Beautiful things in life

So many beautiful things came my way last week! All done by the beautiful people in my life!

But let me start two weeks ago when I had a little accident. I am not going into details of how it happened, only the results: a dislocated collarbone (believe me, it hurts!!), concussion (yes, I have been 'off this world' as we say here), a bruised knee, fingers and face.

When it happened, my youngest dog was worried sick and tried to get me back on my feet. Even after two weeks I can't go anywhere or he walks or sits next to me, observing me with his beautiful brown eyes. He was the first beautiful 'thing'.
Next was a dear friend who told me the next morning: "If you don't phone your doctor, I will!!!" (knowing my stubbornness so well).

The third beautiful was my doctor who diagnosed what I mentioned above after a thorough examination including an ECG (which proved a healthy heart). He also removed a piece of suspicious tissue from under my eye but when the result came back from the pathologist, it was innocent. This was the 4th beautiful.

I had to postpone a meeting because driving a car with a dislocated collarbone is not only painful but dangerous as well; I can't take action if something is happening.
And from that moment on, the other beautiful things happened and beautiful people arrived on my doorstep!
My pedicure who is also a friend, took me out for a High Tea; we had a lovely afternoon and the food was more than excellent! Thank you so much Elizabeth, you made my day!!!

Another dear friend who also has the gift to keep my impossible hair in shape, arrived with a box full of goodies to enjoy during Christmas. How lovely and thoughtful is this! Big hug Douwina!!

A dear cousin treated me with an extra to spend to my own idea, thank you Hans!!

Another friend gave me a beautiful lantern with a Christmas decor and little lights "for the darker days". Again a hug from me Tineke!

My lovely neighbour being worried about my accident, gave me the biggest hug in the world and friends further away in kilometres, sent me hugs and kisses.

Photo: Helen Varras

Big beautiful things are not the ones you buy with money. Big beautiful things live in people's hearts and souls. An honest hug is not to value in money, only in love. And love my dear readers, is big, special, absolutely beautiful and ever, ever so precious!!

Thank you beautiful people who created little wonders in my life, you mean so much to me!! Sending you my love and may there lots of little lights shine in your life!

Helen

Let's talk about Instagram

   Instagram, a beautiful medium to share your (photo)hobby's with like minded people around the world.
I joined Insta - or IG - in 2015 with some photo's of my animals but soon learned that posting photo's of all destinations I have visited, was a greater joy.
   An even greater joy was following the people with beautiful photo's of items I am interested in or love to see. And if I like a photo I click the Like button and sometimes leave a positive comment and vice versa.
Like minded people interact and slowly  but surely you 'get to know' people; their sense of humour, their likes and dislikes, their hobby's and sometimes about their loved ones.
Occasionally there is a private chat, also known as DM (Direct Message).

   Friends from way before the digital era, were already on IG or joined so yes, true friends are also IG friends.
The word 'friends' developed into a different meaning thanks to media like Facebook and IG. To me the word friend is still the old fashioned name for someone who is close to you, one you can rely on, who laughs and cries with you. Above all, a friend who respects you. In that respect a friend is a rare phenomenon you have to treasure.  Other people I would like to call acquaintances who of course are also nice people but not so close.
Though the internet reveals feelings in between 'acquaintances' and 'friends' and sometimes it moves on to a real friend in real life and how special is this!

   Back to IG where my private account recently reached 1000 followers and I have to emphasize these are for 95% loyal followers, including the very few from day one and during my photo journey, the others.
My goal has never been to get as many followers as possible. I refuse to download Apps to gain them, I  refuse to buy them. To be honest, I find the followers that follow me just to be followed back, useless. Either they like my photo's or they don't.

    This 'follow to be followed' is lately becoming an issue on IG so I noticed. I ignore them and let them move on, but there are nice and kind people who are fed up (to put it nicely) with accounts of people who only exist expressing themselves through an iPhone, mirror and pumped up muscles, DD breasts or gigantic bums, or to be the focal point in every photo, spoiling the views of mountains, beaches etc. If you are on IG for commercial reasons, fine but leave us who enjoy sharing photo's of a totally different kind, alone.

