SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Sat 06/27/26 02:34 AM

Going to have my breakfast.. what did u guys had today?

Hiya, and welcome here!
There is a subforum on food lower down on the board :)
There's one on dinner, but you can also start one for breakfast of course.
Could be interesting to see what people eat in the morning.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Fri 06/26/26 03:11 AM
Yay! Dutch team won again!!
I didn't watch the match as it was played in the middle of the night. But still good news that we beat Tunisia with 3-1 :D

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Fri 06/26/26 03:09 AM
Thinking... getting fed up with the heat!
Code Red today.
Can't recall ever having Code Red :o

There's a 3 day gig next to the beach, stone's throw away from me. 45.000 people a day. I cannot believe it didn't get cancelled... People could die standing on that asphalt, getting excited, drinking alcohol etc. etc.

As for me... started the day of with 29,5C. Indoors...
Where's the W wind when you need it?!

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Wed 06/24/26 03:52 PM
Feeling... sleepy but not sure I can even fall asleep as it's so hot indoors.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Wed 06/24/26 03:50 PM
TXS Glad to hear you enjoyed it :)
If you want another nice series to watch try CIA.
Or if you haven't watched it yet, Strike Back. Season 1 through 5 of that are excellent!


OT --- watched Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.
The next one, Skyfall is next, but not tonight anymore.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Wed 06/24/26 03:32 AM
Feeling... sorry for my 3 cats. The poor things are also struggling with this stinking heat :'(

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Wed 06/24/26 03:31 AM
Thinking... I've just about had enough of this friggin' heatwave! After today there's 2 more extremely hot days to go, Friday being the worst.

It's already 28C in my livingroom...
I think this is the hottest it's ever gotten inside!

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Mon 06/22/26 02:58 PM
Thank you for that feedback, Merry!
I read up on the situation just now. Scary and stressful. I was shocked, didn't know any of that as I stopped following the news 11 years ago.
And learnt through the years that when there's something of importance I always find out regardless.
But truly scary what's going on. At the same time very understandable. Illegals pose a huge problem everywhere.
Stay safe!! :heart: :heart:

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Mon 06/22/26 07:21 AM
LARSI, thank you for that feedback!
Makes a lot of sense. We have similar things here too. Certain areas are looked down upon, mostly the south, farm area. Also difference in religion: The south was conquered by both the Spanish and later on the French and hence it's catholic.
Above the rivers like the Rhine people generally speaking are reformed. They weren't conquered by the Spanish & nor the French.

My son told me most German tourists that come here are from NRW.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Mon 06/22/26 07:16 AM



I found your read very interesting Crystal... Because South Africa has a strong connection with the Dutch via Jan van Riebeeck (Dutch explorer and considered the founding father of Afrikaaners), there is always a great deal of support for the Dutch at the World Cup. One of my cousin's has always supported Netherlands. And, when they were in the finals in 2010 as the host nation for the World Cup, many South Africans felt compelled to support the Dutch because of the history and the legacy.



Ethnically speaking the Afrikaans People are mainly Dutch, right? Or do they consider themselves to be a separated group?


You are correct that Afrikaaners are of Dutch heritage. There are a group who are mixed race like me, known as "Cape Malay" under the Apartheid government. Malaysians were shipped to the Cape as slaves back in the day, so under those circumstances the Malay people adopted the Afrikaaner language and it's customs. But, the use of the term "Afrikaaner" is a specific reference to African people of Dutch heritage.

So that means you aren't referred to as "Afrikaaner"?
Now if I may ask, aren't there lingering ill feelings towards the white people in SA because of the history?
After all it's not that long ago.
My dad went to SA in the 70s by himself to see if he could find work there after which we'd likely emigrate.
He was shocked by how the non-Caucasians were treated!
So only 55 years ago the situation was bad. And I cannot recall exactly when this apartheid shizzel ended, I think in the 90s?
Meaning only 35 years ago.
When looking at the US and how difficult things still are there between black & white... it takes a long time for things to change. As in really change.
Now I don't know if there's a difference in this between Malay and African people.
But just wondering to what extent things have truly become (more) equal?

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Mon 06/22/26 07:07 AM
Thinking... Can't wait for the Gesso (primer) to have totally dried so I can get the paints out!! :D

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Mon 06/22/26 02:47 AM
Well, I once wanted to make a corn dolly for Lammas/ Lughnasad harvest festival.
Failed abysmally, hihi. But I tried!
Gave me serious respect for basket makers/weavers though! It looks so easy, but it isn't.

