Happy New Year my dear blogsy people!
It took a bit longer for me to get back to the blog than I expected, sorry about that.
I had intended to do a couple of posts before I would go on another blog break (because I have a vacation coming up), but life got in the way, or I got in my own way, or whatever, and it just didn't happen.
So basically this is a post to tell you I will not be posting for a few more weeks, just so you know I didn't fall of the face of the earth. ;-)
But I do have some pics for you of the last couple of weeks so you can see what I've been up to.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwMTu1RElRxYHVdvEKjpOjwStrULvJI3B_W4LSMbh_gVU6Gj30O2et0x8snRM7NzDj792sH8yjQXeG2cYWD0jkOP1AfJyhuhICIYtqsmgFcy-1gL6G8umZ83mQpjaRh-nPlhUra8jXbA/s640/23783772_10215482605120647_4323703624344209701_o.jpg) |
I took plenty of beach walks. The changeable, often rainy, weather makes for amazing skies. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59-0HwLTkrtxZLMBLqBh66o4g3mFwXdRDowBQYIN1Xiv3QNKOjEeOgdHqoraXbnk2KGyvwd25nB1e3V5rw16UFZBcc5543mdjlSInh-ZY4NlhqNckZLyKiHcUQW5BlmuINCqC5Rj4zps/s640/24131828_10215531864352097_7142447861942156348_o.jpg) |
A beautiful sunset over the Frisian frozen landscape, taken from a bus. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkabCG5VO5mLJiCFwZvnKkEaR50rZhDfkhCUdGLa5QY-fxweCuwHSUfgFEB3-HrjoFqqID0ytHZKJR9Tvm4UD0jANtyf2pZoAAPV5ck1OxH7OUO6MCXI4bJcD7BedXL5kGN0BGILBgpc/s640/24210224_10215536057136914_1208968383582777139_o.jpg) |
Visited the prison town of Veenhuizen with coworkers. That's right, a prison town.They have three. Long story. Google it. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXv7EjCnBAocG89XyR8_gZ6ugSxvc_uFgwdpBtAMsz0tYa8EjYbtmUemCRwLmJzQFk8anhiNFtiSyeeh9b0LL9OREEfg1r9yTZAkcOjuVwXaBu5HJ6FMm9xWlFxKFdIYsgk0DoEEUZT8/s640/24831268_10215589293227783_7830829072658518146_o.jpg) |
The main street of our town went all out with christmas decorations this year. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3-ZiiGmcsz7-VA-MHmuwTtwPnd0Obgxonl3XSm9D020tntmiFjxFTlGoy3uHBTo6HD0dzceIGj5dpQGgopGWBiGRgeUhNMbClsJ4gXiiA0NP0XnnU7Daht2FSXBaLdr0uP9jdWBDusU/s640/25073052_10215609196165344_5067192207134196452_o.jpg) |
At home I did the same. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86X-jnadkyoJm2yebFfTnNN0V4PRGyvZXVprEdSPX5zzWCUy3Ydf6nTvJx_aCrGcc2dRX5BBxCkOV5sbsw1wGyWtTIVOOZkqCBwq7lLxwf1t5Dd39B3iEgCZp2Eh7oKZCwGW4a95O7u0/s640/25188637_10215642704283026_4002791603501073707_o.jpg) |
Spooky assisting me in my journaling. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWwoptrreZdXYEejMPrV90CiU1avL63Z1G1qAVDmA4xfcBWHrmRFvWHhDAW91qo5zxu4TurLnKMjzELepAw5-OGn-Wy-mpIBk-YKk3aXXBBxBjp4UkyLhjfPxxsZSAUIsiQMV5Yrp78A/s640/25311036_10215663000510419_4396710788728605123_o.jpg) |
Spooky assisting me in wrting my christmas cards. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjyAvIm5Q964jKkycfAaLYguD6d4CpfqBmKPP1h7py751D10pLfYSCUSO0LHy0JQk9mgs4qRPxiW33DOSbfDS44KCoBHMNoqt2d0QMQaZAQHXtEJEdNpozV5tQzGRNdcLity1rN5lNkU/s640/25352310_10215672018255857_5383067830887020168_o.jpg) |
