back from holiday

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

 

 

I’m back from holiday and was most surprised to see that the home page now

boasts the Dutch Cooking Today cover – what a lovely thrill that was.

Thanks Mo. I hope you enjoy the little book but be warned – the words

cuisine and Dutch are rarely mentioned in the same sentence (LOL). Don’t

get me wrong, I really like Dutch food, but it is more known for its simple,

almost “peasant” quality than for its appeal to the gourmet.

 

 

 

We have actually been back home for a week but the last week has been more

than a little hectic and my computer time has been severely restricted –read

on for more details.

 

 

 

Our holiday was a wonderful experience and we were spoiled beyond belief by

our friend Chris. I will give you just one example of the sort of person

she is. Wednesday 19th July was Hans’ birthday. Chris knows that we both

love classical music so she ordered three tickets for a Promenade (Prom)

Concert in the Albert Hall in London on Hans’ birthday. (You may not have

heard of the Proms. Every year from July to September there is a nightly

series of concerts in the Royal Albert Hall. They are called the promenade

concerts because the audience members in one area of the hall have no seats

but they either sit on the floor or walk/wander/promenade around. The

famous “Last Night of the Proms” is a real English tradition and the

promenaders dress up in silly hats, wave flags to the music etc.) By

coincidence, the concert on the 19th was a special one, in honour of the

Queen’s 80th birthday so we actually got to see the Queen and Prince Philip.

(The Queen’s real birthday is in April but is always officially celebrated

in summer). Presumably the Queen’s presence made the concert very popular

and it was oversold. Of the three tickets Chris ordered she was only

allocated two. Not only did she insist that Hans and I go to the concert

but she drove us to Wimbledon (an outer suburb of London) which is a drive

of over 1 ½ hours from where she lives in Hampshire. We caught the train

from Wimbledon and Chris tried to convince us that we were doing her a

favour!!!! She said that having time to “sit and think” for the 6+ hours

between the time she left us to the time we arrived back was “just what she

needed”. She waited for us the whole time in Wimbledon. The facts that the

temperature was well over 30 C (86 F)in the shade – much warmer in the car

AND that she would have had rather more thinking time had she stayed home

didn’t seem to enter her mind. As well as that incredible gesture, she took

us to so many wonderful places during our two weeks with her that it is

almost impossible to thank her sufficiently. She knows the south of England

so well and we saw some unbelievably beautiful gardens and stately homes

which we would never have found on our own. Need I tell you that we weren’t

allowed to pay for any of the entrance fees?

 

 

 

Another thing Chris did for me was to drive me all the way to the city of

Cheltenham (two hours away on a good traffic day) specifically to visit one

pf my favourite haunts – a book shop called “Cooking: the books” which I had

discovered on a previous trip to England. As I am sure I have mentioned

before, I always prefer second hand books as I feel almost part of the

family of the previous owners. I especially love community/fundraising

cookbooks and this shop always has plenty of second hand fundraising

cookbooks so I had a ball and came away with 70 or so books. It was a

stinking hot day – the temperature in the car was well over 40 C (104 F)

when we returned to it after our little jaunt.

 

 

 

Also on the cookbook theme - Chris even searched out heaps of thrift shops

for me in several towns and villages so I could indulge in my hobby. I’m

glad we had the car with us because I would never have made it on to a plane

with even 20% of my new somewhat weighty new ‘treasures’ – I think I came

back with a total of between 150 and 200 new (to me) ‘babies’. Hans was in

a mild state of panic and kept mentioning the weight of the books in the

same sentence as the capacity of car springs. He conveniently forgot to

mention that he had bought somewhere between 40 and 50 jars of

chutney/relish etc (which, as we all know, is weightless!!) I haven’t had

the chance to list all my new books on the computer yet but, if anyone is

interested in seeing the list, let me know and I will send it to you. I

can’t imagine that it would be of enough general interest to warrant a post

to the group.

 

 

 

We also came back with another treasure – a cat. Chris is in the throes of

selling her house and needed to find a new home for her cat. As Chris works

in Germany much of the time she needed to find a home for Dinah very

quickly. Chris’ former partner Tony used to look after Dinah when Chris was

away but they have now separated and Tony couldn’t take the cat with him!

Dinah has settled in really well and, as expected, has taken over the

running of the house.

 

 

 

I was called in to an interview with the general manager and Leo (my

supervisor) on my first day back at work and I will be officially unemployed

as from 1st September. As some of you know, the past few months at work

have been a true nightmare and I can’t say that I am either surprised or

distressed by the decision to “let me go”. There is one huge problem

though. I have had independent legal advice and it is extremely

questionable if I will qualify for any government benefit. I’m in a bit of

a dilemma. The problem is that my lawyer advised me that I have a very good

case against being dismissed so if I decided to fight my dismissal I would

most likely win and that would mean I would “win” my job back and face the

next 4 ½ years in exactly the same position as I am now. To qualify for a

government unemployment benefit I am more or less required to contest the

dismissal but I don’t want to do that if it means that I end up “winning”

the case and having to go back to that prison, which Leo would make sure was

even more ghastly than it has been previously. It seems as if the two

options now are finding a new job (not too many opportunities on that front

for fat 60 year olds – and let’s face it, age and appearance DO make a

difference when applying for work) or poverty. (In order to have even the

occasional splurge like a low cost holiday, we always had to budget very

carefully and it will certainly be the end of my cookbook splurges).

