Week 48

Once in a Lifetime

Friday

Saturday

Sunday (this morning)

It's nearly time for the gloves - It was snowing this morning and 3 deer crossed the road in front of our house - Boeke didn't see them!!

Janny says that I always get a bit "funny" at this time of the year...might be being away from "home" at Christmas or it might just be the cold :-)

eg. This week, I finished off my last can of spaghetti (donated to the cause by Frank)...

and I made a chocolate ripple cake with biscuits brought over by Paul...

We have kids this weekend...they might be lucky :-)

Drinking water to cost more...

The cabinet’s plans to allow more variation in the water table, as part of measures to ensure sufficient drinking water and stop the ground from sinking, will lead to changes in the Dutch landscape, experts say. Dry summers, population growth and economic developments are hitting the supply of fresh water, while rising sea levels are increasing the salinization of ground water, ministers say. This means people will have to reduce the amount of fresh water they use, infrastructure minister Mark Harbers said on Friday, at the presentation of the government’s plans. The cabinet aims to cut consumption by 20%, to the equivalent of 100 litres per person per day. ‘For centuries we have made our country what it is with our own hands, by building dikes and digging ditches,’ Harbers said.‘But we are now reaching the limits, due to intensive use and climate change. By taking our water into account, we can continue to live and work in the Netherlands and that is why we are now making these choices.’

TV News

Compost

One of the current affairs programs had a story about Compost (of all things). It showed people collecting bags of free compost from various local communities. It was National Compost Day. They were all very grateful and vowing to use it in their various gardens.

The show looked at four major "composting centres" in the Netherlands - ie they produce mountains of compost. This in addition to the Local Government tips where people can get rid of garden waste free of charge.

I didn't catch exactly WHY, but a testing laboratory did tests on samples and came up with some quite alarming results

Insecticides

Heavy metals

PFAS

In total, fourteen different types of pesticides, sixteen types of PFAS-like substances and eight heavy metals were found in the compost. In one case the legal amount of lead is exceeded. There are no official standards for the other substances.

Around the farm

Not much

Keeping the firewood stacked inside

Janny sent off her almost year long project for the church - 325 in total

...and started preparing already for next year - with a couple of ideas.

We've been buying up the carboard house sets that we made this year - they were a big hit and one of the church people thought it would be a good idea for next year - I think it ends up being a gift for the congregation.

...and I have the task of trying to reproduce this wooden set - from old pallets

It's not going to be as easy as it looks, but we'll get there - with a few jigs and Janny's cutting machine for the fancy windows.

The apartments have settled down again. Lianne and her two little kids moved into the much larger 3 bedroom apartment - despite our warnings about the higher heating costs.

And a young chap on his own moved into the smaller apartment - and has already been growled at by Janny - for hammering at midnight! He also has two kids who will stay with him once a fortnight.

They are supposed to be "temporary" but Therese has been here for nearly 5 years already.

The rest of this was done during the week and yesterday - Janny has the kids on her own this weekend - her assistant is sick. So, I just help out where I can - driving, shopping, serving coffee, etc...

...and kicking around the Boat Trip to Paris - with the fire on and Boeke on the chair next to me! It is my form of note-taking - maybe some of it will stick.

OIL and GOR

Once In a Lifetime or Good Old Routine

I read an article discussing these two concepts - life is just an endless cycle of Once In a Lifetime events for some people - I'm firmly in the Good Old Routine camp!!

However, this may well be OIL...

The Boat to France (Paris)

Andrew & Terry said to check out

Canal des Ardennes

So I've been having yet another armchair cruise this week...

from Maastricht to Soissons.

I'm experimenting with Google My Maps as I can't find anything like the Dutch programs for calculating routes - they may well be there in French, but I don't know what to search for.

(Update - I found a French program called Riverwizz - but I might have to learn some French to be able to use it.

Fluviacartes (now in liquidation*) have a website that includes a planning tool called Fluviacap (also in English) - I was able to produce this map with that one.

In the meantime, this is fun to check out the route. Google maps names the major canals if I zoom in far enough. I'll later have to check out the numbers of the required navigation charts.

*(Update - Fluvia charts are no longer being published - I have sent off for some others in book form - but not sure yet if they are suitable)

These were available 2nd hand but not including #9...

The blue markers on this map (linked version below) show photos from the respective locations. When (if) the trip is done, I will be able to insert my own photos.

This link shows two options - the more southerly route has the Canal des Ardennes (but that has a question mark*). I'm still working on the other route (It's hard to keep track of all the unfamiliar place names).

(the link with photos)

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1CtxKXU3j_5Cj4cx3f8pDykwWK8P3lgs&usp=sharing

I scribbled non too elegantly the approximate distances. There are many locks, so the daily distance won't be much, I imagine.

Maastricht to Liege 30kms

Liege to Givet 110

Givet to Montherme 70

Montherme to Lumes 42

Lumes to Semuy 48

Semuy to Asfeld 45

Asfeld to Ecluse No 14 5

Ecluse 14 to Soissons 70

total (approx.) 420

It was only 210 kilometres to Rotterdam (one way), so this is already much more of an adventure and doesn't include getting to Maastricht. (or Paris)

*The Canal des Ardennes may not be fully useable

Rapid and proactive implementation of the canal contract, which confirms VNF's strong commitment to river and river development in the territory

This project, co-signed by Voies navigables de France, the Grand Est Region, the Departmental Councils of Ardennes and Aisne as well as the 5 EPCIs crossed by the canal, provides for an investment of €15.6 million over 10 years. Objective of the agreement: to make the Canal des Ardennes a tourist destination in its own right, to develop an offer of tourist facilities and services, quality leisure activities on and around the canal, to guarantee the continuity of a soft roaming network with neighboring territories. Added to this is an investment of €12 million from VNF to ensure the level of service (pleasure boating) defined by the contract.

The first works carried out on the Saint-Aignan site and those to come demonstrate the strong commitment of Voies navigables de France as a partner of local authorities and facilitator of their territorial development projects.

New works aimed at ensuring that the waterway is fully operational will start in the 1st quarter of 2023. In less than a year, nearly €1 million will have been invested by VNF under the canal contract.

In searching for different routes, I found this one used by a tour/holiday boat.

Looks like the river Sambre. In fact, the hotel boat and cycling options look like a pretty good concept for a holiday.

https://www.dutchparadise.com/index.php/home

Maastricht - Luik (Lieges)- Huy - Namen - Charleroi - Strépy - Mons - Antoing - Valenciennes - Denain - Noyon - Péronne - Compiègne - Creil - Auvers sur Oise - Conflance -St,Honorine ,Bougival – Parijs

It is OK to use these photos from wikipedia, if I acknowledge the authors...

By R.Vuillaume - Carte du Canal des Ardennes au 50.000e, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17256918

By François GOGLINS - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30406759

By Havang(nl) - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21469479

By François GOGLINS - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28014816

This link is to a blog by a Dutchman who built his own boat (a Staverse Jol) and sailed a lot single-handed. Including quite a few times into France.

(right click Translate to English)

https://www.staverse-jol-aimee.nl/

In fact, he seems to do it so effortlessly on his own - that I wonder if I can actually do it - I spend a lot of time on my own, but never a minute of it "lonely". I suppose I can just give it a try and head "home" if it really doesn't work.

This one mentions a few places that I have been looking at.

https://www.staverse-jol-aimee.nl/de-vaartochten/varen-2014/frankrijk-parijs-marne

I wrote and told him that I was drawing inspiration from his writings - I like his way of doing it - and his sense of humour. I think he is around my age...maybe a bit older.

I pinched some of his photos...