13. Dutch weather

I almost decided not to go for my usual walk today. The forecast had been for bad weather, with heavy rain predicted. However, to my surprise, when I looked outside, it was still dry. So, I decided it was worth venturing out.

Moreton Bay on a Windy Day

By the time I arrived at Flinders Parade, which runs along the Sandgate waterfront, it had begun to spit a little, which convinced me to take my umbrella along. I would have much preferred to walk without it, particularly on a windy day like today, but the Shorncliffe Pier, my intended destination, was a fair distance away.  Also, the sky did look threatening, so I reluctantly decided not to take any chances.

It was high tide and the strong wind caused the waves to splash over the path from time to time. Like yesterday, not many people were walking and the ones who did brave the conditions were mainly those who were walking their dogs.

Of course, the weather did not stop regulars like Chris and Dick. They greeted me cheerfully and seemed to love it all, despite the blustery conditions. I’ve noticed that they always walk at a good pace, stopping only to chat with some of the dog walkers whose paths they cross. I’m sure you will hear more about them in later posts.

Logan and Jules were fishing and truly enjoying the cooler conditions. Logan, whose family came from Scotland originally, made the observation that he thought the windy weather would probably suit me and he was right. I quite like this kind of weather because it reminds me of one of my favourite windy places back in Holland, a seaside village where I used to walk as a boy, more than 75 years ago.

IJmuiden is a seaside village at the entrance of the canal connecting the North Sea to Amsterdam. All sea-going ships bound for Amsterdam enter and leave this canal via huge locks.

I always loved going there! In those days it was possible to get very close to the ships and you could almost touch them when they were in one of the locks. I can still remember seeing an old cargo steamer in one of them. It was called the Saparoea, and was about to sail away on a voyage to Indonesia. I could see the sailors and deck officers, the cooks in the galley and the Indonesian stewards, and I can remember clearly that I wished that I was with them on that ship. There were always interesting things to see in IJmuiden and, being close to the North Sea, it was almost always windy.

One of my distant family members was the harbour master in IJmuiden and I can remember that my mother once arranged with him to allow me to spend a day on one of the pilot boats which were based there. These were seagoing vessels which dropped off, and picked up, pilots who were some distance away at sea, to enable them to navigate ships into and out of the port. I remember being very excited to have this opportunity to get close to the big ships, while they were still out in the North Sea, coming from, or destined for, Amsterdam.

Unfortunately, it turned out that I got terribly seasick from the continuous movement of the pilot boat while it was waiting for the next pilot to be picked up or dropped off and, at the end of the day, I was very relieved to be able to return to port and get off the ship, feeling very sick and miserable.   It did not, however, dampen my spirits too much. I still wanted to “go to sea” and become like one of those lucky people who I had seen on the Saparoea, about to sail to those tropical islands far way. A few years later, aged 19, I was lucky enough to be able to do so.

I always was a dreamer!

Back to today. On my return from the Shorncliffe pier, I noticed more planes taking off from Brisbane airport and wondered what exotic places they were flying to. They were easy to spot because they stood out in the distance against the light grey sky. Closer by, a small dog was having fun chasing a big ball on the beach next to the pier.

With a train station close by and the airport, cruise ship terminal, and Brisbane city itself easily accessible, Sandgate on Moreton Bay is a good place to live. Add to that the scenic and level path along the waterfront, so ideal for walkers, the beautiful lagoons and the bird and sea life all around us, it is a location that is hard to beat. 

I love living here in Queensland but now that I am in my late eighties, I do think back often to my early life in Holland. Today, being a cool and windy day, had made me think of the North Sea and the coastal villages where I spent a lot of my time as a boy.

O.P.

P.S. My post next week will be about my beautiful younger sister, Ria, and my memories about her and our life in World War II.