Week 4

Week 4

Not much this week. I've been crook again - must be the Winter Blues. (nothing to do with Old Age).

My "cure" for the Winter Blues.....

The days are getting noticeably longer.....

Sunday

Important housekeeping

Google has changed the way Contacts are listed. I used to have a "Circle" left over from when Google + was a thing. It no longer appears on my list, so I have made a new "Group" and included everybody who "might" just be interested in my idle thoughts - remember it started off being just for my family as a way keeping in touch. 

* If you would prefer not to be on my list please let me know.

We have an election coming up......

Rutte: "ga weg als het je hier niet bevalt"

"If you don't like it, leave". The Minister President (Prime Minister) Mark Rutte was interviewed last week and has started making "populist" comments like that. Presumably to keep up with the far right populist "movement".

With the (usual) disclaimer that I quite often don't understand everything, the gist of his interview was to address what is perceived as people's concerns about refugees.

Rutte gave one example about a Bus Company that wouldn't employ an immigrant because he would not shake the hand of a woman, "for religious reasons". Rutte said that "the norm here is that we shake each other's hand" and so the Bus Company was quite within its rights.

He also referred to "loutish behaviour", and went so far as to include traffic tailgaters and bankers who complain about limited "bonuses". 
Further, "refugees should not abuse our freedoms by trying to impose their cultural norms on us".

He went on to talk about people's behaviour - in essence, the Golden Rule - "do unto others....etc."

The article finished with a message for the election; Rutte said there is only one question "What sort of country do we want to be?"

I read recently of a court case in Switzerland; the Muslim community (an organisation representing them) did not want "their" young school girls doing swimming lessons with the boys. The decision was that "it is the norm in this country" ie. swimming lessons are part of the compulsory curriculum and would not be changed.

Early this week, the Local newspaper had a full front page about THE new president in the US.

This part of the article caught my eye...

"As Dutch people, in our Calvinistic "act normal" world, we shake our heads." (that somebody like that could be elected).

I have so often heard Janny say to the kids "doe normaal" - meaning please behave and act in a "normal" way. (I'm sure she has said it to me on more than one occasion). I have never thought of it in relation to Calvinism.

For our upcoming election, there is a "Vote Indicator" website, available from the 5th of February, which gives a guide as to which politicians think the way you do.

https://stemwijzer.nl/

The older versions are still available and include such questions as "the drinking age should be raised to 18" For or Against? "the laws about mortgage tax deductions should remain as is" For or Against? It's actually quite helpful to me but I wonder about people who are set in their ways - they might not like the result if it shows that we get our own "make you want to cringe" Prime Minister. (we do have such a politician and Janny tells me he is doing quite well - the only saving grace might be that there is always a "coalition" needed and he "won't win" - now, where have I heard that before?).

Just in case you missed it.....

(a comedy with more than a little truth)

Make The Netherlands Second

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-xxis7hDOE

Some things take a while (continued)

Finally, put up the LED lamps above the Daywork work table.... and four power points under the table.

We found a (German) DIY store in Groningen to rival the best of Bunnings... it even has a boating/marine section for all my bits and pieces.

A moment of reflection

I opened a long unused Flickr account the other day. Not sure why now and I can't remember the last time I used it. I found an old photo that I don't even remember having and haven't got a clue where the original is....

Aged 40, in the Northern Territory, a photo from my "first" life.

(I often joke about that, but in so many ways it is closer to the truth than one might realise).

Week 3 Winter Wonderland

Week 3 

Coming to grips with the end of year bookkeeping! It seems to get harder every year...... I begin to wonder if that might actually be the thing that beats me....? Language barriers really are a problem - I guess it enables me to empathise more easily with our refugees. I also understand and admire how easy it is for some people who have a "gift" for languages, or, as in Ben's case, those people who are raised with more than one language.

At Work

The Eritrean family are moving to a "small" house in Beetsterzwaag, round 9th of February. We have not developed any rapport with them - probably just the language barrier, but they are not the cleanest people we have ever had. The smell is almost overpowering and so it is easy to decline "a cup of coffee". The volunteers say that their other Eritrean families have been extremely clean; maybe this "Mum" just needs a bit more help until she is reunited with her husband. On the other hand, there is not much else to do, so housework would at least be something to keep her busy and focussed.

Winter Wonderland

They even used that term on the National News.


Looking out the door from my office.........




The Freulevijver, trying to ice-over.....

Rime

[mass noun] Frost formed on cold objects by the rapid freezing of water vapour in cloud or fog.
Origin

Old English hrīm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch rijm. The word became rare in Middle English but was revived in literary use at the end of the 18th century.

