Week 37 An Abundance of Spider Poop

Week 37

Must be the Weather


Went to see the boat for the first time in a month (or more!). It always gives me a good feeling to be there, even if it is only for cleaning.
For the first time in our boating experience, we found that the boat was covered with spider poop and there were hundreds of them in and under every nook and cranny. Luckily, only on the outside. I had to look twice to determine that the poop stains weren't from seagulls or other birds. So, I scrubbed it all down and sent the spiders swimming away, at the same time pondering the need for a new paint job. I've given up all thought of ever having enough time or expertise to do the job myself.



Proving, as ever, there is always something new to learn.

As we were about to leave a neighbour boat came in and the owner started spraying (in all his nooks and crannies). I looked at him quizzically and he showed me the bottle "Spin Spray". (A spider is a Spin). So, there it was. I was not the only one with this problem.

Normally full of charter boats - they came back later in the day

....like this

Hottest September 13th on record

We had 31.2C. at Weather Station De Bilt The previous record was just under that in 1919!

The "average" temperatures (at De Bilt) in September.......(from BBC Weather).

Ben's Weather

Super typhoon Meranti is on course to wash out Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, with the weather forecast set to deteriorate by Thursday.
Tropical cyclone signal No 1, the standby signal, will be issued on Wednesday ahead of the storm, expected to be the biggest to hit the city this year in terms of ­intensity, with the possibility of strong wind signal No 3 being issued Thursday.
But a No 8 signal may not be issued, the Hong Kong Observatory said.
“The advice to the public is stay alert and take all cautionary measures before Thursday,” Lam Ching-chi, senior scientific officer at the Observatory, said.
“We expect the weather to ­deteriorate on Thursday, but the exact timing ... we have to take a closer look at the time.

Edit; Ben didn't get it..... Taiwan and China, but not Hong Kong.

Weekend boat trip to Boornzwaag (again!)

We had to catch up on the bookkeeping first! Fridays are supposed to be "days off". Finally left Heerenveen at 1445 hrs. arrived Boornzwaag at 1720 hrs. Just over 2.5 hours at ave 8.2kms/hr. (and a slightly different return route (in red)). The scenic route is a bit shorter but takes 15 minutes longer due to speed restrictions of 6kms/hr.



As usual, totally relaxing and not long before heading off to the restaurant.
If it's working this link should show where we moored; in fact Janny had it on and could see us as we approached.

http://www.webcam-harlingen.nl/webcam-friesemeren/pages/cameras/boornzwaag--langweer.php

On Saturday, after boat-cleaning, we walked the kilometre or so to Langweer. I'd never been there before and once again I was blown away by the boats, boats and more boats.... and just how lovely it was, even if just a bit too "touristy".

On the way, we saw a renovated windmill which is available to hire for a weekend (sleeps 8 people). €770 for a weekend and €1270 for a week. We like the idea for one of the brothers and sisters "getaways" but we would need the boat as well! The water is directly behind the windmill, in the photo below. It was probably originally used to pump water from the lower land into the lake.

Just a few photos from Langweer.

This boat is a Proliner 63 - 63 feet long - with a platform for the "rubber" dinghy, which has it's own 60HP outboard!

Just boats, but I like the photo.











and a dream apartment with it's own boat garage underneath!

Discussions begin..... on the new paint job.....

Even considering a change of colour. It seems that red fades rather badly in comparison to other colours. Ours is fairly bad where fenders have rubbed, the odd bash here and there and a few rust spots coming through. Janny rather liked a flat black colour that we saw - who am I to argue? (Although I will be guided by technical advice re coverage and cost). The cream (Oyster) colour above decks would remain, ...... or not??.

Planning for 2017

Normally, I would have finished there, but I spent a bit of the weekend thinking ahead to next year. There is a chance that Frank and Pam might head this way again with a view to having some time on the boat.

I still harbour thoughts of going to France with the boat but in the meantime I'm working on a plan for 2017...
the Elfstedentocht by boat.



Planning for this would be a good winter project. I'm staring at yet another long winter. So, part of my research will be about the route and the 11 cities themselves. In this way I hope to fill in some of those looong winter months.


The Elfstedentocht (11 Cities Race) is an ice-skating race in Friesland, ice permitting. ie In those years when the ice is thick enough for long enough. It is almost 200 kms long and was last held in 1997. This was the last year we lived in Birdaard and so we were lucky enough to to see the race go past our back door. The whole family stayed at our place and made it a very memorable event.

The 11 Cities are..
Sneek, IJlst, Sloten, Stavoren, Hindeloopen, Workum, Bolsward, Harlingen, Franeker, Dokkum and Leeuwarden.

We'd probably go to Sneek first, so I'll start there with my research. One boat charter company says that it is 250kms and possible to do in a week by boat, but we won't have the same time restrictions.

Next week...

Sneek

Week 36 A Longer Bed

Week 36

We started this week off with a "Duo" video chat with Ben. It was so clear, even using our less than optimal wifi -  "out the back".

