Family birthday party

My sister celebrated her birthday last weekend and it was one of those grey days, you know, when there is not much light in da house even when your sister lives on the 10th floor of a tall apartment building.

my mother with niece and nephew

 my niece Lisa reading a book

I almost didn't get there in the first place because I woke up Saturday in a snowy world and the trains wouldn't ride out of Amsterdam all morning.
You see my nephew and nieces reading a book in the photographs but normally they are playing on a tablet or smart phone. I am glad my brother and sister are trying to pass on some old school skills.

My oldest niece Katie is showing her portfolio to my father, her granddad. She has an intake for a regional school for media and graphic design this week and she is quite excited and nervous about it at the same time. By the end of February she will hear if she is enrolled or not.

My mother enjoyed being surrounded by her children and grandchildren, sipped on a glass of red wine and chatted away. I enjoyed being with my family too, but more from a spectator's perspective.
At the end of the day I was happy that I could find a train riding back to Amsterdam when I got to the station. For some time now train traffic is difficult in Autumn (leaves on the tracks) and Winter (snow on the tracks). But if trains are riding in Siberia, why not in Holland?