To all my blogger friends ...

April 11th, 1957 ...

I was born*

(*) Opening line of the novel 'David Copperfield' - Ⓒ Charles Dickens

A new appliance

I just realized that all my 'new' posts had the word 'new' in it. I didn't do it on purpose. It just came naturally ... probably inspired by the 'new' year and  the 'new' start in blogging. 

Let's continue with this tradition for the rest of January ... we'll see what February will bring. Maybe, by then, everything will be old again ... like this new appliance.

The new diffuser and, for size reference, a standard-size new year's card
that I've received from one of my neighbours in the apartment complex.

To be honest, it's not really an appliance but more a 'gadget-nice-to-have' kind of thing. I would never have gone out shopping for it myself, but having to chose among a internet list of about 60 new year's gifts, value approx. 35 euros each, proposed by my employer, I thought it would be nice to have around.

It's an aroma diffuser! It's really tiny (H 15cm x W 8cm). Inside is a small plastic tank with a volume of 50 cl, that you fill with water to which you can (not mandatory) add a few (2-3) drops of essential oil. 

Last summer I received a 5 ml bottle of essential lavender oil from a colleague who had spend a week in the French Provence. It smells lovely, but there are very few ways using it because the scent is really very strong and overpowering. However, with the aroma diffuser it is just perfect. If it weren't for the noise of the traffic outside - instead of the chirping of crickets - I could just close my eyes and believe I'm actually in the Provence ... a region I have never visited, btw.

PS. I forgot to mention that it also contains a LED light which you can put in 'full' or 'diffuse' mode. Very handy and trendy!

A new pet

Those of you who know me, know that I'm really fond of cats. I never actually owned one, yet... And I won't for another year or two, because the lease of my apartment clearly stipulates that pets (apart perhaps a goldfish or a hamster in a cage) are not allowed in the complex. 

So I'll wait till the day I have a place of my own ... 

Image from the internet

In the meantime, I will have to make do with Nono for company. Nono is my newly acquired and extremely clever sweeping robot.You may recall that last April I lost my cleaning lady L. She was forced to retire due to a serious heart condition. She was finally called in for open heart surgery in October. The operation was a success, but she is no longer allowed to do heavy work, which is good news for her but very inconvenient for me. It's very hard to find good cleaning help you can fully trust.

That's what I liked about L.. She was not only very thorough and professional, she was also one of the most reliable people I've ever met. Moreover, she was great fun to have around. She used to come in on Thursday afternoon, my day of teleworking. While she cleaned under and around my desk, I dropped in at mother's, just to be out of the way. By the time I came back - approx. an hour later - I could continue working at my usual spot, while she cleaned the rest of the apartment. She stayed well out of my way, in order not to disturb me in my work. 

At half past three she used to emerge from the kitchen with a cup of coffee she had made for herself. I took a short break and shared some 'eclairs' and local gossip with her. She knows almost everybody in the village and all the recent savoury and unsavoury events. It was a great way to stay in touch with village life, which will be very helpful once I am retired.

To make a long story short, I heard about the existence of Nono on the radio. A quick internet search revealed that the robot had two sweeping functions: one 'dry' (an a automatic 'Swiffer' so to say) and one using water and a cleaning liquid.

Meet Nono, here the robot is sweeping my kitchen floor

It has its own battery charger and GPS. Fully charged it has an autonomy of 2 hours. It comes with two types of sweeping rags, one for dusting, one for sweeping. It doesn't do carpets. However, Nono can be a bit cheeky and something finds its way unto a slim carpet. So you can't exactly leave it on its own. It's best to stick around, because sometimes it gets stuck under a low cupboard. When this happens, it emits a panicky 'beep-beep' cry for help and its blue control light flashes red!

If I were to rate this robot, I would give it an 8 out of 10. It's main inconveniences being:

1: Despite its rectangular shape, it's not always efficient in corners (minus 0.25 points).

2: It's very stubborn, and won't always do as you tell ... its GPS being its only master (minus 0,25 points).

3: It feeds on electricity only and doesn't eat 'éclairs', nor drinks coffee ... and worst of all, it doesn't know any village gossip (minus 1.5 points)!

...

A new start

Dear blog friends,

I know, I'm early and - yes - I've let you down over the past 5 months. I'm using the start of a new year as an excuse to pick up where I left off ... blog-wise. I'm not making any promises, but with retirement lurking around the corner (another 16 months or so to go, though!!), blogging and sharing photos and stories with you and reading your comments, seems like a great way to stay in touch with the world!

