Oh yes, much anticipated and finally every Dutch person's wish is fulfilled - The Netherlands swamped by waves of warm to hot weather for several days AND IT IS STILL MAY! The sailors are thrilled because, being coastal, wind is ever present to some degree and it is the North Sea Regatta all week long, until Monday. Rene and I are venturing off to The Boulevarde here in Scheveningen after lunch to catch some of the atmosphere - 1500 vessels are participating.
Rene started this 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle of the Panorama Mesdag weeks ago, and he finally finished it last Monday - it's really quite challenging with so much sea and sand plus sky. He packed it all away just this Sunday morning, but it looked great whilst displayed on the dining table.
Monday was my birthday, and they made a fuss at school (nice) and one child thought I was 29 - no, I wasn't teaching a class for the visually impaired, but the child was in Year 1. We won't mention the current status of the child who thought I was 78 - but I'm reliably informed that she will recover....eventually!
Rene had arranged a surprise dinner with some friends in the city and we met up in a lovely cafe in the Grote Markt and stayed there for dinner and drinks. Three of us later adjourned to yet another cafe for more drinks until midnight - lovely! I received a joint gift from a couple of young ladies in the form of peeled and ready to cook white asparagus fresh sealed from her parents asperges farm in Brabant. Included were sauce mixes for white asperges plus a white crisp wine from Mosel ideally suited to this delectable vegetable. Tuesday night Rene prepared dinner - white asparagus with potatoes and smoked ham and a delicious white sauce for asperges and the wine - stunningly delicious! Another friend gave me an entry to Tong Tong Fair, which we used on Wednesday evening.
Wednesday saw us at Tong Tong, and it was lovely. A huge event, it is the sort of thing I'll attend every 2 or 3 years. Eating, drinking and shopping for all things Indonesian and local - very pleasant. Afterwards we adjourned (yet again) to an Irish pub nearby until after midnight again. Yes, I didn't have school the next day, but was 'on call', so I worked this week Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Thursday saw our car going in to have an engine light 'thingy' sorted, and it was done very quickly, but we gave them two hours but in fact we took over three because we walked from the Alfa dealer in Scheveningen to Clingendael Park. Here we checked out the much talked about Japanese garden, and it was worth the long walk (in glorious sunshine again) to see the beauty of this spring season.
This garden is quite small, but exquisite. It is in a small part of an extensive park and open now for six weeks and in October for just a fortnight. I'm wearing sunnies, cap and 'only' two layers - you have to be prepared here for any eventualities, so I'm always cautious.
The boy is looking fine, but in reality he has a heavy cold with a touch of aches and pains which is getting better, but not completely gone even this morning. As I type this he's reading a paper in the sun on the balcony, so he's resting and getting lots of fresh air.
The garden was the idea of the baroness who owned the land plus the whole suburb of Benoordenhout (before she sold it to the council). She made several sea voyages to Japan at the end of the 19th Century bringing objects and plants back with her. Japanese workers also completed the garden - now owned by the local government.
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| Rene has had his mind set on finding a ball light for the floor and at Tong Tong he did, and it is very pretty indeed, giving off lots of light at night and looking quite disco ball'ish during the day. |
This was the exterior of the left half of our complex early yesterday morning. The terraces were already covered by awnings against the sun, and umbrellas helped too. Last evening they were occupied with Eurovision parties and other excuses for gatherings. The upper sections of the underground car parks are visible allowing enough height for double decker car parks - each apartment has two parking spaces one above the other with an elevator for each space. We use the upper section as overflow storage, but some people have two vehicles.
This is the 'back' of our apartment right on the street - no, not a busy street. We have a wide footpath and then the road which is a dead end at the tennis club. I had the lower sections of the bedroom windows covered with a window film that allows privacy and lets in lots of light. Our main bedroom is the left section, our spare bedroom the right side. Yesterday we received news that Monday June 4 we have our curtains being installed. Can't wait! Reflected in the windows is the open park that ensures we have an open vista towards the coast (no, we can't see it, but the top floors can).