I've made a bracelet from beads I made from red rose petals. The one time I used my little cauldron on the stove :)
I had doubts it'd work, but it did!

I wanted to dye fabric with woad. I so love that colour! It's quite a lot of work and you have to make a vat. Traditionally a urine vat but that is extremely smelly so I used the alternative; soda ash.
Unfortunately I couldn't keep the vat at a constant and warm enough temperature so it didn't work out...

I'd love to learn various bushcraft skills. Making cordage from nettles for instance, although I'm not sure I'd have the patience for that.
Various firemaking skills, making bow & arrows etc.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Mon 06/22/26 02:32 AM
Merry, wow, I never thought of that! Sure nice to hear :)
I once came across a small group of Afrikaner friends at work in Australia. I spent quite some time talking to them about the language, SA etc. I had a good time, great people!

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Sun 06/21/26 02:54 AM
In any case, to get back to football... (sorry bout the history waffle, I can get carried away as I find that stuff so interesting!)...

Happy the Dutch team did so well last night! I rarely watch football so it was a treat that the match was good!

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Sun 06/21/26 02:46 AM


I will never ever be pro Germany.
Ifever we have to play against them it's always a bit of a charged game. No idea if this is mutual but for many/most Dutch people it certainly is the case.


If it's only about football, I do admire the Dutch. The likes of Johan Cruyff or Marco van Basten are true legends.

Unfortunately, there is history and politics. I just hope, history will never repeat itself, and maybe one day, we could live like good neighbors.

We had an awesome team in '88 with Koeman and Ruud Gullit. We did really well in those days!
Dutch football went down the drain for quite a long time after that as far as I know.

But in '88 the street were empty and all was quiet when we played. Everyone in front of the telly. Every goal we made you could hear the entire city cheer, haha. It was brill!
And people took to the streets after we'd won, driving round in orange shirts etc., cheering and honking while driving.
I think that was the time of these god awful vuvuzelas as well?

I remember I had to go somewhere by bus during a match and I had to leave right before the end. I was narked but had no choice but go to the bus stop.
You could hear a pin drop, no one outdoors but me.
Then right before the bus arrived you heard this wave of cheering and I knew we'd won :)

As for the rest, I don't know if we'd ever get along. To be honest, and truly nothing personal, just observation, I don't think I've ever come across anyone who likes Germans.
Not here, but not abroad either.
Germans are so different from us Dutch. And not so say the Dutch are nice folk. In general I'm not impressed with how the Dutch are.
But I think the German attitude and how they treat other people (non Germans) goes back hundreds of years.
I'm not quite sure what exactly makes them so different compared to other Europeans. But in a way I'm inclined to say they're the toughest MFs on the planet.
I mean, even the Romans failed to conquer them.
But that attitude is what they still exude. Entitlement & arrogance. They generally make you feel they're superior. Even when they don't want to. It even shows in how they drive, go through the supermarkets with their trolleys etc.
It's just in your DNA or something.
And why we don't have it I don't know. After all the Dutch have Germanic roots, certainly the northern half.
I have truly often wondered why you are so different. Researched it online even. I have yet to find the answer to be honest.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Sun 06/21/26 02:21 AM


I will never ever be pro Germany.
Ifever we have to play against them it's always a bit of a charged game. No idea if this is mutual but for many/most Dutch people it certainly is the case.


Netherlands will most probably defeat Germany if they meet. The Dutch team is way better..

Oh? I had no idea. Oftentimes the German team is very strong. I do remember the national joy when we beat them in the mid 80's.
As I said, playing Germany is always charged, always more than just a game.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Sun 06/21/26 02:10 AM
Finished watching War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise.

I had forgotten what a lame ending it had. It's plausible alright but somehow comes prematurely, not enough transitioning from the worst to the solution.
To be honest, most of the emphasis was on the father's relationship with his 2 intolerable children, less so on what exactly the aliens were attempting to do.
In that sense quite disappointing.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Sat 06/20/26 10:53 AM
I will never ever be pro Germany.
Ifever we have to play against them it's always a bit of a charged game. No idea if this is mutual but for many/most Dutch people it certainly is the case.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Sat 06/20/26 02:00 AM
Thinking... I had not counted on more thunder at night. I was just about to fall asleep. Not quite as bad as the earlier one -hope I never have to experience another one like that again! But it kept me awake for quite some time nonetheless.

SparklingCrystal 💖💎's photo
Fri 06/19/26 04:14 PM
War of the Worlds
The one with Tom Cruise.
Haven't finished it yet, going to bed in a min.

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