TT #34: no comment

Thirteen posts without comments Mainly, I blog for myself, like writing in a diary. Doing it online gives me the chance to share it with others and get comments. I like comments, in all shapes and forms: just a virtual hug, a long story that makes me think, sharing something, a helpful link, etc. Sometimes it's clear why a post gets no comments, sometimes it's a mystery. I gathered the last 13 posts on this blog (starting last week), that didn't get comments. They all open in a new window. If you read them and you want to comment, you're welcome to of course. Just please don't feel obliged to do so, that's not my intention. No cause for complaint about comments. :-) 2007, March 16: SFGA chakra-psychology 2007, March 4: Dog training with Boris 2007, January 15: Druid Animal Oracle 2006, June 11: Closer to home 2006, May 15: Weekend 2006, May 12: Ganpati & SFGA: Indigo 2006, April 26: TV Film 2006, April 21: Almost weekend 2006, April 5: I'm back! 2006, March 29: Cafe 2006, March 28: Hope 2006, March 27: Computerprobs 2005, December 6: Spaß in München How about you? Do you need/like/love comments, do you care at all? Do you leave a comment when you visit a blog? Do you always answer questions on yours? ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ peppylady ~*~ Christine d'Abo ~*~ Candy Minx ~*~ DS Writer ~*~ Darla ~*~ Gabriella Hewitt ~*~ Joy Renee ~*~ Di ~*~ Carmen ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Nancy ~*~ Trina ~*~ Thomma Lyn ~*~ crowwoman/rhian ~*~ Lisa ~*~ Ingela ~*~ Christine ~*~ Robin ~*~ Bluest Butterfly ~*~ Wacky Mommy ~*~ Annie ~*~ Janeen ~*~ Raggedy ~*~ Mama's Moon ~*~ Danielle ~*~ Susan Helene ~*~ Denise Patrick ~*~ Kimo & Sabi ~*~ Ctina ~*~ christine ~*~ alisonwonderland ~*~ Vader's Mom ~*~ Crystal ~*~ TopChamp ~*~ Irish Church Lady ~* Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Blood pressure

This afternoon I had an appointment with the internist. He took my blood pressure; it was 180/100, higher than at my last appointment in December. That means I'll get another medicine to try to lower it. I have to reduce the use of salt and liquorice as much as possible. He didn't say it straight out, but he implied it would be better to lose weight. I know, doc, I know...
I still have very low ferro values, so he prescribed me ferro tablets in a high dose. I have no symptoms of the sarcoidosis at the moment, yay!

Which tarot card are you?

I am

Which tarot card are you?

Spiritual enlightenment, inner illumination, hidden power. Link between seen and unseen. Balance of positive and negative forces. Receptivity. Unseen guidance. A young woman sits on a throne holding a scroll labeled "Tora" meaning "law." On her breast is the sign of the meeting of heaven and earth, the Maltese cross. Her crown is the full orb supported by horns, the crown of the Mother Goddess Isis, who rules all things changeable, shown by the moon at her feet. Her power, upon which her throne rests, derives from the creative principle of duality, shown by the two pillars of light and darkness. To those who know and love her she dispenses the sweet fruit of the world itself, symbolized by the pomegranites.

Brookberg Ostara

This weekend Wonder and I celebrated Ostara on the Brookberg with the Children of the Circle. It's always a beautiful place to be, but at this time it's looking wonderful with the green coming back and sheep with lambs around the lake. The view from the tent was very nice. The lambs were so cute! I have taken dozens of pics of them. We casted the circle among them in the fields. Later, when I was alone, they allowed me to come very close. I really enjoyed myself!

Ostara is the sabbath of growth. To grow you need room, so you have to let go of things you don't need anymore. Letting go is never easy though. It's a theme that keeps coming back for me. Last week (and before) I had accumulated a lot from others without letting go of the negative, heavy energy. I didn't feel well when I arrived on the Brookberg: headache, tired, gloomy. When I left I felt happy and charged with positive energy!

