The End of the Year

 Week 52 and still a bit to go...

We had the last day of work on Christmas Eve.

Janny and I had both woken up feeling a little "snotty". So, with our heightened awareness, we both arranged for Covid testing and kept well away from the clients. Ankie held the fort.... 

Because of our work in the Care industry, we were given red tubes, instead of the normal blue, which meant that we would get the results within 24 hours instead of 48. We had to show our Business Registration Certificate as well as the customary ID.

About 12 hours later we got text messages to log on to the official testing site for our results - both negative. 

All-in-all, a bit of a pain in the backside, but such is everyone's experience of 2020! We're not finding it hard to "do the right thing", but, surprisingly (to me, at least) there are are lots of people not complying with the recommendations.

Janny read somewhere that there are an estimated 100,000 people every day not wearing face masks on public transport - where it is more a rule than a recommendation.

Oh well....

Janny and I started the week with a walk across the heath...

(Always fairly busy on a Sunday, but we could let Boeke loose here and there).

Zoey used to love swimming in this pool - but Boeke is happy just to have a drink.

Ben came home on Sunday evening, armed with ideas about all the special food we could eat...

On Monday it was Janny's Mum's 88th Birthday!!

Her 6 kids arranged that they would come at different times during the day - starting with breakfast.

Because of the Covid lockdown rules, they didn't have any close contact with Rennie...

...they sat at a table inside the tent, one family at a time, with Rennie on the other side of a large sliding door.

Ben had also been tested, so we three felt safe enough to eat (dessert) inside at the end of her very long day.

Ben  helped me by printing the menus for 2 days of Christmas, in the big kitchen out the back - where we prepared it all. (They don't have a name for Boxing Day, so it is simply First Christmas Day and Second Christmas Day).

Now, I can't remember if I have ever made a steamed pudding, since I was a kid helping Mum, but this BBC recipe worked brilliantly! 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/schooldays-treacle-sponge

But, I have added Golden Syrup to the list of things I can't find over here... so this one was made with Maple Syrup. ( I had a podcast this week about the history of sugar - most of Europe makes sugar from sugar beets which have 30% more sugar than an equivalent weight of sugar cane - but no Golden Syrup!!).

 

Little wonder that Boeke and I were worn out at the end of it! 

One of Ben's gifts to us was a "Crime Investigation" kit. 2 of them, in fact. Janny and Ben solved the first one after about 4 hours and then Janny made a copy of it for the rest of the family to do as part of the Covid Lockdown Family Challenges.

I helped with the 2nd one, which took about 6 hours! It includes internet searches, Facebook, Whatsapp and a helpful online Detective to give answers or arrange interrogation of "witnesses". All very creative and well organised.

Sunday Morning now - horrible weather; wet cold and windy (Force 9 according to the Weather Bureau).

So it's boots, gloves, beanie and coat for Boeke's walks. The cats don't want to go out! Ben is on his way back to Amsterdam - I think I'll light the fire and snuggle in...

(I had been listening to the cricket for half the night...true!)

 

Week 51 and a half - the Christmas Edition

Week 51.5

 Having today spoken with many of the Special people in my life, I realised that I had forgotten to say Happy Christmas at the end of last week's musings...

So Happy Christmas! to those special friends and family that I didn't speak to...

Just to remind me...

We're still in lockdown so it will be just Janny, Ben , Rennie and me... to try to get through all the food!

and Boeke..., of course

Week 51 already

Week 51 

On friday, Janny, Ankie and I went to the euthenasia funeral in Groningen. It was all very well planned (by the man himself) and it all went according to plan, I think.

It began with "Time In a Bottle" by Jim Croce and finished with "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton - and in between some hymns and bible readings - Janny & Ankie were both surprised that he had such a religious side - like many things, he had kept that to himself in the short time he was with us.

We learnt a bit about his background - fairly tough all round. He had set up a few businesses and was employing 60 people at one stage. The Q Fever got him in 2012, so it all went downhill after that.

I found it to be a very moving experience - I suppose mostly because he had planned it himself.

There were only about 15 people, including the minister and crematorium attendants.

He had even allowed for coffee and lunch for us all - and a self-grown rose for us to take away (how he arranged that, I'll never know) - including a thankyou card with a photo of the roses in his garden.  "thankyou for your support and presence during the last few weeks".

