Bobbi and Jezzie

While I am on the subject of dogs, I must not forget to write about these two beauties, Bobbi and Jezzie.   I put Bobbi first as she is definitely the leader of the pack, when there are no adults around, and will lead Jezzie astray.

Bobbi and Jezzie are a breed of dog called Chinese Crested, which sounds more like a type of bird than a dog.

I looked up Wikipedia to find some information about Chinese Crested dogs.   They come in two varieties, Hairless and Powderpuff, and they can appear in the same litter.   The Hairless has a single coat: head, tail and paws, and the Powderpuff has a thick double coat.   The Hairless can in fact have a hairy body, but the hair is very thin.   Bobbi is like that.  Now it would appear that Jezzie could be a Powderpuff, or just a very hairy Hairless.   Confusing?   Yes.   We would like to think she is a Powderpuff, but her coat has now been so clipped, it is difficult to know what variety of Chinese Crested she is.   Chinese Crested dogs come in many different colours.  Bobbi is brown, and Jezzie is white with brown splodges.

They are a very friendly breed of dog, and love being with their human families.  They love to play, go for walks and being cuddled.  Although it is tempting, they must not be pampered too much, except for the care of the skin, otherwise they get a bit neurotic.  These two are very fit little dogs.  

The history of Chinese Crested dogs is interesting, as it is believed that they originated in Africa, and were called the African Hairless Terriors.   I think they were used to keep people warm, and eaten too.  There are also connections with the Mexican Hairless dog.   China somehow acquired the dogs, and they became known as Chinese Crested. 

Bobbi (the brown one) and Jezzie (the white one) before they attended the Pet Parlour for their haircuts and general grooming.  

And here they are a few days later, all spruced up, and clean, but alas a little cold now.   Bobbi often needs to wear a jersey in order to keep warm.   They are wearing bandanas, courtesy of the Pet Parlour.  Very chic.

Isabel hugging Bobbi.    Bobbi is like a little hot water bottle.

The two little beauties out for a walk.   This was before their haircut.   Now Bobbi has a very bare bottom, and on very cold days needs to wear a jersey and jacket outside.

Bobbi and Jezzie, Chinese Crested dogs.   Hairy Hairless and Very Hairy Hairless, or Powderpuff. And very cute.

Winter Blues - Definitely Not

I was dreading January, the excitement of Christmas/New Year over, and then the long weeks of winter ahead of me.    No jetting off to warmer climates to escape the darkness and cold winter this year.   It will be a matter of grin and bear it.    But in reality I have found during the past week that perhaps winter is not so bad after all, especially when I do not have to get up early, go to work and manage a large school, full of sick staff and children, and seemingly continuous wet play.  The advantages of retirement means that you can sit inside in the warmth, go for long peaceful walks in the cold air, and meet up with friends for lunch.   Sounds pretty good to me really.

There are many, many advantages to being here during winter.

Candles are lit in the evenings to add to the atmosphere of dark but warm and cosy evenings inside.  Our new candle holder, courtesy of Aaron and Kylie, which holds five tealights.  Plenty of atmosphere.

There is still some work to do in the garden, now that all leaves have gone.  These two shrubs definitely need a massive prune, and perhaps the one on the left needs removing altogether.   Too crowded.   A days work, and will keep me warm.

The orchids have come out in flower.    Cheerful.

The bulbs are starting to show through the cold earth.   Very exciting.   Note:  I weeded before I took the photograph!  Weeds never appear to mind cold weather.

And in the conservatory there is a beautiful arrangement to look at, a gift from Aaron and Kylie, with bulbs on the brink of flowering.   The Dutch florists make amazing arrangements, appropriate for all seasons and occasions.  Love it.   

We do have some sunshine, weak I know, but it certainly brightens up the day.  A glimpse through the trellis at our neighbour's garden, bathed in sunshine.

Sun shining through the windows of the conservatory, and inside doors open, briefly I might add.   But the fact that slowly over the next few weeks the sun will strengthen in warmth and rise further up into the sky, will mean that by February it will be possible to sit out there again during the day.

It was very sad to say goodbye to Lucy, who will be going to school in Adelaide.   A very exciting time for her, but we will miss her.

Consequently we have Poppy here for two weeks.   Great company.

Poppy in the backgarden, checking out the foxes.    We have encountered two so far.   It was quite a surprise when a fox looked down at us from the top of the steps, eyes glinting in the torchlight.  The garden at the top can be quite eerie, on dark windy nights and I usually do not venture up there.  But Poppy needs a toilet break, so I have to be strong.

Now is there a fox under this small tree?    It would appear from the way Poppy sniffs the plants, that the foxes urinate on our herbs and silverbeet, which we now must make sure we wash thoroughly.   Do we really need to know this.

