HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Today's highlight: My Mum, who most likely spent her day puttering around her garden chit chatting with the plants. Mum, I wanted to send you flowers, but it's hard from so far away, and I know how sad it makes you when flowers die. So here, I'm sending you a live rose. Just to say to everyone, that I blessed to have such a wonderful Mum, who supports me whole heartedly, and makes the world's best pancakes (which I miss dearly by the way). Happy Mother's Day Mum, I miss you and I love you, even from afar.
Today was a mix of people and conversation. The first half of the day I spent with Alex, Laura, Simon and Claire, in Flavo Park. I don't know why I haven't found this park already. It is beautiful! It has more wild growth than Vondelpark, with way fewer people. Since today was Mother's day here as well there were quite a few families in the park, having picnics and playing soccer. We had some lunch, and laid in the sun debating the politics of protest. It was great to her Simon's view, being that he is a French student activist who has been involved in protests that clashed with police. He and Alex have both been getting involved with the squatting movement that seems to becoming more and more popular across Europe. There are organizations in many cities that have whole databases of abandoned buildings throughout the city. In Amsterdam squatting used to be fairly well tolerated, as long as the building you were squatting had been empty for one year. All you need to establish a residence is a bed, a table and a chair. The owner of the building can get you evicted, but it takes a long time, sometimes 6 or 7 months to get through all of the court proceedings. There is also a cellphone hot line, for when a squat is about to get evicted. A text message is sent along this phone tree and hundreds of people will come to the squat to try to stop the eviction. So, unless you are caught in the actual act of breaking into the building, you can have a free place to live for months at a time. I guess the idea behind squatting is to protest housing shortages, when there is space readily available for people to live. At least this is how I understand it. It is a pretty interesting idea, Alex wants to live in a squat, I think if you didn't have many needs, or much stuff it could be an exciting way to live. After the picnic with that crew Bertie and I went to diner at Bertie's sister Ans' house. We ate with Bertie's two sister's and Ans' husband. It was a very nice night, out in Lieden. The town is 50 km outside of Amsterdam, and Ans' house in in the suburbs. Beautiful tree lined streets and cute brick houses. All of the houses have the same clay tile roofs and sweet little gardens. It would be a nice place to live, close enough to Amsterdam to get there easily by train but far away from all the tourists and the speed of the centre. I am very thankful to have such a wonderful family who have taken me in, it helps me not to feel lonely.
It was a very easy going day. Tomorrow I am going to work with Judith and scan all the negatives I have gotten processed so far. So there will be some interesting shots up tomorrow.
All my love
Emma