cheap flights

For all relatives trying to get back home for a family do!
check out this youtube video!

make sure you play it right to the end

A Letter from Flat Stanley

Dear Molly,
I've been in Monnickendam for a month now and its about time I wrote to let you know what has been happening.
When I got here Jolanda was sick, with flu, so we stayed at home for a few days, and I made her lots of warm drinks. mostly we lay on the sofa and watched television.
When she got better she took me to see her pony, Ulo.

Ulo is very big, so I went to see Bontfire, who was a bit more my size.

Then we played on the climbing frame

and I got to slide down the slide

The best bit was when I got to go on a tractor! Being a boy, I like tractors better then horses really.

We had to do some chores around the house, so I got to help pump out the boat before it sank from all the rain. Its really nice that the boat is right in front of the house.

you can see here how the water in the boat is going down.

Jolanda does not use the boat in the winter because its too cold so I could not get out in it myself - which is a shame.
Last weekend we went to Jumping Amsterdam, which is an international horse show, and saw some of the worlds top dressage and jumping competitors. The jumps were 1.60m high!


We did get out and saw some very dutch things, like clogs, windmills and tulips (the tulips were in the shops, because its winter and the ones in the fields are still asleep.)



Jolanda had a competition one weekend so I went to see her. This photo was taken when she was getting ready to compete.


I have had a good time here in Monnickendam, but its been a month now, and I really miss England, so I'm coming home this week.

Lots of love
Flat Stanley

more pictures from Drenthe

Autumn colours



to prove I did ride in the woods - I'm at the back



Ulo and Jolanda

Weekend in the woods

Since we got Ulo, we have had little opportunity to get out and about with her, apart from travelling to dressage competitions, or going for a quiet hack on the roads around the stables. Two weeks ago we were able to go with a group of riders and horses from our stable, and Evelien's (Stal Oostwal) to a great manege in Drenthe Recreatiecentrum
" Rijmaaran".
There were eight horses on the trip, and about twenty five people, not all of them riders. It was a long drive for us, but Ulo was fine in the trailer, and settled in well to the great facilities. We had an indoor school to exercise in on the friday night, and then saturday and sunday we went out into the woods, exploring the trails around the riding school. It was glorious weather, and the autumn colours were lovely, the trails were broad and for the most part dry.
Those without a horse of their own could hire fjords and haflingers, and those who did not like horses could get out and about and explore Drenthe.
Like a fool I forgot my camera, but there were photos taken, and I am in the process of getting them from those with cameras!
Here's one of Ulo in the woods. The rope round her nose is to stop her sprinting off, which she had just done.... it was all a bit too exciting at times.

Not a 9/11 post

SEPTEMBER 11. My birthday. Since 1957. A good day. Some years I celebrate. Some years not. I choose.

This is what we did this year.
Open Day Drie Merrien 2010
For those you do not understand the dutch commentary. Jolanda is up front on Daisy the little palomino, Kiki is riding Shamrock, the little grey, Pallas is riding Sharda the bay, and Fre is riding Magnum the chestnut.
Cute, don't you think!

Back to work

August passed me by in a blur of sunny days and fresh air; we are back to the reality of work and school now, and appropriately leaden skies. in august we went up to Friesland for a few days and enjoyed the feeling of space there (not a usual feeling in the netherlands!) this picture is of Jolanda in the wind on the shores of the Waddenzee. the place was called Moddergaat (translation mudhole) but it was actually very pretty and green!

Did we enjoy Disney?

Last week we took Jolanda and a friend to Disneyland Paris. It was a short and intense trip, driving down tuesday, staying two nights in a disney hotel (Sequoia Lodge - no complaints, there) and driving back up on thursday.

It was VERY hot the first day, and the park was packed so it took us a few hours to get organised and orientated to get the most out of the visit. After a great buffet dinner at the hotel however we went back into the park and managed to hit Thunder Mountain and the Indiana Jones ride, before collapsing into bed.
The next day was damp and drizzling, which made the experience much more pleasant (fewer crowds and short queues!) We got some shopping done and went to Disney Studios. The stunt drivers show was great, and the girls did the big roller coasters - I gave them a miss after the night before.

