De Vredestuin

Or rather: the Peace Garden.

A week ago i walked home from the Central Station. Passing the garden, i saw some people working. I leaned on the railing and watched for a while. One of the guys working waved at me. I decided to go down and talk for a bit.

It turned out the garden is connected to the Gandhigarden. The last time i went there is over a year ago. Some people from the Peace Garden also work at the Gandhi. The Peace Garden has a more open layout and is very close to the centre of the city. The Hofplein, the Coolsingel, the Weena are all very close to this park, along the side of the train.

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Last Friday i went there for the first time. I helped out planting seeds. I took home some spinach, lettuce and parsnips. This evening i cooked the spinach, boiled some potatoes and had some cottage cheese. Good.

Today, Sunday, it was a lot colder. I arrived there around a two fifteen. Some people were walking around and looking at the plants. They turned out to be German visitors. We talked a bit and i explained what the purpose is of the garden, that it is a communal garden and yes, freely accessible.

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Today i had some vegetable waste with me for the compost heap. Lat Friday i was told paper waste is good: egg boxes, toilet paper inner rolls and such. Egg shells are good too. When i went to the compost box to turn it in, i got a bit of a shock by the rat running around in the heap and desperately trying to find a way out. I walked back to the small sitting area, where three other people were sitting. We all had stare at the rat. I was sorry to see him so scared. We did try to get him out, but he dived under the compost. Later on another person arrived. He wasn’t surprised by it.

It was cold. Or as i called it, fresh. But still, around three, three thirty we were working weeding the place. I had already given the seedlings a bit of water. I got a bit of explanation about the different sort of weeds there are: some bad, some good, some very bad. I took out a couple of weeds.

I’ll be going there more. I do like to learn more about gardening, the weeds, where to plant different vegetables. I had seen a layout on paper with names of the vegetables on them last Friday. I do know you need to switch them around. But i have no idea what vegetable uses what nutrient, what vegetables go well together. I wouldn’t know where to start if i had my own garden. Well.. ok… that is not right. I would start with herbs and some vegetables i really enjoy. I would start slow.

But, this year i will plant some herbs on my one square meter balcony. Once the railing is on there. I don’t think i have talked about this: my balcony is closed because there is work being done to it. The railing is gone and we will get new ones soon. I hope.

Some photos of the Vredestuin. It is still early in the year. But left over from last year some leeks, parsnips. Also lettuce, chard to be harvested. Newly planted are around 3 rows of potatoes. Many onions. There are also some wild garlic plants in the garden. One guy showed me them. He gave me a leaf to eat. It tasted great!

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Published on April 25, 2016 at 6:00 by

Prince, 7 June 1958 – 21 April 2016

Purple Rain
I never meant to cause you any sorrow
I never meant to cause you any pain
I only wanted to one time to see you laughing
I only wanted to see you
Laughing in the purple rain

Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
I only wanted to see you
Bathing in the purple rain

I never wanted to be your weekend lover
I only wanted to be some kind of friend
Baby, I could never steal you from another
It’s such a shame our friendship had to end

Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
I only wanted to see you
Underneath the purple rain

Honey, I know, I know
I know times are changing
It’s time we all reach out
For something new, that means you too

You say you want a leader
But you can’t seem to make up your mind
I think you better close it
And let me guide you to the purple rain

Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
If you know what I’m singing about up here
C’mon, raise your hand

Purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you
Only want to see you
In the purple rain

Purple Rain

Cream

I Wanna Be Your Lover – 01/30/82 – Capitol Theatre

Prince Purple Rain Live 1983 at First Avenue in Minneapolis

Published on April 22, 2016 at 6:00 by

Staatsieportretten

Yesterday was a fruitful day, to say the least. I started with the gems over the weekend, went into the Dutch royal family and touched on official portraits. There is a Dutch word for this: staatsieportret.

