Stories
Dutch Corner
Contents
Muizen en sponsjes
Letter from Bram
Teaching Specialist
Jan Van Drunen
Going Dutch - Thoughts from Hennie …
Muizen en sponsjes
In frankrijk zitten muizen, overal. Als je bang bent voor spinnen, slangen en muizen moet je er niet gaan wonen. In de huizen zitten ze ook, in de winter komen ze binnen.
In Frankrijk hebben ze in de winkel niet alles wat je in Holland gewend bent. Zoals de goedkope brillo sponsjes geel met groen schuurkant er aan.
Ik denk dat ik weet waarom die er niet zijn in Frankrijk. Ik kwam daar achter toen ik in de gootsteenkast in onze boerderij allemaal gele kruimels vond. Ik had 2 pakken van doie brillootjes van thuis meegenomen. DE MUIZEN ZIJN ER DOL OP !!!
Daarom zijn de sponsjes in de winkel daar van ander materiaal denk ik.
Ik moet zeggen, die gele dingen lijken erg veel op een stuk KAAS ! zouden de muizen kippig zijn? By the way, nog niet af maar toch : www.schildereninfrankrijk.eu
Letter from Bram
Hallo hollandse lezers,
Dit jaar kocht ik een boerderij in de Creuse, rechts van Evaux les Bains en vlak bij Chambonchard. Ik kwam in januari en alles was wit en berijpt, ik werd terstond verliefd op de streek. Het leek wel een sprookjesland….
Ik houd niet van bergen maar zo heuvelachtig met toch nog wijds uitzicht en kleinschalige boerderijen, dat spreekt me wel aan.
De schuur is flink groot en gaat atelier worden voor schilderen en beeldhouwen.
Ik kan voorlopig alleen de vakanties komen, dit jaar 6 keer maar tussendoor zitten er vaak vrienden in het huis. Waar ik vooral naar op zoek ben is contact met andere hollanders in de buurt, tips en raadgevingen en adressen om spullen te verkrijgen. En adressen van timmerman, terrasaanleg, dakdekker enz.
Mail naar : bramsax@zeelandnet.nl
Bram.
Teaching Specialist
Paula Ingelse works as a pedagogue in France. She advises and works on the job with parents who find raising their children a more than normal struggle. Battles concerning sleeping, eating, setting boundaries, and raising children in a fast changing world are most common. Her advice contains face to face consultation, Skype and e-mail. Apart from that she gives lectures and workshops for example on communication with children and children on the internet. She is not like Jo Frost she does not train children, but she shows parents the way to communicate, be consequent and to adjust expectations to the child's age. You can find Paula on www.liefdevolleleiding.nl and if you read Dutch, in the most popular Dutch magazines on parental issues.
Emigration: How to support your children
The process of emigration takes a few stages. From my professional point of view, which takes the children and growing up into account, there are a few most recognizable: The idea, the actual decision and the practical movement; then the arrival and getting used to it; and then, regretting and feeling lost and finally realizing this is the best thing you could have done! Your child is most likely to follow you and needs to find his own way in all this. How is the most effective way? Or the less hard way? Here is some advice on how you can approach this subject.
The plan is made, the house it sold, the money in the bank the bags are packed. Your emigration can start. You are all excited and full of your new plans. With reason. You have thought about this such a long time and finally you are about to leave. The children must be as excited as you are! Once you have told them your wonderful plan and shown them the photos, your child screams: “ I do not want to go there!!' Even if you have told them all the advantages and reasons you are doing this (fresh air, the people are friendly and we can finally make our dream come true!') your child will likely stamp up the stairs and won't talk to you again. Most likely you want to prepare your children in a different way than the above situation. And since emigration to a foreign country for most western people is on a free basis why not take the luxury to prepare them well, in order to give both of you the best start?
A few things to consider:
Your dream is not theirs: there everyday life has no intention of change
Every age needs a different approach, no long stories for toddlers on the emigration! Or stressful money business for any other age.
Buying expensive, special presents to help him to settle will not take the pain of leaving
Do not tell them too much about why you want to leave, questions will come from them and then they need to be answered
Everyday life needs to be as normal as possible (sleep, eat, school, tasks)
Make the new world as practical as possible: this is the house, this is your bedroom, this is the bakery etc (all ages)
Avoid to talk in generalities (everyone is friendly, you will learn the new language very quick, make friends within no time), from meta to micro!)
As a parent, be an exemple, make conversation with the neighbours, the butcher, the teacher, although you do not maybe speak the language. Learn!
Be present but not overwhelming.
Want to know more or talk about another subject? Send an e-mail Paula@liefdevolleleiding.nl or look at www.liefdevolleleiding.nl (dutch and english)
till next month!
Paula Ingelse
Jan Van Drunen
« La matière sortie du feu revêt (…) le caractère de la
fournaise et devient donc plus grave, plus sérieuse, à
mesure qu’elle passe par l’enfer. » Paul GAUGUIN
Jan VAN DRUNEN est né à Haarlem, aux Pays-Bas, le 30 janvier 1948.
Entièrement autodidacte, il a commencé à sculpter la pierre dans son pays d’origine, après avoir été potier. Mais c’est à Hiva Oa, l’une des îles Marquises, qu’il a réalisé son rêve : créer des statues en bronze. Il est arrivé sur cette île en 1990, à bord de son petit voilier, et, neuf ans plus tard, il a réalisé sa première coulée, dans la fonderie installée au fond du jardin. Créer est sa passion, et il peut se dire le père de chacune de ses sculptures, dont il est l’artisan de la conception jusqu’à la patine.
