Week 51 The Highlights Reel

This Week In Wijnjewoude

Week 51 a few highlights

Struggling with translation

I had written something "political" here, but on Mum's advice, I removed it. It was more about how International news on Dutch TV is  "filtered" - not in a malicious way like Fake News but purely because it has been translated and trimmed to fit into a few minutes of a 30 minute news show. I suspect that some of my "circle" didn't "get" the full message of anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, voter suppression and outright LIES.
Similarly, I also have to admit that, as hard as I may try, I'll never understand the Dutch Politics, either. Too much history and nuance...and too much translation required. 

One's inbuilt BS meter has to work so much harder when translation is involved.

Next time, I'll heed Mum's advice and never talk Politics or Religion.......(Saviours of a different sort?).

Around the farm

New refugees. A family from Syria. Mum, Dad and 4 kids. Dad came on Thursday with a brother, a nephew and a friend who was visiting from Hamburg. "Mo" from Hamburg is also a refugee - he had good English and said that he is still going to school with 2 classes - for language, and "How to be a Better German" (his words!). He doesn't like it much but presumably falls under the rule of remaining in the first country they arrive in.

Edit.
The rest of the family arrived late on Friday evening - getting dark at 1630 hrs. Dad has a few words of Dutch - the rest not one single word! (and no English, either). The eldest daughter seems to be a bit "reserved", but I was able to get on OK with the eldest son by asking him to help me with some things like sorting out some furniture and getting an extra fridge - all with sign language! The two younger boys, 4 and 2, were quite content to play with their dinosaurs whilst sitting/standing on top of the table!
Early (0600hrs) Saturday morning as I write. I checked on them last night. Mum and daughter had mopped the whole floor with disinfectant! and were making their way in the kitchen. Dad was walking around in his undies..... I uttered a quiet "alles goed"?, gave the universal sleeping gesture and made a discreet withdrawal.
Later today we'll need to make sure they have enough food - at least for a couple of days while the shops are closed for Christmas. I'll also have to make sure the TV is working. Our minimalist internet connection is sure taking a pounding these days! Almost all my TV comes via the internet in the form of Netflix - I'll now be competing with Syrian and Eritrean You Tube!  Luckily, I know the "Systems Manager"!

Further edit. They have a super smart TV - but it is just out of range of the wifi - the systems manager will have to put in another extender! In the meantime, they can watch Dutch TV via the satellite - and maybe it is better to learn by in any case.
I also learnt that they come from Aleppo and that Dad is/was an electrician. "Boom, Boom" was the reason they left!
They were also keen to put up curtains in the kitchen - so that nobody can look in and see the women without their head coverings! Janny is now going to put up some stick-on plastic sheeting so that we don't have the curtains near the gas cooking!

End of year lunch with the "day" clients.

We now have a week "off" during Christmas and New Year.

The NOT Christmas Party

Nearly all of Janny's family came together at our place on Saturday. Much food and drink and a lot of fun playing games. I had found some old videos dating from 1993 to 1997 when we first moved to the farm. Everyone was pleased to relive those, especially the nieces and nephews who all featured when they were young. I can remember that it was all new to me at the time and it shows in the videos. They even include the last Elfstedentocht (11 cities skating race) going past the back of our previous house in Birdaard. I need to do some editing and put them up on You Tube. 

Highlights

New apartment: it just "fits" - looks like it's been there forever.

Every time we go there for a talk or a cuppa, I get a  "comfortable, cosy" feeling. It really is fantastic for Janny's parents. It helps, of course, that they are still fairly fit and healthy. Hendrik helped here a lot when we were starting out - and he's still at it -  as much as he can, at least. Not forgetting that they started out here as a young couple as well.

Boating
Not much!

Trip to Blokzijl for Sipke's 60th

Edit.

As I write the boat is out of the water and about to be repaired and painted. The repairs in the form of a few windows being taken out and the rust being treated prior to the new paint. Antique Green and Antique White are the new colours. Totally unimaginative, as they are the colours I use around the farm!

Catching up with Frank - ex- MFB

Frank and Pam came to us first - which led to us heading off to France for a wonderful holiday.

Friesland

Saint-Georges-Motel

Catching up with Robin - ex-NTFS

After his marathon motorbike ride across Russia. I tempted him with the old fogies' snail's pace boat thing..... and we struck a nerve! We just have to see if Joy also likes the idea - we're planning that during the summer. Unlike those of us who still have to work, they can at least follow the sun a little by heading south. (They are in Portugal as I write!).

Ben in Hong Kong (and a lot of other places!).

Hong Kong 2006

Currently in Bali - house with swimming pool

Speaking of Retirement....

I get an automatic email every week with "House on Water" listings - just because the idea appeals to me so much. This one was in this week's list - In Grou - a real watersport town in Friesland.

