Normalcy and frustrations in one

I finally started working again about two weeks ago. It has not been easy, especially the first few days were quite hard. I was used to sitting at home doing sod all and all of a sudden I had to pay attention to traffic and such again. It was tiring to say the least, but I am glad to be back at work regardless. 

It also means that things are slowly returning to normal. From next month my wages will be back to what they should be instead of sick pay, which was about 90% of my base salary, no extras. One thing that was very much unwanted was the uniform though. When I started sick leave I was a bit heavier than I should and I managed to keep it off for the first month or two. After that, I just put on. Which now has to come off again. Back to normal!

There are also frustrations. Well, one frustration. Yes, I am back at work because I got my driver's license back. Which then turned out to be wrong and I have been on the phone so often to get it sorted. Every time the answer is the same: our fault and send it back. Which means I am not allowed to work. One ^%#& even said that it 'wasn't her problem' in an incredibly snotty voice. There was a raspberry involved. 

Yesterday I went back to get it sorted again (third time is a charm they say) and I hope that by this time today I have a correct license in hand. I won't bore you with the details, but needless to say it got my stress levels up big time. 

Other than that the garden is looking better all the time, as I keep pruning, cutting, removing, mowing and all the other things. A fence is due to go in in the autumn as the conifers that are between my garden and the public space are nearly all dead. I am still nowhere near done, but it is starting to look good. 

The hands are doing fine as well. The right is no problem at all, the left is still a bit sensitive, but I can do everything that is needed. 

Tuesday's Travels 22-19

I am back at the computer again! And here to tell you about last week's challenge. Which you all knew as the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, USA. Points to Gera, Hilary, Yamini, Millie & Walter, Fun60, Debby and Gerrit. 

My story? I obviously have never visited, but it was one of the cards I received through Postcrossing. When I run out of photos of places I have been, I can use those. As long as I crop a bit better than I did this time around...

On to this week's challenge. What and where is this? Have you ever been? Tell us your story. Answer next week.

PS: Update: I got my days muddled up: I thought today was Tuesday. So sorry.

Tuesday's Travels 22-18

I am having some issues with my desk top computer folks. It contains all the photos I use for TT and basically won’t let me do zip. I am now writing this on my phone. 

However, I can tell you who got points for last week. I thought nobody would get (point for me), but no, Yamini knew where and what it was: Mucross House near Killarney in Ireland. Congratulations. 

This week’s challenge is a bit different as in having to find something on my phone that does not contain text. So, where and what is this? Have you ever been? Answer next week!

Tuesday's Travels 22-17

I wouldn't blame you if you have already given up on me. If not: thank you so much. I completely forgot the first week and then last week (even with a concerned email from Yamini), I just never got around to it. However, I am back now and here to tell you that the last time the light did come on, it was of course on the White Cliffs of Dover, England. Points go to Gera, Bettina, Fun60, Yamini, Hilary, Millie & Walter and Gerrit. 

My story? I have seen these Cliffs quite often. Each time I traveled between England and France, they are there. Now, you might also have heard the song about those very cliffs. Just saying: there are no bluebirds in England, but apparently it sounded good in the song.

On to this week's challenge. Where is this? Have you ever been? Tell us your story. Answer next week (yes, NEXT week!).

You've got mail

Manchester, UK

Did you see the photos used in last Friday's post? Not my usual standard to be sure, but they were taken with my phone of postcards I have recently sent. I promised you a while ago I would tell you all about a new old hobby of mine, so here I finally go.

Empress Sissi from Austria

Back in 2006 I joined Postcrossing. A site that promised contact with the world and the only thing you needed to do was send postcards. Easy. And for a couple of years that was what I did: I sent out postcards to strangers all over the world. Australia, Canada, Egypt, Romania, Germany, Norway, even the Netherlands. In return I would get postcards back from strangers from all over the world. 

Lithuania

I preferred to get cards that showed me famous people (living/dead/fictional) of the country or region they were in, but was just as pleased with flowers, animals or city scapes. It was an expensive hobby (the stamps alone cost a small fortune), but it was great fun.

Finland

But then I stopped. Not sure when or why exactly, but I stopped sending cards. And when you don't send cards, you don't get cards. The hobby ended.

United States

Fast forward to earlier this year and I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. My sister had left again and I was on my own. The only mail that was arriving was junk mail and uninteresting official stuff. Then I remembered Postcrossing. I didn't know what my old login details were, but it was easy to create a new profile. Late January I sent out my first five cards to Germany, Japan, USA, Russia and Singapore. 

The Frysian language one from the Netherlands

As soon as one of my cards had arrived (Germany was fastest), I started to receive cards as well. So far I have sent 47 cards (of which 36 have arrived) and received 39. I received a Japanese figure skater, a Russian kosmonaut, a French church, a Taiwanese temple and bees from Manchester. People have written to me in English, German, Dutch and even Frysian (which I don't speak, but can read). They have written about their jobs, their hobbies, their towns. 

Maltese buses

Of course the stamps still cost a fortune and the postcards themselves aren't cheap either. If you can find them to start with! Back in the day it was fairly easy to find postcards, but people don't send them that much anymore, so they have started disappearing. And they have become more expensive as well. Paying over a euro for a single postcard is more norm than exception. 

Canadian Mountie

One day however, I found myself in a second hand shop and their was a whole basket with postcards. Costing only 10 cents each as well, so I went through them and came out with 17 new cards. Since then I have been hitting second hand stores to try and find cards. The biggest haul so far was just last week when I paid one and a half euro for a stack of postcards. After counting them once I got home it turned out I had 65 postcards. 

