Week 4 In the Wee Hours
Week 4
Janny's birthday today...
We had the typical Dutch "Circle Party" last night...just family, but with a big family that is always enough...although there were some missing.
Key Elements of a Dutch Circle Party
- Seating Arrangement: Chairs are arranged in a closed loop or circle, often with diverse seating types (dining chairs, couches).
- Gefeliciteerd (Congratulations): Upon arrival, you must shake hands or give three kisses to everyone in the room, not just the birthday person, congratulating everyone in the circle.
- Food and Drink: Coffee and tea are served, usually accompanied by a slice of cake, followed by savory snacks like cheese, sausage, or cucumbers.
On Friday night, we took the clients out for a restaurant meal - not something they can easily do themselves. We used the money from our Christmas Fair - which they had all contributed to by making things and/or helping out on the day. Unfortunately, we had a couple of late cancellations due to sickness and car trouble.
It's an "all you can eat" restaurant called Omnia - in Drachten. A bit wasted on me these days, but it was a new experience for the clients - there is a wide choice of food, but I think they stayed mostly within their own "boundaries".
I stuck with seafood...
Boating Matters
The lock is fully repaired...the key had been broken by a niece who was staying on board - IIRC, the shaft of the key was broken - but it turns out that a small segment of one of the "teeth" had also broken off and was still inside the lock...so mystery solved!
Two coats...
I have the boat booked in for painting at the end of April but Janny thinks that we want to go to Dokkum for the King's Birthday visit (of the King) - also at the end of April - same birthday as Ben.
We can easily get there without needing any bridges opened, so that may well be the plan...
Speaking of April, I didn't know this for the Province of Drenthe...
I'll have to check my dates for the Voyage of Jacoba in 2018 - it certainly started in April, but it must have been May by the time we went along a canal through Drenthe on the way to Meppel
Published on January 26, 2026
The Province of Drenthe reminds boat owners that the waterways must remain empty during the winter period, from October 1 to May 1. This means that (recreational) boats are not allowed to moor without permission. Bridges and locks are not operated during this period, and the waterways are closed to recreational navigation.
Why must the waterways be empty?
The province keeps the waterways empty to carry out maintenance work on bridges, locks, and banks more safely and efficiently. Moreover, this prevents damage to boats caused by ice formation or storms.
Also, a reminder about it being compulsory to have the "Rules" on board - although I can't find anything that says that it has to be in your own language...
The Inland Navigation Police Regulations, or BPR for short, contain the rules that apply to most inland waterways in the Netherlands. It literally reads "Decree of 26 October 1983, establishing regulations containing provisions for the prevention of collisions or drifting on public waters in the State open to shipping."
The BPR stipulates, among other things, what the signs and other traffic signals mean, when you must use which lights, which signs and sound signals apply on the water, and what the priority and avoidance rules are.
It is mandatory for every vessel (with the exception of open vessels) within the area covered by the Inland Navigation Police Regulations (BPR) to have an updated copy on board.
This can be a printed version (in book form), but a digital version (smartphone app or PDF) is also permitted. Free apps are available for download containing the complete BPR.
The European Commission is announcing €153 million in emergency aid to Ukraine and refugee-hosting Moldova, as millions Ukrainians face freezing temperatures without power under sustained Russian bombardment of energy infrastructure.
Responding to the urgent needs, the EU is allocating an initial €145 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine to provide protection assistance, shelter, food, cash assistance, psychosocial support, and access to water and health services. Another €8 million in Moldova will support hosting Ukrainian refugees who have fled the war.
After more than a decade of hostilities and almost four years of full-scale war, the people of Ukraine continue to endure immense suffering. Daily civilian casualties, widespread infrastructure destruction, and mass displacement are further exacerbating the massive humanitarian needs. With Russias ongoing attacks on Ukraines energy infrastructure, millions in the country are exposed to freezing temperatures.
"In the wee hours of the night" has more significance at age 75...
I was awake early on Saturday morning as usual (but this time from too much to eat), so I listened to some BBC programs - they usually put me back to sleep...
One of my favourites is "The Write Stuff" - a quiz program looking at the works of famous writers...
The Write Stuff, "Radio 4's game of literary correctness", was a lighthearted quiz about literature on BBC Radio 4, taking a humorous look at famous literary figures, which ran from 1998 to 2014. It was chaired and written by James Walton. The two teams were captained by novelist Sebastian Faulks and journalist John Walsh, with Beth Chalmers reading literary extracts.
In one segment there was a mention of "Lord of the Flies", which I had to read at school...
So, of all the things one could do in the wee hours, I asked Google Gemini " Can the pig's head on a stake in William Goldings Lord of the Flies be likened to Donald Trump?" - Now, I don't know if other people have thought of this...but this is the answer that came back - suggesting that it has well and truly been thought of before.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the severed pig’s head—the "Lord of the Flies" itself—functions as a grotesque totem of inherent human depravity and the breakdown of civilized norms. One could argue that Donald Trump serves as a modern socio-political equivalent of this symbol, acting as a polarizing focal point that reveals the fractured nature of the collective psyche. Just as the sow’s head on a stake magnetized the boys' latent impulses toward tribalism and aggression, Trump’s presence in the cultural landscape often strips away the veneer of "ordered" political discourse, exposing the raw, visceral instincts beneath. He becomes a mirror for the audience’s own fears and desires; to his detractors, he represents the "beast" of populist chaos, while to his followers, he is the bold rejection of a failing system. In this sense, he is less a traditional leader and more a transformative symbol that forces society to confront the darkness—and the division—already dwelling within its own ranks.
Would you like me to expand on this comparison by looking at specific characters from the novel, like Jack or Ralph?
I managed to save it and thankfully went back to sleep...
Another BBC show that I listen to in the wee hours...
Last night started off with a review of a restaurant in Virginia...
4/5. "The food was really good, but someone got shot, otherwise it would have been a 5"
Liberty Ships
Quite a few years ago, I used to Listen to Alistair Cooke's Letter From America - one of the episodes was about the construction of the "Liberty Ships". I'm still looking for the transcript...
...but this account appeared in Scheepspost (easy to translate to English)
The Liberty was actually a rather small and outdated ship, with its own cargo gear and propelled by an oil-fired steam engine. The idea was that the US could build more ships than Germany could sink.
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