Due to the Covid Times - everybody wore face masks and kept our distance - so we didn't get to talk to the other people, but we presumed that they were former employees from his businesses as he was estranged from his own family and two ex-wives.

Around the farm

Tomorrow will be even later and then we start heading towards Boating Season again 😁

08:46

Sunday, 20 December 2020 (CET)
Sunrise in Wijnjewoude

I think I have about 2 weeks of photos to go through...

I am so lucky to have our volunteer "helper". (It has slowly evolved to me helping him, rather than the other way around!). I get stuck doing the end of the year bookkeeping at this time of the year and so Tjeerd is more than able to keep himself busy - cutting down trees, tidying up, chopping firewood - and even getting a little creative...

We had a Kids' Weekend in between - they organised a "speurtocht" (Treasure Hunt) in the forest...

...and some cold weather indoor activities...

We had Ben home for a few days - so we enjoyed cooking with Hello Fresh (I'm still surprised that I like it so much) - and playing games again - "Clever" and "Double so Clever".

But then Ben had to go back to Amsterdam because his Employer had arranged "Dinner for Two" for each of the employees - to be delivered to their homes and to be eaten seperately because of the Covid restrictions...Ben shared his with a mate...

...a bit more up market than Hello Fresh!

They all got together on Zoom

When Ben got back to Amsterdam, he said that it was "eerily quiet"...in his street.

One of Ben's current jobs (as a freelancer) is writing advertising copy for an Underwear Company!

 Muchachomalo

This is some of what he wrote for the 3rd Quarter Underwear Collection.

I mention it here only to say that Ben made the observation that he prefers writing in English now, rather than his native Dutch - so I'm pleased about that! (sometimes he asks me to read it first).

Intro

Chapter Collection

This year we’re doing things a little differently. We’ve divided the collection into four different chapters. Each chapter has its own theme with five different stories. Get ready to be surprised by some of the most unique themes and prints in our new boxer shorts collection. We have something for every bad boy out there.

Tribes

Every man is unique, and every bad boy belongs to a different tribe. A tribe to which he belongs and is accepted by his brothers. In our theme Tribes you’ll be introduced to different cultural groups from the past, but also from the present. From the old Mayans to real Punkers, you’ll find these subcultures on our newest collection of boxer shorts. To which tribe do you belong?

Mongolians

The old Mongolian tribes were true hunters. And they didn’t hunt alone: they travelled around by horse and hunted with enormous birds by their side. They tamed golden eagles and gigantic falcons and used them as their weapons. Opponents had the right to be scared of the Mongolian tribes: they truly reigned over their country with these legendary animals. You’ll find some of the greatest Mongolian hunters and their beasts on our latest collection boxer shorts.

Mayans

When you think of the Mayans, you’ll probably think about their old temples in Mexico and their predictions of the end of the world. But the Mayans were more than that, and even today they still leave their mark in the world because of their massive cultural advances. Mayas always did

The Lockdown

We're in lockdown again, but we have been very conscious of doing the right thing (because of the business) that it is hardly making any difference to the way we have been going.

There's a few cases in our village - the ones we get to hear of.

So, being extra vigilant... I have read (listened) 5 books in the last 2 weeks - nothing too heavy like Ben's philosophy books, but more an indication of how much walking I have been doing with Boeke. I can also listen when I drive Lucas - he's deaf, so it doesn't worry him!

My news source (Janny) says there is a new strain of the Covid virus - started in England - just something else to worry about!

this translated from nu.nl   (nu = now)

Flights from London canceled due to a flight ban

Several flights from London to Schiphol on Sunday have been canceled, according to the sites of Schiphol and KLM. On the KLM site, it concerns eight flights. Schiphol reports that easyJet flights have also been canceled.

The cabinet has decided to ban flights with travelers from the United Kingdom from Sunday morning. The exact impact of the travel ban is still being investigated by the airport. The sites of Eindhoven Airport and Maastricht Aachen Airport do not report flights to or from the United Kingdom on Sundays.

The mutation of the coronavirus discovered in the United Kingdom has probably also been identified in the Netherlands. To prevent further spread of the new variant, the cabinet has banned air traffic with passengers from the United Kingdom. The measure took effect on Sunday at 6 a.m. and is valid until January 1.

Photos of Boeke (earning his keep as a tax deduction)