It is Queens Day here in Holland. We celebrate on this day the birthday of our queen. Tradition is that we empty our attics, and sell it on the street for a few cents. So, at eight this morning we left for the centre of town, our bikes loaded with children-books, toys, a parasol and a little baby swimming pool. We obtained a place next to a wagon where chips where sold and a lingerie-stall (not really attic-stuff) and their dog called Eros. It is funny, it is always like that, there immediately develops a bond between neighbours on these days, today between the lingerie-stall and us. They helped us out with tape for the music-sheets of our daughter who played key-board with her friend.
It was difficult to depart from some of the stuff we wanted to sell. A beautiful children book about the moon that comes down for example was something that I was attached very much. Very odd, but all those things went to people I knew! The book about the moon is bought to a neighbour who lives on the opposite side of the street. We did good business, sold many children-books, the two pregnancy books, the parasol, and even the little baby swimming-pool, after my husband had filled it with air. A young man bought it. I thought it was to a happy young father, but on the way home we saw the little pool again. A note was sticked on it saying: “Poor Beggar”, and it was filled with money. The proud owner was sitting next to it, drinking a beer with his friends.