Week 48- Coffee Rust

Not much this week - I confess that I have been getting up early to watch the cricket! Later in the day, it gives more meaning to my Nanna Nap.

Week 48 - Already!

The Support Black Pete action from last week was organized via WhatsApp. The cars that blocked the freeway may well be subject to traffic infringement fines. A fund has been set up to pay the fines - already €40,000 in the fund as of Tuesday. If the money is not used then any leftovers will go to charity.

The Sinterklaas boat - by our kids.

BBC - coffee rust

I listen to many, many hours of podcasts during the week. My favorites (and probably most-balanced) are the BBC and The Economist. Now, if only I could remember half the stuff I listen to...

Anyway, one BBC headline caught my eye about Coffee Rust Disease - I thought immediately that I must surely have it, given the amount of coffee that I drink!

But no, it turns out that the Arabica Bean is being attacked by coffee rust (a fungus), thus threatening the industry and prices. Of the two principal varieties, it is the most popular. There is a lesser known third (rust resistant) variety that they are trying to crossbreed. I can only hope.

As for drinking too much coffee... Barry sent me a link to a Guardian article which offers some solace to the coffee-addicted.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/nov/23/three-coffees-a-day-linked-to-a-range-of-health-benefits

People who drink three to four cups of coffee a day are more likely to see health benefits than problems, experiencing lower risks of premature death and heart disease than those who abstain, scientists have said.


The research, which collated evidence from more than 200 previous studies, also found coffee consumption was linked to lower risks of diabetes, liver disease, dementia and some cancers.



Three or four cups a day confer the greatest benefit, the scientists said, except for women who are pregnant or who have a higher risk of suffering fractures.

Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed drinks worldwide. To better understand its effects on health, Robin Poole, a public health specialist at Britain’s University of Southampton, led a research team in an “umbrella review” of 201 studies based on observational research and 17 studies based on clinical trials across all countries and all settings.

“Umbrella reviews” synthesise previous pooled analyses to give a clearer summary of diverse research on a particular topic.

“Coffee drinking appears safe within usual patterns of consumption,” Pool’s team concluded in their research, published in the BMJ British medical journal on Wednesday.

Brexit

There was a documentary on TV that suggested that we will shortly see a lot more activity.

My own view is that they "threw out the baby with the bathwater" - somehow thinking that all the real or perceived grievances would be remedied by the referendum. Not unlike that other election. The reality now seems to be somewhat different.

The European Medicine Agency is moving from London to Amsterdam. Other options were Milan, Copenhagen,(that pesky Oxford Comma, again) and Bratislava (and others). Amsterdam won the draw on (a "toss of the coin").

Amsterdam became a finalist in the EMA decision based on a proposal which included "a commitment to implement a relocation plan" for the almost 900 employees - in and around Amsterdam. Attractive and expensive!

It is also proposed to erect a purpose-built office block in the Zuidas district of Amsterdam Zuid (Southern Axle?)

 Another institution, the EBA, the European Bank Authority also has to leave London. They have far fewer employees but is another example of things beginning to happen.

The TV documentary referred to consequences in the other direction - some European countries, including Germany, have fishing rights in the UK, for example - these will cease.

Around the Farm...

walking again...

Usually, the leaves end up at my place... there's still time.

We went to look at a boathouse for sale in Burgum. It has an asbestos roof! So the extra cost has to be calculated - only 8 years before it all has to be removed - everywhere, including our place! Still don't know where the money is going to come from...

Lastly, the Rain in Spain The Netherlands (A YouTube Video in English) - and it's all true!

Week 47 Black Pete

Zwart Piet

This year, Sinterklaas (aka Saint Nicholas) arrived in the Netherlands at Dokkum - by boat, as usual.

We considered taking our kids to Dokkum, but due to parking restrictions and big crowds, we thought better of it - and (our kids) went to Drachten, instead.

I have witnessed this yearly ritual for the last 25 years without once having thought that it had anything to do with racism - it's just some fun for the kids, right?

and finally, "We Want Zwart Piet"....