The last day; and we had been given breakfast tickets in the Park - I was not too happy with a half hour hike into Fantasyland before I was able to get so much as a cup of coffee, but it meant we were able to get on the rides we had missed on earlier days. Space Mountain was finally open (it had been closed the other two days), and Jolanda and I got fasttrack tickets. Of all the rides, this one was the only one I had never done, so I was slightly nervous, but the thing with Disney is that the more intense the ride, the shorter the experience, so I figured it would be over before I knew it.
Jolanda and I both voted it the best ride - especially the times you experienced weightlessness (something to do with the centrifugal forces as you corkscrewed?)

Then it was time to head home - totally exhausted. John vowed he would never go again, but I think I could pop back there another time!

more horse stuff!

I have promised myself I am going to build up my blog posts and become more social media savvy, but at the moment I only post when Jolanda does something to shout about!
Sunday was the monthly trip to the official dressage competition along the road at Stal Baco in Broek in Waterland - we had a really early start, as we had to be there for 9 a.m. and I had been worried as Janette was riding in an international event in Germany and I don't really like being at the manege on my own. I need not have worried, as within minutes of our arriving to get Ulo ready the place was buzzing with other people getting their horses ready for competition as well.
We got off on time, and only had one serious mishap on the way. I will never walk to a competition again; next month I am getting a trailer. We got there in good time, and Jolanda rode two really good proefs, with excellent scores. She came first in the second proef, and got two winst punten to add to her tally. John was able to come along this time, and filmed her, which was great, and its now on youtube for all to see. Ulo and Jolanda at Baco
(you might want to watch it with the sound down as it was very windy!)

A weekend of cousins

Last weekend we went to England to celebrate the 80th birthday party of not only Jolandas Grandmother Meg Stephenson, but also her Grandmother Anne Hindess. We had two great celebrations, A party with 75 guests at Tynemouth Golf Club for my mother on Saturday night, and an intimate lunch for my husbands mother at Jesmond Dene House Hotel on sunday.
We are very lucky that Meg and Anne are both fit and happy, and well able to enjoy their celebrations to the full.
It was a unique weekend, as Jolanda had the chance to meet all her cousins at the same time, These are her cousins from the Hindess side of the family,

And these are her cousins from the Stephenson side of the family!

Ass you can see we spent quite a lot of the weekend eating!

Numero uno for Ulo!

Jolanda and Ulo competed for the first time on Sunday, and came first in their class! Jolanda had a mega score of 194 (which is brilliant). We were so pleased, and also for those who were the runners up in the owners competition as they all worked really hard and deserved their ribbons too.

From left to right, 4th was Kelly on Buster, 3rd Dunia on Lester and 2nd Kiki on Sharda, and Jolanda on the end with her cup.

John was great as cameraman and editor and made this film for everyone to see!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aooPF2Ntv0

One last thing - Jolanda was the only entrant who groomed, plaited and saddled up without the aid of a parent! Said parent just got the honour of mucking out the stall!

I is for "In beweging"

We spent a week in a Landal Green Park in Northern Germany with Penny and Sascha. The weather was changeable, but in between the rain we managed to get out and about! It was not so warm most of the time so we had to keep on moving! (the Dutch for keep moving is "In beweging")






There are more photos here !

C is for Cake, Candyfloss and confetti

An English wedding.

Organising a traditional wedding is truly an art form, and I was thrilled to be invited to my cousins wedding in Staffordshire in March. Guests travelled from all over the world to attend, and every detail of the day was planned perfectly.
The service in the church was beautiful:

The reception was held in an elegant stately home built as only the Victorians knew how:

The cake was baked and decorated lovingly by the grooms sister Kath:

The bridesmaids were adorable in candyfloss dresses:

Relatives got the chance to meet again after twenty years:

And we forgot to throw the confetti!

Thanks Tracy and Jamie for an unforgettable weekend!

Tack-full!

