Harry Potter

It was Christmas time in the year 2000. At that time i was living in London. I was all by myself in the shared apartment, the other people living there were back home to celebrate Christmas with their families.

I had just bought the first four books of the Harry Potter series. I remember lying on my bed reading these books, completely enchanted.

Over the next few years i bought the new books straightaway after they had come out. I loved diving into each new book and read the new story written with such fun and dedication. I remember buying the latest book for my niece. She loved the books as well.

I have been re-reading the books over the years. The last time i read the books was earlier this year.

I love the films as well. The last two weeks i have been watching all the films once again. Each time i see them, i can see them more clearly with more attention for all the details. The final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 i watched yesterday morning.

Until now each time i watched the movies, something new strikes me. It is like the story takes me away with it so i don’t notice all the little details of it. Yesterday i noticed the stone of resurrection very particularly, just before Harry met Voldemort in the forest and was killed. I did notice it before, of course, but i never really thought about it. I love to be swept away by the story. To my own detriment.

I do realize there are many criticisms to these books. Today i read the wikipedia page for Harry Potter, and yes, quite a few people have expressed dislike for certain aspects of the stories. A.S Byatt says: “secondary secondary world, made up of intelligently patchworked derivative motifs from all sorts of children’s literature … written for people whose imaginative lives are confined to TV cartoons, and the exaggerated (more exciting, not threatening) mirror-worlds of soaps, reality TV and celebrity gossip.” I understand this. But this is also exactly why i like the books. They are so close to our own world. There is of course no magic in our world, but on the other hand, there are still many wondrous landscapes and mountains and forests and buildings and animals and people in our world. And i know i could never have written stories like the Harry Potter stories. And they do get their inspiration from all over the place, yes, but it is still a wonderfully thought out travel through the teenager years.

So yes, i love the Harry Potter books and movies.

Published on August 9, 2019 at 6:00 by
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Working hard in the garden

Around half past one i went out of my house and started my walk up to the garden. First i emptied my old paper bag in the special bin for paper. Then a few raindrops. Which only lasted for a minute or so. My head was still filled with the final Harry Potter movie i watched in the morning.

At the garden we first drank coffee and tea. Then we spread out. I went to the greenhouse and looked after the tomatoes. They were really heavy. I cut off some of the lower branches. After that i went out of the greenhouse and started cutting bits of plants besides the paths.

After this i started helping the others. I got out burdock root which grew over the path. Nasty pieces of burr got stock in my hair. Large roots which made me dig deep below the plant. I got them out though.

We harvested our first potatoes. I couldn’t resist taking some home with me. Yum! I seeded rocket and radishes in the space between the potatoes. Some more people arrived. We picked french beans, elderflower berries, red currants, lettuce, apples, tomatoes, potatoes and beetroot.

I was tired. I walked slowly back home. A good day of working!

Published on August 8, 2019 at 6:00 by
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Contraception

I was sixteen years old. Together with my mother i went to our family doctor. My period was giving me cramps. I had met someone while i was on holidays. You never knew when it would happen, so birth control was a good option. It was 1980.

I got the pill. No need to add anything, everybody knew what it was. The pill. Not that i talked about it with other people. It just made sense that i had one. It was normal. And yes, my period didn’t give me anymore cramps.

That someone i had met fizzled away. There was a guy in school i fell in love with. We kissed a bit. But no sex. And when i went to the Technical University Delft nothing much changed. I made friends. There was one beautiful guy who i only looked at from a distance. And i kept on taking the pill. You never knew what would happen. I thought of myself as an average girl. It was bound to happen one day.

I moved into my own house when i was twenty-one. In Rotterdam. After a few months i started thinking: why take a pill each and every day for a pain i had only once a month? Yes, it was birth control, but i wasn’t having any sex. So after a few months i stopped with the pill. The cramps were not that bad really.

I had sex with someone when i was twenty-eight. We used condoms. The last time we had sex, the condom tore. So i took the morning-after pill. The one and only time i ever did.

Once we broke up, i remember thinking that i would be a bit more careful the next time. That i wanted to be in love the next time. Completely.

One time after that i did fell in love with someone else. He didn’t fall in love with me.

It all seems like such a long time ago. Only for around six years i used contraception. Because it was normal. The thing you do. Like, you wouldn’t want to get pregnant, right?

I still feel very happy i decided against continuing with the pill when i was in my early twenties. I don’t think i should ever have taken the pill for my cramps. There are other less invasive medicines i could have used for that.

As fot the literature about the pill, i haven’t dived into that. There are many sources online, a quick search will do. Or simply start with reading the wikipedia article about birth control.

Published on August 6, 2019 at 6:00 by
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Decisions

I am not a scientist. I can only speak for myself. What i think is worthwhile to do and to strive for. Most of these things have to do with minimizing my ecological footprint. Difficult because i live in western Europe in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. I am surrounded by a neo-liberalist world. It is hard to find a good starting point from where to think.

As i said, i am not a scientist. But i can think and read and talk about things. About our world. So i will in the next few weeks.

Not right now though. Writing takes time and thought. It is hard work. For now i’m happy i have decided this is one of the areas i will dive into more.

Have a good weekend. Salute!

Published on August 2, 2019 at 6:00 by
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Mending some clothes

Only while i was mending this shirt i thought of making a post about it. So no before photo. i do love this shirt. I think i might have it for around fifteen years or so. So yes, definitely worth the mend.
This dress from Joline Jolink is also a favourite. I have for it four or five years i think. There is a little hole in it.
And now it is fixed!
This legging from the Hema has a big hole near the crotch.
On both sides. This side the hole is a bit smaller.
Done ...
... and done! 🙂
Afterwards i went out and had a Turkish pizza. I walked through the city and sat down for a while. Lovely weather. All summery 🙂
Published on July 30, 2019 at 6:00 by
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A bit off

The past week has been the warmest week in the Netherlands since humans started recording the temperature. I have kept quiet. It was so hot. And yes, i’ve been a bit off. Dizzy. Whenever i turned in bed, whenever i stood up i felt dizzy. And today i felt sick. Not extremely no. But when i was at the garden, after two three hours i decided to go home. Missing the Pot Luck.

So, i’m passing for today’s post. This is it. I will most likely watch tonight’s Zomergasten to see if there is anything interesting broadcasted. And i will go to bed in time. I feel tired.

Tomorrow, hopefully, i feel a lot better!

Published on July 29, 2019 at 6:00 by
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