We just love the rime on the trees. It lasted for about 3 days this time because there was no wind or sun. I clearly remember discussing the use and meaning of the word with my late brother-in-law Roger, as long ago as 2000ish, when they were here for Christmas.

Skating

Noordlaren, 2017




Every year, there is a "battle for recognition" as to which ice-skating club will hold the first "official" outdoor skating of the year - a marathon event. This year it was Noordlaren, near Groningen. The lead-up to the event made the national TV news and showed the Club "Ice Master" drilling holes and measuring the thickness of the ice - to ensure that the race could go ahead and then later support the hundreds of enthusiasts who would enjoy the ice after the event. The thickness of the ice is obviously important, but these local arenas are all fairly shallow, so no-one would drown if the ice broke through. Just about every village has it's own skating arena.

The 11 Cities (Skating) Race - The Elfstedentocht - is along 200 kms of canals, where the thickness of the ice must be reliable for many thousands of users. This is why there are so many years between races - it has to be colder for much longer - the last was in 1997 and even then truckloads of ice blocks had to be dumped into unreliable spots to help with the freezing.

There have been several warnings on the National News this year that the ice is too thin on the major waterways.

On Mobile Telephones

(from the newspaper)

The Netherlands is "one of the most expensive" countries in the EU for mobile phone users. The average Dutchy uses about 1gb per month, being "scared to go over the limit". Finlanders, for example, use 7 times as much, with "unlimited" bundles. A merger of two of the Netherlands' biggest telecom companies is predicted to result in a "price war" which will be of benefit to the (ripped off) customers. We can only hope......

Infrastructure

(aka Our Taxes at Work)

A couple of weeks ago we went to pick up Ben at Schiphol. It was late evening and the trip home was after midnight, but even then I couldn't help but be impressed with the infrastructure - roads and bridges, mainly - and in some places, they were still working in the middle of the night. Obviously trying to cope with the huge traffic problems in the Randstad - but even in Friesland (an out of the way place in the National consciousness), there is an extraordinary amount of road works and other capital investment. Years in the planning, awarding contracts, employing people, execution and maintenance. I decided to look for information about it - I found one source in English but will have to search again in the Dutch stuff......

The Dutch Govt site, in English, gives a good overview of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. (but I couldn't find any lists of projects).

https://www.government.nl/ministries/ministry-of-infrastructure-and-the-environment

Anyway, this from the "Business Insider" - not sure how "reputable" it is - but it is a painful site with way too much advertising - makes you think they must be desperate - but I found a survey titled "24 countries with better infrastructure than the USA".
Netherlands ranks 1st for both quality of port infrastructure and quality of electricity supply. It ranks within the top 30 for all categories and 10th in the list of 24 countries with better infrastructure than USA - Business Insider.

By way of contradiction, another report places USA at number 8. I think I was alarmed at a figure I heard for required spending in the US. In the Trillions of $$$ - maybe it was just election talk? But if you don't want to pay taxes, then where is the money coming from?

http://www.arcadis.com/media/3/7/E/%7B37E96DF6-82D5-45A6-87D8-5427637E736D%7DAG1015_GIII%202016_ONLINE%20FINAL_SINGLE%20PAGES.pdf

Winter Tyres

(ha!. I nearly wrote Winter Tires - yes it does!)

We needed new tyres, so we've put on Winter Tyres - which really do make a difference - they are compulsory in Germany. The down-side is that we will have to buy a new set of "normal" tyres before too long.

By way of explanation - from nearly 100 years ago

Don't bother with this if you're not that much caring about politics. I found it really interesting that the Italian Vilfredo Pareto put into words something that we can see happening now - almost 100 years later.
Here in Europe, the Right Wing seems to be gaining ground in many countries - not quite as alarming as the Tea Party - yet. Oh well, we wait and see.....


http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2017/01/why-elites-always-rule

The (new) Boat

Really pleased with the quality of the work....

Scaling Ladder Drill

Looking for a place to put the bikes - without damaging the new paint!














...and where the boat would have been, back in the (icy) water....







Other boats "on the wall" for winter storage...

Week 2 Chookshed Green

Week 2

Slowly getting back to walking... Luckily, I never tire of the heath and Zoey is as keen as ever, despite being older than me!

All In a Day's Work

day 1 blocked toilet.

Why is it that everyone turns to me to fix it? I even got a text message! Oh well.  18 years ago we set up the utility room so that everything was accessible. 8 toilets and 8 showers, a 300 litre boiler and two(!) central heating units and all the sewerage pipes exposed with screw-off fittings. By far the most expensive room in the whole place! 