In the weekend of the Imbolc celebration the group built a brand new sweatlodge, but the weather prevented us from using it for the first time. Almost everyone was present again this time and the weather had decided to cooperate too. It was dry and at times sunny.
In the stone ceremony we each contributed 2 stones, one for ourselves and one for someone or something else. With the stone for myself I asked to be able to get rid of the bad energy and be able to let things go. My other stone was dedicated to the protection of a very little baby that I want the best for. All the stones were heated in a big fire built around them.
The stones were used to heat the sweatlodge. It was hot (literally), warm (metaphorically) and good, but also quite heavy. I could release a lot of rubbish. Afterwards some people took a dip in the lake. I wanted to, but got cramps when I walked into the icecold water.

After dinner we had a bit of free time. At 11pm the drumcircle ceremony started. I was invited to join in on the big healing drum. Around us sat the others with drums and other rhythm instruments. We did two sessions: a jam session (in which our drum beated time) and a session with one rhythm all together. It was very powerful and moving. We thanked Mother Earth by playing her rhythm. I was in some kind of trance, felt very good. A great experience!

It was after 1am when we went to bed. The start of the summer time also took an hour of the night, so we didn't have a lot of rest. I slept very well though, as always when I'm on the Brookberg. After breakfast Wonder and I took down the tent and packed his car. I made some more pictures. Then it was time to close the circle, say goodbye, give everyone a big hug and eventually leave...

TT #33: cars

Thirteen cars we've owned Right now we are driving this darkblue BMW 318i Touring (model E46). Before that we drove the following cars, in chronological order into the past (20 years): bright red BMW 318iS coupé (E36) - Very fast, but also very comfortable; a fabulous car! gray BMW 318i sedan (E36) - In the morning Ron had an accident with the E30, in the afternoon we had this one. The advantage of him working in the car business! bluegray BMW 318i sedan (E30) - Ron's pride and joy, he upgraded everything from manual to electronic wherever possible and turned it into the most luxurious version (all in accordance with official BMW specs). bordeaux red BMW 316i sedan (E30) - We missed driving BMW and were happy to find this one on the internet although it needed some repairing. red VW Golf 1.1 - The pic is taken during its facelift to GTi-look. orange BMW 2002 sedan (E15) - Ron restored it with some friends in about 4 months, so we could get married in it. darkred VW Golf 1.3 - I have a pic, but couldn't find it. I drove it to Wassenaar (where I was treated for my eating disorder) 3 days a week. red Opel Kadett 1.3 - We only had it for a short time, but we have been on vacation to Austria with it. black and white VW Golf diesel - I don't think we have a pic of this one. We called it our "anti-discrimination car". :-) green BMW 320i sedan (E21) - We bought it fairly standard, Ron tuned it himself enginewise (from 121 to 170 bhp). brown BMW 525 sedan - Bargain purchase and automatic. Crashed one day before Christmas, not our fault. green Fiat Regata diesel - Deliberately no picture, none taken because this was the biggest mistake ever and we'd rather forget all about it. red BMW 318 sedan (E21) - The first car we bought together, a pleasure to drive and a beauty. Can you tell we are BMW-fans? ;-) What's your favourite car brand? ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ busy91 ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ Thomma Lyn ~*~ Susan Helene ~*~ Janet ~*~ Mama Duck ~*~ Rashenbo ~*~ Wylie Kinson ~*~ Factor 10 ~*~ The Cosmic Kid ~*~ Rose ~*~ jean ~*~ Misc. Mum ~*~ Coco ~*~ the bluest butterfly ~*~ Darla ~*~ SciFiChick ~*~ Jaci Burton ~*~ Shelly ~*~ Carmen ~*~ Nancy ~*~ Heather ~*~ Tilly Greene ~*~ Christine d'Abo ~*~ Gattina ~*~ The Bluest Butterfly ~*~ Sparky Duck ~*~ Denise Patrick ~*~ Annie ~*~ colleen ~*~ Wolfbernz ~*~ Selena Kitt ~*~ Shelli ~*~ Barbara ~*~ Duchess ~*~ Lady G ~*~ Robyn ~*~ Mama's Moon ~*~ Ctina ~*~ Nancy Bond ~*~ JO ~*~ christine ~*~ Kuanyin ~*~ Indigo ~*~ she ~*~ Damozel ~*~ Dane Bramage ~*~ Candy Minx ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Robyn's baptism

Yesterday Ron and I were invited to the 15th birthday and baptism of Robyn, Gaialynn's daughter. We drove to Den Bosch in the afternoon. Robyn was very pleased to see us. Several guests were already there. Wonder arrived just in time, because he had worked until 4pm.

