tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51169398635216518742024-03-13T15:24:05.390+01:00RAYS OF LIGHTDutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.comBlogger459125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-50924778685179001122017-08-31T20:38:00.003+02:002017-08-31T20:42:23.858+02:00Road Trip 2017 (2) - Richmond to Chawton to Salisbury.<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good afternoon!</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Would you like to join me for the second part of my road trip in the South-West of England? A long time wish of my daughter came true: visiting the village where Jane Austen lived and worked for the last years of her tragically short life, Chawton.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane Austen's cottage, Chawton</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It turned out to be a wonderful visit. The Jane Austen Society had restrained itself and used taste, and refrained from turning it into a sugarcoated tourist trap.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We took our time wandering around the rooms, and read the plentiful information provided. There were lots of original furnishings to look at, and one of the things we liked the most was the small round table Jane used to write her books on.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The role of her sister Cassandra was documented very well, and we realized for the first time that it was Cassandra who made it possible for Jane to write in peace, by taking it upon herself to run the household.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the charming cottages in Chawton village.<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">It only took us ten minutes or so to walk up to the manor house, and it was</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">fun to walk in Jane's footsteps, so to speak, as we knew she used to</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">visit her brother's house very frequently.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In her cottage we learned that although Jane herself is buried in Winchester </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cathedral, her mother and Cassandra are buried in the village church, near </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the manor house that used to belong to Jane's brother Henry.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So we decided to visit their graves, and leave a tiny floral tribute for Cassandra.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The manor house<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">This house now belongs to an American literature enthusiast, who has turned it </span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">and study centre for Women's Literature.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">The atmosphere in the house was wonderful, and the garden charming.</span><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">After an extremely pleasant day, it didn't take us long at all to drive to Salisbury, </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">the capital city of the county of Wiltshire.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">I had visited this city before in the Eighties, and found to my pleasure that the old </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">centre had not changed hardly at all. We found a lovely B&B along the bank of the </span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">Just as we walked up to Salisbury Cathedral, the setting sun lit up the spire, and we </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">I have visited plenty of cathedrals, but for my daughter this was only the second, </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">and (after the Sacré Coeur in Paris) the first one in England. She was charmed. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">We liked the cloisters especially.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">Only three days into our trip, and we were having a wonderful time, despite the </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">unstable weather. This being the same old - same old weather we have in The </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">Netherlands...so we took no notice of the sudden downpours.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">I would like to leave you with a page out of the visitor's book in Salisbury cathedral. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">Amongst the prayers and thoughts about sick spouses, a child's dreams for his future</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;"> and giving thanks, there was a prayer that spoke to me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: small;">Next time, I'll tell you about our visit to Stonehenge and Lacock.</span></div>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-57105564102321059802017-08-11T21:43:00.001+02:002017-08-11T21:43:56.471+02:00Viggo's Blog: Hot Summer Nights<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hiya fans, Viggo here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Did you know that my woman left me for a fortnight? I was shocked! But then again, that young guy looking after the house wasn't stingy with the crunchy nibbles, so me and the brat were okay, I guess.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Do not trust appearances!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I was on the bed first, and the brat plunked himself right in front of me, the nerve of that young tom!</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyway, as I said, me and Bowie had the house to ourselves for a fortnight. We have a saying in my country: "when the cat is away, the mice have a party on the table". In our case: as our woman was away, us cats ruled the house. I got extra food out of our sitter by waking him up very early, so he gave us nibbles just to keep us quiet...hahahaha, sucker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I would like to share a photo with you. My woman took it in Bath I believe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GrZqvKF9GOs/WY4EMueoNRI/AAAAAAAAOU8/dpYvF3L_VlIDP0CbDeahT1nwfzGFZP3QACLcBGAs/s1600/2017-08-03%2B11.44.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GrZqvKF9GOs/WY4EMueoNRI/AAAAAAAAOU8/dpYvF3L_VlIDP0CbDeahT1nwfzGFZP3QACLcBGAs/s640/2017-08-03%2B11.44.18.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">See that? My hero is in that picture! Middle left. See him now?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's The Cheshire Cat. You know, him of "We're all mad here" fame. In my country he is all but forgotten, so I was so chuffed to see half a shop window devoted to his adventures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I tried to tell Bowie about him, but that silly youngster is too impatient to listen. All he cares about is running around outside and showing off to the other cats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And I want to show you something else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bkM4vxSZcfg/WY4Fc67y1II/AAAAAAAAOVE/z0N0KstJNPo_XjvRgEJw49ALD0HsoBEQgCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-08-06%2B13.00.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bkM4vxSZcfg/WY4Fc67y1II/AAAAAAAAOVE/z0N0KstJNPo_XjvRgEJw49ALD0HsoBEQgCLcBGAs/s640/2017-08-06%2B13.00.08.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">See that? A black cat! On top of that column. And what a handsome cat he is! It is in one of those stately homes, or manors, that my woman is so fond of visiting. She loved this one, it is called Anglesey Abbey, near Cambridge, and it was filled with wonderful stuff.She told me there were lots of animals there, in paintings and statues. The English have got class. They know our value.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Right, well, time for my nap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Oh, by the way, what about his then? I want one!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ta-rah!</span></div>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-42022487220354187622017-08-11T10:17:00.000+02:002017-08-11T10:17:51.347+02:00Road Trip 2017 - 1 (Harwich to Richmond)<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>When the possibility arose that I would be able to go on holiday after all this year (due to my caregiver responsibilities that was very uncertain for a long time), I realized I really wanted to take a trip to Wiltshire, England. So I did.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Please come along.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For 4 years in the Eighties England used to be my home, and London used to be my hometown. But when I lived and worked there, all I really did was work...there was no time to visit other parts of that wonderful and beautiful country. During the years following that period, I've compiled a list in my head of all the places I had wanted to visit, would I have had the money and time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wiltshire was one of those places.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I worked out a road trip starting in Harwich, taking in a piece of London as my darling daughter was determined to visit Hampton Court, and then working our way down to Wiltshire.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This first installment will tell you about the first two days we spent in the UK.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first night, straight off the ferry, I had decided to stay the night in a b&b in Colchester, as I didn't want to be driving in the dark, on the left, straight away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As little said about that b&b (The Grey Inn) as possible...it was old and decrepit and had a second life as a shagging-by-the-hour place - we heard everything through the walls...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, for the second night I decided to treat ourselves to a wonderful b&b in Richmond, called the Rose of York, overlooking the river.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The weather was wonderful, so the first day, after driving around the West route around London (I don't bite nails, but could've! But I did fine, really, and for the rest of the holiday the driving was a doddle) and checking in, we took a lovely walk along the Thames after descending the hill.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My daughter was amazed that the river water washed over the quay at high tide, making the walk very slippery. (In my country folk would have thrown up a dam!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We walked all the way up to Teddington, and then back again and visited Ham House.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It being a lovely balmy night, the riverside was teeming with people having a drink, or pottering about in boats, or taking a walk, like us. For a Dutch girl it was a very nice initiation into English after-work customs. She saw businessmen in their shirtsleeves, tie loose, proper coat tied to the back of their bikes, cycling home along the towpath at breakneck speed. But also how many people enjoyed each others company outside on a Tuesday evening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next morning we took a bus from Richmond Hill to Hampton Court.</span><br />
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Unfortunately the weather turned, and would not turn again...So the rest of our holiday was spent watching rainclouds gather, googling the dry spells and dodging the raindrops.</div>
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It was my fifth visit to Hampton Court, but my daughter lapped it all up and they practically had to evict her when it closed.</div>
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All in all it was a very good start to our road trip. We had a lovely vegetarian dinner in The Slug and Lettuce in Richmond, watched the now deserted towpath gleam in the rain, and were looking forward to driving West towards Jane Austen country the next day.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The sunset was amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next post: Jane Austen's village.</span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-33920306361077267242017-08-11T09:17:00.003+02:002017-08-11T09:17:53.555+02:00Long Time No See...Morning folks!<br />
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You have been wondering where I've been...yeeesssss, you can admit it ;-)<br />
Well, I have been on holiday. So there.<br />
I need to get myself sorted out first, and every day there's the taking care of my Mum...so time is rather precious.<br />
BUT.<br />
New installments of my travel adventures will be posted VERY VERY SOON.<br />
So keep your eyes peeled!<br />
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<br />DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-10752183532535838912017-07-10T17:10:00.001+02:002017-07-10T17:10:43.453+02:00Viggo's Blog: This, that and the other about this cat's life.<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hiya fans, Viggo here!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Boy has it been long or what? Life in the fast lane here!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've been extremely busy. Ever since my woman has taken to politely asking me and Bowie the Brat (he is!)whether we would like to go out at night, it's been all go, go go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bowie has all kinds of friends, and he usually simply vanishes down the street when we walk out, but I am a mature tom, so I have my routines down pat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">First I walk down to number 28 to see if their front door is open, and if it is, I know my way to the kitchen as they keep the food for their old cat down there. But that lady sometimes forgets I do that, so if I'm really lucky she leaves some titbit out on the counter. I'm partial to a nice rasher. But I don't dismiss a nice greasy frying pan either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then I walk down to the corner house, to see if their front door is open. They've got a silly golden retriever who is a very sloppy eater, and I quite like his nibbles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When all doors are closed though, I usually walk down the street to see if any of my mates are around. Mate usually hangs out underneath the bushes on the corner, and Big Black has a favorite garden seat a few houses down. I haven't seen that bully Nose for months though, and good riddance!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Will you look at those hind legs? Bowie still hasn't stopped growing...Thankfully I weigh at least three times his weight. That makes a huge difference when we mock fight for being alpha male in our house. He's quite relaxed about that...usually he submits and shows his side to me, just like in the photo in fact. And he always shows respect when we accidentally meet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Oh...and I have been in a proper night fight some weeks ago. The black female from the other corner suddenly attacked me from the alley. I swear she had no cause, must have been pre-mating season! She made such a racket that my woman left her bed to come rescue me (not that I needed rescuing, I had it all in hand!), but I couldn't prevent the nasty feline tearing my ear. What? Oh...okay, yeah, so I screamed a bit. My woman says she recognizes our voices anywhere. Anyway, that torn ear gives me a very suave look, a bit bad-boy, you know. I quite like it, myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bowie has asked me to tear his ear as well, but I refused. He can get into his own fights, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Right, time to visit my bowl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Take care, tar rah!