   The positive side of IG is that I do not receive updates about what who says to who in a post I liked. If you are interested in other people's opinions on a post, return but I very rarely do that.

Photo: Helen Varras

It is thanks to all these beautiful photo's, positive comments, encouraging words and loyalty that I resuscitated my DSRL Camera and renewed my interest in Black & White photography. And not only that, the Urbex people with all their wonderful photo's of abandoned properties, are the base of my stories in 'Helen Varras' Story Book'! A life changing experience!

   When my private account reached the 1000 followers, it was time to express my feelings and to thank the true and loyal followers.
My Urbex account reached in a very short time 600 followers,  big thank you to those too!

   Is IG an addiction? No and it will not happen either. Is the combination of IG and photography an addiction? Well..... eeehhmmm.....
And is the combination of Urbex (Urban Exploration), photography, IG and writing an addiction?
Close... and I have to admit it became a way of life I feel extremely comfortable with!!

Helen

Men and My Checklist (post with a wink)

Men.... 3 letters for a large group of human beings.
Women... 2 letters more for human beings, part of much larger group, the latter may be the explanation for the two extra letters.

Statistically the age expectation for women is higher than for men; not only in The Netherlands but world wide: "A new study finds that it's behaviour, not biology, that's responsible for the growing gap in the mortality rates of men vs. women all over the world" according an article on Shape.com
I am not going deeper into this, you can read the article yourself.

So why do I start my post of today with this opening?
Yesterday evening I had a lovely and sometimes hilarious phone call with a dear friend who I know since 1992. Friend (divorced) and I (widow) share a few adventures like someone (a tall and handsome man) pointing a double-barrelled shotgun at us. Will post this as a story in my 'Helen Varras' Story Book' one day.
Many common memories and many future expectations we like to dwell on.

One thing we talked about yesterday evening was a quote of several well hearted  people who only wish us good: "Isn't it time for a new relationship?" (As if it is easy the choose from all the men queuing up on our doorsteps.....).
Although we disagreed about looks (a relief ;-)), we agreed about our wish list (or checklist) growing while we age. Not a surprise; when you are young, you have less experience in life and grow together in a mutual future. But the older you get, the more experienced you are, the longer your wish list.
You learned what you don't and do like. And if you think that looks are less important, you are wrong.

And then the question raised, shall he be older or younger?
Younger is often better looking, in better shape but younger is very seldom looking for older although more common in this modern world.
And if a younger man  is looking for an older woman, older has often money. One other thing we agreed on, friend and I, that we definitely do not want a Toy Boy!

Older? Are we ready to push wheelchairs and change nappies? Eeeehhhmmm, we are when it happens in the relationship but rather not on forehand (talking about very old men now, not about disabilities!).
No offend to very old men, we are well aware that we might reach that stage in life too but hopefully not in 30 years time.

I think that this list also has to do with being more independent but that might also be the case for younger people who live on their own for quite some time, curious to your feedback.
The need for a partner is less urgent. Of course intimacy is wonderful but that is not the most important part of a relationship any more. It completes a relationship but other things are also important.
Saying this should mean a shorter wish list instead of a longer but no.

The 10 years I lived alone between my divorce and my second marriage, my brother, very concerned, once told me: "You will never find someone else, you are too picky; either a man's ears are too small (or too big), he is too dull or too active, does not like reading books or is married to the cinema. Or he is under 6ft 2" (appr. 185 cm.)."  And here my brother has a point: I love a tall man because I love to cuddle under someone's chin and not with someone under my chin. But this is personal ...

After the phone call of at least two hours, my friend asked me if I would sleep well and not recalling we talked about. I slept very well but the subject was back when I woke up and now, after the usual house keeping chores, I sat down and made for the very first time in my life, a visible wish list.
Rather call it a checklist, a YES and NO list. And I am more than happy to share this list with you.

