Farcation!

Good evening listeners!

Time for a beakaway with my Adventure Partner! On this occassion we are in the Black Forest in Germany.

Our Farcation began on Firday after the obligatory time spent on the Office Floor and before Bob was my Aunty it was FREEDOM time! Ingrid and the Fleur went to Wantij Pop which is a music festival that has grown in stature over the years from it's humble begins. Friday night is the paid version and on Saturday entrance is free. Friday is 1 podium with various artists (Singers). Usually on Friday they have the A-list artists (Household Dutch names) and on Saturday the B-group are let loose in different podia around the park.

I get to braai with the dog Toby as I do not enjoy the masses and waiting in a queue for the bathroom or for a watered down beer (It is called Festival beer).  Ingrid and Fleur went on Friday night and Bo ended up at home with her Father and the dog and we did a little bit of Boerie on the braai!. 

Artist of the night was Guus Meeuwis a local legend and very successful. He is from the Province of Brabant and the Brabanders are very very proud of their Province (Go PSV EINDHOVEN!!!, also from Brabant and the Dutch League Champions for 2024/5). I will tell the story..... (Someone please forward to Guus).

Very early on in my Dutchiness I went with my girlfriend (Ingrid), another 2 South Africans and a Canadian to Winterberg for a weekend. On arrival we entered the lobby and Ingrid puts out her hands to both sides to stop us in our track and has a little Hernia on the spot. What? What is it?

There he is! There he is!   .....

Where? What? Who?     

That guy at the reception desk....

Which guy (There were 2 people checking in)

That one. Guus Meeuwis!

All 4 of us looked at her like she had lost it a bit.... Who the fuck is Guus Meeuwis?????

Today we all know who Guus Meeuwis is and he is a legend! (Suffice it to say that Ingrid had a wonderful evening in Dordrecht with her Provincial buddy Guus! (and 11000 odd other people)). Me was snoring with the dog on the bed when she came home.

Saturday and Sunday I attended a conference for work on the beachfront in The Hague. Got some good 'take aways' as we call them (Things that hit a chord or make you question something or inspire you to take action on something) Usually with philosphy seminars the seed is sowed and one can not apply it Monday morning (as we say). Change takes time and the challenge is; are you willing to change or change something or not?

After 2 days of sitting in a chair the body was crying for some exercise and on Sunday afternoon I went for a paddle in the surfski. This year I am concentrating on the Elite model to become proficient at (1) Staying on top of the beast and (2) getting some more speed out of my paddles. The exercise did me well and I will admit to hopping onto a boat wake almost straight out of the start blocks, but in the end I had to paddle the 5 km back to the club against the light wind and current. The body is definately made to move. Sunday night was packing for the week and because we are driving, the pack was not difficult. Snip, Snap. Hey Mary Poppins?

Dogs know. They really do. From wake up time this morning, Toby was not his usual self and had resigned himself to lying on the bed. Walkies for said dog and then I loaded up the car and we pulled out of Dodge around 06h30. Destination Stockach, Germany. Ed had a full belly (Ed is the car) and been given the once over the afternoon before. Wash, vacuum, tire pressure, check the oil (They do not do that at filling stations in Europe). Roofracks taken off (He looks different without his antlers - Such a Handsome beast). 

Ingrid took the first stint and we only really had a bit of a hold up in traffic around Eindhoven. I love it when Ed gives us the heads up ("You have crossed the border"). Although I think that is Gillian the navigation Aunty. I love it. "Ping. You have crossed the border!" I think I may have nodded off for a VERY short while, but a while later I got behing the wheel and the kilometers got eaten. 

At one stage I felt like Bernd Maylander, the Formula 1 Safety Car Driver. For some reason  there I was in Ed on the Autobahn and full in my review mirror was a Lexus LFA Sports car and behind it was an Aston Martin Vantage. For some reason these 2 cars were content to sit in my slipspteam and coast along behind me. It was sort of surreal. Lol! I knew that if either of them wanted to they could just drop a little right foot and they would hurtle past me like I was standing still. 

The Autobahn is not what it used to be... Cruising around 180-220km/hr. Nah. That won't happen much on the route we were on. Roadworks congesting (concertinaing) the vehicles and when you could leave a bit of rubber on the tarmac, there are rows of trucks to the right and therefore left lane is backed up to 100-120km/hr max verstappen) -LOL. We were in no hurry, so there you go. Slow and steady wins the race.

Our abode is a little off the beaten track and very pretty. Tomorrow we will delve into the to do's and not to do's, but tonight it might be early to bed. Nighty NIght all!

OKAY. OKAY. I was given a Back Gammon set for my birthday by Ingrid and tonight I taught her how to play. I feel like I was the Bull Bulls at the Satuday rugby final. Like the Bulls, I did not pitch up for the game. I was 1 checker from a white wash! Tomorrow is a rematch!