Spain update 10 march 2025
An uncertain world full of dictators and a Spain full of wandering galgos…
Monday the 10th of March 2025
While the desolate soaked campos full of wandering galgos that have been left to their fate after the hunting season are drowning and the resident galgos in the shelter must close ranks to get the “new drowned” ones in, it rains or rather pours day and night. For days the heavens have been wide open as if someone up there, seeing all the horrible misery that man causes at the expense of these innocent noble creatures, is also sad. Despite everything, time moves forward in this uncertain world, and we are on the eve of Dirk’s birthday, who turns 65 tomorrow...
Happy fact that we are going to “celebrate” with a dinner. Unfortunately, there will be no dinner because the falling rain curtain is also opaque on Dirk’s happy day, so the restaurant and the “dog sitter” are canceled and we celebrate his birthday with the two of us, or rather with the twelve of us and try to make the best of it because the bad wet weather is no easy task for our dogs who are also celebrating… Especially Tito is very afraid to go outside on his three legs and slip, and so am I… The rest are also not fans of wetness and therefore they have an accident now and then. Only our Borzois enjoy the free showers to the fullest, and to Dirk’s annoyance, as much as possible. We can hardly keep them inside, not to mention rubbing them dry because as soon as they see the bath towel they are back outside, sigh… On Saturday the 15th of March I start calling all the adopters at 9:00h to give them the time at which they can pick up their new housemate next Saturday. For the most part I have everyone on the line, one of whom wants to go over everything again and then change the time, for more than half an hour. The 2 adopters who were not at home luckily call back for an appointment. The icing on the cake is that Mr. Denis calls that he wants to adopt Mazanares, the beautiful black gentleman who is currently “Dog in the spotlight”, on the next adoption day which will be in June, better news than this cannot be!!!
Anyway, time is running out for the adoptions and our departure because next Sunday we leave together for Belgium on the 16th of March and two days later Dirk leaves on Tuesday the 18th of March with co-driver Dirk Buffalo back to Spain where they leave on Thursday with the chosen ones. Two candidate adopters have just before and just after the home visit cancelled the “chosen one” but since they are on our transport documents they must come along, otherwise they can never travel to Belgium again and that would be terrible for the animals. One pseudo-candidate because they changed their mind just before departure and therefore without hesitation cancelled Seniorita, 1 year old, the others because even though they wanted to adopt the chosen one asap, they decided in extremis to wait a few months and thus leave Robin waiting. This, even though they know very well that dogs will be on board for the long journey once they are on our official travel documents. If not, they will never be able to travel to Belgium again, I have explained this to people dozens of times and apparently without result... Without compassion or feelings of guilt about their decision. Anyway, on the adoption day, Seniorita and Robin will see all their fellow travelers leave and they will stay behind. Fortunately, we have Christel from HRC who will ease the pain. Anyway, I find it unacceptable that people are so frivolous with adoption, especially because they know the history of dogs, they are not toys that you first take and then put back in the shop window. If I spare the regional manager an unnecessary home visit because I have no confidence in the candidates, I am accused of being the biggest bitch that walks around between the dogs and GINB should not count on them anymore… As if they would still be eligible for adoption, sigh… Talking about great class…
Friday the 21st of March 2025