It's something new from Google..... says the Google Fanboy.

Walking

Managing to get above 10000 steps on most days. Zoey takes me for a walk every day at 0700hrs. Hope she can keep it up, as she is actually older than me!

The Heath, 0700

A Longer Bed

Ben is tall enough that he falls in to the category (at the University) of being eligible to request a longer bed - or at least a bed extension, whatever that is. They must have had tall Dutchies before....

An Invitation to a Reception

At the residence of the Consul General of The Netherlands on 28th September (in Hong Kong). Ben had a personal letter, but I guess it is for all the Dutch students- not a bad idea for them just to know that it is there if there should ever be any need.

Redheads Day in Breda

I didn't know there was such a thing but they have just had their 11th annual gathering - with over 6000 redheads and 40,000 visitors from more than 80 countries!

Information (in English)

http://www.redheaddays.nl/en/about/

Hottest September 7th in more than 100 years

Much too late for my pumpkins!

September 8 wasn't too bad, either! In fact the whole week has been unexpectedly warm and it looks like continuing in to the coming week. Alas, no time for the boat except to begin preparations for the "winterizing".

New Residents Apartment 3

Thursday

A Syrian family been here for a year (if I understood correctly). We're doing it with English, Dutch, hands and feet - and a smile, of course.

Ali, Mum. Achmed and Rama. Mum is still a bit shy, so I haven't grasped her name yet. (turned out to be Farah - which means "happy", they said). Rama is a 20 year old girl. She was very nervous in the beginning but has warmed up during the day. Achmed is 17 and bearing most of the responsibility for getting things organised. Ali, the Dad, seems very laid back and happy for things to be happening around him. They are all very likeable and I suspect that the responsibility will do Achmed no harm at all for his future in the Netherlands. Haven't yet discovered what the kids are doing at school or what Dad's profession (if any) was.
(edit: seems he had a stall at a Bazaar in Damascus - selling fruit and veg in the winter and flowers in the summer).

A volunteer helped them for the whole day. They came from an Azielzoekers Centrum (AZC) in Hengelo, which is a fair old trip. I had just assumed that they would come from Drachten, but they must have been "next on a list", somewhere.

They came with a trailer FULL of suitcases courtesy of another immigrant, who has been here long enough to have his own car and trailer! The volunteer then took them to Drachten to do some shopping - for just about everything - bedding, pillows, cleaning materials, food and a TV. This with money supplied by our Local Govt. There was not enough left over to buy a couple of 2nd hand bikes, but we'll work on that next week.

 I helped Achmed set the TV up with our decoder, but I must admit I was stymied when he put in the language as Farsi. It looks very nice but I had to get it back to English so that I could finish the setup. They only have Dutch TV and I warned him about not rotating the satellite dish so they could get something in Arabic.
(edit: Ha!, within 5 minutes they had Arabic streaming to the TV via an iPad and YouTube) 

They still have next to nothing and are relying heavily on the system. And yet, just like our previous experience, they invited us to share their first meal here!  We'll probably do that later but for now Janny and I both have a good feeling about them and also about our part in the process.

Sunflower Action

Every year we get a couple of bunches of flowers from an organisation called De Zonne Bloem (The Sunflower). A volunteer organisation, relying on donations, to provide care and assistance in our sector of the community. It always takes me by surprise, but it is a nice gesture of recognition - of nothing more than the fact that we do our work.....

This year, the card says "So Much More".....

Ben In Hong Kong

We had promised Ben a camera for his last birthday but we weren't sure what sort. He came up with the idea of a GoPro which he was able to get in Hong Kong. It has wifi and/or bluetooth which connects to an app on his phone. He seems very happy with it and so it was well worth the wait.

His first day out with it included a hike to a 34 metres tall Buddha....

They also had some rain. It is still warm though, and I was reminded of the fact that he has to pay $HK100 per month just for the air-conditioning in his room!

Week 35 Stuck Mentally, Move Physically.

Week 35

Housekeeping: 

I'm not sure if Ben's train video worked last week. Maybe I'll just stick to photos.

Walking

The days are getting noticeably shorter - already? Not much time left for the boat this year.I started this week off by walking early in the forest. It's a nice way to start the day - and Zoey thinks it is just wonderful!
My baseline is 10,000 steps/day. One of my regular walks around the "heath" is 7.9kms. Strangely, I never tire of it. It seems to have different light and colours every time. (and it is literally "just over the road").

12 months ago...Narrowboat in England

(full post from last year)

http://narrowboatken.blogspot.nl/2015/09/narrow-boat-holiday-2015-once-again.html

(and yet it is so "fresh" in my mind that it still seems like only a few weeks ago). Some things are just like that......

The Caen Hill Flight

Sunset at The Barge Inn

And of course, back at Work....

I was reminded during the week that I have more than 120 doors in this place! I've had to work on them all at one time or another. Latest was a new lock for our daily work area.

and another new door - slowly getting there!

