Happy New Year!

4 years have passed, the story goes on.
Our lovely summer retreat has had a serious make-over. It's already been two years since Vlasy and Nico spent three months onsite, refurbishing the house and building the pool house.
The old shed got a new floor, a kitchen, bathroom and sauna, and so in summer, forms the perfect addition to the pool.
The old farm house got a new roof structure on the street side, new bathrooms and paint. Great.

About us, 4 years later and oh so many centimeters, probably more than a meter in child growth.
Its January, we are here just the five of us, or should I say all five of us, which is becoming more and more of an exception as the boys are growing into young men.
A good reason to enjoy our stay even more :) 5 days of togetherness.
Denis has been around to install the Tesla wall connector, O yeah we have an electric car now. A bit of a new experience, racing to Oyes from Reet in 3 and a half hours is not going to happen anymore, now we need to stop and charge at least once on our way.

I regret the long pause in my messages on this blog, my New Years Resolution for 2017, one message every time I visit!

Happy new year to one and all!
Frida

Time travel - here's to friendship!

Handball team reunion in Oyes, 8-13 May 2013

Pictures copyright Brynhild

1998 Champions

Table tennis 

15 years back in time, that's were I've been these last 5 days. It was all right there, the singing as loud as you can, just because we felt like it, tears down my cheeks from laughing so hard at the jokes, the talks sometimes in groups sometimes one to one. Well everything except the hard training program that coach Sophus used to have ready for us at any given time and did we miss it... naaaah...

It was amazing to realize how well we know each other, even though some of us had hardly seen each other since the end of the nineties when everything was handball and handball was everything or so we thought. Great to see the girls, but "girls" doesn't do them justice anymore, each and everyone of them strong women. They have stayed true to themselves and yet they have grown so much. Each gone in different directions, letting life do what life does, give you perspective and richness in many ways; Yes it is good to grow older.

All of us left to right. Herborg, Lotte, Frida, Jensia, Beinta, Hanna, Jórun, Ann, Brynhild

They left me with a lump in my throat, wish they could have stayed longer, but oh so happy that this trip took place. We did well! In 1998 but better in 2013!

Sacre coeur

The highs:

Shopping at Leclerc all nine of us

Shopping

Brocante at Villevenard, baby Sofus got his highly needed car seat

Biking with Jórun and Brynhild

Long champagne lunch in the garden

Champagne house Mercier in Epernay

Paris of course, magical as always

Dinner at "Relais Champennois" in Sézannes

Table tennis championship (Congratulations Lotte, damn it)

Little Sofus and every smile he gave us

etc etc

I'm gonna miss my girls!

Skál!

Dear omma left town

And took Madeleine with her, the two girls I love the most in the world, the one who gave birth to me, and the one I gave birth to.
Off they went to the Faroes where Madeleine this morning engaged in the adventure of Faroese education for three weeks. So exiting. We of course miss them very much already, so as soon as she got home from school this afternoon I was on the phone to the islands... "Hello mamma, everything is fine, my new friend is very tall, I have to go and help my cousin build his new lego we can talk again when you get here in nine days"... so you see, she is very comfortable in omma's care :) bless them

Michel is working hard in the garden, we got an offer from Mr Gardener, I guess when he realized how much garden labour is actually worth he is more motivated. Myself I've been having a bit of an off day, got sick in the car on the way home from Paris last night, and have yet to shake the nausea completely off me.

yesterday in Paris was really great by the way, we walked and walked, the boys were so good and know they know Montmartre, Place de la Madeleine, have seen the Eiffel tower from different angles, been squeezed in the Metro, shopped the Champs Elysees. The day was ended at Ruth and Romains apartment in the 19th arrondissement. A great day out!

Love, especially to you mamma! Come back soon!
Frida

Easter in Oyes

We are relaxing in Oyes after yet another hectic period in Reet, nothing special just the usual everyday hectic, Michel abroad, Frida fighting the traffic jams and the kids busy with their school and numerous sporting activities, and the nice parties from time to time to completely waste us :)
The route was good for my mother and me, because we left early at two, just before the rest of Belgium went on the road, Michel had one more hour of traffic jam on his way with the kids, but all in all nothing to worry about.
Arrived in our little house a feast awaited us. My sister Solrun was here with her family and dinner was very tasty, they had been here since Wednesday evening.
Solrun and Lars left this morning.
Today was Easter so we did the yearly castle egg hunt at Chateau de Reveillon, this year Mike and Glenis joined us with their girls.
Yesterday the gardener was here, to talk about some upco,ming works related to the swimming pool installation. He already took out all the bamboo, which was a big job. I'll post pictures later.

Louis, Emil, Madeleine, Bergur, Simun

Family

Dinner

Bergur with his company car

Winter holidays

were well spent in Oyes.
 and the kids stayed for 5 days, Michel came on Friday accompanied by Julien.
We chilled out in front of the fire place. Lili and Glenis came over for Valentines dinner. Well soup only.
We went to our favorite Japanese restaurant in Epernay, had a day out in Reims, talked about garden and swimming pool, played with the neighbors' Saint Bernhard puppy...
Will make sure I take some nice pictures next time.
Which will probably be at Easter when omma is joining us :)
so long

Slow living

warmth

Slow down... take the heat off... that's what our Oyes retreat is all about.
Glenis gave me this huge cooking pot as a present, I haven't actually used it yet, but the name on the box is so lovely "Slow cooker"
In this world of ours that just seems to spin faster and faster it can be really hard to slow down. But in Oyes it's easy.
We made our way down through the south of Belgium and the north of France Thursday morning after a quick breakfast and two fast washing machines at the house in Reet.
Once arrived in the mobile phone free house we paced down, Michel got fire wood and turned on the fire. After that we walked over to the neighbors for a chat, Madeleine was eager to see her friend as it had been a while.
Michel cooked dinner, Lili stayed over, and life was good.
Friday we went out to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Hoki Sushi, located in Epernay. They had the great idea of the "all you can eat" theme, but every item you order and do not eat will cost you an extra 2 euro. It makes the kids very conscious about their consumption.
After that we went to the cinema in Epernay, we saw Frankenweenie, a black and white, Tim Burton animated film about a boy who manages to wake his pet dog up from the dead. When other kids, and not only the right-minded ones start doing the same, that's when the trouble begins.
Saturday was really slow, went for a long walk, cooked the leg of lamb, the fire was going all day, as were the ironing beads. There was just no stopping Madeleine and after dinner the boys started too. Bead mania, but educational as well as they were making flags of countries of the world. First they ran out of red, which was challenging, leaving options as Argentine and Ireland, when the blue beads were all gone it got really hard.
Sunday we were supposed to drive by Brice and Sonja for a visit on the occasion of their daughter Lucy's birth, but Madeleine wasn't feeling well, so we had to cancel. She has been known to recover very quickly and that was also the case today, one sleep, vomit once, and she's ready again...

We were sad leaving because we knew it will be along time before we can go back... it will almost be time for the first leaves to come out by the end of January when we return.
Until then, goodbye, Frida

Homework

Sleepover/French lesson

 

Some of the flags she made

 

Bead madness, Argentina in the make

Love you

Louis is becoming quite the helper! 

Men's weekend 5-7 October

Did they have a good time. I think they did. I didn't hear many details, but I saw the broken glasses and the chair!? And understood that they had good fun; next year already booked