Our neighbour's car park had two vehicles before, but this new white Peugeot 508 appeared Friday with their 'old' BMW above. Our old Astra looks somewhat ordinary in this garage full of some really beautiful cars, but it made sense to just aim for some reliable basic transport until we get settled. We have gone from two cars and a motor bike in Oz to one car and two bicycles here in NL. I'll have some pictures of me and my new bike next post. I got it for my birthday last Monday and so far have only cycled up and down the paths along the beaches. Very inexperienced, with a gap of 45 years using a bike regularly. On June 30 one side of the family have their annual bike ride (25+km) which is really a cafe crawl through the Brabant countryside. I need to be more confident by then.
Yesterday afternoon, around 5, we headed off to the beach on our bikes IN SHORTS! Yes, it was so very nice and sunny that it deserved an airing of the knees. Rene, below, and I chose to sit in the shade whilst the sun hungry Dutch all broiled themselves in the sun. They do think we are totally crazy avoiding the sun, but while I like walking in the sun, even cycling, I draw the line at just 'sitting' in the sun.
The beach zone was Zuid Strand, between the harbour and Kijkduin - and it was really lovely BUT I couldn't believe the litter that had (I assume) blown away and ended up along the water's edge. You would never see that back in Australia where there are no litter bins on the beach. Here, the council supplies large bins placed there just for the pavilion season but everywhere along the water was litter - lots of it. Yes, it was windy but I plead with users to collect and store litter so that the stunning beachscape is just that - stunning.
Bureaucracy continues to annoy me ('annoy' sounds so much better than 'shits me off'!) I think I have one piece solved this week, and I have received a 'Driver Licence Receipt' from the Transport Dept in Brisbane (actually it is from Dalby). Within a fortnight I should receive my proper new photo licence in the mail. Then I have to arrange my theory test for a Dutch licence since I have to get one before 186 days is up. My driving here has been limited, but I just don't need a car often. The public transport is so brilliant, and now with a bike, I'm fine most of the time. Last Friday night after school Rene and I went to Utrecht for a birthday party and we rendezvoused at Centraal Station (I was at school nearby) and went to Utrecht by train off peak with a 40% discount, therefore Euro5.90 each way. If you want to drink, it is the best way.
My pay is still being sorted out, but I don't mind. Contracts have been signed, and the system will eventually pay me (from two different schools). All the more spending money when we go to Lannion in Brittany next month. Our Brisbane friends The Cronks have got a five bedroom/three bathroom house with pool for a month (swapped with theirs in Brisbane) so another two retired couples will also be there from Brisbane and we will spend around nine days with them. Always fun, always interesting, always relaxing in a busy way. Before that, our friend Tom (from Brisbane, via Manchester and Berlin) is visiting us to coincide with another pair of friends from Bribie Island who will be between their two cruises in Rotterdam on June 16. Mark and Jim are on the 'Rotterdam' and will berth from 8am until 5pm before setting sail yet again on their second cruise on the same ship. Tom, Rene and I will spend the day with them in Rotterdam. Tom is with us three nights from Manchester. We will attempt to arrange a reciprocal visit to Manchester for their 'Pride' festival later in the summer. It's all go here folks!
I have a week off from schools because of primary schools being on vacation. Secondaries are not. My next jobs are five days in June (arranged and booked) plus being on call other days - except the ten when we are in France. We plan on going through Paris by train, but will leave a proper visit to Paris for another time. The Thalys hi speed train is the only way to go - by far my favourite train in Europe.
Now, that's enough. Dear friends, if you were to subscribe to this blog I won't need to personally send you an email therefore may I respectfully suggest you do become a subscriber by following the prompts on this Blogger site. OK, off to lunch then the yachts off the coast. Chin chin everyone, until next time...
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