Een staatsieportret is een plechtig portret van een persoon in functie, vaak een hoogwaardigheidsbekleder (maar niet noodzakelijk) en vaak met bijbehorende tekenen van die macht en waardigheid.

Staatsie is waarschijnlijk een versmelting van het aan het Frans ontleende stage (‘verhoging’), en staat in de betekenis ‘vertoon’, ‘praal’, ‘pracht’, ‘luister’.[1]

Staatsieportretten kunnen worden geschilderd, getekend of gefotografeerd; de persoon die wordt afgebeeld neemt hiervoor een houding aan die gezag uitstraalt of door symboliek tot uitdrukking brengt, bijvoorbeeld met regalia, eretekens of triumphalia.

I was surprised that there isn’t a proper English translation for this Dutch word. Portret is Dutch for the English word portrait, obviously. Staatsie has more different meanings. One is the French word stage which means about the same as the English word: elevation. It also denotes grandure, magnificence, splendour, state, present. The closest i could find in the dictionary is official portrait. This is not a proper translation. It’s a combination of two words, a lot more general than the Dutch staatsieportret.

I searched. Starting with the Dutch ones: the Queens Wilhelmina, Juliana, Beatrix and Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The photo at the top of this post is from Rineke Dijkstra, a photographer who became known by her Beach Portraits (1992). This photo is very severe. There is a hint of sdness in Willem Alexander’s face. His clothes do point at the Dutch flag: red, white and blue.

Queen Elizabeth II, Obama, Clinton, Putin and Mao close of this list. The Mao picture is extremely forceful and very recognizable. It is noticeable that no man smiles and some women do smile. I don’t like the smiles. These portraits are tokens of state. A smile doesn’t seem in the right place there.

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Queen Wilhelmina. With a tiara, necklace, brooch,
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Queen Juliana, fully robed in the official Kingsmantle, with the Dutch crown, orb and sceptre
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Queen Beatrix, also wearing the Kingsmantle
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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The king wears the Kingsmantle. Queen Maxima wears a dress designed by Jan Taminiau.
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Queen Elizabeth II photographed by Cecil Beaton with the Kingsmantle, crown, sceptre and orb.
inbetween Official portrait of President-elect Barack Obama on Jan. 13, 2009. (Photo by Pete Souza)
Barack Obama
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Michelle Obama
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Bill Clinton painting
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Vladimir Putin. I did search for other photographs. This image has such a presence though.
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Mao. Extremely basic. His shirt, grey and closed on top. The hair slightly wider towards the sides with a receding hairline. His face full, looking calmly towards you.
Published on April 21, 2016 at 6:00 by

The most expensive jewelry in the world

Last week i read something about a pink diamond being auctioned for the most expensive price for a jewel ever. To be honest, i couldn’t find the piece again. I did find articles about one sold in 2013, 13 November.

I have no intimate knowledge of gems and their cuts. Or jewels rather. I never really payed any attention. But over the past few weeks i’ve been doing some searches for expensive and rare gems and jewels.

I do suspect that the most expensive jewelry is in the royal collections of the UK, the Netherlands, the old Russia Romanov family, the Iranian Royal Jewels, Asian royals, and many many more.

