Wishing

 you

 all

 a very

 Merry

Christmas

♥♥♥

Christmas coloring page

Back home and getting ready for Christmas.

My trip to SF was fantastic. Tiring for both of us. Robin was still recuperating from a flu and I had a jet lag. But we had fun and did a lot of Christmas shopping.

This year I didn't have time to create Christmas cards but I did a mandala and here is a coloring page for you. Just click save, print and have fun!

♥♥♥

Christmas Mandala

My Christmas Mandala for this year.

Hope you are enjoying the December month and are getting in the spirit of Christmas.

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It has been a while.......

(picture by Muktha)

After a long period of being busy I will try to get back to blogging.

I have done a mayor renovation project and finally all is finished, just in time for the Holiday season.

A lot has happened but also in your lives and I haven't been around :(

I have no idea if I can catch up.....after such a long period of being away, but I will try. 

We have started a new ATC project called our ATC's. I haven't been very creative lately but this will push me to do some art every 14 days. It will be fun! And I hope I will be on the blogs more often.

Hope you are all doing fine :)

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday / A new King !

We have a new King!

Yesterday was our last Queens day. After 33 years our beloved queen Beatrix ended her 33-year reign and her son became King.

Read all about here.

I nearly spent all day watching TV yesterday and enjoyed it thoroughly.

the signing 

Mom presenting our new King

Our King , Queen and the little princesses

I loved those orange guirlandes 

A beautiful couple

My gosh it was a fairy tale day!

Here you can see the other Royal guests

Happy Animal Wednesday :)

Hope you had some magic in your day as well

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Animal Wednesday / Pandas and small critters

 All videos and pictures in random order. I was in Chengdu this weekend and went to see the pandas there

 This picture was taken a week before, when I visited a friend. Koekie and Droppie encountered a few ferals ..... Look how they avoid looking at the cat and how she just stares at them....Fearless :)

 Oops we can't read........sorry :)

 Here is Toulouse, a beautiful dark blue cat. Koekie whispers a strategy in Droppie's ear......

 back to the Pandas. Here are a few red ones. All just as cute.

 Saw these peacocks and had to think of   a dear friend of mine....

 Isn't he or she cute?! They are just so relaxed sitting and eating..............

 having a meal together..........

 red ones again

 Oh my goodness I couldn't get enough of them

cute cute cute.

Happy Animal Wednesday!

♥♥♥

Happy Birthday Muktha!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter :)

♥♥♥

Demi

This week I finished a commissioned mandala I had to paint for Demi.
Just in time for her birthday tomorrow.

It was a lot of work to paint those 7 hummingbirds, but a joy as well.

I have used them in several of my mandalas and ATC´s before and you can read its meaning here.

Demi is born the 30th of March so in the middle I painted a yellow triangle , symbol of femininity  and water. Surrounded by 3 daffodils. 

Daffodils have meanings of faith, honesty, truth, forgiveness, and forthrightness. They are ever vigilant in returning each spring, and with their return we are reminded that their beauty is capable of following on the shirttails of even the harshest winters.

How true that is at this moment!

We have some daffodils in the garden they are trying hard to kick off Spring.

It is still Winter here. This is the longest winter I can remember so far.

We had 2 Spring days 5 and 6 March and then Winter came back.

Well next week the temperature will go up a little :)

Have a wonderful weekend

♥♥♥

Goedele

Today I celebrate the birthday of Goedele.

My friend died in December only 48 years young.

I will try not to be sad and really make today a celebration. 

I will always be grateful that she came into our lives. 

She was such an inspiration and still is.

Today I lit my special hummingbird candle for her (a gift from another special friend).

The hummingbird is a symbol of peace, love and happiness.

Hope you all have a hummingbird kind of day :)

♥♥♥

Animal Wednesday / Capetown

Went to Capetown for 5 days and I took my brother along

We did the highlights and had a great time.

 I took a lot of pictures but here are the ones with the animals ;) 

 A blesbok

 Ostriches in a farm

 I always love their eyes

 Baboons on our way to Cape Point

 I love them

 They seem so friendly and harmless..........

 My brother thought this was a plastic one, but believe me it was real

 Birds waiting for crumbs to fall,,,,,,,,,,,

 Ostriches in the wild

 Near Cape of good Hope

 Penguins at Simonstown

A lot of them................

We had a lot of fun and we enjoyed Capetown. 

I came home today just in time to post these for Animal Wednesday.

Still tired from a 11.20 hour flight.
So I will go to bed early ;)

Happy Animal Wednesday :)

♥♥♥

Just a little note to say I am still here..............
Waiting for the end of the winter, which seems soooooo long this year again.
Still very little to show. Working on a new mandala.
The garden is still in rest.
And I am trying to wake up from hibernation.
Can't wait for Spring to arrive.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week and that you are enjoying Spring or just like I looking forward to it.

♥♥♥

Aum.............

A little canvas I painted for my friend Tineke last Friday.

Have a wonderful week ;)

♥♥♥

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

♥♥♥

My last MD 11 flight

Did I tell you I was going to Quito?

Yes? Well that was what I thought until they called me at 20.00 the night before I left.............

They called me to say they were sorry I had a change of schedule. I had to go to San Francisco instead. Well I wasn't sorry!

I called my friend Marja and in no time we ordered a ticket and next morning we flew to SF!!!!

 It was my last MD11 flight as I will be trained for the Airbus 330 Monday. I will miss the MD11......

 breakfast at the Marriott 

 croissants at Boudin

 On our way to the Waterbar

 All pictures are in random order..........The Cookie factory, we found it the second day in China town

 In Sausolito we met a colleague and we got a lift so we experienced the golden gate bridge

 Boudin's bakery at the Fisherman's wharf.

 Alcatraz 

 Pier 39

 The sea lions 

 Of course we met Robin and had a great time

 Lombard street (in the distance)

 China town

 a mural

 dinner at the Empress of China

 Sr. Francis Drake seen from Macy's terrace

 Union Square

 Having cocktails :)

 Mandala's downstairs (click to enlarge)

 Chinatown 

 Looking for the temple........

 We passed this sign and had to think of the working girl

 found the temple but it was closed.........

The Fortune Cookie Factory 

 Fly me to the moon..........

 Friends meeting :)

 A city you will fall in love with :)

 Marja having fun!

 View from the Waterbar

 Robin taking our picture

 new lights at the Bay Bridge

 SF skyline

 Marja taking pictures

 Robin and Marja at the ferry to Sausolito

 The famous dog Diamond

 taking a shot

Wine from Monterey ;)

The cookie factory

One moment you are packed to go  to Quito, the next I had to re-pack and call Marja. She said yes in an instant and next morning we were on our way to SF for 3 days packed with site seeing meeting Robin and fun!

I am having internet problems here.

Most internet pages won't load. Visiting blogs is nearly impossible. It has been like that for weeks here. Ever since we got a new modem the signal here in my studio is too weak.

 I ordered a WiFi repeater I hope that will do the job.

I have a few busy days ahead of me. But will try to visit you all again ASAP.

Have a wonderful weekend :)

♥♥♥