The Netherlands - Thursday to Tuesday (home, den Bosch, Maaike & Steve, José, home)

Thursday, 7 December 2017

And this is where I am staying now.  As I mentioned before, I have been here three years ago. It was the first exchange I did after Frank's passing.  Then it was kind of soothing, to be in the Netherlands and so close to brother Wim and his family.  Now it is just another exciting exchange. :-)

I was writing my blog at the time, but concentrated only on caching, so I did not mention much about my stay here, nor did I post pictures besides those of the caches I'd found.

Well, nothing much can be said about Thursday, other then that I spent the day relaxing and settling in my new surroundings.

Friday, 8 December 2017

Friday was much of the same, with the difference that Erna and I went to den Bosch in the afternoon.  Erna had to do some shopping, so we drove to Vught and took the train from there.  It's much like at home, where we generally don't take the car into the city because it is so difficult to find parking.

It was raining and not just a little bit, so we didn't hang around too long.  Erna got her things and when we walked into a big clothing store I bought myself some decent winter pj's, because the last few weeks it had become far too cold for my summer nightie....

Next we walk to the Parade, (a big square near the cathedral) where they have erected a Winterland.  It's a mixture of a fair, Christmas market and what not.  There is a huge Christmas tree, of course, and there is an ice skating rink.  I might just..... one day..... ;-)

(Pictures pinched from facebook as I didn't have a camera)

It wasn't until Friday night that it started to snow tentatively:

Saturday, 9 December 2017

We had some more snow:

View from my upstairs bedroom window

Saturday was a busy day as Erna and Hans had to go to a birthday party at night; Erna had to do her washing and cleaning; and Maaike and Steve were visiting in the morning.

Maaike and Steve are from New Zealand and Australia resp. and have lived in the Netherlands for a few years now.  Steve picked me up at the airport three years ago and got me settled in the house, as Erna and Hans were already in Australia at the time.

It was nice to see them again, in particular Steve as I had had more contact with him than with Maaike, and I will see a lot more of him while I am staying here.  For private reasons Steve will be staying in the house every other week or more.

In the afternoon we went out to visit Hans' son who is in external care.  We sat with him and his house mates in the living room with a few of the carers.  A nice group of people.  Later the four of us went for a walk and had coffee and delicious apple cake at the local restaurant.  An afternoon well spent.

Sunday, 10 December 2017

Sunday morning started a bit stressful for Erna and Hans, as they were leaving later in the day to stay at a hotel near the airport.  Mid morning it started to snow and it was serious snowfall, which meant that only half the trains would be going and it could get worse.

Still, we had no choice and by 12 noon we set off towards the railway station in den Bosch.  There I had to get yet again into a different car that I didn't know and drive.  In the snow!  It was pretty darn slippery on the roads, as it was too early for even the main roads to have been cleared, but luckily I didn't have far to go.  My best friend, José, had asked me to come around and she lives just behind the railway station, so I didn't have far to go.

On the way to den Bosch

We spent a lovely afternoon together and as usual it was just like I had never been away.  We've been keeping this up for 37 years now and we were friends way before we left for Australia.

And more snow pictures (personally I can't get enough of the snow. Magic!):

By the time we have had dinner and watched TV, Mama Mia was on, the snow on the main roads had all been cleared and the drive home wasn't as stressful as it would have been had I returned early in the afternoon.

Monday, 11 December 2017

On Monday I stayed home and enjoyed watching the snow from behind the windows.  Most of the time.  I did have to go out to get some groceries, but driving or riding a bike were out of the question, so it was a 10 minute walk to the shop.  Not that I did mind, it was wonderful, albeit cold when I had a head wind and the snow was blown into my face. ;-)

It snowed in all earnest, as you can see in the pictures, and it stuck to my boots, so I felt like I was wearing moon boots... It would have been the right kind of snow to make a snow man had I felt so inclined...

Walking back from the shop

At the end of the afternoon, when I was reading and relaxing on the couch I suddenly heard the front door and in came Steve.  I hadn't expected him before the end of the week, but he is staying for a whole fortnight now.

I quickly moved my stuff from the upstairs bedroom to downstairs, where I have my own bedroom and bathroom.  No en suite or walk-in wardrobe, but still, a place to myself.

I had an invitation to join him and his children for a movie, but I declined as I didn't feel like going out through the cold and the snow in the dark, so I had a quiet evening and an early night.

By the way, Erna and Hans got away alright.  They flew out early in the morning.  Just as well, because airport Eindhoven was closed.  Many schools as well, as it was too dangerous to be on the roads.  Schiphol cancelled all European flights.  We weren't the only country to be effected by the snow.  Sweden, Germany, France, Ireland and England all got hit by light to heavy snowfalls.

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

Another day, mainly indoors, because I had a few things to do.  The snow is slowly melting with the rising temperature.  It's only 1 degree C, but that's already a melting point, so the roads will clear quickly now and then I can go out.

Today I paid a quick visit to the neighbours across the street, who I had met three years ago as well.  At least Jack, but not his wife Wilma.  We had a chat and a cuppa and then I went home to finish off what I had been doing.

Steve came home and together we went to the shop to top up on the groceries and next I spent the night working on my blog which needed updating desperately.