I have not decided yet if the fact that the NO list is shorter than the YES list, is a positive outcome ;-)

There is one thing that is not on the list: older or younger.
Younger: statistically yes. Achievable: challenging. Realistically: I leave this to my readers....

Conclusion: we don't choose voluntary for much older men, younger men don't look for older women and the really nice and huggable modern men these days, are in a relationship or gay. Sigh....

Helen

Autumn, Winter and Music

My last post was also about music, I know.

But music is important to me; it either articulates my feelings or it opens up my heart to feelings I have hidden for what ever reason. And these reasons do not always have to be negative.
Although not born and bred British, I am familiar with the 'stiff upper lip': you don't want to show your emotions or don't want to talk about it. Nothing wrong with that.

Being busy and concentrating on daily tasks ánd a different future, deepest emotions are not always in place. I tend to push them away to a corner in which I can not always find them back again although I know they are still somewhere; they never leave me. My way to handle my life.

Fortunately I have a positive spirit and recognize new opportunities when they arise.'Varras' is not accidentally chosen; this Finish cow bar elevates my life to a new level.
Seasons also have their influences on my spirit and energy. The people who know me well, know that Summer is not my favourite season. I love sunshine for it's light ad warmth but it often drains my energy. For me a Summer Sleep is more appropriate than a Winter Sleep!

Then it is time for Autumn and I wake up, I start living again and my energy returns.
Don't ask me why, probably an amalgamation of cooler temperatures, colours, scents and skies.
The rain singing it's song, the mist fading contours and narrowing the world around me, the fiery colours of leaves and skies, energetic thunderstorms and the strong smell of wet decaying leaves and mushrooms.

The forest is a busy place for wild animals gathering nature's goodies to survive the Winter; by eating as much as possible for a deep sleep or stockpiling.
And suddenly there is silence; nature waits for the first snowflakes changing the world into a white blanket that muffles sounds; boundaries disappear.
I do not have to explain that Vivaldi's Winter and Autumn are my favourites.

It is this stillness that triggers forgotten emotions. A stillness that makes me aware of the many blessings in life. Stillness penetrates everything and adds balance.

It is not only stillness that reaches my heart. I mentioned earlier that music can do the same and without expecting it.
This happened to me this week. I came across beautiful photo's taken by Gio Boretti. Browsing the photo's I suddenly listened to beautiful guitar music that touched my heart, the compositions is called 'Love for an old wolf' , I shared it on Facebook.

But it was 'Winter Silence' that reached, without warning, the deepest corners of my heart where I, to my surprise, had hidden a few unshed tears. And I am not ashamed for these feelings, no stiff upper lip. I listened and listened.

I have never met you Gio, but thank you!!

Helen

Beautiful Moments

Please share my beautiful moments with me....

It is August, the rain is pouring down and leaves little drops like diamonds on the large window apposite me.
The wind moves the trees in a fast pace; green apples - still growing - dangle at their branches, not trying to give way to the wind.
I see the very first yellow leaves dwelling on the grass. Is this an early sign of Autumn or the drought of the past weeks?

Next to me the scented candle flickers in the antique glass and creates a cosy and comfortable atmosphere in the otherwise dark kitchen where I type my stories.
I listen to a beautiful CD which arrived with the post on Tuesday. A friend who knows how much I love classical music, sends me these CD's for which I am more than grateful.

Photo: Helen Varras

The first part of the CD I play over and over again as it touches my heart. It stirs an emotion I can not explain. It is encouraging, inspirational, beautiful, it comforts me. But at the same time it makes me feel small, a tiny human being in the universe. Above all it causes grateful feelings. I am alive, I have a life, I have a gift.

When I listen to this music, the world around me comes to a halt and every sense of me is aware of what I hear: Suite no. 3 in D-Major: part 2 'Air' Johan Sebastian Bach

Helen

Time....

Did you notice time flies?

Today it is 8 months ago that my dear husband passed away. Ever since, the concept 'time' changed completely. Sometimes it feels much longer than 8 months and sometimes it feels like yesterday with all the past months still ahead of me. At that very moment I feel the pain even more and with the knowledge of today, an uncertain future.

