Week 32 A Lonely Passing

Week 32

Another aerial photo

(Taken by Brother-in-law Henk during the recent balloon flight).

In front of the new addition are Anneke and Zoey. Zoey goes bezerk when balloons go overhead, especially when the burners are on. It didn't help this time that Janny was calling out to her.

A Lonely Passing

From the Newspaper 8 august 2016

It's the Leeuwarden Daily (Leeuwarder Courant) commenting on the increase in the numbers of funerals having to be paid for by the Local Government. In Leeuwarden alone at the turn of this century there were, on average, 5 funerals per year where there was no family able or willing to pay for the funeral.

This has now risen to 15 per year and thoughts have arisen as to the cause. 

Aged people living alone and the last in the family is one possibility. It is also thought that some families refuse to accept the responsibility for any debts including the cost of the funeral.

Leeuwarden engages the services of a funeral company to provide a Christian Service, with a simple advertisement, a sober but dignified service with music, flowers and coffee for any attendees.

Cremations are no longer undertaken but Leeuwarden does provide the gravesites, with the costs being absorbed by the Local Govt.

There was a follow-up story the next day - but I've lost the newspaper in our clean-up. From what I can remember, there were more than 750 such funerals across the three Northern Provinces (These three - Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe, often get linked together for statistical purposes).

Further Travels of Ben

Moscow

6 hour flight Moscow to New Delhi

Vivek Hotel At Connaught Place

View from the room at 2350 hrs

And a video clip from the next morning. I guess we've all heard of the horn-blowing?

4 days taxi (with driver) for €100

They were going to use buses, but were advised not to due to possible theft of belongings. There was also some notion that the locals preferred to keep the buses for themselves.

Dus nu hebben we een privé taxi die ons naar Agra en Jaipur brengt en naar alle bezienswaardigheden

A Whatsapp message from Ben "So we now have a private taxi to take us to all the worthwhile sights in Agra and Jaipur".

3 (young) men in India

Meanwhile, back at the ranch......

I seem to allow myself the luxury of always moving on to "another job". Sometimes there just seems to be so many jobs.... This manifests itself in quite a few ways, not least of all a list of unfinished jobs! (duh!),

I also end up with little piles of tools here and there, as I put one lot down and gather up whatever is required for the next one. I often have to remember where I was when I last used.... whatever,,,,.

I also have been known to say that "it took me 5 years and 30 minutes to finish off.... whatever".

Now, with Janny's parents here I'm finding myself under increased pressure to actually get things finished - things that are in their little corner - like the water fountain in the grass, a little bit of fencing, spouting on the chook shed. It might be that we get a little more impatient as we get older? In any case, I've been busy for three days this week doing things that I could quite easily have left until....... well?

We usually get one of the brothers-in-law to do the electrical stuff - but I had to do it myself and enjoyed the "aha" moment when it actually worked!

Off to Saint-Georges-Motel

Hence early this week!