June ’25

Alan’s soccer season wrapped up this month with a group photo, a fun BBQ next to the footbal field, and a parents versus kids footbal match! He’s grown a lot as a player and really enjoys both training sessions and matches, so it’s very likely he’ll join his team again next season.

A milestone, thats for sure. 50 years already… incredible. This month we also celebrated Ana’s birthday during a combined celebration in the sun, all-in at Mogan Princess & Beach club. We spend four days enjoying the pools, the free food, the free drinks, the activities, just great; a total disconnect from our normal routine.

Besides my birthday, it has been another great month. We joined the club Metropole, the local swimming pool that also has a gym, bar, restaurant, tennis court, squash court, and more. Ana immediately started taking a lot of lessons, so her health will greatly improve. Our kids have quite a few friends who also go to the club, so that should work out well. I started by inspecting the bar, so for me I expect far less health benefits.

50

NL to ES!Half a century! Amazing. Looking back, something that is almost inevitable when you reach a milestone, gives me a great feeling of victory. Like climbing a mountain, and looking back at the track and seeing the view, the path and combine them with the memories of the climb. Easy parts, hard parts, the falls and mistaken, the shortcuts… together they make the effort valuable.

Looking back at my own path in life I see myself growing up. My street, the little town with the church in the center. My parents and little brother always around. I see fun times digging in the garden, raising rabbits, playing with little chickens and little ducks. Having birds around. Growing beans, unions, chickpeas, carrots, and other plants with my dad. Removing endless amounts of weeds from all the crops. I see us eating fries every weekend, with a kipcorn for me. I see myself making rice every weekend. Terrible rice at first but I get better. I see us making huge Lego villages in the attic. I see fun filled vacations with the family in the sun. I see myself studying and wondering what I’m doing. I see problems at my school. I see myself cleaning the rabbit cages and thinking how could something smell so bad, but feeling pride afterwards. I see myself fighting with my brother a lot. I see myself playing board-games with my mother. Collecting, reviewing and cleaning coins with mom. I can see us biking to grandma in the town nearby through the wind, getting a little (or big) push on my back to help me. I see myself hiding underneath the table, scared of suffocating in the smoke cloud covering the entire living room, where it seems like everyone is smoking. I see myself in my room, in my bed, being scared of the dark. I can see our entire family in the dunes searching for bullets, or collecting blackberries, or getting wild rhubarb. Going to the beach, or to the lake, with our big surf plank. Going for paling. Our first car where we glued a CD on top of the roof. Driving with my brother to meet the ‘paal’ or get a hamburger at the burger king. Getting on the race bike, to drive to Schiphol to see some airplanes land and take off.

Meanwhile observing the start of the digital age. Color TV, the first computers, mobile phones, mobile phones with a screen, smartphones, cars with a ‘choke’, cars without. Seeing the climate change, remembering walking of a frozen sea, frozen rivers. Seeing houses being built everywhere. Travelling getting more and more normal.

Then I see a change. Somehow a turn in the path where I changed my style. I see myself really growing up. The seed that my parents planted in me by getting me an 8086 personal computer is suddenly sprouting. I get direction, and can finally see where I’m going. After studying informatics, I start working right away. I get a house, and change jobs a couple of times. After I left my parents home my relationship with my family improves. For a while I am happy, visiting places with friends, going skiing, indoor climbing, going out drinking and visiting concerts and festivals. After a few years I felt the need for things to change. I take a risky detour, just for the experience. I quit my job, and go to travel. I start this blog to keep my family informed. I go to the US for a couple of months and I travel from New York to San Francisco, visiting Canada and Mexico on the way. The trip changed me, and made me much more confident about myself.

After my trip I returned to my previous path, working as a freelancer, picking up old routines, but it was not enough anymore. I start to travel within Europe. I start meeting people, and after a couple of years I go to Spain to learn the language. I stay in Spain and eventually move together with Ana to Gran Canaria. I big change, my destination turned out to be different to the one I imagined earlier. We get married and we have two sons. I adopt to the Spanish life. A life with lots of emotions, some very good, some really bad. At times it is really difficult and I am afraid I made a wrong choice in life. Eventually even life in Spain turns into another routine, and this time I am able to accept it. I know my climb is not yet done, but the part I already did makes me proud. I’m happy to realize and feel that it is the voyage that is important and not so much the destination. This is a saying I have heard lots of times, but I never felt it like I do now.

Here I am now. I feel good about myself. I have confidence. I understand how things work, I know I can learn new things. I know I have made mistakes, and I have hurt people, but I have always tried to avoid hurting others and avoid conflict, but some conflicts were inevitable. I know that some things require lots of effort and lots of work. I understand what has value for me, and what does not have value. I know the choices I make are the correct choices for me. I know that there is nothing wrong with failure. I know strength is easily confused for weakness by people who just don’t know. I know it is hard to fail and disappoint someone, but it is worse to fail yourself. I aim to be a good teacher for my kids. Teach them how to be happy and how to make the world a bit better. Prepare them as well as I can for their own journey.

