Off to Tolkien Country

We go to the other side of this our world to see our family and friends.

It has been too long.  But…..

Samwise lives here

Will I meet Sam in Hobbiton ? 

Ofcourse I will. The Lord of the Rings Saga country is New Zeeland.     

But she will miss Firnjen

 

 

Will I meet Eragon and Saphira again ?

When they left Alagaësia for good, I am certain they went to New Zeeland.Where else can they raise the small new hatchling dragons in peace and quiet ?

 

Like this one

 

Will I find some labyrinths ?  If not.. I will just make some myself. 

 

 

 

Am I forgetting my Siberian Huskies ?

Ch. Alaskans Babiche of Anadyr

 

Ofcourse not ! I will find them !

He got me home

 

 

 

  

Here is my Babiche..   he loved to show himself.. a joy.. and he always got me safely home!

And Last but not least… 

…hope to find a I.O.O.F. “Odd Fellows” Lodge and experience fellowship and reflexion – just like at home – with my Rebekkah Sisters.

Facebook, Email or regular post… you will hear from me somewhere somehow !

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Husky Faces and Professional Friends

When you try to keep up with the digital world of today you need Teachers. Professionals.

Wobask

Having taken up the project of making my Siberian Husky Archive – such a great part of Dutch and European  breed & sleddogsport history – digital, a website has to be created.

This Professional Website Builder I found.

Red

Pictures, slides and films have to be scanned in.   Every week she comes in – this Pro -  and gives me a two hours lesson. .. leaving me with plenty of homework.

As for my WordPress Weblog.. the same story.  So much more can be done with it and so often I get mixed up in this language and the problems that I encounter.  My WordPress Teacher shows me the way.

Liberty& Emily

Babiche

The great privilege is that all three Professional Teachers are very good friends.

Needless to say that in the process I see all those dogfaces again… and the memories that go with them.

Here are some of them.  Part of my soul.  All of them.

SOMETHING SPECIAL

Just another College Class.

We finished our final exams on a very special Highschool together in 1957. 
We never lost track of eachother,  the ten of us. Never lost touch. 
Somewhere in time we decided to just continue our yearly school outings, organizing it in turn.

I took the girls to the small Castle Sypestein  in Nieuw Loosdrecht.

 

The garden has a lovely Maze.
You have to go that way >

 

< and I found  this beautiful gate

 

 

And in the castle I found this print of a very special labyrinth pattern.

 

Looking forward to next year!

From the Beaches of Normandy to the Labyrinth of Chartres. A Pilgrmage

So  many times you say it in thought.  When the 6th of June arrives again :   “Thank you that you came… for me.”

But then comes the day you have to go there.  To stand with your bare feet in the sand on the beaches of Omaha, Gold, Juno, Utah and Sword.   Trying to visualize how it must have been that early morning at sunrise.  The immense fleet.. these thousands and thousands of young men storming those beaches. Their courage… their fear… their lives…

To face my own nightmares that will come again…

From behind that horizon ..little one … they came… for you..

Omaha Beach

Deep in thought you walk between the magnificiently maintained cemetairy behind Omaha Beach. You read names. You read how young … how old they were.  Davidsstarts on many a cross.

“Here rests our Honoured Comrade in Arms.  His Name known only to God”. Here too I leave a small pineapplecone.  My hand rests on his cross  and   my   Thank You leaves my soul.

On the German Cemetairy young people too. Names unknown… 16.. 17 years old.   ” What choice did you have ?” I ask them. ” What was your fear watching this immense fleet coming towards you?”

Chartres Cathedral was dark and empty.  The Labyrinth movingly beautiful and ancient.

I walked it… and after an hour… walked it again. Then – finally – peace came into my soul .. and I knew the nightmares would end.

Yes, I went to those beaches and many small stones  and shells  found their place in a basket at home. My monument for them all..

“Thanks you that you came. For me. Sothat I could live my life in freedom and peace”.

My Thank You…

About Dolmens… Intuïtion and Synchronicity.

Fascinated as I am by Labyrinths, Standing Stones and Stonecircles you will find everywhere in our Good Old Europe, I thought it time to experience our own ancient Stone Monuments.  Our Dolmens. Our Province Drenthe alone has 54 of them.

As it happend I felt the need to have some time on my own somewhere in the wilderness. Creating some distance between myself and an issue I could not get out of my system.  No TV, Computer, Newspaper and Music. Just reading, reflection and silence.

So off we went, Sarah and me. To a lovely B&B in Gieten. On our way up I just  hopped into our postoffice annex bookstore to mail a parcel.  A book “The White Army. Knight Templar for eternity” caught my eye. Oh well, let’s take it along…

“Go find a lonely place in Drenthe”, the writer advised. “Leave TV and computer off. Go back to your Inner Self. Work through the proces as I describe in this book and see how it will work out for you in your life. How trusting your intuïtion will make synchronicity happen. Like I am convinced the Knights Templar lived by and got their power and inner strength  from.”

Talk about synchronicity … I already found myself right there when I read this… and yes, I did just that.

Dolmens are impressive monuments.  They lack energy but give you peace and quiet. Take you back thousands of years.

The fields of burial mounds breath  serenity and love.

The energy I brought homewith me still amazes me. Priorities and targets took a spectacular turn.  And with it came the dedication and energy to make it happen.

“Be like me Els ” this beautiful tree wispered to me.

“Stand with your roots firm into the soil.  You are and will  get damaged in life.  Like me.  You have and l will encounter big immovable stones on your way.  Like me.  Do not worry about it. I  do not. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy Life. Like  me”.

Lifting my arms up towards the  heavens I did.

And guess what ? I did find a small labyrinth !

Hidden in a shadowy corner of the museum. On a poster next to  a beautiful sculpture made by this artist.

