Winter 2005/6 - phase 1 [?]

Suddenly we had a short spell of winter just after XMas 2005. It only last a few days, but it was very violent with snow followed by a crippling freezing rain.

Surprise Visitors

During Christmas 2005 we were pleasantly surprised by the visit of Robert Nijenhuis and his son Jonathan. Robert is the son of Margret [Gre], Simon's eldest sister. Robert lives in Florida but he was touring Europe with Jonathan. Jonathan - immediately accepted as part of the family by Angus 3rd - presently lives and studies in France, as part of an exchange program. As part of the occasion we were also visited by Marijtje, who came to us as soon as she heard about Robert's arrival in Enkhuizen. Robert and Marijtje know each other from many years ago, when they met in Brasilia. Marijtje has lived and worked in Brasilia for quite a while. What started as a short visit to her friend Sieta [Simon's sister], who then also lived in Brasilia, evolved into a 20 year career at the Medical Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Brazil. Robert and Jonathan spent a full day with us. Apart from visiting the local landmarks, they also made sure to taste the regional drinks in the local 'BOK-pub' under expert guidance of [part-time] barkeeper Ivan, who happened to be on duty. The visit of Robert and Jonathan ended in the evening at 'Club 11' in Amsterdam, where they met - and were served by - Stefanie. Stefanie has a part-time job at '11'. [www.ilove11.nl] The next day Robert and Jonathan left the Netherlands for Berlin, the next stage of their trip, and we were sorry to see them go again. .

Christmas 2005

Our fabulous 2005 Christmas Dinner was actually a pre-Christmas Dinner because Sieta, as well as Stefanie and Ivan, had to work during Christmas. As per famliy tradition, the dogs participated as mobile XMas decorations.