Dancing, DAFs and Don'ts

This is what humans do when they are happy. Margo is dancing with her sister Ada and the man taking the photo is RudeBoy who is the husband of Margo. Ada has Alzheimer's but loves music - especially Celine Dion - so this is a special song for Ada with love from Tizit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHyJTpDFgc8
In the next photo is KeKe with the most beautiful baby in the cosmos - Mila. She likes KeKe's soft tummy and fell asleep straightaway. Mila went on vacation with her parents to Grand Canaria which is an island somewhere in the sea - just like England.
Maybe all the beaches in England would like a sign like this one in Scheveningen. It tells you all the things you cannot do - TaTa says in Denmarkland the signs tell you what you can do but in Dutchland they all say what you cannot do. According to this sign you cannot: walk the dog, drive your car (watch out Jeremy!), ride your bicycle or your motorbike, and loads of other things which humans do - but it doesn't say you cannot walk your cat, or ride a unicyle, or land an aircraft - maybe they just ran out of space to put DO NOT on.
Then another lovely blue sky with some clouds.
The last photo is one of TaTa's favourite cars called a DAF (short for Daffodil) or long for Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek.

In 1959 DAF started the production of passenger cars. The first taken into production was the 600 model. This model, also known as the A-type, was a design of Dutch engineer Van Den Brink and incorporated some very innovative technologies. Most important of those innovations was the Variomatic transmission, an automatic transmission that didn't have any actual gears. DAF stuck to this transmission of the future all its car-building life and even today it still exists in a high-tech version called Transmatic, built by VDT (Van Doorne's Transmissie bv) in Tilburg, The Netherlands. From 1959 to 1963 30,563 DAF 600s were built. In 1961 the DAF 750 became available, an improved version of the 600 fitted with a bigger engine of which 16,767 units were sold up to 1963. 1961 also saw the introduction of the Daffodil (and you thought I was joking!) 30 model: a luxurious version of the DAF 750 with slightly revised bodywork of which 23,045 units were sold.
In 1963 all models were replaced by the new Daffodil (a contraction of the words DAF and Krokodil, Dutch for crocodile). The 31 was a further developed version of the Daffodil 30 and sold 56,200 units until it was succeeded by the Daffodil 32 in 1965. The 32 was an improved version of the 31 model with technics and bodywork still hailing back to the DAF 750 and selling 53,674 units up to 1967 and an additional 500 units for the rally sport model Daffodil 32 S (only built in 1966). The end of this line was the DAF 33 (shown in the photo) that was introduced in 1967 and built up to 1974. Top speed was 112 kph and it accelerated from 0 to 80 kph in 17 seconds (in the original DAF 600 it took 33 seconds to get from 0 to 80 kph). The DAF 33 was by far the most solid version of this series; 131,621 of these cars have been produced. The DAF passenger car production facilities were sold to Volvo in 1975, so the original DAF 600 in all its guises up to the 33 model has been the mainstay of DAF car production until the end. It was a characteristic car with a very loyal following but the DAF was often ridiculed but now of course is a collector's item.

Hello Twinkle!

The first photo is of a new project in The Netherlands of building only wooden houses because concrete and bricks are not environmentally friendly. You can chose to leave them plain or have them painted before they are put together. The Dutchlanders are vey clever with innovative building programmes and have triple glazing and recycled air warming systems.
The second photo is of KeKe driving through Belgiumland - it rained from the moment they arrived at the Belgiumland border up until they arrived at the Frenchland border. As you can see KeKe looks a bit fed up with it.
The third photo is of the lovely canal TaTa walked to every morning to feed and ducks and seagulls but you always have to be so careful in Dutchland because most of the Dutchlanders let their dogs poop on the grass and do not pick it up. TaTa trod in three poops just to get to the canal one day and I will not write down what she said because us Siamese do not use such language. Not all canals in Dutchland are as wide as this one and you may be fooled into thinking it is a river. The Dutchlanders are also very clever with water - they take land from the sea and drain it, they build canals to water has somewhere to
drain.
Then you have a very handsome cat
who lived over the road and on the last day of TaTa's visit they packed up the car and were just about to drive away and they heard 'miauw' and this black and white cat was sitting in the back seat - so he almost came to England. TaTa said Customs would have taken him away away. So please my feline friends do not get into strange cars.
The last photo is of hw Dutchlanders deal with ugly uncompleted building projects. This is in Warmond. There was a bit of a problem as Dutchlanders are like eager beavers who like knocking things down and re-building but it seems they didn't get permission to knock two buildings
down (which happened to be the two oldest buildings in the town) and everyone got angry and now Boorockcracy has got involved and red tape and nothing has been builded for two years. The Booroocrats want the buildings there to be exactly the same as they ones knocked down, the towns people also want that, but the developers want to build 3-storey apartments and make lots of money. So instead of leaving just a mess the townspeople got money together and put up this pretty screen to hide all the mess behind - which I think is very clever.