Trying new types of patterns in the journal. I'm intrigued. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn9eeSHyax8Pq7zj-lw5FujKKDn8JbB_AY3JzYmFT_w2IA1EzTqa9TZ4Mkxm2rT5BTiy_MdI7hu9ngYn_2g3CUBbP_ljAUx9UdVMet_DFJg82YXP91odicbOWpl2rfa8_Kg5q8A2vzEA/s640/25352328_10215679439761390_5516020522899915684_o.jpg) |
Journaling with a cat on your lap is quite a challenge! |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwU_Ji6Zxb_iU4zno1A6phfICUQdxDIsFJnhpkS9sI6wShb_Tb_sPHX59GVIAYaU0U9doX2I0QBavecdz6RRs65axq9ybhOl0nvmHq6-wHN99aFeggYrObjCt68xv-AmfK5qh-yBvd43Q/s640/25542367_10215724846296525_4294299295380051789_o.jpg) |
For the first time in years I had an actual christmas tree! |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbccec13WaZowYD0PJ1CpGV-WCu288qXgwPp-GQ3GG9A_jFqVMQF2angvCuFdswqDlrta25P54QBFwZ9MWPGr-_Ap5V7MhLBtIydLpMxploVpUnGuwAAyahC4GrrC5KEMcO1L1xOQc2c/s640/25587057_10215723122453430_5031239137590360125_o.jpg) |
Fog over the Wadden Sea. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRKCtS5b7gnbjdXpogyOvnzM38uefMejYcHY85KLRatk9kC0Jf5akGifRp5UfjwI2BbfsuUnHDsv026jHdMDrid5ITbZeIVuE8NYM-XiPqdW6VU9joUHM16b6SCpiDR5DK4wsMr09oSw/s640/25734269_10215760807555534_1112220255631286921_o.jpg) |
A christmas walk. The weather was unexpectedly beautiful. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ny0QvLVaF95dCMVsr_rAg-VFu4RGBpenHRSK4op5-DZHld5tIC57j85Vbo4Os-fJozys3H0WqBMZ6gMS-eEDVAlJCMVQ8OG9VWix4LoJbgiDNl5Ar62slonUf15M1lF2H8cJg0omAOk/s640/26025703_10215759944053947_8319113721700089359_o.jpg) |
Sometimes you just have to write and write and write. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCw6TSI9aqU4166kg8xWMaepLDx1kuJkfqKVn_DuUV0Khg6qKqNH3cho_Kq8Vy0aSPUCDEL3kTy8fX4q41x9GEtS1cLXP5RkxIgZWXCYYfDcqn18cewF4UdmaHkByXMF6GHQza4FTCzos/s640/26025979_10215794139948823_3397217311256399973_o.jpg) |
Me being home during the holiday week was very much appreciated by a certain someone. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHLFLh-dhbbTq8hlByaL6p0YiJuZZk_974Ric8yAaGwJwltW29iYP-kIdmEhhxnO0cWpmUayszZXNNIPYbqfI_6jnY_AO1zZVeaVd3z3dM4eZax31PTJ_BsbWMm0nDq-M0WwwE3FksU4/s640/26026130_10215787049411564_4398527196909570599_o.jpg) |
Drawing and sketching with a friend in a café. It doesn't get any better than that. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIOhyphenhyphenTSF0NOz1BmTAlcFQLqfIGwPWK6RB2CY-MWIRIzcLlxm9dBzX6LxcaUkmfLNK0vIbMTy-NpUzmx8YVMwc674oZ16Zfhe-MlAijKGuy70PpTmAMkfqkRnyY4l4qOMDWbCr_VCl1M0/s640/26063296_10215808017015741_7083659473151782489_o.jpg) |
2017 in journals. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngRaFTscrE2QBrUeuVh9pQrK54N4hdCgGK7kHI2pm83znfH2xoS25diUrR7hFuYDmvjIS-EOB89wu-1xjRTeQSeqXeqj4mkGZqnTOBNMfNYWwIhZTdSNmKRw9K6WlxriKc-jNWXkS_y4/s640/26063724_10215778824725952_7870868934101994724_o.jpg) |
Dark clouds approaching. We have had plenty of those this season. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAkfmS3LNV4Tm_fFIr09Xd1mD3YlUOZ1uyr-pdhMmxw2bikQhB4S_YMNIobybJUkqG-0JOnHyBjLEmCm0HpaFPbp0CZvN-53-sPlchRWZCOGbiT0hKgP6f70TmXBxPtFPrCF0rGFnf7s/s640/26116066_10215814678862283_39356612457806515_o.jpg) |
My first walk of the new year. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGaSx0OGNlwXuaMXSL00ACxOY2QYtH3r1egd98yALPDua3RKpJvt_3CayWf4kspobky_9Q7bBpfzNDUrhZjB-lfUJpJb4KW9b-QU6JC1rBfPaZU4Xy5c7aDMYL0xbUM6E3Tdye39xVL0/s640/26168728_10215816514468172_2457802981168956715_n.jpg) |
