FUNNY
In the Netherlands we have our own version of The Antiques Road Show, called ‘Tussen Kunst & Kitsch’, or between Art & Kitsch. It is presented by Nelleke van der Krogt. We, hubs and I, like Nelleke. Okay, so the program can be jocular and waggish and Nelleke is a bit corny (all words I found when looking for the translation for ‘oubollig’), but she does make the program more lively and fun to watch. For instance: yesterday someone brought an ivory picture frame, intrinsically carved with lots of putti, to be valued. The expert was in awe. He’d never seen such a beautifully carved picture frame before. Especially the faces of the little putti. Beautifully carved and all looking so happy, apart from one he pointed out: “he looks a bit grumpy”.
And Nelleke said: “If I’d be butt naked, clinging on to a picture frame all day long, I’d be grumpy too.”
NOT SO FUNNY
Much less fun is the weather forecast. In their wisdom, the ‘weather people’ have decided that each summer it is much more important for us to know what the weather in the rest of Europe is like than what the weather is like in the Netherlands. Now, we (hubs and I again) have concluded long ago that the ‘weather people’ are just guessing what the weather will be like anyway. Their forecast doesn’t seem to be based on any knowledge whatsoever. Still, for some reason we are hopeful that one day they will be right, so we do watch the weather forecast that is given to us in TV news bulletins. And this is what they show us. (No, we have not yet reached the stage of moving satellite images on Dutch TV. Too expensive.)
“Mostly rain and not warm enough”, the presenter says, waving in the direction of the image, and then quickly moves on to what the weather will be like in Spain, France, Turkey, Greece and all other countries in Europe where I am not.
Why would I want to know what the weather is like in Greece? It is only mildly interesting if people I know are in Greece and they have cold weather and rain and the weather in the Netherlands is warm and sunny. But that is because I’m slightly cruel and enjoy other people’s misery. If it is the other way around, I do not want to know!
And if I’m going to Greece and want to know what the weather is like, I can find out on the internet. Do not bother me with useless information. Concentrate on what is important for us in the Netherlands to know and try to give us a decent forecast with places where it will rain and times when it will rain. Thàt is what I want to know. And thàt is why I often watch BBC Breakfast, where they do have a decent weather forecast and where I’m able to see if and when it will rain where I live, because they do have satellite images and include the Netherlands in those images. And if even they are not right, I forgive them. They do at least try!
I do feel much better now, thank you.
Well, this post made me laugh, the funny part and even the part you thought was not funny. And best of all, I learned two new Dutch words (maandag and dinsdag on the map). I could have learned a few more but I'm lazy.
ReplyDeleteVerification word is evottock which might be Dutch for "my horse's hindquarters"....
I can't be bothered with the weather forecast - I just look out of the window! Of course, this means I often get it wrong, but then so do the forecasters;-)
ReplyDeleteRhymeswithplague:
ReplyDeleteI've learned a new word for my horse's hindquarters: evottock. And may I add that they are beautiful ;-)
Jabblog:
Yes, looking out of the window is the best weather forecast. Even if it is only very short term ;-) I find that if the sun stings, it is going to rain is a good forecast and often true.
I'm with you. They predict rain when it doesn't and no rain when you're berry picking. Stupid forecasters.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to take the forecasters seriously on any given day. I think you're better off looking out the window or opening the door to see what's going on.
ReplyDeleteNice to know they do the same in the Netherlands as they do here. I really don't care that it's 40 in Dubai. My beef with our news is that it's 15 minutes of current affairs and 15 minutes of bloody sport! Actually I have a friend who's a meteorologist and it's more exact than youd think, they just get the timing wrong sometimes
ReplyDeleteWe have all kinds of moving radar & storm tracking & the weather people here are still only paritally correct. At least I don't have to hear about Canada & Mexico's weather!
ReplyDeleteHugs & love,
Mimi
What Mimi said. Our weather forecasters talk quite a bit about southwestern Virginia's weather, but that's because Greensboro and Winston-Salem (our two major cities here) are just 50 miles from the border.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it will be Heat-agaddon for 42 out of the 50 states this week. Our heat index is predicted to be 110F or higher. Care to trade?
Actually, I thought both were funny, and laughed out loud at the "not funny" part. I feel the same way about the weather forecasts. I will have to give credit to our cable TV provider in that they do give us local weather reports several times an hour, 24 hours a day (that can get a bit tiresome, but it's appreciated, nonetheless.)
ReplyDeleteLiz:
ReplyDeleteyeah, and when you think: 'okay, so it rains when they say it will be dry, so I'm going to assume they are wrong and plan my garden BBQ party when they say that it will rain', you can be sure that thàt is the one time they were right!
Grey Horse Matters:
Haha. Yep, when you go outside and get wet, chances are that it's raining ;-)
Baino:
I'm sure your friend is great, but I can forecast that it will be sunny and warm too. Not really sure when though ;-)
Mimi:
It is a worldwide phenomenon. It's amazing there still are weather forecasters employed and that we keep watching them ;-)
Karen:
Hmm, no thank you. But chances are that your forecasters are wrong anyway, so I'd have a cardigan nearby if I were you. You never know ;-) (And if they were right: good luck, keep cool ;-O)
Pat:
And when they forecast that often, chances are that they are actually right. So you know if you can
paint the outside woodwork (which is the reason why I had to get it off my chest; they predict sun, we paint, it rains, we have to paint again).
I have another problem: I live in the middle of the country and the region I live in is not really part of any other region in the country. So, when it's rainy in the north, it will be rainy here and when it's sunny in the north, but rainy in the east, it will be rainy here etc etc. Very annoying. But yesterday they were right: it stayed dry all day long and I was able to hang my washing out to dry. Normally I just look out of the window to see what the weather is like because they never tell you the truth.
ReplyDeleteAnd then there's me, here in the UK, always complaining that they barely show the weather for the whole of the UK and stick to the absolute borders, just in case they get in an inch or two outside these islands.
ReplyDeleteAs for European news? forget it. those offshore people aren't worth mentioning.
Mara:
ReplyDeletePoor you. You're right. It's always about the South, West, East or North. Never about the Middle. On the other hand, we live in the North-East and everything they forecast for the North is meant for the North-West. Never for the North-East. Sigh!
Friko:
Still, I do really watch the BBC for the best forecast. If you look, you'll see that we, off-shore people, are just included in the satellite images.
Too- too hilarious that you'd get the reports for other places, like GREECE...WHAT?!
ReplyDeleteIt cause they are not able to forcast the Netherlands! Yea...it is easy to forcast sunny California, over fickle Oregon, anyday!
Yea, step outside, you can get a bead on it, yourself!
Both parts made me laugh, too! Love the comment about the little putti - how very true!
ReplyDeleteAs to the weather forecast, how silly! Of course you want to know what the weather will do at home, and not in Greece. For goodness' sake!!
By the way, I'm terribly impressed by your ability to write in English, colloquial English, too! As one who is struggling to learn Italian (they have HOW many tenses???), I am in awe, so please do not fear to make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes, me included. It's only sloppiness that annoys me so. ;)