Blimey! it is already Monday 28 December.

Blimey it is already Monday 28 December, doesn’t time go by quickly, guess it always did, just there were times when it seemed so very slow.

This is when you are getting to understand how things work; this is when you did not know that every year the big events happen at the same time.

Like birthdays and Christmas and New Year and of course Easter and mid summer, and in Trinidad Divalli and other festivals.

And once you have experienced these events several times, you start to remember them and you start to create a schedule or map for your reference.

After awhile when you get older, you pretty much know when things will happen and time seems to speed up.

It of course just passes at the same speed as it always did and always will it is just my perception is different at 8 than it was at age 8.

It has been a bright, cold day today, according to the weather forecast it is set to get very much colder.

We could have snow and ice for the New Year, that is when we usually get it here and not before Christmas like this year.

In 1981, it was a very cold winter, my first here in Amsterdam; I could not work out how come there were so many people wearing mountaineering boots in such a flat country.

When it got cold I totally understood and quickly got a pair of stout climbing boots, which kept my feet warm.

It snowed before Christmas in 1981 and it stayed until end of February, so I really did need those stout walking boots.

Still need warm footgear just not mountaineering boots, with thick sole just ones with a thick lining.

Going to post this and enjoy watching the dogs lying peacefully in their beds and the sound of a few children playing outside.

It is 4.30 pm and it is still light which is lovely.

Father Cristmas in a Helicopter.

Robert Maplethorpe.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mapplethorpehttp://www.mapplethorpe.org/


For the first time in days I just saw, the sun breaking through the heavy layer of clouds, and it is gloriously beautiful.

Hope it stays like that, when Richie pulled back the curtains this morning, there was beautiful blue sky and sunshine, but within 5 minutes the cloud layer had reasserted itself and there was no trace of either sunshine or blue sky.

If we had not caught that brief moment and had opened the curtains a few minutes later all we would have seen was an overcast, gloomy cold day.

It is starting to cloud over again now, but how lovely for the clouds to have dispersed briefly and for there to be glorious sunshine, even if only for minutes.

Really lifts you when that happens, that is the beauty of being open to the here and now, it is then you will see things like this and appreciate them.

I do now, whereas previously I may have said oh only a couple of minutes of sun is hardly worth is, but it is,

Sounds like the glass half full or half empty, too often in the past my glass was half empty, not now, now my glass is at all times half full and ready for a top up.

Any excuse for a party is happily taken up, visiting Trinidad that one time in 1997, did me a power of good.

It reminded me where I was from and what it was like out there and the personalities and of course the many nationalities, how cosmopolitan it was out there.

Lovely to see so many different peoples co-existing so happily, it is wonderful; to see all the groups celebrate their big holidays together like Eid and Divalli.

Everyone has candles lit on their verandas on Divalli and everyone celebrates Christmas by watching Father Christmas arriving in a helicopter on the Savannah.

Father Christmas used to give all the children an apple from Canada, Christmas in Trinidad meant big beautiful red apples, and we were delighted with this treat.

Stopped there to have a wash and get ready for the experts coming around, on Tuesday I had asked if 3 people could arrive at 14.30 instead of all 6 arriving at 14 pm.

They all agreed and staggered their arrivals, and it worked out very nicely.

Elwin checked whether the chair gave me adequate support, and Ludwine checked that my pelvis was positioned correctly.

They all agreed with me that there were a couple of adjustments that were needed.

Elwin did a couple today, but has to come back on Monday for the last one; he took some of the support away under my armpits as it was not needed plus it was hurting me.

After he does the last adjustment on Monday, I get to ride around in it and they will all be back in January for the final evaluation.

Feel happier about sitting now these small changes have been made, it has instantly become less of an endurance test and more of a pleasure.

Feeling extremely tired now, I sat in the chair from 13. 30 until 18.30 only 3 hours but it felt like even longer.

Richie has been a star today, he got up early and took the dogs out and then came home, did my leg exercises and leg massage and gave me my baclofen pills.

He then hovered and spruced up the apartment, before getting me out of bed and washed and dressed and ready for the appointment.

Not long after 16 pm they all left and I did 40 minutes exercises at the Motomed and chatted with Richie in the front room.

The red Christmas tree looks even prettier than last year, and the dogs and Richie and I were excited that I was in the front room too.

Back in bed tired just after 18.30 pm, we are both looking forward to a pleasant relaxing evening now, one that Richie and I have earned.