Some people (one of our kids)  think it is funny to shove full toilet rolls in. It took me a couple of hours, but I was able to clear it.
When I made the "Why Me?" reference over coffee, one of our volunteers said in perfect English "the right man for the job" - thanks!

day 2. No water!

I texted one of our clients to bring some water.... at least so we could have our all-important coffee to start the day. It was back "on" by about 1000hrs.

day 3. Syrian get-together

I arranged to go and pick up some of our first Syrian family, now living in Ureterp. This so that they could help us communicate with the new Syrian family. This turned out better than expected because at least they were able to explain that YES, there is a house for you at the end of the process and the system does work, even if it all seems a bit slow. 

The new Syrian father isn't even "written in" to our new Local Council - the "system" doesn't seem to function too well if the paperwork isn't all in place.

I also had to go to one of the schools to pick up one of our kids. As much so the teachers know that I am part of the system.

Janny and I were then invited to the first Syrian family's house for dinner - very hospitable and a big feed prepared by one of the cousins. He said he had been making Syrian food in one of the Refugee Centres - otherwise, all they had was "Dutch Stuff". It really was very good!

Day 4 A trip to the Doctor

The volunteer "Contact Person" of the Syrians took the eldest son (13) to the dentist, accompanied by the father. On the way home, the boy passed out - from shock, allergic reaction? When they arrived back at our place (in mild panic), Janny rang our doctor and I went with the boy to the rooms in Bakkeveen. They were ready and waiting. The Doctor did a few tests and slowly the boy came around. He had looked dreadfully pale, but a bit of colour returned and everything seemed OK. Dad said "boom" and pointed to the boys head - we "think" he was saying that the boy was injured during bombing in Aleppo. It also appears that the Dentist had no "bedside manner" and had just dived in and done what he needed to do without any explanation or consideration. So, whatever the cause, it was all too much for the boy. Our Doctor was concerned that they had gone to the dentist without an interpreter. All food for thought - our volunteer was also in a poor way, having to deal with this unexpected turn of events.

Day 5 School? Not Today!

The boy with the problems from Day 4 went to the local Primary (State) School. He sat there for a few hours, not understanding a thing.... and managed to make it known that he wanted to go "home". The teacher contacted us and so Janny went to pick him up. Life is pretty tough for him at the moment.
I just remembered that the Eritrean boy was left behind at his school in Drachten. The taxi driver gave up waiting for him and it wasn't until a couple of hours later that Mum came to us to try to explain that the boy wasn't home yet. Janny rang the school and arranged for one of the teachers to find him and bring him home.

Fireworks!

As things get back to normal, our Work Experience lad came for the first time this year. He had a terrible/horrific story about his older brother. It is "normal" here for everyone to buy fireworks to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. I've never been much of a fan, for the obvious safety reasons and also the extravagant waste of money - much better spent on the boat, for example! Our nieces and nephews all wear safety glasses and they still have all their fingers..... but still, I shake my head. I have often tried to remember when fireworks were "banned" in Australia and under what circumstances. I never "missed" them but I suspect that there would be a public outcry if they were banned here.

Anyway, our lad's brother has lost the sight of one eye due to an unexpected explosion of a "firework display" piece.  Apparently, they were "legal" fireworks purchased from a reputable supplier. Many people drive to Germany to purchase their fireworks because they are "much cheaper" but their origin and transport may not be so "legal".

Boat Nearly Finished

Looks great! Still needs the antifouling. We are going to try to do the name ourselves. Janny has a new plotter for in the Day Workshop. We'll try it out on the "bus" first by putting on our business name and Facebook(!) Page. Did I mention before that it is the same colour scheme as our chookshed? Antique Green and Antique White. We have also decided to leave the boat out of the water for a few months. This will allow the paint to "harden" and we'll have better access to stick the name on, albeit with a ladder! I also need to buy some more fenders. Our old ones have deteriorated to the point where the rubber would leave black marks on our new paintwork! (Something else I've learnt in my old age!).

I seem to have fallen a bit "flat" this week. No "snippets" from the newspaper. We did have Ben home for a few days. He's desperately trying to finish off some projects for being able to graduate in time. Otherwise, it will mean an extension of some sort.

And the cold weather hasn't deterred the moles!

This Week In Wijnjewoude 2017 Week 1

2017 Week 1

Back to Business

We started work again on Monday. I'm sure it is just habit, but it felt better than being in bed sick! Light the fire, set the coffee, tidy up, cars out and ready for pick-ups, too much coffee and business as usual!

