Monday, June 23, 2008

Summer Solstice



On Saturday evening (June 21) we attended a Summer Solstice party at the American Women's Club. It was a nice group of folks, and although I'd met most of the women, this event included husbands and it was quite a bit of fun.

The women who organized the event made some lovely food, and we were all encouraged to drink beer and wine. We recreated several of the traditions from other European countries (examples below) - which included jumping over a bonfire (OK, it was about six tea candles on the floor), dancing around a maypole wearing flowered headpieces, participating in a mock marriage (each man picked a woman's name out of a hat and she was his bride for the evening - Alex picked my name but they made me marry someone else). We hit each other on the head with fresh garlic for good luck, participated in a 'pet blessing' and a relay race...and several other 'hard-to-describe' but very funny activities as well.

Summer solstice is actually an astronomical term relating to the position of the Sun in relation to the equator. The summer solstice is the date with the longest day and hence with the shortest night. (the opposite way round in the Winter) This date usually falls on June 21/June 22 in the Northern hemisphere or December 21/December 22 in the Southern hemisphere. At the time of the summer solstice, the earth is most tilted towards the sun (the poles point more directly at the sun than at any other time). This causes the sun to appear at its farthest above the equator when viewed from earth. Midsummer is the time around the summer solstice, and is celebrated throughout Northern Europe.

Midsummer is one of the only pagan holidays that are still celebrated in Europe (if not the only). In Denmark and Norway it is referred to as the eve of St. Hans but it's only in Sweden that it has kept its original name. Midsummer rivals Christmas as the most important holiday of the year due to the copious amounts of alcohol consumed.


In Sweden, Midsummer's Eve and Midsummer's Day is arguably the most important holiday of the year, and one of the most uniquely Swedish in the way it is celebrated, even if it has been influenced by other countries long ago. Traditional events include raising and dancing around a huge maypole. One typical dance is the frog dance.




Naturally, I did my own frog dance at an appropriate time at our celebration!

Drinking songs are also important at this feast, and many drink heavily. We tried to recreate this important element :) We didn't sing drinking songs, but we did have to write and sing a song we wrote about how we love our land...

The connection to fertility is naturally linked to the time of year. Many young people became passionate at Midsummer, and this was accepted, probably because it resulted in more childbirths in March which was a good time for children to be born.

In the Finnish midsummer celebration tradition, bonfires are burnt at lakesides. In the coastal areas that are the stronghold of the Swedish speakinbg Finns, these are supplanted by a maypole tradition, transferred from Sweden, and pickled herring. We did NOT eat any pickled herring :)

When Finland was Christianized, the holiday was named after John the Baptist in order to give a Christian meaning to the pagan holiday. The traditions, however, remain quite unchanged and survive in modern-day Finland, although they have lost their original purposes.

In folk magic, still well known but no longer seriously practiced, midsummer was a very potent night and the time for many small rituals, mostly for young maidens seeking suitors.

Many music festivals of all sizes are organized on the Midsummer weekend. A great many people get very drunk and happy. The statistics for the number of people drowned and killed in road accidents and other mishaps are morbidly counted every year while the number of assaults also peaks.

In most places in Norway, the main event is the burning of a large fire. In parts of Norway a custom of arranging mock marriages, both between adults and between children, is still kept alive. The wedding was meant to symbolise the blossoming of new life. Such weddings are known to have taken place in the 1800s, but the custom is believed to be older.

In Portugal, Saints’ days are full of fun and merriment. The streets are decorated with balloons and arches made out of brightly-coloured paper; people dance in the city's small squares, and altars, dedicated to the saints, are put up as a way of asking for good fortune. These holidays are days of festivities with good food and refreshments.

It is still the tradition in Lisbon to celebrate multiple marriages (200 to 300) and still following the tradition, if you are attracted to someone, one can declare himself in the heat of the festivities by offering to the loved person a manjerico (a flower-pot with a sweet basil plant) and a love poem. The men at our party did have to wear little herbal boutonierres.

In Operto, St John's is a festival that is lived to the full in the streets, where anything is permitted. People carry a whole plant of flowering garlic with them (or a little plastic hammer), which they use to bang their neighbours over the head for good luck. According to one Portuguese Grandmother, the tradition is that St John was a scallywag in his youth and the people hit him on the head with the garlic saying "return to the right path". There is also dancing, while the highlight of the night is the firework display over the River Douro.
Across the country the traditional midsummer bonfire is also built, and following an ancient pagan tradition, revelers try to jump over the bonfire, this in order to gain protection during the rest of the year.

