Week 15 Best Kept Secret

Week 15

Marketing Friesland

"No more Hit and Miss" is the message given to the Marketing Company by the Province of Friesland. 

So, it won't be a secret any more.... ie the fact that it is so (relatively) peaceful and just a little bit different with its' own language and culture and not to mention the water; it has the largest chain of connected inland lakes in Europe and is perfect for water sport enthusiasts. 

Friends Andrew and Terry bought a boat here in Friesland - about 6 or 7 years ago. A retired scientist, Andrew had done his homework and sought out different types of boats to look at - the idea being to buy a boat and head off to France almost straight away. We found an ideal boat (as it turned out) and I suggested "why not use it around here in Friesland while you get to learn about the boat"? Despite the research, they had little idea that so much boating could be done in Friesland - and the rest of the Netherlands. So, it took a couple of years for them to finally get to France! (They come here for 3 months every year and store the boat where we now keep ours - a Club rather than a commercial haven.).

Friesland tallied 1.8 million visitors in 2015, worth an estimated €458 million. Of the total, 385,000 were from other countries.

So, if the Marketing is successful our "secret" won't be so secret any more.....

Just the lakes - but there is so much more...

Workshop

Completed order for the local soccer club: 4 rubbish bins and two ashtrays.

IKEA Kitchen

IKEA kitchen coming together...... but the poor installer had a problem. I told him I was from Australia (I usually have to do that if I see them wincing at my Dutch). So he tried talking English to me..... but he came to me a bit later looking very sheepish and said "I am sorry. I have made a mistake" (in English). The tall cupboard on the left is for the fridge and needs a bracket at the top rear to hold it against the wall. He had found the 40cm centres for the studs but for the last one... he missed it...... so he tried again a bit further...... and then a bit further..... only to discover that he had been drilling into the recess for the sliding door.... with the door inside!! So with the door closed there are three small holes! A good lesson for when we go whacking holes in here and there (as I do).

Keeping the boys busy.... (me too, skirting boards)

The new dog......companion for one of our clients

Moving In.......

The best laid plans (cont.).....

I was very clever in asking for TV cables to be in position so that I didn't have to figure it out later - with the unsightly mess that usually ensues.....  It was all done very well with cables from the roof (satellite dish) to the laundry and then under the floor from the laundry to the TV. But it took me 4 hours today to try to get it working: every joint renewed, decoders swapped over, etc., etc.. In the end I laid a new cable along the outside and in through a door and got it to work...... so something wrong with the pre-laid cable.... I think. I don't know if they'll be able to fix it, but it has been duly reported!

Satellite dish serves 4 TV's

Cleaning up - earthmoving

Another in my best laid plans series.......

I had not thought about how I was going to get the rubbish container to the road - with our driveway out of commission.

.....and another

We have had induction cooking since 1999 so went that way for the new apartment so as to avoid any potential problems with gas. So we have to show Janny's Mum how it works, ....... and we need a new set of saucepans for her! Her's don't work with induction!

Rain!

In more than 20 years there's been a lot of rain!......but I have never seen this much water in the forest next door to us....

Boating?

This is our first weekend in more than a year that we have no kids!

But, we do have our new residents, so the boat has to wait..... and I still have to finish my 1st Quarter bookkeeping (the only English word with three double letters in a row?).

But I'll post another photo just to indulge myself!

Felder's Boskje - both photos (near Wijnjewoude)