For now, i want to focus on jewelry actually being sold. Some jewels are focused on a single gem, others use a multitude of gems in a composition.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23:  A Cartier onyx and diamond panther bracelet from 1952 estimated at £1,000,000 - £1,500,00 is displayed at Sotheby's
Wallis Simpson Panther Bracelet – $12.4 Million. A Cartier created bracelet in the form of a panther. The panther's body is composed of diamonds and onyx. Two specially cut emeralds make its eyes.
emerald-diamond-tiara
Emerald and Diamond Tiara – $12.7 Million. In weight alone, the eleven rare Columbian pear-shaped emeralds come in at 500 carats.
A Sotheby's employee poses for pictures with the Graff Vivid Yellow
Graff Vivid Yellow – $16.3 Million. A 100 carat yellow diamond mounted in gold with diamonds on the band.
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The Blue Belle of Asia – $17.3 Million. A cushion shaped sapphire weighing in a little over 392.5 carats. A diamond covered gold neckchain and tassels make the necklace.
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The Hutton-Mdivani Jadeite Necklace – $27.4 million. The necklace is composed of 27 emerald green jadeite beads. The finishing touch is provided by a ruby, diamond, platinum and gold clasp to secure the necklace around the wearer’s neck.
LIncomparable-Diamond-Necklace
L’Incomparable Diamond Necklace – $55 Million. The L’Incomparable Diamond Necklace is the most valuable necklace in the world and features the world’s largest internally flawless diamond, the 407.48-carat Incomparable diamond. Complementing the massive yellow diamond are 230 carats worth of smaller diamonds.
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The Pink Star - $72 Million. The gem is a pink diamond of 59.60 carat. It was mined in 1999 in South Africa.
Published on April 20, 2016 at 6:00 by

Hummus and pita bread

Last week i bought dried chickpeas and tahini at the supermarket. It is hummus time! Tahini is a made from sesame seeds. I know, i could make this myself as well, but man, i just want the hummus. So i bought it. The chickpeas i bought dry. A new thing for me. I usually buy chickpeas in a tin, already cooked. But it is a lot cheaper to cook the chickpeas yourself.

Ingredients hummus

  • 200g chickpeas
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves, or 1 big one
  • salt
  • 100ml tahini
  • 4 tbsp water or cooking liquid from the chickpeas
  • 1 tsp paprika

After soaking and cooking the chickpeas most work was done. Well, apart from skinning the chickpeas. When i got the chickpeas out of the cooking liquid, i rubbed them with some kitchen paper. The white transparent skins do come off rather easily. Most were removed by the rubbing, some i had to squeeze out. Since they were well cooked, they usually just slipped out. A few more rubbings and removing of the skins later and they were all clean and tidy in the small food processor.

chickpea-cooked

I added one big garlic clove, the juice of one lemon, three serving spoons of tahini, one teaspoon of salt and paprika. I blended this for around a minute or two. After that i added two serving spoons of the cooking liquid. I blended a minute more.

I tasted the hummus. The tahini came through great. I like the taste of the sesame seeds. I realized then i had forgotten the olive oil. But it was fine, i will add the olive oil when i serve it together with the pita bread.

hummus

Pita bread i usually buy. Today i thought about what i will be eating. I still have the roasted vegetables in the fridge, but they can stay good until tomorrow. I was planning on making the hummus this week anyway, so then my mind turned to pita bread. I do have all the ingredients in house to make, so why not. First i planned to make half a recipe, but then i read that you can keep the dough in the fridge for about a week.

I used this recipe from the kitchn.

Ingredients pita bread

  • 240 ml water (not hot or boiling)
  • 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
  • 310 gr flour, i used wholemeal
  • 60 gr flour for the kneading
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1-2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)

Preparing the dough is a basic bread recipe. Add the yeast to the water and let it rest for five minutes. Weigh the flour and add the salt. After the five minutes add the flour to the water, add the oil and mix it all together. Take the dough out of the bowl, use some extra flour and knead for around 7-10 minutes. I always have some music on, so that is around three to four songs. Clean the bowl, add a bit of oil, then the dough and set it at a warm space and leave it for an hour or two.

I made the hummus in the meantime and let that rest until dinner time.

Around fifteen minutes before the rising is finished, turn on your oven to around 230ºC. Make sure to heat up a large baking sheet in the oven. You will need the heat. You may also use a cooking pan (read about that on the kitchn website). When the rising is done, get the dough out of the bowl and slightly deflate it. Now is the time to put the part you won’t be using yet in the fridge. I put in two thirds. From the other third i made three small balls and rolled them out with a bit of flour beneath them. You need to bake the breads for around three minutes.

