On May 20th i flew to Newfoundland,to stay with Bert for a few weeks.
The time difference is 4 1/2 hours ahead, so by the time i finally arrived, it was midnight there and seven thirty in B.C. Being the end of May i was very optimistic about the weather,didn’t bring a coat, no gloves or scarf,and was wearing sandals on my feet…no socks….. Well, stepping out of the airport terminal, the cold hit me, the kind of cold that goes right through you, Atlantic ocean kind of cold, i remember it well, i lived in
Cape Breton for a while.
There were no leaves on the trees, at all, no grass growing yet!!!!
After a few days,looking around, travelling with Bert and Roel,Bert’s brother, around St.John’s, i slowly fell in love with the place, the warmth of the people very much so makes up for the cold weather!!
Driving around St.John’s is a bit tricky to say the least, because of the severe frost in winter, the roads are in terrible shape, pot holes, actually i call them pot craters,are every where, the way the roads are directed,it really puts your driving skills to the test,but people are patient, there is no honking, no swearing, they just very nicely wait till you have it figured out where you wanted to go in the first place!

St.John’s harbor is busy, very busy, a variety of ships, serving the oil rigs out in the ocean,come in for refitting or supplies, several large Coast Guard ships line the docks, and in between all this ,fishing boats go in and out, loading new netting and supplies, i really admire these guys, going out in the Atlantic Ocean, i find this coast definitely wilder, more rugged and somehow more dangerous.

And for sure , out there, to make things really interesting , are the icebergs, huge mountains of ice, coming down from Greenland’s glaciers. This year is apparently the best year to see these beauties, the best year since 2003.

We rented a car, really a must as we had to be then here, then there, and we stayed in our most favourite Bed and Breakfast in Enkhuizen, owned by Cor and Joke.
WE love it there, its a wonderful home, the beds are great, the breakfast is superb, but the best are the owners, they have become very good friends.

Enkhuizen is busy this time of year, every one is putting their boats in the water,sailboats are rafted 6 deep, very modern ones, and in between the wonderful old ships,the dutch barge,with its keel boards on the side, beautiful schooners, we both always feast our eyes on these boats.

The amazing thing about this little country,with so many people in it, is that where ever you go there is nature,everything is so green this time of year,all along the road ,and the sides of the Slootjes,the little waterways that are everywhere,FLUITENKRUID grows, i believe here its called Queen Anne’s Lace, they used to cut it all down but now its left to grow and it truly looks magnificent.
Birds are everywhere too, Mallard ducks by the hundreds, swans,making huge nests right along side of the road.
The cows are all outside, not like here, where they are forever kept in the bards, i saw one very fine Holstein cow ,chasing a cat through a field, now,that was something to watch.
Have you ever seen a cow run at top speed???? Quite the sight!!!!
At our B&B ,doves were making nests, and two crows were building inside an old brick chimney.
They would totally disappear inside with branches and sticks.
Apparently one year, a while back, one got stuck and no one could do anything about it.
Flaamse Gaaien, a beautiful bird ,colors black,blue and white,the size of a crow,were very busy,looking for nesting material,steeling anything they could find.

I didnt bring my camera, just too much to think about, but i did take a photo with my phone, of the swans at their nest.

My brother Wim had his birthday on the 5th of May.
I always remember the story my mom told me about his 5th birthday, as it was the day of freedom in Holland, in 1945, the war was over!!!
My brother was beside himself with joy at the sight of all the flags outside, and , as he told me this time, no flags had been flying for 5 years, during the war.
So, needless to say he thought this was for his birthday!!!!!
It was just great to be able to congratulate him this time, and be there for a short while.

So, now i am back here, and Bert is back in Newfoundland.
I am going there this month, and will tell you all about it, plus lots of photos.

i havent written for a while,somehow we are well into May now. Bert is now working in Newfoundland, in St.John’s, has been for several weeks. He works 14 days straight, then comes home for 7. Two of those are travelling days, so 5 days for him to enjoy being on the boat.
Its not easy, when he was in Vancouver, he was close enough to come home if needed, close enough too for me to come and visit,but now…. this is different!!!
He is there together with his brother,both working on the same project,and they are renting a very nice apartment, with everything in it that they might need.
It is still snowing there, off and on, but the temperature is slowly coming up.
I can’t wait to go there for a visit,together with my camera , i should have an incredible time.
It is the only province i haven’t seen yet…..

On April 26th we received a very sad call from Holland, Bert’s father ,PA,Opa,had passed away.
He was 93 years old.
He will very much so be missed, he was a loving, kind man,whom i gladly adopted as a father.
So, we flew to Holland, my sister in law Ineke and myself ,flew from Vancouver, Bert and Roel flew from St.John’s.
It was a week full of sadness, but the service for Dad was very beautiful, peaceful and full of love.
He won’t ever be forgotten, he left a lot of love and compassion behind, he was a great man.

Quite a few people read my blog ,who are not boaters, and sometimes ask me all kinds of good questions.
The safety on board is number 1 for us, a safe boat is a good boat!!! Every time i leave, as Bert usually is in Vancouver, so i am alone, i switch off the diesel stove, even if its for 30 minutes or so, i switch off the electricity to the water pump, and anything else that could cause a problem.
But, when we leave for an overnight, we close all the seacocks, close the propane tank in the back hold, and then turn on the stove and let all the propane burn out of the line so nothing is left.
Always make sure that any electric heaters are away from everything else, and that nothing can fall on them, boats have burned to the hull because of this.

Some books worth mentioning that we have on board, books by Jimmy Cornell;
WORLD CRUISING ESSENTIALS ,THE BOATS,GEAR,AND PRACTICES THAT WORK BEST AT SEA.

Also by him; WORLD CRUISING ROUTES.

We love the book by John and Susan Roberts;
WHY DIDNT I THINK OF THAT????

Lin and Larry Pardey wrote ; STORM TACTICS HANDBOOK.

Don Casey wrote;100 FAST AND EASY BOAT IMPROVEMENTS.

All these books are great, we constantly still find good advice in them, and simple ways to solve problems.
I just read in Don Casey’s book that when you go south , the best way to keep roaches away is by making a mixture of boric acid (40%), and sugar or honey.
Form the mixture into small balls, if you use sugar you need to add a bit of water, place each little ball on a piece of tin foil and put one or two in areas where there could be roaches visiting!!! Really have to remember that one!!!