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-16577981743051192752017-06-26T16:37:00.000+02:002017-06-26T16:46:21.874+02:00Dementia...scourge of our time.<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-4621843432167243050" itemprop="description articleBody" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Josefin Sans'; line-height: 1.4; width: 725px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good afternoon to you!</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's been a few weeks and, after some deliberation, I am going to tell you why I haven't </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">blogged my usual happy hippy rambling/gardening/music blogposts.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The thing is, and boy oh boy is it a THING, that I am the caregiver for my increasingly</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> muddled 89 year old Mum.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She is a widow; I am her only child. Thus I have been thrown into the life-altering</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> situation that I have become the mother of my mother, so to speak. And as I am </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">writing this to you, the word 'reluctant' is screaming for attention in my brain.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For it is. I am. Reluctant mother to my mother. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The little girl in me feels that this is sooooo unfair. I should not be mothering my </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mum, I want to be mothered myself (from time to time, as life is pretty hard for a </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">single menopausal lady with two kids and two cats to take care of). Never mind that </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am almost 59 myself, I can still access that little girl deep within me, who didn't want</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> to pick up the pieces for my mother when she was 36 and depressed and I was 6 </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">('unfair'!) and now realizes that if I don't pick up the pieces no-one else will.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yep. Not a very attractive character trait, I know! And to put your mind at ease, I do </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">do it, I do pick up those pieces, and do the daily shop, and talk to all those professionals</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> who suddenly have a role to play in my mother's life (and thus in mine), and dress her,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and bathe her when necessary, and give her her medication, and tend her garden, and </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">listen to her asking me the same question over and over and over.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I started realizing that something was seriously wrong with her memory, it was </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2015, and no-one wanted to believe me. Hey, this was my strong, creative, still driving </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">her car all over the place mother, right? Opinionated, strong-willed, often stubborn and </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">frankly not very flexible in her way of dealing with the world and all those tiresome people </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in it. But also talented, and in her way very loving towards me and my two kids.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I kept alerting people around me that she was changing, that she sometimes did and </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">said weird things. But people frowned at me and remarked that she seemed the same to </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">them. So what that she suddenly kept the cloth napkins in the fridge...that wasn't </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">life-threatening, surely?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Until November 2016. I took her to the cardiologist for a new pacemaker, after a year of </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mum canceling appointment after appointment with said lady, because she 'didn't see </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the point'. The new pacemaker was put in and my Mum consequently lost her mind.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In December</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I was phoned by various neighbors, acquaintances and the valued cleaning </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">lady that my mother was acting strange. That she had lost her way on the way to the shops </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(5 minutes by car). That she didn't dare to drive any more. That she let the mail pile up</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> without opening it. That she didn't tend her beloved garden. That she had told my ex </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">husband that she never saw me or the grandchildren (whilst coming to dinner every Sunday).</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I decided enough was enough and took her to the GP. Who at first mumbled something </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">about her being 89, what did I expect. But then admitted that she hadn't reported for her </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">diabetes checkups for some time (1,5 years, it turned out!!!). I instantly lost all faith in him. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But in my country it is a hassle to get another GP, so I gritted my teeth and decided to </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">work with what I had got - so asked him for a referral to a Geriatric specialist and got it </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in February.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It took until April for her to have time to see my Mum.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the meantime I shopped around for help. And felt like Gretl lost in the woods of all </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the rules and regulations regarding a person with suspected dementia. I need a referral </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">for absolutely everything my Mum needs. Incontinence diapers? Ask a referral from the</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> GP. Zinkoxide for the decubitus wound on her bottom? Ask a referral from the GP. A </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">place at the day centre for people with memory problems? Ask...etcetera. A taxi to get </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">her to the day centre? Ask...etcetera. A personal alarm button she can use when she has</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> taken a fall? GP.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It now has gotten to the point where I am juggling my demanding school work</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> around the appointments for my Mum. I drive to her house every day, to check up </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">on the professionals </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">who check up on her. For she still has her wiles, my darling mother. She blatantly lies </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(except she doesn't do it on purpose, I suppose) about all kinds of things. A shower? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, she has taken a shower (not), she has taken her medicines (not), she has already </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">eaten (not).</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She cancels appointments I make for her with her welfare in mind. She refuses to use </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">her rollator.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And at the same time she endlessly tells me she couldn't do without me, she wouldn't </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">know what she would do if I would not take care of her.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Next week we go on yet another trip to the hospital. For the poor thing has breast cancer </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">as well...</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hopefully the Geriatric specialist will tell us that we get Mum a referral to a psycho-geriatric </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">home. My Mum would be safe there, at least. For it is my everlasting worry that she will </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">keel over and break her hip or hit her head.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Until then, and this can take months yet, it is up to me to help Mum find her way through </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Land of Dementia. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The pebbles that helped Hans and Gretl out of the woods, are the pebbles of humor that I </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">doggedly keep throwing on the path behind me. For my Mum can be funny as anything - </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">she has developed a taste for beer (she, who has always deemed beer drinkers 'common')</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and thinks nothing of pouring half of it in her discarded glass of sherry in a restaurant, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">taking a huge swallow and then gives the shocked waiter a beaming smile and gushes that </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">she simply loves this food and does he come there often?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Right. I will now have a beer. Tomorrow is yet another day.</span></div>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-22276141715271137352017-06-06T11:33:00.001+02:002017-06-06T11:33:33.762+02:00The Urban Hike: Heenvliet Castle<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Good morning to you!</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Last weekend I fulfilled an old wish to visit </span><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Heenvliet Castle (Kasteel Ravesteyn).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We have two castle ruins on my tiny islands of </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Voorne-Putten</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, one (Burcht van Voorne) on Voorne and one (Ravesteyn)on Putten.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Both had been slowly and silently falling apart, providing stones and bricks for neighboring farmsteads, until folk realized in the last century that having a castle on your doorstep was rather special, and created societies to save and upkeep them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Ravesteyn is private property, but a couple of times a year they open up their 5 acre garden to the public.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And a very nice garden it is. There is a respectable collection of statues and art in the grounds. Most of the modern variety that either makes me smirk or sigh with incomprehension, but some of them I liked very much indeed.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Would have loved to take this baby home with me! Way above my budget though...Six monthly wages worth of it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We took a leisurely ramble around those 5 acres, and as it was gorgeous summer weather it was a pleasure to be able to walk in the shade of large trees some of the way.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I don't know if you are familiar with our native trees (probably not, and I don't blame you), but we have a lot of willows (both ordinary and weeping) due to the sogginess of our ground, and horse chestnut, beech and oak, but a lot of birch and poplars as well.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">From time to time we caught a tiny glimpse of Ravesteyn, where most visitors stayed in the vicinity of the refreshment tent, so our ramble was quiet and we could enjoy the beautifully kept grass pathways on our own.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">You probably are not familiar with the geographical history of my part of The Netherlands either, so I'll give you a quick lesson (ever the teacher, sorry, professional deformation I'm afraid).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We are a land ruled by the sea.Actually most of my country, and especially the part I live in, is one large delta. In the olden days, the sea would shape the many islands in my part of the country, and travel was mostly by boat. Either in between the islands, or on the islands, as narrow boats were used as transport on the many creeks and rivers.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This made this part of the country rather difficult to rule. Large armies had no business here, they got lost in the marshes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In the middle of this old map you see the islands of Noord Voorn (or modern day Voorne) and Putten, with Heenvliet in the middle. (Below is Zuidt Voorn, nowadays called Flakkee, and glued to small Goeree on the left!) Not so important, all those names, but it does give you an inkling what the problems were in governing this bit of country.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Castle Ravesteyn was home to a clergyman called Angelus Merula.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Remonstrants</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> are Dutch </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestants" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="Protestants">Protestants</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> who, after the death of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobus_Arminius" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="Jacobus Arminius">Jacobus Arminius</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, maintained the views associated with his name. In 1610, they presented to the </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Holland_and_Friesland" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="States of Holland and Friesland">States of Holland and Friesland</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> a remonstrance in five articles formulating their points of disagreement with </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="Calvinism">Calvinism</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1" style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.199999809265137px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remonstrants#cite_note-1" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[1]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">According to 2010 statistics, a 6,000-strong Remonstrant community remains in the Netherlands. There is also a single congregation in </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrichstadt" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="Friedrichstadt">Friedrichstadt</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> in northern Germany.