Brollies

This was meant to be my ABC post, but when I saw how many Umbrella-posts were going up, I had to think of another U! But it was a nice post, so here it is...

One of those contraptions that you never carry when it's raining. And when you do remember to bring it, the first time the sun comes out, you leave it behind. If you do remember bringing it anyway, the wind will get under it and break it or it will just fly off and end up in the gutter! If none of that happens, you will annoy everyone around you, because it is always in somebody else's face. Besides, it doesn't stop you stepping into big puddles...

In the photo are ten umbrellas. All belonging to me. I 'found' them on the coach a few years ago. The group I was driving all were given one, but the box contained fifty and there were only 20 people on board. I was left with thirty umbrellas. So, what to do with it? I tried selling them, but was only partly successful. I then started giving them away, but I still have around twenty left!

So, if you want an orange umbrella (for example so you can show you support the Dutch in the World Cup), why not send me an e-mail.

NOP 4

When these things first appeared in the NOP, I wondered what they were. A few weeks later it was finally in the papers: every time you see one of these poles, it means a ship wreck was found close to it. Most of these wreck poles were found around the former island of Schokland. When Schokland was still an island, Lake IJssel was the Zuiderzee, or an inland sea. The weather could get really rough and many ships barely made it back to port.

U is for...

UN

This tank is in the United Nations Taskforce colour. The UN taskforce (or the bluehelmets as we call them) have been deployed in several regions in the world over the last few years.

The taskforce is made up of different countries that vary from conflict to conflict. It depends on the conflict itself and the availability of the participating countries. Sometimes only one or two people from one country are in the taskforce because of their special field, other times it's a complete platoon.

The hope is that the independent taskforce will help to provide a peaceful situation for both the people of the country and for the fighting factions. Unfortunately it doesn't always work fast enough and the UN might have to stay for a considerable time.

For more U-words from around the world, please check out ABC Wednesday and join in the fun!

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?

Stuff

Debby at 'Just Breathe' had several questions put to her and I loved those questions. So, I've decided to answer them as well.

If you could interview anybody in the world for your blog, who would you choose and why? She's not with us anymore, but I have recently started to be more and more interested in my grandmother's life. So, it would be her!

Can you remember your last dream? Nope, which is probably a good thing anyway...

Name three places you would like to go on holiday to. I would love to visit Japan, Africa and (surprise surprise) Canada.

What scares you the most? Not making the right choice regarding emigration. Would it be better to stay or should I go and find out if it is for me or not. Scary stuff...

What is your favourite book of all time? 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen. You can't go wrong with that one.

What's the funniest film you've ever seen? I remember the first time I saw 'Spaceballs' (Mel Brooks), I nearly wet myself laughing.

Where are your kids right now? Thinking of my monsters as my kids: Sophie and Mathilda are indoors, Wuppie is on the garden table and Linette is who-knows-where!

What was the last thing you ate? Mmm, a Magnum mini ice cream. Two of them.

Are you usually late, early or right on time? It depends on what I have to do. Catching the bus: early. Starting the schoolrun: right on time to late. Visiting friends or family: always on time (even if I am late).

What is your favourite band or singer? I love Dolly Parton, even though I don't own any of her records. Than there's a Dutch male singer: Boudewijn de Groot who I think is great. The Youtube video is of Gentry Bronson doing an English version of one my favourite songs. I believe I believe I believe I believe I believe in you and me....

It's not easy being a woman

Disneyland Paris

Well actually, it is. Since I don't know how it is to be a man and I've always been of the female persuation, I just am. A woman that is. But sometimes it is made harder by the outside world to be a woman. And sometimes it's your own body doing that. And occasionally the two collide and make it extremely frustrating.

Take yesterday. A big festival in Scheveningen (near the Hague) and I had to drive as well. One of those articulated jobbies that won't go faster than 52 miles an hour and have no real comfort. They do however have masses of room and you can load one up with about 125 people. Making it the perfect festival bus.