Pour la plupart de ses œuvres il utilise la technique de la cire perdue ; pour d’autres, celle du « polystyrène perdu ».
Il n’a pas délaissé les pierres des Marquises (basalte et tuf variés), et on les retrouve non seulement dans des sculptures -souvent d’inspiration marquisienne- mais aussi dans des compositions pierre/bronze. C’est notamment le cas dans diverses fontaines d’intérieur ou de jardin, où la pierre forme le bassin, orné de différentes figurines en bronze.
Après 17 ans passés à Hiva Oa, c’est dans la Creuse que Jan VAN DRUNEN a trouvé un nouveau havre de paix propice à la création. Après la rénovation de l’ancienne ferme dénichée à Luzignat, il a enfin pu se consacrer à la réalisation de sa propre fonderie, et d’un espace atelier / exposition, où vous serez chaleureusement accueillis. A côté des nombreuses œuvres en bronze, vous y trouverez des créations de recup’art, provenant d’anciens outils agricoles détournés, repensés, et associés pour revêtir les formes les plus diverses.
Cette année, Jan VAN DRUNEN ouvre également au public son jardin animé de mobiles et peuplé de diverses sculptures.
Jan VAN DRUNEN, La Garde, N°2 Luzignat, 23 140 DOMEYROT (entre La Celle s/s Gouzon et Domeyrot). Tel : 05 55 62 78 85 art@janvandrunen.com www.janvandrunen.com
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Jan VAN DRUNEN was born in Haarlem, the Netherlands, January 30, 1948. Entirely self-taught, he began to carve stone in his country of origin, after having been a potter. But it was on Hiva Oa, one of the, Marquesas Islands (Pacific Ocean) that, he realized his dream:to create statues in bronze. He arrived on the island in 1990, on his small sailboat, and nine years later, he directed his first casting in the foundry located at the bottom of his garden. To create is his passion, and he can call himself the father of each of his sculptures, as he is the author of them from the design until the patina.
For most of his works he uses the technique of lost wax; for others, that of the "lost polystyrene".
He has not abandoned the stones of the Marquesas (basalt and tuff variety), and they are found in his sculptures and in stone/bronze compositions also as in various indoor or garden fountains.
After 17 years at Hiva Oa, it is in the Creuse that Jan VAN DRUNEN has found a new place where he can create. After the renovation of the former farm found in Luzignat, he was finally able to devote himself to the realization of his own foundry, and a workshop/ exhibition space, where you will be warmly welcomed. Besides many works in bronze, you will find recup ' art creations.
This year, Jan VAN DRUNEN opens his garden to the public , where you can find examples of his works.
Jan VAN DRUNEN, La Garde, N°2 Luzignat, 23 140 DOMEYROT (between La Celle s/s Gouzon and Domeyrot, on the D 40 road). Tel : 05 55 62 78 85 art@janvandrunen.com www.janvandrunen.com
Going Dutch - Thoughts from Hennie …
Although in the Creuse there do not seem to be quite as many Dutch as British natives, it is clear that they like the place just as much. For its quietness, space, variety of landscape, les "chemins creux", and most of all for its lakes and rivers... as if there wasn't enough water in the Netherlands! One of my family members asked me last year to reserve a gite with direct access to the Lac de Vassiviere so that he could swim every morning. He is almost 80, he came in April and the temperature was around 12 Celsius...
The Dutch really love to go to a place where they can swim in a river or lake, and the acme of bliss is to find a camping ground that offers this kind of recreation. Now, why do Dutch people love camping so much? I guess it is a matter of feeling free to move from one place to another, to have lots of space outside (the gardens in the Netherlands are in general very tiny) and probably because it is cheaper than hotels or bed and breakfast accommodation. For some of them it is also a possibility to bring (I have seen them taking tins of peeled tomatoes, made in Italy, bought in a Dutch supermarket, for a vacation in ....Italy!) and prepare their own, well-known food! Although nowadays most of them are keen to taste other countries' specialities, they used to prefer the good old Dutch gehaktbal met aardappeltjes en groenten (meatball, potatoes and vegetables).
The "gehaktbal met aardappeltjes en groenten" can be prepared quite easily in any part of the world. However, there are many specialities that can only be purchased in the Netherlands or in Flanders. French baguettes ("stick bread"as Ronald Scheffer would say) are very good, but I am sure that many Dutch are craving for Dutch bread and rye bread every now and then. Or snert (also called erwtensoep, a thick soup of green green split peas, cuts of pork, celeriac or stalk celery), zoute drop (salted liquorice), hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles, very small pieces of confectionery to spread on bread and sold in much bigger quantities than in other countries), pindakaas (peanut butter - no, I'm not talking about the greasy stuff sold in France), bread (meat)spreads, smoked eel, smoked Gouda cheese, vla (vla is made of cooked milk with custard and sugar and has the consistency of yoghurt)...
What I also miss from Holland: walking on the beach with stormy weather, huge hobby shops, flower markets, barrel organs in the city centres, ice skating on lakes and canals, New Year's evening's fireworks, Dutch humorists... Difficult to import to France and I enjoy those things when I go to Holland, but France and especially La Creuse are now "chez moi"!