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.199999809265137px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remonstrants#cite_note-2" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[2]</a> </sup></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><sup class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; white-space: nowrap;">Source: Wikipedia.</sup></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Merula was a remonstrant, and thus persecuted by the ruling Calvin order. Ravesteyn was confiscated and Merula ordered to be put to death by fire. It didn't work though...he died of a heart attack just before they put him onto the pyre. The ruling Calvinist burnt his corpse anyway.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Voorne remembers him though, and in nearby Den Briel a school and orphanage, and many island streets are named after him.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kasteel Ravesteyn is lovingly kept up, but when it comes down to it, not much more than four roofless walls, where you need your imagination to see a castle. I did find the resident hare though.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We ended our ramble in the refreshment tent, and very lovely fresh cakes were served there!</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">All in all it was a very pleasant afternoon.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><u>The nitty-gritty:</u></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">You'll find <b>Heenvliet</b> on the N218 which starts in Rotterdam. Heenvliet itself is a small village with a charming village centre in typical Dutch style, with the 16th century centre surrounded by a moat. It has some fame as a horse market village.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It will take you an hour at most to visit it, and be sure to check opening times for the castle!</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Remember this is cattle country, so cattle flies are around in summer (take precautions if you are allergic).</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It would be a very good idea to combine visiting Heenvliet with visiting nearby Den Briel (also on the same provincial road). And please look up my urban hike through Den Briel.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Well, I hope you've enjoyed this post. Until next time!</span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-10068487830599209372017-05-29T09:32:00.000+02:002017-05-29T09:32:16.044+02:00All Gardeners Unite!<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Good morning to you!</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This glorious sunny morning (the fifth in a row, we Dutchies don't know what has hit us!) I would like to share my passion for flowering plants with you all.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I was a teenager, I watched my Mum on her knees in her (very large) garden, and I can remember thinking I couldn't see the attraction. At all! Of all the boring things to do!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But when I moved into my first very own house when I was 28, the gardening bug attacked. I looked at the tiny neglected plot in front, and thought I should "do" something with that. So I dug it over, and nicked some wild rosebushes from our local dunes (money was tight. Come to think of it, things haven't changed in that department), and accepted some seedlings from my old downstairs neighbour, and was chuffed to bits when the children of my street voted my flower bed the best.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then, at 34, I moved into my very first actual house -with-a-garden, and went wild. Amongst the unpacked crates and boxes were dozens of seed trays, the entire house smelled like a greenhouse and family and friends coming round to view the new house were bewildered and asked if all that earth around wasn't bad for my (9 month old) son.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I adored my garden.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But alas. After 27 years the marriage failed and I had to leave my garden behind.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And here I am, in a temporary garden, which I inherited from my landlord and is user-friendly (as he complacently informed me when I signed the lease) - meaning filled with evergreen shrubs, two ailing Japanese acers and just day lilies and alchemilla by way of flowers.</span><div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have no funds to spend on my garden to speak of; so what to do with this rather green-on-green greenness?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My solution was pots. For, as I convinced myself, the money spent on flowers in pots is well spent, as I can simply take the pots along when I have to move out again.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So in between all that green (you can just see the lilies and leatherleaf in the photo below left), I have now dotted my flowers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have added ferns (I love ferns, they remind me of England) and splashed out on Campanula and Hydrangeas (that last was a bad choice, although looking good. But it needs constant watering; my soil turns out to be parched in that spot).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A friend surprised me with a box of Spanish daisies, which are everywhere.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And yesterday I bought some French pelargoniums to replace the pansies, who are on their last legs by now.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before work, I take my first cup of herbal tea outside and water my plants, and the world is at peace for a few blissful moments.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I think that is the essence of gardening for me.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the flower boxes</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">However sad I am, with stuff going on, with the violence in the world, I always recover when I am amongst my plants. They comfort, and bring joy. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuchsia and the violets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, we do have rain, and lots of it usually.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So there you are. Everyone should start to tend a garden, and the world would be at peace. Easy-peasy solution to heal the world :-)</span><div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have a good day (in your garden!)</span></div>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-33600525601180351732017-05-08T13:40:00.000+02:002017-05-08T13:40:12.433+02:00The Urban Hike: Den Briel<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good afternoon to you all.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am writing to you looking out on a grey overhung sky, so I am certainly hoping that you are enjoying better Spring weather!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of the Den Briel ramparts</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The poppy was last Saturday, when it was sunny and lovely.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anyway, I totally ignored the fact that it was grey and chilly and windy and threatening to rain yesterday, when I took another urban ramble. This time I walked around my old haunt, Den Briel (or Brielle as it is also known), to view a WWII event.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Americans" </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Den Briel is a famous town, and its fame is based on a long-ago battle. Well, battle...Opinions differ quite a bit, there are two versions, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle I suspect!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The official town council version:</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>On April 1st, 1572, the Spanish enemy who had the Dutch Provinces in its Roman-Catholic claws were defeated in the battle of Den Briel. They were beaten and chased out of the town by the Watergeuzen (noble and courageous seafaring Dutchmen who came by ship), effectively starting the end of the 80 year (!) war against Spain. Encouraged by the example of noble Den Briel, other towns followed and threw out the Spanish enemy.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The historical version now adopted through new evidence:</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>On April 1st, 1572, the Spanish enemy who had the Dutch Provinces in its Roman-Catholic claws saw the changing of the wind, knew they were in for a beating, and fled Den Briel, leaving the town gate wide open for the Watergeuzen (assorted rabble who came by ship)to march into the town, killing and/or maiming those unfortunate Spaniards who were not swift enough.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My version:</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>On April 1st, 1572, Spain had a tough time hanging on to this soggy, wind-flogged piece of land, filled with a troublesome stubborn race of merchants, fishermen and farmers who wanted nothing to do with Roman-Catholics any longer and especially not Spanish ones. It came to blows when the Watergeuzen, tired of being on their ships and in search of food, water and women, decided to berth in Den Briel. The Spaniards lost.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And there you are; you can pick the version which appeals to you most.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last weekend Den Briel celebrated another war remembrance day, namely the liberation by the American troops in 1945.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Even though I am all for remembering those days (if only to learn lessons from historical events - somehow most governments omit to do this), I suspect this is yet another ploy by Den Briel town council to draw as many tourists as possible. And who can blame them?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Quite a few wanna-be American soldiers, complete with tents, material, heavy rolling material and even anti-aircraft guns, pitched their camp on the town ramparts. I must say it always makes me smile, those earnest fanatical historical re-enacting folk. I mean sincerely smile, not condescendingly!</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Piet Heine made a short documentary about the mock battle for Den Briel in 1945; this is the link: <a href="https://youtu.be/HSJ1NgwDqYg">Mock Battle WWII 2016</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Gate and Bastion</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Afbeeldingsresultaat voor Den Briel" class="rg_ic rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5x-0HWBgl2d_wiDiNZJhgkl3xdbYd1O9JycPhgcwXLBQMhsgL" data-sz="f" jsaction="load:str.tbn" name="dl1aedMUGorkuM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5x-0HWBgl2d_wiDiNZJhgkl3xdbYd1O9JycPhgcwXLBQMhsgL" style="height: 187px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; width: 167px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the historical town within the ramparts; the route shown is not ours</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The ramble:</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We started at the South Gate (now less than a ruin), but the actual place where the Watergeuzen entered Den Briel in 1572, and walked along the ramparts, to the "German" camp. Due to the fact it was extremely chilly and there weren't many tourists about (we were their only visitors), they were breaking up camp. </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So we rambled on, stared at by sleepy sheep. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View on Den Briel from the ramparts, with the Catharijne church<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The American camp was next to the North Gate. It was pretty quiet too, but that quickly changed when a long snake of US army trucks and jeeps slowly rumbled in. They had just done a tour of the town. </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I must say this was an impressive sight! Too far away to photograph for me with my iPhone, sorry.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the Turfkade, one of the two harbours of Den Briel, there was a war memorabilia market, and that is where we met the re-enactment parade of the troops entering the town. The documentary shows you the aptly named Slagveld side of the harbour (Slagveld means slaughter field).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Personally I thought the Wisteria on the gable of one of the buildings prettier though.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But then I am a self-professed flower geek...</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We ended our ramble in one of the oldest bars of Brielle, the Kont van 't Paard (The Horse's Arse), where a band of shockingly young guys played music from the 1940's.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<img alt="Afbeeldingsresultaat voor Kont van 't Paerd, Brielle" class="rg_ic rg_i" data-sz="f" jsaction="load:str.tbn" name="HRgbk1BAKyR87M:" 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" 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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All in all we walked for 1 hour.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you would like to visit Den Briel, it is 35 km South of Rotterdam, but due to the always heavy traffic in this part of Holland it will take you an hour to get to it from Rotterdam. Getting there by pubic transport will take even longer.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The town is charming, has some nice restaurants and shops, and the town historical museum is worth a visit.</span><br />