Its been two weeks now, and having a horse is almost a full time occupation it seems! Jolanda is getting to know Ulo, and we are working with her every day. Its a pleasure looking after her, and she is quite used to us now, and pleased to see us when we arrive!

Working with her is not really a problem, but as I said before, we had no tack before she arrived, so the last two weeks have been spent gathering "stuff" and recognising the mistakes we have made!

first the bridle:

We dashed out to Midden Beemster to get a bridle and bit on the first morning, and brought it back to fit on the horse. We realised immediately the Cob size bridle was to small, but the bit was good (ever tried to fit a bit in a horses mouth without it being attached to the bridle? Ulo thought we were mad!) I dashed back to the shop, and swapped the bridle over, so that we could saddle her up and Jolanda could have her first ride on her.

Then the Martingale:

I went back here on Tuesday as we really needed a martingale. That made a big difference to riding her on the bit.

Next the saddle:

We made do with a borrowed saddle as I took the advise of everyone and started trawling the internet for a second hand Kieffer general purpose saddle, because "they fit every horse".

By wednesday I had found a couple, and put bids in, and one bid was accepted. Friday night John and I took a trip out through the blooming bulbfields of noord Holland to pick it up. It seemed fine, I tested the tree, which was strong and straight. Included with the saddle were two martingales, and a saddle blanket. But there were no stirrups, and the girth was only 115cm, and we knew we needed 130cm.

Then the girth:

I found a kieffer girth on the internet too, so bid for that, and went to pick that up, (again though the bulbfields) then next morning.

Saturday afternoon we fitted the saddle, to be told that it would need refilling (although it would do for now) and the girth was designed for a dressage saddle, and was still too short. Amazingly the girth we had got with the saddle did fit, so that was sorted.

finally the stirrups:

We were working with borrowed stirrups now, but everything else was ours, hurrah! Monday we went shopping with another mother who was showing us how to get to the closest tack shop. It was in a block of flats in Amsterdam Noord and gave me the feeling we were entering a drugs den as we rang on the doorbell for admittance and followed the signs upstairs. We were shown one pair of stirrups and one sort of stirrup leather, but I felt too intimidated to ask to see anything else, so just paid the money and left.

as extra:

Last night we went back out to Midden Beemster, to get the pretty saddle blanket Jolanda had seen on our first trip, and a pair of leg protectors.

I think we are done shopping for a while, thank goodness, as we have everything we need and more.

We now have to get rid of two martingales which we don't need and a Keiffer girth that does not fit. I need to get the courage to take the first halter we bought back to the shop (a different shop) to complain, as it broke in the trailer, and the horse escaped!

I take comfort from knowing I am not the only one who makes these mistakes, one mother was sold a full lunging girth set when she only needed a lunging rope and whip, and another mother bought a summer turning out rug which should have been 185cm, did not see the shop had sent her the wrong size, and after unpacking it found it was 215cm!

