Tata, I can tell you what "Wolke" means - clouds, but neither DH (who grew up in Holland - he emigrated to Canada at 20) nor I have a clue what "wietje" means. Gerda, help!!! I want to know, too!

Gerda

OK, I just googled and came up with daycares and kids bookstores named that, then added "meaning" to the search and it seems to have to do with weed!! but I could be way wrong! Sure hope so. But I don't think so. I hope I am wrong, because what does that say about the first places I found? Hopefully Gerda (WW) will let us know what it means.

Gerda in Alberta

In holland there is an author called Dick Laan who wrote childerenbooks about a little gnoom called Pinkeltje.
I attached a photo of Pinkeltje. Pinkeltje has a friend who lives in the clouds and is called Wolkewietje. So, it's just a name of a character in a book.
It looks very old fashioned if you compare it with it now a days heroes, but when i was little girl I could read this stories for hours.

gerda

pinkeltje.jpg (21 Kb, 15 downloads)

and yess Gerda , in holland we call weed indead wiet, but thats has nothing to do with the daycarecentres neither with my name.


gerda

Thank you Gerda - Gerda! That is indeed a very unique ID. I'm sure it brings back very happy memories. And now I know some Dutch!

Tata

Thanks, Gerda, for clearing that up! It seems everyone nowadays uses old words for new things, and that's not a good thing. I think I have heard of Pinkeltje books, but heard Bep en Bop (Bob?) en Brammetje stories, and Tom Poes stories growing up. Mom would read those to us. Tata, the first title is about 3 siblings, and the second a cat.

I will have to ask my cousin in Gouda, whose wife runs a children's bookstore there, if she carries the book. I'd like to read one.

Gerda

do you still read dutch then Gerda ?

Not books or magazines anymore, no, though I have borrowed a couple from the library over the years. I do correspond with cousins and in-laws in Holland, which of course are in Dutch, and I can speak and understand everyday Dutch. Sermons in church were hard to understand, depending on the minister we had, or when we didn't have a minister, the sermons read that were written by other ministers. We have a lot of tapes of sermons - the closest congregation of our church is a 6 hour drive from here, so we haven't gone in years. We have tried others, but were not comfortable there. I can never remember if it's Geriformeerd or Hervormd. In North America it's Netherlands Reformed - very strict!

I sometimes read the Google news from Holland, but come across words that I do not understand, and sometimes a sister-in-law will be talking, and uses words I don't know, but they explain it. I'm so glad I can keep it up, because when DH came to Canada, he wanted to only speak English - he didn't even want to teach our children! Now he regrets it, and so do our daughter and son. Oh, well, too late now! I write Dutch the way I would say it, and apparently sometimes I use words that make my cousins/in-laws laugh, because it's not correct (they do get it, though!) I spoke only Dutch until I was 3, then learned English, and Mom and Dad spoke a mixture of both at home and with friends from church etc.

One example will give you a laugh,Gerda. In Canada, when a person loses a job, he is "laid off" usually because there's not enough work. Well, Dad and Mom always called that "afgelegt" and that's what I use. Well, my cousin in Gouda told me that actually means it's a dead person laid out for viewing in the funeral home! Funny, eh??

Anyway, I should get my sewing room tidied up so I can figure out what I'm doing - too many projects on the go, and not enough time! DH and I are building our own house www.jwvantuil.com - this shows the progress we are making. Talk to you again soon!

PS I e-mail and send cards and letters in Dutch, and still talk to the odd person here in Canada in Dutch.

Gerda

that's funny, but i had the same problem when i went to England to live overthere for two years.
and it's Nederlands hervormd or gereformeerd , and the last is the very strict one.

You're living six hours from the nearest church ? I can't imagine while i been living all my life in big cities, but the house looks lovely.

And i hope they have english Pinkeltjes because i never saw them. I have although a few dutch ones

gerda