I know I’m not doing very well with this blogging at the moment – sorry. I seem to have gone into hibernation; just pack me a tea chest full of straw. I do suffer from SAD and, to be honest, much as I love the Netherlands and the people, I am struggling to cope with this relentless grey sky and constant rain. When, very rarely, we get a frosty sunny day I am charged with energy and enthusiasm, but the rest of the time it’s a bit pants.

On the upside, we get to meet up with our fellow Thunderbirds team, Jill and Gary and their dogs Gem and Chula (blue boat, Norderzoon in the pics) as we both have transport and also our Dutch friends at No 70 with their dog Diesel, but I crave some sunlight now. I am rubbish at ‘grey’.

Trundled into the supermarket and adjacent DIY store yesterday and put my shopping list on the counter of the latter; turned around and the shopping list was gone – the young man, seeing me searching, said a lady had walked off with it. I wonder what she will make of a British shopping list but, more intriguingly, my menu plan for the week; we had Gill and John coming out to join us but they went down with stinky fluey colds so had to cancel, all my food ideas were on the back of the shopping list; I wonder if they will be trying out Yorkshire puddings this weekend.