Gypsyfeet3

26 July Paris-Brussels

First fast train experience on the Thalys in first class with our Eurail pass, plus a little extra cash.

With a maximum speed of 300km and an average of 280km, the countryside whizzes by!

Kids impressed by the little treats served, which I didn't think were included...

If 90€ counts for anything!

30/07 trying to get to Beverlijk...

Brussels-Rotterdam. 8:45-10:56

Rotterdam-Haarlem 11:07-12:01

Haarlem-beverwijk  12:24-12:40

Antwerp central

Roosendaal

Breda

Rotterdam

Haarlem

Beverwijk

Should have been a 3 train journey though we are now on third with two more to go.

All crammed in like sardines.  One handle on my suitcase just broke while going up the stairs, repairs and improvisations ahead!

What transport adventures await us I wonder....?

We are standing in the aisle, not sure how far it is, possibly an hour.

The day is grey, the kids are tired and hungry of course, but it is what it is.

We have chatted with some fellow passengers.  Most of the announcements are in Dutch so not much to understand.

Not sure if we'll get to Amsterdam yet and still a night in limbo to sort out.

01/08. Buses, trains, feet...

From stay ok to Amsterdam this morning where we spent the day roaming streets and canals.  We are squished in our night train compartments.  The lady who made our reservation tried to save us a days travel but it didn't work.

Have had to pay extra twice now, though it is our first time in a speedy sleeping train and would be paying for accommodation elsewhere anyway.

We found a lovely peniche boat museum to visit, walked past anne Frank's house where the visiting line was endless!  Interesting and busy, the canals are great but I'm glad we stayed at the castle.  Looking forward to quieter places with less crowds.

Transport has been confusing, finding the right platforms, carriages and seats, going back and forth.  Using the lockers was also an experience!

05/08/16

More buses, metro and trains.

This time from Prague to Brno.

Tickets are confusing when written in Czech.  Our trip was 3/4 through when the conductor comes through, I have our tickets, no problem.

However, apparently we are sitting in first class and only have 2nd class tickets.

An honest enough mistake on a domestic train that requires no reservation, but he wasn't happy.  I tried to explain that we couldn't read the information on the ticket...he huffed and puffed a bit, punched numbers into his machine and eventually threw his arms in the air!  We were happy to move of course and we weren't the only ones.  A local man was in the same boat but he just smiled and said a few words to the conductor, not too worried.  We didn't pay extra and there really wasn't much difference between first and second apart from the colour scheme!

Review: The Girl with the Windup Heart

The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another series finished (except for the novellas).

I love The Steampunk Chronicles. There is just enough of everything to make the story and characters admirable. Excitement, strength, adventure, suspense, love and romance, intriguing settings, mystery and magic steampunk style, hunky men and gutsy women!

A world I would love to hang out in more.

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Review: Bush Studies: Text Classics

Bush Studies: Text Classics by Barbara Baynton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book of short stories has been sitting on my shelf for some years now. Introductions are peculiar things, sometimes I enjoy them and sometimes not. This one I found to be too long and didn't finish it because it was giving too much away.
I read the first two stories and found them hauntingly realistic but I couldn't manage to get into the others. I started each one and struggled either due to the written form of spoken language or lack of interest. I feel it was more a question of timing, I was simply not in the right mood, as the themes are powerful as is the authors own story. Definitely worth a look for anyone interested in Australian historical fiction.

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Review: The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like many books I have, waiting for me to read them, I wish I had done so earlier.
Wonderful storytelling. I wasn't sure what to expect but was happy with what I found.
Intrigue, adventure, secrets, mystery, love, interesting characters, depth, darkness and humour.

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YOUR TIME STARTS NOW……

(School Newsletter interview)

My earliest memory is….  Climbing trees.
My first relationship was….  Sweet and short lived.
My most treasured possession is…  knowledge.
My mother and father always told me….  Yes but you’re different.
I wish I had….. More time to do everything.
I wish I hadn’t…. Stayed up so late reading.
My guiltiest pleasure is… not feeling guilty.
My happiest moment is…the present.
At home I cook…. Cakes for the neighbours.
My favourite gadget is…none.
I’m not so good at…… maths.
When I was a child I wanted to…. Be an archeologist.
The book that changed my life is……books are constantly changing my life!
If  I could live anywhere…I would need more than one of me.
It’s not fashionable but I love…. Trashy movies.
My worst trait is…. Talking too much or not enough.
My best trait is….  Creativity.
Friends say I am…calm.
I’d love to….makes costumes for films.
If  I could change one thing in the world it would be…..hatred.
My greatest fear is…..feeling stuck, settling for something.
If only I could….declutter.
The last big belly laugh I had was….a couple of days ago.
I relax by….. Reading.
What I don’t find amusing is…. Ignorance.
I’m always being asked…. Say something in French.
My favourite place in the world… too many.
At the moment I’m listening to…. City Calm Down, SOAK, Echo and the Bunnymen.
My favourite work of art is…. Too many.
My worst job was….. For a dodgy photographer.
The strangest place I've ever slept…in a bathtub.