Wikipedia has some information about the history which may be helpful...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet

An organisation called Kick Out Zwart Piet (KOZP) organised a "protest" demonstration and were on their way to Dokkum by the busload - until stopped by Frisian Pro Zwart Piet people who were organised via social media to stop the demonstrators.

The KOZP busses were directed to return "to the South" under police escort and the Mayor of Dokkum withdrew the Permits to Demonstrate.

From Wikipedia

According to a 2013 survey, upwards of 90% of the Dutch public don't perceive Zwarte Piet to be a racist character or associate him with slavery and are opposed to altering the character's appearance. This correlates to a 2015 study among Dutch children aged 3–7 which showed that they perceive Zwarte Piet to be a fantastical clownish figure rather than a black person. However, the number of Dutch people who are willing to change certain details of the character (for example its lips and hair) is reported to be growing.


Opposition to the figure is mostly found in the most urbanized provinces of North- and South Holland, where between 9% and 7% of the populace wants to change the appearance of Zwarte Piet. In Amsterdam, most opposition towards the character is found among the Ghanaian, Antillean and Dutch-Surinamese communities, with 50% of the Surinamese considering the figure to be discriminatory to others, whereas 27% consider the figure to be discriminatory towards themselves. The predominance of the Dutch black community among those who oppose the Zwarte Piet character is also visible among the main anti-Zwarte Piet movements, Zwarte Piet Niet and Zwarte Piet is Racisme which have established themselves since the 2010s. Generally, adherents of these groups consider Zwarte Piet to be part of the Dutch colonial heritage, in which black people were subservient to whites and/or are opposed to what they consider stereotypical black ("Black Sambo") features of the figure, such as bright red lips, curly hair and large golden earrings.

Now, as an aside, I thought I recognised the boat/ship used by Sinterklaas.

In 2008, I had a hire boat with Ivan & Louise and as we went through Leeuwarden, we passed the same ship. I managed to find my photos taken at the time!

In another quaint custom, the kids are allowed to put their shoes in front of the fire overnight - in expectation of a gift to be found the next morning. ( a variation of hanging up the stocking).

I found this on Sunday morning, just as the kids were getting out of bed...

and getting ready for breakfast...

From the Newspaper...

First, a story about the huge vegetable production done in glasshouses. The glasshouses are really big - the story talks about one 20 hectare farm - under glass! The owner says it is much more expensive to set up - and running costs can be high - BUT yields can be up to 350 times what is possible on a normal farm - subject to weather and insects.

They are also experimenting with LED lighting which can be placed lower down, amongst the foliage, to produce even better results.

Whether we are growing tomatoes, whether it’s about getting fruits, or whether it’s a lettuce, or a leafy vegetables. You can imagine that you want a different type of plant. And that may require therefore a different light. With LEDs, we can also put them in between the plants. And that’s very good. Because usually there is maybe too much light on the top, but insufficient at the bottom. So we can have a much better distribution of the light in the plant.

But growing indoors isn’t cheap. Marcelis says a quarter of the expenses for indoor growers in the Netherlands relate to construction–something farmers who grow in fields don’t have to worry about. Then there’s the energy costs of round-the-clock climate control and artificial lighting. But Marcelis says a key advantage to indoor farming is that by creating ideal growing conditions and maximizing space, it can produce much higher yields, in some cases, up to 350 times the yield of a conventional farm of the same size.

Still more about energy...

Even Wijnjewoude rated a mention in the Leeuwarder Courant - for being a "Pilot Village" to become "energy neutral" by 2050.

There was also a story about a Sports Complex in Leeuwarden that is having 3500 solar panels installed. The Sports Complex gets "free energy" and any excess is (presumably) sold on. I can rather imagine something like that for our place - but one problem appears to be the question of the capacity of existing electricity cables. ie if we do it AND a few other farms around us - then "can all that extra electricity actually be carried by the existing infrastructure? - all underground, so it's not just a matter of stringing up a few extra cables.

