Veteran Day July 25th.

Vorige week vierden we  Veteranendag. We zagen militairen van allerlei rangen, kleuren, die overal op de wereld dienst hebben gedaan. Er waren soldaten die in de Tweede Wereldoorlog hadden gevochten.
Het was soms ontroerend om de oude krijgers te zien marcheren. De jonge soldaten die nog niet zo'n ervaring hadden meegemaakt, maar wel klaar waren hun land te verdedigen, maakten op mij erg veel indruk, omdat sommige van hen jong zouden sterven of gevangen genomen zouden worden.

Tussen al deze troepen miste ik de soldaten die ik als kind gezien had en die als gevangenen van het Japanse leger op ons erf in Malang hun eten moesten koken.
De Japanse bezetting was nog maar pas begonnen in maart 1942. Japanse militairen hadden de school tegenover ons huis ingenomen.
Op een dag kwam er een soldaat vragen of zijn gevangenen hun eten mochten klaar maken op ons erf. Het waren Molukse soldaten.


Ze zaten op hun hurken te kipassen( te wapperen)om het vuur brandend te houden.( Een kipas is een bamboe waaier.)
Een jonge Molukse jongen zei, terwijl hij mijn moeder niet aankeek:"Mevrouw, Nederland zal toch herrijzen!".Gelukkig verstond de Japanse soldaat die naast hem stond, geen woord Nederlands
Wat moeder terug zei, weet ik niet meer, maar ze keek de jongen ontroerd aan.

Kijk, die jongen en alle andere nog in leven zijnde Molukse ex-militairen van het KNIL(Koninklijk Nederlands-Indische Leger) had er gisteren bij moeten zijn. Zij waren de trouwste soldaten van dit leger. Dit werd niet beloond, want toen ze in de vijftiger jaren in Nederland kwamen, werden ze allemaal ontslagen. Ze hadden alles in Ambon en de andere eilanden achtergelaten. Ze zijn heel slecht behandeld door de Nederlandse regering. Dus nodig deze mannen volgend jaar vooral uit.


Last week we celebrated Veteran Day.
We saw soldiers of all ranks and colours, who had served all over the world. There were soldiers who had fought in World-war II. It was touching to see the old warriors marching on. I was impressed by the young soldiers who had not yet witnessed these  experiences, but were ready to defend their country, while some of them were going to die young or would become prisoners of war.

Among all those troops I missed the soldiers who I had seen when I was a child and who, being prisoners of the Japanese army, had to cook their meals in our yard in Malang...

The Japanese occupation had only just begun in March 1942.

The Japanese military had taken the school opposite our house in their possession.

One day a soldier came to ask if his prisoners were allowed to prepare their meals in our yard.

They were Moluccan soldiers.

They were squatting and fanning to keep the fire burning with a kipas(a bamboo fan).

A young Moluccan man said, while he didn't look at my mum:"Madam, The Netherlands will rise again!"Fortunately the Japanese soldier standing next to him, could not understand Dutch. I don't remember what mum said to him but she looked at him with emotion.

Well, that boy and the other soldiers of the KNIL( Royal Dutch Indian Army) who are still alive, should have been there at Veteran Day. They were the most faithful soldiers of this army..

They were not rewarded,for when they arrived in the Netherlands in the fifties, they were all dismissed from Her Majesty's Service. They had left everything in Ambon and the other islands.

They were treated badly . So next time invite these men too, by all means.

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar.

Our World Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, O for Opening

    APRIL

 The name of this month is derived
from the Greek word for "opening". In many European countries the first of April is observed as a custom for which no satisfactory origin has been assigned. Ignorant and unsuspecting persons are sent on bootless errands, which is supposed to be great  great fun. These people are called "April Fools".
Therefore April 1 is called "April Fools'Day."

All day I have been looking out of my windows and enjoyed the blooming  Japanese cherry-tree and Crab-apple.

In the garden there are daffodils, tulips, crocuses. The yellow forsythia was so beautiful and full of bloom, but now it's losing its flowers.

Daffodils

crocuses

Forsythia

Japanese cherry-tree

                                                                      

Crab-tree

                               I don't know the name of this shrub. Is there anybody who does?  

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with O.

Ubi Caritas and Polling-day

Ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas, Deus ibi est!

Polling-day! I returned an hour ago from the polling-station

to vote for one of the 26 parties we could choose from for new M.P's.

The election campaign was harsh and full of promises, none of the politicians can prove. I didn't vote for one of the three

Christian parties, because they are rather small and have some 

ideas, I cannot support.

This week we had some unpleasant encounters with the Turkish government, which caused a lot of hatred. This is not the way we should treat each other and build a strong and happy Europe. And hatred is the worst adviser.

I agree with my government that we  cannot allow foreigners to use our country as a platform to fight their political problems.

We are not a province of any other European country. We are an independent state with our own constitution and a king as head of state. We abhor dictators.

I believe that where love and "caritas" rule, God is present.

Ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas ibi Deus est.

An Anniversary worth to be celebrated!

