牧牛场的幻想与现实

对, 这是一头乳牛！它是我２００９年春天，在荷兰的一家私人牧场里拍下的．

记得小时候有一个牛奶粉的电视广告这样说:　乳牛呼吸新鲜的空气，喝清洁的水，所生产的牛奶也格外有营养还是什么的．．．　

我中学很要好的同学，婷的梦想是在一个四季的国度，买下一大片绿油油的草地，开始养绵羊的生活．绵羊感觉上比粗壮的乳牛来得可爱，割羊毛也浪漫过挤牛奶．我当时的梦想是买个无人的小岛，小小就好，然后在岛上和家人一起过着世外桃源的生活．

我们的梦想都还没有实现，可能梦想也因为长大而有所改变．如果可以让我当一天的 Farm Girl, 体验挤牛奶，替乳牛洗澡喂食，清理牧场，肯定是一个难得的经验．

幸运的是，我在２００６年冬天第一次到荷兰公干时，认识了当地的一位男同事　－　艾德里安．他除了在烟草公司上班，还在家族的牧牛场帮忙．可是当时工作很忙，时间紧凑，也因为赶着到下一站的伦敦，没有机会到他家的牧牛场一游．我们约好下次如果有机会，我一定到他家的牧牛场亲手挤牛奶喝！

没想到，约好的＇下次＇，竟然是两年多以后的２００９年春天．我第二次到荷兰公干，一切安排妥当，在微冷的周末，当起牧牛场姑娘．

牛棚里一遍明亮，干净，通风，没什么异味．和我想象中的臭脏暗，大便，潮湿，吵杂有很大的不同，印象很不错．

看到这头有点敌意的乳牛旁有个黄色的电动刷子吗？那是替牛儿们要搔痒和梳理用的. 它们都很喜欢, 一头一头往刷子边靠, 很有次序地享受被按摩的时光.

这里都是母牛，乳牛，只取其奶，不吃其肉．整个大牧牛场，只有两头负责打种传宗接代的公牛．当然，都是荷兰一等的品种．

我顽皮地伸手让它舔一舔我的掌心!　

黑色夹克的男士就是艾德里安，站在他后面的是另外一个同事，英格丽．红色夹克的小女孩是英格丽的十岁女儿，玛格．

地上的干草都是牛儿们的粮食．那时还是初春，冬天的冰雪溶解过后，大地正逐渐苏醒，生机勃勃，小草开始从地里长出来．艾德里安说，在过一两个星期，草地完全绿了，暖暖的太阳，他就会把牛群放到草原去，让它们在很自然的环境生活，生产的牛奶才是最上等的．一般上他把鲜奶卖给大集团，制成乳酪和各类的奶制品，或牛奶粉出口到其他国家．

牧牛场里其中一个牛棚的外观．　

另一个半露天的室外牛棚．艾德里安德家族牧牛场规模不小，他爸爸从几十头乳牛开始，到今天的数百头乳牛及一望无际的牧场草原，想必也是一分耕耘，一分收获的成功故事．

玛格和我正在喂牛儿

逛了大半天, 我忍不住问艾德里安　：我可以帮忙挤牛奶了吗?　好想喝一口新鲜的牛奶．

幻想与现实的确有很大差别．

艾德里安有点不好意思的说：要让你失望了. 我们已经不用人工挤奶, 现在全都是机器代劳.

一个自动的机器手, 连带着泵, 先被清洗和杀菌. 乳牛进来挤奶房后, 泵刚好吸着乳牛的奶头, 开始把奶吸出来. 我可以看到那头原本胀奶的乳牛, 在几分钟后, 乳房开始的小了. 牛奶则直接从真空运输管, 送到储存室.

旁边有一个银幕, 纪录了牛奶量及其他相关资料. 整个过程我们不需要做任何东西, 只光看. 挤奶机嘈音低, 效力高, 牧牛场里就辛苦和难控制的挤牛奶工作, 就在我们说笑中重复的进行着...