Room enough for Motortjalk Australia......

Week 50 Telephobia

Week 50

Just looking ahead to next week, I see that Sunday is Christmas Day and so I would be late in wishing everyone a Happy Christmas......so, in that case

Happy Christmas! 

It's always a strangely difficult time for me, being so far away from family and friends, but at least we have the internet!

Walking

The weather has been warmer than the "average".

My best walk this week 8.05 kms

Telephobia and other thoughts from the BBC... and idle musings about language

Thank goodness for the BBC......

I stumbled across a story about "telephobia" the other day and I'm rather afraid that I have to add it to my thankfully short list of complaints!

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20161213-scared-of-the-phone-heres-how-to-overcome-that-fear

It is interesting (and a little bit comforting) to know that it is really a "thing". I'm not sure if I had it in English, but I definitely have it in Dutch!

It’s not about the phone itself, but it’s something about the interaction,” she says. “For some clients, the phone is another place where they might say the wrong thing.”

 Another patient, a 52-year-old financial consultant, also worried about being judged and appearing unintelligent during phone calls. Instead, she defaulted to communicating with clients over email so that she could take time to compose and double check her responses. 

I hardly ever answer the phone these days, unless I can see who is calling; friends, family, clients are OK. I have learnt over the years that I too often get into situations that I can't adequately deal with, so I avoid them altogether!

Just as an example, I sent a text message to our boat painter rather than a phone call. He speaks Frisian and has to cope with my Dutch, so it was probably a more efficient exchange in any case.... it was just to ask if the paint has been organised.

The boat painter's name is Wietze (Veetzer) and the boat mechanic's name is Watze (Votzer). Both good Frisian names!

There was also another story about how native English speakers are often misunderstood by "English as a second language speakers" because of the misuse of words or phrases.

I often find myself thinking that what I just said may not be as easy to understand as I first thought. ie it needs further explanation.

On the other side of the coin is the use of "spreekwoorden" (sayings) by Dutch speakers. They are quite often used when someone is speaking to me and I have learnt to recognise them usually because it doesn't really have the right (literal) meaning. I'll look for a few more, but one of the first I heard was "de kat uit de boom kijken" (literally "watch the cat in the tree") but really meaning "just wait and see what happens - the cat will sort itself out" - or in other words," be patient" - in fact, as I am writing, I remember that Mum used to say "bide your time" quite often.

Around the farm...

Doesn't seem to be much happening at the moment, but the days and weeks are flying by at an alarming rate!

Getting the firewood sorted...

Varnishing boat bits

Also getting ready for the boat painting.... next friday

Free Friday afternoon....

Every now and again I get the urge to have some "normal" food, which achieves much more status than it deserves, simply because I can't get it here! 

So, I made some meat pies, some rhubarb pies and a "chocolate ripple" cake - but without chocolate ripple biscuits! and an "Indian" curry. Friday afternoon in winter.....

I use cinnamon biscuits which have a similar texture. In 23 years of looking, I have yet to find "chocolate ripple biscuits" or anything like it - in chocolate, at least!

With all my thoughts of being too busy, I still found time to watch (over a few weeks) all 66 episodes of Gran Hotel - a Spanish maxi-series set in 1905. I had to read the Dutch subtitles but I stuck with it nonetheless. Janny is usually at volleyball or Local Committee meetings and it is nice and cosy with the fire going and Zoey at my feet. 

A fairly lightweight show; the Spanish would have us believe that Agatha Christie's "Poirot" was actually based on a dapper little Spanish detective!

Bicycle death

After my thinking about road deaths, and bicycle deaths in particular, we had a sad event in Bakkeveen on Thursday night. We sell Fair Trade stuff from our shop including Honey. A couple of people ride their bikes here to pick it up. 

The wife of one of the "regulars" was hit by a car as she turned into her own street - at about 2315 hours - late to be out cycling at age 83!
I also had a fright on Monday morning when I picked up Lucas - still pitch black at 10 past eight AND foggy! I negotiated an intersection after looking for any lights - and out of nowhere came a bike with NO LIGHTS.

I think the automobiles are guilty until proven innocent - but you'd like to have a fair chance!

A lot of the kids just ignore the stop signs, so you have to be on the lookout for them as well.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that there is talk of disabling some functions of mobile phones when in a car. The newest proposal is of banning texting (aka whatsapping) when on a bike. The news story showed lots of people doing it one-handed as they cycled - but of course, they couldn't do it without being distracted from the road/cycle path. When interviewed, everyone agreed that it would be a good idea. No doubt people will still do it, just like mobile phone use in a car.

Ben in Hong Kong

He has one more exam on Tuesday and then he will be heading home on Thursday - but, via Bali!

He is also having discussions about going to Milan for a modelling job.... so we might not see much of him after all...before he heads back to Amsterdam.

View from the last rooftop party.....