Don't take me wrong, I am not afraid to fight for my future. I am not afraid to be forced to look for an income, to find a job but sometimes it keeps me awake as, be honest, at 62 finding a job is not that easy.
But I have always been a fighter and that did not change. My glass has always been half full and that did not change either.
It is time, my dear readers, to list the good things that happened to me!

First of all against all odds, I published my first Dutch e-book (Observaties) in March. On the right side bar is listed where you can order it. I am happy to tell you e-book no. 2 is on its way.
It sells but only occasionally although the reviews of the readers are very positive! Still, I receive quite a few request to translate it to English and that is what I am working at (besides my novel). Stay tuned for more information!!

I created a Facebook page which is well visited, please take a look and follow me if you like : Helen Varras' Facebook Page
I also have a personal Facebook account, you are very welcome as my friend: Helen Varras

And there is my twitter account (the amount of followers keeps growing): Helen Varras on Twitter
Plus Instagram: Helen Varras on Instagram and Pinterest: Helen Varras on Pinterest
Last  but not least and very important, my LinkedIn account: Helen Varras LinkedIn where I listed being a (freelance)writer, author, editor, translator and blogger.

You are right now on my 'private' blog but as you will have noticed in the top bar, there is also a Dutch and an English Blog. The Dutch Blog is all about updates and short stories. The English Blog is an occasional update and more and more short stories and I love to tell you more about the English short stories.
I love Instagram, the beautiful photo's on there are a joy to watch. I also found some beautiful people on there with my private account. But what I also found are photographers of abandoned places. Search for #abandoned on Instagram and have a look yourself.

Three photographers however, touched not only my heart, but their photo's also inspired me to write stories. There is so much to view and without doubt, there are so many unknown and untold tales attached to each photo!
I asked them if I was allowed to use some of their photo's to write a pure fictional story to it. And to my great joy and thankfulness, they said yes. Of course at the bottom of each story is a 'word of thanks' and a link to either the Instagram account or their websites and please, visit them.
To my astonishment I receive far more feedback to my English stories than my Dutch. Yes, I understand very well that English is a worldwide language, hence my translation of my first e-book.
Isn't it beautiful to be able to grow worldwide? To me it is a blessing.
But there is also a message to you: if you like my stories, or you want stories to illustrate your drawings or photo's, please contact me and let us discuss the possibilities.
Or if you have written stories in English, Swedish and German and you want me to translate them to Dutch (or from Dutch to English) you are of course also very welcome!

Besides all this I am hoping for people to get to know Helen Varras a little better. I want people to know that writing is my passion. I love it!! Stories evolve in my head during the day (or even in my dreams) and I think of it as a huge miracle to put these thoughts into words and into stories; short stories or a book.
I reserve my mornings for daily routine duties in the house and the garden and the afternoons and if I can't stop writing, the evenings for writing. And of course I can not resist participating in writing contests.
To my great joy I was one of the winners of a contest! I sent two stories and both stories will be published in a book (read more about it here) And not only that, one story ended at the 2nd place!!
Wow, I was (and still are) over the moon!! This is so encouraging, a confirmation that I have chosen the right new direction in my life. Still a long way to go and lots and lots to learn but this is something I can only look forward to!

This was on the writing side. Personally I am surrounded by wonderful people, most are my own friends but I also inherited some beautiful friends from my late husband. Everyone of these 'mixed' friends really care, are not afraid to talk to 'a widow', they are people who openly talk about happiness and sadness. Who love, laugh and cry with me. Who listen and who hug. Who send me flowers or little present. But above all, who encourage me to write, write and write.
How can I fear a future when surrounded by so many honest people? I don't! I am blessed and are well aware of it.

Thank you beautiful people!!! Sending you lots of love.

Helen

Oh lovely soft fresh rain....

The weather gods fulfilled my pluviofylic needs: it is raining!!
Being very quiet you can hear the grass sing, the trees whisper and the flowers rejoice greatly.