After Dirk and I took the plane to Belgium together last Sunday and he left for Spain together with Dirk Buffalo on Tuesday, I was alone for three days and was kept informed of the progress of the journey and the arrival after their departure with the dogs on Thursday the 20th of March until their arrival at HRC. There the reception team Martine, Nensie, Kevin & Ronny were waiting for them to arrive with their passengers 20 hours later. I was not the only one because, as always, many adopters followed them on FB. Dirk was home a little less than an hour after arrival and did not go to bed until the van was unloaded, sigh. Once I had managed to convince him to get a few hours of sleep, he lay there for another half hour telling me about the cursed, damned diversions in Paris that they had to struggle with every time and that sent them through the city center and past the Eiffel Tower by Night before they were back on the right track. When he had gotten rid of his frustrations and finally fell asleep, it was time to leave for HRC again a few hours later. Shortly after noon he was home, and we had to go shopping to have food in the house. As for the sandwiches for the co-workers on the adoption day tomorrow we did not have to worry, Natascha took care of that. Fortunately, we did not have to worry about that. In the afternoon Dirk could not resist to start the preparations needed for sending the new GINB magazine which I hoped would be a great success with the members because it was the hundredth issue and a special edition… I was curious what the adopters and co-workers would think of it. I had not even seen it myself and had to wait until Monday, then we could pick them up from the printer. Work assured for next week and not only with the magazines…
Saturday the 22nd of March 2025
It was not yet 9:00h when we left for the adoption day. It would be one to remember. The weather was good, Peter our photographer was there, all the co-workers were present and as said we did not have to make sandwiches ourselves, sigh… For the “after party” the rest of our group had taken care of cake and refreshments because a few staff members had merged their birthdays, so everything was fine… Only the first 5 adopters were early for their appointment and the rest on time which meant that we had a gap of more than 20 minutes until the next ones showed up. Many of them were “veterans” again, adopters I had known for years. They came to pick up their umpteenth galgo and in the meantime they showered me with attention and gifts including a giant cognac glass with 5 kg of chocolates for the staff, and a cake, photos, flowers etc.... Anyway, I was spoiled and it always felt so wonderfully familiar when adopters came to pick up their second, third or fourth and sometimes … galgo. For the people who were picking up their first dog and everything was new, they were just like for us a source of trust, a point of contact and so much more and I could not thank them enough for their help and support and trust. When everything was over and all the adopters had left with their new housemate and one adopter with two ladies at once, who were given the names Thelma and Louise, I was happy and relieved that everything had gone well. Nevertheless, something continued to worry me about a couple of “new” English-speaking adopters. Despite my long conversation after the application, an approved home visit and then several phone calls to Spain to ask me for advice about the future housemate’s comfort and that until the day before the adoption, it could not be due to a “language barrier”. “Nevertheless”, something kept bothering me after the meeting on the adoption day, was it their attention or was it the shy man. I could not put my finger on it, but I was not reassured. Either way, it must be my fault. Now it was time for the various birthday people for whom I did not have to sing happy birthday for once, that was done by the “professionals” Claire and Raymond who sang their hearts out during church concerts...
Monday the 24th of March 2025
If I had thought that I would do nothing the day after the adoption day, not so. It became filling envelopes for the memberships, folding letters and sticking stamps and that would continue for a few days. Anyway, the next day was the big day, and we were allowed to pick up the special edition from the printer. I was like a little kid who was allowed to go to the candy store because financially and practically it had been quite a lot to just publish a color edition but thanks to Dirk's hard work and thanks to Yannick who turned my idea for the cover into reality, the result was there to be seen. Before we left for Claire and Raymond who, as always, would make sure that magazines were sent, Ingeborg and the team from Deriemacker congratulated us once again on our hundredth magazine to which they had ultimately also contributed. If I had thought that it would be quieter now, not so, because many letters still had to be printed and folded and put in envelopes that then had to be "sealed". Sigh, so far from Casa De Pinte.