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-67055351837179822972017-04-29T14:37:00.000+02:002017-04-29T14:37:01.985+02:00The Urban Hike: Where Were We??<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>Good morning you all, everywhere (but mostly in The USA - nice to see you checking in!),</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>A friend suggested that it would be fun to let you guess at our destination of the latest ramble. So...sure!</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>Where were we?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It didn't take us overly long to get to this destination. Especially for you lot over there in the good old US of A, or Canada, you are used to driving long distances, so for you this would be like a visit to your local supermarket.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For us Dutchies though, this drive is...well, a proper drive, for which we have to steel ourselves and make sure we have enough provisions etcetera in the car. But one full tank <i>would</i> get us there and back from Rotterdam. (First clue)</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7bvxeOulwg/WQR-grudLYI/AAAAAAAAOK8/waQmUOBeAoIhWaHglxK_5-6Z8qbDOmaLgCLcB/s1600/2017-04-27%2B12.22.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7bvxeOulwg/WQR-grudLYI/AAAAAAAAOK8/waQmUOBeAoIhWaHglxK_5-6Z8qbDOmaLgCLcB/s320/2017-04-27%2B12.22.06.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">This was our aim. </i>It is a museum, and a very modern one at that. On the roof, the tenth floor, there is a Panorama, which gives you a wonderful view over this harbour city. (And there is your second clue!)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This museum has amassed the collections of several old museums in this city. So we saw the most eclectic collection possible, with old paintings, historical earthenware and chamberpots, religion, chocolate tins (third clue),photographs, and a load of boats.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-82belTWOH4g/WQR_00JUNlI/AAAAAAAAOLE/WqM7uN4g1TkTbMWZUXz6_S4zQlHEe_6MwCLcB/s1600/2017-04-27%2B12.49.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-82belTWOH4g/WQR_00JUNlI/AAAAAAAAOLE/WqM7uN4g1TkTbMWZUXz6_S4zQlHEe_6MwCLcB/s640/2017-04-27%2B12.49.57.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This, (your fourth clue) is a beautiful painting of the quay, with the city in the background. I loved it, the artist has captured the expressions of all those people so well. For instance the woman on the right, in the severe black dress, she gazes into your face with great suspicion! I know that look, it is the exact same look my old neighbour gives me when I'm rolling out of my car with my musician friends!</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And the young waiter (in the long white apron), he has the look of a hard working youngster who is used to being ignored unless the toffs need to order another beer. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The guitar player is in the zone, and has captured the pretty lady's interest.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d_ZV-pBNyMk/WQSCiHDhJYI/AAAAAAAAOLQ/6jj0soutvigXH2WeibfGVhTq72R8U31hQCLcB/s1600/2017-04-27%2B14.49.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d_ZV-pBNyMk/WQSCiHDhJYI/AAAAAAAAOLQ/6jj0soutvigXH2WeibfGVhTq72R8U31hQCLcB/s640/2017-04-27%2B14.49.50.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This was another exhibit which captured my heart. It is part of a pre-Colombian collection.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We went to the roof, obviously, but it was so cold and grey, and the photo has not turned out very well. (Still. It is your fifth clue)</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ktiWcCpPCE/WQSDNPrXwII/AAAAAAAAOLY/2eJBauy8a74JWro20HG8T5USg3_MgHrrwCLcB/s1600/2017-04-27%2B14.59.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ktiWcCpPCE/WQSDNPrXwII/AAAAAAAAOLY/2eJBauy8a74JWro20HG8T5USg3_MgHrrwCLcB/s640/2017-04-27%2B14.59.33.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now, I am giving you a massive, massive hint here: you are looking at the river Schelde.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Well? Have you guessed already? No? Let's continue.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This city used to be part of my country. In fact, it was more important and powerful than Amsterdam at one point. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They still speak a form of the same language as we; let's say we understand each other's language, but we are very different temperamentally.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The city centre streets are crooked, and so are the shops and buildings. To me, that is quaint. The weather was dismal, so hardly any folk on the pavements to enjoy their beers (sixth clue).</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And there were many ancient buildings around, dating from the seventeenth century.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Like the one on the right, with the step gable. 1614, It said.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I like café staff with a sense of humour!(The beer brand is your seventh clue; oh, come on, you must know by now?!)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And here we are. The end of our ramble. This is on a market square. And no, I did not take a photograph of the world famous city hall with its many flags and gilt statues, as I thought it too garish. I prefer the other side, with the typical gables. Your last clue is staring you in the face, by the way.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hope you enjoyed this different take on my usual ramble. Leave a comment if you want to check with me whether you've guessed my destination.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-36866211372139362672017-04-28T11:56:00.002+02:002017-04-28T12:25:50.063+02:00The Urban Hike: Nijmegen.<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-5537191865316558870" itemprop="description articleBody" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Josefin Sans'; line-height: 1.4; width: 725px;">
<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Suffering freezing winds and sudden downpours, my darling daughter</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> and myself treated ourselves to an urban hike through </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nijmegen.</span></b><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MYC5ooVtL-0/WQL773TRIrI/AAAAAAAAOJk/0qnZ-DaACU4p03B3ImaTXyIjoUduX_WRgCLcB/s1600/nijmegen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MYC5ooVtL-0/WQL773TRIrI/AAAAAAAAOJk/0qnZ-DaACU4p03B3ImaTXyIjoUduX_WRgCLcB/s1600/nijmegen.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Town Centre</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nijmegen is practically the oldest town in my country; </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">only </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Batavorum</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(now non-existent) has been documented as older. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The Romans </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">thought the high hill next to the river Waal a very </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">good vantage </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">point </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">and place to build their army camp. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Thus </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Noviomagum</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> was founded.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">On the whole the Romans and the Bataven tribes who inhabited the </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">river delta and the hills got along. There were skirmishes, though.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nowadays Nijmegen is a student town, and an eclectic mix of old</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">buildings dating from the 17th century and hideous new buildings</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">from just after WWII. If you want to know about this period, have</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">a look at the epic </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"A Bridge Too Far"</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">. The German army proved rather persistent in wanting to keep Nijmegen occupied, and hence </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">the entire town centre was destroyed, only sparing one of the many </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">gothic churches.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cbqP3VTNpEM/WQL8DpD-WWI/AAAAAAAAOJo/dNkRjhWAqHYJm8ouZbIWuwgaJyWidh7GgCLcB/s1600/Nijmegen%2BWWII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cbqP3VTNpEM/WQL8DpD-WWI/AAAAAAAAOJo/dNkRjhWAqHYJm8ouZbIWuwgaJyWidh7GgCLcB/s1600/Nijmegen%2BWWII.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">During WWII</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="clear: right; color: #38761d; float: right; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Darling daughter and me started our urban hike on the bank of the</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">river Waal</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">, where we dropped off our luggage on the wonderful </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">river </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">barge </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #741b47;">b&b Opoe Sientje</span></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">, which lies moored practically </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">underneath the Waal Bridge.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X10n0bXRjlw/WQMKBUl1T2I/AAAAAAAAOKE/xtFFwuH0RmI_MKpB5N_AGDws2-AEetMbwCLcB/s1600/2017-04-24%2B13.12.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X10n0bXRjlw/WQMKBUl1T2I/AAAAAAAAOKE/xtFFwuH0RmI_MKpB5N_AGDws2-AEetMbwCLcB/s640/2017-04-24%2B13.12.02.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Opoe Sientje B&B</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">From there we immediately rambled up the steepest Nijmegen </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">hill,</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">leading us along the </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Valkhof Park</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"> (the largest green blob on the map above)towards the town centre.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">It being Monday, the market stalls rather spoiled the view, but at </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">the same time the hustle and bustle was fun to watch.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">The </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Grote Markt</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"> proved to be easy to find, as the enormous </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">St.</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Stevens</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">church can be seen from every point in the town. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vd0hZ6yGDIA/WQL9rRdgocI/AAAAAAAAOJ0/rbmIZ6t22ccMIF_FleOZUq-ZvX4FCdjAwCLcB/s1600/st%2Bstevens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vd0hZ6yGDIA/WQL9rRdgocI/AAAAAAAAOJ0/rbmIZ6t22ccMIF_FleOZUq-ZvX4FCdjAwCLcB/s1600/st%2Bstevens.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Grote Markt with St. Stevens and the Waagh</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">I like old churches, not from any religious point of view, </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">but simply because it awes me that people have built these giants </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">without any </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">kind of mechanical device, and they managed to construct </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">them without bits dropping off. So we walked around it, spotting a wonderful tearoom </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">in the narrow alley behind it, </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Philips</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6skaztqt64g/WQMKRo_ScnI/AAAAAAAAOKI/1Qp3tMRrLrMoKuO2A7VAmPtMdrJ_eLwfwCLcB/s1600/2017-04-24%2B13.48.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6skaztqt64g/WQMKRo_ScnI/AAAAAAAAOKI/1Qp3tMRrLrMoKuO2A7VAmPtMdrJ_eLwfwCLcB/s400/2017-04-24%2B13.48.05.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Once of the entrances to St. Stevens</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">After taking a quick peek inside, we followed the street with the </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">most people in it, which went sharply downhill and reminded me of </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Wells </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">(UK), with well water running swiftly down the middle. This </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">street had wonderful little shops and restaurants on both sides, </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">so </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">we took forever walking down.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5sHDpz3Nzac/WQMK7TXMciI/AAAAAAAAOKU/jWBvI_IuIoE7iDfDENT5IqJbTVCTG_wagCLcB/s1600/2017-04-24%2B14.05.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5sHDpz3Nzac/WQMK7TXMciI/AAAAAAAAOKU/jWBvI_IuIoE7iDfDENT5IqJbTVCTG_wagCLcB/s320/2017-04-24%2B14.05.15.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">One of the very nice shops</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">We ended up in </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Kronenburger Park</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">, the other green lung of the</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">town, </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">and famous to Dutchmen of a certain age for having been </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">both the </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">place to meet the ladies of the night and the song by </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Nijmegen </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">troubadour </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Frank Boeijen</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">that memorises said ladies. To </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">translate: </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">"Leave that world, leave that world,... and don't ask me for </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">the </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">right road, because everyone is lost". These last two </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">sentences: </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">"en vraag me niet naar de weg, want iedereen is de weg kwijt" </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">have </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">become iconic in Dutch culture. I'll provide you with a link; </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">even </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">if you cannot understand his Dutch (with a thick Nijmegen </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">accent), </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">you can enjoy the very good music and Frank's wonderful </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">voice.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://youtu.be/pgmv1mnaRaA" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">Kronenburg Park - Frank Boeijen</a></span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IVvGfJYLQLU/WQMKie3gNAI/AAAAAAAAOKM/jtOeefQfeuQdeRpp9t0WDSVGORRp_R7nACLcB/s1600/2017-04-24%2B15.20.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IVvGfJYLQLU/WQMKie3gNAI/AAAAAAAAOKM/jtOeefQfeuQdeRpp9t0WDSVGORRp_R7nACLcB/s400/2017-04-24%2B15.20.06.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Kronenburger Tower</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">From Kronenburger Park we walked uphill again, back to the Grote </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Markt, where we had dinner in </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">the Waagh</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">. This word stems from the </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">verb "wegen", which means to weigh, and here the goods were weighed </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">before they were sold in the markets of Nijmegen. The historical </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Waagh has been city hall and then the local police headquarters for </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">a while, but now it is a restaurant, and a very nice one!