Enjoy the last days of 2016!

A seafood lunch - part 2

The two ladies at the restaurant 'Bistrot de la Mer' killed the time waiting for their cooked lobsters to arrive by talking ... computers! Window 8, Windows 10, Apps, ... they juggled with the words like real IT professionals, although they must both have been well in their eighties. I was flabbergasted and in awe!

Then my lunch came: two baby lemon sole, with chunky French fries, a green salad and a dollop of mayonnaise. With it, I had a small bottle of Sancerre and bottle of fizzy mineral water. The meal was excellent!

Click to enlarge. You can almost smell the still sizzling butter.
On the right, my notepad. I like to take notes when travelling on my own. It kills the time and I rediscover my thoughts afterwards - lol!

But I wasn't the only one enjoying a seafood lunch. Across the road the seagulls were on the look-out for a free meal. As you can see below, the Visserskaai is lined with food stalls selling fish snacks and shrimp salads. The main attraction though are the whelks, cooking in steaming pots of fish and vegetable broth. People stepping out from under the awning are immediately attacked by the waiting scavengers. Their beaks and clawed feet have been known to seriously hurt small children, robbing them from their seafood treat and fries.

 A young woman stirring in a pot of whelks and a seagull taking off.

A seagull waiting for some unsuspecting tourists appearing with their snack lunch.
This vendour must have a resourceful author in his family.
The stall is called 'Visboetiek' = Fish boutique, and the slogan reads:
"Bij Lima is alles prima" = At Lima's place everything is 'prima' = outstanding. 

A seafood lunch - part 1

After walking up and down the Visserskaai a second time, I finally found a place I liked, with a nice offer of seafood, a cosy terrace with a premium table in the sun. Inside the place looked pretty full (always a sign of quality food and service), but the terrace only had 4 patrons: two elderly ladies wearing sun heads and a middle-aged couple.

When I walked up to entrance, the waitress was about to take the order of the two elderly ladies. I had to wait for a while and overheard their conversation. They both wanted lobster: 1/2 Thermidor-style (cold with a salad, mayonnaise and cocktail sauce) as a starter. The second half: warm with a garlic sauce for the main course.

The ladies sounded like regular clients, with the waitress calling them 'My Princesses'.

After a while the waitress re-appeared carrying a bowl containing two fine lobsters. The two 'princesses' were very curious to know whether the lobsters were males or females, as they insisted on having the precious 'coral' of the females. After a scrutinizing examination - involving the poor animals indignantly being turned upside down - they got the ladies' approval. It was fun and interesting to watch!

The waitress saw me taking the above photo and with a big smile walked over to my table for a close-up of the bowl and its contents.

'That'll be 10 euros', she laughed. 'Just put it on the bill!' I answered. Of course, she didn't but it was all good fun and it broke the ice ...


I didn't have lobster. More to come ...

Getting the feel of the place

I arrived in Ostend on Thursday, June 9th at around 11.30 a.m. My taxi dropped me off at the hotel and the driver was kind enough to carry my luggage in. As check-in wasn't until 3 p.m. I left my bags in the hotel storage room and set off for my first walk along the beach promenade to get a feel of the place, enjoy the sun (the weather was surprisingly mild, with hardly any wind and a calm sea) and find a place to have lunch.

I walked in the direction of the port and the Visserskaai (Fishermen's wharf), shooting photos and observing people. It was a very nice walk and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I saw some famous landmarks on my way - more about that later. 

This statue facing the sea and honouring the fishermen who died at sea is the most famous landmark of Ostend ... and a favourite look-out spot for the many seagulls.
Click to enlarge.

At some point the promenade makes a 90° turn east and before you lies the Visserskaai, with on one side the entrance to the port with a small semi-open fish market, the North Sea aquarium and the lock through which the sailing yachts enter the docks further inland. The fishing port is on the other side of the port entrance and not visible from this point. The sidewalk across the road is lined with cafes and restaurants. By the time I got there, the terraces had started filling up with hungry tourists.

I walked up and down twice, checking out the menu cards, the general infrastructure and people sipping coffee, beer, a glass of wine or a soft drink while studying the menu. Prices for an standard menu consisting of a starter and a main course varied from 19 to 35 euros. The offer was quite similar: fish soup, shrimp croquettes, salads, two baby Dover soles with french fries, lobster, mussels and the odd meat course - steak with a choice of sauces (warm and cold), fries and a salad.

