10 Things About Me

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Kickin'It Old Skool, Day 5
Today's idea is a classic, simple as that: "Tell Us 10 Things About You". Sounds easy peasy, but is it? What to tell? Try not to state the obvious, or perhaps I should exactly do that. 10 things, pfew... Let me think...

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If you don't know me yet, I'll share 10 things you should at least know about me...

If you do know me, can you predict which things I'm going to share in this list? Stop reading, make a list and tell me afterwards how many you had correct. :)

1. I'm married to the love of my life, Ron. Next Saturday is our 18th wedding anniversary, but we are together for more than 25 years. We met at a local marching band: he was on drums, I was a majorette/twirler. And the rest as they say is history... and present, and future! :)
2. I'm pagan, more precisely I call myself an eclectic heathen witch. Interested why or what that means to me? Read more here and of course you'll find lots of pagan stuff on this blog.
3. I'm a Robbie Williams fan ever since he left Take That back in the day. I have all his albums, dvd's and more. I've been to several concerts. This year I went to his Take The Crown Tour and just yesterday I scored tickets for his Swings Both Ways Tour next year. Woohoo! :) Read my posts about him here.
4. I love reading, I love books. I have a lot of books; you can see a small portion (appr. 1200 of them...) in my LibraryThing. I breathe books, like the smell, sound, feel, etc. of real books. My all time favourite book is The Lord Of The Rings, but there's so much more...
5. I'm a Trekkie! Love, love, love Star Trek. I like The Original Series and love the rest. I have all seasons of The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine and all movies on dvd. I would love to have Enterprise too. Years ago I've been on television talking about Star Trek. That same day I've met Patrick Stewart, my favourite actor (not only as Capt. Picard).
6. I'm very fond of (all!) animals. I'm a cat-lover and a dog-lover. Some say you can't be both, but I am. We share our home with 3 cats (Freyja, Bastet & Maia - goddess names) and two dogs (Foofur, a crossbreed Welsh Corgi / Jack Russell, and Arwen, a Bernese Mountaindog). Read and see more of them here on my blog.
7. In the past I have been struggling with eating disorders and depression. For some years now I use my experience to help others. I tell my story, educate and give information to different groups of people: teenagers, students, fellow-sufferers, nurses, etc. I coach social workers and medical professionals in how to be of real help to a patient on the way to recovery by showing them a different point of view. 
8. I'm a computer-addict. :) Internet, social media, downloading, digital photography and lots, lots more. I like to learn and try out new things. It's my window to the world.
9. I love all seasons, but especially winter. Snow, ice, cold sunny weather... I've written about that yesterday, so I'll leave it at that here.
10. I like to make herbal home remedies. I'm a reiki master. I make my own candles. Ron and I brew mead. I collect Dutch stamps. I miss my mum and dad. I'm a hobby-genealogist. There's always more to know... And yes, I know this is cheating. ;-))

Weather Wednesday

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Kickin'It Old Skool, Day 4
Today we talk about the weather. Wherever we are, whatever we do, we all experience the weather. It's one of the ways we connect to nature and often to one another when we first meet and engage in casual conversation. It's such a part of where we live and even who we are!

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If you know me (or even if you have only been reading here for the first KIOS-days), you know that I love winter weather: snow, ice, cold.... Yay!

I'll quote a part of my column in PaganPages about the seasons (read the whole thing here):
"Even as a child I had a preference for cold over heat, hence winter over summer. Even though I could handle heat much better than I’m able to now, I loved winter more. Cold, ice and… snow! Playing outside in the snow, ice-skating on the frozen waters… A healthy Dutch winter girl! We had longer and colder winters back then, some 35 years ago. When everybody was fed up with it after weeks of snow, I only wanted more. Well, nothing has changed there!"

I just made this my new Facebook-cover:

source: Desktop Nexus

It shows my favourite weather: sunny, blue sky, snow and icy cold. :)

Every year when it's getting colder, the speculations start in The Netherlands whether it will be cold enough to have an "Elfstedentocht" (Eleven Cities Tour) this winter. It's a 200 km long skating tour (a speed skating match and a leisure tour) on natural ice in the province of Friesland. It's a huge event and I'd love to see it again. The last one took place in 1997, so it's about time we get a new (16th) edition this winter! *fingers crossed*

Colours & Swap

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Kickin'It Old Skool, Day 3
Today an 'old skool swap' is announced and we talk about colours. I won't be able to participate in the swap this time, but here are the colours!