Hi, Tizit, Many thanks for the travel diary but I wish you hadn't said the Euro's only 99p, as I've been blocking my ears to that kind of news. If I think too much about it, I may cancel my hols. It does seem that TaTa's had an interesting time, not necessarily scratching under seats to find the last euro to fall out of her purse, but visiting real places with real people. She makes an original experience of tourism, and the photos have been diverse and engaging. (I especially like feeding time on the cat barge, don't you?). Remember me to your dear ones. Be well and happy, bright young Tizit, and keep adding chapters to your book. Love, Twinkle and friends.

My advice to Twinkle with regard to the Euro is not to buy them from the post office because they give the worst rate of exchange in the whole wide world. Barclays Bank are the best at the moment - they are exchanging today at £1.05 and they don't charge commission. The silly HSBC want you to have an account with them so don't bother with them. And of course, if you are lucky enough to have zillions of pounds you can go to a money broker.

PS My new sister arrives on 6 April so there will be no photos of me until she arrives and I have given her a name. I am so excited I could marry a dog.

Sunshine in Dutchland

As you can see from these photos the sun does shine in Dutchland. The first photograph is in Alphen aan den Rijn which is a beautiful town near Leiden. It has a rich Roman history. I would like to say thank you to the Romans because it was them who first introduced cats into England. There are six bridges in Alphen which have to be raised everytime a tall ship or barge comes through. You could see also in the shopping centre a lot of shops were closed down because of the recession. For some reason the Dutchlanders think they are safe from the recession but TaTa says it is because they are 'eigenwijs'.
The second photo is TaTa with two very nice Belgium policeman - they wear very sensible clothing and are very relaxed and very fit unlike the English police who have big bellies, wear too many things on their belts and cannot run more than 100 metres without falling over or shooting someone. They spoke Flemish, French
and English and were charming.
For some reason TaTa liked to take pictures of the sky - maybe because it is the same colour as my eyes and it was her way of showing she missed me.
Also you can see how Dutchlanders exercise their dogs - this photograph was taken in Warmond just outside the Raadhuis. The Dutchlanders like to cycle but their bicycles are very expensive - a good one is about 700 euros - so they have to lock them up and so many are stolen. Maybe the Dutchlanders should buy cheaper bikes then they are not stolen - sometimes the Dutchlanders don't think too cleverly about things. Also if you fall off a bike it doesn't matter if it is expensive or cheap because you still break your head or something. They have special paths in Dutchland called 'fietspads' which means bicycle path but also motorised bicycles go on them and TaTa says the cyclists think they own the roads and even though they have very safe bicycle paths they still go through red lights, cycle on the sidewalk and do all kinds of stupid things which could cause an accident. Talking of accidents KeKe had an accident and his car was total loss. Today he buys a new car from a man from Poland who was very nice - TaTa said 'hello' to him in Polandish and immediately £100 comes off the price. TaTa says if you know 'hello, please and thank you' in all languages then you can make friends with anyone.
Then the last photo is of a beautiful Ragdoll cat - also in Warmond - TaTa felt sad because she remembered her Ragdoll called Crumble. But I know that Crumble is safe with the Great Cat in The Sky.

Tot ziens Dutchland

If TaTa thinks I am going to sit and sort out her photos she's should think again.
So I will just tell you what they are:
1. Kennedytunnel - raining
2. Dierenambulance and Vogel Asiel in Oegstgeest (Animal Ambulance and Bird Sanctuary)
3. Raadhuis in Warmond - some old building in The Netherlands
4. Skyscrapers in Rotterdam
5. Fridge dumped in woods in Oestgeest
These make Dutchland look very inviting and now that the Euro is 99p I will definitely be visiting soon. Yeah and I will eat Muddle's furballs too.

Crows

Yes I know I said I was having a rest but TaTa sent me these lovely photographs she took of crows. She has two so tame now that they sit on the arm of the chair next to her in the garden. The first photo was taken near the canal and the second one in a small forest nearby.

Also I am bored with thre quiz - the place is Gran Canaria. 66% said Tunisa and 33% said England. I would like to know from the person who marked England - where in England because I have never seen anywhere in England that is not grey, raining or is without a McDonalds or a Tesco.
By the way crows and ravens, although in the same genus (Corvus) are different birds.

Where am I?

I am now going to rest for one week as I am so tired from packing and travelling and organising everyone. I need time to straighten my whiskers, fluff up my fur. do some cat-yoga and sleep in the sun. TaTa will be home
soon. Tomorrow Muddle and I go to our very luxurious hotel. We have separate beds, heat lamps, heated beds, loads of toys, things to climb and a massage everyday. When TaTa comes back she has lots of nice things to do: I have cleaned all the house, she goes to the physiotherapist, she goes to the Benjamin Foundation. But of course the biggest and

bestest is my new sister is coming. I am now so excited I could eat a frog.

