Stavers Feest

This weekend was all about Stavoren as a city. People went crazy dressing up their front windows and their streets all hoping to win the "best street" award. I cant say i have ever seen stavoren look as pretty as it did this week. flags were hung from house to house and streets were decorated according to theme. As a top off for the competition people were allowed to build floats for a float parade that would run through the town.

This was my favourite display- the streets theme was historic stavoren- this display is about the old fashion hair salon and styles- there was barbers tools in the window, old idea cards and an old blowdrier/lamp just like the ones in the movies. the other windows had the old butcher, the old tabacco store, a shoe repair man and lots of olf tinkets and trinkets. I wish i had've had more time to walk around and talk millions of photos. i felt a little weird but. wondering who was behind the windows i was peering in!

I didnt know what to expect when barber asked me to take the kids to the town parade. I thought it would be half arsed projects completed with craft paper and glue. Amateur kind of stuff. But my lord were my socks blown off by the detail. when i think back to it. what else were the people of the town supposed to do on their days off.
There were floats with all kinds of themes about stavoren- Wende and her class mates had an ice skating float based on the Elfstadentoch Ice skating race- the kids looked fantastic in their ski suits on the white ice rink float. they waved and cheered as we whooped from the street.

The kids Elfstadentoch float

The other floats were all fantastically done, one float was dressed up as an old steam train, it looked so realistic i did a double take the first time it came past, they were the first prize winners, the other floats had equally interesting themes but ones hard to explain about the patron saint of the town and an old fort that was demolished to make way for a new harbour.

 The steam train with the patron of the town up front. The Vrouw van Stavoren

Although i must say i had to laugh when the prostitutes float came through the street, they called it the oldest profession from the town and it was pulled along by a tractor driven by a pimp in a white suit. The kids loved seeing all the fancy decorations and dancing along to the music. even though it rained it was defintely a fantastic display of the town and its people. who knows. maybe this place really had found a place in my good books :)

The pimp ride- this is actually the owner of the supermarket... so many jokes. so little time!

Wende's 6th birthday

Wende had a princess party for her birthday. I think i had just as much fun as the little ones watching them do all the princess activities in their princessy dresses.
First they had the good old present session and then things really kiked off! The girls put their high heels on and had to walk with a book on their heads, nice and proper like the old days, then they danced to princessy songs and had a mini disco but before it struck midnight they had to kiss the frog on the mouth- blindfolded. that was a fun one. finally they ended the day with making princess wands (courtesy of my fantastic creative skills) and a giant princess feast filled with princessy pancakes and hot chips.
It was a real blast from the past being at a kids birthday party again. I had forgotten how much tears and dramas there were haha. all worth it though. the kiddies here slept like logs from all the excitment. thats my idea of a gift haha.