And then on to my other two distractions this winter, Jezzie and Bobbi.   I took them walking yesterday, out on the very large grassed area by Emma and Steve's house.   Bitterly cold, and very marshy underfoot in one section, which I discovered too late.    I think I muddled their coats up, but I do not think they cared really.  At least I matched the leads to the relevant coats.   However I did get the leads a bit tangled, as the dogs ran around my legs and each other.   How do dogwalkers manage, when they walk six or seven dogs together.   I have seen them do this, in our woods.

Back home, with muddy feet, not completely clean but sleeping happily on the couch.

I must remember to put my gloves on when walking dogs, although the sun may be shining the wind is bitingly cold.   Picking up dog poo, in a plastic bag of course, is very difficult when the fingers are frozen.

And finally, a walk in the woods. very muddy and lots of water lying around.   But by a fence, there was a lone snowdrop plant. And it was flowering.  Such a beautiful sight.  Winter blues.   No way.

Home Again

We are home again, and sitting quietly side by side in our lounge room as I write this blog.  

Our trip home was uneventful, at first, unless one counts the wrong turning onto a motorway heading for Tilburg and Eindhoven instead of to Antwerpen.  We quickly realised our mistake, and went off at the next exit.   The traffic was reasonable and not too many trucks and mad drivers on the road.  The wind had calmed down too, and we thought that the storm had finished.

But as we drove closer to Calais, the slight wind became a gale and our hearts sank.  A rough ferry crossing lay ahead of us.  Or worse still, delays.

We drove anxiously along the road to the port, looking out for queues of trucks and cars, and lines of desperate refugees.  But no queues and only three refugees.  I find the refugee problem in Calais very distressing, and scary too now, as these people are becoming very desperate, and will try anything to get into the UK.

Security at the port was extremely high, with French police everywhere, and passports and vehicles being searched methodically.  Due no doubt to the recent killings in Paris.  

Eventually we were allowed through to the port, and sat in our car surrounded by eastern Europeans, travelling back to the UK for work.  We waited in the dark, our little group of cars and vans huddled together, in a nearly deserted port.   The wind whistled around us, while we waited for the DFDS Seaways ferry to arrive, which it did eventually, two hours late. 

We set off, in one of the oldest ferries I have travelled on, out into the stormy seas, and we were not disappointed.   Luckily there were not many people on the ferry and most sat in the lounge in the front, so we had the dining area to ourselves.  Not that we were eating, but it was in the centre of the ferry and there appeared to be less boat rolling there.  And no one throwing up around us, which must have been happening, as the staff were busy walking past with sick bags.  

Two hours later we were in the calm of the Port of Dover, where a security guard watched us carefully as we walked down the stairs to our vehicles.  But there was more to come, as every vehicle was stopped and searched by Border Control staff, in the customs area of the port, who also wanted to see passports.

What an unreal experience, high winds, darkness, rough seas, an old ferry and extra tight security due to a heightened alert.

I was so pleased to arrive home, which looked reassuringly safe and secure, even in the darkness.

The last two photographs from Houten.   Kylie's sister Morag, from Australia, came to visit for a few days and brought presents with her.  She made Abi the most beautiful princess dress, which she is wearing in this photograph.  Happy girls.

 Raphy, standing proudly in his Batman onesie, with cape included, ready to fly.  He now has two super hero onesies, so is a very happy boy.

Christmas is now officially over, and in the Netherlands the trees have been burnt, in huge bonfires.  A bright and colourful end to the holiday season.

Rijksmuseum

On Sunday Walter and I travelled to Amsterdam to visit the Rijsmuseum, which we have been meaning to do ever since the museum reopened after it was renovated and refubished.  The displays are now grouped according to different time periods, rather than grouping artifacts/paintings together.  

After a short train journey we arrived at Amsterdam Central, which also has been cleaned up somewhat.  Much improved.  And sunshine, but that was shortlived.

Lunch in a pancake shop.  Pancakes with apples and cream.  Not very healthy perhaps but delicious.

The Rijksmuseum, standing tall and elegant in the mist.  A very imposing building.

The entrance to the museum is spacious and light filled,  The architecture inside has been restored to its former glory.   But the most notable change was the lack of clutter of paintings.  No longer are there walls covered in paintings.  They must store the bulk of them now, and change the exhibits periodically.

Except of course, Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch', which always draws in the crowds.

This is the small copy of 'The Night Watch', painted by Rembrandt, after he painted the large one.  The original Black Watch was cut down in order to fit the wall in the town hall.  This small painting shows the detail that was cut off.

Posing in front of another Rembrandt painting.

'The Merry Family' by Jan Steen.   I love his paintings.  Always chaotic and lavish but there is often a moral behind each painting.  In this scene the moral points to the children growing up and leading irresponsible lives, due to too much merrymaking and drunkiness taking place in their young lives.

There is a Dutch saying that if you live in a messy house, you live in the house of Jan Steen.

