introducing people to the Alex the Fey thriller series. The first in the series, The Fey, was released this February.
At its most basic level, The Fey is about a young woman, Alexandra Hargreaves, who was cruising along in her life. She had a wonderful job, a great team of people to work with, a handsome devoted husband and a wonderful home. In the wink of an eye, everything changes. We meet her at the moment of that change. And then, everything gets worse. (Click here to read the prologue to The Fey.)

The Fey is a fast paced thriller that will keep you riveted to the page from start to finish. The romance will warm your heart. You’ll even laugh at the antics of Alex and her friends. There’s an amusing stick figure synopsis of the Fey posted here.

The Fey is released a chapter at a time at AlextheFey.com. The electronic edition of The Fey will be available in November, 2009. The Fey is also available in paperback.

If you are in the US, the easiest way to get The Fey is via our Create Space store. Please feel free to use this code: BCUCBDDB for a 10% discount. Amazon also carries The Fey.

If you are outside the US, the cheapest way to get the paperback edition of The Fey is to order a signed copy. The shipping is included in the purchase. (For whatever reason, I’m able to ship the paperback for a fraction of what Amazon charges.) The signed editions are availabe at AlextheFey.com.

Why would I want to read your stupid book?
I think the same thing when I see these blog tours. And actually, that’s a really good question.
First, you should know that reviewers find The Fey to be a ‘thinker’s book’. Besides being a ‘page-turner’, The Fey is about realistic people who try hard, struggle, fail miserably, and get up to try again. Many people who read The Fey cannot put it down until they’ve completed it. The Fey is just a wild ride from start to finish.

Are you sick of cookie cutter plots? Nasty people? Unrealistic situations where the hero never fails? The entire Alex the Fey thriller series is filled with interesting, dynamic characters that will steal your heart and mind. The most common comment I hear from people who’ve read The Fey is that they think about the characters in the shower. I think that’s pretty cool.

What’s the future of the Alex the Fey series?
Learning to Stand, the second in the series, will be published in February 2010. Learning to Stand revolves around a central question : How will Alex pick up the pieces of her life and move on? And how will her friends, family and loved ones manage as she steps forward to living her life again? Of course, readers can expect the same kind of exciting, page turning adventure as was in The Fey.

Who I Am, the third in the series, will be published in February 2011. Who I Am is a deeper, more personal look at the main characters in the Alex the Fey series. Confronted with events in their personal and professional lives, the action adventure revolves around their choices to overcome and move on.

There are a total of eight novels planned at this time. So far, the first three, The Fey, Learning to Stand and Who I Am, are in various stages of complete. Learning to Stand is undergoing one last version change and Who I Am is in rough draft form. As I mentioned before, The Fey is available in paperback and serialized at AlextheFey.com

Thank you for your time. Tink will select one person from the comment list to receive a signed copy of the Fey.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Note from Tink
I gladly let Claudia hijack my blog for a day! She is a wonderful person and an amazing author. I have just read The Fey and I can honestly tell you Claudia didn't say a word too much. The book got me immediately and I didn't want to put it down. Unfortunately I had to sometimes; yesterday I read until 2.30am...Oops! One of the reviews on the website says: “The Fey is a romance for people who hate romances; a thriller for people who hate thrillers. If I’d read this on a bus, I swear I’d have missed my stop.” and that's exactly right!
After a few days I'll put the names of the commenters on little papers and pick one blindly, so... take your chance and leave a comment!

Dogs at the beach

Last Thursday Boris got his yearly pre-summer trimming treatment: cutting, extensive brushing, shearing, decimating, etc. He looked much better after it! Yesterday the wheather was good, so we decided to go to the beach. Boris loves to swim in the sea and that's very good for his skin and fur.

all pictures: click to get the big picture in a new window

On the beach in IJmuiden between sea and dunes is a beautiful lake. We always walk from the dunes through this natural area to the sea.

Foofur likes the dunes and the dry sand on the beach, but he dislikes getting wet paws and hates the waves.

So this is quite a unique picture! Normally I carry him on the wet area. This time there was water between us and he decided he really wanted to be with me. So badly he even crossed the water, getting wet paws.

On the other hand Boris loves it all. When he gets permission to go he sprints to the water. He loves the sea!

He runs through the breakers, swims and comes back, just to dive in again. We were enjoying watching him so much, we forgot to take a picture when he was swimming. :)

Completely soaked he came out of the water, shaking himself dry close to us... Over the beach and through the natural area we returned. With a very satisfied sigh he jumped in the back of the car. A perfect day!

