How much is that doggy on the airplane?

She's finally here!  After six long months away from home, we were finally reunited with our Casey today.  As with her previous move, she travelled like a pro, with no incidents or problems.  She took about 10 seconds to figure out who we were, but now seems to be adjusting fine.  

It's been harder than we thought it would be, having her so far away.  But we knew she was in excellent hands with Mom and Manny in San Antonio.  She may have had more fun there than she ever did with us ... chasing squirrels, possums and chihuahua mixes.  

Mom and Manny, we're eternally grateful for the peace of mind you gave us and the excellent care you gave the furriest member of our family.

Winter Olympic Preview

We want to send out a huge congratulations to my sporting parents for their achievements at the 55+ Winter Games last weekend.  They took the bus with the rest of the squad from Edmonton and rolled into Lethbridge as heavy favorites to medal in badminton and cross-country skiing.  And they came through ... my mother with a silver in badminton and my dad with a bronze in cross-country.

We are already planning our trip to Whistler next year to support them in the Winter Olympics!

Poffertjes

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!  Or Shrove Tuesday!  

We celebrate the season this year with a profusion of miniature Dutch pancakes called poffertjes.  We kindly received the requisite pan from my Tante Willy and Ome Ad on our last trip through Holland.  We stocked up on toppings, the traditional (butter and powdered sugar), the new age (Nutella) and the slightly Canadian (Aunt Jemima syrup).  

It took us a while to get the technique right, but we churned out and enjoyed several dozen really good poffertjes.

Laissez les bon snowdrops roullez!

Rik here ...

It looks like spring continues to bloom in Aberdeen.  Another nice day here, with highs of 12C and sunny skies.   The gardens everywhere are full of snowdrops - beautiful little white flowers (come on everyone, let's sing a round or two of Edelweiss ...).  According to the locals, however, we shouldn't get too excited about these very early heralds of spring.  There are actually three phases of spring in Aberdeen.  1.  Snowdrops.  2.  Crocuses.  3.  Daffodils.  It's not officially spring here until you see the daffodils.  We were strung along by cruel Mother Nature on our walk last night, thinking we saw that first daffodil at a house at the end of the block, but it just turned out to be a yellow crocus.

Cheers,

Rik

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

Rik here ...

Fiona's women's group was holding its annual Mardi Gras party last night, so we got together with our friends Andy and Scott to check it out.  Fiona had helped out decorating the hall, and the place looked great.  

They were giving out Hurricanes at the door.  I don't know exactly what was in those drinks, but they were tasty-delicious.  They reminded me of the Hurricanes mixed by Marlene at our going away party, but with a little less kick.

The dinner was also quite good.  The soup was a cajun spin on a local specialty, Cullen Skink - a fish soup.  They replaced the haddock that normally accompanies it with crawfish.  They then served smothered pork chops, some duck breast, green beans and corn.

Somehow we didn't end up as the Mardi Gras King and Queen.  We did gather our fair share of beads though.  The attached picture shows Fiona's haul, the lady next to her is her friend and the Mardi Gras Queen, Kelly.

We put our dancing shoes to good use and were one of the last to leave.  So we've been having somewhat of a recovery day today, but that's OK.  The weather has been gorgeous, with highs around 12C.  The snowdrops are blooming in the gardens everywhere and the daffodils are threatening to bloom as well.  If I didn't know better I would say spring has sprung .... (I hope I didn't just jinx it)

Netherlands Trip - Day 4 - Dorst and Rijen

We had another nice sleep in to start the day.  After breakfast our first order of the day was find a place to stock up on our Dutch supplies.  We were running desperately short on essentials such as chocolate sprinkles.  Fortunately the small town where Ome Wim and Tante Els live had a well stocked small store where we picked up all we needed.  We had brought an extra large suitcase just for this possibility.

It was nice to stay with Ome Wim and Tante Els.  Beyond being great people, they work from home, so they were there to give us pointers and lend us bikes when we decided to bike a few villages over to my Tante Willy, who was celebrating the dual occasions of her birthday and the birth of her daughter Denise's son, Mateo.  The bike trip went well.  It had the potential for disaster when Fiona got a flat.  Luckily she timed it to happen just outside a bike repair shop.  The repair man had it done in time for the ride home.