How to buy a horse in Holland - Part 1

We’ve been talking about buying a horse for years, the top present on Jolanda’s wish list for “Sint” was always “a pony” as she got older and bigger, the type of pony changed, from “Shetlander” to “Welsh” to an E pony. She no longer believes in Sint, but this year, when her “Droom Paard” became an “Andalusian stallion” advertised on http://www.marktplaats.nl/ and available in Friesland for a mere eight thousand euros. We started to look seriously at more practical options.
But I cannot blame the pressure Jolanda has put us under, I won’t deny that owning a pony was always my childhood dream too, and I am a firm believer in “living your dream” even if it does take forty years to achieve!
After we discussed it as a family, and John admitted that he had no arguments against the idea left, and getting advise from people we trust in the local horse fraternity; Jolanda drew up a list of what she wanted in a perfect horse, and got the green light to trawl the net for horses.
She’s a clever girl, and did not only look on one site, but compared http://www.sporthorses.nl/ with marktplaats, and found a really pretty 4 year old gelding on offer on both sites, for different prices! We decided to contact the people advertising on sporthorses, and got an appointment to see it yesterday.
We got up bright and early and set off for the stables which were about thirty minutes away. First impressions were really favourable, the farm and stables looked really professional, and as we walked through the line of stalls to the office, we passed some beautiful looking horses.
The girl showing us the horse was great, with the sort of laid back, calm approach to riding that sets you at your ease.
In real life the horse was really pretty, quite small (thankfully) and nice eyes. I have never even thought of what you look for when you are buying a horse, but he was rugged up when we first saw him, and I really wanted to see him “naked” so to speak!
He did not disappoint, although we noticed he had a really slow amble as he walked though to the saddling up area. As the girl was getting the tack, I started to run my hands over him - with no idea what I needed to feel for, but it was obvious that his muscles were really soft; the ponies we know work out each day, and they are fit, with firm muscles.
Before he was tacked, she let him loose in the arena, and he had a great run around, he looked lively, but Jolanda thought he seemed to put his feet down heavily.
We had been chatting all the time with the girl, and she was really open in her answers, but when I asked if he was known to buck, she sort of ummed and muttered that all young horses have that in their character.
She saddled him up then, and she rode him first to show us what he could do – it was not so much – he might be zadelmaak (broken in) but he was all over the place – did not even stay on the hoofslag (round the edge of the arena). It took her ages to get him into canter, too. We saw the buck he gave as he cantered from E to B. By the time she was finished she was the colour of beetroot, and sweating!
Jolanda was brave enough to want to try him out, (I would have done it for her, honest!) so popped her hat on, took her coat and scarf off, and hopped up onto him.
She took him round a couple of times in trot; and did a few circles, and changes of direction. Before she went into canter, the girl suggested Jolanda should try him with spurs, and fixed a pair on her boots – Jolanda has never ridden in spurs.
We kind of both thought there would be problems with cantering, but as I was on the ground filming, and Jolanda was about 20 meters away on a horse, we couldn’t really discuss it.
She popped him into canter and he kicked the skirting boards, so she tried again and he went into a series of bucks, trying to get rid of her. I did not get that on film, as there is something incredibly scary about watching your 12 year old daughter fighting an angry horse.
However, she rode it out, then got a nice canter out of him finally. When they finished, she was really tired, and he was too!
So he’s not the horse for us, I don’t like the bucking, and Jolanda found him hard work to ride, and couldn’t imagine having to train him from zero to where she wants to get him. Looks aren’t everything as they say!
He is not really a good first horse, but to someone who wants the challenge, he would be a great buy.

Duinrit in Egmond aam de Hoef

We decided to treat ourselves this week, inspite of the horrible weather, and booked a hack at a manege I had heard about from another mother at our manege.

This manege specialises in hacking in the Noord Hollands dune nature reserve, and is about a half hour drive away. We got there, and found a very clean, well managed, professional and welcoming manege which immediately put me at ease, as its often a problem if you have to organise two kids and yourself with tack, mounting etc.

We had loads of help - and I was even provided with a mounting block (thank god) to get onto my very large pony. Once mounted, we were sorted into order in the paddock, and a string of 13 of us went out onto the hack. We only had to cross the road, and we were immediately on a side road heading for the dune area two minutes away.

We negotiated a gate and after that it was all bridle paths, through a varied landscape of wooded areas, and open places with gorse and shrubs. The dunes are the only areas in the Netherlands which are not flat, so it was a treat to negotiate hummocks, and slopes, and not be able to see the whole area at one time, but rather have it revealed in stages, as we rounded corners, or emerged from the trees.

We got in a few good canters, and the horses were very fresh, so it had its exciting moments. I was riding behind Jolanda's friend Eva, so had a few anxious moments stopping my Dalfy from flattening her much smaller Twiggy. Jolanda was riding a horse called Ukkie (which means small in Dutch) but it did not look like a small horse to me! Here's Ukkie back in her stall!

We arrived back after two hours, and were able to get a coffee and sandwich in the really nice cantine, as well as use the spotless toilets before driving back in the rain which had held off until we dismounted!