</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiUfSveaPRc/WQMKwvPvSsI/AAAAAAAAOKQ/ulUZO5QdarkHv9nXY28ap063YvLOovj5ACLcB/s1600/2017-04-24%2B18.33.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiUfSveaPRc/WQMKwvPvSsI/AAAAAAAAOKQ/ulUZO5QdarkHv9nXY28ap063YvLOovj5ACLcB/s320/2017-04-24%2B18.33.11.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Wonderful beer!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">After a very good dinner we slogged back to Opoe Sientje, where we </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">had a few biological home brews and enjoyed the open wood fire and </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">our book before retiring.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">The next morning it was still very chilly (5 degrees C, in late </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">April!), but we braved the rain showers and took a look at the </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Valkhof ruin</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">, the </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Valkhof chapel</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"> and the </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Belvedere</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">, before heading </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">down the other side of the hill to the </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Valkhof Museum</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7uWNbRstuJA/WQMLH1wddrI/AAAAAAAAOKY/WBlb5O3FVM8vt_nLzuiqHM_4cX4-DyQBQCLcB/s1600/2017-04-25%2B10.02.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7uWNbRstuJA/WQMLH1wddrI/AAAAAAAAOKY/WBlb5O3FVM8vt_nLzuiqHM_4cX4-DyQBQCLcB/s400/2017-04-25%2B10.02.24.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Valkhof kapel (chapel)</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7SeW43PCYbM/WQMLQ1IvNMI/AAAAAAAAOKc/C_wa096RPEcrWBRxe6UxdiHJoESzJrXfgCLcB/s1600/2017-04-25%2B10.03.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7SeW43PCYbM/WQMLQ1IvNMI/AAAAAAAAOKc/C_wa096RPEcrWBRxe6UxdiHJoESzJrXfgCLcB/s640/2017-04-25%2B10.03.31.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Me in front of what's left of the original Valkhof. Note the winter coat!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">This tells of the history of Nijmegen, and has many Roman artifacts, </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">all found in the cesspits and fields around the town.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">It made me reflect that the jewelry of Roman times and of my own </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">time hasn't changed one bit. So have we changed ourselves? </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Probably not. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">So much for civilization!</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">We wanted to visit that tearoom we saw the day before, so </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">schlepped </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">our way uphill once more (sorry about all this talk </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">about hills, </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">but you have to understand that we are from the </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">wetlands, river </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">delta near the sea, flat as flat can be, and </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">we are not used to </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">hills!). Afterwards we walked around the </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">town centre once again </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">(even though we had walked the same </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">route the day before), because </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">we liked it so much.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">The Belvedere</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hv6V5oIOqt4/WQMLujuYn8I/AAAAAAAAOKo/NDHW6D8Wti8LRjkKaw74p-jJti0XEyA7wCLcB/s1600/2017-04-25%2B10.10.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hv6V5oIOqt4/WQMLujuYn8I/AAAAAAAAOKo/NDHW6D8Wti8LRjkKaw74p-jJti0XEyA7wCLcB/s640/2017-04-25%2B10.10.09.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">view over river Waal from the Belvedere</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"><b>The nitty gritty:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Nijmegen demands parking fees everywhere! The best thing to do,</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">if </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">you are by car, is to park in the </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Eiermarkt parking garage</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">, </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">as they </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">offer a €11,00 day tariff (unfortunately I only found </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">this out the </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">second day; the first day I paid over €30,00 to </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">park on the Waalkade).</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Opoe Sientje B&B</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"> is situated on the Lindenberghaven 1C, 6511XT </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Nijmegen, €75,00 a night for 2 persons.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Philips</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;"> is behind the St. Stevenskerk, in the alley called </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 16px;">Achter De Hoofdwaght.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3CfV1vyWneQ/WQML6qSEN_I/AAAAAAAAOKs/GMN4p7_ldQUrYMJyD1PFh27zCqg8wZTwQCLcB/s1600/2017-04-25%2B12.33.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3CfV1vyWneQ/WQML6qSEN_I/AAAAAAAAOKs/GMN4p7_ldQUrYMJyD1PFh27zCqg8wZTwQCLcB/s320/2017-04-25%2B12.33.19.jpg" style="border: none; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Inside Philips tearoom</td></tr>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-23418628929139286542017-04-15T12:45:00.000+02:002017-04-15T12:45:14.043+02:00Viggo's Blog - What Does An Easter Bunny Have That I Don't?<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hey there, fans, Viggo here.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How have you all been? Yeah, yeah, I know, it has been a while. Too long, probably, I know you miss me when I don't post.</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lnCdTpY2Us4/WPHxVk_zZYI/AAAAAAAAOIo/0otz3LKsHSMUl5aNNZ_O8CggxuJGFKjPQCLcB/s1600/2016-04-04%2B16.44.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lnCdTpY2Us4/WPHxVk_zZYI/AAAAAAAAOIo/0otz3LKsHSMUl5aNNZ_O8CggxuJGFKjPQCLcB/s640/2016-04-04%2B16.44.44.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've been busy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It takes up all my energy to keep up with young Bowie, the Brat. He hasn't stopped growing, and it pains me to admit he is now taller than I am... I still have twice his weight and girth though, and I am eating daily to keep it that way.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5e30MQozNk4/WPHyA4B_lkI/AAAAAAAAOIw/ShrnT5jCoaM4YBSGVTxaH2zy0PLRKHeDwCLcB/s1600/2017-03-27%2B10.05.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5e30MQozNk4/WPHyA4B_lkI/AAAAAAAAOIw/ShrnT5jCoaM4YBSGVTxaH2zy0PLRKHeDwCLcB/s400/2017-03-27%2B10.05.03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The trouble is, my woman says, that The Brat eats daily as well. Pfhaw! I eat far more often! Stop interrupting me, woman!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So, today is the day when all people in my hood are rushing around to get the Easter Breakfast Shopping in. I have never seen such nonsense. What is the attraction of those chocolate bunnies, I wonder? And what is the point of all those eggs? I just don't get it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mate told me that it is simply a human thing, like they dress in orange and swill beer when there's a football match on. But Mate lives in a household with three males, and my house is a football-free zone with two females in it and an honorary male who only swills beer whilst playing guitar. That doesn't count. Besides, I like beer. He tends to leave his cans and bottles on the floor, so I can have a good sniff and a lick around the rim. His coats always smell interesting too. But I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Brat has celebrated his birthday last week: 1 year old already. I remember him coming to the house for the first time...such a sweet little thing he seemed. Little did I know...Oh, he runs up to me to lick my chops, and grooms me, and he purrs into my ears, but I know what he is up to!He wants to be alpha cat!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There can only be One Top Cat in this house, and that is ME!</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Oh, by the way, did I tell you about the White Goddess? I didn't, did I?</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She apparently was on her 9th life already, and she lost it. One day last month me and Mate I were chilling on the pavement late at night, it was a very nice balmy night in fact, and there was a huge earsplitting screeching sound mixed with a sort of thump. And then this dead-sounding quietness all around. So we went to investigate, and we saw nothing at first, but then Nose turned up from the other side street, and he pointed out a very flat thing in the street. You cannot call that a cat anymore, that's rude, so I won't.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyway, she always ignored me, the snooty feline, so I cannot pretend I'm sad.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Still.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She was mighty sexy. When not flattened.</span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Yeah.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-85614306008770799442017-04-02T20:18:00.000+02:002017-04-02T20:18:54.030+02:00Garden Delights For Tender Hearts<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hasn't it been a <b>glorious</b> day today?</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well, it has been here!</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've told you before that I live in the wetlands of The Netherlands - the delta of all deltas, where the atmosphere is naturally moist, the humours are damp and the skies are often grey and low.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My violas and English grass - such easy going plants.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So it is not very baffling that we crave sunshine, colour and warmth, especially after the long wet grey winter months.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And then...when the sun does come out, we do too. We rush to our garden centers to stock up on compost, pots and plants. The Dutch summers are short, so there's no time to waste!</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love it. The only snag is that it is an expensive hobby when you buy everything from the center. So this year I decided to sow my own seeds, and hopefully first save myself some money on the plants, and second save myself money again because I've grown a lot of my own salad greens and veg.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radicchio and sunflowers</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So my window sill has been chock full of all kinds of containers holding seedlings. Viggo has been quite annoyed to be unceremoniously shoved to the corner. He has taken his sweet revenge though, by nibbling on the seedlings. Mwah. I have plenty.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They are growing very rapidly, so today I potted them on.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Having my own two cats and most of the neighborhoods kitties around as well, and plenty of song birds, I have had to cover it up with netting.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's two kinds of lettuce in the 5 black containers, sugarsnaps and swiss chard in the wooden box and right in the back is more lettuce. The rather bedraggled plant in the foreground is a beloved hanging plant I overwintered in the attic. It is a bit sad, because I divided it, which gave it a shock. But it is gorgeous when in bloom and it will flower until the first frost.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is my herb table, but as you can see I can never resist adding some flowering plants as well.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To add some colour to my mostly green beds, I've planted lilies, which will be in bloom in June/July. I adore lilies; they look lovely and smell wonderful.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the herb table from the side</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My part of the town is quite old, and most of the older traditional houses still have a traditional front garden bordering the road, instead of having it paved over and added a well-meant but often puny container with one hugely overpriced shrub (as dictated by stark minimalistic fashion)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This house is not far from my own, and every time I pass it (which is almost daily) I enjoy the magnolia. Isn't it wonderful?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Right. Time to do one quick round with the watering can.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-82933341815095814452017-03-25T13:02:00.000+01:002017-03-25T13:16:38.393+01:00Spring in The Wetlands - It Has Arrived<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good morning, all over 80,000 of you, around the globe.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hahaha, sure, I know there's nowhere near eighty-thousand of you logged in to my blog at a time, but seeing the number makes me a little proud anyway!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So...all of a sudden it is sunny. You have NO idea what that does to the average Dutchman! Or woman, in my case.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We rush outside, dragging high-pressure power cleaners with us , and our saws, and hammers, and grand-children </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(so much for enjoying the sunshine in peace in my back garden)</span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In a moment, I myself will be rushing outside as well, as I want to start sowing my peas, and start hardening off my salad seedlings. And afterwards I need to do the weekend shopping.</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not terribly exciting I'm afraid.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I tend to upload my latest photos of my garden (and life in general) to Instagram these days. If you are interested in following me there as well as here, look for me under songsmith2962; my avatar is myself looking down at my mobile.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I realize this is a quickie; sorry about that, but the sun, the sun!</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Talk to you later, bye!</span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-42880013460507194772017-03-05T13:52:00.001+01:002017-03-07T20:17:16.766+01:00Awed in Edinburgh - Scotland with my son (4)<div class="mts _50f8" style="color: #898f9c; font-family: 'helvetica neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-top: 5px;">
