Hi everyone. It’s King’s Day, so I have the day off from my day activities. This means for me that I don’t have one-on-one support between 1:30 and 4:00PM. This in turn means plenty of time to blog, so I’m aiming for two blog posts today. First, I’m participating in the Wednesday HodgePodge for this week. As the questions went online yesterday and the host participates in the #AtoZChallenge too, her questions are all related to words starting with the letter V. Here goes.
1. What does the word values mean to you personally? Where did your values come from? What are some of the values that have guided you throughout your life?
I discussed some of this yesterday already. Values to me are those abstract qualities that are important in my life. Among my values are authenticity, connection, self-determination and growth.
as for where they came from, I’d like to say I developed them in spite of my upbringing. My parents are very success-minded and more concerned with outward appearance than authenticity. I do think my self-determination comes from my parents though, as they did somewhat raise me to make my own choices.
2. Your favorite vanilla flavored something?
I love everything vanilla really (well, except for vanilla coke, because I can’t stand fizzy drinks), so picking just one is hard. I’m going with ice cream though, yum!
3. What’s something you’ve seen/done recently that you found to be very difficult, very confusing, very helpful, very interesting, or very special. Elaborate.
Deciding to have a discussion with the behavior specialist on the possibility of finding me a more suitable care home. It’s been a very difficult, very confusing time. I thankfully have been able to share my thoughts with most staff, who all have been as supportive as possible.
4. Something you own and love that is violet in color?
I don’t think I own anything that’s specifically violet. I mean, I have a lot of shades of purple in my polymer clay collection, including lilac and translucent lilac, lavender, plum and a couple colors I mixed myself. However, none are exactly violet. I’ve heard it’s one of the harder colors to mix with polymer clay too.
5. Do you have vacation plans on the calendar this summer? Tell us more.
No, I don’t. I was joking around with my husband yesterday about going camping out this summer, but really, we haven’t been on vacation since 2014. I really would like to someday, but I’d go into a hotel then (like we did the last couple of times we went on vacation). My husband is off work for two weeks around my birthday in late June and two more weeks around our wedding anniversary in September. We may plan some extra time together then, but that’s it.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I just want to share I went on a giant outdoor trampoline this morning. Last year this day, my assigned home staff asked me whether I’d like to go to a playground in a neighboring village that had a giant trampoline and I said yes. I was discussing ways to get out of my room today when I remembered this and so we went again. It was fun!
A Multitude of Musings 
Ah, the birthday of your king.
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Yes, indeed. Sorry, I forgot to explain.
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Ilooked it up, and also found out who yiour king is! I’m not too hot on royalty – the French had the right idea 🤣
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Oh, great. I’m not too much of a fan of the king or monarchy in general either.
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is there a debate there?
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Not really about entirely doing away with the monarchy, but a lot of political parties are hoping to lessen the king’s power. This would require a constitutional change though. Most recently in 2012, the king’s (queen’s at the time) role during government formation was restricted or removed entirely (I’m not sure).
The king himself isn’t really all that popular. I read that not even half of the Dutch population have faith in him. This could be due to some situations in which he ignored the corona-related restrictions at t he time. For instance, when his oldest daughter Amalia had her 18th birthday last December, the family threw a huge party even though the country was in a strict lockdown and we were only permitted two visitors a day at home.
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Yes we have a big stink here at the moment over “one rule for them…”, but in our case, it is the Prime Minister not following his own rules.
The queen here seems to be popular, so there is currently no debate. But she is in her nineties and I don’t think her successors will be so popular. They all appear somewhat dysfunctional.
I think the younger countries have the edge on us old timers.
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I understand that, about the queen being popular but her successors not so much. And as for the prime minister, ours does follow his own rules, but some of the ministers did not. Our prime minister is also extremely socially savvy, so when there’s talk of “new politics”, he just encourages it and waits for the parties calling for it to fall into their own trap. He’s now leading his fourth government and it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets re-elected in 2025, despite huge political scandals.
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I hope your blog writing has gone well.
Great questions and answers.
My family have been talking about going camping over the summer but I don’t think they are thinking about it properly, they love their home comforts too much. lol
The trampoline sounds like a lot of fun x
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Going on the trampoline was certainly very enjoyable.
I do understand your family may want to entertain the possibilities of going camping without being serious. That’s what my husband and I did too.
Thank you for visiting.
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Great fun 😀
Sent from my iPhone
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We camped when our kids were young but haven’t been in years. It’s something we’d like to do with our grandchildren when they’re a little bit older. The trampoline sounds like fun.
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I hope you do get to go camping with your grandchildren one day. I went camping as a child too but I don’t really think I can really do it myself anymore due to my disabilities. At least not without a lot of help.
The trampoline was definitely great fun!
Thanks so much for stopping by.
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At this stage of my life I’ll take a hotel/cabin etc. and no tent camping for me. Hope you get to have a getaway around your birthday or anniversary. I’m visiting here from the Hodgepodge. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your comment.
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Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m the same as you, much preferring a hotel to camping. I mean, as a young child, I used to enjoy camping, but it got more difficult as I lost my vision (I’m blind).
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Had some really great vanilla ice-cream which was at first a scoop and then I spread it over the waffle. This was at a hotel near the beach/ocean.
This waffle was covered with chocolate topping.
Probably my favourite vanilla flavour would be in a drink or in a cake.
My iPad cover is violet and so are several of the pens I have written with.
[and I am wondering why VELVET is not a word in this Hodgepodge].
Something very special: a rainbow on a sunny and a cloudy day [which had some rain]. And then it faded.
Something very interesting: the many tablets on which there are educational and entertaining apps and also the sporting programme which I have not experienced very often that has lots of Indigenous people on it who are connected to that sport.
[and I am glad VERY was a word in the Hodgepodge].
Very helpful: the rebuilding of a life saving club and the facilities there.
Another helpful thing which was VERY helpful – this Twitter thread about hygiene and the way that it is taught – which is too often exclusive and inaccessible.
[those things after the “Which is too often” are against my values].
If you ever do find out how to mix violet in polymer clay…
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Thank you so much for your extensive comment. Yeah, velvet is such a wonderful word, it should’ve made it into the hodgepodge.
I don’t care for chocolate, except for white chocolate or candy bars, but that ice cream does sound delicious.
I think that Twitter thread is so important. Yes, the teaching of hygiene is so often inaccessible and exclusive indeed. I can unfortunately relate.
Wow, the rainbow… beautiful!
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I love trampolines! Glad you got to go on one!
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Thanks so much. I really love them too.
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