In Latvia, Midsummer is called is a national holiday celebrated on a large scale by almost everyone in Latvia and by people of Latvian origin abroad. Celebrations consist of a lot of traditional elements - eating cheese, drinking beer, singing hundreds of Latvian folk songs, burning a bonfire to keep light all through the night and jumping over it, wearing wreaths of flowers (for the women) and leaves (for the men) together with modern commercial products and ideas.

In the western town of Kuldiga, revellers mark the holiday by running naked through the town at three in the morning. The event has taken place for the past seven years. Runners are rewarded with beer, and police are on hand in case any "puritans" attempt to interfere with the naked run. We didn't get to run naked through den Haag at 3 a.m. - maybe next year :)








The pictures show that we were all quite enjoying ourselves. Alex, by the way, ended up 'marrying' the president of the AWC! Nice.

C'est la vie

Well, Holland played their last game in the European cup championship on Saturday evening. We'd been at a party in the Hague so we taped the game and didn't find out the results before coming home. We watched the game intently. When Russia scored very late in the game I'd thought it was over. Until Holland scored...It was down to the wire (extra time) with this game against Russia, and although the Russians deserved to win as they played quite well (3-1), it was disappointing after such a great few weeks for our boys in orange.
Ah, well!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

A relaxing day, er, weekend


We took the bikes out today and did a bit more exploring locally. We've found a grocery store called Digros that we hadn't known about. Apparently this is one of the less expensive stores, but we thought it was pretty cool. We'd thought that the local markets were pretty good, albeit a bit small. Digros is now officially my favorite and it will be well worth travelling a bit further for a market with loads more items and choices (particularly Dutch foods) - and lots of things we have yet to try but will.

We found the local marina and explored the area around it, had lunch, and did a shop at Digros before heading home.

After unloading our goodies, we decided it was too nice a day not to hop back on our bicyles and do some more explorining in town and then to the dunes. We are so fortunate to be living near such beauty in which we can spend relaxing time without having to travel or be on holiday.

On Sunday we drove to Voorschoten (a town bordering Wassenaar) where they were holding a jazz festival. There were multiple small stages along the Laangstraat (main street) and we stopped at a restaurant with outdoor tables for a snack and a couple of beverages (can you believe more beer??). It was a bit strange to hear the singers talk to the audience in Dutch and then transition to blues and jazz songs in English.

We met some American friends with whom we chatted for quite some time (unfortunately, they are at the end of their 'tour' and will be US-bound in August). We thoroughly enjoyed another relaxing day. The bike ride home was pretty chilly as the temperature had dropped significantly by late afternoon and the wind had picked up - brrrrrr!

Sorry that the video of the green guitar is sideways - but I thought it worth the post - he was, well, fun to watch.



I've included a picture of a guy with a great 'tash - and another (above) that I wouldn't want to hire as a babysitter! :)




Busted! (and my own brush with the law...)







Well, Wassenaar is very safe - but not crime free.

On Tuesday of this week, I was walking down the street on my way to drop off my recycling. There was a police car and a police van parked outside, and I saw several police officers taking photos of a car, and searching its contents. Hmmm. I was curious but went on my way and did a couple of errands. I thought perhaps they'd found a stolen car.

When I returned quite a while later, the police were still there. About half a dozen of them were sitting around the front door. Maybe a missing person?

Soon several trucks and vans appeared - one that seemed to be some kind of environmental cleanup vehicle. Now it was a bit more interesting - something was out of the norm.

A realtor was showing the house next door to some prospective renters. When the prospects left, he walked over and spoke the the officers, and when he returned he told me that they had found 'some plants' in the house. Cannabis.

It turned out that the house across the street was being used to house a hydroponic farm. There weren't actually any residents living there - but the house was being used to grow a significant quantity of marijuana.
Interesting.

