We had a great few days, so time for another update! Luckily, today the weather is a bit more bearable: Yesterday we were hitting the thirties. Pfff, and with no wind that is HOT!
Tuesday, we visited a cheese farm. It differed from a normal farm, because they make their own cheese, yoghurt and other milk products. Hannah and Amy went on the cheese tour, while Steve and Samuel enjoyed the sun and played outside and harassed the chickens and rabbits


The vat filled with 650 liters of milk, which they were turning into cheese today.
Cheese with and without herbs.
And a BIG cheese (grin, say cheeeese)!
Yesterday, Amy, Hannah and Samuel went to see Ellen and Kim, a mother a little girl who she met on the Internet (the Potty group). With the hot temperatures, they enjoyed a lovely morning sitting with their feet in the baby pool, chatting away, while the kids were either playing in and around the pool or beat each other’s heads in. Sigh… Kids will be kids… Friends one minute, big enemies the next. Of course, no pictures… In the meantime Steve had a walk around Markelo and then rented a bike. After a hot and sweaty ride (the area is a lot more hilly when you’re on the bike compared to in the car) he went back to the house and enjoyed the peace and quiet until we turned up again!
At night, the three of us enjoyed a great lightning show, while Sammy snored the night away. Around midnight, Hannah also fell asleep on the sofa…
Today, we decided to do some shopping in Germany. Amy had found the address of a discount brand outlet, which was, well, more than disappointing. It seemed it had only been open a while, and there were only a few big brands, and the rest very German fashion (i.e. not our kind of fashion). And because we are horribly spoilt with Bataviastad (which is really is city of outlet stores), we decided to venture into town. Ochtrup turned out to be quite cute, with loads of bakeries, small stores and fountains, but why do the Germans have such a long siesta? The shops closed at half 12, not to open again until half 2 or even 3! What a life! It did mean that after our lunch, there was nothing to do anymore but walk around, and when our legs got tired, the kids had played to their hearts’ content in a cool pirate playground, we drove back home via Enschede and Haaksbergen. The area is lovely here!





And on the way home:

Tomorrow, we’re off to a huge petting zoo/playground, so watch this space!