Waterstof (H) Hydrogen trains

Regional trains are mostly diesel but new options are being considered. Electric is the current option but this hydrogen train is being trialled in Germany (and may be trialled in Friesland).

Around the farm...

The last of the Autumn colours - the beech trees have much more colour than the oaks.

Some things take a while (continued)

It's 2 years now since we started excavating for Janny's parents' house. I did some inspired preparation for our new bathroom at the time - laying hot and cold water and drainage under their new floor - otherwise it would not now be possible.

Anyway, we picked up the shower screen ( show model, half price) last week - so now further with tiles, bath and other fittings. I just have to make sure that I stay within my own capabilities.

Preparing to carry the shower screen...

Safely (and snugly) fitted...

New bath option (less installation work for me)

Week 46 Finding Some More Energy

Autumn in Full Swing

A few things caught my attention this week. Sometimes it's hard to say why, but here goes.

Helping young refugees to find work

An organisation called New Dutch Connections has set up a job training "academy" in Burgum - the location of the clog factory and Janny's swimming pool, for those who can place it... 

The new training is for 12 weeks in a skilled area of choice, with teachers and volunteer mentors. It is to be done in conjunction with up to 10 or more local businesses. The training is aimed at 18 to 30-year-old immigrants, the hope being that they will be taken on in some capacity - a job or further work experience - in the field of their choice.

Energy - various

(This is bound to be boring for some, but I must admit that I am finding it very interesting, not least of all because it feels better to be part of the changes rather than "denying" that any change is necessary). 

As we continue to evaluate our own energy options at De Twa Buken - it's all old tech and very costly - there seems to be an extraordinary number of articles in the newspaper and online, about concerns (and opportunities) with energy.

On gas production. 

This seems to be on "the outer" as far as a favoured option goes. In our time here, gas has been produced fairly close by in Groningen and because it was close, it was argued that our gas should be cheaper due to lower transport costs. Still fairly expensive due to the tax (that isn't called a tax) imposed before all the normal taxes come on top.

There have been several "earthquakes" in and around Groningen due to subsidence caused by the gas extraction - it took a court case to determine that the Gas Company had to prove that it wasn't their fault - rather than homeowners having to prove that it was.

Just recently it was determined that new houses were no longer required to be connected to a gas supply service. Our own village has set up a Corporation "to make Wijnjewoude Energy Neutral". Approvals have been given to set up huge fields of solar panels. One Friesland company has proposed a 32 km field of floating panels off the Friesland coast. It's almost exciting to see the interest in new and alternative projects.

One of the new ideas is to utilise the existing (gas) bores used around Groningen as Geothermal installations - pumping hot water from as deep as 3 - 6 km below the earth's surface.

The uses depicted in the diagram include home heating, aquaculture, glasshouses, biogas production, agriculture and algae production. Not sure what the algae production is - maybe a biofuel - but the rest are already "big business" in the Netherlands and/or Friesland.

As always, I have to add the rider "if I understand it correctly" - it was a group of University students who came up with the idea of re-using the bores - for which they won a prestigious industry Award.

Now, Geothermal technology has been around for a while - I have often heard it referred to as in "so-and-so has geothermal heating at their place - or approvals for". In any case, it sounds too expensive to set up - as are most of the projects at this stage - having already spent so much money getting it the way it is (at our place, at least)!

Rapid development of geothermal energy in The Netherlands

I found a few articles on Geothermal energy. Part of the reading revealed that the Government policy on Mining - including gas and geothermal energy - is that any research that is carried out has to become part of a National Database and is open to the public after 5 years. This means that all the research is available to everyone - it is estimated that the Database itself has a value of 50 Billion Euros. ie the research doesn't have to be repeated unnecessarily.

The result of these measures is that the Dutch geothermal market is now the fastest growing in Europe by a large margin as shown below. The Dutch geothermal sector has seen a steady 50% annual growth rate in output over the past 4 years. One of the main reasons is the sound regulatory framework set up since 2011. This could serve as an inspiration for other countries looking to boost their geothermal energy production.

