Week 33 Posh

 

Week 33

Tidied up driveway No. 4 (it used to be for the cows, but little used now)

We had a wet patch in the front yard - discovered by Tjeerd as he was doing some gardening.

It was in line with our fire hydrant, so we guessed that it was probably the water main. Janny rang our water supplier and they came out to have a look - it took a couple of hours to make up a plan of action - they came back on Friday and dug a hole.

One of the men had an app on his phone - he was looking at a plan showing a thin black line - the water main - I asked him how old? - 1959, made from asbestos cement, about 30cm in diameter. We later looked up some information about AC pipes - still more than 30,000kms of it in use in the Netherlands.

The problem was at a joint of two of the 5 metre lengths. They had 3 other such problems just recently.

It took them about half a day to fix it and then flush the pipe using "our" fire hydrant.

(It reminded me that 30 years ago we had asked someone - local government, fire service?? - if I could have a standpipe and a couple of lengths of hose - my theory being that I could get to work faster than the volunteer fire brigades - the looks I got and the resounding "NO" could have killed. They were sure I was going to steal their water somehow - to fill the swimming pool maybe - or it might have been along the lines of bloody smartarse foreigner - who does he think he is?).

Work

Janny had arranged another long weekend for the kids - so we couldn't get to the boat until Saturday. Lotte and Nina took the kids swimming, a round of Midget Golf and then a take-away snack. We only had the day at the boat - Janny has the kids again today (Sunday)

I had an audience as I washed the spider poop off...

The batteries seemed ok and the fridge was still running - so that particular mystery can wait a bit longer - Robin describes the DC 12V stuff as "scorcery" - and he knows what he's doing! All I can do is wonder at how they joined it all up together so that everything (5 batteries in total) charges by solar, 240V or motor generator/alternator - luckily, I haven't had to worry about it too much over the years :)    (Which means I haven't had to learn, either).

Meanwhile, the tractor battery started playing up - so we swapped in one of the batteries supplied with the new boat...

and the mowing deck of the ride on lawn mower is giving me more grief - I'll have to up my game with convincing the penningmeester that I need a new one :)

A Pleasant Sunday Morning required to fix it - maybe I can teach the kids something - but this current lot aren't very interested yet.

One apartment dweller has moved in. Tough times for her, I think. The Greeks are away on holidays so it has been unusually quiet around here.

Posh

Janny thinks that the other person (for the 2nd apartment)  is a bit "posh". We are only offering basic, emergency accommodation - but maybe it is too basic for her...so we wait... (It may yet be the apartment that we move into when our building works start).

The "posh" bit reminded me of our very first experience with refugees...

We didn't have a clue what to expect or how the system worked - they were still using faxes back then - so we had a fax to say that a busload would be arriving that evening. 

They arrived - two busloads in fact! - we showed them out the back - it was even more "basic" back then. An Iranian woman rolled in with a fur coat and dripping with jewellery - she said "oh no, this is not good enough for my family" - I can still picture her face and her husband trailling in behind...Janny and I didn't know what to think or say, of course.

( I say Iranian because that is my recollection - but it may well have been somewhere else, now that I think about it - the point is that a lot of them had needed to be well enough off to even get away) 

One of the bus drivers took over and it turned out that 2 busloads had left the refugee centre and one had simply followed the other - but one was intended for Egmond aan Zee, more than 150kms further. Luckily, the woman departed on that bus and we were left to sort out the rest. It was literally a bed and basic cooking and shower facilities. But, if their background stories were true, then they were lucky to be here -  so we thought at the time.

(It would make a great story to find out what has happened to all of them - including the Iranian lady).