Around 6pm we went to Eindhoven, where the baptism would take place in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called Mormons). The only things I knew about this religion are from movies (the men are allowed to have more women as their wife, the members have to give a tenth of their income to the church). Therefore it was an honour and unique experience to be present at an occasion like this. Gaialynn is a witch, her parents are Mormons. Robyn is a member of the Young Women group of the LDS.

The baptism service started at 7.30pm. Robyn wore a beautiful dress that Gaialynn made for her; she looked like a fairy princess or an elf. Mother and daughter made a pretty pair. For the baptism itself we had to go to another room, where the (big!) font was. The Mormons baptize by complete immersion. Robyn was baptized by her granddad. Unforunately I couldn't see the event, but it was special just being there. Several people from the LDS (elders, brothers, sisters and president) spoke, we sang psalms and the Young Women sang "Arise and shine forth" for Robyn. Robyn herself has a wonderful voice too. She sang "In your hands" with her brother Anthony. After they finished their little sister Gillian joined them for a nice pic.

After the service there was soup with buns and all kinds of delicacies. Ron, Wonder and I went outside. Gaialynn made a picture of the three of us. I made a picture of her with them. Doesn't she look fabulous?? She lost 90 kilogrammes after her weight loss surgery. I wouldn't want to change places with her because she went through a lot to get this far, but her figure is stunning. Afterwards we went back to Gaialynn's home and around midnight we drove home.

more pics in Gaialynn's albums (scroll down to "Robyn's doop en verjaardag")

SFGA chakra-psychology

It had been a long time since we had a theme for a SFGA meeting. Wonder and I decided by mutual agreement with the rest to breathe some new life into it. We prepared a presentation about Anodea Judith and chakra-psychology. I mailed the invitations and yesterday night was the night. We met at our old location in Amsterdam.
It was good to have an "old-fashioned" meeting with a theme, we all felt so. Of course we talked about all kinds of things, but a theme adds something extra. Wonder explained about chakra's and chakra-psychology. I told some things about Anodea and her book "Waking The Global Heart"; we visited her lecture in October. We've drawn up the presentation in a document, which will be put on the SFGA FTP-server hosted by IJs. You can also read it here (mostly in Dutch).

Interesting links:
Sacred Centers - Anodea is the founder and director of this foundation
Waking The Global Heart - about the book and everything related

TT #32: my handbag

Thirteen things in my handbag Okay, there were a few more than 13 things, so I had to cheat a bit by putting things together in one item. ;-) black purse with lightgreen stitching, driver's license in black file with 2 brown stripes and storebox for eurocoins iPaq HX2190 Pocket PC in black leather case keys: carkey with BMW-keyring, other keys with RW-keyring and miniature Leatherman tool imitation Leatherman tool with accessoiries in canvas file, a free gift from my bank (Postbank) because I did online banking on a special day (Dec. 5) some years ago Qtek 8300 smartphone with little heart pendant talisman I got from a friend, red little bag with cross stitching silvery box with my various cards Starbucks after coffee mints tin (bought in London) and little green round box with fresh breath mints blue lighter with blue light (if I press on the little black button) - no, I don't smoke, never did grey mirror box, hairbrush, nail file and nail set (clipper & tools) in black file Natrena sweetener dispenser, strip of Rennies (antacids) and Advil-pillbox pictures of my pets little black notebook with blue ribbon And... I forgot to take my pen out of the bag for the picture. It's a gift and says "Pagan & Proud". ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ PJ ~*~ Delightful Duchess ~*~ Queen of Wands ~*~ Jamie ~*~ Vader's Mom ~*~ Friday's Child ~*~ Janet ~*~ Chelle A. ~*~ Susan Helene ~*~ Wylie Kinson ~*~ Ridz ~*~ Rose ~*~ Rav'N ~*~ Candy Minx ~*~ ancsweetnsassygal ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ Darla ~*~ Daisy ~*~ Red ~*~ Tilly Greene ~*~ Nancy ~*~ Sparky Duck ~*~ Kim ~*~ Amanda ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Selena Kitt ~*~ Julia ~*~ Annie ~*~ Christine ~*~ Indigo ~*~ peppylady ~*~ Rashenbo ~*~ Maven ~*~ Taconcubano ~*~ amy ~*~ Joy Renee ~*~ Mercy's Maid ~*~ Sophisticated Writer ~*~ amy christopher ~*~ Kimo & Sabi ~*~ Robyn ~*~ Ctina ~*~ Caylynn ~*~ Gabriella ~*~ Uisce ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

