VHG26

The view from the main house

Avid followers of our little family blog should havde observed by now that we’ve bought a little house (or rather plenty of land with a couple of functional and charming stone houses on it). This summer marked the first of hopefully many summers spent there.

Relaxing under the vines

Those of you well-acquainted with the Danish summer will know that there are no guaranties of great weather and all-day sun. For a sun&heat-seeker like me it was a relieve to go to Portugal, which was over-flowing with exactly that. Things were off to a good start.

When you go to a place where you have not been before, the safest approach is always to expect as little as possible. Thus, I’d done just so when it came to this particular place to avoid risking dissapointment. However, there was nothing to be dissapointed about. Even at night, the stars help to enlighten a beautiful view and the night was warm enough for us to sit under the vines, while processing the (several hours delayed) flight.

To be honest, I was quite lucky. As I came a week later than the rest of the VHG26-family and brought visitors with me, I missed out on a lot of the hard work and came to a very (paraphrashing Katja) ‘upgraded house’. I send my warm and sincere thanks to Aske, Katja and Nimbus

Portugal was a cornucopia of great experiences and with a lot of that typical “summer holiday feeling” that you need after a year of work – especially if t the winter in Denmark has been as it tend to  be: Cold and dark. it makes you bitter and winter depression is not an unknown term for the Danes. Therefore, summer holidays in the South are always welcome – and yes, even if you’ve been in Mozambique half of that winter, you still enjoy the Portuguese summer a lot!

K&N had their 10-years wedding anniversary while in Portugal! TILLYKKE!

And what did we do? We went to the beach in Viggo, Spain. Swam and sunbathed at the adjacent river beach (Bar do Rio – which proved to be a place of not only swimming but also ice cream, tuna sandwiches and coffee). Went to a spa (I realise there is sort of a water theme here). Occassionally, we even found time to do some work on the house. Like painting, taking down an old hen house and tear down the bathroom attic (I’ll let Katja and my dad expand on that since they were the main participants and have photo documentation).

Ready to work!

Of course, I also found time for horseback riding. Riding in the mountains is extraordinary. The view is breathtaking (sorry for the clichés but they are very accurate) and the horses and guide  impressed me in their abilities to get up and down steep slopes without showing the least bit of unsteadieness – that is more than I could’ve done for sure.

So all in all, A wonderful trip. This time we had the honour of two visiting groups: The Voodoo Man family and Henrik with Kids. We cannot wait to see more friends and family in our new Portuguese home the following years. This family is a family of many homes. It’s simply fantastic.

Follow this blog and author for the next exciting story that will (probably – I never make promises) feature my experiences at Roskilde University (I start next week – Wish me luck!)

No worries - We have a guard!

Special feature: Gris

A new member has worked its way into our big (and open-minded – you’re welcome whether you’re male, female, animal or alien) VHG26 family and we quickly grabbed this opportunity to begin a series of special features on the lesser known family members – so stay tuned, the features will pop up now and then when you least excpect it!

This newest family makes a dashing first impression and to describe his physique, you cannot steer clear of words like ‘handsome’, ‘black’ and ‘muscular’. He is, in short, the family hunk.

But he is more than that. Rarely have i met such a good fella. An optimistic and jolly guy full of life and energy. He so enlightens the atmosphere with his little “øf øf” that we cannot imagine how we ever went without him…

So say hello to …. GRIS!

-Gris!

Tofo Beach December 2009

Det er Aske og Eva og Nimbus ude i vandet

The problem is just that I am in Denmark, so I can’t really make to the court in Maputo.

You ask why? – I’ll tell you..

Well, Mette was going to a wedding in Italy, and I, or we as in Nimbus and I, were going to South Africa, to pick up our friends in just a couple of days and I had to finish that dress for Mette before I left and before she left for Italy. So we had to find some useable material and the shops in Maputo are closed for lunch break between 11, sometimes 12, and 15. So we were in a hurry. I had picked up Mette, and we were, yes I know, bad excuse, but we were a bit late, since her water was all on the floor cause the water mixing battery in the bath were broken and  … yeah, we were late and I drove around 65 on the Marginal road. Police stopped me and gave me a fine. 1000 meticais, about 200 dkk. I did not have the money and they wrote me a nice fine with my fathers name and profession, and my mothers name, and all kind of useable information. They told me to pay the fine at the central police station within 10 days, and finally let us go. Did we get to the shop, I honestly don’t remember if we got there before they closed or not…