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[ RED ] 
What's the first thing you think of when you think of red? love
Closest red thing to you? cd-cover of Swings Both Ways (deluxe version)
What is the last thing that made you angry? fireworks in the street (poor pets...)
Are you a fan of romance? in real life yes, movies and books not so much
Do you have a temper? sure, at times

[ GREEN ] 
What's the first thing you think of when you think of green? nature
Closest green thing to you? little jade polar bear
What's your favourite green environment? park, woods, forest...
Are you jealous of anyone right now? nope
Are you a lucky person? in some ways

[ PURPLE ] 
What's the first thing you think of when you think of purple? ...
Closest purple thing to you? wool hat of a Harrods christmas-bear
Do you like being treated like royalty? no, with love and respect is good enough
Do you like mysterious things? yes!
Are you intuitive? yes, a lot

[ BLUE ]
What's the first thing you think of when you think of blue? sky
Closest blue thing to you? my sweater
Are you good at calming people down? they say so...
What's your favourite body of water (i.e. lake, ocean, etc)? all, water is my favourite element 
What was the last thing that made you cry? music that reminded me of someone I lost
Are you a logical thinker? yes

[ YELLOW ] 
What's the first thing you think of when you think of yellow? sun
Closest yellow thing to you? notebook
What was one of the happiest times of your life? my wedding day
What's your favourite holiday? all pagan holidays, but esp. Samhain - Yule - Imbolc
What makes you happy? having no major worries

[ PINK ] 
What's the first thing you think of when you think of pink? Yuk! I hate pink.
Closest pink thing to you? nothing, yay! let's keep it that way
What sweet things do you like? chocolate
Are you sensitive? yes, very
What is your favourite flower? any flower in nature (please not in a vase to die for me)
Does you have a crush on someone? yes, my hubby!

[ ORANGE ] 
What's the first thing you think of when you think of orange? Netherlands (our national colour)
Closest orange thing to you? plastic bag
Do you dress up for Halloween? no
What gives you the warm fuzzies? puppies, kittens, other animals
What would your superpower be? invisibility would be nice

[ BROWN ] 
What's the first thing you think of when you think of brown? chocolate
Closest brown thing to you? statue of a horse
What is your favourite type of chocolate? Koeienvlekjes (cow spots) by Milka
What makes you feel grounded? being outside in nature
Paint the wood or always leave it au naturel? au naturel

[ WHITE ] 
What's the first thing you think of when you think of white? snow
Closest white thing to you? paper
Do you always try to keep the peace? not all the time anymore, but when possible
Do you like to play in the snow? YES, I love snow!
Are you afraid of going to the doctors or dentist? nope

[ BLACK ] 
What's the first thing you think of when you think of black? night
Closest black thing to you? my mobile phone
Are you sophisticated or silly? mainly silly :-)
Do you have a lot of secrets? not a lot, but secrets... yes
What's the new black? black

Time Capsule

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Kickin'It Old Skool, Day 2
Today we are capturing this moment in time by answering a few questions. So let's start!

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What are you reading?
I'm always reading multiple books, so here are the ones for now:

• The Fishing Widow by Amy K. Marshall - I got it for free through LibraryThing Early Reviewers Giveaway and I like it a lot! I'll write a review later.
• Heilige bronnen in de Lage Landen by various authors, a Dutch book about reclaiming holy wells in the Lowlands. I attended the book presentation last Saturday.
• and there's more: a thriller by Jo Nesbo, several pagan reverence books and some magazines.

What are you watching?
Besides my all-time favourite Star Trek there are several tv-series I like: Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, NCIS, CSI, Bones, Castle.... and so much more. We recently watched Under The Dome. I also like movies, documentaries, detectives... really too much to sum up here. Did I tell you I love television and dvd..?

What are you listening to?
In my car, computer and cd-player there's one cd on repeat... Swings Both Ways by Robbie Williams. Here you can hear samples of all the songs on this great album, Rob's second swing album. Wonderful new songs, old songs and duets with Michael Bublé, Kelly Clarkson, Lily Allen, Rufus Wainwright and Olly Murs.

