Today is the last day with the family. It will be sad to say goodby. Again it was raining and a bit cool for our trip to Eindhoven. Tom Tom had a problem with directions to getting us into the city as the roads had changed but we eventually made it. Tom Tom is Dutch and with the updated software it still got lost.
I am going to visit a very special lady, Tante Marietje. She is my dad's only sister. She grew up looking after all her brothers. Boys were very important in her generation and needed to be well cared for as they kept the family going. She was unable to buy anything for herself as she was not earning any money. I remember being told by her on a visit to Australia that my dad bought her her first hat.
Once the men had left she had been advised by the priest of the town to take care of a widower and his five daughters. She was a live in carer but fell in love with him and eventually married him. I think she would have been close to forty years old. She eventually had a daughter, Florence, of her own but she died of pancreatic cancer age 42. She did not cope well with that at the age of 87 and rapidly developed dementia.
She did visit us in Australia shortly after my mother died in 1990 to care for my dad for a short time ( I think 4-5 weeks) and then came again when my dad developed dementia in 2005.
So for me it was important to visit her in respect for what she did for my dad and family. We met Jeanine at the nursing home where she is cared for. Jeanine had cycled 18 Kms from Son in the rain to meet us. She is a district nurse so this is what she does all the time. She did warn me that although the home was new the care was not very good and that my aunt had not been responding to visitors recently.
John, Trevor, Dee, Paul and Pat stayed at the cafeteria and had a coffee whilst I visited my aunt. When we entered the room she opened her eyes and looked around. Although she didn't speak she did look at me and held my had. Her mouth was crusted and tongue was dry so we cleaned it up and moisten her mouth. Jeanine got something for her to eat. If anyone has tasted Farex that is what she eats. It is a common in Middelaar to have it for breakfast. She really enjoyed it. She then went to sleep.
Jeanine entered our names in a calendar where there is a record of who visits. I also had an opportunity to look at the remembrance books for her daughter and step daughter who also died of pancreatic cancer 12 mths after Florence. It was an emotional visit but very worthwhile.
We convinced Jeanine to have lunch with us as she was going home to work in the garden. She directed us to a huge camping store as we needed a new rod for the tent as one had snapped whilst setting it up. She was able to interpret for us which was very useful.
We arranged to meet her husband Sjoed and invite him for lunch with us. He had not changed at all since we met last in 1984 and it was god to have an opportunity to see him. Lunch was in a small cafeteria locally. The food was very nice.
Sjoed then went back to work and Jeanine directed us back to the nursing home. Jeanine is a very animated person and commented on how gullible she was and that it took her time to register that something is a joke. She sat in the middle seat behind Paul and gave directions and as she gave the directions he make an attempt to turn even though it was still another 50 metres and she would immediately respond 'not here'. She asked what Paul's profession was as he was driving so well in the Netherlands. I told her a driving instructor, which he is. Her response was 'oh Jesus' then questioned whether we were tricking her. She couldn't help but laugh.
She was disappointed that we could not visit her at her home as we needed to be back at the campsite by 5.30pm to pay for our site. The other reason she was disappointed was she would have taken me to an optometrist to fix my glasses as she kept pushing them up for me. The good byes were very hard. She then had to cycle back home. Thank you everyone for being so friendly and I appreciate the time you have spent with us.
When we arrived back to the campsite there were many more vans as there is a long weekend to celebrate Pinksteren. Some come far but others come from 15 Kms away just to have a weekend away. There is also a big music festival called, Pinkpop and the Rolling Stones are playing this year. Also all the streets are being lined with orange flags in preparation of the World Cup Football. So there are many things happening. I decided to take a walk into the town to look for the shops. The only shop I found was a dispensing machine for strawberries. But it was interesting walking around and then getting picture of a punt on the Maas River. John had been on the dike numerous times and had not seen any.
The weather has finally turned sunny in preparation for holiday here. Dee cooked a lovely dinner. Dee cooks, Pat washes and I don't do much as it always seems I am on the iPad catching up on blogs, emails, FaceTime and Facebook when wifi is available. The men do the packing and setting up the tent.
After dinner my cousin, Ryanne, came with her husband, Jacco. Mary also came as she wanted a last visit with us before we left. It was good catching up and Ryanne showed me her First Communion book from 1977 where she had written that she wanted to invite me to play and eat cake. She was only 7 then and to think of me in Australia was very touching. Obviously our family was spoken about frequently in her home for her to write that. Thank you so very much. Giving my last good byes was hard but I did let them know that my door is always open if they ever want to visit.
Tot siens xxxxx