Review: Lead

Lead by Kylie Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

More nice and light girly entertainment.
Fun with enough romance, steaminess and crisis moments to keep you in and finished before you know it.
Hooks in nicely with previous volumes and characters.

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Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

lots of weird and wonderful steampunk fun and adventure.
Interesting kick-arse characters, a touch of proper romance,
amazing contraptions and I am just imagining the costumes!

definitely grabbing the next volume.

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Review: 84, Charing Cross Road

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

beautiful.
this was published in 1970 the year I was born.
shorter than expected and followed by the duchess of Bloomsbury street.
have had tears in my eyes, sobbing my way through all the emotion!
the humour is spot on.
the exchange is exquisite.
the whole is charming.
I would like to make a list of all the books HH mentions, many of which I've not read or heard of.
I like novels - I also like what HH said about reading about real things, people, places, stuff that happened. I should do more of it.
the second part - the visit, made me think of all the places I didn't go to when I was over there, so have started another list of must sees.
it is incredibly easy to romanticise life sometimes. my piles of journals will no doubt remind me that reality is always present no matter where we are or have been. I liked her finishing thought from Prospero;

this is how I feel about all my years in France, it all seems like a far away dream.

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SOAK - SEA CREATURES

Social Media Revolution 2015 |Youtube Facts that will Amaze you

Counting by 7s by Holly Golberg Sloan

Magical in so many ways.
I laughed,
I cried,
I held my breath and I hoped.

Do any of us realise how incredibly we can touch others?
How small gestures can ripple outwards helping in ways never imagined.

It is difficult to grasp a genius mind like Willows'.
I would love to have such insight of the world,
To be able to comprehend the miraculousness of everything in such an informed way.

The beauty of this story is in how all these unlikely people and coincidences
All move towards each other and fit together.
Compassion, understanding, empathy, needs and fulfilment.

A little patience and kindness goes a long way.
Each character needed a little saving
And somehow in big and small ways
they all saved each other.

You're the kind of girl I write songs about by Daniel Herborn

Yeah yeah...the title got me straight away.
What girl, regardless of age, doesn't want songs written for/about her by some groovy guy?

Writing, the creative process in whichever form, is a response to life.
An experience, emotion, sensation, conversation, image, person, moment, a witness.
It requires thought, sensitivity, honesty, patience, a certain way of looking at and seeing things...
And then, courage because all creative expression makes us vulnerable.

What is in a song?
layers of music and words telling a story,
a different kind of snapshot,
that brings people together in sounds, vibrations, movement, dance.

That is a special energy,
so if someone felt so inspired as to create a piece of that around you it would (hopefully) be a huge compliment no matter how clichéd or corny.
Surely that means that someone has seen something more than an exterior or appearance. They have taken time to look harder and deeper to know who you are.

So I like this book for it's simple descriptions,
it's monologues marking moments of unspoken treasures.
All the things left unsaid.
We say what we shouldn't and don't say what we should.

I like the insight into how the characters think and feel about life and each other.
Life is amazing at any age but from 18 onwards new experiences are huge. Work, study, music, responsibility, reality, freedom, first love, travel, hopes and dreams...WOW, totally wonderful and overwhelming!

Mandy and Tim are young, lost and fragile.
Music brings them together, binds them, they express themselves through it with their band crushes, mix tapes, love of vinyl and for Tim his lyrics.
There is an ageless maturity in some of his thinking that is quite touching, mixed with humour and a little poetry. I like pensive minds perhaps that's why it appeals to me or the creative process, but it also takes me back.

"You can say so much without words. I guess I didn't mind before when Mandy didn't talk much because you can tell more about people during the silences. I know so many people who talk a lot and talk such a lot of shit that it's nice to have someone who doesn't say that much, but says things that are worth listening to when they do speak." - Tim

"...In those couple of seconds I try to commit every inch of the swell of her breasts to memory, every detail from the curve of her collarbone to the edge of the black lace bra under her shirt. I try to take a mental photograph of that tantalising inch between her skirt and her stockings when she walks, those acres of legs in black nylon. I'm forgetting how to breathe." - Tim

"One person, one moment, can change things forever. Perhaps I've always known this. After all, it only takes the three chords and the two and a half minutes of a great pop song to break your heart or make you feel invincible." - Mandy

Lots of cute awkwardness to love.