Trying to do the right thing

I finally spotted one of the Syrians (they stay inside a lot and their windows are always blocked off - so the women can take their head coverings off whilst inside). 

I wanted to see if I could connect an Internet cable to their TV. I asked the husband if the women were covered up, so I could go inside. This was done by me gesturing and pointing at my head and covering my eyes... all very dumb, obviously... as he said aha! and went and got a beanie for me!! duh!
As it was, the daughter appeared without head covering.... and promptly ran away. So, the creepy old infidel had seen her hair!

Janny's Mum says "ah they are so beautiful - why do they cover it up?".

Black Ice

From the TV News

13 million kilos of salt spread on the roads on saturday. People are driving too fast for the black ice. Some freeways were restricted to 50km/hr - but even this doesn't help once you start sliding. This time last year people were literally skating on the icy roads. Code Orange Weather Alerts were issued for about two thirds of the country.

5G Internet in Groningen

From the TV News

A story about superfast internet proposed in Groningen - mainly on the back of medical/care purposes. An example was given about an 87 year old man who didn't want to go into aged care. . His tablet/pills box was connected to ensure that he was taking his medicine. The toilet was connected and capable of detecting bladder infections. The fridge could also be monitored for use and content. The story gave an example of ambulances being connected with scanners to send patient information en route to the hospital.

Getting Wintery...

Boat talk

Luckily, the boat is inside - with heating! (the greenish shed on the right)

Along the Maas

One of 7 weirs along the Maas was severely damaged by a ship. This meant that the water level could not be maintained, resulting in many residential houseboats being left stranded at odd angles.

The turf Route 

A few friends know about the Turf Route; a waterway near us that was originally dug in order to extract and transport peat, between 1630 and 1830.
In 1994, there was an organisation, not unlike the Puffing Billy Society, say, whose original goal was to "save" the canal and the idea of the former "Peat Colony" of Gorredijk. These days the canal is only for recreational use, although all the waterways are also part of the "national drainage system" (my thoughts, at least).
The society is hard pressed to keep going due to a shortage of funds. I understood that the local govt were going to take it over in a few years. (maybe I misunderstood, as is often the case).
In a newspaper article it is stated that the entry fee will be removed (maybe in 5 years time?)..... we were always pleased to pay in the knowledge that it helped to keep it going. There is always maintenance required, of course. If the various local councils don't want to pay and the society can't charge an entry fee.... I hope a solution is found. "Professional marketing" gets a mention but not sure about this. I have to do some more research....

edit: One of the websites states that the entry fee is €20 for 2017- so that gets us through this year, at least. In fact it will be first on the list when we start boating again!

One Year Ago

January 4 2016. THIS year we had high winds, rain and hail! The Eritrean kids were gawking out the window - I imagine they have never seen it so cold before. Hope we get some snow soon.
Edit: Woke up on Saturday morning to...... SNOW! (I believe Melbourne was expecting 36 plus).  

.....and no photos of the Eritrean kids in the snow; they went for a sleepover at the Refugee Centre in Drachten. They were going to catch a bus, but it would have been too cold for them waiting at the bus stop, so Janny drove them.

The Eritreans seem to be doing it hard; we wonder how Mum had the ability to undertake the trip with three kids in tow. A lot (too much?) responsibility is falling on the eldest son (10/11?) as he has been going to school and picked up a bit of Dutch. The volunteers have too much to do and even their "support" organisation went on holidays for the Christmas/New Year break. So, a few grumblings....... and the tough weather doesn't make it any easier. No sign of the father yet. We (they) had expected him by the 5th of January (from Sweden).

Virtual Reality

One of our nephews has learned computer programming and focussed on making apps for VR. He has registered himself as a business and works as a freelancer. He has an "employer" in Sweden and was recently invited there to meet other members of the team. It was the first time he had been in a plane... all very exciting.
For New Year's Eve, he had all his equipment set up for everyone to have a go. The games still look very cartoonish and were of little interest to me. I did, however, try the English Church and Graveyard, which was very lifelike as I walked around. It's early days yet, but you can see that it is going to be something very special. One use, mentioned by Durk, was by Real Estate Agents - for prospective housebuyers to "look" at a place whilst still in the office, before deciding to go and look at the real thing.

Ben Home at last......

Janny hired a bus so we could take his long-term friends with us, to pick him up from Schiphol.
At the Hello, Goodbye Bar.
Jicky (not sure of the spelling but it is pronounced Yicky), on the right, is a World Champion Street dancer! All 3, including Petra and Eliana, are long time friends of Ben.