Some parts of my lovely country had heavy showers and thunderstorms earlier but here we only had a few drops that evaporated immediately. I heard stories of people switching the lights on at day time because of the dark clouds. Not here. We did not have much sunshine but we didn't have much needed water drops from the clouds either.
Well, they made it up today! The yellow roses bow due to the weight of the water, their scent is extra strong.
Birds sheltered in the trees and just came out to sing again. You can almost see the grass wiggling due to a growth spurt and my Hydrangea's are feeling great!

And so do I, I love rain. Yes, it is a little dark (or cosy) in the kitchen but that is also caused by the fruit trees which I checked yesterday for apples and pears but the storm of 2 weeks ago blew most of the tiny young fruit away. Much to the joy of the youngest dog who thinks they are toy trees throwing balls at him.
I was so much looking forward to apple pies, chutney's and marmalades in Autumn but it looks like it will only fill a jar or two, three. We'll see.

Last week I got 2 kilo's of strawberries, still warm from the sun and freshly picked. Oooohhhh.... the smell!! Mouth watering! They needed immediate attention; I washed and cleaned them, held a few back that could last a little longer and put one kilo in the slow cooker to make a Spicy Indian Strawberry Chutney. I never did that before but the taste is delicious. You need to keep in the freezer.
The other kilo also went into the slow cooker and is now marmalade with the lovely taste of Summer, even today with the dark clouds poring out water.

I know I should not go on about my Butler James but I love him so much! He is so useful!
Soon I will try to bake a cake in a special oval mould on top of what James is cooking more that day (with of course a layer of cooking (baking) paper to separate the dishes).

Speaking of cakes.... the friends who gave me the strawberries, gave me this morning 2 litres of colostrum.
Not everyone will be familiar with colostrum (from a cow in this case) and some will say just by the sound of it "No, tank you", but I love it. The beautiful yellow creamy substance tastes lovely! The Internet is full of recipes for pancakes, puddings etc.
The cake with the lovely name 'Lariekoek' ('fiddle faddle' or 'balderdash' in English, I like those names even better) are on my to do list for tomorrow as it is a very good recipe for the slow cooker.
And why not today? Well, James is already cooking my curry minced meat peas dinner and I want him to pay careful attention to the Lariekoek.

And last but not least: from cows to chicken.
In the chicken indoor pen are two baskets to lay eggs. I always find it fascinating that chicken who lay eggs for the very first time, know they need to do that in the hay filled basket. It might be the smell of hay anchored in their genes that tempt them shuffling to make these beautiful soft round holes for their eggs.

Although both baskets contain hay from the same bale, they all prefer the right basket and leave the left alone. And not only to lay eggs and to walk away again. No, broody hens love the right basket too. And not just a single hen! A community brood! My question is: how many broody hens fit (voluntary) in one basket.....?

Enjoy the Wednesday, tomorrow is heading towards the weekend.

Helen

The Holiday Day

English is not my native tongue and sometimes words make me wonder.
For instance 'holiday'. Is it a holiday that lasts several days, weeks, months maybe....
Than there is Bank Holiday but is one day off, the day of your own choice, also a holiday or, if a holiday is a longer period, a holiday-day?

If so, than I had a holiday-day yesterday. Or more precise: a holi-half day. A 'holiafternoon'.
It started at 1 PM and my first stop was a petrol station (how 'holi' is this).
My second stop was the Veterinarian practice for the medication of my cat. I had a nice chat with the paraveterinarian nurse who enjoed the sunshine on a bench in the garden.
The third stop which I find very 'holi' was the village Suwald or Suawoude (in English on Wikipedia).
A small village where I used to live and even after 9 years, still feels at home. Every time I am there, people still know who I am and there is always time for a chat.

   Suwald is an old village with just 700 people. It should be world famous for it's very first bicycle and pedestrian solar ferry in the world. For a very small amount of money, it crosses the canal and you can start a walk or bicycle tour in the Friesian landscape.