Raising Competent teenagers by Dr. Linda Friedland

This gives good practical advice and ideas on how to live and communicate with teens.
The question and answer approach makes it easy to find what you need and the what to do in point form is great for quick tips.
I'm always gleaning information from different sources in hope of finding some harmony over the next few years.
It is also reassuring to note that I am on the right track...so far...in theory!



5 may 2015  this about sums it up (sometimes)

uugghh...
why is parenting so exhausting?

last minute nonsensical
bedtime bothers!

save me!
need to shake my head like a
cartoon character with all the
sound effects

just call me

SUPER NAG

anytime anywhere anywhy

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicolas Drayson

Fun, charming, touching.
The tortoise and the hare.
Secret side stories.
Wonderful birds.
Khan - surface bling, no real substance.
Malik - simple, noble...learning to see what is right in front of him,
Around him, his son, Benjamin, Petula.

Lovely.
Entertaining characters, sweet story for a rainy Sunday morning.      

           

Looking for Alaska by John Green

First love, friendship, bonds, adolescence, questions, answers, frustrations, silliness, importance, fun, sadness, difference, acceptance, loss and pain.

All the big things are here.  The how, who, when, why and what. 
The awkwardness and ridiculousness of youth, the good and bad choices and how some of these moments can change us forever.

I liked Pudge's essay right at the end.
And this sentence, 'There is a part of her greater than the sum of her knowable parts'.

The Guy, the Girl, the Artist and his Ex by Gabrielle Williams

Two Australian authors publish books based on the same crime around the same time.
Having read Cairo by Chris Womersley I was curious to compare angles. 
Interpretations of the same theme are often interesting.

I loved how this story unfolds, how slowly the characters come together in strange twists of fate.
There is a mix of youth, young love, family, choices, right and wrong, tragedy, death, desperation, vanity, loss, stupidity, and life in it's many forms.
There is strength and fragility and a sense of optimism despite bad choices.
Fun, well paced and entertaining.

The Keepers Trilogy by Lian Tanner

An exciting adventure into a strange and unusual world where people are almost too scared to breathe!
Interesting and courageous characters including a museum with a mind of its own.
Many suspenseful, funny and endearing moments.
We will be listening to the next part starting tomorrow.

Read from May 27 to June 02, 2015
	We are really enjoying this trilogy so far. Great strong characters and wonderful reading. An air of calm peacefulness pervades the room or car when we are listening to the story. It's wonderful. This adventure was just as exciting as the first. We got to explore more of the land with Goldie, Toadspit and Bonnie and despite the dangers It was fun. Love Idle Cat...all these wondrous beasts are incredible. Goldie put all her training to practice. Looking forward to more.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

This was a wonderful funny journey read in a day.
There are so many elements that make us who we are.
Empathy is an emotion we should explore and practice more often,
Then perhaps the many misunderstandings and misinterpretations we suffer from these days could be avoided.

There is often little logic involved in emotions and how can we really define love?
There is lots of specialness in this story.
We all suffer from/enjoy our own differences and uniqueness whether it is a defined condition or not.
We can all love and be loved as we are, for and despite our weirdness.

Of course it is not easy or without hurt,
But it is comforting and reassuring and beautiful knowing
That love comes in as many ways as we do.

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Another audio book enjoyed with my kids.

Despite the harsh reality of the main theme of this story, I loved the description of Mark and the urge behind his journey.

I loved his love of haikus and photography, the strong bonds between boy and dog and Mark and Jessie.  

Loyalty rang strong throughout and his brief encounters with others along the way were poignant.

There were desperate moments and emotions, scary and heart wrenching ones too.

A touching tale of love, hope, illness and alienation, frustration, life and death, small miracles, strength, courage and a big journey of self discovery.

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey

This is the third audio book I have indulged in recently and was borrowed on a whim.

The description gave little away of the story and as I listened I became more and more intrigued about the mystery of it all and what would happen next.

It was adventurous and exciting with moments of suspense, full of well written characters that I either loved or despised accordingly.  Rose is a wonderfully strong female lead and I loved the mischievous elementals.  Eventually there were some predictable happenings as well as some surprises but I wasn't disappointed by anything and enjoyed it so much to finish off the 11 discs in a couple of days.

Loved the imagery, the fantasy, the magic, the costumes...it would be amazing on screen with a dash of steampunk perhaps.

Look forward to reading more in the series.