Day 12

Word count: 19,780 - only 244 words behind schedule!

Ha! Today I had a turning point. I suddenly realized which questions I needed to answer before I could proceed with anything akin to purpose. And, believe it or not, I had the wherewithal to actually write these important questions down before they swirled back into the eddies of my thoughts, never to be heard from again. Will tack up this list of questions on the kitchen cupboard and on the bathroom mirror and on the ceiling above my bed in a large font (just kidding) and ponder them all day tomorrow. Tonight, I shall go to bed at a reasonable hour...

Sinterklaas has arrived in the Netherlands! We ate lots of kruidenoten and the girls put on their Zwarte Piet suits. Both girls have terrible colds and their ears must be blocked, as they are talking MUCH LOUDER THAN USUAL. As all of you will agree, they are not the quietest children anyway... pooh.