On attaining Seventy years...

Yes. Pause a little here... but age is not important, not the numbers on the forms (date of birth, occupation, that sort of thing...).
But the places one has been (things seen, people met, changing skies, that sort of thing...).
Back in Amsterdam at the end of August and invited seventy friends to share an afternoon and evening;
some of them unfortuantely sick, or in far lands,
but the house was cleaned, the garden weeded, and a magnificent feast prepared by Alexander, the Vegan chef
Here a few pix.

the back garden before weeding...

the back garden after weeding, with Helene...

some of Alexander's delicous dishes...

Louise and the Qashqai rug (balcony scene)

There was much scrubbing and carpet-beating and washing of windows and pulling-up of plants... and happily, after a brief shower, the day turned sunny and warm.
So about fifty friends mingled in the back garden and congregated in the kitchen to consume Alexander's feast (better than Balshazzar's...)


And the following day we ate up the leftovers.

Wendie dusts down the cobwebs

cleenin' de vindas...

I think now it's time to compose some reflective poems.
David and I will go to England (and Wales) at the end of this week, and then to Poland and back to Turkey later in Septmeber.
A pause in the blog-writing now...

birthday meal in Oman

David, Wendie and Isaak in Oman

Maybe just a few brief comments before we leave the Netherlands on Friday.
The world has certainly widened for me over the past couple of years.
My head is almost too full and now I need to sit quietly and let the kaleidoscopic pictures settle into shapes, and the many words shape into songs...