Next year March we go to another secluded place. Sarah and me. That is for sure.

Your Pilgrimage to Jeruzalem

The Labyrinth of  St.Quentin.

To  me the most Spiritual.. most Ancient and most Beautiful labyrinth  lies at the entrance of the Kathedral of St.Quentin, 200 km North of Paris.

Your Pilgrimage to Jeruzalem ? Here it lies …right in front of you.  Your Jeruzalem is waiting for you.   Since 1214.  Step into it and make your journey.

“La Lieue de Jeruzalem”          -   “The Road to Jeruzalem”

Often I go there.    To take someone who is close to me to Jeruzalem in my thoughts .  To come into my own spiritual Self.   The esoteric music…the silence… to have this ancient labyrinth all to myself.. it makes it unique.

“Did you find your Jeruzelem? ” someone asked me once when I was sitting on a chair… still deep in thought….

Yes I did.  My Jeruzalem is always waiting for me. Every time I step on these ancient blue tiles.

And if you find the Labyrinth of  Amiens open …

… you have one of your absolutely perfect days !

Knitting Olympics !

Watching TV is fine. Sport on TV is wonderful.  However… hanging in your chair in front of it in an onproductive way… not acceptable.

Hence I knit.  Socks, sweathers.. and whatever projects come to mind.

When the Olympics started I thought:

“You know what, I will start a sweather and will knit our Super Speedskater Sven Kramers Gold Medal(s) into it and whatever other sportshero’s achievement who catches my support. Winning or losing”.

Surprise.. there is a whole Knitting Olympic going on ! Start when the Flame is lit.  Finish when it is extinguised.

Sven.. you were absolutely Super !

Knitted Sven’s Gold Medal into  this part of my Olympic Project.

As for reaching the finishline in time …

“Participating is more important than Winning”.

PS. For more information visit the sites

www.Ariandnesthread.wordpress.com  and www.yarnharlot.ca/blog

Miracles happen ofcourse….

Years and years it has taken me before I could find the courage to look into my Siberian Husky files.

Ten years ago I went back to Willow, Alaska for a long winter.  To face the dreams haunting me, waking me up in tears morning after morning.  Had to deal with them. Work through them. Back at the place where it all began.

Now then.. finally finding the energy – and the courage -  to sit down and start my project getting my Sleddog Story digital…

taking the 1st nine dogs out in training

discussing the training in the playground

… now then …

..I am  completely surprised by the joy… the intense love and compassion.. the positive emotions and energy it gives me when I see all those dogfaces again.

Miracles do happen ofcourse..

on the road to the races

All it takes is believing in them, believing in yourself and go for them.

.. and be very grateful ..

About Dogs….

Everybody has a dog. Knows somebody who has one. Or knows somebody who knows someone who has one.

Then maybe you have heard about the troubling fenomena of Hipdysplasia and Patella Dislocation.

Hipdysplasia : the hipsocket becomes to flat to keep the head of the hipbone in place. It severely restricts the dog in its movement and can be very painful.

Patella Dislocation : a kneejoint disfuncion allows the kneecap (patella) to move. This causes the same restriction and pain.

But.. did you know there excists animal fysiotherapy ? And there is an instrument that can help improve and even completely cure this problem ?

This eldery male  (left) Patella D.improved greatly.

The Golden Retriever’s (right)  hipjoints were so bad that putting him to sleep seemed to be the only option.  He was declared completely cured..

Here is the therapy

Both are running around and playing and enjoying life to the full again !

And here  is Dandy. Nothing wrong with Dandy but he imensely enjoys the whole procedure and loves to show you all how it works .

Pass it on… the dogs inflicted will be eternally greatful.

As will be their owners.

My Callanish… a pilgrimage

My Callanish

A summer evening in Scotland. A setting sun in an emptiness full of mysticism.

Slowly the five of us – the small fellowship we formed early on during our Scotland Tour all the way up through the Outer Hybrides and Orkney Islands – slowly we walk into the Standing Stone formation of Callanish.  Each of us within our own cocoon of thought and reflection.

Callanish…. who are you ? Why are you here ? How long have been keeping watch over these lands ? Have you memories ? Will you share them with me ?

Callanish.. a cathedral that equals Notre Dame de Paris, Chartres,   Stone Henge and every  other place of worship build on the magnetic Holy Lines of this our Earth.  The builders.. they knew. As the animals still do, lying down in the fields.   So where did we humans of this day and age, where did we lose touch with You Mother Earth ? Lost respect for your lifegiving force ?  Started to use you instead of treating your with respect and love ?

With my back against one of those magnificent stones a stillness takes over. Touch it with my hands and begin to feel warmth. Love.

My mind goes back ages and ages. See people come and go. To celebrate, sit and enjoy. Care for the Creation around them. Solstices in summers and winters in flaming colours .. see people enter in reference and respect in rain and mist. Performing rituals I do not understand.

Feeling ancient and young at the same time. Wise and ignorant. Belonging and insignificant.  Sharing life with all who passed before me and will come after me.

“How” , I ask my Stone…”How did they worship our Creator ? In what way was He important. What answers did they get ? And how will I find Him ? “

Sharing his ancient wisdom with me he answers me ..

“God Els… God is in and around and above us all. God is not one concept of Him. He is in All and Everything that exists with you on this His  Earth”.

“So then ..Be still and know that He is God…and He will find you”.

An eerie sweet songs floats around within the awesome stone formation..we join hands and I join in.    Connecting with Eternity..

My Callanish..

This pilgrimage was part of the  Scotland Tour organised by Kim and Jeff Saward (Labyrinthos) June 2008.  Published on The Labyrinth Society (TLS) and Labyrinthos websites.