Work Ron

Yesterday we went to Ron's work. We hadn't heard from them in a long time, so some weeks ago Ron had called the medical officer. He sent Ron's employer a report with the advice to call and talk with Ron. It took 2 weeks before the call finally came. Because we couldn't make an appointment right away, the man from the personnel department promised to call back that same afternoon. He didn't, and after two weeks Ron decided to call the medical officer again. He was surprised that there had been no other contact. He called the personnel department and urged them to call us. And then finally we could make an appointment, for yesterday.

We didn't know exactly what to expect, but Ron really wants to move on. If this employer hasn't got work for him, then another company! When we arrived the man from the personnel department told us we had to wait for the manager after-sales. That was a surprise, because he told Ronbefore that we would have a talk with him alone.
It would soon be clear why that boss was there too. The tone of the talk and the whole atmosphere were ice-cold, blunt and very unpleasant! Other talks they said things like "win-win-situation" and "we'll do our best", but that turned out to be b******t!
Perhaps they had expected the Ron from before, but he's much better now. He was assertive and clear without being rude or impolite. I said some things too. When the tone became almost aggressive, Ron stopped them and said he wanted to end the conversation before he'd say something he'd later regret. They made very clear they want to get rid of Ron as soon as they can...

Ron will look for another outplacement bureau himself and make an appointment a.s.a.p. We'll contact a legal specialist to see what our rights and duties are. They said things that aren't completely legal in our opinion. It's a real pity it came to this, but if this is what they want, they'll get it..!

COT #27: Maia is 2 years old

CATS ON TUESDAY is a group of cat lovers

who share pictures and/or stories about their cats once a week,
hosted by Gattina.

Remember Maia when she was very little? I was taking care of her when her (then) owners were on vacation. In the beginning she was very shy, but she was always waiting for me on the stairs.

After a few weeks she came to live with us. It just had to be this way, Maia belonged here! Freyja & Bastet accepted her without too much problems.

And now our little princess has turned 2! She still is and I think will always stay little and thin. Just before her birthday we had her neutered, because she was driving everyone crazy with her screaming. She has recovered fully. She still wants to be close to me all the time, but she has found her forever home and loves all of us. And we love her! One of her favourite places is on top of the cabinet, where she can oversee everything. And yes, the dirty paws on the wall are hers... ;-)

Herbal walk

My brother-in-law Ron has been game-warden / forester in the dunes near IJmuiden, De Heerenduinen. He lived in the dunes with his family. He has a lot of knowledge about plants, trees, birds, other animals, etc. Some time ago I asked him if he would want to guide a group in the dunes with a focus on the herbs that are growing there. He agreed and I started organising.

Last Sunday we gathered for the walk: ("my") Ron and I, my sister Joke and her husband Leo and 6 other friends drove to the parking lot near the entrance, where Ron was waiting for us. The weather was good: sunny and dry. A lovely day for a walk in beautiful nature! From time to time Ron stopped to show us a herb and to tell us all about it: how to recognise it, the name, family, what it is used for, etc. Everyone was enjoying theirselves and at the same time we learned a lot! I won't say I remember everything, but it's a start!

After the walk most people came home with us to drink something and chat. Ron picked up his wife Gerda and came too. We were unanimous: we want a sequel in the not-too-far future! Ron agreed to guide us again, but we haven't set a date yet.

A lot of people made notes and pictures. Ron made pics for me and I've put them in a Picasa webalbum. The name in Dutch is under the picture, but if you have the English or Latin name, or any remarks: please add them under the picture!

Our guide Ron didn't want anything for his work, but we didn't agree! I got some money from everyone. Yesterday I bought a nice card and signed it with all the names. Ron has a love for birds too and an big aviary in his garden. His female zebra finch had just died so I gave him a new one on behalf of the group as a thank-you-gift.

PFI Dutch Conference

Saturday I went up early to drive to the 9th annual PFI Dutch Conference in Lunteren (right in the geographical centre of The Netherlands). It wasn't the best timing to go right after the busy day of my brother's wedding, but I wasn't going to miss the conference either!

I arrived in time to attend the opening ritual by Boann & Dagda. The horn blowed to gather in the big room. Dagda welcomed everyone to the conference and referred to it as "a gathering of the tribes". The Dutch conference has always been international with foreign guests and ex-pats living here. The "tribes" are the different pagan paths: druids, witches, asatru, etc. They all come together in a wonderful meeting. I always encounter lots of friends from the pagan community. Boann and Dagda called upon Angus Og and Bride in Gaelic. At the end of the ritual we were all invited to walk through the Bealtaine fires. The best opening ritual I have been to so far!

