Sunday afternoon 1430hrs, just back from the boat and I'm supposed to be doing bookkeeping!
Ha! That can wait until tomorrow.
There were three things that I forgot to mention last week, so I'm including them here.
1. (Drink) Water Pump problem on the boat
We headed off for Wijnjewoude last Friday (week 25) and I thought I'd just try the pump again... after worrying about it for almost 2 weeks!
(Now, in between, I had fiddled with the filter and started the pump a couple of times, but no dice.).
Then, on Friday it just worked - without any further intervention! After reading up on it, I had just about concluded that it would be an airlock - and so it must have just cleared itself. It may have even been working on the way back from Dokkum, but I didn't test it then.
We did notice just how much we use it and appreciate it all the more!
2.The Mayoral Election in New York
I listen to a lot of American Politics - it's a wonder that my head hasn't fallen off with all the shaking of it in disbelief - I think my overwhelming emotion is that of feeling so sorry for all the good people that there must be...(but, then again, they really should get out and vote).
Anyway, it amused me to hear so many commentators talking about the "new ranking system of voting" (that they are using for the first time in New York). It is simply the preferential system of voting that is the norm in Australia.
It seemed to be quite beyond some of them as to just how the system works. I tried to explain it to Janny, but she too shook her head and said "most votes wins" - that's the voting she has grown up with. (Along with the undisputed "right to vote" of everyone).
3.A small world
Last week, when we were waiting in the lock at Gorredijk, a man came up, pointed at the Australian flag and said (in Dutch) "what's the connection" - I said "that's me". He then said oh?, my wife comes from Australia - I asked where from - Melbourne! (Frankston) - from Dutch parents. I then said we are just heading to Wijnjewoude, where we live - "No'?, he said: We have just moved to there...
We found out that they bought a half of an old farmhouse that has been divided into two residences - it is just up the road from the house of our volunteer. We'll go and visit them when they get settled.
The Last Woodshed...
About 40 cubic metres for next winter, although some of it still has to "dry" for the best part of two years.
A tap for the glasshouse
It rained literally ALL DAY on wednesday, so we only got a couple of small jobs done. Including a bit of soldering, which I haven't done for years!
Just have to attach a hose of some sort on the inside. Maybe there are some sprinkler fittings available?...but, I haven't had to actually buy anything yet. Might experiment with fine holes in a normal hose...
Thursday work
re-attached the old door in a new frame - have to make a new door for the undercarriage...
A couple of clients worked on their piggy banks - a giraffe and a penquin...
We used to play cards with our afternoon tea - but we haven't done that for 15 Covid months, or more. We've been playing indoor soccer with a soft ball - it's just a little activity. Today we tried something new outside - a game throwing wooden pins at each others' 4 wooden blocks...again, just a little bit of activity. We'll also try jeu de boule while the good weather lasts.
They're back again this year - the Processionary Caterpillar
They don't seem to infest every tree - so somebody goes around identifying the individual trees...
This one along the canal...
and Thursday after work we went to the boat...
I made a salad and Janny bought some fish from the market stall in Ureterp.
We were just enjoying it when a man approached and asked if he could talk to us...
Janny said " for the Sa!"?. The man laughed and said yes - he wanted an interview for the newspaper called Sa!
When Janny said we were from Wijnjewoude - he looked disheartened, because they are doing a series of articles to promote the Turf Route (canal).- so he wanted some "real" tourists!
Anyway, he sat down with us and then decided that it was a worthwhile story after all. That we worked and then had our "holiday" on the boat, only 5 kms away!
He rang the photographer who also came to take some photos for the story! It will be out next week.
After a while, they both remembered having been at our place for various stories over the years, the last one being for the opening of the Solar Panels.We also had some great photos and a story from a Fire Brigade Exercise held at our place. I'll see if I can find them.
This Youtube video for the Sa! Turf Route Promotion
The ship is the Tjerk Hiddes, built in 1901 (or 1909 or 1910??)
It was used as a "regular route"cargo ship between Sneek and Gorredijk up until 1964. I left the newspaper on the boat, so I can't remember all the details.