NLP

Ron has stopped seeing his psychologist. She concentrated too much on the past and Ron wants to go forward. Things have happened in the past, he acknowledges that but doesn't want to get back into that. In consultation with our GP and the company doctor he decided to go to a NLP-practitioner. He has been there for a management course and they hit it off immediately. Ron called him and told about his burn-out. This week he went to the NLP-er for 3 morningsessions of approximately 2 hours. It was tough, but it was a successful start of a new way of thinking. Next week he has an appointment with his boss to talk about work reintegration.

So, how does it work? The idea is to re-programme your brain so you think in another way. Instead of concentrating on the problem, NLP attempts to alter the thought processes that lead your body to behave in a certain way. Once your brain has been retrained to think differently, your actions should change automatically. Sue Knight, practitioner and author of "NLP At Work", describes it like this: 'NLP looks at how people organise their experience. We all have various habits and patterns and once we've learned to do something, we tend to always do it in that particular order or set of circumstances without thinking about it again. NLP helps you become aware of how and what you're doing so you can approach it another way that may produce better results.'

TT #31: cat quotes

Thirteen cat qoutes This week I bought a great book. It's called "The Enchanted Cat; feline fascinations, spells & magick" and written by Ellen Dugan. If you are a cat-lover with an interest in witchcraft like me, this is the book for you too! Throughout the book there are some great quotes about cats, so I thought I'd share these with you! In the cat I see woman with her ever-changing, sensitive soul. - Giacomo Casanova Prowling his own quiet backyard or asleep by the fire, he is still only a whisker away from the wilds. - Jean Burden The soul of another is a mystery, and a cat's soul even more so. - Anton Chekhov You can't own a cat. The best you can do is be partners. - Sir Harry Swanson What greater gift than the love of a cat? - Charles Dickens A kitten is in the animal world what a rosebud is in the garden. - Robert Southey Happy is the home with at least one cat. - Italian proverb The naming of cats is a difficult matter, it isn't just one of your holiday games... - T.S. Eliot My cat knows the song in my heart and purrs it to me when my memory fails. - unknown If you want to know the character of a man, find out what his cat thinks of him. - anonymous The idea of calm exists in a sitting cat. - Jules Reynard The smallest feline is a masterpiece. - Leonardo Da Vinci A meow massages the heart. - Stuart McMillan ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Claire ~*~ Thomma Lyn ~*~ PJ ~*~ amy ~*~ Mrs Lifecruiser ~*~ Queen of Wands ~*~ Jenny ~*~ Friday's Child ~*~ Susan Helene ~*~ Raggedy ~*~ Janet ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ DK Raymer ~*~ armywife ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Candy Minx ~*~ Kimo & Sabi ~*~ whenn ~*~ Nathalie ~*~ Dragonheart ~*~ Daisy ~*~ Caylynn ~*~ Darla ~*~ Faz the Cat ~*~ Gabriella ~*~ Sparky Duck ~*~ Christine ~*~ Starla ~*~ Mommy the Maid ~*~ crowwoman / rhian ~*~ Jane ~*~ Alasandra ~*~ Wylie Kinson ~*~ Joy Renee ~*~ ctina ~*~ spyscribbler ~*~ Bee ~*~ YummY! ~*~ Tara ~*~ MommyBa ~*~ annie ~*~ Sophisticated Writer ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Birthday Ron

Yesterday was Ron's (42nd) birthday. He hasn't celebrated it for several years, but this year we decided to throw a little party in the evening. It was a great night! Ron could finally use his private bar (older pic) in the livingroom corner with the Beertender I got him for Christmas. Around 4pm the first visitors came and the last went home at 1.15am. It's a pity we didn't have a lot of time to talk some more with everyone; that's why I rather visit a birthday than celebrate one at home. Ron was very tired too, so after we cleared away the mess I sent him to bed. I filled the dishwasher, walked the dogs, checked my e-mail and joined him half an hour later for a well-earned night's sleep. It was a busy day with the dog training, cleaning the house and the party, but it was worth it! Today we gave ourselves the day off to "recover".

