Aukje de Vries' Diary Day 64

I have to go to Utrecht. In October I am supposed to go to a meeting in Japan and Martje and I have decided we want to use that opportunity to go and travel in Japan. I have been there once for a short visit, when I went to a conference and thought I’d like to go back there to see some more, so now is the time. In Utrecht there is a travel agency that specialises in trips to the far East. Martje’s friends are very positive about this agency and my travel agency in The Hague has told me that they always consult the one in Utrecht when they are asked to organise a trip to that region. Martje and I have made an appointment to see one of their consultants.
The train to Utrecht stops at a station, where it is not supposed to stop. It stands there, doors closed, nothing happens. It takes quite some time before we get a clarification. There has been an accident with a freight train on the line. The tracks between this station and Utrecht are blocked. Dutch Rail is discussing what to do. After a while we are told we will take a different route, but eventually will get to Utrecht. We get going, but stop frequently. Then the news is that the train will not go to Utrecht at all, but will pick up its normal route by going to the station that comes after Utrecht. Passengers for Utrecht have to take a train back. Fortunately I have a brochure of the travel agency with me with its telephone number so I can call them and let them know that I will be late. I arrive with a delay of no less than 2 hours in Utrecht. I wonder whether Martje, who has come from Rotterdam, has had the same problems. I don’t see her, so I go to the travel agency. Yes, she is there: she had had the last train before the accident. She discovered in Utrecht at the station, when I did not show up what the reason was.
The consultant who talks with us has many good ideas and it does not take very long before we have figured out what we can do and like to do. She will work out this provisional plan and then send it to me by e-mail. Martje does not (yet) have a computer.
It rains and it is very grey and cold but we go into town to have some lunch. We find a nice café, have a leisurely meal and then go to the station. The obstruction has not yet been removed so the best thing to do is to travel via Schiphol, a detour of about half an hour. Fortunately the train is not too crowded.
Later in the day we hear the damage on the railroad has been considerable and the tracks cannot be used for several more days.
I have to hurry, because in the evening there is the meeting of the citizens’ panel.
In the neighbourhood centre there are about 20 people gathered for the meeting. It is presided over by the Director of the city section, the same person, who chaired the meeting on March 5th, when we discussed the municipal plan for the neighbourhood.
She opens the sessions and confronts us right away with a disappointing message. Just last week the municipal council has decided to suspend the creation of any more citizens’ panels.
They have received negative comments from various existing organisations that are afraid these panels will only double their activities. This has to be figured out first before the green light can be given for more than the already two existing citizens’ panels. In spite of this the Director does not want to send us home without having a discussion. Maybe there are other options. She is happy that the people who are there have bothered to come. We introduce ourselves and I notice that other than the three persons of our informal neighbourhood group there are only four persons who have come as interested citizens, all the others are representatives of formal organisations who in one way or another want to do something for the people living in this neighbourhood. A representative of the neighbourhood care organisation is there as well as someone of the older home care organisation. There is also a staff member of a care home, two members of the board of the official neighbourhood association and two board members of a sports organisation, some staff members of community organisations and of the city section. Some of the same points come up that were brought forward before. But there are also new items. The care home, for instance, wants to have a function for people in the neighbourhood but does not succeed in getting people, living in their own homes in the neighbourhood, to use its facilities. The same is true for one other care home, not represented here. Somehow they do not manage to reach the persons who could use the facilities. It is suggested that they could make known their menus, letting people know that they can come over for a meal. Another suggestion is to invite people and treat them to coffee with cakes on the occasion of the elections for the European Parliament. Usually there are polling stations in the care homes so people living in the neighbourhood have to go there anyway, if they are treated and informed about the services of the care home it may serve to lower the threshold. Another new issue that comes up is the position of the expats. There are quite a few in the neighbourhood but they do not mix very well. Many of them don’t speak Dutch and the locals do not make it easy for them to learn because when the expats try to speak Dutch they usually get an answer in English. That is anything but encouraging. They also feel uncertain about informal rules of conduct that are never explained. Whom can they turn to? I suggest that older people can play a role here. I know that this is being done in Rotterdam. Martje is teaching several expats and with some of them she has become friends. She got involved through an organisation called the Guild, which also has a branch in The Hague. The sports organisation mentions that their premises are open to all citizens. They will be glad to host meetings and have people come over for a meal or to watch competitions.
At the end of the meeting the Director is quite satisfied that new ideas have come up and she wants to keep the people who were present involved, she proposes that a new meeting will be organised by one of the community organisations to see how some plans can be put into practice.