Jan Steen, a self portrait.   He lived from 1626 to 1679, and came from a family of brewers.  His paintings, 800 of them, mostly depict daily life.

We had a thoroughly lovely visit to the Rijksmuseum, and time went by so quickly.  Before we knew it, the loudspeaker announced that the museum was closing, and we had to leave.   We are looking forward to another visit.

Ice skating

Ice skating on the rink at the Rond in Houten.  It is very cheap here, and no time limits either.  

I am not on ice skates.  Rather I am walking around in my boots, and the ice has plenty of powdery ice on it, so there is no danger of slipping over.  Raphy has skates that have two blades on each skate.  Very stable.   Mia and Abi, however, are becoming very proficient skaters.

Abi pushing Raphy on the plastic seal.  He loves this.

Now I am pushing Raphy.  No effort required on his part.  He would have spent the whole time being pushed around.

Mia and I pausing for breath.  Raphy no doubt is thinking, about how long he can convince us to push him around.

And to finish the day, I temporarily lost the trailer key, which luckily had been dropped at the skating rink.   Kylie and Aaron's brand new bike trailer, locked securely to a bike rack at the Rond.  I spent an hour or so trying to find it, before retracing my steps back to the skating rink.   Such a drama to end a very successful day.

New Years Eve. Fireworks time.

New Years Eve.  And in the Netherlands it is fireworks bonanza.  An amazing array of fireworks hit the sky at around 12.05 am.  The five minute delay is the amount of time it takes people to wish each other a happy new year before they light the first firework.

And then the madness begins, coloured fireworks shower the sky in all directions, accompanied by noise, and plenty of it.  Almost as if WW111 has begun, in earnest.

Most people go out into the street, even the people without fireworks to let off, in order to wish their neighbours a happy new year.  

Once people added to the noise and fireworks by burning the Christmas trees on street corners, but that practice is no longer allowed, for reasons that are fairly obvious, namely air quality and fire risk as well as general health and safety.  Now, the trees are taken to nominated areas at the beginning of January,  and the councils supervise the burning of the trees, in huge bonfires.  Still very exciting.

The fireworks go on for about an hour, before they start to decrease in number.  I have been told that about €74,000,000 was spent on fireworks this year in the Netherlands.  In a time of economic difficulties, that was a pretty impressive amount of money.

In the morning, the people who have set off fireworks, go outside and clean up the mess of burnt paper, shells, boxes and bottles.  Everything is usually spick and span again by dusk.  This is the Netherlands afterall.  Everything must be clean and tidy.

Raphy enjoyed seeing a few little sparklers being lit, a few party poppers being popped, and six little roman candles glowing in the dark, at 8 pm.  All very cheap, €10 worth, from Lidl.   Then he went to bed and slept through the noise.  The next morning he asked us when the really big fireworks were going to start.  He could not believe he had missed the show. Perhaps next year, Raphy.

Birthday Boy

Last week Raphy celebrated his fifth birthday.   Such a lovely age.  The world is full of wonder and joy.  And birthdays are really special.  Plus at five, you can tell everyone it is your birthday.   With great excitement.  And people love it.

The morning.  But not too early.  Still darkish outside, which in the Netherlands means 8.30 am.  The opening of presents.  And plenty of anticipation.

The men in the family play with the toys.  With much discussion and problem solving.  Plenty of bonding and no arguments.

The birthday boy eats his breakfast treat.  Pancakes.   Yum.

And finally the birthday cake, and the look of sheer pleasure on Raphy's face when the candle was lit.   Red icing this year.  A great improvement on the bright blue icing requested on the two previous cakes, for his third and fourth birthdays.  Underneath the icing a delicious sponge made by Kylie.

And so Raphy's birthday continued for a week.  And tomorrow it finishes with some birthday treats for his classmates, plus a special happy birthday song for him.  

Oh to be five years old.

Snow

Snow.  Ice.  Freezing weather.  It was all there, post Christmas.

This was the sight that greeted me, as I made my breakfast one morning.  Snow on the bikes.  Maybe not a morning for cycling. 

Our gloves drying out, and keeping warm behind the central heating pipes.  All ready to wear.

A stark scene awaiting us, should we venture outside.

At last the sun is shining.  What a beautiful scene.

No one on the bike path, but it has been salted.

And we did venture out on our bikes, in order to visit friends.  First we had to walk through the slippery icy snow, to get out onto the main bicycle track.  A worrying time.  And frozen fingers.  But we travelled there and back, and no mishaps.

Snow boots all together.  All ready to go.

The snow melted and then froze into a sheet of ice.  Mia wondered if she should put on her ice skates.

Kylie, Raphy and Walter walking carefully along the edge of the ice.  And trying not to step in some thawing dog poo.

And then the snow and ice melted and disappeared, just like that.  Gone.