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In the night of Sunday, July 3rd, the kids woke up to a thunderstorm, while we were still fast asleep. They were probably scared, so they thought \u201cLet\u2019s go to mum and dad\u2019s room.\u201d They came in in the nick of time, because water was gushing from our window down the wall of our bedroom It took every towel and bucket we could find to minimise the water damage. I myself was in bed, unable to help. I wanted to get out of bed as quickly as possible so I could at least feel a bit present. It was hectic, but it actually felt kind of cosy. After the whole ordeal was over, I went back to sleep downstairs while the rest went back to bed. Afterwards, we discovered that our drain pipe was clogged and the water inside was leaking right into our bedroom window. The rain gauge (which I\u2019d won in a game of bridge) showed that it had rained about 50mm and another 30mm the following day. This is the damage.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/schotland-05-055.jpg\")
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The portraits are done and they turned out great. They immediately nailed Ward\u2019s one, but Floor\u2019s one required a few minute vague directions. It was incredibly difficult to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with it, but the result is fabulous. They\u2019re some of my most prized possessions. <\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/206.jpg\")
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On Saturday at 21:00, the \u201cPride of Hull\u201d departed from the Rotterdam harbour to, you guessed it, Hull, England. I\u2019m glad we left during the evening, much more relaxing than daytime travel. I did get slightly annoyed when Hein was still looking up information about Scotland at two in the afternoon without even having packed his bags yet. Once we were on the ship, all of that stress was gone and we spent the rest of the night playing bingo, doing quizzes and watching dance and song performances. The kids went to see a movie. We took two vans with us, so we could take all of my equipment with us. In the morning we were woken up by the intercom and treated to a full English breakfast. By eight o\u2019clock, we were in our car and ready to depart. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/07\/schotland-05-024-300x194.jpg\")
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Through York, we made our way to our destination: Melrose. We stayed in a very atmospheric wheelchair accessible cottage. It was advertised as a lodge for two, it was spacious enough for the eight of us to spend the daytime there. The first few days were hot, a bit too hot for my taste.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/07\/schotland-05-043.jpg\")
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Wednesday was cooler and, for the rest of our stay, the weather was agreeable and it didn\u2019t rain as much as we\u2019d feared, which doesn\u2019t often happen in Scotland. We visited lots of places we\u2019d read about in books or seen in movies. In York, we visited \u201cDiagon Alley\u201d, the high street where Harry Potter bought his school supplies. Ainswick Castle is the place that inspired \u201cHogwarts\u201d, too. And close to Edinburgh we visited Rosslyn Chapel, which is where the conclusion of the Da Vinci Code took place. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/07\/schotland-05-028.jpg\")
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To the kids\u2019 chagrin, we visited the ruins of abbeys, castles and, of course, the gardens the UK is so famous for. We made it up to Floor by going shopping in Edinburgh four times and Ward got to ride mountain bike. They went for a swim in a river and hiked up the mountain behind our cottage. On our way back to Hull, we went to see Hadrian\u2019s Wall, an ancient Roman wall that stretches from the east coast to the west. We had been building it up inside our head, but the part we visited was only about a metre tall. The surrounding area was beautifully desolate, though. <\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/07\/schotland-05-068.jpg\")
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Once again, I\u2019m debating whether I\u2019m still suited for holidays. Last year I could still use bathrooms with Hein\u2019s help, but these days I can barely stay upright. We brought the patient lift with us, but Hein didn\u2019t use it. Lieke did. Every hamlet, town and tourist attraction in England has handicapped facilities, even if the attraction itself is barely manouvrable for people in wheelchairs. There, my problems with standing upright are the most obstructive. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/07\/schotland-05-078.jpg\")
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Besides that, I can\u2019t do anything. While everyone else was perusing a tourist information kiosk, I was stayed outside, waiting. Waiting in itself isn\u2019t too big a deal, especially in bigger companies, but not being able to decide what you want to do or being able to turn yourself to look a the views is frustrating nonetheless. While everyone else went shopping or sightseeing at their own leisure, I was wholly dependent on others. They were trying so hard to please me too, which was even more frustrating. A lot of attractions are inaccessible to me, so usually I\u2019m okay with being parked outside, as long as I have a nice view. Scotland is very hilly so we couldn\u2019t go on any long treks, which wasn\u2019t frustrating just for me, but for the others as well. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/07\/schotland-05-047.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/07\/schotland-05-037.jpg\")
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I\u2019ve also pledged to read two books this summer, 800 pages in total. That means that someone else will have to turn my page 400 times. 400 times I\u2019ll have to interrupt someone else\u2019s activity so they can turn my page. It makes me feel guilty, but I can\u2019t think of any alternatives. I\u2019d been looking forward to coming home on Monday morning. Carlien would be there, waiting for me. No more feeling guilty about ruining other people\u2019s trips. And yet, I look back on this holiday feeling satisfied. Another summer well spent. And boy did we! Way different than Zeewolde last year. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/levenmetals.nl\/ziw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/07\/Scannen.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Water damage In the night of Sunday, July 3rd, the kids woke up to a thunderstorm, while we were still fast asleep. They were probably scared, so they thought \u201cLet\u2019s go to mum and dad\u2019s room.\u201d They came in in the nick of time, because water was gushing from our window down the wall of … <\/p>\n