Pastures new and an irresistible cue

The past couple of weeks have been busy (what's new?) and as usual, I'm playing catch up with myself. I should mention that aside from all the activity around our Great Move, I've been combining teaching work with work on the Hennie H, which both Koos and I felt shouldn't be neglected, especially with winter approaching. As a result, moments to relax have been limited.

All the same, we've taken time out to explore some our new surroundings in Oudenbosch, and I'm pleased to report we've been charmed by much of what we've seen. Being on the Mark-Dintel river means there are several other towns that lie on this beautiful waterway, but the first we come to when heading west along the Dintel is the pretty village of Stampersgat. What a delightful surprise to find such a quaint waterside settlement complete with a fine church, water tower, visitor moorings, and (even more appealing) water picnic tables. These were principally set up for rowers and paddlers but can be used by anyone should they choose. We spent a very pleasant hour or so wandering around the village and cooking up plans to spend a night on the moorings there.

The quaint village main street

A beautifully maintained water tower

The water picnic tables

Very appealing visitor moorings

Of course, one of the things we like, which others might not, is the industry that keeps the river alive with commercial barges (see the backdrop of the picnic tables). It isn't overwhelming and most of the factories and warehouses are quiet, but we love seeing the barges at the loading quays and passing slowly by when we drive along the river. We can also feel them at our mooring. Despite being a kilometre from the main river course, the waves from the commercial vessels travel up the arm and cause the Vereeniging to rock and sway quite substantially. I have mixed feelings about this: while I love knowing we have real traffic passing, I sometimes end up feeling quite queasy!

Another great find has been a boatyard a few kilometres downstream from Oudenbosch. I was having a few concerns about how we would manage my lift out next year (hellingbeurt as we call it here), as I didn't relish two three-day trips to the Oude Haven and back. I'd seen a small yard from the bridge on the Dintel river while on my way to my daughter's house, but dismissed it as being too small. Imagine my excitement when a neighbour told us they could probably take the Vereeniging. 

A visit last Saturday confirmed it was just the place for us. The yard has a single track slipway on which the boat ascends bow first, instead of sideways as it does in the Oude Haven, but it can take boats up to twenty metres and fifty tonnes. Perfect for us. What sealed the deal even more was that the yard manager is the uncle of one of our Oude Haven neighbours. He ticked all the boxes in so many ways I made a provisional booking there and then for next May. 

The only uncertainty will be how much water there is in the river at the time. If we have a long, dry spring, it might not be deep enough for us get completely onto the slipway tracks, meaning the date can only be fixed closer to the time. Whatever the case, I am thrilled and relieved to have found a yard so close by, and one that fits in with our own approach as well.

In other news, we still have our Hennie H to attend to and are lining up the indoor jobs we need to do in the coming months. But we're not done with faring just yet. The other evening, we popped over to do a couple of small jobs and the light was so beautiful it was a perfect and irresistible cue. I couldn't help but pop the question. 

"Shall we go for a spuddle?"

Koos looked at me in surprise.

"Okay. Yes! Why not?"

And so we did...just a short one, but enough to bring broad smiles to our faces. These are the little things that make our days.

I could ramble on more, but I think this is enough for now. Next time I'll take you on more of a tour of Brabant's pretty towns and villages.

For the time being, have a great week, allemaal. The days are now an hour shorter, but we'll take to the water and explore the country as long as we can. Wishing you all sunshine and peace wherever you are.