Goodbye Gorredijk

Actually it’s pronounced more like ‘Horredyke’ with a flemmy throat.It’s our last day in Gorredijk so we aren’t going far, just around town and then we’ll concentrate on getting our gear cleaned and ready to go. The children were on their way to school, The younger ones being doubled by Mum or Dad, the older ones on their first bikesNo parking problems here, and hardly a car around the school. We love being out amongst them and especially love being greeted by nearly all the young ones as we pass with a friendly ‘hi’ . No helmets you’ll notice but everyone is a stickler for the road rules. Bunking school ? No it’s a dollThe far one is English but they’re still asleep so I can’t trouble them for a book to read. Lazy beggars!A fairly typical Suburban house in the older suburbs ( they are really into topiary)and a large proportion of Dutch live in house boats. The one on the left is for sale. Coffee at home today so I was sent down to the bakery for another ‘sample’ hardest decision of the day I found a 2nd hand shop for my book and then I had a few things to pick up at the supermarket. I thought you might appreciate the little differences between here and New Zealand I park then take my trolley inside NO that’s not me !I’m not game enough but most customers pick up a scanner as they enter. Each item they want they scan it as they put it in the trolley. As they leave the shop they put the scanner in another holder like this , it tells the assistant how much they owe , she has a quick look and collects the money . Very fast and you know in advance how much it’ll be .Any items in glass or plastic has a 25cent deposit so in they go and you take the docket to the checkout as you leave for it to come off your bill.1 euro coffee as you rest during your exhausting morningwhile in the same area the kids can play gamesThis IS Holland after all so the cheese section is huge and always with lots of samplesAnd as you leave the supermarket Mum might put 50 cents in the ice-cream machine if you’ve been a good boy