City tour with Uncle Ben

 

Uncle Ben went on a little city tour of Haarlem with nephew Matthies. Always the happy kid, Matthies enjoyed the walk amongst the historical buildings and through the market in the centre of town, greeting passers-by and telling Uncle Ben about the cars and dogs he saw ('tatu!' and 'woof!' in Matthies-speak).

Boaz & Wouter

 

Boaz was in for a treat this weekend as Uncle Ben took him to Johannes to play with his son Wouter. Although the boys are not the same age, Wouter is younger, they got along great. Playing with cars, watching Fireman Sam and running around in the nearby park made for a great afternoon!

Play hard, sleep hard

 

As a special treat Luca and Matthies went to play at TunFun, a children's play paradise in the centre of Amsterdam in what used to be a traffic tunnel. Catering to kids of all ages with age specific playpens, the two boys, their father and Uncle Ben had an exciting time.

After almost one and a half hours of hardcore playing the drive back home saw Matthies succumb to instant exhaustion. Within minutes his chin rested softly on his chest while dreaming of the multi-coloured paradise he just went to.

Ashes to Ashes

 

With a short service that included hymns and music Nana liked as well as some memories us grandchildren put to paper, and in the company of our English relatives, some Dutch family and friends, we said goodbye. 

End of an era

 

At the amazing age of 98 my Nana passed away this morning. Sadness is complemented by happy memories of our holidays in Bristol and her visits to Holland, the many fried breakfasts and the distinctive Bartlett eccentricities. The end of an era indeed.