Hello, hello there my friends!
This is Freewheelin’ Friday ‘I lost count of the number”
and there’s certainly not much freewheelin’ for me today!
I worked all day, and am facing another busy weekend.
Aaaaarghhh… I do miss my journals, my paint and I especially
miss FREE TIME. I miss the days on which I got up early, knowing
that I had all the time of the world to spend with my art journals.
I must abide by a minute here and there to add something to my
art journal pages – but that’s the philosophy behind ‘art journal every day’
isn’t it? That is exactly what I’m doing these days – work hard during the day,
and play with my art journal pages for a few minutes in between diner and
fave tv-shows/bed.
In those ‘lost minutes’ I did manage to get something done though,
so I’m glad to announce that I can show you 2 (yes, TWO) list pages today.
List #25 – Thing’s I’d rather be doing right now
I jotted this list down one evening at the beginning of the week, just after
I saw a music documentary on tv. (Now that I think of it – I can’t even
remember what it was about, or which day it was! I’m getting old… eeeckkkk…
or maybe stress takes its toll?)
Anyway, that’s where the ‘take a plane’ part comes from.
As you know, I don’t like to travel but that night, I suddenly felt an itch and
thought that it would be so much fun to fly to the US with my beloved, sit in
a bar (is it allowed to smoke in bars in the US? That’s something I need to
know!) and hear a band play! It may never come this far, but I find consolation
in the fact that we possess tickets to the Eels concert in June! There will be
no traveling involved – it’s nearby and we can get there by bike!
I will be there with my beloved and son, and I’m soooo looking forward to it!
It has been ages since I went to a concert! (over 10 years now – or more?!
List #28 – Places I’ve been
The prompt for list #28 said ‘Vacations to take’ but – as I stated above –
I don’t like going on vacation and I certainly don’t plan vacations or
– god forbid – make lists about it! So I turned the prompt around,
and listed the places I have been on vacation ‘back in the days’.
It’s hard to read, because I didn’t want to spoil the fabulous photo
(from a street in Calcutta. The photo comes from an old National
Geographic magazine). I used transparent stickers for the title, they
totally blend into the background, and I wrote the places on tracing
paper – which is also a bit transparent.
Here’s where I’ve been on vacation:
- Belgium (numerous times! As a child as well as an adult.
It’s a neighbour country of the Netherlands, and from
where I live it’s only half an hour drive to get to the border.
I remember several vacations spend in ‘de Ardennen’ – in
the south-east of Belgium)
- Germany (sometime in the eighties. I didn’t go there for long
vacations, but I remember some day-trips with my former
partner. Germany is another neighbour-country)
- Luxembourg (in the seventies when I was a child.
Luxembourg is a very small country – enclosed by Germany,
Belgium & France. I’ve been there in my teens with my parents.
Sweet memories!)
- France (many times in all stages of my life!
Which Dutchie hasn’t spend at least one vacation in France?)
- England (if you’re not a European, you will think that ‘England,
Wales and Scotland are the same’ but it isn’t!!! The combination
is called ‘Great Brittain’ but the regions are quite different from
each other!!! I went on holiday to England – the east coast and
London – with baby Nout and his father, so it must have been in 1992)
- Wales (I fell in love with this region the very first time I came there!
I think the first time was in 1993. I persuaded my partner to go there
again the next year – and I visited the house where Dylan Thomas lived,
the places he wrote about and even his grave! I still have the necklace
I bought in the town he lived. It has a pendant with an old, Celtic rune.
That pendant holds a long story… maybe I’ll tell you sometime.)
- Scotland (the summer of 2006 – Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lie –
Remember Lena???!!! Yes, ofcourse you do!
Lena and I went to Edingburgh for a ‘Bay City Memorial Vacation’.
We are friends since childhood and our love for the BCR was a BIG thing
we had in common in our teens. I hardly believe you will be 50 years old
soon, Lena 😉 Oh boy, we were Bay City Roller FANS in capitals!
This vacation was one of the best!!! I still can’t help but smile, when I
think back on it! )
- Curacao (1983. My former husband – yes, I was married once – worked
in the Navy and was stationed on Curacao for 9 months. I visited him
and we had a month vacation together.)
- Spain (1985 – I went to Barcelona on a school-trip when I was in
artschool. I went back to Spain a year later on a road trip.)
- India (1989 and 1991. I traveled South India the first time and went to
North India the second time together with my partner as backpackers.
Both vacations were 6 weeks. )
And here ends my trip down memory lane.
It’s time for me to cook diner!
Enjoy your weekend sweet friends, see you next week!
Freeee tiiiiime! I covet that too…. my daily art journalling has been preplaced with daily creativity of SOME sort, because I just don’t have time to fit in everything else I am trying to get done (circle journals, a little quilt), AND art journal every day too, because work is just too busy. But I’m still AJ-ing as often as I can.
