Grey

England does 'grey' extremely well. Initially this winter there was a flurry of excitement when it snowed and there was chaos everywhere. England does not cope well with 'white'. But 'grey' is different. Since Christmas the temperature has been relatively mild but the skies have been grey, sometimes light grey but often dark grey. The weather forecast alternates between white clouds and grey clouds. When it is grey people get on with their lives, they wear dark coloured coats and carry an umbrella. There are no distractions.

However, I do not cope so well with grey and I find I get very depressed with the constant dreariness of grey clouds and the accompanying drizzle.

But there is a glimmer of hope around the corner because behind all the clouds the sun has been moving further up into the sky. The crocuses have been on show for a couple of weeks, the daffodils are starting to come out, there is a glimmer of green on the small trees and the forsythia is out in full bloom. Spring has arrived, except it is still grey and drizzly. Slecht weer I think they call it in Holland. Shitty weather!

One of the few sunny day!

Churnet Valley Railway

Today we visited the Churnet Valley Railway, which starts at Cheddleton and runs to Kingsley and Froghall Station. The railway is trying to replicate a 1950s/1960s rural railway, which makes us feel really old. The train had a steam engine, with a Thomas the Tank Engine face.

I remember all the steam when I travelled on the train from Invercargill to Christchurch but not the face!

It took ages to travel such a short distance due to the engine having to be moved from one end of the train to the other before it could start the return journey. We sat in one of those 6 seater compartments. A very comfortable and leisurely journey. Cheddleton Station. I am not sure they would have worn fluorescent jackets way back in the 1950s. Some things have changed!

Afterwards Jackson and Isabel had their faces painted, Jackson became a lion and Isabel became a zebra. The lady was very skilled, the best I have seen. Naturally they did not want to take off the paint at bedtime.

Jackson even had eyes painted on his eyelids!
Tonight I suffered yet another humiliating loss in Uno. Walter won but I am sure he cheated! I need to learn some underhanded tactics like saving all the pick up 4 cards in order to hand them onto the next player. That is what they do to me! Isabel was the overall winner. She is also the youngest.

Heights of Abraham

Today we drove up through Buxton (reportedly the highest town in England) and around to Matlock Bath. There was certainly plenty of snow around Buxton, which is a spa town and very picturesque.

The reason for travelling to Matlock Bath was to visit the mines up on the Heights of Abraham. What a wonderful biblical name to give a place, or at least that is what I thought until I found out the truth. It was once called Masson Hill but received a change name during the 1800's when mining was no longer viable and the owners decided to make the mines into a tourist attraction. At that time it was fashionable to name places after great English military victories. The original 'Heights of Abraham' is above Quebec and the English military forces were victorious there in 1759, although General James Wolfe was killed during the battle. He of course became a popular hero.

We travelled up in a cable car, all very exciting. It was a misty day so the views were a bit limited. We visited two mines and found out about lead mining and what a dreadful life it was for women and children as they had to separate the lead from the other minerals. Most died in the process of course, while the men worked in better conditions down in the warm mines. Typical! The mining continued for centuries and it was amazing how much lead was dug out, mostly by using picks and small levers. The tunnels and caverns are also very extensive and very interesting, with lots of geological facts to learn in the process.

We look very happy and relaxed in the cable car (I managed to hide my fear of heights well).

A view looking down at the restaurant and shop from the tower (more height problems and many stairs).

I also found out that the name of the highest mountain, Kinder Scout, means 'water over the edge'.

Last night I read in 'I never knew that about England' that Stoke on Trent is actually comprised of five towns, Stoke, Burslem, Longton, Hanley and Tunstsall, which accounts for the place being so disjointed and muddly. Also the area is well known for its pottery, with names such as Wedgewood, Davenport, Minton, Copeland and Doulton originating there. Waterworld is situated in an area called Etruria which started out as a village for pottery workers. Josiah Wedgewood named it Etruria in honour of a classical vase which he mistakenly thought was Etruscan.

Tonight I suffered extreme humiliation by losing dreadfully at Uno, and it was not due to Isabel's adding up either. In fact she is a whizz with numbers. Obviously I need some new strategies to compete with Isabel and Jackson.

Earthquake

I woke up this morning to very depressing and upsetting news. Christchurch has been hit with another powerful earthquake which has decimated the central part of the city and left a large number of people injured or dead. This is on top of being subjected to continual aftershocks since the earthquake last September. As New Zealanders tend to just get on with life and solve their own problems they have not spoken out about how difficult it has been to live with after shocks and the probability that there may be another large earthquake. Now that it has happened there will be grief as well as more hardship and an uncertain future. Please stop for a minute and think about what life must be like for the people of Christchurch and all their families and friends who live in the rest of the country. Also please keep them in your prayers.