Drainage

I first put this drain in more than 15 years ago. Since then trees were planted and it slowly became blocked. I had it in the "too hard basket" because of the trees - but Janny's Dad spent about a week slowly digging it out and together we repaired it and got it working again. He's not bad for an 80 plusser!

From the Newspaper

Bromfietsen (fiets = bike en = plural)

A type of motorbike for youth.
In 2007, there were 89000 in use by 16 to 20 year olds.
By 2016 this number has dropped to 41000.
Oddly, in the same period, use of this type of motorbike by 50 plussers has increased from 270000 to 480000.
The most obvious explanation is that a practical examination is now required (unless a driver's licence is already held). It also seems that the younger generation has embraced the electric bike.
The total number of "brommers" in use is around 1.1 million. 

We have occasionally entertained the idea of getting an old (restored) model. But I'll probably go straight to the 45km/hr "pensioner's" car!

New tenants, the changeover, settling in

We had a reprieve on the new tenants. Seems there is a shortage of "families" ready to leave the refugee centre. We (and the Local Govt.) wanted families - we because we think it will be less trouble and the Local Govt. because it is their undertaking to provide housing - better presumably, to house a family than a group of single men, for example. It remains a complex problem; I guess I'll get a better appreciation when we actually get some people here.

Ha!, In the meantime I have to figure out how to get their TV's working - even aligning the satellite dishes seems to be more difficult these days!

Our daywork clients have settled in to our new work area; indeed, they have been very helpful with the transition.

 

New work table - needs new lighting

Ben in Hong Kong

We're relieved that he has settled, even though he is still so far away.

It seems that there are more than 200 foreign students at his University - and he has already struck up a few friendships. (He's good at that).

Some of the foreign students

Already sightseeing......

Good at selfies!

Some time ago Ben was asked to do a photo shoot for redheads. We had forgotten all about it - but there is now a display in Rotterdam...

Week 34 10,000 Steps a Day

Week 34 10,000 steps a day

I use my phone for just about everything, including listening to audio books while I'm working and/or walking. This means that I have it with me just about all the time - ironically, least of all for phone calls.

I was impressed by my old workmate (Frank) in France last week, so I'm working on getting in better shape for the coming years. He's 71 and much fitter than me, with his cycling and running and a good attitude towards keeping fit.

I used to think that "I must walk kilometres in a day around here". I'd be out the back and need a hammer or some other tool and by the time I'd get to my workshop, I would have quite often forgotten what it was! I just had to walk back and see what I was doing. I think this came about because I would see another few jobs that needed doing on the way.....

Anyway, I'm now able to verify my "Kilometres in a day"  by means of the pedometer in my phone. It seems fairly accurate and doesn't work when I'm in the car, for example.

Saturday 13618 steps
Sunday 6627
Monday 9427
Tuesday 1989 

Wednesday 11755

Thursday 10891

Friday 15069

Saturday 12048

Extras from last week in France.

I missed out on the last transaction of the property (The Patrick Marshall Foundation). The current owners are now a French couple - they have said that Pam and Frank can continue to use the Petit Maison - for this year, at least. They had been "working" for the American couple for the last 14 years.

Back in Friesland, it has been hot and humid - not at all like the clear, enjoyable heat of France. It is also worthy of note that we had NO flies or mosquitos in France!

Back at Work

We are as good as ready for our new tenants. However, there was a leading TV news item last night about Asylum Seekers in the Netherlands. It seems that the Government has prepared  for 52,000 (beds and facilities), but only 32,000 are currently being used, as the expected demand hasn't eventuated. Ours is a different situation in that our residents have already achieved "status" ; they may stay and hopefully become independent citizens no longer relying on Govt. money in order to survive.

New Shelving

Desperately needing more room - less junk might also help. Janny's parents also have a room for storage of some of their stuff - but they are slowly getting rid of it.

More bloody shelves 

Scaling Ladder Drill 

I guess it is understandable that I have totally forgotten Scaling Ladder Drill, 40 years later (but I do still use them quite often).

Pumpkin Preparation for 2017

2015 The weather stayed too cold for too long, so they didn't even get started.

2016 I "started" them in pots, but once transferred to the garden beds, they simply drowned with all the rain we had this year. The rain didn't stop the weeds, which soon took over.

2017 I've been thinking about this for a while.. planter boxes which I can more easily weed and continue to mow around until the pumpkin leaves provide their own protection. This should also prevent them from "drowning".

I'll make a few more boxes and..... try again. 

One of my "helpers" at work

Just to remind myself that it IS possible.........

The further travels of Ben

Places visited in Sri Lanka

A few days ago Ben sent a message that he was travelling with a "couple of Frenchies" in a private taxi.  It later turned out that the two Frenchies were actually two girls from Paris!

Someone recommended a train trip, which Ben duly did. But it sat stopped on the way somewhere for 7 hours! He said it was magnificent and well worth the trouble in any case.

Even tried his hand at surfing

Also tried a resort......

....and now (Sunday) going to Hong Kong - to try and get his head into study mode. We expect to see him again at the end of December.