However, only a couple of days ago my body decided to tell me it was still female. Which is a pain (figuratively and literally) in itself. Add to that the fact that I had to drive one of those bent bananas (otherwise known as articulated buses). On top of that there were no toilets/bathrooms/outhouses to be found anywhere near where the bus was parked or where I was supposed to pick the people up. So you can imagine how happy I was feeling!

But thanks to Esso (the petrol station) I soon felt a bit better again. And was able to do one more trip through the Hague before they told me I wasn't needed anymore and could go home!

The joys of being a woman...

Working hard

I don't know how many dogs I saw yesterday, but the community of Baarn must have had a special sale on dog licenses or something. If I had to venture a guess, I must have seen about two hundred: Dalmatians, Saint Bernards, Schnauzers, a German Shepherd type dog with sawn off legs, white dogs, brown dogs and lots more.

Apart from the many dogs I encountered, I also saw quite a few caterpillars, my new home and the former home of Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard. Of the latter three I took photos, but there were so many dogs to choose from, that in the end I didn't take any...

I had a nice piece of pear cake, a nice spinach and salmon wrap with crisps (?) and before going home I had an ice-cream. On a stick. So, all in all, it was a good day!

NOP3

I must have passed this tower hundreds of times and always thought it was a water tower. Until I saw the sign attached to it and learned it had nothing to do with water. It was actually a guard tower.

During the Cold War (fifties and sixties) towers like this sprung up all over the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. They had someone in the top scouring the air with a pair of binoculars to spot for foreign (read Russian) planes. From the late sixties they became obsolete and most of them were demolished. This one survived and you can get the key off the bridge guard and you can climb all the way to the top to spot for foreign (read Russian) planes.

T is for...

Tuberculosis Hut

During the early part of the twentieth century, a lot of people got sick and even died of tuberculosis. One of the ways to recovery was either a sanatorium or if there wasn't that much money: this hut. You could fit a bed in it and spend day after day in this hut. All four sides could collapse in real nice weather, but you could also leave any or all sides up. The hut could be turned around and that way you could be facing the sun all day. Some people would spend months in this thing (coming back inside during the nights though), even during the winter months when a small heater would be put into the cabin.

Nowadays, tuberculosis is more or less a thing of the past in the Netherlands, although there are still people suffering from it, mostly in the bigger cities. The illness is very infectious and is caused by airborn bacteria. Especially poor people used to suffer a great deal, mainly due to the fact that after contracting the disease they wouldn't have the money to see a doctor or get treatment. At one point (way before WWII), nearly the whole population was infected by TBC, however, most people never suffered or noticed any symptoms. Afterwards, they would be immune, although they would carry the disease with them until they died.

For more T-words from around the world, please check out ABC Wednesday and join in the fun!

Anorak?

In yesterday's post you could see a photo of all those buses waiting in line to pick up all those passengers. It tends to make me a bit emotional when I see all those buses or coaches together: it is such a great sight. However, I am not so emotional I want to photograph every single one though!

There are people who are though. Every time there is a massive event like this, you will see a lot of men (I've never seen a woman) with their cameras around their neck taking photographs of every single bus that drives past. Twice, three times, ten times! They are not interested in the Army Days or whatever event is happening, they are only interested in the buses.

The two in the photo are Jos (pronounce Yos) and Erwin. They are both busdrivers themselves and travel all over the Netherlands and sometimes abroad to photograph their buses. They record where they shot them, what the event was, the number of the bus, its numberplates and the company. Busspotters were responsible for telling the company I work for that we had two coaches with the same numberplates, they will know where our old buses go to (Cuba, Africa, Surinam amongst others). Their only downside? They loved the buses and only had a single glance for the 1-month old coach I was driving...

An anorak is a spotter of any vehicle and usually considered to be somewhat sad. However, I didn't feel these men were 'sad' in any way, they only have a different hobby to me!

PS: I asked permission to take this photograph and post it.