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!