Good evening at the 19th off December, 2024.

 Good evening everyone, 

Today was cold, dark and dreary in the Netherlands. Kinda a saddening day. 

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This morning was for coffee service at de Boed, a small community centre in Zaandijk, the Netherlands. And I made their morning by making them perfect fresh coffee. I know I kinda brag, but my coffee is good. I can only do so once a week. I jumped in when other coffee ladies where sick or on vacation, but I overworked myself a little, so I decided I only stick at once a week these days. 

Just like stopping swimming, I quit it for this month, but I heard transport to the swimming pool is cut back due to costs, so swimming stops next year. I have my depressed winter period, so I stopped it for this month, I feel too bad to do too much. But next year it entirely ends. The swimming van is cut due to costs. I don't like it. 

This afternoon was for taking it easy after coffee service, by having tea at home and preparing baked apples. Very easy, simply peeled and cut, with some sugar and cinnamon into the oven. 

Preparing apples is almost therapeutic, Apple- Therapy (That doesn't involve Iphones.😉)  But peeling and cutting fresh apples. It's diffrent than potatoes, they also need peeling and cutting, but fresh apples are always kinda very promising to prepare. The result off the baking is often such a delight. (These where baked at 180 degrees celsius for an hour. I used brown cane sugar instead off common white sugar. The result is more tart tasting fruit.) And honest, I had nothing better to do but to do one off my favourite 'Prepare and wait for an hour' methods. 

I think I personally treat foods more like a foreigner nowadays, with more respect for the expensive ingredients, which means respectfull yet clean photography off simple yet tasty foods. I think old fashioned people from abroad also did so. It's something that's became a bit out off style in Dutch, vreting everything like we did for a while. I think these apples are expensive enough to flaunt a bit with. Everything in moderation and with respect. I prefer wholesome foods over empty calories, so yeah, it can happen it's quite a price these days. So take it like a French or an Italian, or Spanish and treat them with delightfull respect. 

Apples are perfect to chase away the worst gloom on a dreary December day. The smell and the job to prepare them helped me to sort thoughts out. I'm in the living room with a pot off green tea in front off me. I wonder if I get by next year. Small, ordinairy, daily life and small pleasures, Small But Certain Hapiness, like some called it some time ago- are off my interest, and have my preference these days. I feel kinda homebound, so hour long cooking and simple things like tea or showering and a night off good sleep. I feel like such a hermit. But I need that. I loyaly do my house chores, so it's clean in here. And it's all I can take. I don't mind if the only people I meet are in here during daytime. It's almost like a fortress against time, this care home I'm in. 

Allright, that's about it for now- 

Thank you for reading.