( I found this on another site)
Motor ship 'Tjerk Hiddes' from Gorredijk. The ship was built in 1901 at the yard of the Gebroeders Boot in Leiderdorp, it measured 20.57 x 3.64 x approximately 1.5 meters and weighed 44 tons . According to the owners, the first engine was a 'van Rennes'. This was replaced in 1924 by a Neufeld & Kuhnke of 20 HP at approx. 380 rpm. The ship was built for J. Stol from Leiden who gave her the name 'Jonge Jan'. The ship seems to have a relationship with the Fa. Albert Heijn from Zaandam (didn't get a branch in Leiden until 1906?), but I don't know what that was like. In 1915 the ship was sold to skipper Slump from Sneek. The latter sold the ship in 1918 to the Van der Werf brothers, as a successor to their storage vessel 'Tjerk hiddes'.straw, on the Sneekermeer, had perished. The new 'Tjerk Hiddes' was then completely refurbished and a few years later fitted with a new engine. Until 1963, the Tjerk hiddes provided a turn service from Gorredijk, via Oldeboorn and Akkrum to Sneek, while for some time they also sailed on Leeuwarden turn. The ship is still (2010) owned by the same family, but is only used for pleasure trips. It is a regular occurrence on the Sneekermeer and the Goingarijpster pools. The home port is Gorredijk.
[More about the Tjerk Hiddes on our own site ]
Photo: Pieter Klein, Goingarijpsterpoelen, August 2002. ( larger size )
On Friday, we headed back to Gorredijk...
With Anneke, who used to live in one of our apartments...
The water level is very high at the moment, so that, even with the lock doors closed, the water kept coming over the top...(normally, the filling water is only let in from the side).
Occasionally, we have the smaller self-service bridges opened by kids on holidays - for 50 cents, which has to be placed in a clog as we go past...
I always like it when we can see the reflection of the boat in the house and shop windows as we go through.
We also have a bit of car juggling to do. We had left the van here overnight and drove back home so Janny could do some shopping for the kids and I did some (more) mowing.
Janny also had to be home to welcome a new boy in the afternoon
We then took both cars to Gorredijk and then both cars to Heerenveen on Saturday morning - leaving one there so that we could get back after taking the boat "home" on Sunday.
It might sound like a lot of messing about, but it is the only way we can get to enjoy the boat - and that we do! I sometimes think of just taking off on my own now that the boat is so much easier for single-handed operation - but, it is not really what I want to do...There's bound to be some changes coming up - we'll just have to wait and see what they are - and enjoy what we can in the meantime.
On Friday night we had dinner on a canalside terrace - now that they are finally allowed to be open again. The only restriction is to keep the 1.5m distance, if possible.
One way to launch a boat...
Janny and I made it back to the boat at around dinner time on Saturday and so we spoilt ourselves (again) with a very good pizza about 100 metres from where we ate on Friday night. We can sit outside with Boeke - we're still not comfortable with the common practice (here) of taking dogs into restaurants.
It was too much to eat in one go, so we saved some "for tomorrow, maybe".
We timed our departure for 0930hrs on Sunday morning (when the bridge opens), but Mr. Haveachat came to say how nice the boat is - and to tell us about his boat. He came on board to have a look - he is relatively new to boating (3 years - I guess only a young chap of 55 or thereabouts) - they had another boat which he had done a lot of work on and then decided that it was too small as they got used to it - so they bought their current boat, 8.5 metres, but are already thinking of another one - hence looking at ours for ideas.
Anyway, we needed to be at the last openable bridge before 1200hrs (when it closes for lunch) because Janny had to take one of the kids home early for his birthday party...
We were late getting through the first bridge at Gorredijk and then had to stop and wait for the next one - Janny rang to find out what the holdup was - the young bridge opener came cycling along and Janny gave him a bit of a serve and then he was dumb enough to say that he just "had to finish his coffee" What??!!! Another serve from Janny...not really bad...but we were not going to make the last bridge in time.
She rang the parents and that was "no problem", so we chooffed off again...
Janny and Boeke sat on the foredeck (with water bottle and coffee cup). He's relatively happy, with the occasional bark at a duck or something. - but not very lively - we think that boating is not really his favorite pasttime - being with us makes it all bearable...just.
We were 15 minutes too late for the bridge - so we had leftover pizza for lunch, which tasted almost better than the night before!
It only took another 30 minutes to get to Heerenveen - so 3.5 hours, including our holdups.
So, a hectic weekend managing work and boating.
Lucas is on holidays, so I have much more time available next week and we have no kids next weekend.
We're planning to take the boat to Boornzwaag (again) where a friend of Janny's lives.
Hi Ken & Janny
ReplyDeleteGreat read and photos, wish we were able to do the Turf Route again, but that just won't happen, so next best thing is reading your blogs.
All the best
Horrie & Evon
Good long blog!!
ReplyDeleteYou need to get off American politics. Try ‘Stuff You Should know’.