COUGH ... SNEEZE ... SPLUTTER ...

Is it just my children, or are all the under-tens in this place currently little bundles of germs? Out of nowhere they all seem to have sprung simultaneous horrible colds, which is normally nothing to write home about, but one bout of coughing last night did get me ringing the huisartsenpost (out-of-hours doctor) for a refresher course on how to steam one's child out of an attack of croup....

Thank goodness for the lovely helpful people on the other end of the line; my husband's away this week and the lady was so reassuring, saying that I really, really mustn't hesitate to call again for help if I was at all worried later in the night. (I wasn't, as it turned out; he was fine.)

Have you had times when you haven't felt quite this way about the healthcare professionals here? It can be difficult, especially if you're meeting them in a common language which isn't native to either of you, and I know the system can be off-putting at times (why on EARTH should one ring one's family doctor before taking one's child's clearly broken arm to Casualty at the hospital, for example???) - but healthcare here is really, really good. Like all things in a foreign country, you just need to understand it and learn how to make it work for you.

With this in mind, I've written a whole new section for the site - Children's Health, which you can reach through the link on the left-hand side. It should cover everything you need to know about healthcare in the Netherlands for under-twelves (and some info relevant to adults as well), from monitoring growth through speech therapy to the Casualty department at the hospital! Have a browse through, and I hope it's useful.

And now for something completely different:

OUT AND ABOUT

Assuming your children are sufficiently healthy to be abandoned to the tender mercies of a partner or babysitter, why not come along to the next Pub Night?

Thursday 14th October, 8.30 p.m.
Olivier's Belgian Cafe / Bar, Hooigracht 23

Come one, come all, come anyone who fancies some good food
and/or drink in the excellent company of fellow-readers
and contributors to this site, and especially new arrivals in Leiden ,
come and meet us!