Three days later our busy activities were interrupted by a message from Sabine and Nensie the regional managers of East Flanders. Because I refuse to receive text messages or ... on my phone, the message arrived as always at Dirk’s who handed me his phone and said: read that. From his tone I knew immediately what to expect and indeed it was the adopters of Piri who had been complaining on the phone for days. He had not been quiet, had walked into the table and bumped into the window and cried at night and that after they had bought so much for him and that was all unacceptable!! After all, they needed their "comfortable sleep" and so on and so forth. So, my feelings had not deceived me but nevertheless I was shocked. How could they literally and figuratively leave an animal that had been adopted only a few days ago out in the cold. How insensitive could you be. Poor Piri, who was a model of charm and love and obedience, did not deserve that. I was very angry for the umpteenth time and disappointed and did not sit back. I called Christel from HRC and the regional managers Nensie and Sabine who brought Piri to HRC that same evening. So far…
Saturday the 29th of March 2025
After a busy week full of worries and stamping and folding, we left for Balen on Saturday the 29th of March at 8:00h to prepare for the walk the next day with the co-workers involved. After an hour and a half, after a lot of twisting and turning, we arrived at our destination and were welcomed by Dirk Buffalo in the parking lot, the rest of the group was busy inside doing their thing. Martine and Claire with their shops, Raymond with the receipts, Inge and co. the kitchen, Yolanda and Kelly who had put a lot of time and effort into dressing the tables were busy setting up their warm&cosy shop. I was recruited together with big Dirk and everyone who had time to spare for the table setting while Sonja made the napkin fans under the watchful eye of Kevin, a precision job. Around 13:00h most of the work was done and we sat down for lunch as usual. Around 15:00h we said goodbye to everyone and drove to our hotel where we spend the night every year during the walks in the Kempen. Once in the room I was again confronted with my limitations and fell with a thud on the bed because to my great annoyance I had an even more painful back than usual from bending over to lay the cutlery and put the napkins on the table. A job that a child could do but I could no longer do. My body constantly reminded me of my limits but as always, I had ignored them and had to pay the price for my recklessness again. Fact that Dirk, as usual, rambled on about and reminded me that I was no longer 20... Anyway, all I could think about was tomorrow and hoping that it would be better after a quiet night. We could forget about that quiet night. The duvet was too heavy, it was too warm in the room, Dirk was sitting too straight in bed because of stomach acid and snoring. The most annoying thing of all was that I could not move because of the discomfort, and, to the displeasure of my bedmate, I was constantly walking around again and worrying about everything and anything. About tomorrow and yesterday etc. and about the fact that, with a few exceptions, no one had responded to the 100th GINB magazine in color that is so dear to my heart...
Sunday the 30th of March 2025
To beat Dirk to it, I was already in the bathroom at 7:00h after a short, difficult night to calmly do my toilet and apply my war colours. An illusion because even though he was still in bed, 10 minutes later, to my frustration, he was also in the bathroom “comme d’habitude” (something that many ladies may recognize). He had to go to the toilet and then shower and then go downstairs with our luggage etc. So, I moved back to the room and applied my war colours with a magnifying mirror in front of the window and then prepared my suitcase… It was 9:30h when Dirk hoisted me into the van and we left for the hall in Balen, I was sick with pain and racked my brains about the day ahead. I had to be ready, if not… well, what then. When we drove into the parking lot, there were already quite a few adopters. Early birds were walking around with their dogs because the hall was not open yet. Also, the adopter from the very beginning, Mr. Willy Naessens from far away Wallonia, whose wife I had spoken to on the last walk about her illness and who had passed away in the meantime, was there with his granddaughters, something that gave me great pleasure. Shortly afterwards the doors opened, and people entered.
As always, Inge, Jordy and Kevin worked hard in the kitchen and despite a few absentees, Nancy Q, Nancy, Ann, Inge … served quickly. Both the table service and the service at the “Food car” and not to forget the bar were commendable, only I had to give up and hand over the mayonnaise service. I was sitting in the scullery despite myself, feeling grumpy and unwell, and due to force majeure, I could only show myself in the room from time to time. Facts for which I would like to explicitly apologize to all participants and hope that you accept my apologies. So far... Furthermore, the walk was pleasant, the raffle was a success and the lady who won my painting was very happy with it and sent me a photo afterwards, for which thanks. Because everyone felt sorry for us, we were allowed to leave earlier for faraway De Pinte while the employees took care of the cleaning up. If that is not teamwork, I don't know what it is...