Since this was my first time making the pita bread, only two puffed up. In the recipe it says that if this happens the oven or skillet is not hot enough. It also says you can still eat them, especially in pieces with hummus. Since this was exactly my recipe, i didn’t bother that much. The taste was good anyway.

I did eat two pita breads and enough hummus to dip each bit in. A bit of oil and some flat parsley added. I kept one pita to have an hour later with an avocado. Half.

Yum 🙂

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Published on April 19, 2016 at 6:00 by

I’m Not In Love

I remember this song, I’m Not In Love. Written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman from 10cc. I was eleven years old. I thought Eric Stewart was cute. The song was dreamy. Otherworldly. I never bought the single.

10cc is not a favourite band of mine. I remember Wall Street Shuffle better. But i did add I’m Not In Love to my MIX tapes on Spotify like six years ago. Only this month i added Wall Street Shuffle to it as well.

I did watch the BBC documentary this afternoon, linked at the end of this post. So yeah, i know a lot more! The division, apparent from the start: Stewart and Gouldman on the pop side, Godley and Creme on the art side. They had a few years of working together happily.

This song has grown on me over the years. I love the voices layered over each other and making the music. Wonderful song.

Enjoy!

I’m Not In Love – 10CC
I’m not in love, so don’t forget it
It’s just a silly phase I’m going through
And just because I call you up
Don’t get me wrong, don’t think you’ve got it made

I’m not in love, no-no
(It’s because)

I like to see you, but then again
That doesn’t mean you mean that much to me
So if I call you, don’t make a fuss
Don’t tell your friends about the two of us

I’m not in love, no-no
(It’s because)

Be quiet, big boys don’t cry
Big boys don’t cry
Big boys don’t cry
Big boys don’t cry
Big boys don’t cry
Big boys don’t cry
Big boys don’t cry

I keep your picture upon the wall
It hides a nasty stain that’s lyin’ there
So don’t you ask me to give it back
I know you know it doesn’t mean that much to me

I’m not in love, no-no
(It’s because)

Ooh, you’ll wait a long time for me
Ooh, you’ll wait a long time
Ooh, you’ll wait a long time for me
Ooh, you’ll wait a long time

I’m not in love, so don’t forget it
It’s just a silly phase I’m going through
And just because I call you up
Don’t get me wrong, don’t think you’ve got it made, ooh

I’m not in love
I’m not in love

A clip from the 70s

A Toppop recording, my favourite Dutch music show in the 70s
No idea who the other people in this clip are, why they are there. Weird.

I’m Not In Love : the story of 10cc

Published on April 18, 2016 at 6:00 by

Art

It is hard to write an introduction for pages which do not exist yet. Usually these pages of a book are written last, when the contents of the book are known. It is the place where the reader is given an clue of what to expect, the place where acknowledgements are made. Only rarely do i read those pages thoroughly myself. I skip to the contents, the index and the bibliography. You might wanna do the same thing, so i can indulge myself here a little further.

It is hard to write an introduction to pages which do not yet exist. I did set out some guidelines for myself though. I will try to think of these pages as a public diary, a sketchbook. This will give me some freedom, not everything i do needs to be ‘perfect’ and ‘planned’. Ofcourse this is only to help myself, i am a terrible control freak, often prone to a paralysing doubt about what i do and its value. I actually thought i had given up my work for good; i had found a nice job where i feel happy enough, but quite suddenly i felt the need to rethink my old work, which i made when i was at artschool (’86-’91). The idea of combining my old work and the internet breathed new life in it. For a couple of months i was thinking about this new work. The main reason i would like this to be a sketchbook is that i realise i have to start making things. Its been quite some time since i’ve really worked and i know i have to go through the first disasters before i can come up with some quality – i hope. The internet is a nice fluid medium, where pages can appear and disappear in no time.

I am not sure how these pages will develop, i don’t know how frequent the updates will be. It might be less than i anticipate at this moment. Maybe, when you read this somewhere in the future, you will know more than i do now. Maybe than, where there is nothing now, there will be something for you to discover.

