Almost Spring

Hurray, civilization! After two weeks of dusty bush camping a day at the Gaborone Sun Hotel pool is a must!


Back home, back to building, and starting our masimo. For now we only do the layout, because the gate is not goat-proof yet – and goats just love to nibble baby trees. Keeping the goats out is doable, but how to keep the baboons and green monkeys away from our future papaya, guava, mango, avocado, lemmetjes, tomatoes, and etcetera?


Next winter we’ll have baked potatoes, melted marshmallows, heat, and other goodies from our own Jetmaster!

Poes!

Meet our most important travel companion: Piraten-Poes! Poes is Duncan’s mate, but she’s a bit naughty, so when they were visiting Granny Scotland, Poes was still roaming the estate when Duncan (4) really had to leave to catch his plane. Now Poes will be keeping Maud company while travelling to Gaborone July 22-23, via Cairo and Joburg. This means we’ll use our Dutch cell-numbers till July 22 around 15:30. We should be back on our Botswana cell-numbers July 23 after 16:15. Yes, it is a long trip; actually we’ll leave our Dutch house around 11:00 am July 22, and arrive at our Botswana house around 17:30 July 23 (supposing nothing goes wrong).
Maud: +26771219954
Bram: +26771219936


Preparations for leaving: making the boat rainproof so it won’t become a u-boat again while we are away.


So little fun trips through Leiden’s canals are over now.


In between cleaning & packing we squeeze some last fun appointments, like this meeting with Maud’s uncle’s new puppy.


We had a great summer in the Netherlands! Just wish all those goodbyes were a bit easier…

Enjoying the Netherlands

Homesick for old-style colonial Surinam? The camera at least is from the good old days - Bram's first, 1966.


Because of The Crisis our main reason for leaving the house is socializing – hanging out with friends, birthday-parties, graduations, newborn babies – endless reasons to loiter and enjoy. The first joy upon leaving the house is bumping into these fabulous red roses across the road.


All those special occasions keep Bram’s design skills alive, making B-Day-, baby- and graduation-wishes, and picture & video dvd’s.


The ideal guests: when having dinner with us Frank & Stella cooked up a fabulous desert, decorated with roses from our garden. The lady by the way is not Stella but Christa, looking forward to the proof of the pudding.


Yet another plate of whatever is to be served.


We all went to Machteld's graduation ceremony to witness her getting her GP diploma.


A piece of Dutch Leiden University culture: Bas (sitting in the middle) defended his PhD ‘The ne bis in idem principle in EU law’ with success.
It’s the oldest university in the Netherlands, founded in 1575. The Academia Lugduno Batava was a gift by Willem van Oranje because of the heroic resistance against the Spanish army – the Spaniards occupied the lowlands in those days. Everywhere where the Spaniards got kicked out the Catholic possessions were confiscated and put to good use, like harbouring the university.


Proud family!


What to do when on leave in the Netherlands? Visit other people on leave and be homesick. Andre & Tears hopped over to Leiden and in our boat for the one thing you can’t do in Botswana: boating & floating in the canals. We also had rookworst, ontbijtkoek, and other Dutch goodies for lunch of course.


This is how you first see our house when we fetch you from the railway station by boat.


Time to fulfil a long-time wish: a decent ceiling in the master bedroom. The old ceiling was ugly but liveable until a severe leakage ruined part of it. By now we demolished the old ceiling and the older old one. To make a really nice new ceiling we’ll hire professionals!


Like every year the meerkoet got a nest packed with little ones in our floating flower arrangement. And like every year the babies disappear quickly because the seagulls, and maybe the occasional rat, love those tiny snacks.


It’s a good year for the roses!


Killing time between our lunch and our dinner appointment by ‘doing’ the Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam. It’s a great afternoon out, with good opportunities for plesent shopping.


The northwest of Holland has villages with these huge old warehouses & factories for Dutch cheese, paper, grain, and etcetera.


Some of the typical Zaanse houses survived.


And why did we go there? Typical again: to loiter with friends and their pets, and enjoy a delicious dinner (fresh asparagus yeah!)

Family

Swinging cousins exchange the latest family gossip. (The daughter to Maud's nephew & the son to Maud's brother.)


When you wanna be a knight you’ll have to forge some weapons first… (The eldest to Bram's sister.)


…and then put them to good use by conquering a princess. (All Bram's sis' kids.)


Though this princess has a mind of her own, and prefers to hunt for dung beetles.

Being Guests, Having Guests

Since we will be in the Netherlands only till July 22, our program is quite packed with socializing☺ Maud’s friend since August 1973! Kristien got her B-Day dinner organized by her sons & boyfriend. Batswana pay attention: these people plan to visit next winter.


Another B-Day: to celebrate Maud’s uncle Aernout gathered some family on his botter (a wooden 1902 fishermen’s sailing boat).


This is where 2 fishermen and a gofer or bramzeigertje used to live six days a week.


Guess how the bloodlines flow!


Shopping in downtown Leiden, a 10 minutes walk from our house. It’s totally useless to go by car, so people use their feet, bicycles, mopeds, and boats.


The flower-section of the ‘big’ market on Saturdays; Wednesday has a half-sized ‘small’ market.


A close-up of the fishy section – yummy!!


My, my, people say Maud is the one who needs a re-integration course, but at least she knows how to eat a nieuwe haring. Hold it by the tail high up in the air, and start enjoying, Bram!


“Any woman who thinks the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach is aiming about 10 inches too high” - Adrienne Gusoff


Maud’s mom came over for the weekend, so we invited some neighbours she knows from way back when.


Batswana pay attention again: Maud’s mom plans to visit next autumn, and Bram’s brother & grlfriend & daughter will arrive coming July 30 already!


Got the caps – is there anything else to prepare?


Every guest has to admire the plans for our Botswana house…


… and to watch the video!
Proved and approved, so Bavo & Dineke say they will hop over to help with the finishings, like painting and carpentry.

The Netherlands

We have been in the Netherlands almost a month now, and still no blog-posts… Next to Maud being fascinated with organizing her music-collection, we are mainly busy with (re-) organizing our house & garden, and visiting family and friends. As you can see, it’s spring in the Lowlands (picture: on the road near to Maud’s mom’s plot).


The youngest Dilrosun Linde – she may be the smallest but she knows how to compensate by being both extremely charming and very vocal!


It is asparagus season, and though there are some hiccups with illegal Eastern-European farmhands, they are delicious this year. Especially since Joost & Christina made us a great asparagus lunch with super guests.


The mystery guest still refuses to show him- or herself…


Very sad is that Bram’s friend Paul died in a parasailing accident. His impressive funeral was on May 12 in Broek in Waterland. The coffin travelled by boat from his houseboat to the church.