Painful as that is, it is far preferable to even one extra day working for

my current employer. If I don’t qualify for a government benefit we will

have to get by on just one very modest income. Hans’ salary is less than

mine and I was hardly being overpaid!!!! The good news is that I am excused

duties until 1st September so I don’t ever have to go back to that ghastly

place or set eyes on my supervisor and several other extremely unpleasant

people again. I will certainly miss two of my colleagues but they are both

on long term sick leave at the moment – on is on maternity leave and the

other on stress leave (and I know how she feels!) – so the last few weeks I

have not had even one friendly face in my section.

 

 

 

I’m afraid that I wasn’t able to keep up with my e-mails while I was away.

I couldn’t access my XS4all account via Webmail from UK (strange as it

worked in both Malta and Australia) and in any case I hardly had any time to

sit at the computer as we were so busy from dawn to dusk every day. When I

arrived home there were nearly 2500 messages in my inbox. As the vast

majority of these were daily digests from my various groups (I’m in 62

groups – mostly to do with recipe exchange and cooking , but also expat and

diabetic groups) the 2500 messages probably represented over 30000

individual posts. I was so overwhelmed that I decided the only way to cope

was to delete all the daily digests I had received and start with a clean

slate apart from the personally addressed messages. I hope I haven’t missed

anything important by the bulk deletions but I had such a busy time this

week with working until Wednesday then having to sort out legal issues on

Thursday and Friday that I couldn’t see any other options for me. I just

hope that I haven’t upset/insulted anyone by failing to respond to

particular posts they were expecting me to answer. If anyone is awaiting a

response from me would it be asking too much for you to send me a reminder

message? I honestly can’t see myself having time to go through all the old

messages on the group page as this week will see me indulging in some

heavy-duty job seeking – harder work than having a job!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Cheers for now from Marie in Haarlem, Netherlands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

That sounds like a lovely vacation. What a blessing to have a dear one to stay

with and be a great tour guide. Sounds like she had wonderful things lined up

for you and Hans. I loved hearing about it. Thanks for sharing.

 

I don't blame you for deleting all the mail from the lists. I was gone for 3

weeks this summer and set all my groups to No Mail, because I couldn't imagine

having time to sort thru it all either and I could always read off the site when

I had time.

 

I hope you find a good paying job that is a joy to go to each day. Have fun

searching out new recipes in all those cookbooks. Sounds like fun. I too love

fundraiser cookbooks. My favorites are ones from Seventhday Adventist Churches,

since I know all the recipes will be vegetarian and the selections are great.

Blessings and Hugs,

Judy

-

Marie Rieuwers

Wednesday, August 02, 2006 5:50 AM

back from holiday

 

 

Hi everyone,

 

I'm back from holiday and was most surprised to see that the home page now

boasts the Dutch Cooking Today cover - what a lovely thrill that was.

Thanks Mo. I hope you enjoy the little book but be warned - the words

cuisine and Dutch are rarely mentioned in the same sentence (LOL). Don't

get me wrong, I really like Dutch food, but it is more known for its simple,

almost " peasant " quality than for its appeal to the gourmet.

 

We have actually been back home for a week but the last week has been more

than a little hectic and my computer time has been severely restricted -read

on for more details.

 

Our holiday was a wonderful experience and we were spoiled beyond belief by

our friend Chris. I will give you just one example of the sort of person

she is. Wednesday 19th July was Hans' birthday. Chris knows that we both

love classical music so she ordered three tickets for a Promenade (Prom)

Concert in the Albert Hall in London on Hans' birthday. (You may not have

heard of the Proms. Every year from July to September there is a nightly

series of concerts in the Royal Albert Hall. They are called the promenade

concerts because the audience members in one area of the hall have no seats

but they either sit on the floor or walk/wander/promenade around. The

famous " Last Night of the Proms " is a real English tradition and the

promenaders dress up in silly hats, wave flags to the music etc.) By

coincidence, the concert on the 19th was a special one, in honour of the

Queen's 80th birthday so we actually got to see the Queen and Prince Philip.

(The Queen's real birthday is in April but is always officially celebrated

in summer). Presumably the Queen's presence made the concert very popular

and it was oversold. Of the three tickets Chris ordered she was only

allocated two. Not only did she insist that Hans and I go to the concert

but she drove us to Wimbledon (an outer suburb of London) which is a drive

of over 1 ½ hours from where she lives in Hampshire. We caught the train

from Wimbledon and Chris tried to convince us that we were doing her a

favour!!!! She said that having time to " sit and think " for the 6+ hours

between the time she left us to the time we arrived back was " just what she

needed " . She waited for us the whole time in Wimbledon. The facts that the

temperature was well over 30 C (86 F)in the shade - much warmer in the car

AND that she would have had rather more thinking time had she stayed home

didn't seem to enter her mind. As well as that incredible gesture, she took

us to so many wonderful places during our two weeks with her that it is

almost impossible to thank her sufficiently. She knows the south of England

so well and we saw some unbelievably beautiful gardens and stately homes

which we would never have found on our own. Need I tell you that we weren't

allowed to pay for any of the entrance fees?

