Bert, Marie-Louise and co.

I also hope to catch up with this lot - my mum's oldest brother Bert, his wife Marie-Louise, their lovely daughters Jelke and Sanne, plus their husbands and kids. And a dachshund. Mum and dad each have six brothers and sisters so I'll have my work cut out visiting them all.

Hipster cousins

While I'm in Holland I also hope to catch up with this lot. As you can see, fashion in the Netherlands is almost as up to date as in New Zealand. No, wait ... this photo was taken in the early 1970s.
These are the children of my late Uncle Frans and Auntie Gien plus a few hangers-on. Believe it or not, they include a doctor of tropical medicine, a judge and a museum director. And my namesake, Peter de Graaf, which caused me no end of confusion when I was a child.

Sophie the singer

Another person I'm keen to catch up with is my talented cousin Sophie de Graaf, who will graduate from Arnhem Conservatory on June 20. I hope I can make it to her graduation concert! This is her singing You don't know what love is with her boyfriend on piano.

Trivia about Arnhem...
- This Dutch city was the location of the World War II battle which inspired the movie A Bridge Too Far.
- The Dutch/British actress Audrey Hepburn studied at Arnhem Conservatory in 1939-45. I'm sure Sophie will be way more famous.

Family flashback

This is my Auntie Do around 1930, before my dad was on the scene. That's her seated in the middle. She hasn't changed much. Slightly older, possibly. I think I'll still recognise her.

Welcome aboard

This year my Aunt Dorothea (Do for short) turns 93 and my Great-Aunt Octavie (Occa) turns 96. I haven't seen Do since 2008 and Occa since ... let's just say it was a very long time ago. It's high time I went back to Holland and saw them again.

If I'm going to head to the other side of the planet to see my aunties, it would be silly not to try catching up with a whole bunch of cousins, friends, ex-workmates and students. They've managed to spread themselves out a bit since I was last in Europe, so I'll have my work cut out.

Hence the 2016 Favourite Aunties and Old Comrades Reunion Tour. Welcome aboard.