2 weeks
Trip Start
Apr 30, 2004
1
32
43
Trip End
Feb 09, 2006
Amersfoort, Netherlands
Monday, May 16, 2005
Monday
Jeroen is goin to Friesland to visit his mother. It is Whit Monday, so my brother is free from work. We go over the selling of our house together. The house must be selling ready, and I have to store all my stuff somewhere. The first boxes have been packed at the end of the day. My brother cooked a wonderful meal for me, and for the first time, we're at the same table again.
Tuesday
We cycle up a hill in the morning to sign the authorization with the notary. My brother can deal with the sell, when I'm abroad.
Because my brother threw out the regular telephone line, I'm totally inaccessible. I have to get a prepaid card for my phone I fortunately found in a box. I call Jeroen to give him my telephone number, and I hear he has been sick all night. 1 year away from Holland, and you can bear the Dutch food anymore??
I get some moving boxes in the afternoon, do some work in the garden with my mother, and visit the house of the Webmaster, to look at their new puppy, and abuse their internet connection.
I'm going to a new bar from a friend of mine to drink something with Martine, and meet her new boyfriend. It is so weird that she knows him for almost a year, and this is the first time I saw him.
Wednesday
My mother helps me to make a garden out of the jungle. At the end of the day, all my books are packed, and you can recognise the front garden. Jeroen is still in Friesland, but now he is with his father. Fortunately, he is revived.
Thursday
Jeroen comes back to Amersfoort , and gets to work in the garden. My mother is there too, and she takes a car full of boxes back to her house. All my stuff will be stored in her attic.
We eat with Femke that evening. Last year she didn't even move to this address yet. A lot of things changes in one year. After a lovely evening with good food, and the latest news, we have to go home. The two of us on one bike trough the downpour....could it be anymore Dutch? (thanks for lending your raincoat Fem!)
Friday
I had a cold with a little throat infection, but now I lost my voice too! Nice an quiet for Jeroen. But emptying a house with headache is not funny! We have to work on the house next week, so we have to buy stuff for it today. So on the bike with litres of latex and paint rollers.
There is a jazz weekend now, where I normally go to, but because of my cold, I can't go.
Saturday
Because I once accidentally locked the cat in a room, we had to paint it all over again. Further we have to dot the i's and cross the t's. But there is also time for fun things. At night we go out to dinner with Danny and Eveline at a very good Indonesian restaurant. After that we go into town to watch the bands playing, because it is Jazz weekend. We see Hans Dulfer, and Zuco, that is not really jazz, but fun in spite of the rain.
Sunday
Sanding, painting, pasting, and cleaning. Another working day. I have a very bad cold and am worn out, so I take a nap in the afternoon. When I wake up I feel very bad, and when Martine and Rene arrive, I feel green. We would go out for dinner, but I decide to stay at home. A good decision, because I was sick all night.
Monday
I don't really feel any better. Solid food is not an option, and I still have fever. Jeroen pampers me, and paints the wall for the second time.
Tuesday
I'm going to pack some boxes again, but I don't feel that well. My stomach is still a bit odd, and I get cramp in my calves from the liquid deficiency. At night we go to Danny (the webmaster) to use his computer....AND...to watch the video from Yorin Travel. Last Sunday was the episode where Chris Zegers was in Zululand.(=us) It is very funny to see our guide Victor.
Wednesday
First the salvation army came to collect some things. That clears out nicely! Then my mother came with a borrowed delivery van (thanks Piet!), and now the moving begins! After two rides, most of the boxes are at my mother's home. In the evening I try to eat normal food, and fortunately, this time it stayed inside.
Thursday
Jeroen goes to Utrecht to get train tickets. He goes to the international window because we don't have internet. He can check if they have the pants he saw in Manchester here too.
I'm going to the housing association, to adjust some things. If we ever stop travelling I'd like to be qualified for rented house. I can authorize my mother to view houses for me, and maybe sign a contract. Now this is settled, I can strike my name off the city list. That sounds easier than it is. The lady behind the desk doesn't really know what to do with my situation. She finally counts me under " Without permanent home or address"(?).
In the evening we go out to dinner with Martine en Rene. That weird, because she knows him for about a year, and we're just getting to know him. After a successful evening, we cycle through a lovely summer night home. (it was finally nice and warm today!)
Friday
I made the house "estate-agent ready", because they will stop by today.
Saturday
We agreed to meet with a few people in a bar tonight. We didn't have enough time to see everyone in private, so we decided to organise this evening.
Sunday
I pack the last boxes that are going to my mother's house. And boxes are not the only things that go with my mother today. The cat has to go to. My brothers next house probably doesn't have a garden, and our 13-year old cat is used to that. We found out in a painful way that such an old cat can get very upset. After a serious fight, he's in his basket. He's investigating immediately at my mothers house. A few hours later he is purring on my lap. At our request we eat meatballs with mustard, because that was on our list of things we wanted to do.
Monday
We are almost going, and then it turns out that there is a lot to be done. First two rides to the dump (thanks Boris!) and my mother picks up the last boxes. The international driving licences are picked up, and we get the groceries for tonight's dinner.
The estate agent agreed to our proposal, so he comes to take pictures for his brochure...shit, now have to clean the house again!
Femke stops by to pick up her rain coat, and Manon comes to dinner with us. She has seen a lot the past year, so we have a lot of catching up to do.
Tuesday
Clean the house from head to foot for the pictures and looking for the papers that the estate agent needs in our administration...
written by Jeroen
I'm going to visit my old work, and it's like I've never been gone. Everything is the same, and I'm getting overloaded with kisses. I think it's great to see everyone again. It's nice to hear that everything is OK. Irma, congratulations with the birth of your daughter! Super!
Again, I feel more than welcome at the Regenboog. It is, and stays a wonderful place!!
