April updates

Walks and reading are the two main activities these weeks. After doing one of the walks with the local hills (5 km, 9.000 steps and equivalent of 12 stairs), I treated myself with a nice oat milk latte in one of the local coffee places. Another day was an hour window washing, on the bike to the pool and there a kilometer swim. Feels good to be able to stay fit that way. During one of the walks I passed the local CIBC bank where Opa Vandenboom just parked his scooter. He still keeps a close eye on the money...

And this weekend he was out on the scooter again when the Sarnia gang came over to Fonthill for an Easter dinner hosted once again by Susan & Ralph (with culinary assistance from Mary).

Hilary 31

Hilary turns 31 today. Time flies, as they say. Back from a few months in New Zealand, Hilary and Shayd are happy to be back in their North Vancouver condo with Poncho.

And in Holland a few days ago, Sascha (my sister's middle child), turned 50 (meeting Sarah). Ger en Bert had their three kids (Monique 52, Sascha 50 and Berrie 48), their partners and their nine grandkids all together last Sunday at the house of Sascha and Joost in Zutphen (see my posts of oct/nov).
 

Poncho back in Vancouver

Hilary is back from her three months in New Zealand and came to Fonthill to pick up her dog Poncho who had stayed with us during that period. A big wet kiss was what I got from Poncho at goodbye.....

Still playing regular games of Rummikub with Opa Vandenboom, but he is hard to beat because he is lucky to always draw the jokers (or "joker pieten" as he calls them). He is still very much with it...

March updates

Our visitor Poncho has been with us for three months and he was an easy guest (slept most of the time). His boss Hilary got back in Vancouver on Friday from her stay "down under" and right away rushed back to Fonthill to hug her little four-legged. Hilary works on-line, so also here this week in her old home. She is also busy preparing for a bachelorette party coming weekend with her dear school friend Taurie (wedding in August).

 

Wils has been busy trying to fix up the old CRV (while his parents, brothers and Carly & Mark went out west to ski a few days). I worked again on an old puzzle from my brother-in-law Bert, which I brought with me after my recent visit to Holland...

Cleaning up some more old stuff, I found this toy car with the old/original MSF logo. And also a beer cup from 1978 made for the 5-year "lustrum" of our social student organization at the Delft University...

February updates

It was "Family Day" today in Canada, a relatively new National Holiday. Marcy, Joe and Wil came over (with Ruff) from Sarnia. A nice lunch was hosted by Sue and Ralph with a big cake for three of the four birthdays this months (Spencer was celebrating his recent birthday with a few friends in California during their March Break). Opa (93), Marcy (52) and Fiona (21) + Spencer (22).

Poncho checking out big Ruff who was taking over his bed....

Will bought our old Honda CRV as a "fixer-upper" and proudly taking off to Sarnia (with his Mom keeping an eye on it during this first ride). We bought this 2007 car in 2008 with very few kilometers on it and enjoyed the use of it during 14 years putting close to 400,000 kilometer on it. Adios to one of the best car we had in our household....

And another completed beauty of a puzzle (despite as a "second hand" missing a few pieces)....

Winter season again

The youngest son of Marcy & Joe in Sarnia has an interest to buy our old beaten up Honda CRV. It could be a project to fix it up with his Dad and drive it for the Spring-Summer season. So I put a "reserved sign" on the car.... Winter has been kind of mild after the heavy snowstorm of just before Christmas. This week however pretty cold and windy (-8 to -15 C).

Poncho has been with us in Fonthill now for two months. During this period Hilary and Shayd are having a good time in New Zealand staying with Shayd's mother and doing trips around the South Island. They have one more month down under including a few weeks in Australia. In the meantime Poncho is fine with us. Mary builds him a "throne" of pillows on the couch so that he can look out of the window (while being comfortable on a heated blanket....). He has been spending also a few weekends with Carly and Mark in Stoney Creek, who like to have him over...

With the cold weather, I started another 1,000 pieces puzzle. This one I took from Bert during my visit to Holland. A nice scenery of boats of the 17th or 18th century. Almost done by now... 

On Facebook today a memory photo showed up from 9 years ago. During one of my work trips in January 2014 I stopped by in Amsterdam and played an evening field hockey with Age and friends....

New year updates

Not too much excitement in the new year so far. During the cold spell, I worked a week or so fanatically on a puzzle. When I get one started, I just can't stop.....

Poncho is easy to have around and he loves to cuddle up to a body or under a blanket. In the evening he can get a bit of a bugger suddenly unleashing energy wanting to play and being a bugger. But then he sets in for the night and sleeps a good 12 hours....

Mary and Susan continue to keep Opa Vandenboom looked after, busy and entertained. He is one lucky fellow at his age compared to so many lonely older folks. 

Unfortunately I had a little mishap today at a parking lot of a restaurant where I met for lunch with two former colleagues of Niagara College. One moment of being distracted and I rolled against a concrete foundation for a street light in the middle of the parking lot. It is unbelievable and so me. Ah well. Maybe I can find a body shop fixer who can get it done with a few second hand parts. If not, it will probably be bye-bye to the good old CRV which served us so well and has almost 400,000 kilometers clocked. In its old age it did bring me safely back and forth to Vancouver in October 2021 (there) and June 2022 (back)...