We had a nice evening with Wim and Els, including a rather competitive game of dominos.  Fiona and I were thoroughly beaten.

The trip back the next day was a little sad and, appropriately enough, it was raining.  The plane was packed on the way home and our fuses were running a little short, but the smiles came back when we exited the plane to a beautiful 13 C and all the snow we left behind was gone.

I guess we're down to planning our next trips - to Canada in May and Paris in June, with lots of exploring inside Scotland in between.

Thanks to everyone who made our trip to Holland such a memorable experience.

Nog bedankt aan iedereen die onze Nederlandse vacantie zo'n success heeft gemaakt!

Netherlands Trip - Day 3 - Breda with Brooymanses

We had a great sleep in the morning of day 3 - well deserved if I do say so myself.  After a nice breakfast, my Ome Wim and Tante Els came by to pick us up.  We said a very grateful goodbye to Ome Ad and Tante Jose for putting us up in such a fine fashion. 

We drove to Breda to meet with my Oma (grandmother) and her husband Chris.  She is now 93 and was full of the same energy that I always remember her having.  It was great to see her again.  As an added bonus, my Ome Sjef showed up as well.  We had some coffee and cream puffs and did some catching up before she suggested we all go bowling.  My grandmother is an expert bowler and she has the trophies to prove it.  Unfortunately we couldn't get a lane.  So we went down to a restaurant situated in the nearby woods.  Good business strategy, it seemed, as almost everyone that went into the woods for a walk stopped in at the restaurant afterwards, many bringing their dogs in with them.

We said goodbye to Oma, Chris and Ome Sjef after lunch and headed for Breda with Ome Wim and Tante Els.  Our first stop was the Great Church, a massive 500 year old sandstone church in central Breda.  It has an almost 300 foot tower and has been partially restored.  Considerable damage was done as the church was passed back and forth between Protestants and Catholics over the years.  It was, nonetheless, absolutely magnificent.  The highlights:  the massive organ, painted ceilings, the burial chapel of the Nassau line, the monstrance with a piece of the true cross, a bible from 1660, a mummified cat believed to have been bricked up in an alcove and the incredible grave markers covering almost the entire floor.  Fun fact from my Ome Wim: the phrase "stinking rich" or "rijke stinkerds" originated with the practice of rich people buying burial plots under the church - as they started to decompose, I guess the resulting smell became quite noticeable.

The next stop after a church tour is naturally a Beer Museum.  Or more specifically a Beer Commercial Museum.  This was essentially a three story pub with every square inch covered in beer commercials.  Again, really cool.  We had a couple of pints there (even Fiona, who had a couple of raspberry beers) and listened to a live Dutch-Irish band.  In fact, one of our old favorites from Canada, the Mahones, were due to play there March 1.  If you're in Breda, you should go.  They put on a good show.  (In the picture the windows say: "Eat what is done, drink what is ready and speak what is true".)

We ended up at a nice restaurant in Breda again and I had a great bowl of pea soup.  No, Mom, not better than yours.  Not even close.

Netherlands Trip - Day 2 - Ome Ad's Birthday

Day 2 dawned early for those of us who had had a few beers and/or screwdrivers the night before (Fiona recommends screwdrivers in Holland - apparently they use top notch OJ).  But we were happy to get up because we were invited to go along with my Ome Ad and Tante Jose and their whole family to a fancy breakfast to celebrate Ome Ad's birthday.  

We went to one of their favorite places in a neighboring Belgian town called Hoogstraten.  Breakfast was fabulous and very Dutch - lots of really great bread with meats and cheeses and toppings of all kinds.  Pim and his wife Sandra were there (she was feeling a little under the weather and was not able to make it the night before) and their darling little kids Dennis and Femke.  Barbara and Emile were also there, looking none the worse for wear after the night before.  