Since Alex was away, he wanted me to take a few pictures. Men donned in red suits were throwing equipment out the 2nd floor windows, and others brought large items out through the garage. They put the actual plants in large, blue barrels and carried out plastic containers of chemicals.
I took some pictures from our window, but Alex suggested I get some better photos. I got close and took some photos of all the equipment they were removing from the house (light fixtures, air conditioning ducts, sheet metal, chemicals, etc.) Unfortunately, when I got close, one of the officers wasn't happy with my photojournalism - and took the camera from me and deleted several of the photos, claiming this was confidential and that I couldn't take pictures of his colleagues. Fair play, I'd probably photographed (from afar) at least one of their undercover officers.
It took the entire day for them to empty out the house and I'm sure someone is in some pretty big trouble. Although when I spoke to a couple of the locals in town they didn't seem to think this was much of anything - happens all the time. This is, after all, the Netherlands, where cannabis is 'tolerated' (still illegal, but sold openly in shops, and an individual is allowed to have small quantities for personal use and one can grow a very limited number of marijuana plants at home.)

Go Holland!








Well, Holland is decked in Orange - much more so than on Queen's Day. We took a stroll into town last night and had a beer at Oranje, our "local" (pronounced O-raan-ye). The place was decked out in orange, and before we left to come home to watch the game at the house, we were given orange t-shirts to wear and had our cheeks painted with the Dutch colors. Again, we could hear the roar of excitement for each goal against France -- all four of them.

A great game, and a great win. The game was so good that Alex claims it was one of the best football games he has ever seen, and he's seen quite a few.

Go Holland!!!

Their next game is Tuesday night against Romania (and since they already qualify for the knockout stages it doesn't matter if they win this game or not). We'll continue to follow Euro2008 with enthusiasm.

By the way, we noticed that the Dutch not only hang out a flag (either an oranje flag or a red/white/blue national flag) - and sometimes they hang a rucksack (backpack) on the end of the pole. We thought indicates that the upcoming game is an 'away' game. Nope.
What is it?
A way to demonstrate that someone in that household has finished school (the really clever ones have artfully connected and arranged papers and books spilling out of them).
Let the summer begin!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Euro 2008 - European Cup Football




















As many of you 'footie' fans know, they are playing the European Cup 2008 this week. Tonight Holland play Italy. Holland hasn't beaten Italy since the 1978 World Cup - so this is an exciting event for locals here. And now for us, the new locals. (Note - the 'fan' photos above were collected and not taken by me.)

Every four years, sixteen of Europe's top national football (soccer) sides compete in the European Cup. Held exactly halfway between World Cups, the European Cup is the smaller competition, but the players and fans are intense and passionate. Rivalries between nations in Europe extend back hundreds of years. Some of these grudges are played out on the field.

The UK was knocked out of this competition this year, so their best hope is that Germany doesn't do well.

Holland is playing and since this past Friday, the local football pub has been blasting music and is decorated fully in orange. And although we so noone in Wassenaar dressed in oranje for Queen's Day, they've been decked out for the past few days in orange.

Even without the English in attendance, things are tense. Hostilities broke out between Polish and German fans in the days before this past Sunday's match, resulting in the arrest of seven German men.

Tonight during my blogging, we have had to step outside a couple of times as Holland has scored in the game against Italy (the current world champs). We can hear a roar come from Rickie's Bar in town - but all around us you can hear people shouting and whistling. Kind a fun!

Ok - now it is three to nil - will finish posting when the game is over!
Well, looks like we'll be following the rest of the competition with a little extra excitement.