What are you loving?
I love.... Ron of course! :) But I also love nature, books, music, internet. I love my pets, my friends and family. I love snow and ice, the cold season. I love walking my pagan path. I love the beach and dunes, trees, stones. And I could probably come up with a lot more I love!

What are you wearing?
Same as always, because i'm comfortable in it: jeans and a sweater. A new black jeans this time, just bought it a week ago, a size smaller than last time, yay!

What are you creating?
I'm busy writing a new column for PaganPages. For the December/Yule issue (coming any day now, soon!) I've writen about creative witchy stuff. My latest creation was a rite-of-passage-cord for the daughter of a Craft-sister. You can see it here.

What are you looking forward to?
I'm so much looking forward to the end of the financial crisis. In general, but especially in our own personal situation... I can't wait for it to finally end. I know there's light at the end of this very long tunnel, but I wholeheartedly hope we get there real soon!

De-Selfie

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Kickin'It Old Skool, Day 1
Day One of Kickin It Old Skool (KIOS) and I'm already slacking... Oops! To be honest I completely forgot about it until today (Dec. 2). Sooo.... I'm cheating and posting this as if I posted it yesterday, LOL! 'Today' we share selfies!

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I could make it easy and post this 'selfie':

It IS me, at least my online presence as Tink, made by the talented Emila Yusof. 

But I guess you want to see the real me? Okay, here is my current Facebook profile pic:

It's an old one, but dear to me because it shows me with 'my' tree. I love trees and this is a special one to me. 

Okay, okay... I'll make one right now with the webcam....

So... that's me!

Get ready for some blogging...!

Remember when blogging was fun?

Feel like you missed out on that time entirely?

Get Ready to Jump Into Our Time Machine 
and Join Us in December for...

read more here

I suck at blogging since social media became bigger. So when I noticed Suzie's post about this (on Facebook...) I hesitated, but then decided: what the heck, I'm in! This could be exactly what the doctor ordered to get back at blogging! :-)) It's always nice to meet new blogs & bloggers and I can at least TRY! The rules are "be nice and have fun", so it can't be that hard...

Blogblast for Peace 2013

Today I'm joining hundreds of bloggers across the world in a movement called "Blogblast For Peace". Bloggers will unite in a global cry for peace in this annual event. One day. One voice. All it takes is one post. Won't you join us?

This is my 6th year of participating. I chose a picture of my favourite statue, the Millenial Gaia by Oberon Zell. His enchanting artwork shows Mother Earth and all of the creatures living and extinct in her hair and etched in her skin. Our Earth needs peace so desperately...


Blogblast for Peace links:

• BFP website
• info on Mimi's blog
• fanpage on Facebook
• grouppage on Facebook

Pagan Pages November

PaganPages is an online magazine or e-zine about all things pagan. The November Issue is up now!

This month I wrote my column about holey stones. You can read it here: Tink About it

There are lots of other interesting articles too:
A Shamanic View
Across the Great Divide
Art & Mystery
Astro Report for November 2013
Barefoot on an Earth Path
Connecting with Nature
Goddesses of Sorcery
Interweavings
Meditation Moment
Musings of a Hereditary Witch
Oak-corns and Apple-thorns
Paranomal Path
Seed, Root, & Stem
Signposts
Spiritual Seeker
The Mugwort Chronicles
The Neon Pagan
Tink about It
Tree of Life
Warrior Women
Tarot Talk
The Witch’s Cupboard
Art & Mystery
November Correspondences

Halloween / Samhain

Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain 

to all my pagan friends and readers!

Blessed Beltane to those in the Southern hemisphere.

Pagan Pages October

PaganPages is an online magazine or e-zine about all things pagan. The October Issue is up now!

This month's issue has a Samhain theme with lots of interesting articles, so I chose a fitting subject: honouring our ancestors. You can read it here: Tink About It.

Here's a little sneak preview:

Be sure to have a look and read the other articles too; they are definitely worth it!

PaganPages September

PaganPages is an online magazine or e-zine about all things pagan. The September Issue is up now!

