On Wednesday I had to fill the "bus" (our white Trafic van). The self-serve pump has a limit of €125,00 - I reached that before I could fill it!! That's a first for us - it is usually around €105-108...
A "gap" in the system.
We've had several enquiries about taking on extra kids - boys in particular. Janny has good instincts about what is going on at the moment. There used to be a fairly severe or at least a higher level of care for some kids - in other words, the more difficult or troublesome. But, due to Government cutbacks, the previous "investment" or money paid at this level, is no longer available. So, a lot of the institutions where it seemed to belong, have simply stopped providing the service.
We had a case of two brothers going to come to us. The head of the placement agency described them as "charming little angels" (not really, but words to that effect). Part of the procedure is that we get sent their "dossier" in advance. Janny read it and straight away the alarm bells started to ring...
...Janny said "no", we don't think they will fit in with the type of work we do. One of the lower level placement workers rang Janny and abused her for saying no and even referenced the high payment that we would have required if we had said yes.
Janny came to me, visibly upset, but explained her reasoning - she didn't need to, as I had long ago learned to trust her judgement in these and many other areas.
Shortly thereafter, the woman rang back to apologise and she and Janny discussed the issue - that the cutbacks have left a "gap" in the system - which shouldn't be filled by places operating as we do.
They parted on good terms. The boys were from Heerenveen - Janny asked why they couldn't be placed closer to home? It turns out that places like ours in that area had also turned them down.
For me, the real "villain" is the boss who tried to paint an untrue picture so that we would take them - that would have turned out badly for everyone, including our existing kids.
And just this week, Janny had a call from Sneek, even further away than Heerenveen - for a boy in a similar situation - again Janny had to say "no", but at least the placement person was honest and understood why.
The placement people obviously have a job to do - they must be under some pressure as well - perhaps the system will change again if enough people express their concern.
The weather
I was indoors all day last Sunday - doing the Diesel Motor Course. It looked very bleak outside - rain and wind for the whole day! I thought it was just the tail end of Eunice (so to speak) but it was, in fact Storm Franklin - which I found out when I got home.
After Dudley and Eunice, storm Franklin causes nuisance on Sunday. Trees have been uprooted, buildings damaged and road problems. Rijkswaterstaat and other authorities have again taken measures to prevent more nuisance.
The KNMI has announced code orange for the coastal provinces of Zeeland, South Holland and North Holland between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. due to the risk of very heavy wind gusts. Code yellow is currently in effect throughout the country due to the high winds. This storm is less severe than storm Eunice, which crossed our country on Friday.
There are traffic jams on the A20 after Rijkswaterstaat closed the road in both directions on Sunday afternoon at the Kleinpolderplein junction between Hoek van Holland and Gouda. A lot of rain has fallen in a short time, so that the road is flooded, says a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat. It is not yet known how long the road will remain closed.
Due to the strong wind, the GGD decided in various places to keep test and vaccination sites closed on Sunday. Schiphol has canceled 174 flights to and from the airport.
The fire brigade advises people to only call 112 in case of emergency or acute danger. The control room receives hundreds of calls from residents who are experiencing nuisance or damage. "Due to crowds, it may take longer before you can reach the emergency room," said the fire service.
In a short time, a lot of rain has fallen on the A20 at the Kleinpolderplein junction.
Photo: ANP
IJssel barrier closed
Due to an expected water level of more than 2 meters above the Normal Amsterdam Level (NAP) in the Hollandse IJssel, Rijkswaterstaat will close the Hollandsche IJsselkering during the night from Sunday to Monday. The storm surge barrier at Krimpen aan den IJssel will close for the tenth time in this storm season, which started in October and lasts until mid-April. On average, the barrier closes three to four times per storm season. Last season the barrier remained completely open.
The storm surge barrier was one of the first Delta Works after the flood disaster in 1953.
The Diesel Course...
The first bit took me back to the early days of the Fire Brigade - one of the lessons back then was about the basics of diesel and other engines - I think it was more about being able to give our workshops some idea of what might be wrong. Strangely, the only thing I can remember from back then (50 years ago!) was the principle of the "suck, squeeze, bang, blow" cycle.
The course was in Dutch, which tested my hearing a bit, but I managed to stay with it.