Peak District

We are staying in the only camping ground open in this part of the world. It is very cold, no doubt due to being further north and up in the hills. It snowed during breakfast this morning, very beautiful from inside a warm motor home. The camping ground is on the outskirts of a small town called Leek.

Jackson and Isabel are with us too, which excuses us from participating in more renovations to their house. I must say they have excellent Uno skills, Isabel won last night and Jackson won this evening. It is humiliating when you cannot even win against your grandchildren!

The Peak District, according to my book called 'I never knew that about England', was designated Britain's first National Park in 1951. The greater part of it is in Derbyshire, including the highest point, called Kinder Scout, which was the scene in 1932 of a mass rally. The ordinary people were fed up with most of the land being only available for a few privileged people and decided to do something about it. Thanks to them the government later passed the National Parks Access to the Countryside Act and there are many National Parks in England and Wales.

Another interesting fact is that Melbourne (Australia) was named after Melbourne in Derbyshire, due to William Lamb (Viscount Melbourne). He was Queen Victoria's first Prime Minister, and he gave his name to Melbourne (Australia). Also Melbourne (Derbyshire) is where Thomas Cook, the first tour operator, started up business.

We have not seen a lot of the countryside due to the low cloud hanging over the hills but it all looks pretty and most of the houses around are very old. We are looking forward to exploring further.

Today we decided to visit Water World in Stoke on Trent. Due to half term holidays the place was packed but it all ran smoothly, although very noisily. Jackson and Isabel had a fantastic time and I must say we enjoyed being in the warm water too. There were numerous flumes, rapids, wave pools, water playground and an outside pool, which was surprisingly very warm. Mind you after all the house renovations we would really have loved to soak in one of the thermal pools in NZ, ideally ranging from 40 degrees down to 36 degrees.

We finished off a relaxing day at a local pub, where the atmosphere was very welcoming and warm. We are having a few problems understanding the local dialects though.

Walter getting ready for the Uno challenge!

Renovations continued

I have finally completed two coats on the ceilings of the top stairwell, two middle rooms, the first landing, lounge and the hall plus the first coat on the walls in these areas. Now Emma and Steve are making a concentrated effort to install the new bath, line the loft rooms and finish the areas that I started. The carpets go down this week and they want to move in at the end of the week. Just a little bit of pressure there!
Steve looking very professional, with goggles and hammer, as he tries to remove the old bath, which must have been installed before the walls were built!
Emma painting the very fancy bannisters in the stairway leading to the loft rooms. Another 'Silent Witness' character.

Nearly there!

Where are we? We are on the move again - I am writing this blog in the motorhome up in the Peak District!

Renovations

We have been busy scraping back old paint, filling holes and painting at Emma and Steve's house in Bromley.

The last time I worked on an old house was back in the 1980's when we renovated the house in Henley Beach. I had forgotten about old paintwork, flaking plaster, old ceilings and dust. This house is the same age as the one we owned in Henley Beach as both were built in the 1890's. The only difference is the current house was built for local workers and is relatively small and the house in Henley Beach was a very large villa, which also meant grander problems.

The memories! I remember the termites which ate away a fair bit of the woodwork but left the paint so you were unaware of the damage until you touched it. One problem I solved was to fill in the bay window sill with lots of cement which worked but I hope no one has ever tried to take the window out since then. I remember the huge front enclosed verandah that was very solid, due to being reinforced with railway lines and thick mesh but leaked like a sieve due to the metal swelling and cracking the cement. I remember the ceiling which collapsed one day, again due to the termites having eaten away the woodwork holding it up. It took 9 years to renovate the house and then we sold it. We had lots of very happy times in the villa though, in between renovating.

Back to the house in Bromley where the renovations are very achievable, and it will be a lovely home for Emma, Steve, Jackson and Isabel. In the meantime I have refound the skills of polyfilling (I have used three tubs of polyfiller already) holes and making good the edges and corners. There are no termites to worry about thank goodness so I have kept away from using cement to fill holes!

I love wearing the outfit! Walter enjoying painting the bannisters!

And there is no Ofsted, no targets, no league tables!

40th birthday continued!

Just a few more photos! The speech!

Scott and Lucy with their very happy mother!

Proud parents!
The birthday girls!

Donna's 40th Birthday Party

It was Donna's 40th birthday party last night. It is hard to imagine we now have two children in their 40's. Time has just flown by so quickly.

The party was held in a room in a pub with lots of atmosphere in the suburb of Petts Wood. Scott organised an impressive computerised display of photos taken of Donna over the years. A friend of Donna's took charge of the catering which was very much appreciated by us all. The music was great and well organised by a DJ. We all had a fun time dancing the night away, even me who never quite found the energy to dance when I was working full time. It was lovely to celebrate the occasion with family and friends, although we did miss everyone from 'down under'.

Donna looked absolutely stunning as you will see by the photos. Karen, our neice from NZ, joined us for the occasion.
Kylie came over from Holland for the weekend.

