Captains Log. Star Date May 2025. Earth.

It is true. We never have any time, but time we do have.

Ingrid and I are both now semi-retired (working2-3 days a week each). It has been a long journey to this point. The journey starting out with a dream and taking a chance, building on our "future" and kind of following a sort of pattern that we as humans have created toward wealth and happiness, whichever one you wish to put first.

Children take time, building your business takes time, looking after your house and garden takes time. Even evolving your relationship/relationships takes time. Some of us are blessed with more time than others (Sad Emoji (;  ), more of that later I think.

Last year we took a step to boldly go where we have not gone before,  A 3- month mini-sabattical. About a year later we are wiser and if all goes according to plan, the plan is to try to keep that 3 month 'over winteren' (over the winter) going, so that we miss the cold dark ad gloomy part of our Northern Hemisphere seasons and roll from Summer to Spring, to Summer, Autumn and once again to Summer. Of course there are variables and Kabouters that might wish to put a spanner in the works, but maybe they got other people to attend to. :). I am not sure that I can stay away from the beloved homeland without getting a yearly top up of Africa in the blood! Same goes for my wife.

Those little Kabouter okes and their jokes! Fokkes (Pronounced 'Fok is' with the 'is' being prounounced in Afrikaans) Fokkes, but those okes love a joke now and again. I did writed about my knee being given the thumbs up, no damage, but something is not 100's. Nothing to complain about, but sometimes the thing clicks mega loud and it still feels bruised around the inside of the lower femur. Things could be worse. Any daily activity  and work is still okay, but I still feel that something is not all kosher. To this end, I requested the MRI from the Hospital, but I might have to agree with the Radiologist that thing looks peachy on the inside, Thank the Stars (in keeping with the theme of the TItle)! I digress.

Long story (life Story) short, I had planned to spend this weeekend with my oldest Brudda who has moved to England (sometimes I call my wife Ingland if I want to ask her something). So we are going to England to visit oldest said Brother, but the Kabouters once again have thrown the dice and I guess we all got the short end of the stick, (:

Not naming names, or places or GPS co-ordinates, but the Kabouters have played their card. Fokkes!

Brother has been in RSA because his Mother in Law has taken a turn for the worse and time will tell. (Here we go with TIME again). He is now back in the UK  I guess for work, but his poor wife is still  in RSA with her Mom.  Fokkes!

My other brother is dealing with his own demons with his sister in law. Fokkes! To date, Thankfully we have been spared the direct interaction with the Kabouters, but tomorrow is a blank canvas as I always say!

So, coming back to the original thread, Oldest brother could not make a commitment, so we planned our own little get away this last weekend. To the Veluwe and beyond! (this one is not from Star Trek, but Toy Story). Off to the planet of Hoenderloo and surrounds. What a WONDERFUL weekend!! 

Friday we drove to Landgoed X (cant remeber the name off the bat) and we had a stunning walk throught the region of the river Lek and then had lunch at the local eatery. Pancake for me please! This is kind of a tradition for us when we go the the Veluwe (National forest in The Netherlands). Boy what a farm stall they have. Local and very enticing to buy everything in the shop. Minor dent to the creidt card...

Then we drives to destination (Planet x) for a 2 night stay. All you need is what you get. Weza taking the walking shoes again and off we are goes. A lovely walk through the forest and to the "highest" waterfall in Holland. It was a man made waterfall of 3 tiers, but hey we is are being there my bra!

Back to base for a shower and then off to the dinner. The temperatures are now give or take good enough to sit outside in the evening. Grab your chance and go with it. We sat outside and had a lovely meal before setting off home just before sundown to tuck into bed with a sleepy head! Snore!