10 years since you last saw live music?? Oh no! I can’t imagine that, I love my music so much, and when it’s live it adds another layer of magic. I hope you have a WONDERFUL time at your Eels gig – how cool that it is close enough to cycle!
I love those splodges of turquoise paint on your “things I’d rather be doing” page.
So – tell me – what is it about holidays away from home that you don’t like? I’m no traveller, I like the comfort of a nice cozy bed and cold, clean running water too much, but I do enjoy seeing new places and having fun (and being so far away from work that they can’t reach me, so I can properly switch off for once!). I think I have visited all the same places as you except India – but I have been to a few others on top.
(PS BCR? I was more of a Gary Glitter girl back in the day – I think you made the better choice lol)
Voor iemand die niet graag op vakantie gaat…. heb je toch al vele landen bezocht 😉
Wederom prachtig je journals! Echte “Marit journals” 🙂
Fijn weekend!
Despite your busy writing job you managed to make two more “lists”!! LOVE them, especially the second one!!! Those stickers you used for the title are so well chosen!!!
And YES!! Ofcourse I “REMEMBER” our trip to Scotland! Just a few days ago I took my Edinburgh album out of the bookcase and peeked through it again… it was sooooo much fun!!
And hey… I NEVER spent my vacation in France… That is if you don’t count the four days in Euro Disney….
Your pages are so fun. I really like the page about what you would rather be doing, that is a neat idea 🙂
Nou zeg, voor iemand die niet graag op vakantie gaat, heb je toch behoorlijk wat tripjes gemaakt, Marit!
En voor iemand die ‘geen vrije tijd heeft’ heb je toch weer heel wat moois gemaakt!!
Zo leuk, iedere keer weer, die lijstjes van je! Super!
Ik hoop dat je toch nog een beetje van het weekend kunt genieten, ondanks je drukke programma!
XXXJenneke
Love the pic you used and those transparent stickers..:)
Great list of places you’ve been to…
Great lists. Let me know when you make it to the blues bar. I will be there waiting for you.
i love the little stories about the places you’ve been – what fun! beautiful page!!! bay city rollers!!! omg!!! i loved them! you guys must have had so much fun! hope your work load eases soon so you have more free time!
Cool list pages dear Marit!
Some wonderful places you’ve visited…sounds like part of you wants to run away from so much work 😉
That would be natural I think.
Smoking is becoming less and less common in restaurants and bars here in the U.S….guess it depends on where you go.
Hoping you get some free time soon…take care dear one!
oxo
These are GORGEOUS Marit!!! You always inspire me! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
finally catching up on my Reader – love your lists and how cool that you commented on the countries that you have visited – I will have to do that sometime. This summer I will be going to Canada and the far NW part of the US – so looking forward to that! Have a wonderful week!
Marit! I love these pgs…especially that vacation layout…just awesome! hope all is well!
Came here from peggy Thought Marit must be dutch. Your artwork is gorgeous. That’s great when you live in holland and can drive in just a short time to so many beautiful countries.
Groetjes marja
You are so busy, my friend… and you write beautifully! It’s amazing to me that your first language is Dutch. Your English is outstanding!
I used to love travel, but it’s all so complex now with Nick that unless we drive ourselves, I just don’t want to do it. Plus we have the dogs, etc.
Sitting on the dunes, watching the boats pass by – wonderful way to spend time. I remember when we lived in a flat in Southampton and watched (Dame) Ellen MacArthur sail back home from the Vendee Globe. She was so tiny and that yacht was enormous!
I love that your lists and memories provoke memories in me too.
PS – Can’t wait for Summer Camp!!! Enjoy your Sunday and don’t work too hard! xx
Hey Marit! I love your list pages, I still need to do one of those!!! I don’t know if you can smoke in the bars in the US but here in Canada you can’t which I love (sorry! I’m one of those former smokers that now that I’ve quit can’t stand the smell and my husband still smokes!!!) because then I can enjoy going, not that I do much though! haha
I know what you mean about being time challenged. That Vacation page is just stunning. Love the way your journalling blends and becomes an indispensible part of the photo
Fabulous pages … :):) Bay City Rollers … were
one of my favorites.
Leuk lijstjes weer!!!Enne inderdaad je bent in een hoop landen geweest voor iemand die niet van vakantie houdt!!!!!Leuk vooruitzicht om lekker naar en een concert te gaan, is voor mij ook al weer even geleden!!! (ik moet eerlijk zegggen dat ik het altijd zo duur vindt)
OHHHHHHHHHHHH sweet friend….LOVEEEEEEEEEEE what you created!!!!
Loved the list!!!! You are so very talented and your artwork always makes me smile!!!
Wishing you a wonderful day!!!!
Can I join you on top of the dunes? It’s tantalizing; I’m only 15km from the sea but don’t have the time to go there often. I should though, who knows how far from the sea we’ll live in the future!