Sunday the 6th of April 2025
After a short week that was taken up with obligations and an obligatory visit to the doctor who wanted to prescribe me medication which I politely declined, we left De Pinte on Sunday at 4:45h towards the motorway where we noticed 10 minutes later that many cars with trailers and caravans with a Dutch number plate were keeping us company and Dirk prematurely thought that it was Easter weekend!! Fortunately, not, that was a week later or two weeks??? In any case, there were already early holidaymakers on the road, sigh… In busy Lille my courage sank, and I was nervous and worried that it would be like this the entire way which in turn resulted in the fact that my tight “back corset” was already starting to irritate me. Once through the city, most of the other road users chose a different direction and we drove quietly in the total darkness towards Aire St. Leger where coffee, croissants and chocolate biscuits were waiting for us. The prospect alone made me forget my corset. In “our” Aire it was busier than usual, the table where we usually sat was occupied by a bickering couple of Africans, at the table next to it two motorcyclists of indefinable origin were dozing off and there were a few noisy Dutchmen. And that is in our normally so quiet Aire. Despite the coffee and the cookies tasted well and when we got back on the road it was for more than a thousand km with the only interruption being the first and second pit stop and then Biarritz where Dirk had found a hotel where the van could park… Our first challenge was the ring of Paris which we entered at 8:00h but it was better than expected because it took us barely an hour to cross the city before we entered the “direct” to Bordeaux half an hour later around 9:30h and 7 hours later we left the highway in Biarritz and went looking for our hotel. After we had crossed the deserted suburb of Biarritz, we descended to the Atlantic Ocean which lay glistening in the depths before us. Our hotel with parking that was located on the adjacent beach may once have been "the place to be" for the better class but after many, many years it had been revived and weathered by the nearby Ocean that had nibbled vigorously on the woodwork, faded glory that the patchwork could not change ... But we could eat something at 19:00h the receptionist told us, and we could sleep. Admittedly in a musty tiny room that had a terrace with a sea view and a view of the beach that was next to the garden. There was a hard bed without springs and damp sheets in the room and there was a small door that gave access to a tiny single bathroom. Anyway, when we came out of our room Dirk saw his van and that was the most important thing, is it? …
Monday the 7th of April 2025
After a restless night on a mattress on which I always slid to the side and to Dirk's displeasure walked around more than I lay in bed, we left after a brief breakfast towards the Spanish border. After a stopover in Aire Bidart, we thundered down the dangerous descent to the Spanish border fifteen minutes later in the company of masses of trucks and people hurrying to work, left France behind us a few minutes later and started the last 500 km. It was Monday so we were not alone on the motorway, on the contrary, there was a lot of heavy and other traffic that, as usual, raced over the dangerously ascending, descending and winding roads full of hairpin bends. I hated it but what was the use, I was in front of it and had to go through it for the umpteenth time. Somewhere along the way in the Basque Country I saw a banner along the road with “Help Trump.” Dirk said that the man was not right in the head because we regularly saw him displaying all sorts of things on his land to shock people, even creating a kind of voodoo situation with strange texts.
Because we were making good progress despite the heavy traffic, we drove past our regular Aire which I have called the “Far West” since the beginning of the GINB-times because the landscape and the vultures on the rocks reminded me of it. In any case against my will because I was and am very attached to tradition and habits. So, we drove a bit further to eat our sandwich in another Aire where Dirk surprised me with a delicious and soothing cup of fresh coffee that was being served. A warm drink of the gods that made me feel much milder because that could count as compensation for my beloved Far West. Who knows... The trend continued, we kept making good progress and around 15:00hwe drove onto the busy hot ring of Madrid where, to Dirk's frustration, we were stuck for about an hour. Enough time to vent his anger about the Spanish drivers who, as usual, constantly changed lanes. An hour later we drove into the Avenida de Madrid and gave each other a “High Five” as usual, we had earned it. For me it was high time that we were in Casa Belgica because I was more than dead tired. Fortunately, we still had 11 days to get everything ready for the arrival of Marianne who will come on the 18th of April together with assistant Dirk Buffalo to sterilize 30 to 40 females, so plenty of time. Well, that's what we thought then.
It was a good thing that we did not know then that out of those 11 days it would rain and blow for 8 days and hailstones would fall like eggs so big that it would contribute to the rain coming into the clinic!! Etc..., etc..., but that is for later, when Marianne and Dirk B have left again.
