As promised below, here is a pic of the Hennie H at its mooring in Sas van Gent on the Dutch/Belgium border. Well, the weather and an unexpected Belgian public holiday have put paid to Koos's hopes of fixing the steering as when he went to buy the parts at the local hardware store in Zelzate, he found the whole town closed. I suppose they are celebrating All Souls or something like that? Anyway, the weather is also horrible today and I got very cold and just a bit grumpy while we were pulling our little barge into its proper and official place. Maybe tomorrow will bring some warmth and sun....
This past week Maryssa and I have been on our own in Rotterdam, because Koos has been in Zeeland investigating the steering problem on the Hennie H that so nearly could have been a disaster when he was crossing the Westerschelde.
Having now arrived in Zeeland myself for the weekend, Koos tells me that there is a good chance it will all be fixed tomorrow after we've moved the little Snik to its new official mooring. He seems to think it won't be too difficult, which will be great as I've been looking forward to dawn raids and incursions into Belgium to spice up the colder months. The autumn colours are spectacular at the moment and it would be so lovely to view them all from the water, which is of course what we bought the HH for in the first place. I will post some pictures of the HH at its new home tomorrow, but for now, here are a few that our friend Jan took just before we left Rotterdam to bring it south. Koos and Bruce were testing the little barge in the Leuvehaven where Bruce and Jan live, so Jan snapped these from their wheelhouse. Nice, hey?
Hi:
ReplyDeleteI'm an ex-Brit (Leicester) living in Canada since '57. I've had a bit of a gypsy life here, with my son, but nothing as unique as living on a barg. How wonderful.
Just wanted to leave a message to let you know I found your site very interesting.
I love it, I am travelling in time, not Nov 1 here yet!! :)
ReplyDeletePleased it will be fixed. Onward Hennie H
Thanks for the heads up. I fixed it now...will be back to read yours later :)
ReplyDeleteHi Val,
ReplyDeletehere's hoping you'll get it fixed and that you'll be sea-ing the fall colours soon! I'm going on a different adventure tomorrow. Will fill you in when I have some news to tell. Ooh, the mystery of it all, eh?
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Hi Pat, nice to see you here! I'll pop over to yours shortly, that's for sure. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHey Grace, it must be November there now! Thanks for the good HH wishes
Hi Molly, I've seen it and it's super! I'll be back soon.
Anne Marie, glad you are safely home, dear! Looking forward to hearing all about your adventure...i love a good mystery, as you might know ;)
I hope the weather cleared up for today. There is nothing quite as miserable as cold, rainy late autumn weather. So in Holland you can still reasonably expect quite warm weather in early November, if you're lucky?
ReplyDeleteI was lucky with the weather the whole weekend: cold but no rain, today even sun. The trees soon will have no leaves left and it gets dark early, but I don't mind: it gives me new opportunities for photography. Both yesterday and today I went out with my camera and the tripod after sun-down, and am now rather excited about the results (put up a few pictures on my blog).
I can't wait to travel over the pond and see all these barges for myself! Your lives are certainly interesting and very busy. How do you two find the energy..... ah, I think it must be a passion for life (and barges).
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Val, our little adventure yesterday involved a real estate agent, three nostalgic siblings, and our childhood home, which is now up for sale. Alas, the deal is looking too complicated and I don't think we are going to follow through.
ReplyDeletexx
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Hi Maria, thanks for coming by again. I've hotfooted it over to your page, and seen your stunning evening and night shots. That tripod has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for you, no?
ReplyDeleteLeslie, great to see you again. I'll pop by and see if you've got a new post too! We are very much hoping to have the HH up and running soon, as there's nothing like messing about on the canal on a crisp autumn day.
Anne Marie, that sounds as if it would have been something you would all have loved. I'm so sorry to hear it's too complicated to achieve. Still, it must have been great to see your old home again.
Your Hennie H looks lovely! I've always thought of her as such a "cute" barge...
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how the rain and cold could have made you feel a wee bit grumpy. I had my own moments this weekend, as well - and I was warm and dry... lol
Will you be using Hennie H as your Belgian home base?
What do you do about crossing the borders into another country? Especially via water? Are there customs ports where you are interrogated as you pass through?
We went down to the US again over the weekend and it seems that it gets more and more complicated to cross the border. Thank goodness our passports are all in order!
The fall colours have passed here and the trees are looking more naked every day. Only 6 more weeks till ski season!