Dog training with Boris

Boris is a big, but easy-going dog. Inside our home he is as gentle as a lamb and I love him. But ever since we had him a few years ago, he reacted different to me than to Ron. Ron has a natural authority over dogs, on the whole they accept him as their leader without hesitation. Boris however was taught to protect women. He feels when I fear another person or dog and goes into "protection mode". That means he makes a sally at them and not too friendly... We tried a lot, but nothing seemed to work. The consequence was that I avoided other dogs, but that only seemed to work counter-productive and it got worse. To make a long story short: I became reluctant to walk the dogs whereas I always loved to do that... :-( Ron is still at home, so he walks the dogs a lot now, but when he starts working again, I'd have a problem.

Last week Ron and I were at the local pet shelter and discussed it with Jaap (the manager), who is also a dogtrainer. He advised me to come to the dog training on Sunday morning. I said yes, but I didn't exactly look forward to it. All the confidence was gone, I was kind of desperate. This morning Ron and I drove to the woods of country estate Beeckestijn. Ron went for a walk with Foofur and Jaap took Boris and me under his wings. The good news is that nothing's wrong with Boris. I have to change the way I handle him though. My behaviour stimulated him in his actions. We did some exercises and it went very good! I'm learning to trust him and myself. When I'm not afraid he'll attack - he won't! Ignoring and rewarding works better than punishment and raising your voice. That's my kind of approach! I hate to "bark back" at a dog. My confidence is growing again, because I see this method works. It will take a while to get it all better, but we've made a promising start. Yay!

TT #30: Freyja & Bastet

Thirteen-plus pussycat pictures On request: pictures from the kitties! I've got so many, it was hard to choose. Last week Blogger gave me a very hard time uploading my portraits, so this week I'll use links to Photobucket. Click on them and they'll open in a new window. In August I met Freyja and Bastet in the pet shelter and fell in love instantly. Who wouldn't..? Both growing up without their mother they decided to adopt me as a surrogate mother. My lap and front are popular places to sleep. Foofur is a willing victim for Freyja and for Bastet, but they don't mind to share him too: friends for ever (well, most of the time)! When they are tired of playing everything is suitable to take a nap: the central heating, the humidifier or each other. Boris' feeding tray is one of their favourite things to play in/with/around. At first they weren't allowed to sit on the microwave or the coffee table, but we gave in later. Who's the boss here..? When there's food on the table they have to stay on the floor, but when the humans aren't watching cream from a spray can is yummy! In the beginning Freyja literally fit on one hand, now she's more than a hands full! ;-) Freyja loves watching television: from the side, the top or in front of the screen! When it snowed a few weeks ago they were fascinated by those white little things falling from the sky and tried to grab some. They claimed the rocking chair, preferably with a blanket and/or cushions. Bastet finds it very interesting when I use the laptop. She loves chasing the cursor. Before using the washing machine or the dryer I need to check it, because they love to jump inside! A little extra, to see them in motion: Freyja & Bastet having fun with a running tap ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Wacky Mommy ~*~ Janeen ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ Thomma Lyn ~*~ Courtney ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Mitchypoo ~*~ Nathalie ~*~ Dragonheart ~*~ Carmen ~*~ Daisy ~*~ Susan Helene ~*~ Red ~*~ Joy Renee ~*~ Alasandra ~*~ Vicky ~*~ busy91 ~*~ Shiloh Walker ~*~ Gabriella ~*~ L^2 ~*~ Crystal ~*~ Lexa Roséan ~*~ Kuanyin ~*~ Qtpies7 ~*~ Lady G~ ~*~ Tara ~*~ Irish Church Lady ~*~ Christine ~*~ Kimo & Sabi ~*~ Amy ~*~ YummY! ~*~ Jenny McB ~*~ Mitch ~*~ DK Raymer ~*~ Domestic Geek ~*~ Carol ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants