24. Tuesday 2 March 2010 Liven Things Up

After the impressive story that causes one to think about the earthquake, it is necessary to liven up our world travelers with some lighthearted and good news from the home front. Otherwise they will become too depressed. Furthermore, Irma is tomorrow (3 March) having a birthday. (Tip: the text message service works again in Chili!!!).

And good news we have...............it is over!!! There is for a time no longer Mart Smeets. And also no longer in the mornings quickly looking at teletext (a television service not available in the USA but sort of like computer news on the t.v.) to see if something has been added.

WE are finished with 4-1-3. Just above Russia and France. Irma knows, as an ex Dutchman naturally directly what I am writing about and can explain that to Geert: that is the number of medals (for the Dutch) from the Winter Games. Four times GOLD and then still some silver and bronze.

Primarily from skating. Dutchmen are only good in sports on flat surfaces. As soon as they have to go high (such as Tia's springing jumps) or low on sleds or "latten" (no translation, sorry), then they don't do well.. Then we have to be modest. Overall for Dutchmen, an Olympic presentation is modest.

There shall now naturally be "wise ass" blog readers who say "Yes, but WE also had a Gold in Ladies Snowboarding". But the lady is named Sauerbrei. She must definitely have Austrian breath in her and so that doesn't count.

No, then our bobsledders. Four years hard training. Then one time to practice on the bobsled track in Vancouver and sledding down. ("Oops that was difficult") and following that, a day before the contest they withdrew ""we have the feeling that we can't control the track") The boys have it: Dutchmen can only do "prik sledding". (Sorry for the no translation on what type of sledding----we English readers have to miss getting the humor here.)

In the flat sports we have by the way still unknown possibilities. We just have to be a bit more creative. WE are for example very good in skating and we are great in hockey. Think about that..............ice hockey!!!!! Give Sven Kramer a hockey stick and tie some ....................... A medal is there for the taking. We just have to look for a good coach. Not a skating coach naturally, because they would let our players shoot at our own goal probably.

Further, Hanneke and I are going to be busy with curling. I discovered that such is also an Olympic sport. It looks a bit like "jeu-de-boules". (A European form of bowling). You must not throw with a ball, but with a sort of natural elegance slide throw with a stone over the ice. That is precisely something for me. "Let Martin slide" say my in-laws all the time. Thus, they also see me in that sport. And when in the spring you see Hanneke busy with her broom on our terrace, then you see her also doing good with that noble curling sport.

We shall be there in 2014!!!!!

But now a bit of rest, Irma: you can after three weeks take off your orange socks.

But don't throw them away. About the time you are in Mongolia OUR boys take the field in South Africa. Football is also a flat sport, therefore I can already see it. WE will be World Champion.

I'm going already to get a bottle of champagne.

Placed by Dad on 3 March 2010.