The Animathor in her berth.
Just back from a wonderful weekend in Rotterdam celebrating Dienke Ferguson’s 60th birthday on board the Animathor with 70 of her family, friend’s, and colleagues. We left the berth on a canal in the city and headed out into the world’s largest harbour in glorious sunshine at 6.00pm, for a cruise that lasted 5 hours. We wined and dined to a background of music chosen via email from all present that Dieneke had transferred to her iPod. There were occasional breaks whilst tributes were paid to Dieneke’s remarkable life by friends and colleagues, the best being the choral ones specially penned for the occasion and sung by her old friends and classmates. Later her Uncle Eric dressed in a Ferguson Clan kilt, taught people how to dance the Dashing White Sergeant and other Highland Reels. (Dutch they may have been for 8 generations but they remember their roots in Scotland and the Highland Clearances that brought their ancestors to Holland!).
Choral Tribute
Massimo
The Lightship
The next day some of us went to Hotel New York across the harbour for a wonderful fish lunch, crossing over in a speedy water taxi. The Hotel New York is in the old Holland New York Line harbour building that saw off and welcomed thousands of travellers, including Dieneke’s grandparents who left there for New York.
Hotel New York
A leisurely fish lunch in the old interior overlooked by ghosts with their cardboard suitcases and lost looks.
I’ll have the lobster please
No, I’ll have what she’s having
Dieneke in the watertaxi returning after lunch with the Hotel New York in the background