17 November 2012

Sinterklaas kapoentje...


We're already halfway through November! Where has the time gone?! Today is already the 17th of November and while for many people, today is just a regular Saturday, for a lot of Dutch people (and maybe a fair few Canadians, New Zealanders, Australians, South Africans...) today is a special day: Sinterklaas has once again set foot on Dutch soil!

Sinterklaas is my favourite holiday. It may have something to do with my father playing Sinterklaas a lot for schools and offices when I was younger, so we had a lot of Sinterklaas-related activity going on in the house during the second half of November. But it's also because it's such a laid-back holiday: on the 5th of December, Sinterklaas-evening, we have a nice, simple meal (usually soup and sandwiches), then gather up on the couch and unwrap gifts and drink hot coco and eat a bucketload of candy. There's no pressure to cook massive dinners, or dress up in your nicest clothes, or having to invite the whole family over, nope, the more junk and wrapping paper and packing peanuts gathered around the living room at the end of the night, the better!

When we were younger, my dad made a whole thing out of Sinterklaas-evening. I remember once, that we got one gift, with a little note inside that sent us on a scavenger hunt all over the house, tracking down the big bag of presents that we eventually found hanging from my parents' bedroom window. Nowadays, we draw names and buy presents for that person, accompany it with a little rhyme and some treats, and spend the evening eating until we explode while people unwrap their presents. I can't wait! I have just put my name in the hat (which is digital, nowadays, because we haven't been able to get all 8 people together to do the draw...). 

Sinterklaas is not really a holiday to decorate for, even though I quite enjoy the shop displays around this time of year. But, because I was bored, and in the mood for silly crochet, I made a small Sinterklaas-decoration.


He's my personal little Sinterklaas! Complete with his big white beard, and his red mitre with a big yellow cross on the front...

his big red book with the big yellow cross on the front that contains all the names of all the children and whether they have been naughty or nice (because you only get presents when you've been nice. When you have been naughty, you get a lump of coal. And if you have been really, really naughty, you will be stuffed in Black Peter's bag and taken back to Spain. Which, to me, never sounded like that much of a punishment.)...

and he's got his golden staff in his hand! Which, in this case, is my stainless steel crochet hook, because I was out of copper wire.But hey, at least this way, I'll always know where it is!

I think he's going to be the perfect little desk companion to keep me company until Sinterklaas-evening. And with only two weeks to go to draw names, buy presents, think of a rhyme, and maybe think of how I'm going to wrap it all up, I'd best get cracking!

1 November 2012

Birds behaving badly


When I was taking pictures of myself in a chicken leg hat and looking nice and ridiculous, I had an audience: two fluffy bundles of bouncing curiosity. I poked my camera into the cage for some random bird pics and, to my surprise... They weren't afraid of the camera anymore! In fact...


These cuties were hopping up on my hand to get a closer view of the camera! Curious little buggers! Being adorable and everything!

Of course, I knew it wouldn't last for long...



Dun-DUN! Dun-DUN! Dun-DUN-Dun-DUN-Dundundundundundundundun....


RAWR!