Finishing up some grid drawings, because I just never tire of them. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahpEnmDigCOlE1-u6El5nwzqvAQy0qzlwrQnJapjZ1XbH6wCfxz5ZM-0Z2qC7YMynE4UHb_gMT32T9j8YrGpVSWM33lH0tKJdfsKdYluxv7t2lkiXNASbs-I85Zg4N9O-M8dyjnVwbCg/s640/26170887_10215827717588243_3181555130945611914_o.jpg) |
A beautiful tree on a lunch walk. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Om0uyATSZHv0wnuZuM8mRqnHK9WHui_GDfXi9UwdNu3LvPWVGUKJoylYtHYEmrhX3EInJcUlYZPlrFIX_zTgM-2MFsV0y0NeMjCqDqKcwQWgiqYg_OMfCdzaQqA48pd24Nb6BcbIFAw/s640/26171472_10215836057556737_3206930708726675765_o.jpg) |
My christmas present to myself. Sigh. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuuBZ4B9_cFIcJeiNSemHj9Q70vwmIQkpnTmMISL8OrRIqh7qCmoxTwFtcbpDDJMARKCr-k3wjpcC-H5P-HsnlCC0PHzXcbUSBOXatrCZydWP8DZqYUVU-CyutPegkWjrzAd-NS4ufp0/s640/26173381_10215850068707007_7506509480330162567_o.jpg) |
Clearing away all the christmas decorations. I guess the holidays are really over. |
And so we have entered a new year. 2017 for the most part was good to me.
Except at work, where a huge project has been causing me a lot of stress over the past year and this will continue into the next one, because we are not done yet.
In general I am not a person who takes her job home with her, so this is a new experience for me and I don't much like it. I want my work to stay at work if you know what I mean. Now I find myself worrying in the middle of the night or checking up on things on my days off.
I think it's because of this that in my free time I need to unwind a lot and take a lot of rest and just do fun stuff and not think too much. In that respect 2017 has been a wonderful year. I have been on so many outings and vacations, trips and adventures and I've had a blast with all of them. I'm very grateful for tons of good experiences.
So 2017 was a bit of a dual thing. Wonderful in my free time, stressfull in my worktime. Not so strange then that sometimes I find it hard to really focus on the blog or other things that require a bit of discipline in keeping them up like my morning art. But I am not ready to give them up either. I just feel like I need to find a new kind of balance.
It's probably good that I have a vacation coming up where I take a bit of distance from everything that's going on and get a bit of a fresh perspective.
Just like last year I will be going to the island of Schiermonnikoog, except this time I will go for two weeks instead of one!
The reason I chose this island again is because it's small and compact and I know it very well.
Some vacations I love to explore new areas and go on many outings, but this vacation I want to rest and read and just enjoy the beautiful landscape. So I have no great plans, except to relax without distractions. I look forward to it. A lot.
With a few workdays before I leave and a family weekend right after I return I will probably not be back on the blog until the beginning of February.
Until then I hope the beginning of 2018 is smooth sailing for you and that the new year will give you all that's good and kind.
I'll be seeing you in February and I wish you all a wonderful and artsy time!