In my column I talk about two festivals Ron and I attended. More or less pagan festivals, but are they 'representative' of the pagan path I walk? You can read it here: Tink About it

This month's issue has a Mabon theme with lots of interesting articles. Have a look and let me know what you 'tink about it'. :)

Blessed Lammas

Lammas (or Lughnasadh) is the first of three harvest festivals. The first harvest is grain harvest. We celebrate the goddess in her aspect as Grain Mother, Harvest Mother, Harvest Queen, Earth Mother, Corn Mother. It is also the festival of Lugh, the celtic god of the light (and sun).

In the Southern hemisphere the wheel of the year turns to Imbolc.
To all my friends in both hemisphere: I wish you a blessed lammas or Imbolc!

PaganPages August

PaganPages is an online magazine or e-zine about all things pagan. The August Issue is up now!

My column is called 'Dress code' in which I talk about what witches wear and my take on that. You can read it here: Tink About it

But as always, there are lots of other interesting articles that deserve your attention too!

Robbie Live 2013

Towards the end of 2012 Robbie Williams made an announcement: in 2013 he would finally make another tour. Of course Amsterdam was in the list of concerts. I was over the moon and very sad at the same time. Our financial situation didn't allow me to buy a ticket of almost € 100...

Disappointed as I was I poured out my heart on my Facebook wall. The comments were heartwarming! Me not going to Rob's concert was out of the question, I just had to find a way! The solution presented itself when a dear friend offered to go together; she would pay in advance and I could pay her back whenever possible. I hate debts, especially with friends, but it was an offer I couldn't refuse!

We decided to go for seated tickets, because unfortunately my chronic fatigue prevents me from standing in the field. During the 2006 tour I had the best spot possible: front row in the middle. Bittersweet memories because it was only a week after my mum passed away...

Then finally.... Saturday July 13th was RW-day! I drove all the way back from a festival I was attending and off we went to the Amsterdam Arena. We were in our seats 20 minutes before the support act started. This time it was Olly Murs, a nice guy but better on tv than on stage. Ah well, it was enjoyable when getting ready for the Real Thing!

The concert was great! Rob seemed so relaxed, happy and comfortable on stage but still funny and as cheeky as ever. He performed a wonderful mix of old and new songs, chatted in between and all that in a stunning setting I won't even try to describe... He is an entertainer pur sang and doesn't need it, but it made the show even better.

The setlist as I remember it (wrote it down afterwards):

• Hey Wow Yeah Yeah (instrumental) 
• Let Me Entertain You 
• Monsoon 
• Not Like The Others 
• Minnie The Moocher 
• Kids (with Olly Murs)
• Sin Sin Sin 
• Bodies 
• Come Undone 
• Everything Changes 
• Strong 
• Gospel 
• Be a Boy 
• Millennium / Better Man / Sexed Up 
• Me and My Monkey 
• Candy 
• Hot Fudge 
• Rudebox 
• Rock DJ

and of course in the encores my all-time favourite Feel, She's The One and the inevitable sing-along Angels.

The Kids duet with Olly Murs was funny, but not a success. Please sing it with one of the wonderful backing singers next time, Rob... During Me and My Monkey I sent Ron a text message; it's his favourite Robbie-song. My friend recorded Candy for her little daughter who loves the song. So many songs, so little time... Afterwards I picked up the 3cd-recording of the concert so I can go back and relive it whenever I want!

I lost my voice a bit and had a sore throat from yelling, but boy o boy was it worth it!! I had been looking forward to this for months and I wasn't disappointed, on the contrary: it was amazing! The magic never left Rob, he carries it with him inside and shares it freely during his concerts. The magic was tangible all around. A concert by Rob IS magic and that is high praise coming from a witch...

Just one minor mishap: he wore way too much clothing! LOL! He has trained for the tour and from pics we know he has a very fit body. Pity we didn't see much of it. But if that's all, well... I'll survive. ;-))

PaganPages July

PaganPages is an online magazine or e-zine about all things pagan. The July Issue is up now!

My column is called 'Summer reveries' in which I share my thoughts about summer and how I experience it. You can read it here: Tink About it

But don't forget the rest, there are lots of interesting articles that deserve your attention.

Summertime...