This text was published on 1 July 1997 on www.luna.nl/~ellen. In 1999 i moved my website to lfs.nl.

Looking back on my time spend working on lfs.nl, calling it a sketchbook was a good thing. Liberating. I could take breaks, days or weeks long. I could do anything i wanted.

I remember thinking that i would end it, someday. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know when. When i stopped, in 2006, i knew it wasn’t ended yet. The present i made in 2009, To do’s, was an impossible present in which i tried to get back to work. It failed.

In 2014 i simply started again. Making canvas presents. Writing. Making photos. Like i had never stopped. And then, in January 2015, i got the idea of making an about page.

Then the thought came up: this will be the last present.

I knew it. The moment i thought that, i knew it.

It took me a week to write the about page. The perfect ending. Not that what i wrote was all wisdom, hell no. But it fitted the sketchbook idea. It fitted with me, at that time. I had no idea what i was going to do next.

I didn’t know that in two weeks time i would start a blog. On ellenpronk.com. A domain i had registered years before. For which i had made several designs, none worked out. A domain i used for my work. Several subdomains of work for clients. Now, in two weeks, i had made a design and worked out the theme, started with a Blank WordPress Theme.

I knew i would post five updates a week. I loved making the Beauty posts, Food, Rotterdam. In summer i added a few more categories: My story, Songs. And finally Video Clips.

These clips are special to me. I loved how they came from my walks outside. I loved choosing the music for them.

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In 1991 i finished art school. My final work were my selfportraits with the text Feel Me Fuck Me Free Me.

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I really had no idea why i had made this. I remember having a halfway exhibition at art school with much more modest photos and texts. Comments from other people got me to try to be bolder and more in your face.

In the years after this i had a small assignment, an exhibition in Breda at Lokaal 01. But it wasn’t working. Not for me. I didn’t know what my work was about, why i made it. I was throwing things in the dark.

So when i found the chance to get a job, at a printer, i took it. One weekend of thinking about this and yes, i went for it. At least i was earning my own keep. And learning things. Living regularly, working with other people. We made a cd for Christmas one year, which was great. All songs written by colleagues. All instruments played by colleagues. Wonderful.

After five years i was done with it. I simply couldn’t continue. I stopped. I gave a great party, the Party of a Millennium. And i started a much more quiet job at a small design firm in Rotterdam.

Nine months after that i went to London. I actually got a job through my website. Which was a dream coming true. Well, i hoped it would be. The company went bust after around 6 months. But it also didn’t go that well. There was hardly any work. I was let go before the others. They extended my trial period. I did worry about that a bit. And yes, after two weeks i had the talk. Bye bye.

I got some small jobs in London. After a year or two i was back at the design company in Rotterdam.

I felt i had failed, to be honest.

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I had only stopped making things for a couple of years. In 1997 i started making things for online. I didn’t call it art. I was simply enjoying myself. Flash was my first great discovery. I loved it! April 2000 i made Dream, which generated many visitors and responses.

I’m not sure why i stopped making presents in 2006. I had been going on for nine years. I could have stopped it then. I didn’t. I felt empty. No ideas were coming up. I had this to do list in 2009. Some of these to do’s i haven’t even done now. Five years of silence followed.

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So here i am, on 14 April 2016.

This website, this blog, i love. The past year, five days a week, i made a post. I publish each post at 6:00 in the morning. This means i do most of the work the day before. I like it. It gives me a bit of time to think, a bit of time to reread, a bit of time to let it settle down. Not all posts are equally good. Like this week, View is a weak one. But that is fine.

So what do i want?

I could go back to work. It is not that bad. I make enough money that way.

But that is not what i want.

I love the walks. Around Rotterdam, on the beach, through the park. I love the talks with people i do not know. I love the smiles, the saying hello.

Right now my life is bare. A lot of time for myself. A lot of time to waste.

What do i want?

I wrote about my choice in life: a public life or a private life.