Saturday morning we were not up with sparrows, but with the Starling (currently our favourite birdy, although we tend to run into the Red Sparrow wherever we go [me thinks he is our Patron Saint]). Okay Starling wakes us up and  we have a cup of coffee and then we broke all of the rules. We went back to sleep and woke at 08h45! Shocking!!! Because we were at an Air BNB and not a hotel we were responsible for making our own brekkie. Hop, Skip and  Jump! No bacon and eggs, so no cooking, Easy Peasy! (usually can always find space for a bacon and eggs)... Breakfast is served...

A half an hour later we stood at the desk of the bicycle hire place to take charge of our electric assisted bicycles. These are such a pleasure for the tourist (unfit)...ehem! They have wonderfull bike routes in the Netherlands so it was just a question of location and making a choice of route. Off we went. We have found this to be quite relaxing to follow a route, Left at the fork in the road, Straight here and to the right there. We have often done routes in the Veluwe, but this one  we found is the trump card (to date). It was a lovely variety of track and paths and roads, all 51 km of it. 51km of relatively flat and sometimes a little uphill, but thanks to the e-bike we managed it pretty easily. Pretty it was! I do attest to a bit of saddle pain, but we write that off to inexperience or lack of doing.hing

Another great meal at xyz eatery and we were once again ready to hit the sack. This time as per usual 06h15 wakey wakey, no more sleepy. Checking outside and through the window the Stork was once again on the nest. Apparently last year the eggs were eaten by a ferret (or family thereof).  Fingers crossed! Coffee 2x and then we were into the walking shoes for round number next. This time the Klompen Pad (clog path), 6, 9 or 11km... on your marks, GO!

A Klompenpad is a walk through less travelled areas, through farmlands, woodlands. Pretty much not a really defined path, but people have been there. Most people in the Veluwe use the cycle paths. We bugged out at the crossover point and went with the 6km route, not knowing that we would literally pass within 50m of where we were staying! As we arrived at said Airbnb, the owners were just leaving to go to the farm to ride the horses and do the farmy chores. We were invited to come and take a look. Seeing it was Mothers day and Ingrid LOVES cow, it was easy to say Okay, see you later, although it is not my thing. Cue the lovely self made brekkie in the sun and then off to the cows.

Quite funny as we arrive at the destination and see the car of the Airbnb owners, but go looking for them in and around the cow shed. Only to get met a litte bit later by Boer Henk who's daughter had seen a strange car pull up and strange people go walking though the farmyard. Thank Heavens Boer Henk did not have a little shotgun  (Phazer) at the hip!  Our Id's cleared, we were led to owner Airbnb. What followed was proabably an hour and a half of good Intelligence gathering over farm life and what it entails to be a farmer. Cows, swallows and horses and earth moving machines. (classic comment, NO COMMENT!). Shy emoji.

Done and dusted, A Weekend away to what we might call the prettiest piece of the Netherlands that we have come accross so far. Perhaps the weather played a role with its 100% blue skies and pleasant temperatures. Perhaps a combination of weather, space/time continuum (had to google that one) and place in our lives... We have although been sub-consciously unconscious unaware of the simply life that we need to lead, Simple is simple and Simple is really what it is about! No?

We were cycling yesterday and it struck me as we passed over the highway. There are now to my mind 3 types of people. There are the freeway types, the bicycle types and the walkers. Those on the freeway travel from A to B to go to the Highlights to see and do and then go back home again via the same freeway. Then there are the cyclist that move a little closer to the natural world and sometimes are on the road and sometimes of paths throught nature. These people live for the variety of destination and journey. Lastly there are the walkers. These people end up in the heart of nature and truely feel that that is where the soul of the world lives. Walkers experience nature to my mind in such a pure form, stopping to wonder at a simple flower on the edge of the path orsurprised by an animal that they happen perchance to cross paths with.

We think that we are walkers, seeing the beauty in nature and accepting that we are only a part in the whole scheme of things and not the owners of our piece of the world. We also realise that we can not change the world as a whole for the better, but we can make eachother and our family/families happy and really is that not the GOAL?

So to summarise. Pluk die dag! SIEZE THE DAY!