New Years Eve ..... A time for remembering the old and celebrating the new. Typically in the Netherlands,depending on yer age, a nice family dinner is eaten accompanied by a few bevvies (drinks). Then at midnight everyone puts on their cold weather gear and heads outside for the inevitable pyrotechnic's.


The pyrotechnics in our little corner of the Netherlands had begun somewhat earlier in the day when my brother had discovered that the neighbour was firing footballs out of milk churns using homemade explosives. The Dutch call it 'Carbid Schieten', I call it  'A further example of the male of the species determination to exterminate themselves'! Please note that the below clip is one that I found on the Internet and their isn't a female n sight, I wasn't stupid enough to get anywhere close to the neighbours little "Al Qaeda" set up.

I love this clip and laugh my largish British arse orf everytime I watch it cause its so typically DUTCH!

Mercifully Cloggy decided that Carbid Schieten was not for him mainly because I had made enquiries and obtained quotes for an increase in his life insurance policy. The premiums were wickedly extortionate so he settled for the bog standard fireworks that could be bought just about anywhere.

He and my Brother, who was visiting from the UK, decided that the Dutch fireworks were all too bloody expensive and made a skirmish across the border into Germany to purchase the colourful explosives.

Their shop of choice was the Aldi and they filled a shopping cart full. Once they got to the checkout they discovered that neither of their bank cards were acceptable and my Brother had to leg it across the main road to the hole in the wall to get cash whilst the queue of cabbage and potatoe buying German public behind them in the check out line got longer and more bad tempered.

Come Midnight the Skies above Swampland lit up and the noise was unbelievable. Everything we learnt about how to handle fireworks safely and responsibly back in Blighty was instantly forgotten under the tutorship of Cloggy whose lighter of choice was a big fat cigar.


The Baby Cloggys, their Cousins, my Brother and most definately Cloggy had a great time and retired to their beds as very happy little pyromaniacs.

          

My Brother and Cloggy woke up the next day with kicking hangovers!

When planing a BBQ it is always wise to keep an eye on the weather forecast. Un-prepared for rain has a tendency to put out the charcoal very quickly.

Yesterday evening it was the end of season BBQ for Cloggys 'Old Farts" hockey team.
Yes .... the 'genius's had managed to plan it for the same weekend as Wimbledon Tennis Tournament AND Glastonbury Pop Festival so we were guaranteed rain and were not disappointed.

Fortunately the weather did not dampen the atmosphere and Cloggys team had made sure that there was an ample supply of beer to compensate for the crappy weather

The men skulked off at around 8pm to select a new captain for the upcoming season. This process took roughly an hour during which time there was a steady stream of mini' hockey Cloggys being sent backwards and forwards filling up the beer jugs.


Apparantly choosing a new captain can only be done properly with the aid of copious amounts of beer.


I wish the new Captain for the upcoming season much success. I wish his wife courage and strength!