I had a hard time deciding which place to chose. Then I realized that it was almost 12.30 p.m. and that I felt rather thirsty. I wasn't ready to make a choice, though and walked down a narrow street leading inland, where I found a nice square with a small outdoor market in full swing. 

Market square.

The sidewalk terraces had a really French look and feel, and I decided to have a cool beer before deciding where to have my lunch. After all, being on vacation, I had all the time in the world. Especially as most restaurants took orders till 2.30 p.m.!

Why I went to Ostend

If this time last year someone had told me that I would be spending a short vacation in Ostend in 2016, I would have declared that person mad as a march hare. At the time I was of course still enjoying the happy memories of my Corfu adventure.

In fact, I was already planning a second visit of the island in 2016. Late November I went to the travel agency to book a 10-day stay at the Kontokali hotel - the same hotel as in 2015. Back home I called my ex-SIL who lives in Corfu to tell her I would be visiting her again end of May. She seemed pleased but immediately told me that she was looking for another job on the Greek mainland. In fact, at that precise moment she was on a boat to Thessaloniki to see a man who would help her find a job in one of the big hotels over there. If it worked out, she would be moving before Christmas!

To make a long story short, she did indeed move in December and I've never heard from her since. Both her mobile phone and landline have been cut off ... I made some inquiries, but she seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. I just hope she is OK and nothing bad has happened to her.

There I was, with a 10 day reservation on an island where I didn't know a living soul. All of a sudden the whole plan seemed less appealing. I also felt that my mother wasn't too happy about the idea of me going off on my own, with nobody to turn to in case of an emergency. So I cancelled my trip and brooded several weeks over an alternative. I didn't want to spend my yearly vacation, staying at home like I did in 2014. So I considered several options, one of which was Malta, where I spent a lovely fortnight in 1983 with my late husband, a few months before he was killed in a car accident.

Okay, I can hear you thinking "But you don't know a living soul there either." And of course, you are right. Plus, taking a plane from Brussels' airport suddenly seemed less appealing after the savage bomb attacks. It wasn't so much that I was scared to go to the airport and take a plane. It was more the severe, yet necessary security checks and endless queues that put me off.

The Belgian coast looked like a nice alternative. I considered several resorts: Knokke, Heist, Duinbergen, ... places I had been to with my mother in the sixties. And then I thought of Ostend. My last visit goes back to 1982. My late husband and I had just bought a new car and couldn't afford an expensive vacation abroad. So we booked this place, near the port of Ostend. It was a dump, but at least it had a large garage in which we could park our precious new car, a cherry-red Opel Kadett, btw. 

This is what the place looks like dd June 2016.

The old garage is all boarded up. The rest of the building still seems to be occupied,
 judging by the net curtains. I don't think it still is a hotel, though.

On one of our walks on the beach promenade, we came across this hotel. It was brand-new and 'you could almost smell the fresh paint' (as Rose said in the film Titanic).

My room was located on the third floor (white dot).

It looked awfully expensive. We were pretty young then and stood in awe before so much luxury. We swore that one day we would, when we could afford it, spend a night in this grand hotel. It wasn't to be ...

But this year I kept that 34 years ago made promise. I spent 5 nights in one of the recently renovated rooms - and yes, you could almost smell the fresh paint! 

A room with a view

Well, I'm back from my 5-day break at our Belgian coast. I left last Thursday for Ostend, where I had booked a room with a view. And I wasn't disappointed.

The Channel and Ostend beach on June 9th, 3 p.m.

The weather was surprisingly sunny and warm with hardly any wind. There were enough people to make the place feel pleasantly alive, without the big crowds that tend to trot up and down the promenade. 

The beach around 7 p.m.

(Click on the photos to get a detailed view.)

The white cabins you see in the second photo are part of the beach villages that pop-up every summer. July an August are the busiest time of year. Young people like to hang out at these villages, playing trendy music and serving beers and cocktails ... 

While I was there the villages were far from being ready and most nights (except Friday) the beach was quiet with just the crushing waves lulling me asleep. The village above is called 'Blue Buddha'. The one some 500 metres further east (photo later) is called 'Monroe Beach'. I guess the names remain the same over the years and become a rendezvous spot for friends who meet there every year.

I shot some 400 photos. And although about half of them are useless, I have enough material to keep you entertained for a while.

P.S. Did I mention that I had a great time?!