Then, exactly a year ago, i picked a public life. In my life since then nothing much has changed. Well, a few things have. I don’t have my old drawings anymore. That i actually gave them away is a big thing for me.

I still pick a public life. It is not that i want to become famous. That is more a byproduct. I want to meet people, talk with them, look at them, listen to them. I actually would love to travel a bit more. So far that has been low on my wish list. But i would love to see the world, get to know it a bit better. And talk about that here, on ellenpronk.com. As i already do now, but on a smaller scale.

I feel i am getting ready. A bit more. Not that i am perfectly quiet and still and prepared. It is more that i am less afraid. More curious. It is like, i was never that interested in the outside world before. I was just happy doing my own thing. I can still be like that. But i am more aware of what is going on outside. I’m not always right, but i do like to think and look and speak.

So is this art?

Most of the things i make can not be sold. Most of the things i make can not be owned by a single person. Some could be, i guess, but i will not sell them. So i do have to find a way to make a living, to earn money.

I could be a table lady at De wereld draait door.

I could have an article published in a newspaper.

Those two things have been on my mind this past year. I expect more will come to me soon. Hopefully.

I don’t know if this is art.

My favourite Dutch artist is Katinka Simonse, Tinkebell. She is couragous. Outspoken. Outgoing. Actually, she is all the things i would love to be.

I do need to find my own thing.

Well, i did find the songs and the video clips. I love love to make them. Especially the video clips. Wonderful.

I need to make some steps into the world.

I really really do.

Published on April 15, 2016 at 6:00 by

Carrot cake

Carrot cake is one of my favourite cakes. In the medieval period it was common to use sweet vegetables for desserts. In those days sugar was a rare ingredient. Only in the 18th century sugar became more available.

These days carrot cake is popular. In the United Kingdom it is voted to be the favourite cake of all, in 2011 for the Radio Times. Most likely this revival of carrot cake started in the Second World War with the rationing in the UK.

I used the following recipe from the BBC website for a classic carrot cake.

Ingredients carrot cake

  • 450ml vegetable oil
  • 400g plain flour
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 550g sugar
  • 5 free-range eggs
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 525g carrots, grated
  • 150g shelled walnuts, chopped
  • currants

Ingredients icing

  • 200g cream cheese
  • 150g caster sugar / powder sugar
  • 100g butter, softened

I did make a mistake and added the sugar to the dry ingredients. When i just reread other recipes, it was more common to add the sugar to the wet ingredients. Other than that, this is simply mixing all the ingredients together, apart from the carrots and the walnuts. These are added when all the other ingredients are thoroughly mixed. The ingredients for the icing are simply mixed too. Start slowly with this, as the powdered sugar wafts up lots.

I baked two cakes with this mixture. A loaf shape and a round cake mix. The loaf i will take to my mum when i go and see her this Friday. I put the icing in a seperate box for her, this will keep the cake fresh for a longer time.

The use of oil and the carrots gives a moist cake. This also means the cake can be preserved for longer times than other cakes. I looked it up: seven days in the fridge, two days at room temperature. In the freezer up to 6 months. But really, who would want to keep it for so long!

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All the ingredients for the carrot cake
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The dry stuff and the wet stuff
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Dry and wet mixed together
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I had a slice of the cake while it was still warm. Since i plan to keep the cake for a couple of days in the fridge, i saved the icing separate in a plastic box
Published on April 14, 2016 at 6:00 by

My day

11 April 21:01
I’ll be updating this post during the day. I’m writing this the evening before. I will also schedule this post to go public tomorrow morning at 6am. As i do every working day. Nothing new there.

Enjoy!

12 April 9:53

Breakfast

A photo posted by Ellen Pronk (@ellenlfs) on

12:00
Mornings are a slow time for me. I did get out of bed around 7:30, gave the cats some food, went to the toilet. After that i went straight back to bed. I did go my rss feeds, but quickly i put aside my iPad and fell asleep. With Mieke, the little black and white cat, sleeping on the bed.

