Happy meal vs. wok

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Happy meal!Canary wok!Alex loves to eat food he knows, and if the food comes with a little gift it makes him a very happy boy. Last weekend Alex did not want to go to the Wok. He wanted a happymeal, because he could see the McDonalds right next to the Wok restaurant. After checking with the Wok place it turned out that it would be no problem if Alex entered with his parents and his happymeal and ate it at the Wok.

Once seated at the Wok a few things happened. We were sitting next to a big tank with a few turtles. Enough for Alex to loose interest in his little plastic toy. Still he had his fries and chicken. These were still good.

But then we started getting food. Alex saw his parents with plates full of shrimp, little lobsters, squid, little shells, mushrooms and a little vegetables. This was something Alex needed to try (just like his grandfather), and he didn’t touch his happymeal anymore. It was the first night Alex ate so much that we skipped his milk. He went to bed with his stomach filled to the brim.

In a few month his grandmother and father will be visiting. The perfect reason to go again.

Fish

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Alex and the fish!We love to go the the beach, and we’re lucky because there are lots of beaches nearby. Both Ana and I prefer a nice sandy beach. Handy for putting up the parasol, and great for relaxing in the sand. The only bad thing it that a little bit of wind can cover you with a thin layer of sand that is impossible to remove, except by jumping into the cold ocean.

Alex on the other hand prefers a rocky beach. The perfect place for walking around with a little net catching everything that moves. Shrimp, little fish, crabs, ec.

Recently Alex caught a little fish. It ended up it his little bucket, and the good times started. First he got a big scare when he put his hand in the water and the fish touched him, but this changed with amazing speed. Soon Alex was playing with the fish and the little fish became more and more tired, until we released him back into the ocean.

Radar & In a ditch

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Leiden - Brahmslaan!My appartment in Leiden was part of a TV program and it was featured on TROS Radar.

But, as often the case, the media coverage involved exaggerating the facts a little. Once there was also an article in the local newspaper about me. It informed the people that some victim of an accident involving a car and a bit had broken his jaw. In reality the victim was me, and though I had indeed been hit by a car, and taken to the hospital, I was without damage.

The TROS Radar TV show went undercover to film at my apartment. The program wanted to show that people that wanted to rent a home were changed things that had also been paid by the people that supplied the home. Something like that, and if was shown that it was not legal to charge two different parties for the same thing. Only the renters could be charged or the person renting out the place. Not both.

The funny thing was that the person representing me (I never met this person in my life) did have quite some stories about me to share. I was heavily in debt, divorced, and basically having a very bad time.

Three years!

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alex-olifantToday we have a big party because we celebrate Alex’ third birthday.

Alex asked for one strange thing: His daddy dressed up as a clown. Oh well, if it makes him happy I’ll be happy to dress up for him.

Zuur

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Alex covered with lemons!
Alex likes picking lemons and this has resulted in a very big amount of fruit. To bad the taste is so sour. Still, once mixed with water and some sugar the taste is quite nice.

The recipy is simple:

  • 4 lemons
  • 1 liter of water
  • 100 grams sugar

10 years

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10 years Leiden365.nl!Exactly 10 years ago it all started with my first blog post. In 10 years a lot has happened and the most surprising was that each new highlight was more impressive that its predecessor.

What’s next? Will this trend of increasingly big highlights continue or not? What ever happens I’m happy to wait and see.

Fake again

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Fake Koningsdubbelportret 2014!After the first set of colored coins we were quickly introduced to a new phenomenon. Semi fake colored coins. Actually quite logical because painting coins is cheap and the royal Dutch mint charges a lot for a painted coin. In addition the number of painted coins is very low and they are sold out very fast.

This time the KNM is warning us about ‘fake’ coins with the double heads (former queen and current king). Actually the coins are not fake, they are just normal/legal coins, which everyone is allowed to paint. It seems that to only way to distinguish a fake from a real painted coin is by looking at the packaging.

Geoloday

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Geolodia!Today it is the day of geology. I have no geological background, but that does not matter. I know a few geologists and that is enough. This year we’ll go on a nice field trip. Interesting facts, a nice walk, a pick-nick and for sure some sunshine.