Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Acclimatising. Or not.



Christmas probably seems like a long time ago to everybody now, and it does feel as if the past two weeks or so have flown by. We spent the festive season in Holland, back in our own house, sleeping in our own beds. Aaaaahhh, if only it were possible to shrink our beds and fit them into our suitcases to bring them back here. A couple of days ago I asked Niels if he was happy to be back in Singapore again. His answer was positive, so pushing my luck, I asked him if he missed anything from Holland. There was a thoughtful pause, and then he said with all the blunt honesty only a five year old can muster “I miss my bed”. So there you have it, it’s a longing that settles in well back in our formative years before we can blame age, bad backs, and aching muscles.
Of course when we were home there were plenty of things that the kids found they missed, especially their two sets of grandparents; Oma and Opa, and Jeanette and Derek. Yet they slotted back into life there as if we’d never been away, enjoying play dates with their little friends and scooting around town on the backs of our bikes like the little Cloggies they are.
The only thing they (and I) struggled with was the cold. Thank goodness Holland is having an unusually warm winter so far, so temperatures were only down to about 2 degrees and we didn’t see any real frost. But it was so bone-chillingly COLD! Niels slept with a hot water bottle in his bed and Carl had an electric blanket in his. We all wore singlets and socks to bed and huddled under the duvets as if we were part of Scotts expedition. All except hubby of course, who scornfully called us ‘watjes’ (wimps) and insisted that it wasn’t that cold after all.
Secretly I was quite pleased that the kids Kiwi genes were finally coming to the fore – let’s face it, living in such a cold damp climate is plain unnatural! My great-great-great grandparents didn’t run away from Scotland for the sunny climes of New Zealand for nothing after all.
I managed to spend half a day visiting the bunnies, Rocco and Ashley at their long-term holiday residence at Liesbeth's house in the slightly warmer (ie more Southern) city of Eindhoven. Rabbits love the cold, provided they have enough shelter and preferably a buddy to snuggle up to to keep themselves warm, and Rocco and Ashley are no exceptions. Their fur has become so dense that when you burrow your fingers into it your can feel the tips heating up. Ashley, who has always been - well kind of rotund would be a nice way to say it - is now almost completley spherical and feels like a wombat with her dense winter coat and a layer of lard to ward off the chills. Rocoo's moustache is as magnificent as ever and no doubt serves a double purpose of keeping his toe-tips warm as he snoozes the winter days away.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Today it is nearly springtime, it is that warm! And I heard that in Maryland USA it is 20 C!