Hello again everybody from near or far,
For the first 40 years of my life, I lived in Friesland (except for the few years I was at uni). Then, 18 years ago, we ‘emigrated’ to a place 5 kilometres across the Frisian border. No distance at all, but still a different region, with a different landscape (so many trees!), a different building style…
… a slightly different culture and a different language.
In Friesland, people say Oant sjen (See you) when parting. Or simply Hoi! (meaning both Hi and Bye). Over here, people say Kalm an, hè? (Take it easy, won’t you?). I love the expression. It sounds so friendly, laid-back and caring – just the way many people around here are.
From the start of the lockdown, I’ve been/felt busy, busy, busy. That’s the effect this strange and unsettling time seems to have on me. Being busy is fine. Useful even. But feeling busy all the time? Not so much.
I was going to write an update about my knitting this week (my needles, too, have been busy), but couldn’t find the words. So, high time for some kalm-an-time.
Time to watch the house sparrows bathing…
Time to admire the flowers in the fields…
Time to leaf through some old scrapbooks…
Time to play with some embroidery floss…
Next week, I hope to be back here with that knitting update. If I’m not, I just need a little more time to listen to the grass growing.
I know that some of you are now recovering from Covid-19. The best thing I can think of to say to you and everybody else reading this is, Kalm an, hè?
Hè Marijke, dank, wat een heerlijke sfeerschets! Ik kan ook wel een beetje ‘kalm an’ tijd gebruiken en fijn dat je het zo in mijn aandacht brengt!
Dat kan ik me heel goed voorstellen, met alles wat je te doen hebt!
What a lovely saying. Be calm . . . take it easy. All your pictures in the post are calming and restorative, too. Thank you.
Thank you for spending some time here with me.
Hello Marijke, I could sit and watch the little house sparrows in their bath all day long! Such a pretty sight, and so heartwarming. Yes, I too, somewhat strangely, have found lockdown quite busy. I thought there was going to so much time to do new things (at home) but the time has flown by in many ways. Being ill and recuperating took several weeks, and the other weeks have somehow melted and merged into one. Perhaps there will one day be a word or phrase for this lockdown phenomenon? In the meantime I will adopt your saying, and bid you Kalm an, hè? Donna
Thank you, Donna. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one. I’m looking forward to reading about your sewing, quilting and other crafts projects again, but take your time! I also enjoy posts where nothing much is happening but we get to look around your sewing room or your garden shed.