On February 12th, Roelof and I bought the bike of my dreams, a brandnew HONDA DEAUVILLE NT 650 V. This bike has a Combined Break System. On the 6th of March I could pick it up. That first weekend I only drove 280 km, but the temperature was just above zero.

The next tuesday I drove to Roelofarendsveen to have my buddyseat lowered and covered in leather. It took 10 days. Rob did a very nice job and we had a pleasant stay in his shop. It sits fantastic and warmer than the leatherlook. No more complaints about a cold bottom. Roelof asks me to open a page for him in my website for tours, recorded by his Garmin GPS-system.

Beppe and Mischa (Beppe is Frisian for grandmother)
The first sunday, before I left.

First day at the "Elfsteden"-bridge near Gytsjerk.

Here in front of the "Eleven-cities-bridge"? The whole bridge is covered in tiles with pictures of participants of the Elfsteden-tour on skates, which is only held, when there is 20 cm of ice. Th8is is the last bridge before the finish.

On April 1st: 1000 km. May 1st: 3000 km. May 16: 4000. In the 10 weeks that I drive it, that's an averige of 400 km or 250 miles a week, not bad.

The result !

But I will keep the SHADOW on the side. Certainly for the shorter distances. To be honest, I can't part from it.

What else did I do

On April 17: first tour of Veenwouden with 27 bikes. The 25th of April we drive the Tulip-tour in Wieringerwerf. Beautiful tour, passing fields filled with tulips, hyacinths and some daffodils. May 8th, afternoon-tour with 20 bikes. Beautiful scenery and meandering through the landscape filled with springtime-flowers. Little gravel on the roads, a blessing for every biker.

The russian sidecar.

Participants "Elfsteden-tour".

On May 14th, I go to the presentation of the book about 90 years of the Frisian Motorcycle Club. The oldest motorcycle club in the Netherlands. Paperazzi and local TV was present. The photographer was driven around in an old Russian sidecar.

May 20: drove the 3-provinces-tour today, with 14 bikes. May 29: Afternoon-tour with MCV, 10 bikes. May 30: as a final check we drive the Elfsteden-tour with volunteers, because May 31 we man the "stamp"-post at the town of "Sleat"/"Sloten" (that is Frisian/Dutch for the same town). The tour leads you for nearly 250 km along the 11 towns, that our province has. In every town you get a stamp on your stamp-card. At the end there is a plaquette to gain. Totals: 3954 participants, of which 24 come from abroad. 3672 bikes, 148 cars, 100 solex and 34 trikes.

June 6th: passed the 6000 km on the counter today. June 8th: I have Spyball alarm installed on my bike and 6000 km service done. June 10th: I leave home early to ride to the German Sauerland for a long weekend in the mountains. On sathurday, I drove from Willingen back to the hotel with a local guy leading and 2 other members following. He knew all the corners there, so with high speed (up to 150 km/h) we drove the German countryside, hills and mountains. That was just what I needed. "Toll". At home, my counter is over 7300 km.

June 15: I get a phonecall, that my new helmet has arrived. Get the bike, mount the topsuitcase and drive to Zwolle. On my way back, I wear my new helmet. On June 18 we drive the summer-evening-tour, but it is raining and we drive it all the way before it is dark. June 20: Drove the Molentour today, with MC Martinistad. June 24: I receive a response from Honda. I'm in on the Ladies Only-day on the TT-circuit in Assen on July 3rd. June 27, afternoontour. Beautiful tour.

Bikecontrol.

August 29, participating trike.

July 3rd: Today was the Ladies Only day on the TT-circuit of Assen.

July 11: afternoontour. July 18: Terrace-afternoon-tour, with my daughter Hanneke as my pillion. Nice weather and my counter gets over 9500 km. July 22: I'd better have contact with my internist, my fuse is getting awfully short. Need adjustment of my medication. The bloodtest makes me go in tears. Got to start all over again. Is this how I have to leave for Scotland?

August 9: Just got back from Scotland. I drove from the moment we left untill the bike was back in the shed 5334 km, or 3315 miles.