Near the harbour is a small cafe where you can buy non alcoholic drinks, tea, coffee, (hot) coco's and ice creams. The cafe and ferry are run by volunteers. A wonderful group of people and not all are local but also from nearby villages.

   The sun was out and I could not resist going to the cafe to view the canals and fields, sitting in a chair, enjoying my ice cream and tea. School children and their teachers chatted away and I talked to the locals.
But also to a lovely couple way in their 80's who were still so young at heart and very fit although health wise they had their own fare share in life.
It felt so good to sit amongst all  these people of all ages; some with a life ahead of them, some living the best they can in the last part of their life. The voices, the wind, the birds, the whisper of the ferry when it landed to release and collect people..... to me it was heaven on earth. It felt wonderful and it felt like home.

   The best had still to come: a visit to my former and lovely neighbour Ann, age 94.
I do miss her and she misses me. Because she is getting deaf, phone calls are a bit difficult but being with her, spoilt with tea, cakes and chocolates, is a great joy. She is mentally very fit and has an excellent memory. We talk about everything and nothing, have fun and enjoy each others company.
I felt sorry when the time had come to say goodbye again. I arrived with hugs and left with hugs, promising to be back soon.

Instead of taking the motorway, I drove the country lanes with the car window open. I felt so rich, happy and free. But above all blessed with my good health and inherited genes which allow me to look beyond sadness and grief, to see and feel the sun, to enjoy talking to people, to visit a very dear friend and to smile and love.

Wishing you all a blessed weekend,

Helen

 

Chic Chac's and hierarchy

The readers of my Dutch and English Blog know I have chicken, 6 in total.
Chicken are known for their 'little' brains but if that means that they are stupid, I strongly disagree. Yes, they are naive at times but not stupid. Well...... most are not. And each chicken has a character of its own, a Chic Chac.

When I moved to this house, there were 8 Java dwarf chicken, funny and friendly animals who got along very well. And of course there was a cockerel to keep the peace in the pen (and garden).
But this was quite a few years ago, and all but one died. The oldest died at the age of 10, I called her 'grandma'.

Serama eggs (photo Helen Varras)

The only one left was 8 at the time and she did very well on her own. Than winter came and although there is a lamp to heat the inner pen, she couldn't cuddle up with friends any more and  I thought it was cruel to leave her on her own and bought her a new friend: a gold feathered Serama dwarf chicken who was laying the odd dwarf egg too.
The Serama is quite a character and was telling the Java that she was the boss from now on. The Java, very friendly, disagreed of course but within a few hours they were friends and got along extremely well.

A few weeks later I was able to buy two Bantams (Dutch dwarf chicken); they look like Pheasant hens and turned out to be dominant. It took more than a few hours before everybody got along peacefully. One of the Bantams took over and became the Alpha chicken and took care of her 'sister' who was the Omega.

Not much later I got two Serama's who were very young but lovely. One black-and-white and one dark brown, almost black. Again there was this struggle for hierarchy and no cockerel to handle it.
Why no cockerel you would ask? You live in the countryside!
True but I have a lovely neighbour who is always willing to help out and I am always welcome in their house, still, he hates the sound of a cockerel and I respect that. And... my youngest dog is interfering when the chicken quarrel. He runs full speed to the pen and barks. His bark brings a peace where all chicken unanimously agree to. And they are not afraid of the dog, they come to see where the barking is about...

It is 6 months after the first Serama arrived and I love to watch how they get along. The current hierarchy seems to work best. The Java is of course the oldest but not the Alpha, the Bantam still is and her 'sister' still the Omega. But the Java is definitely the smartest of them all. She does not fight and is a close friend to the gold feathered Serama who is definitely the most cheerful one and the best egg layer.
The dark brown Serama is most quiet but very close with the black-and-white who is far most the stupid one in the pen. Very, very sweet, tame and social but indeed stupid (as we say in Holland: 'exceptions confirm the rules').