It seems that Friesland is particularly well-placed, as are Groningen and Drenthe (the 3 Northern Provinces).

Now, back to some normal stuff!

Lucas, our first day-work client, has started his 10th year with us! We missed him this week, though, because he had to stay home while a new kitchen was installed in the "Assisted Living" apartment that he shares with his brother. No doubt that we'll start off next week with Cake & Coffee to celebrate!

The further adventures of Ben...

He had a photo shoot during the week - not sure what for or even if he gets paid for it.

It seems that he had two school projects to finish off. The first is almost done - looking at "How the Youth of Today Consume Their News".

He is also working on "Loneliness In Amsterdam", particularly amongst immigrants and young people. We all need to get that one (and the Graduation Ceremony) out of the way so that we can start thinking of getting off to Melbourne for a few weeks. Ben also has a tentative arrangement to go to Singapore - just one more thing to juggle.

Ben also has a new job - not sure exactly what it is, but it seems to be writing film reviews. It is related to the same company as his last job - but that went a bit sour because they instituted a new system of only paying for the time that he was "on-line" (there is an app that could track it) - so, instead of being paid for 8 hours at work - he would only be paid for 2.5 hours "on-line". Ben is not the only one, so hopefully, they will get that sorted out. Meanwhile, he didn't burn his bridges and has moved sideways into another 2 days a week job.

Meals on Wheels

Our local restaurant does a fairly brisk trade in Meals On Wheels - I think more as a private enterprise than as a Govt. sponsored activity - but I have yet to find out.

In any case, Janny arranged it for one of our clients - at a 60% discount! It comes out of his own "pocket money" so that he feels some responsibility for the arrangement. We have an Esky at the front gate - the food is placed in there daily, to be retrieved and heated as required. Again, we have tried to introduce a sense of responsibility for that aspect as well. 

It's all hardly ideal, but we're about the last option before he gets institutionalised - most people in the village know and some help out with clothing and other things. The local bike-shop even bought him a bike trailer for his dog! and now this from the local restaurant.

He's getting older and winter is approaching...

In fact, my weather source (Janny) tells me that we are expecting severe thunderstorms later today - better get some firewood and prepare for binge-watching on Netflix!

Week 45 Nostalgia Isn't What it Used to Be

Week 45

A couple of memories popped up this week, hence the title - although I did hear it used in an audiobook - which happened to be a murder mystery involving the death of an entire shift (watch) of firefighters!

1999/2000. We had not had refugees for very long. Janny was still working at the swimming pool and occasionally I had to run the show on my own. Almost without exception, the refugees had English as second, third or fourth language. There was Joseph from Rwanda who could speak 7 languages!
One evening, whilst Janny was still at the swimming pool, I received a fax (yes a fax was an essential item back then!) saying that 3 new refugees would be arriving shortly. Late in the evening, so the shops were closed (even that has changed), so the best I could do was soup and bread and cheese as a "warm meal".
Upon reflection, I think I can remember that they were a little unsavoury-looking but we had all sorts back then and so we didn't take that much notice of what they looked like. We were, after all, just temporary accommodation.
So, the newcomers were reasonably well settled, with a meal of sorts and a place to sleep. I left them to it and wished everyone goodnight.
A little while later there was a knock on the door - from one of the refugees who had been there a while... Mister Ken, you'd better come.... Oh? Ok. Only to find that the newcomers had taken over and were giving a propaganda session on the blackboard - about Kosovo, I think. The men doing the talking looked as though they had just left their Kalishnikovs on the ground when they boarded the bus as asylum seekers. Our other "guests" were obviously upset and even scared. Some of the women were in tears.
I forget now what I said to defuse the problem, but it settled down enough for me to leave to make a "is it OK if I do this in English" phone call to the person who had sent the fax.
By an hour later, the shady characters had been picked up and taken by taxi to a "tougher" centre in Zwolle.
And of course, Janny only came home after the drama was all over!
Now, the reason why this memory came rushing back is that Frank and Pam very kindly sent me a pack of cards from Albania (photo above), for my birthday. The symbol on the cards is almost the same as the one used by the propagandists - they had an almost identical symbol drawn on the blackboard as they were making their case - for whatever?
As closure to this story, we did hear later that the three had almost rioted in Zwolle when they were yet again given more "soup and bread".
I wonder what they're doing now?