There were workshops all day. I started with a lecture by GardenStone about Asatru. He has a lot of knowledge about it, being an Asatru himself and having done a lot of research! After that I went to a workshop by Frigga Asraaf of Het Rad (a network for Asatru) about Seidhmothers and -fathers. She first told us how she got in contact with them; they live in the astral ancestor realm. We did a short pathworking to meet them, so we can do it more extensively when we are on our own. After that we were "weaving a web" by singing a chant together while 4 people in the middle were visiting the Seidhmothers or -fathers again. The energy was very strong!

Later in the afternoon I attended the workshop by Boann and Dagda about pagan Irish funeral rituals. They shared a lot of information in a very personal way. Especially the part about "Keening" was impressive. A lot of people let their tears go and the group felt very warm and close. After this very intense time I went to the talk by Kit Berry, the author of the Stonewylde series. (Remember?) I met her and Mr. B. (her husband) earlier and she signed my books for me. She's such a friendly woman and a warm personality. She told the listeners about how she came to write the books and how she found her pagan path. It was great to meet her and hear her talk. She sold all the books she brought with her.

In and around the building were stalls with all kinds of "pagan stuff". I got my Nehalennia book by GardenStone, that I ordered in February. I also bought some incense (granules). Another book called "Under Valkyrie's Wing" was signed for me by the author Annemarie Skjold.
When I wasn't at a workshop I had chats with friends. Some of them I only meet at the conference once a year, others I see more often.

The closing ritual by Boann & Dagda was as good as the opening one. We were blessed with water by Bride. In the end we all got a ribbon to tie in a tree to celebrate summer. It had been a wonderful conference and Lady Bara, the organizer, was thanked in words and with a big applause. I stayed for dinner (yummy Indonesian buffet) and went to the Italian iceroom across the street with a little group for dessert. There was a party with a live band in the evening, but I was too tired and decided to go home. A great day!

My brother's wedding

Last Friday my brother Gerard got married to Sylvia. They are together for some years now and they are a good couple. May 15th 2009 they made it (more) official! Gerard looked handsome in his black suit and Sylvia wore a very beautiful ivory bridal gown with a lovely back and a chapel length train. Gerard is a huge Ferrari-fan, so the wedding car was no surprise (except perhaps the colour): a yellow 348 GTB. They made pictures with it on the racetrack at Circuit Park Zandvoort and (without the car) on the beach. A friend of them showed up at their home on a motor, dressed up as a girl. He made a burnout on the parking lot.

When bride and groom walked into the town hall, the local duo "Wel & Wel" welcomed them with a song called "'Eén Simpel Woord" (One Simple Word). The ceremony in the wedding room was beautiful. I missed my parents all day, but right there it brought me to tears. I felt they were present, moved and proud. Next to me on the front row were two empty chairs, their places... Gerard's oldest son Michael was one of the witnesses. Sylvia's son Rick was just too young to be a witness, but the registrar included him in a different way: he did the hammer blow to seal the wedding.

After the ceremony in the town hall everyone drove to the party location. A banner with the theme of the wedding invitation was hanging in the entrance hall. We also made the picture on top of this post there. The room was nicely decorated with doves, hearts and balloons. Instead of a book Michael had made a triptych on which all the visitors could sign their names and wishes.
The party was adorned with local singers of which Ron and I liked "The SoulBrothers" the best by far. We made pictures and enjoyed ourselves. Just after midnight we went home, but I'm sure the party lasted a lot longer. :-)

Spiritual runes

Yesterday I've been to a workshop by Harmonia Saille, an English author and Hedgewitch, at a friend's place in Amsterdam. It was a workshop in 2 parts, but unfortunately I missed the first part a few weeks ago. Luckily Sorcha was so kind to share her notes with me, so I came a bit prepared for this second part. The subject was "Connecting with the runes", based on her upcoming book The Spiritual Runes. It's not the umpteenth book listing the runes and their meaning, but a guide to help you make a spiritual connection with the runes. It includes rune philosophy, mythology, divination and magic.
I'm familiar with the runes and their general meanings, always attracted to them but never explored any further. This workshop provided just what I needed. For example we did a very good exercise. We picked a rune, but didn't look at it. Holding the rune Harmonia guided us in a pathworking. Afterwords we wrote down our experience and only then looked at the rune. I had Dagaz; the images and impressions I got in the pathworking fit the description perfectly! We also talked about bindrunes, the Norse mythology and other interesting stuff.