Simple things

When you're living internationally, there are some very simple things that would be easy to do if you were home. I was reminded of this recently both when I had to find my way to immigration on my own to get my residency card, and also when I had a knee injury.
After my return from our US-UK trip, I had reinjured my knee and had bursitis (not serious, but very painful). Although I was pretty sure there wasn't anything terribly wrong, because it was the second time in several weeks I'd had the problem, I thought it wise to have a doctor check it.
Because I'd followed recommendations, I'd already sorted out a doctor and we'd both registered with and visited our local huisart (house doctor).
Anyway, the whole process is a bit interesting. In the first place, your huisart is located in your neighborhood. In fact, the first doctor I called was located probably two or three miles away. I was told that I had to call the LOCAL doctor - who is probably 500 yards from the house.
Your huisart has only a reasonable number of patients - and they make housecalls (although I'd have to be pretty sick not to be able to get to his office, which is really in a residential home just steps from our house).
When you visit the doctor, he or she is the one who comes to the small waiting area (and so far they've been extremely prompt) and greets you and brings you to the office. The office is also the examining room. You sit in a chair opposite the doctor first, and will be asked "what can I do for you?" And by the way, they don't do well visits or checkups - you see a doctor usually when something is wrong.
So I visited Dr. Welm who examined me and then decided that we should x-ray the knee.
X-rays (and diagostic tests) are not done on-site, and you get an order that you take to the local lab, or in my case, the hospital.
Now, when you do something like this at home - its easy! Easy here, too, but more challenging when you don't know quite where to go - and signs and instructions are all in Dutch. It is a bit intimidating and somewhat confusing.
So I made it to the hospital and found the radiology department. But they sent me back to registration and couldn't find my appointment at first. This was because when asked my name I gave my first name first -- so the appointment was under 'Leslie' instead of my surname. Also a note - the Dutch don't really queue and they will cut you off to beat you to the front of the line. I was reminded of this as a gentleman sped past me as I was about five feet from the woman at the desk in the x-ray department. I should have (would have been expected to) say to him "No, I was here first" - but I didn't.
At reception I noticed there was a numbered ticked system and pulled the tab, waited for a couple of other patients to do their own business, and was quickly and efficiently registered, and I returned to the x-ray lab.
When I was called, the attendant brought me into a closet-sized room in between the waiting area and the x-ray room. You leave your valuables in such a room, and undress if necessary. But no gowns ... I'm not terribly modest, so wasn't bothered, but this would be a shock to those of you that are a bit more shy than I.
I was x-rayed and sent home. BTW, they won't have to take the leg - the kneecap is in-tact and I'll be sent to a physiotherapist to help make the knee better.
Nothing exciting, but a learning point for me.

A happy husband

Need I say more?



A visit from the in-laws


Last week my in-laws, Ray and Di, came for a week-long visit. It was a well-deserved break for them as this last couple of years has been incredibly busy for the two who run their own business and are in the throes of a move to Wales and their planned retirement. They work tirelessly and we wanted to be sure they RELAXED. They are typically are up early every day and have many projects in the works at the same time. We were pleased that on the first day they slept until nearly noon! They had several late mornings which we hoped meant that they were truly relaxing.

Since I'm at home I was able to spend some time with them and we spent time wandering around Wassenaar and working in the garden during the first couple of days.

They went into the Dam for a day, but weren't terribly impressed and like Wassenaar much better. They did find the windows in the Red Light District a bit interestingly weird!

We spent lots of time eating and drinking, and even playing darts. For the record, the children beat the parents fairly and squarely :)

On the Friday Alex took the day off and we all went to Delft for a visit to IKEA and a walk around this lovely town. We lounged around the square, stopping for a beer and a bite, and watching several wedding parties coming out of the town hall which is a large and beautiful building along one side of the square.


It was a wonderful visit and we look forward to their return.


Thursday, June 5, 2008

On the Bright Side of the Road






On Saturday, May 27, 2008 Alex received his MBA from Henley Management College. His parents and I proudly attended the ceremony on a gorgeous summer day on one of the most beautiful campuses I've seen right along the Thames.
Alex has been working on this for six years and we are all extremely proud and pleased.
The following day we began our journey home, back to Dover where we took the ferry back home. It was a long day and we were weary and emptying the car of our luggage and all the goodies we'd brought back (wine from France, some furniture from Wycombe, etc.) was a chore.
Home felt - well, like home. Two weeks to me is a long time to be away from home (for those of you who don't know, it is typical for Americans to take perhaps one or two one-week holidays per year, so two weeks seems very long). Hard to believe that we have another two-week holiday scheduled in just a few weeks.

Our garden had gone crazy while we were away, with a whole slew of plants and shrubs that we hadn't been aware were planted had grown and flowered, some more than a foot!






Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Eurovision 2008






We spent two evenings in a row with our best mates in the UK, Trevor and Jo and Mick and Sarah. We ALWAYS have a great time with them - and typically knock back quite a few lagers.

This visit we discovered the obsession with Eurovision 2008 ... a bizarre song contest the likes of which I've never seen. It is much like a car crash in that you can't help but look at it even though it is simply awful.


Check out the winner and others - I think Spain is pretty special:



I'm including a video I took myself of the TV screen of a bizarre moment in the show...


Anyway, the long and short of it is that we had, as usual, a delightful time with our friends. I don't have any new pics of their beautiful children (five in all) as they were all tucked into bed on both evenings. We didn't even *see* three Lock children, but I assure you that Trev's little ginger kids are as beautiful as ever.
Oh, by the way, the UK finished DEAD LAST in this competition...!