B.T.W. the first photo is from the website of the manege, I did take one, but its out of focus, and just as I got ready to take the second, we went into a canter, and I had to switch the camera off, put it back into my pocket, and make sure my pony didn't run unto the kids in front of me!

This weekend I didn't go to Berlin

I hope the party was great, and the dresses fabulous, and the table centre pieces inspired!

Not going to Berlin had me remembering the many parties I've been to at my sisters houses over the years.

Driving to Durham, when she was an undergrad, for student binges which lasted the weekend, then dashing back to work on the monday morning.

Driving up to Alnwick for mega parties, which were so brilliant we braved extreme weather conditions. I battled through a snow storm one weekend for a binge at the Duchess School, and another time, we went up the A1 togged out in fancy dress, and stopped for petrol at a lonely pump station in a gale. As we were paying at the kiosk the wind lifted the roof off the forecourt and it sailed over the fields into the darkness. The guy at the kiosk watched it go philosophically!

Flying to Madrid to sample Spanish night life, and realising I was getting too old to party until 4.00 a.m.!

Coming over from Amsterdam to Tynemouth for the party at Birtley Avenue the night before my brothers wedding, when she spent the whole of the evening cooking sausages, and forgetting to eat any herself, which left her in a decidedly delicate condition for the wedding the next day!

Having a memorable Christmas dinner at Tynemouth, with snow falling, and a great turkey dinner all served on our grandmothers dinner service which must be over 80 years old!

Going over to Orlando, Florida, for her wedding to Detmar, which was probably the smallest party Penny has ever given, but very beautiful, and romantic (we won't mention the food-poisoning!)

Then there was night before New Years Eve, when we drove over to Berlin, to be telephoned en route with the news that Penny's plane from England was cancelled, and they would not be there to meet us.

We got the keys from the neighbour, and the next day followed her instructions on how to set up the party to the letter, welcomed the guests (none of whom we knew - and all of whom were German) and had everything running smoothly (apart from the red wine blooper) before they walked in at 9.00 p.m!

So I hope the party was great, and you had as good a time as you always do, and I'm thinking about you!

Sub Zero!

We've had four days of freezing weather and the ice is pretty thick. in our densely populated little country that means we can skate, but as can be seen from this photo, its more a procession than a sport! Still its an active procession, in the fresh air, and its great to see Jolanda is happy to get out with friends even in sub zero temperatures.

She is wearing
leggings,
2 pairs of jeans
2 pairs of socks
2 tee shirts
1 pullover
1 winter coat
her dads winter gloves
my skates

and her bike has a sheepskin seat cover!

I don't know how she still manages to look so slender!

Happy New Year, everyone!

T'was the night before Christmas

There's nothing like a real tree!
Here's our effort for this year, and despite the bare patch half way up the trunk, where the branches are missing, and the fact that the truck is not straight (compensated neatly by our unique sloping floor as discussed in the previous post) it looks lovely. The presents are stacked under it and the room is lit by candlelight.
We wish everyone a very happy Christmas, and we will be thinking of you as we open the presents you have all sent tomorrow morning

Of Sint, suprises and chocolate fountains!

In Holland it is, of course, known that Sint comes on 5th December, but I do not apologise for this lateness of the post - there are reasons!
We had our first family sint party this year, After 20 odd years here I felt we could finally do the occasion justice, and invited my mother and father as well as my sister, husband and new daughter Sascha to celebrate with us. I wanted them to experience a true Sint festival, and there were two extra reasons for the family gathering. Mam's birthday is on December 4, and its a special event to be able to celebrate it properly, also Mam and Dad would have the opportunity to meet their new granddaughter, as Sascha's passport has still not come through and she cannot travel to the UK.
So how did it all go?
We had a lovely time!

Mam and Dad were delayed 10 hours by snow at Newcastle Airport and did not really arrive in time for Mam's birthday meal, but their taxi drew up as we finished eating, which meant we were all able to kiss and cundle and introduce Sascha, before they were fed and then we all had a lovely piece of birthday cake (with candles of course) and Mam got all her presents.
We took them round to their appartment, and they were able to recover from the journey overnight.

