Country Lane

Personal Life

Observations and memories

This personal section called 'Country Lane' leads to our personal corner, our living room so to speak, in which we record some of our personal impressions and memories. Rather than using glue to stick photographs into albums, we use an Apple Macintosh and some software.

Moving

sorry to part

It was a sunny day in May when we said goodbye to our friends around St Mary's Loch in Scotland, and to our magnificent house amidst the silent hills of the Scottish Borders district. For a last time did we close the gate at the bottom of the drive of Rodono House, then we were on our way to a new adventure.

But we really had no great desire to return to our native Holland. We had left there all those years ago, not only to pursue a dream, but also because our cosy little country on the North Sea had become unbearably overcrowded. The stress of nationwide, continuous traffic jams and the unrest of a 24/7 economy are not inviting prospects. It remains, however, a very nice country for regular visits.

Germany

happy to meet

We headed for Germany instead and fortunately, many of the things we expected to find here are, indeed, present. The atmosphere is obviously quite different from the valley we left in Scotland but still there are some remarkable similarities. The many good things here are cause for constant wonder and gratitude.

The life

we're now living

Our life has changed in oh so many ways. Being able to buy fresh flowers at a weekly market in a charming spa-town a couple of miles away from us, is a delight. The maintenance of the garden is peanuts compared to the work on the sloping grounds in Scotland. And keeping the house clean is a breeze. Newspapers offer challenging reading. Classical music is all around us. And restaurants serve decent food.

Fortunately, not every aspect of our life has changed. Foremost, our neighbours have become friends, which is a greatly appreciated repeat of Scotland. At night there are dark skies with a myriad of stars and almost complete silence with no cars being heard at all. Silence is a blessing which is impossible to overrate. There's a tawny owl nearby, two buzzard soaring overhead and deserted woods a stone's throw away. We have a private water supply, a woodburning stove, rhododendrons around the house and extensive views over hilly farmland and five days of sunshine out of every seven: it's amazing to realize that all those things we loved so much in Scotland are in this particular area as well .

The things

we've been up to in 2005

My first book, a children's novel, was published. And we did not only find a new home, a traditional timber framed house in the hilly and wooded area of the Teutoburger Wald National Park, we've now managed to substantially renovate and upgrade it.

Last Winter, and lasting for about a month, we've had a couple of inches of snow and our goal became transforming the grounds into a Narnia-like atmosphere.

This website is up.

Scotland

across the seas

The years in Scotland have been terrific. Many requirements for a happy life were all there: brilliant neighbours, spectacular scenery, a dream house and ample peace and quiet. Fortunately, we can re-vist the neighbours and the scenery any time we choose.

We often heard about all those Scots and Irish who, in difficult times in the past, went far across the seas, longing for the hills for the remainder of their lives. Oh, the yearning! For us, not being native born Scots but deeply touched by the bonny land and its kind people, the longing for Scotland has become in itself the object of a gentle, bittersweet melancholia which we sometimes deliberately indulge in. Like eating a box of chocolate straight after a work-out in the gym: you just know it's good for you.