The family line up, minus Darren of course as he has returned to Australia.
Scott looking very grown up and handsome as always. He had dyed his hair for the occasion!
Lucy also looking very grownup and very beautiful. Steve making quite an impression on the dance floor!
Dancing the night away! Fantastic!

Birthdays

Yesterday was Donna and Emma's birthdays. A joint celebration seemed a great idea on the day that Emma was born but trying to organise two separate birthday parties when they were children was always a feat, both in organisation and in cost.

Luckily they are now grown up and happy to share the birthday celebrations. So we had a birthday dinner at home last night - Beef Bourguignon with Yorkshire Puddings, Boeren Kool and fried potatoes. A multicultural meal due to having to buy ingredients in Holland and raid the freezer when home! Steve provided the yummy cakes.

The birthday girls!

Blowing out the candles, with some extra help from Isabel and Lucy.

Lucy and Scott relaxing on the couch.

A little bit of fun!

Bromley, UK

Back home again. The crossing from Hoek van Holland to Harwich on Friday was a little rocky at times due to the very high winds but as it was a large ship with stabilisers the crossing was relatively smooth. There were about 20 cars and 30 people so it was a very quiet voyage.

Since arriving home we visited Emma and Steve's new house to look at the progress and were very impressed with what they have achieved so far.

The view of the street from the front of their house.
The house with the scaffolding still up. The house is a two up, two down house with two extra rooms in the attic and a small extension at the back for the kitchen and bathroom. I guess the house started off as a worker's cottage. It is very close to the shopping centre in Bromley.The back garden.

Up the stairs.

Emma in working clothes surrounded by the admirers. Lucy did take off some old wallpaper though.
A lovely fireplace in the main bedroom.

The new bannisters.

Steve hard at work installing the new kitchen cupboards.

Life in Houten continued

The family have finally moved into their new home. It took seven trips in the car to move everybody and everything from the flat in Utrecht to the house in Houten. Walter became very familiar with the route, which took roughly half an hour each way.

So on the night of Saturday 29th January we all slept in the new house, amongst the dust, renovations and seemingly hundreds of boxes. It was bliss and we all slept late on Sunday morning.

Since then Aaron, Kylie and Walter have worked constantly to get the house in order. I was in charge of food, meals and children so was excused from the job! The two workmen, Aldert and Hans (who is also an estate agent) are doing a grand job on the renovations. There is now a bath in the bathroom - we had to wash in the little basin in the downstairs toilet for four days, and Mia's room (used to be part of the bathroom) is nearly finished.

The loungeroom, minus most of the boxes. The back wall will be extended by 2 1/2 metres.
The kitchen and dining room looking very organised. The lights will be changed!
Mia and Abi are more settled in school now they do not have to travel a huge distance to it each day. They received their first reports and Aaron and Kylie have attended parent/teacher interviews, which were very positive.

The school is now a three minute bike ride away or a seven minute walk. Dropping off and collecting children at the school is so easy. You arrive ten minutes before school starts and take your children in and help with coats etc, then you leave immediately and go to work or home. At hometime you arrive one or two minutes before school finishes (there are no parents there earlier than 5 to 3) and collect the children. It is expected that parents get on with their lives rather than hanging around the school! Bliss from an ex Headteacher's point of view.

The girls forgot their bags one morning and I brought them back half an hour later. I walked into the school and left them by their large cotton school bags. I did not have to report to anyone either. In fact there is no secretary as primary schools in Holland do not have a front office or secretarial staff. The staff room in de Brug school is a servery in the infant area, and you can smell good coffee (Senseo machine) when you enter the school. There are always a few teachers there having coffee and talking to parents at the same time. Het is veel gezillig!

Out of school care is provided by children centres in the community and the children are collected from the school by the staff of the centres. Most of the children also go home for lunch. If children stay at school for lunch, then parents have to pay for them to be look after at school.

I also found that I was not the tallest female in the playground. Many Dutch women (and men) are very tall!

Houten in the mist!

Gezelligheid

Gezelligheid - a very important Dutch word. All is well when it is gezellig! A great feeling when your house is spotlessly clean (including windows), candles are lit, flowers are in vases and you sit back and say 'het is gezellig!'

It is all about cleanliness, order and atmosphere. I also found out on this visit that gezelligheid also includes living together in harmony so tolerance, decorum, consensus are important aspects of Dutch life.

Dutch people are extremely tolerant, except when you try to walk down a platform with a pusher and two children in rush hour or if you walk out in front of a bicycle.

For me, I now understand just a little more about Holland, which means I understand a little bit more about my husband! Walter loved living in Utrecht and Houten during the past two weeks and is looking forward to more extended visits. His Dutch language also improved immensely through constant use. However we are not moving there permanently!

We are eating pancakes in a cafe. It was warm and friendly, with soft lighting and good food. Het was heel gezillig!