All cards so far

I use my doors to display the cards received and I am nearly one door (one side) down. Eight more to go before running out of space. Let's see whether I can fill them all. As long as I send, I will receive!

Tears of frustration

Okay, perhaps not quite the tears, but I can tell you, I am not far off! And this time it doesn't even have to do with my hands, which is even more frustrating. It has to do with a simple pink card.

As you know I lived in Norway for a few years. And while in Norway, I had to have my driver's license renewed. I got all the necessary paperwork in order, went to the department that issued the licenses and then waited until the Dutch authorities gave a positive answer and got my Norwegian license. Then I moved to the UK.

In the UK I had to exchange my license within a year and I was on my way of getting the paperwork done when I moved back to the Netherlands. Where it wasn't necessary to exchange until the license was out of date. Which is December of this year. However...

When in Norway, it took some time to validate my license and to beat that, I made sure I had plenty of time before I had to renew in order to avoid problems. Two weeks ago I got my final course work done, three days ago I had my physical. Everything was in order, everything was fine. Yesterday I went to my local council to renew my Norwegian license to a Dutch one. 

As in Norway, I had to leave my license behind. They have to physically check whether it's valid or not with the Norwegian authorities. In Norway I was issued a piece of paper saying that I was allowed to drive the vehicle categories stated on the paper during the duration. Only in Norway (and Sweden and Denmark), but as that was where I was living anyway, that wasn't a problem. I could still drive and since I do that for a living...

Not so in the Netherlands. No document is issued saying I can drive for the duration of the checks right up to the point of my new Dutch license. If I were to drive, I were to do so uninsured. Which is one thing when you only drive to and from work (and I wouldn't do it then), it's another completely when it is your actual job. Anything goes wrong and both me and the company would be in big doodah!

Which means: I cannot drive. I cannot do my job. So, I checked. Was it correct? Was there a way around this? Short answer: NO. Long answer: DEFINITELY NO. The department won't even tell me how far they are in processing my stuff and there is no way of chasing anybody up, as they won't tell where and how.

Instead of going back to normalcy next week, of getting back into the flow of things, I am grounded yet again. Not sick, but on holiday this time.

PS: Just so you know: I waited 9 months for a Norwegian license. 

Tuesday's Travels 22-16

Pre-posted folks, so I won't miss out again... Anyway, last week's challenge resulted in three completely right answers, and since some of you gave a completely wrong answer, albeit in the right country, I have decided only the right answers get points. Yamini, Gerrit and Fun60 knew/guessed this was the Arena in Verona. Not Rome, nor Arles (which was also a good guess by the way, just not good enough). 

My story? I visited Verona years ago. In fact, my first ever enjoyment of a pizza was on the piazza facing this arena. I have never been inside. Perhaps in the future some time.

On to this week's challenge. Where is this? Have you ever been? Tell us your story. Answer next week.

Normalcy

Is that even a word? Normalcy? Because I am slowly getting back to it. The right hand is pretty good again and the left is slowly following suit. I am still not up to 100%, but about 80% right now is pretty ok I think.

Lately I have been working in the garden a bit. Half an hour maximum on any given day really. Pulling weeds, mowing the grass. I don't dare do too much, just in case, but so far so good. Other than that I have been reading a lot. I got going with Jack Reacher and am now on book 11. Yesterday I started one and finished it at 1 in the morning, because I just wanted to know whodunnit! 

I have been watching a lot of television as well of course, plus I went to the cinema several times. I saw The Duke which was really good, Fantastic Beasts 3 (made my sister jealous), The 355, The Lost City, Uncharted (twice), Moonfall and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. I was supposed to go to Morbius, but canceled in the end as it is not really a genre I like. 

From next week however that will change a bit. Yes, the reading will most likely continue as will tv and cinema, but I will have to ration it more as I will be going back to work! Oh yes, after five months at home I will get back in uniform (providing I can find one that fits, I have gained a bit) and start driving again. The first week I will be at 50% of my normal hours, just to see how everything holds up. And then I will have a week off, as that was the plan way before the operations. Hopefully after that I will be back to 100%.

So, I think I will have to really enjoy my last week of 'freedom'. I know Miss O will need to as she has gotten used to me being home for so long. 

Tuesday's Travels 22-15

I missed last week! Shame on me!! I hope you will forgive me. But I am back now and I hope you have not all run for the hills. Last week's challenge was a mixed bag of answers. Although most of you were in the same sort of area (ie Eastern Europe). It was of course a guard in front of Prague Castle in Czechia (or Czech Republic). Gerrit gets a complete point, Yamini and Gera get half a point and Hilary gets a quarter point. Oh, and Gerrit also gets a point for the Sacré Coeur, I only saw his answer today.

My story? In 2016 my sister and I made our way to Prague and did a lot of walking. A lot of walking! One of the things we visited was Prague Castle and right in front was this guard. I think we were even there for the changing of the guard, which was a simple affair.

On to this week's challenge. Where is this? Have you ever been? Tell us your story. Answer next week (yes, NEXT week).

Tuesday's Travels 22-14

Last week's challenge was of course the Sacré Coeur in Paris, France and plenty of you did get that right. So, points go to Yamini, Fun60, Bettina, Harm, Debby and Hilary. 

My story? During the same trip to Paris as the Versailles outing, my sister and I spent a day in Paris doing the rounds. And one thing we also saw was this church. We got all the way up there (I think we took the funiculaire), but did not go inside, which is something that needs to be rectified at some point in the future I think. 

On to this week's challenge then. Where is this? Have you ever been? Tell us your story. Answer next week.