I am back, sort off

I returned last week from my trip abroad, but things have been so hectic, I didn't get to blogging.

Last week, traveling to the Netherlands, I visited with my mom my 65-year old aunt. She is my dad's only sister, a widow with no children.I visit her once a year on my yearly family visits to the Netherlands. I asked her a long time ago if she knew where my grandmothers candy-tin had gone after my grandmother died over 30 years ago, but she didn't know. She did however show me some punch-bowls and a tobacco pot that had belonged to my grandmother. These were the only things she had left from my granny. The tobacco pot still held my grannies sewing stuff inside! She said I could have them. I replied that it really was not my intention to take her only remaining items of my grandma, but she insisted, saying if she would die, it would go to the junk and now I could hand it down to my own kids. So I packed them carefully, kept them in my hand luggage all the way from Schiphol airport back to Ben Gurion airport Tel Aviv. When I left my aunt, I hugged her strong and for a long time, telling her to be strong and healthy and until we meet next year again.

Yesterday I got an email from a cousin, daughter of my dad's only remaining brother, informing me, this very same aunt had died of heart failure, the evening before. :) I am so sad, but grateful I managed to visit her and and have such a lovely visit last week.

I will post pictures of the trip soon. My apologies to Ria, whom I really wanted to visit and her beautiful store, but I was with family and they drove us around and it just didn't come from it, but I really hope next time!