 

Another thing Chris did for me was to drive me all the way to the city of

Cheltenham (two hours away on a good traffic day) specifically to visit one

pf my favourite haunts - a book shop called " Cooking: the books " which I had

discovered on a previous trip to England. As I am sure I have mentioned

before, I always prefer second hand books as I feel almost part of the

family of the previous owners. I especially love community/fundraising

cookbooks and this shop always has plenty of second hand fundraising

cookbooks so I had a ball and came away with 70 or so books. It was a

stinking hot day - the temperature in the car was well over 40 C (104 F)

when we returned to it after our little jaunt.

 

Also on the cookbook theme - Chris even searched out heaps of thrift shops

for me in several towns and villages so I could indulge in my hobby. I'm

glad we had the car with us because I would never have made it on to a plane

with even 20% of my new somewhat weighty new 'treasures' - I think I came

back with a total of between 150 and 200 new (to me) 'babies'. Hans was in

a mild state of panic and kept mentioning the weight of the books in the

same sentence as the capacity of car springs. He conveniently forgot to

mention that he had bought somewhere between 40 and 50 jars of

chutney/relish etc (which, as we all know, is weightless!!) I haven't had

the chance to list all my new books on the computer yet but, if anyone is

interested in seeing the list, let me know and I will send it to you. I

can't imagine that it would be of enough general interest to warrant a post

to the group.

 

We also came back with another treasure - a cat. Chris is in the throes of

selling her house and needed to find a new home for her cat. As Chris works

in Germany much of the time she needed to find a home for Dinah very

quickly. Chris' former partner Tony used to look after Dinah when Chris was

away but they have now separated and Tony couldn't take the cat with him!

Dinah has settled in really well and, as expected, has taken over the

running of the house.

 

I was called in to an interview with the general manager and Leo (my

supervisor) on my first day back at work and I will be officially unemployed

as from 1st September. As some of you know, the past few months at work

have been a true nightmare and I can't say that I am either surprised or

distressed by the decision to " let me go " . There is one huge problem

though. I have had independent legal advice and it is extremely

questionable if I will qualify for any government benefit. I'm in a bit of

a dilemma. The problem is that my lawyer advised me that I have a very good

case against being dismissed so if I decided to fight my dismissal I would

most likely win and that would mean I would " win " my job back and face the

next 4 ½ years in exactly the same position as I am now. To qualify for a

government unemployment benefit I am more or less required to contest the

dismissal but I don't want to do that if it means that I end up " winning "

the case and having to go back to that prison, which Leo would make sure was

even more ghastly than it has been previously. It seems as if the two

options now are finding a new job (not too many opportunities on that front

for fat 60 year olds - and let's face it, age and appearance DO make a

difference when applying for work) or poverty. (In order to have even the

occasional splurge like a low cost holiday, we always had to budget very

carefully and it will certainly be the end of my cookbook splurges).

Painful as that is, it is far preferable to even one extra day working for

my current employer. If I don't qualify for a government benefit we will

have to get by on just one very modest income. Hans' salary is less than

mine and I was hardly being overpaid!!!! The good news is that I am excused

duties until 1st September so I don't ever have to go back to that ghastly

place or set eyes on my supervisor and several other extremely unpleasant

people again. I will certainly miss two of my colleagues but they are both

on long term sick leave at the moment - on is on maternity leave and the

other on stress leave (and I know how she feels!) - so the last few weeks I

have not had even one friendly face in my section.

 

I'm afraid that I wasn't able to keep up with my e-mails while I was away.

I couldn't access my XS4all account via Webmail from UK (strange as it

worked in both Malta and Australia) and in any case I hardly had any time to

sit at the computer as we were so busy from dawn to dusk every day. When I

arrived home there were nearly 2500 messages in my inbox. As the vast

majority of these were daily digests from my various groups (I'm in 62

groups - mostly to do with recipe exchange and cooking , but also expat and

diabetic groups) the 2500 messages probably represented over 30000

individual posts. I was so overwhelmed that I decided the only way to cope

was to delete all the daily digests I had received and start with a clean

slate apart from the personally addressed messages. I hope I haven't missed

anything important by the bulk deletions but I had such a busy time this

week with working until Wednesday then having to sort out legal issues on

Thursday and Friday that I couldn't see any other options for me. I just

hope that I haven't upset/insulted anyone by failing to respond to

particular posts they were expecting me to answer. If anyone is awaiting a

response from me would it be asking too much for you to send me a reminder

message? I honestly can't see myself having time to go through all the old

messages on the group page as this week will see me indulging in some

heavy-duty job seeking - harder work than having a job!!!!!!!!!

 

Cheers for now from Marie in Haarlem, Netherlands

 

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