The state of affairs part 1

With new buses comes a new uniform, even though the dark blue is a remnant of the old one as the new one has still not arrived.

There are a few things I have neglected to tell you about for the past month and I felt it was time to remedy that. Starting with electricity.

I can see you thinking now: electricity? What? Have I touched a live wire and gone doolally? No, but I have gone electric. Well, not me personally of course, but the company I work for. Starting on December 13th, I now drive for the company with the largest electric bus fleet of the world. It will be overtaken I am sure, but for now, we're it!

New routes as well. In the top left you can see an arrow, click on that square and the whole screen is taken over by navigation. Especially handy on new routes.

Going electric has actually been quite nice as far as I am concerned. I have managed to get back to base every time (although once it was touch and go), I have not been freezing my feet off and in general I quite like the new buses, especially the navigational tool for the new routes we have. 

Of course there are always things that don't quite work from the word go. As I said, I have managed to return to base, but some of my colleagues have not been so lucky. Tow truck and service cars followed. 

I had 7,5% left in the 'tank'. Below 5 it would have been dire.

The one thing missing is a radio, which will be installed at a later date. During the Christmas holidays I used my phone to listen to the radio and it ate all my money. It was an expensive outing. The next day I had learned: use the bus' wifi and it worked a treat. The day after not so much and I lost even more money (I am on prepaid). I now use my iPod where I can listen to numbers by David Bowie to Glenn Miller, Sesame Street to Led Zeppelin, Dutch, Portuguese, African, Eurovision and a whole lot more.

As I said I have been okay, others perhaps less so and I think it is only due to the fact that we are now on Corona limiting services that allow the company to iron out the problems easier than it would have been had a full service been running. We will get there though!

The first one

Over the past couple of days I have walked each day. On day one it wasn't even two kilometers, on day two it was just over three and on day three, I doubled that. Mind you, I nearly gave up before even getting started. You can see in the first photo what the path was like. A stretch of about 400 meters I would say and it was just mud. 

It was hard going, as it wasn't just mud, it was sucking in mud, slippery mud, sliding mud, wet mud and there were barely any patches where it was a bit safer to walk. I had my camera in hand and even though I felt it was not the best idea to do so, I couldn't pack it away either as it would have meant putting my back pack down in the mud.

The 'border' between the public (where I walked) and the private area of this nature park.

I did manage to get across this bit though and then the walk really started for me. And a lovely walk it was. It was a walk through one of the newer areas of the country. Literally. It was only formed in the sixties and seventies of the last century and has been left to its own devices (managed, but still) since then. 

The black animals are the cattle, the deer are in front of them.

On the north end of the railway tracks that divide the area up, there are lots of cattle and deer. On the south end there are Koninks horses. I only saw cattle from one vantage point, until I got home, looked at the photo and realised there were a whole lot of deer in front of the cattle.

The horses were a bit harder to spot though, even though I walked in their area. Plenty of poop to show they were in the area, but not the animals themselves though. Never mind, there were birds to see as well and even though I didn't capture the birds of prey, I did get robins, great tits and some bigger birds like swans, geese and herons.

Not three, but four horses!

And then all of a sudden they were there: three horses, well camouflaged by the surrounding grass and reeds. Two of them stubbornly refused to show me anything but their behinds, the third one was a bit more cooperative and I managed to photograph it head-on. Again it wasn't until I got home and looked at the photos that I realised there was another horse in the photo (I showed it yesterday).

A bit further on, I got another two and then the walk was nearly over. Just the mud to contend with. This time I knew what was coming and managed to pack my camera away before venturing out to conquer the mud.

Yeah, not a chance!

I did manage it, but I was glad I had some clean shoes and a clean pair of jogging bottoms to wear as there was no way I was allowed in my own car the way I looked! And yes, I changed in the parking lot where people were going past. Needs must and such...

Photo on Sunday 2021-01

When I took the photo today, I never saw there were actually two horses. What a lovely surprise that was...

 

Hay ho!

Day one of the new year. And we all wish 2021 will be a different year than 2020, less isolation for a start! So, I wish everyone a great year with plenty of hugs and kisses, family and friends, parties and socialising and of course travel. 

For me the year started early as I had to work this morning. Which in turn meant I was in bed at 11.30 last night. Fortunately there wasn't too much heavy fireworks in our neighbourhood. There wasn't meant to be any as it was forbidden, but there are always people who think they are above any rules. Which is also the most likely reason one of our wheelie bins and all three of our neighbour's have gone up in smoke! Idiots!!!

The sign reads: you're laughing now...
Ominous

Anyway, after work I made a start with the challenge I had set myself: 790,8 kilometers to fulfil by December 31st. I had meant to do about 2 km, but when I got back to the car, I had done just 1,6. A mile. I had done all of a mile. Ah well, at least it is something. Tomorrow will be another day and another chance to whittle it down. And every journey starts with a step and these were my first steps.

So, that's it for now. Not much to report on this first day of the year. Enjoy your weekend.

The last one of the year

This morning I put on my walking gear once more. I was not going to drive for a long time trying to find a nice woodland walk. This time I was going to stay local. Ish. Yes I was staying in my home town, but I was going to a different area than what I know. 

It was a lovely walk, very much helped by good weather. I started in one of the suburbs, but pretty soon I was out of town and walking alongside fields and farms. I met a fair few dogs guarding their homes, saw some cattle, one sheep, a few horses and ponies. And trains. Plenty of them as there were two different lines running through the area I walked in.

