Week 51

 

Week 51 in Wijnjewoude

Cheryl

Christmas Day

2nd Christmas Day

Preppers

3 good things

Best Wishes for the New Year! Certainly one to look forward to :-)

We parked the car at a Park & Ride - caught the train to Central Station, walked through the Zeedijk, the Chinese Quarter and the Red Light District.

Ben bought some buns from "the best Chinese shop"...

The Begijnhof

There's  a small courtyard close to the centre of Amsterdam - the Begijnhof  (Begijn Gardens).

Dating from 1389 at least - the plaque says that it "was first mentioned in a book" of that date.

The security chap at the gate said that the most important thing inside is to "please be quiet".

                                                                       

Then coffee...

Then my favorite - a visit to Soho House...

...where I discovered "No Grog" - a non-alcohol spirit called Seedlip with orange juice, lemon juice, honey and ginger - we bought a bottle "for medicinal purposes only", to make at home.

Later in the afternoon - back to the car park - costing only €6,00 because we used public transport.

Then to Schiphol to say farewell to Cheryl...a delightful 2 weeks so quickly gone. She had to get home in time for Christmas with her own family....

We had Christmas Day with Ben and Janny's Mum. I lost sleep by listening to the Boxing Day test - Interestingly, they simply call Boxing Day "2nd Christmas Day", over here.

Preppers

After many people, including NATO chief Mark Rutte, called for citizens to prepare themselves for crisis situations such as wars or cyber attacks, an increasing number of residents in the Netherlands have started stocking up on emergency supplies.

The Netherlands needs to prepare for crisis situations

Earlier this month, the Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans urged Dutch residents to prepare themselves for crisis situations such as flooding, another pandemic or a long-term failure of “vital processes”. Not long after, in his first major speech as NATO boss, Mark Rutte said that we are not ready for war and need to prepare for the possibility in three to five years.

Dutch banks followed suit, recommending that clients ensure that they always have cash at home in case payment systems are disrupted due to mounting geopolitical tensions and cyber attacks. The government also acknowledges this, as part of the programme of the Schoof cabinet is to make the Netherlands more resilient.

All of these warnings could be seen as well-advised as several situations in the recent past proved that the country is not prepared for many emergency scenarios. One notable example is when E.coli was found in the drinking water in North Limburg and bottled water was quickly sold out in supermarkets. Dutch hospitals, airports and public transport were also all affected during a worldwide IT outage earlier this year.

Three Good Things (BBC Story)

This struck a nerve as I often refer to "counting my blessings" after having to make a new life...

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241211-listing-three-good-things-mood-boost

There are various names for it – three good things, three blessings or a gratitude list. There are variations too in the exact instructions given, but essentially the exercise involves spending a few moments in the evening reflecting on your day, then writing down three things that went well or that you enjoyed. The final element is to think about why these things felt positive to you. You can choose anything, however small and seemingly inconsequential. Perhaps you bumped into a friend you hadn’t seen for a while? Perhaps you and a colleague laughed about something together. Perhaps you enjoyed your walk home from the station in lovely early evening light.