Typical (again, I know)

Why does a heron lift one foot to go to sleep?
If he lifts both, he will fall over!

My dad wanted to take my baby with him on holiday: it was smaller and therefore didn't weigh as much as his own laptop. So, when I went to see my parents last week, I took the baby with me. Without it's protective cover though, because I had lost it. I couldn't find it anywhere! I knew it wasn't in the kitchen and it was definitely nowhere in sight. The day my parents left last week, I found it. It had made its way into the paper recycling bin! Oops!!

I am however not the only one loosing stuff. Even the powers that be (ie my boss) looses stuff occasionally. Like certificates. Although I should probably say he didn't loose it so much as never had it in the first place. So, tomorrow I will be doing a course I have already done! Joy!!

So, what is this course you are wondering (I know you are, you lot are a nosy bunch of people, otherwise you wouldn't read my or anybody else's blog). I will tell you: it's 'The New Driving'.  For some obscure reason the European Parliament has decided professional large vehicle drivers (bus/coach and lorry) need 35 hours of extra training every five years in order for them to be allowed to keep on driving professionally. There are many courses to pick from, but one that is almost mandatory is the new driving. Learning how to save fuel (and as a result the environment) and how to drive a bit more smoothly.

As I said I did this course nearly two years ago, but apparently my boss never got the proof of it. So, since it's already paid for, I have to do it again. Ah well, I will get paid for it... I just hope I will get the chance to do the remaining 14 hours as well (I already have two other courses under my belt), so I might go to Norway with a new driver's licence, all up to code!

And yet again...

It seems that my working life over the last week has revolved around football stadiums, because on Tuesday I found myself yet again at a football stadium. The crowd surfing stadium. And this time it wasn't football and it wasn't a concert. This time around it was a lot of youngsters being herded by riot police.

I've been on two riot police tests before and it's always fun to see. Of course the situation is not real, because if it were just 'test over' (or something like that) is not going to stop a lot of young men trying to break through police lines. They will not stick to the (provided) potatoes, but will also take rocks and bricks and paving stones. Of course it being an annual test, the police want to test and see what works and what doesn't, but they don't want people to break the law, damaging stuff or hurting people.

For us drivers it was boring really. After dropping our group of over 200 people of, they were herded through an estate on their way to the stadium. And then we were told we had to be 'available' if needed. So, we were stuck a bit. The weather turned as well. It had started off really nice and sunny and even warm, but the fog rolled in and so did the cold. When we made it into the stadium the warmth didn't exactly hit us like a ton of bricks either. It was actually rather cold there. We had our dinner of paper plates, standing up, in the semi-dark and in the cold!

After the potato throwing (600 young people against the riot police) we were finally able to go home. So, I turned on the engine of my (finally fixed) coach, turned on the heating and sat freezing in the driver's seat for the next hour and a quarter, since the front heater had packed in! I was a happy girl on Tuesday. Oh yeah...

You've got mail

Remember that letter I received a few weeks ago? The 'strictly personal' one? Well, I finally asked my neighbour about it. Whether she had received one as well. And she hadn't. So, I let her read it (yes, I know, I violated the strictly personal bit, but I already posted it here). And she had no clue as to who they were talking about. Although it might be...

Well, I know a bit more now. Wilma apparently lives across from me, although I would not recognize her in a line-up. And some of the people her children are complaining about are her direct neighbours. One is a nice German couple with a few dogs and one is my awful former neighbour who went to the police about me once on account of my sister playing the radio too loud.

Today I will take the letter and go to the police myself. I don't know whether my name or address have already popped up in any enquiry, but I am not willing to take too many chances. After all, I need a clean bill of behaviour from the police to be able to do my job!

Strictly Personal

I received a letter this week. Marked strictly personal. Mind you, it was strictly personal to the extent of the right address. And the mrs/mr. So, not really strictly personal.

It was a handwritten letter personally and only for me. Very discretely and in the fullest trust. Dear Sir/Madam... But no name in sight. Right! Here's what it said (literally translated):

In concern to very evil mean uncorrect neigbourhood gossip about 108 by A, B, C, D and E they are screaming "neighbour is crazy etc" even children are being turned etc. Okay, "barking dogs don't bite" the harder people scream... of course people gossip about everybody but this takes the biscuit a lot of people have caught on and an official inquiry has been started discrete information the inquiry has been started to avoid threatening escalation a lot of people are angry in concern to the gossip loudly present etc people wanted to play justice themselves It's tempting to react  but that's what people want and would be oil on the fire. We too have passed everything over. The case is being taken very serious. From our research it seems you are closely in this as well... According to our mother not she and we give you the benefit of the doubt. She isn't home often due to illness. On top of that she's mostly lost her voice. After years of struggle she is now losing the battle and there isn't much understanding for how her illness progresses and the taboo is great.