That’s where I am now, after 50 years I find myself in a good spot, curious about what else my future will bring.

Heteroptera

HeteropteraI was so happy with my coffee plant, but unfortunately, my happiness was short-lived. A beetle was just as happy with the plant as I was and started eating all the leaves. Not great, so I had to come up with a solution. Luckily, my own local AI had some advice.

Question for AI: What is an effective way to deal with beetles that are eating the leaves of my coffee plant?

AI advice (using essential oils)

One effective and natural deterrent for beetles, including those that might be eating the leaves of your coffee plant, is a combination of essential oils mixed with water and soap. Here’s an easy-to-make recipe:

### Natural Beetle Deterrent Spray

**Ingredients:**
1. 1 cup of water
2. 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (to help the mixture stick to leaves)
3. 1 teaspoon of dish soap (preferably natural, like castile soap)
4. 10-15 drops of essential oils (choose from the following options):
– Peppermint oil (strong scent that beetles dislike)
– Eucalyptus oil
– Tea tree oil
– Citrus oils (like lemon or orange)

**Instructions:**
1. Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle.
2. Shake well before each use to ensure the mixture is properly blended.
3. Spray the solution on both sides of the leaves and the stem of your coffee plant.
4. Apply every 3-5 days, or after rain, until the beetle problem is under control.

### Tips:
– **Test a Small Area First:** Before spraying the entire plant, test a small area to ensure the mixture doesn’t harm your coffee plant.
– **Reapply Regularly:** Beetles can be persistent, so regular application is important.



But wait a minute—essential oils? Oof, I don’t have those at home. Maybe I can just go the old-fashioned way, with water and garlic…

AI advice (based on my own suggestion, using garlic)

Yes, a homemade spray using garlic and onion can act as an effective natural deterrent for beetles and other pests. The strong scent of garlic and onions can repel many insects, including beetles.

Here’s how you can make a DIY garlic and onion insect repellent:

### Garlic and Onion Insect Repellent Spray

**Ingredients:**
1. 1 small bulb of garlic
2. 1 small onion
3. 1 tablespoon of hot pepper flakes (optional, for added deterrent power)
4. 1 liter of water
5. 1 teaspoon of dish soap (to help the solution stick to leaves)

**Instructions:**
1. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and onion.
2. Place the chopped garlic and onion in a blender or food processor with enough water to make a smooth puree.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.
4. Add the strained liquid to a large container or spray bottle.
5. Stir in the hot pepper flakes (if using) and dish soap.
6. Fill the rest of the spray bottle with water.
7. Shake well before each use.

**Application:**
– Spray the mixture on both sides of the leaves, as well as on the stem of your coffee plant.
– Apply the solution every 3-5 days or after rain to maintain its effectiveness.

### Tips:
– **Test a Small Area First:** Before spraying the entire plant, test a small area to ensure the mixture doesn’t harm your coffee plant. Some plants can be sensitive to garlic and onion sprays.
– **Store Properly:** Keep any unused mixture in the refrigerator if you plan to use it within a few days. Otherwise, make fresh batches as needed.

This natural spray should help deter beetles from eating the leaves of your coffee plant without resorting to chemical pesticides.


Need for speed

It was all there, a complete set of emotions and feelings… Speed, fear, overtaking, adrenaline, noise, vibrations, (small) crashes, sweat, winning, loosing. A complete birthday party of one of their friends at the kart tracks in the sun. A nice event, and the kids really liked it, so maybe we need to try this a few more times.
Alex, lord of the asfalt!Alan, master of speed!

Pel

The whole family is happy with our new family member. Pelucita, or Pel to her friends, is a super friendly hamster and has completely adapted to her new environment. She lives in Alan’s room and runs laps in her wheel every night. Every day, Alan picks her up and pets her, and often activities are organized for her. Huge mazes, vertical climbing challenges, and puzzles that must be solved for a peanut or a sunflower seed.

Her enclosure is about three times larger than the one she had in the pet store, where she lived with seven siblings. We built the entire setup ourselves, except for the running wheel. It consists of a large plastic bin, a food dish, and a water supply. There are a few tree trunks where she can hide, a wooden house with a slanted roof, and half a coconut with a convenient entrance. The floor is covered with a generous layer of paper for digging, along with a container of dried grass. She also has quite a few toilet paper roll puzzles, where we occasionally hide some food.

Not only is Pel an incredibly sweet housemate, but she is also very photogenic. So, we held a little photo session at home.