Most of the course was about all the bits added in the marinisation process. A lot of the smaller motors these days are based on a Mitsubishi and then various companies do their own marinisation.
The brand used in the Course was a Vetus - same brand as mine but a 4 cylinder model. Mine is a 3 cylinder.
I found myself thinking that "I know all this", basically at least. Undoubtedly, the thing that is missing for me is the self-confidence to do it myself. Fear of getting it wrong, I guess.
So, in that sense, the Course was well worth it. There was even a woman (who has a sail boat and 3 sons) trying to learn the basics for her own boat which also has a small diesel motor.
I think the 3 most important things that I took on board were the fuel filters, the (all-important ONE fuse attached to the motor itself, and the need to check that all the tools needed are on board - and actually fit. These to avoid being stranded in the middle of nowhere.
I have just about everything on board - "just in case" but I can reduce the number if I actually go through everything and check that they do fit. That might also save me from saying at home "that's probably on the boat" when we're looking for something.
Symptoms of a clogged fuel filter - I hadn't thought of before, because I get them changed just about every year or every second year when Sander does the "Winter Preparation".
On a longer trip, say to France, being further away from home (and more engine hours) and in rivers rather than canals, could make a difference to the fuel filters getting clogged up. Some boats, including the commercial shipping have a "double" main filter - one can be switched to the other and the used one can be replaced without having to stop.
Most of the other course members use a jerry can for the fuel - rather than marina fuel, which may have been sitting idle for the winter months, for example. This matters these days because of the increased use of "bio"-diesel. (Even my ride-on mower has a warning about not using fuel that has been standing too long).
WE also discussed the merits of leaving the tank full or empty over the winter. It used to be FULL so there was less air (and less chance of condensation) but now the bio-diesel is such a problem that it might be better to not have so much of it sitting idle for 5 months.
Our main fuel filter has a glass (or plastic) see through bowl - one can physically see the quality of the fuel (any water or algae?), but builders of new boats aren't allowed to install them any more...the rule makers apparently fear them breaking or melting in a fire. I think the consensus was that we didn't like this idea very much! It's much better to be able to see what is going on.
A gear box - basically the same as mine, except that mine is hydraulically operated. The important thing out of this is the "cones" - which slide backwards or forwards, depending on which direction - obvious, of course, but they do suffer the most wear and tear - best not to slam it into reverse when going full ahead! (Sometimes it is necessary).
Screen Printing
Janny is getting into screen printing - at least getting all the materials together at this stage.
With the help of YouTube she managed to get this Chinese-made mechanism assembled - it needs to be set up so each frame can be rotated to the work in progress...we shall see...
I remember that Barry used to do this years ago...
Energy slurping...
I forgot to mention last week that we had three "experts/consultants/advisors" come around to gives ideas and quotes (if possible) for various things that we can do to improve our energy slurping...
...It is probably not a coincidence that two of them arrived in the larger model Teslas!
Gas Prices
Ours is €2,10 /m3 in January. and surprisingly, down to €1,79 for February. (I have to make bills for our residents, so I rang the supplier on Wednesday. He said the price had dropped a bit but they are expecting another sharp rise after the events in Ukraine. (On Wednesday, he wasn't sure - but we are now!).
We have booked to have the cavity walls of the house insulated. It was not as expensive as we had first thought - we both almost blurted out "when can you start???', when he calculated the price.
That, however, is the catch...the waiting time at the moment is 12 - 14 weeks due to the high demand.
We have also committed to a heat pump - probably a hybrid type - these are operated by a computer that switches back to the gas heating unit if it can't meet the demand on it's own. The hybrid type uses normal air from outside - ie not the pipes underground.
(We are currently in one of the mildest winters on record - so the question is - Will it remain like this into the future? the gas heating might not be needed so much if the winters remain mild - one weather chap described future winters as "6 months of Autumn".)
We still might consider going full electric but then we would need to dig a big hole to lay the pipes for the starting warmth. We have to weigh up the time required to recover the cost - we are far bigger than just a normal household, so it may well be worth it.
The Weather (again)...
Lots of rain - even Janny's Mum couldn't remember there being as much water in "our" forest, just over the road.
The steam-driven pump in Lemmer was again called into action to "drain" Friesland. Even the Ijsselmeer was much higher than normal, according to the measuring station.