The gossip rests on this and other things like alcohol, money etc. public secrets play a big part in this and if things don't go as planned you get more of this gossip

Okay today us at number 108 tomorrow...

But time is moving too fast for her and we want rest.

Our apologies for the disturbance

we hope you won't see this as gossip, that's not what we meant at all! everybody has something good in them. We just wanted to let you know.

in general we love living here and it's quiet when the gossip club isn't complete or absent. that's a fact

the children of the crazy neighbour

her name is Wilma by the way

Well, if anybody can shed any light? Since I don't know what they're talking about or even who they are talking about!

I love living here (!)

I don't pay a lot of rent for my three bedroom family home with garden and shed. In the last few years they have renovated my bathroom, my toilet and kitchen. They've put in new insulation and double glazing and they have not even put the rent up.

In exchange I live in the cheapest quarter of town, along with a lot of other people. And lately some of them have been in the news. Last week there was a shooting and stabbing. Both of the men involved ended up in hospital and when they were released they were arrested and put in prison. Apparently it was over a drugsdeal gone bad. As well as the two men hurt, two other men were arrested for their involvement.

Unfortunately the event was witnessed by several children (it was late afternoon) and wasn't the first time something like this happened. As a matter of fact, the house where the stabbing happened was raided by police only a week earlier!

Don't I live in a great neighbourhood?

Strike

No, I'm not on strike. The London Underground is on strike. And that is quite bothersome. To say the least. Because the group I'm taking to London was supposed to be doing everything by Underground today. I would just drop them off at the Tower of London around 10/10.30 am and pick them up tonight at around 10.30 pm. Instead I had to race at a snail's pace through London to get to the parking lot in time for me to rest nine hours (European Driving Laws). I managed, but an hour from the London Eye to Bayswater (it's less than 5 km/3 miles) is just ridiculous.

We did manage to get to Chelsea FC on time though and even London Eye was reached on time! Tomorrow I'm supposed to be doing a tour of the town. Dreading it already!

So, instead of walking through an unknown area of town, I'm now blogging, all due to the (very fitting for today) Underground... Since I'm not going to walk all the way to the other side of the city (I had Greenwich in mind, but that's over 15 km/10 miles). I will have some dinner, buy some books and go back to my coach watching the chaos that is parking lot.

Relax!

I couldn't get to sleep last night. I tossed and turned, pondered, thought, worried and lay awake for over an hour before finally drifting off. And the reason? Work. Of course!

Last week I had a bad night due to my trip to London, last night was bad due to my upcoming trip to Avignon (South of France). Because of the distance (over 1100 km) mostly. In Europe we have so-called driving laws. You almost need a degree in mathematics to completely understand, but basically I'm not allowed to do more than 10 hours driving a day. And at a maximum speed of 100 km per hour... You can do the math! The maximum you can do on your own in one day without any massive delays is around 800 km. But everything has to run as smooth as a baby's behind!!

So my night was spent wondering how I was going to cover over 1100 km. I needn't have worried: today the arrangements were made. On Thursday I drive down to Luxemburg and on Friday I take over from my colleague and drive all the way to the South of France.

Tonight I will sleep soundly, knowing that the trip cannot be properly researched anyway (no information whatsoever). I will take my maps, I will take my navigation system and I will enjoy myself in the French sun.

Neighbourhood

I don't live in what you would call a nice neighbourhood. Even people living in villages surrounding the town where I live 'know' where I live if I just say: behind the hospital. Their response (almost invariably) is: ooooooh, the Star area*!! Not such a good area is it!?!

And no it isn't such a good area. A few years ago, the police even started patrolling the area of its own accord! Anyway, the council, the police and the housing association have been working really hard over the last few years to make the whole area a nice area. They cleaned up paths and alleys, they got rid of debris and shrubs and they did a major overhaul on all association-owned houses. Different colour houses (mine's pink), extended back-yards, fencing and of course the insides: new bathrooms, new kitchens, new (double-glazed) windows, new outside doors. Insulation all over the place and all at a cost of nearly nothing. It's included in the rent.

However, even though their efforts to make a better neighbourhood have worked, it's only up to a point. It's still the cheapest area of town, making it a haven for low-income or no-income people. And especially with no-income comes crime. Occasionally a show is being given on the green in front of my home. Groups of men shouting and fighting. According to a neighbour, recently even shooting! So, I wasn't that surprised when I saw police ribbon out last night.

Isn't it a great neighbourhood?

*It's called the Star area, because all streets have something to do with the solar system: Saturn Street, Meteor Street, Comet Gardens etc.