Shit from Last Week

It seems that I wasn't the only one with raised eyebrows... They have pulled the ad (for laxatives) due to complaints.

Making a Difference? (Nostalgia 2)

I quite often have an emotional feeling about our kids. Saturday morning and I had a coffee with our person in charge. One of the new kids was on the couch, under a blanket with his cuddly toys, watching TV. That they, the parents and the system all trust us to be doing the right thing... Quite a responsibility and quite rewarding just to think that we are making a difference to their lives.

One of the kids brought a birthday cake - she is 22! (going on 6). So sad, especially to think that she is the same age as Ben.

Around the farm...

Winterising!

 The outside water taps have to be closed off. The water fountain and outside furniture all taken inside. Even the chooks have their daylight hours extended by setting a time clock on the lighting! (Otherwise, they stop laying).

Shopping

It used to be every week, but it's only about once a month these days, that we have to do a "big shopping" for "out the back". We have a competition to try to guess how much it is going to cost - this week we were both way off the mark! 

€250,00 for this lot! (must have been a few "extras").

A new lamp. 

Janny has been collecting "old stuff" for a while now - I finally got around to making this lamp out of an old woodworking plane.

and we thought it was going to be quiet this year...

For the last couple of years, we have had orders for "Christmas Gifts" for one of the churches in Bakkeveen. Not this year, or so we thought!

We have a few woodworking projects that I have had to make some "jigs" for - so that they all end up exactly the same. Janny then uses her Silhouette Plotter to make the stickers...

More on Language...

I found a very pertinent article on language in the expats newsletter this week. I thought - YES - somebody else understands, after all!

You'd think that it would be easier after 25 years... but it's NOT!

If you’re not a native speaker, you may relate to some (or all) of these common challenges:

"I can’t express myself properly because I can’t find the exact words I need."
"I struggle to discuss complex subjects because I just don’t have the same depth of vocabulary as I do in my native language."
"I’m struggling with grammatical constructs that I don’t even know in my own language!"
"I can’t access the healthcare system because I don’t speak the language."
"I feel like an outsider / I feel self-conscious because I have an accent."
"I can’t support my children with school subjects/homework."
"Some of my mistakes, or the way I say things, offend people."
"I feel anxious about speaking in groups."
"I feel left out because my partner/kids speak the language."

Expats in a new country or culture also have to deal with nuances such as slang, context and different communication styles. Mastering all of this can become especially intimidating when there are expectations from a partner or parent-in-law, children or locals.

Anxiety can also inhibit us from noticing relevant or important language messages from those around us, which may lead to more misunderstandings.

Yet another Birthday...

Avoided the evening Circle Party, but did have a mini "coffee and cake" version with Janny's parents and a sister and brother in law. Also, cake with the clients and then dinner with Ben and Janny. More than enough food and celebration for one day.!

Contact with Paul, Cheryl and Glen and a visit by Ben! Even a phone call from my Son-In-Law who took great delight in letting me know that he was calling from the Gold Coast!

Disappearing birds...

Since 1980 it is estimated that there are 421 million fewer birds in Northwest Europe.
There is great uncertainty as to the cause and therefore the solution, but it does involve the corresponding disappearance of insects - which, in turn, is being blamed on the way that land is being used for farming and agriculture.

and lastly...

I rather liked this definition from The Devil's Dictionary...

The Nose

It has been observed that one’s nose is never so happy as when thrust into the affairs of another, from which some physiologists have drawn the inference that the nose is devoid of the sense of smell.