Thunderstorms

Late yesterday afternoon I watched this storm cloud moving in from the West. Half an hour later I heard some thunder floating in from the East. 

The cloud had moved over our village to explode some 30 km East of us... Being on the fringe of it, we got some steady rain for about 10 minutes. Nothing spectacular but enough to leave large puddles in the street. During the night two more rain fronts with some distant thunder and short downpours travelled from West to East. By the time I left for the office this morning at 6.20 a.m. the asphalt in the road had dried up nicely and there was no visible damage or flooding.

Some people were not so lucky, with rivers and brooks overflowing. More thunderstorms are on their way though. The whole country, except the Belgian coast, is under orange alert till tomorrow 6 a.m.

P.S. The shape of cloud in the photo above was quite amazing. To me it looked like a laughing child with a cute turned-up nose and a cheeky smile... Do you see it too?

Changes ... I could have done without

I don't know whether there is still someone out there reading my blog? After all, I haven't been a very loyal contributor lately.

A lot has happened since my last post. On a national level, Belgium is slowly recovering from the March 22nd attacks. Life is more or less back to normal with all undergound/metro stations open and operational again (even Maalbeek, where a bomb killed and injured a great many people). Brussels airport is running at 80% of its normal capacity - 70,000 people on Ascension Day! Part of the departure hall is still under reconstruction though.

A photo from happier times. Almost a year ago I was about to set out on my Corfu adventure.
These are the three palm trees that grow near the entrance gate of the hotel.

On a personal level, disturbing events have been popping up as regular as clockwork. First of all there are the sleepless nights due to my noisy neighbours. Asking them kindly to keep the noise down after 10 p.m. only have a 24 hour effect ...

Next, beginning of April, I learnt that my cleaning lady, who has been coming in every fortnight for the last 15 years, has a serious heart condition and is not allowed to work anymore. Finding a new cleaning aid, whom one can trust, is not easy. So I have taken it upon me to keep the apartment spic&span ... for the time being. I'm considering the purchase of a cleaning robot. If you have any experience with this clever device, please let me know whether it is worth the investment.

Next, the situation at the office is very tense, with rumours of letting off over 1,000 people over the next 12 or 18 months. With my early retirement file still going through the required procedure, I hope they won't change their mind and put me on the redundancy list after all. 

Next, my mother's cousin - the last relative living nearby - is selling her house and will be moving before the end of summer ... another familiar face and figure from the past moving away.

Finally, I learnt today that my mother has skin cancer. Nothing life threatening in the immediate future, but I'm not sure that her frail health and advanced age (she'll be 88 in August) are up to the treatment (surgery and after-treatment, including ???). Her physician, whom I've never trusted, insists. I told him not to spring the news on my mother himself. I want to tell her and discuss the options with her, taking into account the risks and the consequences ... especially on her moral and general well-being. I want it to be her decision, not his, nor mine.

To end on a happy note: I've planned a short trip to the Belgian coast in a few weeks time. I hope that by then things will look brighter and that some, if not, all of these issues will be partly solved or have taken a turn for the better.

A fitting new start and tribute

Yesterday, Sunday April 3rd, 12 days after the deadly explosions at Brussels airport, the first commercial flight since the attacks took off from the damaged airport. A temporary departure hall has been erected. Its capacity is limited to 800 passengers per hour. Peanuts compared to the airport's normal capacity, but at least the airport is rising from its ashes.

Yesterday's re-opening was more symbolic than operational, with only 3 planes taking off in the afternoon and returning to home base in the evening. All three of them were Brussels airlines planes. The first one took off shortly before 2 p.m..It's destination: Faro in Portugal. The airbus had 85 passengers on board which is approximately 50% of its capacity depending of the model and the interior configuration.

I was lucky to see it climbing towards the sky from my mother's flat window. I was too late to shoot a photo. So you'll have to make-do with the one below, which I borrowed from the 'www.deredactie.be' website. It was breathtaking and very moving. Moreover, they used the 'new' Magritte theme plane that had been presented to the press and the world only a few days before the murdering attacks.

A fitting tribute to one of Belgium's greatest surrealist artists. 'Ceci n'est pas une pipe' - remember. There was a time that one of Magritte's paintings adorned the tale wing of the Sabena air fleet as part of the company's logo, before it went bankrupt in 2001 due to mismanagement by its partner Swissair.  