I actually finished the dress and went of to south africa, well knowing I would return to pay the fine within the 10 days.  We picked up our friends in Nelspruit, had some cold days in the mountains, our automatic gearbox broke down, left the car in Nelspruit, lended a car from the workshop, next day the car rear window was broken and our things stolen. We got them back and went to the policestation to explain what happened and make a report. One of the thiefs were there and had a slap in the face, while we looked, just to demonstrate their effectiveness. But we got out, went to the workshop and picked up the most important and valuable things from the car, since the car is often robbed at the workshop, cause its open and the workers are badly paid. But we took what we could carrie and got back to Maputo by bus, arriving at night.

If you think you have read this story before, its cause it is here on the blog in a more detailed version.

At this point of the story you might have forgotten everything about the fine from the Marginal. I had!

But when I remembered, I knew that the paper fine was in the car in nelspruit and I could not do anything before it got back. When the car got back, I don’t know what happened to the fine but I never went to pay it at the central policestation. We talked about the possibility to go there without the paper and tell them: I was stopped at the Marginal and got a fine, I dont have the paper but I want to pay the money….

I did not believe it would be possible to find my paper in the police office, and I had so much to do, that thinking of spending a couple of days waiting for them to look through their papers were stressing me shit.

I left Mapto without paying, and honestly, I thought I would never hear about this thing again, but today, a letter was delivered to our house in Maputo, to tell me to be in court tomorrow morning at 8.00, in Maputo. Obviously I cannot make it, and I hope my clever husband and his colleagues are going to get me out on this…

Otherwise I have to steal a jet and fly real fast!

It is not really visible on pictures how cold the rain feels. We are all biking, on bicycles, day and night, summer and winther… Fingers are getting cold and the rain gets inside the clothes. Lot of people in rainclothes and rubber boots. But when we get inside the warm houses and take of the wet clothes, it is wonderfull and the skin feels fresh and strong.

Tonight DJ Spookey was performing his Terra Nova – symphonia antartica at the SMK museum. It was fresh and crunchy and icy and widunderligt.

And I am happy, happy, happy… Not least cause my wild husband came home saturday morning for an extra long weekend and celebration of his birthday. That was absolutely fantastic.

Then Copenhagen is the best place on earth

Jeg slæber ting op fra kælderen og vasker alle flader grundigt af, putter ting i skabe og vasker sengetøj og håndklæder. Der er gået klædemøl i de fleste ting i kælderen, nok mest fordi jeg ikke havde vakumpakket de fåreskind vi har, og de er åbenbart guf for klædemøl. Haven er groet til, men på en ok charmerende måde, for eksempel har træet fået æbler.

Indenfor ser det stadig ud som om her slet ikke er noget, selvom jeg har slæbt op fra kælder og pakket al min bagage ud, men jeg kan godt huske at vhg26 er sådan en lejlighed der bare optager ting uden at de fylder.

Iøvrigt er det fantastisk. Jeg har intet internet selv, men låner af et åbent netværk i nærheden, og alt på nettet går 30 gange hurtigere end i Maputo. Så er det jo ingen sag at skrive poste på bloggen

Management Summary: Back home in VHG26, trying to get the home running again.

Og nå ja, så har jeg fået nyt og lækkert punkhår!

Nu har jeg pakket mine ting i 2 kasser og to tønder. Og en papkasse til overlockeren. Det er lidt underligt at pakke alting sammen og skulle afsted fra Mozambique. Der er masser af ting jeg ikke har nået og endnu flere ting jeg har nået. Jeg har nok lært en hel masse og det finder jeg nok først ud af når jeg kommer hjem til dk igen. Lige nu glæder jeg mig rigtig meget, til at se alle mine venner igen og bo i mit hus og være i en verden som jeg kender og kan gennemskue.

De fleste ting fra mit syværksted har jeg pakket i kasser til Gabby. I morgen skal jeg først i lufthavnen og sende mine ting hjem og bagefter skal jeg ud til Gabby og aflever al hvad jeg vurdere ikke var CO2 værdien værd at tage med hjem, eller som hun vil få mere gavn af her end jeg vil i dk.

