The Netherlands

As I write this blog, I can hear the rain pelting down on the roof of the recreation room at the campsite.   And soon I will have to ride my bike back to Aaron and Kylie's house.   Terrible weather.

Right at this moment I long for the warmth and sunshine of Camping Manjastre.

However, it is lovely to be here with Aaron, Kylie, Mia, Abi and Raphy, and we are enjoying seeing them again, and spending time with them.   The three youngsters have grown so much in the year since we saw them last.   

In order to make it all perfect, I wish for some lovely calm and sunny weather and some warm days too.    

 Since we arrived we have experienced two nights of thunderstorms, with flash lightning that lit up the night sky.   It was like a light bulb flickering on and off.   In the end we closed every blind in the caravan.  Then last night the wind started blowing very strongly, almost gale force, and today there has been heavy rain as well.   It is also quite cold.

A view out of the front window of Aaron and Kylie's house, just before I got on my bike, which was the one under the tree, and rode it back to the campsite.  

We are staying in our old caravan, the one that we sold to Camping de Vliert, before we went back to Australia.   Of course we now have to pay for the hire of the caravan as well as the camping fees.   Still it is great to be back in our old touring caravan, and nothing has changed, in that all the pots, pans, crockery, cutlery etc are still in the van.   Even the three bottles of caravan cleaner we left behind are still in the front of the van.   Amazing.   So deja vu. 

Inside our old van, all is as it should be, and thank goodness for the toaster we left behind.

Walter is riding my old bike and I am riding the bike we hired from the campsite.   Very strange handlebars at the front.   But a lovely bike to ride.   My new panniers are on the back of the bike.

The beautiful view from the back window of Aaron and Kylie's house.   It looks magnificent, especially the white roses growing over the sheet.

It takes about ten minutes to ride from the campsite to Aaron and Kylie's house, and the first few minutes takes us through farmland.    I love looking at the sheep and their lambs resting under the trees.   They seem to be always sleeping.   A sheep's life.

I love the display of raffia baskets and trays on the wall of the recreation room.   

The toilets and showers, plus the recreation area were once the cow sheds for the farm.   It is no longer a dairy farm, although they still grow crops. 

The room I am sitting in, has a lounge, a television plus tables and chairs.   I only put a few lights on which is why the photograph is a bit blurry.   A very comfortable room though, although a little dark.   There is a small flat above, so no skylights.

 The room next to this one, has sinks for washing up, plus washing machines.   It also has a table tennis table, a pool table and a small football game table.   There are skelters (go karts) outside for children to use, plus a playground.   Except for the washing machines everything is free to use.   A very child friendly campsite.

The rain has now stopped so time to get back on my bike and head off back to the house.