mainely stitching

Today is our last full day at the campsite, so we made sure we did all the fun things that the kids wanted to do – this mainly involved the swimming pool and the playgrounds as well as playing badminton and Frisbee by our cabin. I only have pictures of the playgrounds, as Niek took the kids swimming in the pool one at a time. Nicky is convinced that I don’t go swimming because “they don’t make swimsuits in mama’s size”.

Rowen didn’t enjoy the playground without her brothers’ company for very long, but she did enjoy being pushed in the basket swing till I thought my arms might fall off. LOL.

Nicky and Max both enjoyed the playground very, very much however. And Arden had a good time, too, picking various grasses and clover and depositing them on the blanket for midday salad to enjoy with his biggest brother. Even Rigby and Niek got in on the fun while Photographer Mama scurried around trying to catch all the fun on camera for posterity.

Tomorrow will be the long drive home. I’m already dreading the part through Belgium. Driving in Belgium feels to me like being shot from a canon, LOL.

I loved reading your comments about forced marches, starvation, and other highlights of family holidays! Thanks for sharing!

Oh, not sure who asked … but I got precious little stitching done. I will actually have to do a tiny bit of frogging when we’re home! Oops!

For Rigby’s walk this morning, I suggested we all go into the woods together for a bit of fresh air. We decided to follow one of the shorter routes that was supposed to bring us to what we assumed would be a charming little village with a cafe about 3 1/2 kilometers away. Well … that was not the easiest path to follow, and at times it was necessary for me to carry Arden while Niek carried/dragged the buggy up steep hills, over rough rocks, and down embankments. And the 3 1/2 km turned into 5. But eventually we reached the end. Where we found three goats wearing bells, a trash can, and an apparently abandoned castle.

Nothing to do but go on, right? There was another sign saying that we could make it back to the town where our campsite is located by following a road for cars for only 3 km. We decided to go for it. The first half kilometer, I swear, was straight uphill. It must’ve been nearly a 45 degree slope. Niek carried Nicky, who was having trouble with his foot. I pushed Arden’s buggy and dragged Rowen (who was holding on to my jeans’ pockets). Max and Rigby dragged each other. Then the fun began, when we found ourselves on a two-lane highway with no shoulders, let alone sidewalks. Scary?! I will spare you the details, but I think I might finally have some gray hair. We made it back in one piece and the kids will have some interesting stories to tell about the abuse their parents heaped upon them….

Tonight we went into a nearby town for a truly delicious dinner. I was still feeling too shaken to cook (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! LOL). We had a great time eating outdoors and enjoying the really lovely town of Larochette. No pictures of that, I’m afraid – I was too busy eating!

Since Arden missed out on the fun photo ops in the forest, here’s a cute one taken while we were at the playground yesterday while Rigby unwinds with a cup of iced coffee.

Thanks for continuing to visit! Your comments are such a treat!!

Thanks for visiting me again! Yes, I hope the septic system will be well in order when we return home. As a few people asked, Niek did stay on till the plumber strolled in and more-or-less fixed the situation. The more-or-less makes me nervous, but I’m hoping that if I don’t ask too many questions, the problem may just go away. On Sunday afternoon, Max came home from his week in Germany. But because the drive here is so long (nearly 6 hours), they had to wait till Monday to set out. It is very nice to all be together.

Today we went walking on one of the gentler mountain paths that would accommodate the buggy and Nicky’s limp. It was gorgeous! WOW!The kids had a lot of fun, as did Rigby, and I felt like I could really breathe out there. The path we decided on dead-ended at a gentle waterfall that the kids had fun throwing sticks into. We picked blackberries all the way there and back so we could enjoy a delicious bowl of fresh berries when we returned to our campsite. Very yummy. Over here, you really can notice the change of the season. The birch leaves are all gold and the rose hips are a brilliant orangey-red. There’s a wonderful smell to the air as well, that I don’t notice in Gouda (probably because of all the air pollution). It’s nice to experience a “real” early autumn again.

Once more, I’ll leave you with some pictures. These were taken during our walk today. As promised, here is Nicky, obviously doing better with his healing foot.

Thanks so much for visiting!

If you can believe it, on Saturday our septic system sort of exploded. As in, you-know-what coming up from everything hooked up to the water – the dishwasher, the sinks, the washing machine, the toilets. Oh boy, what joy there was. The plumber promised to be right over … and four hours later, there was still no sign of him. By then, the worst of the flow had stopped, but we had no idea how long we’d be in this situation … so I packed the kids into the car, tossed in a few suitcases, and drove to Luxembourg. As any logical person would do in that situation.

This is my first time in Luxembourg, and it is gorgeous. I mean, like, wow, God did a great job creating this part of the world. We’re in a tiny caravan on a beautiful campground in the middle of mountains and valleys and forests that just totally take my breath away. The kids are having a blast. Even Nicky is beginning to make more use of his foot, thank goodness. The dog thinks he is in heaven.

I apologize to everyone for the very abrupt leave-taking, and for the lengthy interruption in email correspondence. Even now, I can only receive email at my usual address but not send it. So to Carol, I must pass along my most heartfelt wishes that everything goes well and tell you how much I’m thinking of you and hoping for the best with that situation. To Sharon, I say thank you so much for worrying about me; I was terribly stressed out and I do appreciate you worrying and checking in. To Joanna, I hope you are doing okay and I am MOST sorry for just disappearing like that; it really was quite unplanned. To Joy, I say thank you! To everyone who has left a comment on my last blog post, thank you so much! It’s wonderful to have friends!!

I’ll leave you for now with a couple of pictures of the kids taken over the last day or two. Those happy faces speak volumes. And I promise pictures of Nicky and his steadily-improving foot situation next time!