Så har jeg kun to kufferter og en håndbagage tilbage, som jeg skal have med på rejsen. Nimbus og jeg kører til Joburg i Sydafrika på søndag morgen, og jeg tager afsted fra Joburg tirsdag. Jeg ankommer til København 5. August.

Vores internet er meget ustabilt. Men lige nu er der vist en lille smule internetforbindelse. Det er ganske irrieterende….. men det er derfor jeg ikke har skrevet så meget på det sidste.

Management summary: I’m packing my things and returning to dk on august 5.

Alle der er født omkring 1970 og vokset op i et venstreorienteret hjem, kender sandsynligvis Peter Fidus, en børnebog af Sven Wernström.

Peter Fidus handler om en fattig knægt fra landet, der gerne vil til den store by. Hans mor pakker ham en madbylt og han drager afsted. På hans vej til den store by, møder han forskellige mennesker og har forskellige oplevelser. Dette er hans dannelsesrejse og hans oplevelser kommer til at ligge til grund for de ting han senere skal udrette. Peter er nemlig en fidusmager, det var hvad ‘innovation’ hed før i tiden.

Han arbejder sig op gennem systemet ved at få idéer og bliver reklamemand. Han bliver meget rig, fordi han hjælper kapitalisterne til at tjene endnu flere penge end de gjorde før. På et tidspunkt er han løbet tør for produkt-optimerings-idéer og han er lige ved at brænde kapitalisterne af. De hedder forøvrigt allesammen “Møller” – men så finder han på noget helt nyt. Inspireret af en lille dreng og en lille pige, som han mødte på sin vej til den store by, der var ude at plukke blomster til deres mor, fordi de ville vise at de godt kunne lide hende, opfandt Peter Fidus …. MORS DAG!

“Så skal alle, der gerne vil vise at de godt kan lide deres mor, købe blomster eller en gave til deres mor”, sagde Peter Fidus til de forsamlede kapitalister, der var kommet for at få hans råd. De jublede allesammen, for det var vel nok en god idé. Og sådan fik vi Mors Dag.

Så her er en hilsen til min mor, som har læst Peter Fidus højt for mig, med hendes bløde indlevende stemme: “Tak for alle de historier du har læst for mig, jeg husker dem endnu og jeg vil gerne vise dig at jeg godt kan lide dig, så derfor synes jeg du skal gå en dejlig tur og alle de blomster du ser på din vej, de er fra mig til dig”.

/ Datter ( )

Katja: +258 826102385

Og ellers gik weekenden udemærket. Jeg fik solgt en del tøj på markedet fredag og lørdag. Det er altid hårdt at stå op og være på i flere dage, men det var nu hyggeligt nok, for Mette og taskeprojektet stod ved siden af. Nimbus tog afsted til Danmark lørdag formiddag og efter markedet var der en slags fødselsdags-frokost-fest hos Flemming. Det var en dejlig fest og vi dansede meget. Jeg gik hjem og på vejen slog jeg følge med en lille gruppe unge drenge som også var ude at gå. Jeg tænkte at det nok ville beskytte mig mod de værste overfaldsmænd. Det gjorde det også, men drengene havde nu alligevel lidt for lange fingre for de havde scoret min mobiltelefon, som også lå lidt for synligt og tilgængelig i min taske. Og sådan skal man ikke friste… så jeg er ikke vred eller irrieteret på tyveknægten, men er glad for at jeg har fået nyt telefonnummer og den billigste Nokia-model de kunne grave frem i butikken.

Solen skinner og det er blevet dejligt køligt i Maputo, Vi snakker helt ned til 20 grader!

Management Summary: Katja new phone number: +258 826102385

Ih jeg er så glad, for jeg har fødselsdag, og patrão er kommet hjem fra årsmøde, og jeg har snakket med min søde, søde og dygtige søn, og i min have er der tropisk varmt, palmen drypper stadig af nattens regn og jeg har spist marmite-madder… Facebook er fuld af fødselsdagshilsner fra nær og fjern. Her er helt grønt og det eneste jeg mangler lige nu er et par kroge til at hænge køjen op…