Google images

Today 54 flights are scheduled, and according to the new's sites, everything is going according to plan. Tomorrow there will be even more flights, with other foreign companies  serving their slots again. The damaged departure hall is under renovation. Teams are working day and night to have everything ready for the summer exodus. In the meantime you can't get into the airport without a ticket, a valid identity piece and a thorough security check. There are several identity checks, even on the road leading towards the terminal. I think taking a plane has never been safer.

The airport will be rebuild, planes will continue taking off and landing ... but the shock, the pain and the loss of so many innocent lives and the suffering of their next of kin and of those who got badly injured and who will bear the scars for the rest of their lives will be engraved in our hearts and minds for ever. 

And this also goes for the victims killed or injured at the Maelbeek metro station. Trains are using the line, but they don't stop at the station yet. The premises have been declared stable by the engineers and the rails have not been damaged, but it'll also take weeks before the underground will be opened again to the public. 

P.S.update:I just noticed that this is my 1,000th post! I' m dedicating it to all the victims and their families.

First Paris - now Brussels

In November 2015 I was at home when terror struck the city of Paris. It was horrible ... Next came the lockdown of Brussels. My employer asked us to work from home. Metro, train stations ... everything was closed. There were soldiers everywhere. Brussels was like a city under siege. Yet, we never felt that the terror was close by.


However, just over 48 hours ago, the terror became real. National security services had been expecting an attack, but they had no idea of when or where it would strike.


On Tuesday March 22nd I went to the office as usual. I left home at 6.20 a.m. and arrived at our office on the outskirts of Brussels little before 7. a.m. I had my usual breakfast from the office 'bar': a freshly made smoothie and a 'pain au chocolat' 'still warm from the oven, Mmmmm - yummy ... My colleagues started arriving one by one. The main subject of conversation was the stress we are all under due to a budget cut, resulting in not keeping temporary extra forces on for the next year. An ordinary day so far ...


Around 8.15 C. arrived and said that she had heard on the car radio that there had been two explosions at Brussels airport. Immediately all people present surfed to the websites of our national broadcasting company and newspapers. They all confirmed what C. had said. Then the first photos appeared on the internet and an hour later the news of a bomb explosion in the metro at Maalbeek station.


Although we were far from the scenes of terror, nobody was able to work, surfing the internet for the latest information, distracted by the constant noise of police and ambulance sirens that flashed by our office building. Everybody was longing to get home as fast as possible. However, people using public transport soon learnt that there were no buses, trams, metros or trains running. For those of us who come by car, we were instructed not to leave the building. The message was: You are safe inside. Don't go out!


Being a member of the marketing and communication department, I was drafted around 1 p.m. to prepare the 'crisis' communication to our clients (B2B) and end-users. There were newsletters to be written and posted on the extranet and internet. There was to be an update every hour. It all became very hectic and although we were never in any physical danger, adrenaline levels have never been higher!


By 4 p.m. we had sent out three messages informing our clients about our modus operandi for the next 48 hours. At 3 p.m. the news had come that we were allowed to go home, asking people with cars to organize a carpooling system for those who had come by public transport. I offered a ride to a colleague who lives in Limburg. It wouldn't take her home, but at least she would be out of Brussels and get a train from Leuven to her hometown.


I left shortly after 4 p.m. The roads were unusually empty but the few people on the road drove like crazy. You could feel the stress just by watching them clutching their steering wheel and taking unnecessary risks.


When I got home 30 minutes later, I was exhausted. The adrenaline had stopped working. I served myself a cool beer, sank into my couch and watched the horror on TV. Final toll (so far): 31 killed and over 250 injured, 17 of which are in critical condition.


A colleague of ours (I don't know him personally) was in the metro when the bomb exploded at Maalbeek. He is badly burned and is kept in an artificial coma. Although his life is not in danger, it is hard to live with these facts ...


P.S. Thank you all for your kind comments and emails. I'll get back to you later. Right now I just don't have the energy.

Brave little Belgium

The title of this post goes back to WWI, when our tiny county was invaded by the Prussians in 1914 and the sufferings my (great)grandparents went through from 1914 till 1918. My grandfather fought in the trenches in 'Flanders' Fields' (where the poppies grow) during that war. It was a dirty war, in which the enemy used lethal chemical gases, killing or disabling the allied soldiers for the rest of their lives.

Despite these horrors, it was a 'regular' (maybe this isn't the right word, but I can't come up with a better one) war. You knew where the enemy was, you knew the kind of weapons he had and - maybe, just maybe - you knew when he would strike. The soldiers who fought in that war, didn't know what they were getting into when they were drafted, but at least they knew that they were going to war, and that there was a chance/risk that they wouldn't be coming back. They said goodbye to their families and friends, pledging (hoping) that they would return ...

