So many times we stood together in the choir.
She at one side, and my best friend at the other side.

We were young first sopranos and we could handle the rest of the choir and the world.

There were days that the empty corridors of the school harboured our voices after a choirrehearsel.

The resounding walls heard our improvised close harmony variations on the songs we'd just enjoyed and not seldom the conductor got a surprise during a performance because we made a perfect fit between our improvisations and the choir.

How secure we felt during those hours, and how happy.

Outside those wonderful hours we were ordinairy schoolgirls, students and later mothers.



We saw each other again even before the school reunion.
ofcourse at the rehearsal of the reunion choir.

We shifted places as long as needed to stand beside each other.
She in the middle of the choir.

Her life had made her feel very secure and the happy look in her eyes made everybody smile.

We were so pleased to be together again that we made plans to sing again .... "when the children are a bit older".

I met her husband and children. And recognised myself in her reactions.

And we sang.
Beside me I heard her full soprano merging with my voice.
We didn't dare to improvise during the reunion service, but, unseen for others, we shared our emotions.

When I saw my old dear friend among the people my voice got clouded by tears and I had to keep silent for a minute. She pushed me with her arm and gave me a wink.

Not much later she went silent and took a paper hankie our of my bag to take her tears away.

After the service, when we took our things we talked about hoe surprised we'd been by the deep emotions we felt.
For a while we stood with our backs to the world, just being in each others present, sharing unworded emotions.
Then we hugged and laughed and had to share all those stories

The day she died abroad I was thinking about her. Cried without knowing why. And asked myself when we would see each other again.

We'll never see each other again.


She was as old as I am and her life was very fulfilling
Many people will miss her.

A feeling that something is wrong pushed its way into my thought.
It's not fair: ... her husband... her children...
She could have done so much more if only she'd been given more time.

I even feel guilty because I'm outliving her.


Now the circle of friends of the old days is broken.
I'll never anymore hear her firm voice beside me.
Never see her smile and hear her light laugh.

In me is a hug that isn't ended.


Dear M.
I know you won't rest in peace,
because you'll go on smiling and talking
and being there for others.

The memories of special moments
will always stay with me,
and at times I'll sing songs with your memory.

I miss you!!!

Another month passed.

Hell, time has a characteristic of disappearing too fast.
Not when you're in the middle of it, but when it's gone.

We've had a strange month.
A couple of days ago we even had to switch on the lights in the middle of the day.
It was dark and grey.
We were supposed to have lots of rain, and we had three drops...well, maybe four.... or two.

And when we should have a dry day according to the forecast, we were nearly flooded.

One of the boys went abroad and he came back all in one piece and full of stories.
He's had the best of times and even brought home very nice souveniers.

Because he wanted to work on a farm nearby the first monday after his trip, we arranged he could work there.
At first the farner told he would call back, but J. said: why not try?
Saves you remembering to call and us to wait for it.

So he went that monday. Still tired...

Chapeau... he came back rather late, but proud he made it through the day.
Luckily I'd told him he would be tested, and yea, that farmer had him work all day...alone.
So he didn't even get a break...

I nearly phoned the man... I don't like slave labour.

But the next day he worked with the other people on the farm, did different things, was back at a reasonable time and has proper breaks.

The people there taked a strange language.
"Just ask", I told him.

Well, I guess he didn't learn much at school. He had french and didn't even recognise it! LOL!

At the end of the week he got his pay and went almost straight into the shops to materialise his wishes... one of those games... dunno how to call it and I'm not interested.
It just makes me completely crasy with the click-cklick click.

The other son wanted to work there too.... no place for him.
So he only works thursday evenings and sneeks behind that gamesthing first thing in the morning he's awake.

I'm not looking at him all day, so when the owner of the game comes in I can honestly say I haven't seen anybody there.


---

The girls had a sleep in with a friend.
In a tent in the backgarden.

One of the girls didn't like it at all... not after an evening full of spooky stories and spotting a large spider.
I guess she has my genes. I like spooky stories, but I don't like spiders.

They had a better time with the neighbouring lady.

She lives alone and often needs to host people who visit the place she works.
She doesn't mind. It's company.

Each year we get her apples to make pies and more, because she doesn't like the idea there might be animal protein in it. LOL!
Well, not every hole keeps a worm, so We're glad with it.
It's a nice continuation of a tradition.

I planted the tree many years ago, with the promise from the friend who lived there that I would get the apples each year in exchange for an applepie.
I only missed one year because some strange foreigners lived there.
I know a little portuguese, but they spoke it with such an accent and so very fast....

Well, the present neighbour asked for a loan.
"A Loan??"

Turned out she wanted to have the girls for a day to take them to an attraction parc.
So we all sat around her table and they made a wise decision: the dolphin parc.

They've had such a great time there.
Came home late, but weher so happy.
And..I didn't worry a bit.

I did when one of the girls went with a friend and her mother to Amsterdam.
We had problems a few days before, when my daughter came home after playing with clothes.
She looked like a hooker and I felt very uneasy about that.
So I send her back to get into her own clothes immediately and went to that mother trying to make clear this was way over the border.

She didn't understand a bit of what I said, I guess.
"She looked nice and sexy."
"No need to look sexy when you're 9."

She's 9!!!!!! Not nineteen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And when she looks like that wehn she's nineteen I'm sure I'll pour a tin of acrylic paint all over her, so she's nmot able to show herself to the world untill it has eroded from her skin. LOL!

I'm no nun, but I have eyes....

So that mother took my daughter with her to a friend in Amsterdam to play with the children.
Under strict instructions: no change of clothes and no painting of the face.

The kids had a great time, as the weather was sunny and it was not too hot, for a change.
They played all day, had pancakes and vegetables and a lot of fun.
After dinner another friend of the woman showed up, so they started to talk and when they finally left it was way too late.

She arrived home...

at half past eleven!!!!!

Well, she arrived home in one piece.

---

Nothing much more this month that is worth mentioning.
Apart from loads of rain we also had a few far too hot and dry days.
The climate is changing, that's for sure!!!!!!!!


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