The best time to observe their hierarchy is in the morning when they get their food and fruit/vegetables.
The Alpha Bantam (please don't joke that all Dutch are dominant.....) steps in the middle of the food bowl and only allows her 'sister' to eat. Just for the show, the black-and-white picks the 'sister' but is immediately told off by the Alpha. The dark brown Serama sits and waits; she is not in a hurry. The gold feathered is rushing around trying to get to the bowl too and occasionally act if she should be the boss.

And the Java??? You won't see her around in the outer pen, she is inside in the night pen where is also a bowl with food and relaxed and not bothered by hierarchy, she eats.
So, no brains??? Ha!

Enjoy a lovely weekend!

Helen.

World wide Blog visitors

The stats of this Blog shows world wide visitors with The Netherlands and Russia on top.
Because my Blog is in English, I expected more visitors from the US (as is the case with my Skype Lifestyle Blog) or the UK but Russia surprises me. Dear Russian visitors: a warm welcome!

I was thinking about the countries where you, my visitor,  live and wondering how the weather is at your side. With the Climate Changes it might be high Summer in Alaska and mid Winter in Maroc. You can't tell.
In Holland it is mid Autumn right now: storms, thunderstorms and rain. Cosy indoors but nothing like Spring or Summer. And it is only two weeks from now that Summer begins. Oh dear....

My 'office' is my kitchen, my view is garden, fields and trees. And the trees are waving heavily at me, bowing in the wind. The trouble with storms in the Summer are the leaves at the trees. You will be familiar with the proverb "High trees catch much wind". Well, they do today!

Not a day for food shopping which was my plan. Instead I am writing a short story for a writing contest; dead line end of June. And writing is what I like to do most.
While typing away, I listen to the snoring sound of one of my dogs. They love to be outdoors but don't like this weather. They have chosen to sleep curled up, in their dog bed right in front of the large window with the garden view so if they wake up they can still see what is going on outside.
Even the birds in the garden keep quiet. And according to the forecast, we haven't had the worst yet.

Are you familiar with the word 'freubelen'? I doubt. It is similar to'fiddle (with), tinker (with/up).
With the word 'freubelen' you think of toddlers making beautiful things of paper but one can also 'freubel' (I love that word) digital. And that is what I did the past few days. I updated my Dutch Blog and simplified navigating on all blogs.
And I added Pinterst. One need to be on top of all the Social Media!

I hope you have much better weather, where ever you live. Enjoy the sunshine, enjoy each others company and above all: smile!

Helen

Still visitors

Although I have not been posting for 4 years, there are still visitors to this blog. Thank you!

I know I have promised before to post more often but much has happened in the meantime.
Unfortunately my husband passed away in November 2016. I don't have to explain that this was a very, very sad time.
Early 2014 he was diagnosed with a heart problem and in July 2014 taken into hospital with a second heart problem on top of it. His health was critical at that very moment but still, his death in 2016 was totally unexpected. Not just by me but also his cardiologist and our GP.

Life changed dramatically without him.
I had to sell the motor home and are trying hard to generate an income, either a (part time)job or with writing.
And not only writing stories and books but also freelance writing, translations, proofreading.Please contact me when you think you need my skills

In March of this year, I published my very first e-book (in Dutch) 'Observaties' (Observations) and are planning to translate it in English this year, I received requests to do so.
The book contains 12 short stories which I wrote during our motor home holidays by observing people who behaved just a little bit different than expected.
I gave these people names and backgrounds. Therefore are all stories pure fiction.
The beautiful thing of writing is that you can combine a gentleman in France with a lady in Germany in a motor home on the North Cape. So many combinations are possible to create a story!

I write with the pseudonym Helen Varras, my e-book is for sale at bol.com, smashwords.com kobobooks.com and iBooks for 4,50 Euro's.

You will find all information on my 2 blogs Helen Varras (Dutch) and Skype Lifestyle (English)
You can find Helen Varras also on Facebook I would be more than happy when you like the page.

Although the massive loss and grief, life goes on, there is a new future waiting to be explored and lived.
Part of this future will be occasional updates on this blog. Feel free to subscribe to the other blogs, there are special buttons to do so.

From now on signed:

Helen