The people who died in yesterday's terrorist attacks at Brussels airport and Maalbeek metro (underground-subway) left their homes in the morning with the firm intention to return in the evening or to arrive at their destination. They never got the chance to say goodbye to their loved-ones.

Beside all the pain and horror these attacks at a mere 15 km (as the bird flies) from my home, have inflicted on the victims and their families, I have a hard time accepting that we are left to the mercy of these heartless killers.

Brussels wasn't their first target: 9/11, Madrid, London, Paris ... not to mention the other attacks in Asia, the Middle East and Africa ... So many victims, so many disrupted lives and families.

I know, I promised you a report of yesterday's events. I was never close to the terror sites, but I know Brussels airport (was there in May last year when I travelled to Corfu) and I know the metro station which was on my way to university between 1975 and 1979. So these sites are all familiar to me. Which makes it even harder to digest ...

Hope our 'Brave-little-Belgium' spirit is up to this 21st century challenge.

More tomorrow ..

I love Belgium

In view of the recent events in my tiny country, I would like to reassure my faithful readers that I'm fine, but in shock. I was never in any danger, but we all feel so helpless and vulnerable.

Although I haven't been posting recently, I will try to give you a short report of this March 22nd. Not tonight though but probably tomorrow. 

A big THANK YOU to all my friends abroad who sent me emails and text messages inquiring about my safety. Love you all!

What happened and what is coming ...

First of all, a big THANK YOU to all my readers for sharing my joy and relief over the prospect of early retirement. But we're not there yet! However, it is nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel of my professional career.

Let me tell you what I had to do to get the by now notorious document.

After receiving the letter claiming that I wasn't a member of this TU, I started rounding up all the proof I could to show that 1) I was a member and 2) that I have been working and paying taxes and social security since 1980 - uninterrupted. I put the file together - something the TU normally should have done during the past 4 weeks and sent it off on November 21st as a registered letter. I used the Post's tracking tool to learn that it was delivered on November 24th. 

During the first week of December I received an email from a colleague who's going through the same procedure with his TU's local office in Brussels. He told me that his request had received a 'positive evaluation' and that he would have the required document within the next 48 hours. He advised me to contact my TU's office to find out the status of my file. I did, and ... got yet another cold shower!! The woman on the phone claimed that they had not received my registered letter!! Although I had no paper receipt of the letter's delivery, I decided to play some bluff poker, saying that I had written proof and demanded to talk to a manager. Of course, 'they were (conveniently) in a meeting'. At this point I lost my patience and temper. Not proud to say so, but I demanded to have them call me back before 4 p.m. And then slammed down the phone. 

They called back at 11 a.m. saying that my request had had a 'positive evaluation' (so they apparently had found my letter) and that the necessary documents were being drawn up at that very moment to be send to the local unemployment agency for approval the same day. Yet one more hurdle to take ... But they told me not to worry. I would have my document before the end of 2015. 

By the 16th I guessed it was time to check one more time on the status of my file. The unemployment agency - who I called this time - confirmed the 'positive evaluation' and stated that the document would be sent back to the TU that same day. More waiting ...

From then on, I checked my letter box every day. In vain. On the 28th, I had had enough. Time for another call. To the TU again. The woman in charge of my file wasn't working on Monday but she would call me back the next day. Not having an answer at 11 the following day, I called again. This time the phone was answered by a woman with a Dutch accent. She confirmed that the letter had been sent, but she would send a copy, to make sure that I got it before the 31st. I suggested sending a scan by email. She said she would do so.

It was almost noon when the mail arrived! My friend C. was there when the screen of my PC lit up saying 'new email' and I think I almost strangled him when I hugged him for joy! The next day I had the two letters (written proof) in my letter box: the original and the copy that had been sent by the Dutch woman.

Blood, sweat and tears, the latter first out of frustration and later for joy. 

But this is just the first step towards early retirement. There is still a long way to go, including more red tape and the actual date being sometime well into 2017. 

Thank you for reading my blog and posting your comments since 2009 and hoping to share more blog moments with you in 2016.

It has arrived!

The long-awaited document, my ticket to early retirement in 2017, has finally arrived..
It took some extra efforts though! 

More to come soon!

Enjoy the last days of 2015!
I'm sure I will!!

Best wishes to all my blog friends!