Beltane 2009

Last weekend Ron and I celebrated Beltane on a meeting with 40 other people in Hengelo, the same location where we celebrated Beltane last year. This time I was just a guest, although I did have a role in the ritual.
We arrived late in the afternoon on Saturday and were welcomed in a very warm and kind way. It was good to see a lot of familiar faces, but also a lot of new ones. At first I thought: "wow, 40 is a lot", but it worked out for the best. It wasn't possible to talk for a while with everyone, but that's okay. I didn't have to. Ron and I just wanted to relax with friends in a beautiful area, that's what we needed. And that's what we got!

In the evening we performed a wonderful Beltane ritual. I didn't bring the right shoes, so I decided to go barefoot. Ron was responsible for the fire. We chanted a native american song while we were smudged. One of the girls guided us into meeting the elements, the perfect start of this ritual. Of course there was a Maypole; very different from last year, but just as nice. We laughed while dancing around trying to get the braiding of the ribbons right. The result was not-too-bad. :-) Ron did the drumming. To end the dancing he gave one stroke on my drum. It wasn't heavy at all, but he went right through the drum! Such a pity, but we'll try to give it a new skin.
After the ritual most people gathered around the fire in the fire pit circle. Until late there were people singing, playing instruments, talking, etc. I went to sleep as the first one; I was exhausted!

I slept like a baby and woke up in the morning. Ron was early too and we decided to take a walk in the park behind the location. It was very quiet and we heard and saw a lot of birds. When we got back most of the group was awake. After breakfast the workshops started. I participated in a workshop by Yvette and Tonny of Insentro (Centre for emotional realization and coaching) called "Identifying with our thought" based on The Work of Byron Katie. It was all about experiencing, very interesting and I learned a lot.
After the workshops it was time to pack, clean up and saying goodbye!

United C (ballet)

Yesterday evening I've been to a ballet performance: WHO cycle by United-C in De Melkweg in Amsterdam. It consisted of 4 different performances: 3 solo and 1 with 4 dancers. As their website says: "4 intimate documents, each pleasing to the eye as well as alarming. Each literally as well as figuratively in all nudity." Yes, the dancers were naked, but that was never a sexual thing. Sensual, sometimes erotic, but most of the time a beautiful tribute to the body.

I really loved the performances, the dancers are great, each in their own personal way. I was on the front row and the dances captivated me from the first second to the very last. It was intriguing, magical, enchanting. Sometimes I had to remind myself to keep breathing. At the end of the third solo there was a twenty-minute break, but I had to stay on my chair for a while to get back from some kind of trance. I may sound lyrical, but that's just how good it was!

In the first solo Hilde Elbers was amazing. She went through a lot of emotions: falling hard on the ground, crawling like a panther, her moves always beautiful and perfect. Her laugh was contagious at first, but slowly changed to hysterical and back.
Marleen Kleinstapel expressed despair brilliantly in the second solo. It looked as if she couldn't finish a certain move. She started over and over, bringing her despair to the public although she was completely in her own world.
The last solo was the best one for me. Marjolein Vogels danced with a mattress in a staggering way. Her face and body have an amazing range of expressions to show feelings, tell stories. Her performance took me to another world.
After the break the floor was soaking wet with olive oil. Four dancers were lying motionless among dozens of broken glasses. Slowly they started moving, swimming through the oil and glasses so easily but always graceful and elegant as if the broken glass wasn't dangerous at all.

If you want to see them: on May 7 & 8 they'll be dancing in Eindhoven!

Oh no...

Today is the celebration of Queen's Day in the Netherlands. The Royal family was visiting Apeldoorn. Their open bus was making its way to the Loo palace. Suddenly a black Suzuki Swift breaks his way through the crowd crashing into "De Naald" monument.

It's not clear if this is an accident, an act of terrorism or something else. Fourteen people are wounded, the rumours talk about four deaths. The Royal family was not hurt in any way, but they are shocked. Queen Beatrix has expressed the sympathy of her family to the victims and their families.

The Mayor of Apeldoorn announced that the rest of the activities are cancelled and more cities in our country are following that example. Queen's Day will never be the same...


13.45 - Two deaths are confirmed...
15.45 - Press conference. 4 deaths, 5 seriously injured, 8 minor injuries. it happened on purpose. 1 male suspect, 38 years, native Dutch, in hospital at the moment. no suspicion of terrorism.
20.19 - A fifth death was announced.

May 1, 8.40 - The perpetrator has died from brain injuries tonight before he could explain why he did what he did.