This post was originally written at 29 juni 2013 om 18:45</div>
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<b>I had looked forward to the last leg of our train journey enormously, as I have read and seen so much about Scotland. But...reality differs from screens, and stories can be romanticized. In this case the Scottish borderlands turned out to be...pretty boring, actually.</b></div>
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We left The Lake District with pain in our hearts, as we could easily have spent another week there. But Edinburgh beckoned. So we travelled back to Oxenholme and there boarded the train for Waverley Station, together with Philip and Mrs Nag, two Ozzies from Sydney, who were 'doing' Europe in three weeks. He was sweet, she found fault with everything. For example the lovely room at our Windermere B&B, which she pronounced "so tiny that you couldn't swing a cat in there". (No...but why on earth would you want to, I wonder?)<b><br /></b></div>
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I watched the landscape from our window, and saw yellowed grassland, sheep, and neglected white-washed cottages. Not very romantic and certainly not exciting. But the entry into Waverley Station made up for the boring journey. Coming into Edinburgh past those Victorian and Georgian monumental buildings, and the Monument, and seeing Edinburgh Castle on that craggy rock simply took my breath away. I couldn't wait to start exploring, but first we had to find a bed for the night. Here we were in luck, as Mrs Nag had booked a room in The Travelodge, and they had one for us as well. We quickly threw our bag into our room, and rushed out into the city.</div>
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It had been raining off and on whilst we were on the train, but the sun now peeked through the clouds, resulting in that typically British custom of pretending it is high Summer even though it is only 8 C, and all those pretty girls throwing off their winter clothes and parading through Princes Street in bare arms and legs. I kept on my Dutch winter coat, thanks.</div>
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Within 10 minutes we met our first kilted Scottish piper. And then the second. And the third. No question about it, this was Scotland!</div>
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We decided to visit the castle first, though the admission was a shock. We bought two tickets anyway, and spent hours walking through the history of the British army. (Why would a pacifist walk through halls and halls full of army memorabilia, you may wonder? To tell you the truth, I don't have a good answer to that...But I did sign the condolence register for some poor 19 year old who had stepped on a bomb in Afghanistan the day before.) The cellars were the best bit. Here they had kept their prisoners of war, amongst whom many Dutch sailors, some as young as 8 years old. </div>
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Outside, in one of he courtyards, there was a youth orchestra playing their little hearts out. The funny thing was that they had decked themselves out in orange boas, orange wigs, red-white-blue bunting and paper crowns. How very insightful, as this day was the Dutch coronation of prince Willem-Alexander. But a bit weird, as well. And, as I remarked to my son, looking as ridiculous as (normally) only our fellow countrymen can look. As I said this, a woman in front of me, with an orange Heidi-wig-with-orange-wooden-clog, turned around and gave us a flyer. Ah...the orchestra turned out to be from Haarlem (a town not far from Amsterdam). She invited us to Reid Concert Hall for that evening, where they would perform a free concert. We went, and had a smashing time.<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMtvPfIBpaw">The Noord-Hollands Youth Orchestra</a></div>
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The next day we wanted to visit the Botanical Gardens (always a favourite). But we couldn't take the bus, as we didn't have any 50 pence pieces, and the bus driver couldn't make change from twenty pounds. Shops and pubs being closed still, this meant having to walk there, and getting lost, and sopping wet. But it was worth it. </div>
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Afterwards we spent two hours in the Scottish Museum, where there was an exhibition about the Vikings In Scotland. Two hours was ample for the exhibition, but not enough for the rest of this wonderful museum. We ran through the Egyptian hall, and then were politely but firmly evicted.</div>
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Time for a bite to eat, and a wee dram (I had promised myself this. When in Scotland...) We ended up in a pub named The Huxley, and I got some advice about an independent brewer who brewed a beer called Caesar Augustus. With hints of oak and flowers...gorgeous! The Huxley became our home away from home. We were never going to leave it again! After hours and hours in the company of Caesar Augustus, I decided that the dram wouldn't be needed anymore, and that frankly it would be a good idea to try to find a bed. And I was sharing mine with my son...<br />
When we reached The Travelodge, the Polish construction crew underneath our window just fired up their concrete drills. Ah...that's why the street had been closed for all traffic. Ah...and they worked all night, in Edinburgh...I spared a drunken thought for Mrs Nag. Imagine having a room large enough to swing a cat in, but having to share it with a bunch of Polish concrete layers.</div>
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Somehow it seemed poetic, our first night in Norwich without a wink, and now our last night in Edinburgh sleepless as well.</div>
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When we put down on Schiphol the next morning, it rained.</div>
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<span style="color: red;">This concludes our rambles around England and Scotland some years ago - way before Scottish Independence reared its head and Brexit. I have a firm wish to go back to Scotland and explore The Highlands. I'll keep you posted.</span></div>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-77251049811980004252017-02-27T14:42:00.000+01:002017-02-27T14:42:45.576+01:00Hikers Rule #1: Wear the Right Shoes! - England/Scotland with my son (3)<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7356348624159314202" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 586px;">
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<span style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The original post was published on</span><span style="font-size: 22px;"> </span></span><span style="color: #898f9c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">26 juni 2013 om 18:40<span class="timelineUnitContainer" style="position: relative;"><a aria-label="Openbaar" class="passiveImg fbAudienceHover timelineAudienceSelector" data-hover="tooltip" href="https://www.facebook.com/ReneesEnglishLab?ref=hl#" role="button" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 5px; margin-top: -3px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; top: 2px;"><i class="img sp_5l8dti sx_d52e6e" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yy/r/5buWW_6PBLx.png); background-position: -195px -25px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 12px; width: 12px;"></i></a></span></span></div>
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<b>There are hikers, and there are hikers. You can recognise the real ones by their sturdy boots. And that's where we went wrong. We were wearing the wrong shoes...</b></div>
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Our gracious hostess Paula took a good look at our flimsy shoes and pronounced them totally unfit for hiking in The Lake District. So sorry!<b><br /></b></div>
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But we are stubborn people (us Dutchies usually are), and asked her if there really wasn't any route we could try? Perhaps one for foolish Dutchmen?</div>
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Well, we could always take the bus to Keswick, which is a charming little town, and perhaps we could walk for a bit along Derwent Water, if it wasn't too muddy, that is.</div>
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We took Paula's advice, and sat on top of a steamy bus, awed by the landscape we passed through. We saw numerous sheep, and countless daffodils. As we passed Dove Cottage, I thought about William Wordsworth's line: ' A host of golden daffodils'. I had tried to convey the beauty of his poem to my pupils last year, and now I was living it!</div>
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Keswick was lovely indeed, and the rain stopped, which was great. We took a public footpath along the edge of Derwent Water, but Paula knew her stuff: it proved to be too muddy for our shoes. Walking back amongst frolicking lambs and indifferent sheep, we decided to walk along the road to the next village, but after an hour saw another footpath leading away from Grasmere Lake, up to the hills. Surely that wouldn't be so muddy? Encouraged by the sunshine, and not at all hindered by the fact that we didn't have a map, we took off. Public footpath, how hard could it be?</div>
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Pretty soon we had to look carefully where to put our feet, and we had to cross burns by balancing from one stepping stone to the next. The wind, already blowing quite hard, picked up. On the ridge between Grasmere Lake and Rydal Lake, Wibe wanted to go up even higher, to the top, to take a panorama photo of the eight peaks around us. I take my latent vertigo very seriously, so I declined. Very undignified to be up there and not dare to come down..So I sat on a wooden seat, put down especially for scaredy cats like me. 'In Loving Memory of William Soye Backhouse 1891-1953'. 'Here's to you, Bill,' I mumbled. 'Hope you didn't take a tumble here.'</div>
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The wind picked up even more, and I started to get worried about Wibe. Gosh, this hill was steep, hopefully he wouldn't slip whilst taking photos. In my mind's eye I saw the rescue helicopter approach, fool that I was, in my inappropriate shoes!</div>
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Just as I was ready to start climbing to his rescue, an ancient woman passed me, with a walking stick and one of those small typically English dogs. 'Hello, lovely view, isn't it?' A couple of minutes later woman number two passed, this time with an umbrella and a slightly larger dog. I peeked at her boots. Yes. Very sturdy. 'Lovely day, isn't it?' And then woman number three. She had a man with her, and special nylon waterproofs above her hiking boots. She didn't greet me, but her man did. 'Sunny enough for you?'. He looked furtively at my shoes.</div>
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Thankfully Wibe came down the mountain just then, safe and sound! We descended to Rydal Lake and loved it. It took us another hour of hiking along pebbled beaches and dirt tracks strewn with sheep droppings to reach the first pub, The Badger, where we had cold pints of Magners cider and I admired those super-fit English old folks who ran about these hills.</div>
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We took a bus to Ambleside, where we had an Italian meal and then walked back to Windermere, which took us another hour. What a wonderful day! And all this in the wrong shoes!<br />Experience Rydal yourself in this charming little video by Eric Worsely (who was wearing the correct footwear).<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScjANiaQWXA" style="color: #b5653b; text-decoration: none;">A walk around Rydal Lake</a></div>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-14477269873037144782017-02-26T15:29:00.000+01:002017-02-26T15:29:17.113+01:00This, That and The Other about Weight.<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Good afternoon, friendly readers,</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Still too early for tulips in the garden! But the shops stock them in all colours and shapes.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My dwarf narcissus is in bloom in the front garden though, it's always the first, I adore it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is taking stock.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remember I told you 8 weeks ago I would like to lose some weight? Preferably 10 kilos or so? Well, so far - nothing doing. It is really frustrating, as I do not eat great quantities (compared to some of my female colleagues I eat little), do not drink soft drinks, hardly ever indulge in sweeties or cakes and have cut down on my alcohol intake.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The trouble is, I do not believe in diets. All around me I see women my age (but also twenty years younger) struggling to lose their flab, and I have seen them going on every diet imaginable, with no LASTING result. Sure, they lose kilos initially, some of them staggering amounts (40 kilos?! Wow, respect! Except that it was back with a vengeance within 6 months after stopping the diet).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I come from an age where being slim was normal. When I look at the old faded photos from my youth (sixties, seventies, eighties) everyone was so slim compared to everyone today! But when I think back, we drank gallons of tea and the occasional beer, and that was it. Snacks consisted of 1 soup bowl of potatoes chips or a handful of peel it yourself peanuts on a Saturday evening, and that was it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fast food was chips from the chippy with mayonaise (it's a Dutch thing) and a kroket, and that was it. Going to an Italian, Chinese or Greek restaurant was the height of sophistication in my region, and that was it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But then, slowly, starting in the mid-eighties, food changed and with it the food fads. All of a sudden everyone started buying soft drinks, and eating a pre-dinner snack called toostjes (small bite-sized toast with French cheese, sausages et such), and it became fashionable to buy lunch out instead of bringing your own cheese sandwiches. Having more money meant eating more and more meat and less veg.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">People started gaining weight. So the food industry came with 'light' products in the nineties, and la-di-dah, everyone gained even more weight.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then all kinds of food myths started doing the rounds. Eat only fruit in the morning, eat porridge, eat raw food, eat power food, avoid bananas, do-not-eat carbons, eat this, eat that.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Result? None what so ever; clever diet gurus made a fortune and people kept on gaining weight steadily. I see it in my daughter. She weighs 12 kilos more than I did at her age, and she can be considered a 'normal' eater.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The latest food instruction from our national health watch organization is to not eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day (we were supposed to do this), but up it to 10.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So first we have been turned into a society of gluttons, and now they are urging us to turn into goats.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I actually like vegetables, so I suppose I am lucky. But I know plenty of people (mostly bearded men) already struggling with the number 5. Who consider a huge steak with 5 green peas the perfect meal.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My solution? I don't have one. Sorry. Except...yesterday I saw someone on TV with proof that using a smaller plate actually makes a person eat less.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll try to eat my 10 plant forms a day, rainbow coloured, from a tea saucer. Will keep the pastas/rice to a minimum. And I'll keep indulging in the occasional beer or whisky (hey! comes from grains, yay!). Life is for living!</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I have booked my bicycle into the shop for a facelift and tune-up, ready to start cycling to work again. And I try to take a brisk walk every day. The gardening season starts soon; more bodily activity. I do the occasional dance around the room or in the local hard-rock cave. </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I look wistfully at the Spring Collection I do not fit into.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So have a nice Sunday, won't you? Have a nice cucumber on me!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-75443482506959248032017-02-20T20:55:00.001+01:002017-02-20T20:56:36.988+01:00In the Footsteps of Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter - England/Scotland with my Son (2)<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
