Checking, Sorting, Preparing

 De pruimeboom
          Eene vertelling

Jantje zag eens pruimen hangen,
   o! als eieren zo groot.
't Scheen, dat Jantje wou gaan plukken,
   schoon zijn vader 't hem verbood.
Hier is, zei hij, noch mijn vader,
   noch de tuinman, die het ziet:
Aan een boom, zo vol geladen,
   mist men vijf zes pruimen niet.
Maar ik wil gehoorzaam wezen,
   en niet plukken: ik loop heen.
Zou ik, om een hand vol pruimen,
   ongehoorzaam wezen? Neen.
Voord ging Jantje: maar zijn vader,
   die hem stil beluisterd had,
Kwam hem in het loopen tegen
   voor aan op het middelpad.
Kom mijn Jantje, zei de vader,
   kom mijn kleine hartedief!
Nu zal ik u pruimen plukken;
   nu heeft vader Jantje lief.
Daar op ging Papa aan 't schudden,
   Jantje raapte schielijk op;
Jantje kreeg zijn hoed vol pruimen,
   en liep heen op een galop .

(Proeve van kleine gedigten voor kinderen, 1778, Hieronymus van Alphen

This is a children's poem that is widely known in the Netherlands. For those of you who can't read it I found the English version, because this poem really needs to be included in this post.

The plumtree.
          A story

Johnny saw some fine plums hanging,
Oh! like eggs, so very large;
Johnny seemed about to pluck them,
Though against his father's charge.
Here is not, said he, my father,
Nor the gard'ner near the tree,
From those boughs so richly laden,
Five or six plums - who can see ?
But I wish to be obedient,
I'll not pluck them; off I go.
Should I for a trifling handful
Disobedient be? Oh no.
Off went Johnny; but his father,
Who had overheard his talk,
Just then forward stepped to meet him,
In the garden middle-walk.
Come, my Johnny, said his father,
Come, my little darling boy,
Now for you some plums I'll gather,
Now you are your father's joy.
Then Pa gave the tree a shaking;
Johnny stooped with laughing face,
Johnny filled his hat quite brimful,

Off then galloped in a race. 

 We had a lot of prumes as I've told you in my last post. Something had to be done with them, so I searched through my pie recipes and found one for prumepie!
Friday I baked the first one and today the second one with some tweaking of the original recipe. Today's prumepie came out gorgeous, if I may say so.

The first attempt is delicious, and tomorrow my colleagues will have a taste of the second attempt.

Yes, school is starting again!

I got my working schedule (long days....) and I was pleased with the different grades I got this year. General Sciences is still a problem, but my colleague and I really have to talk about it with people higher up.

So this weekend I started preparing. Pulling stuff together, thinking about my outfit for this year's school picture, and put all my stuff in my trusted backpack.

 
Ah, did you miss me? For seven weeks you have been hiding in the closet and now it's time to go out again and have some fun! It is filled to the brim again because I wanted to take my Biology book to school tomorrow. Heavy backpack indeed.

Also I am thinking where to go on this blog. I have been thinking for a long long time, and today I made the first steps. I mentioned it earlier I think, but today I started making swatches for a "How to Crochet" course.

There will be two courses actually. One for crochet and one for Tunisian crochet. I am excited! Will try to work on swatching for the coming weeks and soon Big Man will assist me in making pictures for photo tutorials.

The next big thing is that there will be sewing project tutorials coming. I am working like a maniac on my quilt (not tonight actually, shame on me), and after that I will start on a few little projects that I am going to share with you!

A new year, new chances, new creative goodies on the horizon!