Week 16
My biggest drama this week was having to cancel the Big Boat Trip.
Slowly coming to grips with it, but the worst of it is letting down my fellow travellers. Frank says my name is "mud" and that he still wants his t-shirt...
Janny had always been keen for me to do it - there was no point in waiting for her to retire, as I would be way too old :). But, we simply couldn't work out the logistics of managing the business, when, for 3 weeks in the middle, Janny's sister would also be on holidays.
Frankly, the worry of it was getting me down and it was also taking it's toll on the normally indestructible Janny.
So, there we have it - far better to be doing what we can together now, rather than looking to the future. Maybe I'll stay fit enough in any case!
I'm reminded (once again) of a cartoon that used to hang at the back of Uncle Ray and Aunty Vera's fruit shop in Ormond... a young boy pushing his baby sibling in a pram around the edge of the local footy ground. His mates were all playing footy in the background. The caption read "Life is not always doing what one likes, but liking what one has to do". I was probably under age 10, but it has stuck with me for some reason.
Friend Andrew B. sent me this. We were always a bit on the same wavelength 30 years ago and I suspect that hasn't changed...
A quote from a Medium reader...
I wish all of those who "survive" well. Many of us are elderly and will not survive the current collapse, and we are already grateful for that blessing.
Just on our own "nitrogen crisis" - the original date was 2030. That now looks like being pushed out to 2040 - with the results of the last election now being brought into play.
I was in a waiting room the other day and read a short piece which included a quote from one of the principal advocates for change...she said "instead of talking about 2030, we should be aiming to do it by 2025, it's that important".
So, who knows what damage will be done by shifting the problem to 2040?
...and that is quite apart from any other climate or water shortage issues.
I heard a podcast the other day - about the Colorado River Basin - which has to supply water to a surprisingly large part of America. The original calculations were based on figures that the the river could never have supplied. They now want to cut back but everyone argues that their own useage is totally justified - and so someone else will have to do it...not unlike the North Sea over-fishing and indeed, the nitrogen crisis here.
The Boat
The work on the boat is progressing nicely. It will at least be in good shape for quite a few weekend trips in Friesland this year.
I also found a leaking tap -it took me 6 shops/suppliers to find the right fitting. It was an odd size but turns out to be a very good brand. The two pipes go to a disused tap - so I'm simply blocking it off.
First attempt: - but, one of the fittings had a crack in it - which was the leak! Probably due to having water left in it over the winter.
So then I went hunting for the brand (I even found a website in Australia that sells it) - a company called Hepworth - and the name of the range is HEP2O
I thought it was wrong again as the metal sleeve didn't fit! But it's purpose is to stop the hose collapsing - so I figured that it already had a sleeve in it...the white stopper just fitted on perfectly and it worked! (it only took me 2 days - plus the 5 minutes with the right fittings).
Robin and Joy are selling their boat. Understandably, going "home" to Darwin and planning to do more things there. A natural progression, I think as we get older. The boat dealer is one where Ivan and Louise and I hired a boat in 2008 - from the same boat family as Jacoba.
The chap told Robin that sales are going well, particularly as a result of the Covid years. Many more people are wanting to holiday in the Netherlands rather than travelling.
So, they are painting Johanna for the last time and are expecting a fair price.
It has also got us thinking about possibilities, but the hardest thing of all is having to accept the fact of "moving on"( aka aging?).
Around the Farm
Two of our residents are leaving us. Brian found a private rental property in Wijnjewoude and so remains close by his kids.
Therese found an out of the way house in Annerveenschekanaal, on a canal, no less! The current occupier says that there are boats always passing by - so we shall see, maybe that can be a future trip - into the Province of Drenthe. Therese has been with us for 5 years (or more). She's had her trials along the way, so it was really nice to see her so happy at reaching this personal achievement.
We've already had 3 enquiries about Brian's apartment - news travels fast in a small village - but, we are planning to move into it ourselves, so that we can begin the interior renovations of our own house. I'm rather fearful of how long it will take, but at least we can make a start with pulling everything out. This is more Janny's thing than mine but I'm hoping that it will all come together re builders, insulation, heat pumps, floor heating etc. Janny also wants a few walls knocked out, but we have to see just which are load-bearing and what is possible.
In 1999 we did our first renovation - with help from Janny's Dad and a couple of refugees They said they had been working "black" in Russia - for some shady characters - if the work wasn't 100% then they wouldn't get paid!
Then, in 2014, we did another upgrade...(it doesn't seem that long ago)
So, the next one is going to be rather major - floors out, insulation in, floor heating, heat pumps. Not too sure how the dog and cats are going to cope if we all go to live in the small apartment :)
And I've started mowing...funny how it always coincides with the start of the boating season :)
Janny had a small workshop with a group of friends - they organised the "Last Day of School" event when Ben finished Primary School and have occasional reunions just to keep in touch.
The workshop was to make their own handbag and purse.
(I think my phone's camera is on the way out - must be time for a new one)
...and the sheep are back
The Road Toll
Last year, 737 people died in road accidents in the Netherlands. That is the largest number since 2008. The large number of cyclists who died in accidents is striking. In the 27 years that the figures have been kept, not so many died, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands.
Last year, 291 cyclists died in traffic. That is 84 more than in 2021 and is the largest number since 1996. Since that year, Statistics Netherlands has kept track of the figures of bicycle crashes.
Almost half of all bicycle accidents were caused by a collision with a (delivery) car. There were also more collisions with trucks, buses and other vehicles. A quarter of all bicycle accidents did not involve a collision: those victims died after falling off their bicycle, for example. This mainly happened to people over seventy.
In any case, Statistics Netherlands notes that many cycling over-75s have died in accidents. In that age group, the number of fatal accidents increased by 59 percent compared to 2021. This also resulted in more deaths: 150 compared to 94 a year earlier.
Netherlands Road Deaths
We've closed up shop this week - just so that we can go to Amsterdam for a couple of days, to catch up with Ben when he comes home - just in time for his birthday!
He had a week's holiday - I didn't catch where it was, but it looked OK
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