Hi there!</h3>
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Part 2 of the ramble I took some years ago around the North of England/Scotland. Enjoy!</div>
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23 juni 2013 om 16:11<span class="timelineUnitContainer" style="position: relative;"><a aria-label="Openbaar" class="passiveImg fbAudienceHover timelineAudienceSelector" data-hover="tooltip" href="https://www.facebook.com/#" role="button" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 5px; margin-top: -3px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; top: 2px;"><i class="img sp_5l8dti sx_d52e6e" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yy/r/5buWW_6PBLx.png); background-position: -195px -25px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 12px; width: 12px;"></i></a></span></div>
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<b>Hiking in The Lake District has been our our 'to do list' for years. So when we finally came round to travelling to Windermere in May of 2013, my son Wibe and I were looking forward to it enormously.</b></div>
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We weren't sad to leave grubby Norwich, and the weather helped by being cold but dry. The train didn't run this Sunday, and we were herded into a bus to take us to Peterborough, which was soon filled to capacity by burly men having to travel up to Scotland.<b><br /></b></div>
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Our destination was Windermere, which we would reach by train from Peterborough, via Leeds, Carlisle, and Oxenholme.</div>
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We only had to wait 10 minutes for the fast train to Leeds, and saw the landscape slowly but surely change. Green it was, and green it stayed, but it became more and more unkempt and rough at the edges.</div>
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In Leeds we nearly made a huge mistake by boarding the train to London, which arrived at the Carlisle platform only minutes before our train without anyone announcing anything. It was our sheer luck that we overheard two women talking, and quickly jumped out again.</div>
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Whilst Wibe dozed (he always falls asleep on trains) and the cheerful hubbub of the British voices around me faded to a background buzz, I was glued to the window. The hills became higher and wilder, and the only living things I saw were thousands of weathered sheep and one large bird of prey. </div>
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The train passed small grey slated villages, and there was snow on the highest peaks. And dozens of waterfalls splashed down into brooks and burns. Sometimes we went into a tunnel, only to speed out of it into thick mist, and then going into the next tunnel and coming out of it into bright daylight again.</div>
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It was absolutely gorgeous. We travelled over brick arched bridges, spanning deep valleys, and I expected Voldemort to attack any minute.</div>
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At Carlisle we barely had time for a wee and a cup of much needed coffee in the quaint restaurant before we needed to be on the train to Oxenholme. And there we had to change trains yet again, this making it the 9th hour of our rail journey. By the time we reached Windermere, we were terribly tired. </div>
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We walked downhill from Windermere Station, and entered the first hotel we saw, The Queen's Hotel, hoping they had B&B facilities. The bar was hopping with animated punters, and the barman burst out laughing when I asked him for a room.</div>
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'We don't do rooms, love'. But...it says 'hotel' on your front?</div>
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'Yeah, funny that, I can't understand why that sign is up there. Try a bit further down the road, there's B&Bs there.'</div>
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We saw a B&B in a tiny Victorian House which appealed to us, Lingmoor Guest House, and were welcomed by Paula, who turned out to be a wonderful hostess.</div>
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The next day we took a bus to Derwent Water, and walked for hours and hours along that lake, and Grasmere Lake, and Rydal Lake back to Windermere Lake, meeting lambs and sheep and old ladies who rushed up hills with their walking sticks and small pooches. </div>
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But that's another story. I have provided you with a link to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gyjDNFSEq0" style="color: #b5653b; text-decoration: none;">The Lake District from Above</a></div>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-68891376086882354852017-02-13T15:24:00.002+01:002017-02-13T15:24:56.309+01:00Never Trust a Man with a Nappy on his Head! - England/Scotland with my son (1)<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I've decided to re-post my very first hiking saga for you, since most of you will have missed this, due to the fact I didn't have that many readers back in the day...it comes in installments, so keep your eyes peeled.</span></h3>
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Enjoy!</div>
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I've wanted to take a sentimental journey to Norwich for years. </div>
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But you know how it is: no time, or no money, or no time and money.</div>
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Finally, this April, time, money, opportunity and my son all happened to coincide.</div>
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I booked a ferry trip to Harwich, a train ticket to everywhere (I'll explain </div>
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about this later) and packed lightly.</div>
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We arrived in Harwich after an uneventful night, and found a delighted ticket </div>
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seller at Harwich station. He was only too happy to stamp our BritRail passes </div>
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and told us to swop trains and platforms at Manningtree.</div>
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Norwich used to be a haunt of mine when I was in my teens and early twenties, </div>
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and I hadn't been back there since. My memories of this Norfolk city are pleasant. </div>
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The Close, the ancient Cathedral grounds, is rated amongst the most beautiful </div>
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and un-spoilt of England. So I felt a happy anticipation when we left the station </div>
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and walked along the river walk to the Cathedral.</div>
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Some hours, and a visit to the Keep and Sheringham Beach later, </div>
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we needed to find ourselves a bed for the night. The first four B&B's had </div>
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no vacancies. We walked uphill and found a hotel which did B&B. It looked a </div>
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bit shabby, but clean, and (quite important) it had two single rooms for us for </div>
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the price of a double, and they even threw in breakfast for free.</div>
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We decided to walk back to the station to get ourselves some sandwiches for </div>
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dinner, and when we had almost reached our hotel, we passed a group of young</div>
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men coming from that direction. When they had passed us, we looked back. </div>
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Did one of them really wear a Pamper on his head? Yes.</div>
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I tried to explain the quaint practice of 'Stag Night' to my son. We had a laugh </div>
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about it. Silly Englishmen.</div>
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Our day had started at 5 am, so we were ready for bed at 10 pm. We had only </div>
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just wished each other a good night when an almighty banging and shouting </div>
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started up next door. Our two single rooms were the bookends to the Stag Boy's </div>
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room, you could say. He needed a lot of Dutch courage. The shouting, screaming,</div>
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singing, counting 'one, two, three, bottoms up', and eventually the howling fights </div>
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and violent throwing up lasted until 4 am. We got 10 minutes sleep, then a fight </div>
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started under our window.</div>
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We needed to be on a bus to Peterborough at 9.40, so we needed to get up early </div>
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anyway. </div>
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Somehow, Norwich didn't live up to its memories.</div>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-23911359989767879642017-02-13T15:04:00.000+01:002017-02-27T13:05:33.016+01:00The Frustrations of a Newby Music Film Maker<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good afternoon to you, where ever you are!</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You have missed me...at least, if you are a regular reader, you have. Otherwise you haven't...duh!</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The reason for my absence is that I have been very busy with my regular work (let's not talk about that - although fulfilling it is extremely stressful at times and non-eventful at most others. I enjoy it. I like my pupils. It brings in the veggies. Full stop) and with my passion: singing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hthHSvmSzbs/WKG8aTCtrxI/AAAAAAAAOAI/ecMGAxYKYls00t37t6MqbE29X2YAqPmfACLcB/s1600/IMG_2188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hthHSvmSzbs/WKG8aTCtrxI/AAAAAAAAOAI/ecMGAxYKYls00t37t6MqbE29X2YAqPmfACLcB/s400/IMG_2188.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have mentioned that I am a singer/the singer (opinions differ here. I like to think I am THE singer) in three set-ups: a cover band consisting of 5 other musicians of a certain age and myself, and a duo consisting of my son in law (gorgeously young) and myself, and a jam session band consisting of 20 or so very different musicians who drop in or out and sort of do their thing - preferably at the same time as the others.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And as of yesterday I have been drafted to be the singer in a jazz band as well.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hey-ho!</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sounds great. Is great, really, it is a lot of fun!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But: and here it comes...I have been toiling to upload a song to let you all listen to what I am working on. I've recorded it on my iPhone, using iMovie, and uploading a load of my own original photos to give you something to look at whilst listening to me singing a song.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So far, so good. It's finished, it's as good as it gets. And it's floating in cyber space...or is right now being performed on Pluto. </span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But for the life of me I cannot seem to import it into my Mac. Or export it to YouTube or even FB (I mean..geez, FB takes anything, right?).</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My iPhone keeps informing me that I do not have enough storing space. Well...fiddle-dee, I have space, since I've removed 3/4 of my stock of photos and songs. But my phone thinks differently.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, clever clogs that I am, I thought to import it directly into my iMove on the Mac. Right? Nothing doing.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So there it is: a perfect little 4 minute song with images, lounging in my phone and determined to stay there and not be shifted.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I got soooooo frustrated!</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Usually I routinely upload onto YouTube and then give you a link. Doesn't work.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So you will simply have to take it from me. I have tried. Honestly I have.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If there is anyone out there who knows how to fix this, please reply in the comment section.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the meantime, I will keep on singing. </span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's just that I will have to sit on my hands in order not to throw my i-whatsits through the plate glass window!