Aukje de Vries' Diary Day 63

In spite of the poor weather forecast it is still sunny and I can sit and read in my garden. The new neighbours (they are French) are working in their garden. They cut some of the trees the previous owner had planted. The latter was fond of trees and had far too many for a city garden. I used to ask him to cut them back occasionally, because his garden is directly to the south of mine, so that his trees take away a lot of sunshine in my garden. I like to grow plants and flowers, but on the side of his garden this is hardly possible. I see my new neighbour with a simple hand saw work on the trees. It is amazing how much he gets done, but he does it in a rather unprofessional way. I have more light in my garden now, but I cannot say it looks particularly nice. And then he starts building a cabin, in the remains of one tree and puts three big red flags on top of it. I am sure his three young boys will love it, but to me it looks horrible. I wonder whether he is aware of the regulations by the city: we are not supposed to take trees down without a permit from the local authority. Earlier my gardener used to do it without permit: who will see it other than the neighbours? But he recently told me that at present the local authorities take pictures from the air and they can see where trees are cut. When you are being found out you get a fine. I consider telling my neighbour but the harm has been done now, there is no point in disquieting him. I do at least one useful thing: I clean the balcony behind my bedroom. There is always a lot of dirt on it from leaves, and what not. It is surprising how much I have collected recently.. In the evening there is on television, what is called a docu-drama. It is about the nomination of the Dutch Secretary General of NATO. As the programme says: Since we do not know what has happened in reality, we can have our fantasies about it.

Aukje de Vries' Diary Day 62

Another very sunny, but cold day. The weather forecast says it will be the last sunny day. I will not let it go by unused. I get out my tour bicycle. I have a city bike that I bought second hand, but which serves me well for smaller distances in the city, and another, better bicycle that I use when going on longer trips. In the winter I cover it up, but now that spring is coming it is time to get it out. I go to a village, north of The Hague. It is said to be one of the richest communities in the country, but it has a nice old centre and a shopping street where many attractive shops are close together.

One of the things I hope to get there is a special kind of cat food, that I could not find any more in the supermarket close to where I live. The only supermarkets that are at a reasonable distance from my home belong to the same chain, called AH, so I have to go quite far when I want to shop in a different supermarket. The bike trip is nice. There are many crocuses and daffodils along the way. I do find the cat food I was looking for, but I also find things I did not look for: summer clothes. It is still cold and in order to try them on I have take off lots of clothes, but if I wait till later, the nicest items may have gone. I take a long time to make up my mind but end up with quite a few items, which can be combined nicely.

It will become urgent to go through my wardrobes and decide what to part with, which I find extremely difficult. I am always inclined to think that clothes, however old, might still come in handy some day, even if it were only to wear them on days when I don’t have to go out and have to do house work or gardening.

I see that the weekly journal of the Hague has a large article with a photograph of Trine and her colleague about the new museum. She is given a lot of credit for her work. That is very good, she deserves it.

Aukje de Vries' Diary Day 61

In the morning I have a call with several other members of the board of the organisation where we have problems. What the problems are is clear to all of us, so we need not dwell long on them. The question is now: what to do. We decide on some steps to be taken consecutively. I hope we will be successful. We all regret that the poor leadership is such a liability for the organisation and might even jeopardise its future.

At the end of the morning I take the train to Leiden where I will have lunch with Hanneke, the friend who is teaching at a college in Leiden. She is still very busy with her caring obligations. Her father lives by himself but has a terminal disease, his three daughters try to take care of him, with the help of the home care services, but now that one of the sisters is in hospital herself so caregiving has become difficult. The problem is that the father and the sister in hospital feel that the father should remain in his own home till the very end, but Hanneke is of the opinion that the decision ought to depend on the possibilities they have to take care of him. She has her own family, some obligations to members of her husband’s relatives and her job, so she has drawn a line and stated clearly what she can and cannot do. She feels guilty about it, but I think she has made the right decision and tell her I fully understand. We always enjoy seeing each other. Today we can sit outside while we chat. This time there are no stories about her college, where the managers have taken over, like in long-term care. Before we know it the time is up and Hanneke has to go back to work. I do not yet go home but take a walk through the city. I studied in Leiden, some 50 years ago. The city has changed. A lot of renovation has been done, but the character of the city has been well preserved. I walk through many streets I know, have a look at the house where I lived (it does not look good, but I guess there are still students living there, there are so many names on the door), enjoy one of the parks, but then hurry to the station, because I have to be home in time to have dinner and get ready to go to the theatre with Esther.

The play is in a theatre in Scheveningen, called de Appel (the Apple). The building is an ancient coach house from the time there were horse-drawn coaches. It has a very nice atmosphere. It is anything but posh, but rather primitive and cosy. Sometimes they also serve meals before the performance but not today.

The play has been written by a member of the Apple Company. In fact it is almost all pantomime, about various people who have an allotment garden and all do their own thing. They have their small cabins close to one another, but have hardly any contacts. Then a new couple appears on the scene making a lot of noise. But even that does not bring them together. There is no story to the performance. We have many questions about what the author is trying to tell us and what the behaviour of some of the actors is supposed to represent. What we appreciate most is the performance by an older actress (whom we like very much anyway) who is playing the role of a person with dementia. It is incredible how well she shows exclusively by her movements, her posture and her expression that she suffers from dementia.

Esther and I are curious what the reviews will say about the play. The official opening performance is still to come. We expect the reviews will be published afterwards.