Thanks to Sancho

I want to dedicate this post to Sancho.
For the readers and followers whom followed my blog not from the start:
I have a lot to thank to *Sancho (a giant otter cub), *Carolina Vargas and *Jen from Mountain Time blog.

Carolina and her dear friend Sancho

Maybe you will ask yourself why.

Well, if you want to know it then I invite you to read this real first post that I have ever written on my blog.
***They once inspired me to learn to work with the computer and to surf on the Internet.
Jen encouraged me to start my own blog.

As you could see in the first real post which I've mentioned above, I've placed two links for you. I hope you will take the time to look at the Youtube. It only shows parts of the documentary that I saw but so you can see what a cute little guy Sancho was.

So now and then I look at the video of the BBC 1 documentary Raising Sancho that I once received from one of Jen's commenters. The story still really touches me and it still gives me teary eyes although I have seen it many times.
I was surely not the only one who was so touched by his story.

You must read the long list of touching comments from all over the world which Jen received on her blog (Mountain Time) under the label: Raising Sancho.

This is what Jen wrote about him in her post of April 7 this year. I quote: “Even though I went through two boxes of tissues in the week after I first saw the show two-and-a-half years ago, Sancho still reverberates in my life today. I feel so strongly that Carolina and Sancho's story offers not just a deeply admirable example of human interaction with wildlife, but powerful lessons about life, risk, loss, and letting go”.
She said it so beautiful!

And yes, Sancho still reverberates in my life today too, I will remember him for always.

Without him I would never have started a blog.

And now – I'm still here – more than two-and-a-half years later and also older.

I'm now much more experienced in blogging and I'm really enjoying myself. I know that my English grammar is not yet perfect, although I think it has improved a little. My weakest points are still my sentence structure and also my conjugations could be better. Sometimes it isn't easy for me to conjugate the verbs because in English it's a lot different than in Dutch. In Dutch we use the tenses in a whole other manner. (Too difficult for me to explain it to you.:)

Knowing my shortcomings I often think on the quote that a dear blogger friend once used for her header.

It said: “Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best”.

(Henry van dyke).

If you don't mind, I will sing in the background choir!:):)

However, now I manage two blogs. I have built a new nest for Pipke and yes – I'm a little proud at it. I think that I can say that it became a better and more beautiful place for her than the first nest.

Oh folks, I really don't know what I would have done without my blogs, it really works as a therapy for me.
That I can write about Pipke gives me now a new purpose in my life.
I'm really grateful that you are here to read and follow her story.

This all I have to thank to Sancho.

That his memory may linger on!

Here below you can find his story!
Part one
Part two

Life Is Like A Cup of Coffee

This is something I want to share with you. I found it while I was surfing on the Internet. I don't think that I need to add words, the video itself says it already.

It is so very very true.

Have a nice cup of coffee, it's on you to choose the kind of cup!

Which one would you prefer!

PS: to Jeannie. After you have seen this video I think it didn't matter that the present never arrived. It was the intention that counted. Have a nice cup of coffee with sugar and cream of course!:)

Solving a Mystery

Probably you could see (in follow blog) that I published a few test posts on my new blog: life story of a duck. Each time I published this funny waving image of Pipke.

It's the image that I use on Pipke's new nest.

What occurs now:

Although the setting in both my blogs are the same, when I publish this image on my old blog it appears like you see it here, but when I publish it on my new blog it appears with a border around it.

I succeeded to publish it without the border in my new blog by adapting the HTML code but then I have an other problem: then I only can publish it on the left side instead of in the middle.

I can not change this, I don't succeed in placing it in the middle.

Can someone help me out? Have you encountered this problem?

Can someone give me advice?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to ponder with me!

See you

Update 6/18: meanwhile the problem with the border around the images is solved. Now you will see the images on my new blog without the border.

Invitation Inauguration Pipke's New Nest

We have a reason to party!

Pipke moved to a new place!

To the *commenters and readers who received no personal invitation!

Hereby I would like to invite you to inspect the new nest that I've built for Pipke.

I've created this new nest especially for Pipke's life story.

This is now Pipke's second home

Click on the word "this" above to visit Pipke's new blog/nest

This is the header and the name

MY NEST: LIFE STORY OF A DUCK.

THIS IS A BOOK ON A BLOG, A TRUE ANIMAL LIFE AND LOVE STORY DEDICATED TO AND IN SWEET MEMORY OF MY DEAR MATE “PIPKE”, THE SWEETEST DUCK THAT EVER LIVED.

I hope that it gets your approval and that you will visit the new home from time to time.

That I have built a new nest doesn't mean that I will give up this first nest.

I will keep it and maintain it, it must stay neat and tidy. I will cherish it because this is the place where it all once started. I will use this old nest for other subjects than Pipke's story.

Of course that doesn't mean that I will not talk so now and then about Pipke here.

Hope to see you on my new nest!

Fran

*If I had known all your email addresses then I had sent you all a

personal invitation! :)

INFO FOR NEW READERS

Unfortunately Pipke died on September 14, 2009

On this link  you can find all I wrote about her, you can also see many pictures and cheerful film pictures of the happy times we had together.

On the following three posts here below I describe the last part of her life story.

 Pipke's Very Last Fight
Pipke's Very Last Journey
The Days After

Thanks for reading 

Preparations for Tomorrow

It's almost midnight here right now and I'm really impatient for tomorrow.

So, let me check one more time if everything's in order.

Yes -- the flowers are neatly arranged and the decoration is pretty I think.

The champagne stands in the fridge and my best dress hangs already ready to wear it tomorrow to celebrate the “special” event!

Oh oh, I almost forgot something!

I still have to polish my fingernails!:):)

Now that this is fixed I'm going to sleep.

I still wish you all a good night and have sweet dreams!

Till tomorrow.:)

It's a Special Day

To day May, 25 it would have been Pipke's fifteenth birthday but sadly -- it could not be.

She has fought so brave until the bitter end but she could no more, her passing away was inevitable. If our love could have saved her, she would never have died.

This picture of her was taken on her birthday last year. We were grateful on that moment that she pulled through once again (for the 18^th time).

Look at those sweet eyes, how the years are showing.

We were so happy that we could have her among us yet one more Summer.

Actually you had to hold your animal friend in your arms when it was time to put it to sleep to know what it means that someone says: happiness is pets.

Her loss was heartbreaking - but after the initial sorrow I now have her wonderful memories.

I will remember Pipke with great gratitude for being my faithful mate, my best friend my everything.

And now after so much sadness something to cheer up!

I want to end this post with this funny note. LOL.

Isn't it funny, It's really appropriate *for us.

Now I'm going to see Pipke's film pictures. I'm looking now at a sunny day, we are cleaning the pond and Pipke is cheerful and lively. She was in the prime of her life. These were such happy days folks! (I will show these film pictures later in her life story.)

Looking at these images can make me smile again and I'm really looking forward to next Monday, the day that I will reveal my surprice.

See you.

Fran

PS: is this correct or must it be: at or on?

In Dutch we would say: at us.

For the Last Time - Sifting Through Ideas

It's not that I am inconstant but I think I'm going to chance my *plan again (*how to publish the story).

Some comments on my blog and also emails from my blogger friends have brought me on a better idea. Actually, once before I had already thought on that idea, although -- mine was a little different, so I was still doubting.

The suggestions from my blogger friends made me sure that the new idea will work.

So – thanks to you my friends I have now made a dicision.

I can't tell you yet what my "new plan" is, but I will reveal it on Monday, May 31.

I hope to surprise you.

Meanwhile, stay tuned!

Till soon

Fran