I got out at 9:15. Boiled an egg, cleaned up the catty litter box. Ate my breakfast. I sat behind the computer and went through facebook and twitter. Nothing much is happening. I read again an article from Trouw about psychologist Zimbardo, ‘Iedereen is een held in opleiding’. I do recognize bits of myself in here: how i walk through the city, looking at other people, trying to say hello or goodday as much as possible. Talk to other people as much as i can. A week ago, when i was looking at the archeologists working at the church, a man walked past and looked as well. We started to talk. He was still fit, looked great for his age, 87. He enjoyed talking. Most people do, it’s rare that i talk. But i did meet a man, also last week, who asked me questions. If i had sisters or brothers. How i felt. We shaked hands. He gave me one euro. I laughed. I wasn’t asking, but he still gave it. I remember the man in the supermarket i started talking to. And the little kiss on the cheek i gave him. I was a bit surprised after that, by myself.

I opened up warcraft. I been playing on a private server, the Rebirth. The past week has been hectic. Another private server, a much larger one, Nostalrius, had to close down Sunday 10 April, since they had a cease-and-desist order from Blizzard. The Rebirth only got a small portion of Nostalrius players, but it still means the population has grown around six times over. When i logged into the game this morning, there were around 250 players on alliance side. Usually, on a weekday morning, there are around ten or twenty players online. Global is filled with chat. There are some griefers back too, but on the whole it’s been a blessing to have so many new people in the game. A breath of fresh air.

I did do a Stockade’s run in a level appropriate run. It used to be so hard to find a group of people wanting to do a dungeon run. Now it’s like a field day. Loving it as long as it lasts.

Going to the market soon. Get some food in the house.

14:32
Ooh man, i got money back from my taxes over 2013. I just opened the letters i got from the tax service. I had to look if i had to pay back or receive. Hard to see. Then i checked my bank and wow! i got it back!

17:41
Right now cooking a officially named Saffron and Broad bean paella. No saffron, no dry sherry. But i did add fennel, a bell pepper, a hot pepper and french beans. Enough for two days. I have blanched the broad beans for a minute or so and removed the skins. They are all fresh and green now waiting for the paella to be finished.

I’m already thinking about tomorrow’s post. No idea! Hmmm. Still enough time.

20:24
Tomorrows post is done!

Turns out today was a really average day. Well, apart from the money i got back from the tax office. That made me really happy. Still does. I still need to be careful, but wow, such an unexpected surprise.

Lets just see how it goes tomorrow. I do want to work on a new video clip. Not sure i have enough clips for it. It is a long song i’m using, 7 or 8 minutes. Not sure i will get it done tomorrow.

I also want to write more on my post about my art background. Started weeks ago. I have thought about it, but nothing definite. I know i could write it in the time i have, but not sure this week it’ll be ready in my mind.

I’m gonna watch a bit more tv now. Nothing too exciting. Snowwhite, with Julia Roberts and Lily Collins is on. At 9pm its Bake off: Creme de la Creme. Not sure which one i’ll be watching. I’m going to bed quite early. Like to anyway.

I hope you will enjoy your evening. Where ever you are.

*kiss*

21:27
I started watching the Snowwhite movie. I had already seen it. It’s a bit.. well, i don’t really like it that much. So i switched to the Bake Off series. Also not my favourite. But, it did get me thinking. Of baking something tomorrow. Something sweet. To treat myself. Yay! Nothing too hard, and something that stay good for a while. A cake! So i did a quick search. A New York cheesecake. Hmmm… too much filling. A lemon cake with icing! That sounds good. A carrot cake. Ooh yummy. With the cream cheese frosting. I might pick one from Joy of Baking. Well, i got tomorrow to pick my recipe.

Carrot cake does sound good. Or chocolate!

I don’t know yet. Tomorrow!

Published on April 12, 2016 at 6:00 by