Birthe from Denmark and Ginger( USA)

Ans     Anneke,    Ida                       Han

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from John and Han Will to remind us of the fact
 that 60 years ago we all met in Zeeland, where we started work in Kapelle- Biezelinge.
We came from various countries. My sister Anneke, my friend Bep Smit and I had been
travelling for hours. We came from Soest and the distance to Kapelle-Biezelinge is great. .We were so happy to finally arrive at our destination, where we could have something to eat and where we could freshen  up.
I remember the first day vividly. Of course there were more Dutch campers than foreign
campers.
I am still in contact with Han and John ( H.) Will. I remember Ida( Han's sister ),
 en Joke( Han's friend ).Then we also met Ans Postma, who was ill.Sadly enough she
 had a sore throat and had to gargle. We all had to do that by way of precaution.

One morning Liz came in our living area in order to fetch her working shoes, but all
 of the shoes were gone. I still don't know where they had been, who found them and
 who had taken them away.

Well missing your workshoes was quite annoying, because the work we had to do was
 mainly picking beans. And the beanplants were all dirty and muddy.The same was the
 case with strawberry planting.

If you want to enlarge the photos, please press once on them .


Our daily rota :
6.15          Boys getting up
6.30          Girls getting up
6.00          Breakfast
6.30          Morningservice
7.00          Off to work
9.00-9.30  Second Breakfast
12.00         Lunch
1.00           Back to work
4.00           Stop work
5.00          Badhuis-Singing
6.00          "Dinner"
7.00-7.15  Quiet time
7.30           EveningProgramme
10.00         Evening Service
11,00         Lights Off
1.00          Sleeping

Evening programme with the locals

After work clean and fresh in front of the badhuis.

Joke, Han, John B

    Our camp was an ecumenical  workcamp, where young people from all over te world
 came together and worked for a month or longer at a project like picking beans or other vegetables, building houses (like we did in Wiesbaden ).

   We saw a lot, talked a lot and had a lot of fun,
 We also sang  a lot. One of our favourite songs was  :

"The eyes of Texas are upon you
  all the lived long day.
 The eyes of Texas are upon you,
 you cannot get away.
 Do not think you can escape them .
 From night till early in the morn.
 The eyes of Texas are upon you
 Till Gabriel blows his horn."

Our Texan Campers: John H.Will and ....Weejee?

                                            

 Another favourite song was:

I love me, I think it is grant.
I go to the pictures and hold my hand
I lay my arm around my waist.
I got so fresh that I slapped my face,



           

My sister  Anneke is thirsty! And Elias from Greece pours  some drink in her mouth

                                                    

We'll all be forsaken if we're always right and end up an old maid

Not my words, but John B's

Here endeth my letter, although I have some vivid memories of Elias from Greece among
 more funny situations.
I am afraid I don't know any addresses of campers apart from my sister Anneke's.
 Her husband passed away  in August 2014. My husband died in November 1999.
Anneke has three children, and so have I. Of course I have your address Han and John.
 Thanks for your very interesting x-mas letters.I am looking forward to seeing the
booklet about this workcamp.
And if any of you visits the Netherlands, you are very welcome to stay with me.
 I'll show you the windmills of Kinderdijk.
 I also remember visiting Birthe in Denmark, and  Bent in Copenhagen also in August
1957 .

The auction building

May 2006
Anneke is telling me a joke, while we are resting from our walk
 in Sausmarezpark in Guernsey

Anneke May 2006 Guernsey

To enlarge photos tap on them once.

My eldest daughter and me  on my eightieth birthday 2013

Karien( 43), me(80) Marjolein(46)

My Australian daughter    myself  and  my eldest daughter, who
will turn 50 this year.

Our World Tuesday, & ABC Wednesday, K of Krimpen ,

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created the ABC meme.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words beginning with K of round 19.

Welcome to Our World Tuesday, which brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar. Thank you Team of O. W. T.!

I live in Krimpen aan de Lek in the province of South-Holland, one of the twelve provinces which the Netherlands is divided into. We live in a polder- land

 A polder (Dutch pronunciation: [pɔldər]) is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by dikes that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually operated devices.

You can expect to see a lot of water, grass-land with cattle, windmills to keep the polder dry, and dikes. This part of the country is also very flat!

Our village is more than 150 years old.

Krimpen aan de Lek is a town on the River Lek in the municipality of Krimpenerwaard, province of South Holland, the Netherlands.

The name Krimpen comes from the archaic word "Krempener", meaning "river crossing". Therefore Krimpen aan de Lek means "Crossing on the Lek".

Krimpen aan de Lek is a quiet and scenic village with 3 elementary schools.

                                                   To cross the Lek we need a ferry.

                       Coming into Krimpen the first building on the left

                                   is the Dutch Reformed Church.

                     On top of the Tower we see the weather-vane representing a whale,

                                              because it was from this place

                      that the whalers left bound for the northerly seas of our globe.

                                  Walking down the dike we pass these old houses.

                                             They look so comfortable and beautiful.

                                     At the bottom of the dike we are welcomed

                                          by a group of first inhabitants,

                                      who must have lived here for a long time.

                                   

The dike

The River Lek

                                                A lot of traffic on the river

                                         Dike houses built on the inside of the dike