Back in the USSR...er, the UK






JET LAG STINKS!

I arrived worse for the wear in London and Alex took me back to the house in Wycombe for a sleep, after which we drove to Wales to spend time with my parents in-law, as well as my sister-in-law (Sarah - they're ALL called Sarah!!), brother-in-law Dave and our niece and nephew, Catrin and Steffie. We celebrated Sarah's and my birthday's at a local Indian place with one of the most delicious curries I've ever had. This time I had ghoa chicken - which was delicious and VERY spicy yum!


My in-laws are retiring to a home that is being built in Wales, but they are living temporarily in their cottage in Burryport - so Alex and I slept in the bunkbeds usually reserved for the kids.


We did get to the local TESCO, one of our favorite shopping haunts, and the surrounding shops at the Parc Trostre in Llanelli. In between trips and meals, I slept quite a bit. I HATE jet lag!


Unfortunately, I suffered again quite a bit from jet lag. Credit for the photos in this video go to Alex who took them while I slept.


We then headed off on the next leg of our UK tour, and drove back to Wycombe to spend time with our dearest friends there, and to attend Alex's graduation ceremony at Henley Management College. Next entry...


This is a long video...

We are family


Back to Scituate ...
On Sunday my parents, brothers, neice and nephews had brunch at the Mill Wharf in Scituate to celebrate Mother's Day and my birthday (argh!). We continued our celebration at my parents' home in Scituate and I wrapped up my trip with another whirlwind trip to Marshall's and the local Stop-n-Shop for a bit more shopping (I have found that I need to bring back albacore tuna to Holland as the tuna here, to me, is questionable...and reminds me of cat food - yuck! I also had a request from Alex to bring back several cans of corned beef hash.)
As you all know, the exchange rate is pretty outrageous, so during my US trip most of my shopping was for clothing for our planned trip to Portugal in July. There are a few other things that we simply can't find here - things you wouldn't think about, like a little utility rug for the floor in front of the kitchen sink, and lamps that have switches where you want them but don't cost a week's wages. I would do some more shopping in Wales for the same reasons.
It was fabulous to spend time with the south shore crew.
Overall, the trip was just great but I do wish I'd had more time.
On Monday evening I boarded the overnight flight back to the UK...and more jet lag!
The first video below is 'the short' - the other for those who have been enjoying the longer and more complex films. The longer versions are very well received by my more immediate family. I appreciate your input.


Born in the USA






























On Monday, May 13th I hopped on a plane to the US for the first time since we've been away. It was an evening flight and I arrived late in Boston, rented a car and drove to Scituate. I was exhausted but pleased to see Nancy and excited about seeing other friends and family during my very few days there.


Nancy and I spent some time doing mother/daughter things - shopping, eating, shopping, and eating...and it is always nice to stay with Nancy and Joe because I'm treated like royalty - the spoiled little chickadee.

I had a tricky few days to try to fit in as many visits with other folks as possible. I now understand the guilt many people feel on such trips. There are just so many things you can do and people you can see. I spent a couple of days with Nancy, then headed to Chelmsford to spend an evening with Brenda, and then on Thursday I met my uncle Denis for lunch - where I began to feel some severe jet lag. Literally, during our lunch I just ran out of gas. I barely touched my soup. The obvious red flag was that I didn't drink my wine ;O) Fortunately, Denis was more than sympathetic to my plight, and sent me home to his farm in Stow for a sleep. Later than evening he woke me so that he and my other aunt Nancy and her dad could go for a nice meal. As wonderful as the company was, I was still jagged - and had club soda with lemon for dinner and hit the bed hard when we got home.


Denis took me to breakfast at a local diner the following day, and after yet another nap, I got myself up and packed and back on the road. Denis and Nancy - thank you so much for your understanding - and your guest bed!


This time I headed to Hollis, New Hampshire to stay with my friend Anna, and we joined some other friends that evening for a very fun few hours of eating, drinking, dancing and just being silly. It was tough to get up the next morning, but Anna's dog Spike made sure I did! Anna and I spent the day doing girlie stuff and then I headed back to Scituate...a separate entry.
Thank you Anna and crew for everything.

This is the short video - the second is the long version...