Next morning Jolanda went off early to school, because Sint was coming! Its always a big event at this school, and I watch it from my house with amazement are he arrives each year in a different form of transport.

Over the years he's arrived in boats, vintage cars, coach and horses, Harley Davidson motor bike - you name it he's done it, so I could not think how he would get there this year. We got a clue when I saw some balloons rising above the garden wall further along the street, and yes, this year he came in a "hoog werker"! (what is the name of one of thise things in English?)
Once he came over the wall, and walked into the school, that was our excitment done until our party in the evening, so we had a restful sort of day, finishing off the shopping and sorting out the house.
When Jolanda was home, the real business of the day started! We had our presents ready and hidden in their suprise parcels, and we made an extra parcel for Sascha of an enormous pesent with a bow and balloons, which had a smaller and still smaller present inside (russian doll style!).
We set up the present table, and put each present under a black bin liner so no one could guess before we started who had what.
It was round about this time that Man and Dad realised that they had not grasped the concept of Sint, and started to feel very embarrassed!
No matter, we carried on, and had a lovely night! there are no real food rules for Sint, which always throws me, so I decided to do a dutch style buffet, and brought out the new chocolate fountain as a suprise! I am getting the hang of getting the chocolate flowing, however, in our unique sloping floored living room (our 200 year old house built on bogland has settled comfortably over time!) the chocolate fountain resembles a chocolate waterfall.

The strategy is to stand downhill of the chocolate, and make sure there are no small children under your arm, as you reach out with a marchmallow or strawberry, as there is a tendency for the chocolate to drop onto their hair!
After that, we got down to the present part of the night, and everyone was really happy with their suprises, poems, and presents! All in all a prefect evening, with loads of love and laughter.

And the reason for the lateness of the post? most of the photos were on Penny's camera, and she mislaid her handbag on the way home to Berlin. She has it back now, but I still have very few photos, and I may add more later!

Jolanda rides again!

My sister-in-law has beaten me to it again by publishing videos of both Molly and Katie skating this weekend! I am totally ashamed that I have not reported Jolanda's triumph two weeks ago at the dressage competition!

She was entered at the L level for the first time, and we were really relaxed about it until the friday lesson, when we found out she would be the only entrant not wearing official concourse clothing!

After a family conference and a review of which presents she had on her Sint list (more about Sint soon) we decided to go out on Saturday morning and get the white jodphurs and white gloves, and she would wear her black body warmer. I rang the local shop (Evenboer ruitersports in Broek in waterland) and they confirmed they had the things we wanted, so we dashed over.

Once there we were captive as the two ladies of the shop produced not only the things we asked for but also a gorgeous jacket (washable) and the white stock and even a hairnet!

Of course once Jolanda put everything on, she looked a million dollars, so we parents (suckers) bought the lot!

Jolanda was thrilled and spent the afternoon polishing her boots and chaps, and getting everything ready.

We got to the stables in good time, but realised we had forgotten the white saddle blanket, so dad went back for that whilst Jolanda and two other girls got Sjakie ready. The only problem was that everyone had different ideas over how to plait his mane, and I could see it turning into a big problem when another mother descended and acted as a sort of horse hairdresser, and turned him out with a fetching "hengsten vlecht", just as John arrived back with the saddle blanket.

Within a few minutes it was Jolandas turn to ride, and she went in happy and confident and produced a beautiful proef. The L is very advanced for an 11 year old, as there is a lot of tempo changes, as well as two "wijk" moments where the horse moves forwards and sideways, crossing the front legs over. (I think this is called a half pass in English).

There are no videos from us (camera not working) but also no photos of the proef itself as I thought the flash could spook the pony; he is a bit flighty.

We had to wait for all the others to ride before the results were out, so we parents settled into the cantine with tea and cake, whilst the kids rushed around in the mud, sleet and snow outside! Within minutes every pair of white jodphurs was spattered with mud and horse whatever.

At the end they announced the winners, and to our surprise and, naturally pride, Jolanda was 2nd, above some much older girls, and only a few points away from the winner!

Go Girl!