...and later, slowly draining away...
During the month of February, there was twice as much rain as normal, Weeronline reports on Saturday. However, there were more hours of sunshine and the average temperature was a lot higher than normal.
Weeronline reports that an average of 117 millimeters of rain fell in the country this month. Normally that is 60 millimeters in February. In some places 200 millimeters of precipitation fell.
With the storms Corrie, Dudley and Eunice, there was a lot of wind involved. It came to wind force 9 no fewer than seven times. We speak of a storm with that wind force. On Friday 18 and Saturday 19 February it even came to a heavy storm, with wind force 10 or 11.
No records were broken in terms of storm days: in 1991 there were nine storm days in February.
Relatively much sun and high temperatures
February was a warm month compared to normal. With an average temperature of 6.9 degrees, this month came in fourth on the list of the mildest February since 1901. With 102 hours of sunshine, it was also a lot sunnier than normal (92 hours of sunshine).
In all of February, the mercury also dropped below 0 degrees only three times, including the night from Friday to Saturday. It is also expected to freeze in the last two nights of February, bringing the total to five freezing nights
Getting ready for the boat...
We even pumped and cleaned the fenders and washed the lines...
Saturday's walk...in the Old Forest
...and then there is the War...just unbelievable in this day and age.
I heard mention of a book "Bloodlands" by Timothy Snyder - so I've started reading it with the idea of getting a bit of history about the Ukraine. It has started with the millions dead by Hitler and Stalin - I kept reading much later than normal last night. It's a good Sunday to snuggle in - frost outside ATM - but it is also the end of the month - my bookkeeping beckons...
Tides public transport data use Rotterdam in general Ben & Paul Janny at dinner Trip Home first night Gouda 4 deep! 2nd night Uithoorn - battling to get a spot I totally lost the plot in keeping up with my weekly update - remember, mostly my way of keeping up to date with my kids (and a handful of dear friends). So again, I have relied on the dates of my photos... I think it is now 4 weeks... Part 1 the trip to Rotterdam - a bit of a challenge and done with delightful company - Ron and Nettie on Houtrib and Frank and Pam on Jacoba. Part 2. In Rotterdam for the World Police and Fire Games 2022 Part 3. The trip back to Heerenveen - quality time spent with Paul Part 4. Back Home - a few more days with Paul and trying to get back to "normal". We have a new bird nesting near the front of the house Grekraagd Roodstaat (Common Redstart) On Tuesday 12 July, we did business as usual and then headed to the boat so that we could move it next to the diesel pump to be ready to fill u...
End of year and best wishes to all for 2024! Fireworks One highlight (of many) Audio books The Cathars Doing nothing Boat musings for 2023 Ben Opinion Panel On New Year's Eve, we went to the house of one of Janny's sisters - 3rd night out in a row - luckily, I have to get home early (midnight!) to let Boeke out. Buying fireworks for personal use is a "thing" here - I am always amazed at how much money some people spend...It is fairly regulated and only permitted on New Year's Eve. Some Local Governments are trying to change the culture and have banned them altogether and put on a professional display instead, A nephew of ours organised a professional show for Wijnjewoude just to prove that it can be done - without the individual expense and the risk of injury... ...speaking of which, they also do Carbide shooting... The carbide is wetted a bit and the churn closed off with a synthetic ball. A gas is produced in the churn. Then a little flame is held at a tiny hol...
Week 22 Gas trader GasTerra, which is owned by Shell, Esso Nederland and the Dutch State, among others, will be closed on Tuesday (31 May) from supplies from Gazprom. The Netherlands refuses to comply with the demand to pay for the gas in Russian rubles. GasTerra argues that this is a violation of European sanctions against Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine. I've been blaming Merkel for the situation that Germany found itself in, but I read an interesting article in one of my 3 Guardian subscriptions that explained that the problem has been building for more than 50 years, despite warnings from many, including the US. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/02/germany-dependence-russian-energy-gas-oil-nord-stream?utm_term=629927b6b7db639a5f548374fe09616d&utm_campaign=MorningMailAUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=morningmailau_email ( I see that it was my Australian version: I wonder if Australians follow it as closely as I have been forced to?). It obvious...
Hope the weather doesn’t cause you problems!
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