Love

Generally us Siamese cats are very cool but when I see these photos my fur stands on end and I want to kiss Muddle. I have found a special song: everyone sing it today. http://www.links2love.com/love_lyrics_58.htm

Mila learns to swim

I was so bored and the weather so terrible I telephoned Mila and said 'let's go on vacation'. So here we are in the sunshine and I am teaching Gerrie and Carmen how to teach Mila to swim. As you can see Mila loved it and took to it like a duck to water - except that she is not a duck. Mila is the same as the meaning of her name 'friendly, gentle and

pleasant'. To me she is the most beautiful human baby in the cosmos. Girl human babies are best, boy human babies make too much noise and are always banging things and breaking things. Us girls must stick together. Where was I whilst this was all going on - taking the photographs, sitting in the shad sipping a Black Cat Cocktail (cranberry juice and
cola - there is some alcohol as well but us Siamese do not drink as it makes us catatonic), wearing my

Verscratchi shades and lots of sun screen....of course.

Oegstgeest

Here are some things TaTa has seen today. She suddenly decided to go for a walk and find some interesting stuff in Oegstgeest and whether or not you think they are interesting I do.

Take a good look

I do sometimes wonder about you humans. Look at this beautiful earth you live on. My friend the Dalai Lama (who was a Siamese cat in his previous life - hence the fact he has such a high level of consciousness) has a bit of advice for you: "It is my belief that whereas the twentieth century has been a century of war and untold suffering, the twenty-first century should be one of peace and dialogue. As the continued advances in information technology make our world a truly global village, I believe there will come a time when war and armed conflict will be considered an outdated and obsolete method of settling differences among nations and communities".

Tizit comments: "Do you humans think this will ever happen if you continue the way you are going? Do not be so arrogant as to think that Mother Earth cannot survive with you. Whatever you do to her she will adapt and evolve and destroy that which is trying to destroy her.

When humans realise they are the least important thing on this planet, then humans will evolve."

Don't look down!

When John (a brother of KeKe) said to TaTa 'I will show you Alphen aan den Rijn' this was not quite what she expected! She expected a nice quiet coffee and cake, followed by a walk through the town, followed by a visit to the hairdresser, then supper. She said 'now I want a coffee with brandy, my legs are too wobbly to walk, I don't need the hairdresser because my hair has turned white and is standing on end and I think I forget about supper because I lost my breakfast'.

The Cat Barge

A house-boat inhabited by cats (de Pozenboet) is moored by the Singel Canal in Amsterdam. The Pozenboet takes care of 70+ abandoned and neglected cats. Every cat will be neutered so that the stray cat problem is dealt with. The sterilisation costs amount to €65 a cat and for castration to €40.
PLEASE HELP THEM: Visit the Poezenbot where the cats have the space to move around freely (no cages after they have been sterilised, made well and socialised). The boat is moored by the Singel, opposite number 40. The boat is open to the public from 1pm-3pm. Go and see for yourself the service and the care they give to their cats.
Please make a donation so that this initiative can be continued. This work has been carried out for over 37 years by Henriette van Weelde and 34 years on the boat.
THEY NEED YOUR SUPPORT: There are so many feral cats in Amsterdam. People often treat them badly, they hunt the cats or chase them away. There is no place for them (maybe the people should go away).
ON BEHALF OF THE CATS: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Visit them at (or write to): Stichting de Poezenboot, Singel t/o nr.40, AB1012 VL Amsterdam, The Netherlands
e-mail: poezenboot@zonnet.nl

Nunquam fides a alio quisnam non cattus

TaTa went to Wassenaar today and found some lovely cats. But the loveliest of them all is the first one who is my new sister. She is arriving on 6 April from Walesland. I am so excited even Muddle is thinking about it now. Muddle and I had a lovely time together in the exclusive hotel.

The weather is beautiful in Dutchland. TaTa went to Leiden and Leiderdorp yesterday. I think if I lived in Dutchland my head would ache from all these strange names. However there are a lot of places that begin with Kat (which strangely enough is cat in Dutchlandese): Katerveer, Katlijk, Katrijp, Kattendijke, Katwoude, Katwijk, Katwijk aan de Rijn, Katwijk aan Zee - so maybe it's not such a bad country after all.

Myself I have been sitting in the sun with Muddle and watching KeKe run around. He hasn't broken anything in the house and the Dog Treacle drags him out for a walk three times a day. Life is good. I miss TaTa and will be very happy when she is home and also one week after she gets back my sister arrives - oh I am so excited I could ride a bicycle. TaTa did tell me something shocking - some people have no pets - I think that is terrible - they must be very lonely or not very kind.

All under control

Don't worry TaTa we are keeping KeKe nice and busy. First with our breakfast, then lunch, then supper. And we try to look pathetic so he brings us special treats. Of course he is walking the Dog Treacle. I must tell you though he is eating lots of chocolate and crisps and chips and is sleeping late at the weekends. He hasn't done any washing up or cleaned the house and he did not go singing with Dick. Over and out from Agent Tizit.