Sinterklaasje, kom maar binnen

The Dutch have a different set of December celebrations to us Aussies. They seperate the religious celebration of Christmas from the ‘Santa Claus’ celebration. Of course, they don’t have Santa Claus. They have Sinterklaas, on whom Santa Claus was based. Every December, Sinterklaas comes to the Netherlands from Spain, by steamboat. He mounts his trusty… Continue reading Sinterklaasje, kom maar binnen

How I got started

The first computer I ever used was a Vector Graphics Vector 3 which ran CP/M. My Dad brought it home when I was six years old and I became immediately enamoured of this device for two reasons: it had a space game; and to load the game you had to enter “boot floppy” at the… Continue reading How I got started

The lawn – it matters

You can tell that Summer is almost here when the grass starts to grow. Last mown in April, the lawn lay dormant throughout Winter and sprung* to life in September, requiring a thorough mowing by mid-October. Not even four weeks later and the grass is overgrown and badly needs a mow. Weather permitting this will… Continue reading The lawn – it matters

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Kip and I watched The Passion of the Christ last night. I am not a Christian, although I went to a Christian school and so knew the story. Despite my lack of faith, the film moved me. I hear people say that some disturbing thing ‘sickens’ them, and always thought it was a figure of… Continue reading Untitled

Mango bonanza

We have seven mango trees in our yard, and last summer one of them produced about 40 mangoes, none of the other trees produced fruit. The mangoes were delicious, and as they were ripened on the tree they were sweeter than store-bought mangoes. The bats certainly seemed to like them 🙂 It is Spring again… Continue reading Mango bonanza

Dutch Delights

My recent posts concerning the Netherlands have prompted Bea into action, and on Friday I received a parcel in the mail, containing treats and presents. The treats were Chocolade Kruid Noten mix and Gevulde Speculaas. The kruid noten are chocolate covered spiced biscuits which remind me of a Mint Slice without the mint. They are… Continue reading Dutch Delights