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">UPDATE 2/27/2017: In the meantime I have managed to upload the song onto my Facebook page...yeah! If you are curious: the name is Song Smith, the photo a painting of a lizzard, the song is called Cry Me A River.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-19347264486475800842017-01-30T13:14:00.000+01:002017-01-30T13:14:07.721+01:00Making my hiking plans for the summer holidays, folks!<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hi there, all you hikers, ramblers, amblers and speed-walkers.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Remember me?</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IoRm_8rVKJ4/WI8WBuscl5I/AAAAAAAAN8o/UhU603UYmxY1_GtPUwfhintvAXKVaL_pACLcB/s1600/IMG_2042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IoRm_8rVKJ4/WI8WBuscl5I/AAAAAAAAN8o/UhU603UYmxY1_GtPUwfhintvAXKVaL_pACLcB/s320/IMG_2042.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken in the Derbyshire Hills, 2016 (©R.Grashoff)</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm your friendly chubby outdoor enthusiast, making her rambling plans for this Summer. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This sounds very straightforward, but it absolutely is anything but!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Where to go, when you have so many places on your list and little money?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Iceland is an option I have to forego, due to the high cost.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The West Coast of Canada - ditto.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">New Zealand ...say no more...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Italy and Greece, gorgeous, but far too hot for me in Summer!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have considered Austria, Germany, and Denmark, but have returned to my home-away-from-home...England.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken along the Dove, 2016 (© R. Grashoff)</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">First of all, due to their Brexit the Euro is giving me a few more Pounds. Always handy. And let's face it, I adore this country for its wonderful rambling mindset. Brits are natural ramblers! I'll never forget frail octogenarians cheerfully passing me at speed on the hills of The Lake District. And the thousands of miles of hilly footpaths are sheer heaven for a Dutchie used to flat land and barbed wire everywhere.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So, my plans.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have already walked the coastal paths from Dover to Land's End, so that's not what I want to do this time, but whilst doing that, I took a quick detour by train to visit Bath, and this gave me a definite taste for more!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have a taste for history, preferably ancient history, and so far have not visited Stonehenge or Glastonbury and this time I will. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngjsB3t7cuk/WI8lqw2_BGI/AAAAAAAAN9E/7F1-B-P8U08w3iSV2dErvtbVnZisvWxBQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngjsB3t7cuk/WI8lqw2_BGI/AAAAAAAAN9E/7F1-B-P8U08w3iSV2dErvtbVnZisvWxBQCLcB/s400/IMG_2067.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Derbyshire hills, 2016 (© R. Grashoff)</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We will make our way by car from Dover (our port of entry) taking the coastal road (A259) towards Brighton. This will be our first stop I think, as I am taking my daughter and she will love the Royal Pavilion.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">From Brighton we will head inland towards Bath. But my aim is to walk and see things, so my little old car is simply a means of getting places and will have lots of deserved rest.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We will then take the A27/M27 to Salisbury, and from there on will concentrate on visiting a rough circle consisting of Stonehenge, Glastonbury, Bath, Bradford-on-Avon and Avebury, making the latter our departing port for taking the M4 back towards London and hence the M20 back to Dover.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Depending on finances, weather and roads (i.e. how long does the driving actually take to get places? I remember navigating those roads in the South very well - it seemed to take forever) we might take a detour up towards the Cotswolds.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And the main aim is to walk as much as possible.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I cannot wait! Oh...and it is only February 1st when you are reading this! Months and months of hard graft and motivating young men to get through first!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But the thought of the green English hills and the wonderful footpaths to ancient sites and gorgeous towns will sustain me.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">obviously, this isn't mine, I plucked it out of cyberspace</td></tr>
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DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-43421648132873984662017-01-24T22:13:00.002+01:002017-01-24T22:13:26.759+01:0060,700+ Readers: Words Fail Me (not really)<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Good morning to you, all over our globe.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No, I'm not gloating or crowing my victory, at least...not intentionally.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I want you to know that I am a little chuffed that more than 60,700 people have read my posts during the years that I have been writing them.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writers want to be read.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">So: </span><b><span style="color: magenta;">thank you!!!</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-45697999879964216882017-01-21T13:58:00.000+01:002017-01-21T13:58:21.537+01:00Viggo Presents His Woman...And that would be me.<span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Hiya fans,</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This is a combined effort from both me, Viggo and Song, his woman.</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uA7D1SOTOwM/WINZRVfODpI/AAAAAAAAN6w/32_naAAen3klwDpD5BjDHk34wHQAia1PwCLcB/s1600/IMG_0757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uA7D1SOTOwM/WINZRVfODpI/AAAAAAAAN6w/32_naAAen3klwDpD5BjDHk34wHQAia1PwCLcB/s320/IMG_0757.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">She likes to sing; I like to chill. We both like me ...a lot!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And now we like Bowie as well. Well, she does...I'm still undecided most of the time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anyway, we've made a video.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Here is the link:</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Zd8SUNt7Cpg">Viggo presents his woman.</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hope you'll like it. It is caterwauling at its best, I think!</span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-82591592520641138422017-01-15T16:10:00.000+01:002017-01-15T16:10:27.383+01:00Viggo's Blog: Life Without the Mutt.<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hiya fans, Viggo here!</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Just an update on Life Post-Gina.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Would you know that I actually miss the old smelly mutt? And I miss our walkies late at night even more...Somehow strutting around the neighbourhood with your dog in tow is way more cool than just...walking.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My mates have adjusted to Bowie and me being dog-less. Big Black casually remarked that us not having our dog meant that some of the other toms a street away now thought that spraying the front door could be done...but that him and Mate had put a stop to that very fast. But Nose nastily said that Bowie should have less attitude, as Gina wasn't there to defend him. Nose should beware of his own attitude...Bowie is a young brat, but he's MY brat!</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Apart from all that, it's all go over here in our household. My woman has taken the dog bed out of the living room and has put it out in the garden. She speaks of converting it into a raised vegetable bed, as it is a shame to scrap a nice piece of expensive wooden furniture.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hm...I don't care for salad greens. And I wonder how she plans to keep the cats from pooping in it! Geez, I hope she isn't counting on me and Bowie to keep the other cats out of the back garden! That would make our spring and summer very stressful indeed.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bowie has grown...a lot...He is now just as tall as myself, only slimmer. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We get along most of the time.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But sometimes he gets these funny moods, he races around the room then and up and down the stairs, and he wants me to wrestle him. Hah! I win every time, I only have to lay down on top of him.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That can be a bit tiring.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Right, that's all. Not a lot of news I'm afraid. So I'll leave you with a pressing matter:</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I bet you haven't. Good! I don't like being kissed. Bowie does, but he's weird. No, I like a nice, gentle stroking from my head down to my tail. Not too long, mind. I'll tell you when to stop by biting you, okay?</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Have a nice Sunday, tar rah!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116939863521651874.post-71986488657432907512017-01-08T13:41:00.000+01:002017-01-08T13:42:29.819+01:00Happy 2017 to you! Any life-changing resolutions? Yup!<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good afternoon to you, where ever you are.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I hope this afternoon finds you well, and that you experience the same wintry sunshine that I am enjoying. Mind you, our habitual wetlands clouds are moving in - I have taken my ramble just in time!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So: let me tell you about my life-changing New Year's resolutions. There are two!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: blue;">1st.</span></b><span style="color: #a64d79;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have stopped eating meat and poultry as from Dec. 25th.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, don't be disappointed! This is a </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">HUGE</span><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> thing for me, as I adore(d) poultry especially, but was partial to a nice bit of beef as well.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Why? Why now? Why this late in my life?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well, I have been hesitating about it since July, because I experience a lot of stomach pains in the night and they keep me up. So naturally I looked at my diet first (before jumping to terrifying conclusions - these only assail me at night). And how do you act when you are a fully-fledged bookophile? You read up on it. </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thus I banned wine, and this helped - some. Mind you, I happily switched to beer. I banned potatoes and bread for 6 months - this didn't make a blind bit of difference, so I've returned to eating them. I tried eating less meat and more veggies - no difference whatsoever. I tried eating only fruit in the morning - and got very grumpy about it, craving something more solid. I banned chocolate voor 99%. No difference.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A little further research said meat sours the stomach. And souring is just what I do not need. So...decisions decisions.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And then my old dog died from shock following intestinal bleeding on Dec. 22nd and I watched the vet give her his all by mouth-to-mouth and heart massage, to no avail. And that made me think. Why on earth go to these lengths trying to save a beloved smelly old mutt from Istanbul, and then slap a bloody slab of meat in the pan afterwards?</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I ate the garlic chicken I had prepared for our Christmas meal, but it tasted strange to me, and that was it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sort-of-Veggie, I am now. My son-in-law was in shock (he exists on meat and beer) - but since I love him to bits, I promised him I will not be the meat police. He was very relieved.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My son and daughter-in-law applauded me; she's a vegan and has turned him into a vegetarian. My daughter was quietly in awe and supports me.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Plain sailing, eh?</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had my first meal out last night and was very pleasantly surprised by the goats cheese package with spinach, mushroom risotto and asparagus. Watched my son-in-law inhale his hamburger and didn't feel a snippet of regret!</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>2nd</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have stopped boozing-alone.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So what? (I heard you think that!)</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But again, this is quite the decision for me. I do not have any other vices, you see. I have never smoked, I don't do drugs, I do not covet other people's husbands, I don't steal, I don't lie, I'm never late, I pay my taxes with a bleeding heart, in fact drinking alcohol is the only pastime I could try to call risky business. And I do love my beer and whisky.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I noticed myself going from one beer on coming home from work, to two, to three. My waistline noticed as well...</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In order to have at least some fun in my life, and because I am a musician and musicians drink beer, I allow myself to drink whilst being in the company of others. But I always have to drive, and our laws prohibit me from having more than 1 beer when driving. Sorted! </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Think of all the money I will save (hm?). I will put that towards a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And there you are. Now, you either thought this boring; so sorry when you did. Or you liked it; good. Or you want to tell me about <i>your</i> resolutions; feel free.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I will share my veggie recipes on my collections page.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Oh.. and thank you for being here! You are now in the illustrious company of more than 53,000 people! They can't all be wrong.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To show my appreciation, I have a link for you to the latest YouTube upload of my music.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/gezPe4vnMks">Garage Band Blues.</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>DutchDeltaGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08995393245721573057noreply@blogger.com0