August 29 we drive a tour with the bikerclub of Steenwijk. All together 372 km.
On september 2nd I drive with another 10 bikers to Zelhem, for a campingweekend. After arrival I get a splitting headache and at 10 pm I'm in my sleepingbag, to sleep it off. The next morning I have a feever and decide to take an aspirine, mount the bike and hit the road for home. On sunday 5th of September, I drive an afternoontour, the weather is too nice to stay inside.

On september 18, I drive the Friese Wouden Toertocht. A tour of 200 km through our lovely province. Total participants 154. On the following sunday-afternoon, I have a short ride on my own. It's quite windy. On September 26 we drive the last afternoon-tour with the FMC. On arrival home my counter reads 17,110 km

Zeijen, 8 bikes and 1 trike.

October 3rd: We drive the pancaketour with bikerclub Hoogeveen. Drizzle in the morning, but once we start driving the tour, it stays dry all day. After finishing the tour, there is a pancake for all the participants. We're the largest participating club, with 12 bikes and 1 trike. My counter gets over 17,550 km.

On October 10th we drive the Autumntour with MCC Bartje starting from the village of Zeijen in the province of Drente. A cold but sunny day. When we leave from home in the morning, for the gathering in Leeuwarden, just around 8 o'clock, it is 2 degrees Celsius.

On October 17th, I play around with the website and the vacation pics. When you click on a pic now on the Scotlandpage you get a larger picture. On October 24 I have a ride on my own, even if it is raining now and then. I go to the pier and back via Leeuwarden. At the trafficlight near Stiens my counter reads exactly 18,000 km.

On November 1st, I put the design of my X-mas-card of last year on the Origami-page. On November 2nd I add all the other designs from myself on that page and make a second page with Christmascards, that I've made through the years. On November 10 my website is offline, the next morning it is back again. Sunday November 14. In the past week I've increased the link-page with all sorts of links to interesting sites and I've put the website of the neighbourhood online. There is still some work to do on it. November 14: went for a short ride and made some pics. While I was all doing that, Roelof and our youngest son Johnny went to a pc-show in Utrecht by train. Guess what they've been up to.

Miss Universe 2003, Johnny, Roelof and Miss Holland.

Burgumermeer-power-plant in the background.

On friday-evening, November 19th, we have a dinner party with volunteers who help during the Elfstedentocht. On our way back we get a tremendous hailstorm between Otterpark and Zwartewegsend. On sunday November 21st, the sun is out so beautifully, that Roel and I can't resist to have a ride around the Burgumer-lake. During the trip we stop from time to time to make a few pictures. The roads may be wet, but no wintery showers. It's a pleasure, feeling the wind again.

November 23: started making a page for 2005 in which the latest news will come after december 31, so it is ready to put it online on New Years night. Friday, december 3rd: the sun is shining, so I take the bike out of the shed and give it a fair washing. Then I go for a ride, to get it dry: 30 miles. Well I've decided to renew the website completely, changing the whole style into "frames". So when I get half a chance to go behind the PC, you can find me there. Quite some work to be done, adjusting pages, minimising pictures etc. December 9: got it ready, 31 files all together. December 12: I went for a ride, needed to unwind, altogether 70 km, quite chilly though. My clock is over 18.400 km.

December 18, the computer crashes and my new website is still on my desktop!!! Hendrik still has an old hard-disk laying around and on sundaymorning they install the programms, before I can see if my website can be saved. Nothing is lost, I can cut and paste it to another disk and I'm saved. I'm busy translating the site into French as well. Not sure if I can get it ready before the new year. It looks promising with the help of Tom, from FUNBIKES. December 21, with the help of Tom, I've finished them. I'd expected to see my 3000th visitor around x-mas, but on december 20, at 23.06, he/she is already there. On second Christmas-day Roelof talks me into translating the website in Frisian as well. Because he can play around with another computer I have acces to the pc all day and the next evening I have finished the translation. So from the 1st of January the website will be in 4 languages. The last few days of the year, I use, to check and double-check the website, if all the links work and that they go to the right place. So the site will be in 4 languages, starting the 1st of Januay 2005. Altogether 56 files are waiting to get online.