I must admit I prefer walking in woods (softer on the legs), but this was a really nice walk. Longer than normal and that was on purpose. I felt that if my knee would hurt for 5 km and for 8 km, I might as well do the 8 km. So I did. 

Some of the farmhouses were gorgeous and I was quite jealous of whoever lived in them. I would put up with the trains if I could live there! Most of the farms were still working farms. I saw cattle farms and a flower farm. And several others, but I didn't always look too closely.

When I got home I decided to enter all my kilometers in a spread sheet. See how well I have done this year. Which wasn't that good to be honest. Especially the first Corona wave had me sitting on my bum all day it seemed: April saw me log a total of 4,24 kms. That is just over 2 miles. For the whole month! Very very bad.

As you know I always have a goal for the new year. In 2019 I listed all the things I was grateful for on a weekly basis. This year I saved money by putting money aside every day (1 cent for day 1 of the year, 2 cents for day 2 of the year, etc. I now have a fair amount of money I will find a nice cause for soon). For next year?

Well, seeing as I have really started to like all this walking about and it does me good physically and mentally, I decided to put out a goal. Over 2019 my best month was October with a total of just over 67 kms. This year's best is November with a total of close to 65 kms. I added those two up and divided them by 2. Then I multiplied by 12. My goal for 2021 will be a year total of just under 791 kms. Or 491.7 miles if you are of the imperial mind.

It means I have to get out and walk. I will take my camera along and take photos of winter, spring, summer and autumn again. Anybody wanting to join me (not necessarily for the whole distance): welcome! Let's make it the 2021 Challenge!

Tweetie birds

Miss Oswin is usually found downstairs in the morning. Food you know is a big pull. However, there is another one as well and sometimes she will stay downstairs for a long time, sitting on the floor and trying to catch a bird or two (for some reason she never sits on the window sill for that).

So, here are two birds that were found in our garden over the past few weeks. One is of a jay and the other of a great tit. 

Vrolijk Kerstfeest

From all of us

 

Belonging

I think it's the old telephone cable system. Underground obviously!

Mouldy fungi. Weird.

Because we all know hub cabs grow on trees!

A forest gnome getting out of the ground

So, a few things I found on several of my walks. Hope you enjoyed them and yes, it's a lazy post today. 

Me, myself and I

July 2012, at the Navy Days

Last February I started to take a photo of myself on the first of the month. And then every month after that. I started off with a real chubby face back in February and right now I can definitely see I have lost weight. 

November 2013, at a staff Christmas party

However, I felt that only starting in February was a bit strange really. After all there are plenty of photos of me and if I could find one for each month, I could really see the changes in me. Not only weight wise, but hairstyle wise as well! 

July 2016, during a hike

Over the past ten years, I have had red, blonde and mousey hair. It has been short, medium, long, short again. And then long again and short again. Up and down, like a yo-yo. The glasses have remained more or less the same, as I know what style I like (the new ones are going to be a bit of a change).

August 2015, at the climbing park with Pepperfly

But, what I also found is what fun I had. With colleagues, friends and family. Here, there and everywhere. Then I looked at the last couple of years and what was missing? Right, the fun. Yes, it was there when I spent time with my sister back in NI, but especially the photos I took since February are quite soulless. 

January 2011, playing silly

It needs to change. Last night my father said why not join a choir. I wonder if he has heard of this little thing called Corona. Mind you, I am back at work again and have joined the staff club. Which can't do much right now either, but there will come a day...

December 2012, BORING!

I also started walking again, getting out there in nature, doing things. Which has to make better photos than the door! So, from the coming month, there will only be photos taken out and about or with other people. No more boring ones in front of the door.

Seeing the world

I was in bed the other day and had just woken up. I was about to get up, so I grabbed my glasses. As I did so, I realised something was missing: one of the sides was gone. I found it on the floor. Annoying.

I got downstairs where I have a spare pair. They look the same, but they are different. The pair I always used was nice and comfy. The spare pair was tight and fairly painful. Fortunately I would have to work and I always wear my night- or sunglasses there. 

Talking about those sunglasses: we have just gotten new buses and the screens inside (the ones with the routes and stuff) are not good with the glasses I have, as my sunglasses are polarised. Annoying.

Trying on with the drawn lines and text

After work I made my way to a local opticien. It was the same chain as the one I got the glasses from originally in Northern Ireland. The regular glasses could not be fixed. Yes, they put some glue in them, but they now function only as a spare pair. The spare pair would now have to become the regular pair, but needed adjusting first of all.

Next on the list were the sunglasses: how much would it cost to get them de-polarised? How much??? Well, I needed to think on that one. But at least I could wear some glasses again.

This morning I went to another opticien. A chain I always frequented when in the Netherlands and they always offered good service. After an eye test (they are worse again), the picking of the glasses started. In the end I found 4 pairs I was happy with. 

My new glasses. The two pairs on the left will be doubled

Yes, four pairs. An heir and a spare for each: day, night and sun. And there was an offer on anyway of get three, pay for one! However, there was one thing that I had to get as well: my reading has deteriorated somewhat from before and I now need varifocals, ie the little reading bit at the bottom! That put the price right up! 

Ah well, from January 2nd, I will have six new pairs of glasses. So I can see the world properly again!