THOUGHTFORMS

We left Cyprus and usually in between moving into a new home we would travel where ever we were to Holland in Fries land..which is the North of Holland, that's where my Mums Family comes from, some live in the North and some in the South. My heart seams to stay in Fries land. Farms and Tulips, the old world,... cobbled roads, roads just for bikes to ride on. Villagers where people haven't changed for hundreds of years, still wearing their clogs and long dress going to church on the bike ........... I expect it's all different now.

When I was little and had been in a hot country then having to go to a cold country was such an adventure and I can't remember missing Cyprus or the heat. I came into a world of snow and ice and skating on ice with my parents and cousins. If you didn't have skates all you did was scrape down your dutch clogs 'clompen', until they were flat underneath then go skate and with home knitted thick light grey socks on, it was no problem and very warm dry and comfortable.
I just loved the way all the families and their children would get together, not because they were from blue or from green or rich or poor no politics just lighthearted fun and loads of laughter...the girls watched the boys and the boys showed off to the girls while the older ones watched all of them. I'm not saying that it was perfect or that nothing ever hit the fan! but it was cool, I don't remember any kids being nasty or shouting names or swearing. I expect it would have been stoped very quickly, I don't think they had time as everyone worked hard at school and the adults at work. I don't remember knowing people who didn't work unless they were very old or in hospital, every one seamed to be doing something to help in some way. Even after school I would help out if asked other wise I would be playing outside.

The wonderful thing was I didn't have to stay in if there was a curfew and I knew they didn't have 'snipers', or hatred that I knew of. I was very happy in my Friesland and picked up the language quickly as I had been listening to it, Dutch and German all my life.
If I could live in FriesLand comfortably I would jump at the chance.. it was a clean and friendly place to be, I felt safe there and well looked after, much love and laughter.

I loved the houses there they had cellars where lots of jars, rows of them were kept for fruit and enjoyed in winter. That's when the whole family would help (well the girls mainly) men had the hard jobs to be getting on with..... Men and Women and Children knew their place as they say... It worked if the family stuck together and knew why this was a good idea. I can't remember any old peoples homes , as my Oma and Opa were looked after very well in with all the family and cousins