Tuesday, April 1st, time for us to leave the Amersfoort harbour, winter is gone and we are about to start a new barging season.
We enjoyed all social and cultural happenings that town life in winter has to offer and the many meetings with friends and family.
Quite a difference with last year when it was freezing cold and snow was in the air, where now spring is in the air and temperatures reach summery values. And yes, last year we left almost a month earlier, but that was not the only reason.
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| the Kwekersbridge in Amersfoort, ready to open for us |
It was a nice winter and we used it well with a few highs, last but not least the birth of our grandson Nathan. In the beginning of February Michel and I left for a holiday in Spain, all medical issues resolved and well behind us, so we could steal away knowing that Nathans birth was due by the end of March.
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| we got to the most southern point of Spain, beautiful view to the other side, we didn't see much more |
We left on Monday morning and on Tuesday we were back and in the hospital in Utrecht making Nathans acquaintance; he just couldn’t be bothered by other peoples agendas. After the first fright and worry, him being born so many weeks early, he is now doing fine and we can enjoy his company all those weeks before we start barging, a real bonus. We have a rain check for Spain.
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| Nathan, here seven weeks old and his mother |
Things did not only happen outdoors and as soon as Michel's hand was healed after the operation he started working. After all, not much DIY had been done this winter.
He has been working on the SB cabin. Since we had not really done much there, it is was kind of our shed for everything that didn't have a proper place and for the two folding beds we had plans with, so far unrealised.
Now it's a nice and tidy room, a wall-length closet with sliding doors and a closet where he used the last of the original doors from the aft cabin.
And of course two extra beds, folding-bunk-beds now, finally in place and secured. We now have a nice (grand-) children's bedroom.
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everything tidy and in it's proper place
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| the bunk-beds stored away behind the curtain |
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| Michel demonstrates the construction is solid |
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And we are now out of
Amersfoort, but we did only five kilometres, being moored just outside the town
on the river Eem.
Because of the
earlier mentioned grandson we had adjusted our planning and we will be around
Amersfoort before going to Belgium.
We make good use of
our time and we have painted the decks and potted the plants.
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| all the messing around with earth can be done outside |
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| all the grey antislip renewed |
We bought ourselves a scooter in order to increase
our action radius when on land during our barging season. The idea is that I
will drive myself too but so far it’s been the buddy seat for me. Panache has
to come along too so Michel made a test drive with Panache in the carrier; he
loves it and sits still nicely. Now imagine me in between and both wearing
helmets, and we will attract attention surely.
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| the man and his dog |
However much we
enjoyed city life, we here sample the outdoors. No streetlights so it is really
dark at night. No big town noises but birds twittering and lots to see on and
around the river and in the air.
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| a home afloat, our new neighbours on the Eem |
And as we are still in the vicinity of
Amersfoort our grandchild and his parents can visit us easily.
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| nice to enjoy once more being so close by |
From here we will
continue to Diemen (just East of Amsterdam) and then we will carry on to
Utrecht.
We’ve been able to
book a berth in the Veiling harbour in Utrecht, a very nice spot.
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| the Gerritje on "our" mooring in Utrecht, no leaves on the trees yet but later...... |
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| view over the water from the boat |
After Utrecht we will
sail to Ostend where we are joining in the Ostend at Anchor festival, same as
two years ago.
We enjoyed it then
and we are very keen on going there again.
More about that in my
next blog.