After breakfast it was back to the house and little relaxation - for those over 5 years of age anyway.  The kids had latched on to the cardboard box that one of Ome Ad's birthday presents came in and proceeded to demonstrate that it was perhaps the greatest toy ever invented.  The played in it, filled it with toys, emptied it again and colored every inch of it.  They are really great kids - Dennis is little dynamo and Femke is a sweetheart.  When everyone left for naps, Fiona and I did another walk about in the cold, crisp Dutch air to clear our heads.

That evening there was a gathering of family to celebrate Ome Ad's birthday.  For those who don't already know, my mom is one of 12 kids, so a family gathering is always a grand affair.  We got to see and catch up with quite a few aunts and uncles.  It was nice to be with so much family.  It's a little bittersweet in that you realize how much we've missed by living so far away for so long....

 

Netherlands Trip - Day 1 - I have cool cousins

Sorry it has been so long since we've posted, but we have been somewhat busy and unable to connect.  

We decided to make another trip to Holland to see all the relatives we missed on our last trip.  It started the same, with a 3:30 am wake up call and taxi to the airport.  Unlike last time, the KLM flight between Aberdeen and Amsterdam was packed full.  It appears the credit crisis has not reached quite everyone yet.

We got into Schiphol at just past 9 in the morning and bought tickets for the train.  I have been to the Netherlands several times before, but I had never taken advantage of the great public transport.  I recommend it highly, it is a great way to see the countryside.  We passed through the university town of Leiden and through the interesting architecture of The Hague.  In a short hour and a half we were in Breda where my Ome Ad was waiting for us.

We made our way to Baarle-Nassau where a great many of relatives (on my mother's side) live.  The town lies right on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands, with little flags on the number plates indicating which houses reside in which country.  We did a little walkabout and had some poffertjes (miniature Dutch pancakes covered in powdered sugar).  

My cousin Pim had gone out of his way to organize an assembly of cousins for an evening out in nearby Breda.  With only a day or two notice he had managed to get together quite a crew - his sister Barbara and her partner Emile, my cousin Adrienne and her partner Eric, my cousin Reuben, my cousin Maurice and his partner Jose and my cousin Maud.  He also managed to make a reservation for 11 on a Friday night at a good restaurant that offered a 3 course meal for only 15 euros.  Quite a guy, that Pim.  Dinner was great.  It had been so long since I had seen many of my cousins - some I remembered as being little kids were now talking about their brand new cars or rushing off early to meet their boyfriends.  Fiona was meeting many for the first time and they were all very gracious, using their best English to make it easier for her.  We were also happy to meet some of the partners for the first time and glad to see how they all made us feel at home.  We had a few drinks at dinner and then moved on to a bar down the street.  The good times continued ... perhaps a little too long.  I made a serious mistake in trying to keep up with my cousins and paid for it a little in the morning.

All in all, though, day 1 was a resounding success. 

You'd think they would be ready ...

Rik here ...

Aberdeen is further north than Edmonton.  Aberdeen is further north than Fort McMurray.  You'd think, then, that they might be prepared for a little bit of snow in February.  

It started snowing in earnest yesterday in the late morning.  Big fluffy wet flakes - perfect for snowballs and snowmen.  As it started coming down harder, I could see the traffic grinding to a halt outside the window.  I sent the team home early - we ended up closing the office at 3pm.  I managed to hop on the bus, but then spent the next 2.5 hours going the 6 miles between work and home.  During this time we passed no accidents or road closures.  It was just slow.  

After Aberdonians spent some time mocking Londoners inability to deal with a few white flakes earlier in the week, it was quite the comeuppance to see the city grind to a complete halt.

Arts and Entertainment

Rik here ...

It's been an arts and entertainment weekend.  

We started out on Friday night at the ballet.  Fiona had bought tickets to the Royal Scottish Ballet's production of Sleeping Beauty for me for Christmas.  It was at His Majesty's Theatre, which is a great venue, but a little cramped in the balcony.  The production was amazing - very theatrical with great costumes and sets.  It dragged a little in the third act, but overall was quite enjoyable.

We've been hiding from some less than ideal weather this weekend, watching movies on TV.  How's this for a mix:  Twister, Marie Antoinette, the Other Boleyn Girl, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and now Fiona is making me sit through Terms of Endearment.  All that, and she still had time to beat me at Scrabble.

Cheers,

Rik