我还想要替牧场干点活. 我又问艾德里安 :　挤牛奶虽然全自动化，不需要人手，但是总要有人把牛拉进挤奶室里，机器才可以开始挤奶呀！

　

艾德里安笑了笑，指着说：你看, 我的乳牛会排队, 它们会自愿地站在挤奶室外,等候被机器挤奶. 当前面的那头牛挤完奶后, 离开挤奶室后, 这道铁栅会自动打开, 让下一头牛进来. 每天都这样循环, 没有休息, 我也不必去拉牛.

这样的操作方式, 让门外汉的我太惊讶了. 艾德里安解释说：其实牛非常享受被挤奶．你看它涨奶时是很不舒服的．当牛想要被挤奶时，会很自然的到挤奶室外等候．每头牛有自己的周期，我们不会强逼它，它不痛苦，我们也高兴．　

艾德里安的真正工作，就是在电脑控制室监视每一头牛的进展．每一头牛耳朵和颈部的识别证，与机器联系，把产量，挤奶次数等等资料记录下来．如果有一头牛在原本该被挤奶的时间内都没到挤奶室，电脑就会显示红色警告．艾德里安跟着会检查那头牛的健康状况，或其他问题．

艾德里安还让我在牧场的范围内试驾非常大型的拖拉机!　

在辽阔的牧场，有一部分为郁金香的种植地．那种在花海里起舞的感觉很难忘．．．

谢谢艾德里安的招待！临走前, 我们回到牛棚里, 和艾德里安及他的乳牛群来张正式的合照.

我告诉他, 如果有一天我辞掉了我们的烟草公司的工作又想要与移民, 我会考虑到这里帮忙他打理牧牛场的生意, 说不定我们可以开拓参观牧牛场旅行团, 还是牧牛场民宿小旅馆, 感受不一样的荷兰.

I love serviced apartment

I stayed at hotel or serviced apartment when I was on business trips. Personally, I prefer serviced apartment than any hotel, especially the Marlin Serviced Apartment London. Marlin Serviced Apartment London owns over 570 luxury serviced apartments and I was staying in Marlin Empire Square and Marlin Queen Street which were both top quality accommodation, ideal for business and family.

Marlin Empire Square


What I love Marlin Serviced Apartment the most is the best use of space. The living room is perfectly sized with most up-to-date technology including broadband, wide screen television and the fully equipped kitchen comes with microwave, oven, fridge, dishwasher and complete cooking facilities.
Comfortable bedroom




Modern, stylish and secure, it’s absolutely perfect in every possible way.

Let me refresh my daily route to the office. From Marlin Empire Square (34 Long Lane), few minutes walk to Borough Station, which service Northern Line. Change to Circle Line or District Line at Monument Station and get down four stations later at Temple Station.

When I was staying at Marlin Queen Street, Big Dar visited me. Marlin Queen Street is ideally located next to Mansion House Station and within a 5 minuted walk of Central London’s most famous attraction such as St.Paul’s Cathedral, Tate Modern, fine restaurants and supermarket. Although that was Big Dar first time in London, where we stayed has easy access to everywhere in London and he enjoyed his sight seeing holiday while I went to work.

If you are going to London, live in Marlin.

Another wonderful serviced apartment that I highly recommended is the New Amsterdam Serviced Apartment in The Netherlands.

Netherlands (a.k.a Holland) 荷兰的点点滴滴

I was at Holland 2006 winter and 2009 spring! It's a very lovely country and i wish to visit this country again with Big Dar. There are 12 things that always in my sweet memory when i think about Netherlands.

1. Tulip。 说起荷兰，肯定会想到荷兰的国花 - 郁金香。 2006 年冬天第一次到荷兰的首都阿姆斯特丹，和独特的郁金香擦身而过， 只是在花摊看到少量的郁金香和国际机场里卖的郁金香种子。




我的遗憾在2009 年的春天弥补。第二次踏上荷兰这国家，遇上了郁金香盛开的季节。 Keukenhof Garden ( 被公认为欧洲最美丽的花园）郁金香花海，颜色鲜艳夺目，每一朵郁金香都那么娇美动人。

2. Casino is an option. I found it interesting because i hardly see any Chinese (or Asian) on the street but when i was in the Holland Casino, surprisingly majority of the gamblers were Chinese!

一般上我们玩的扑克牌也叫荷兰牌， 其发源地是荷兰吗？我问了不少当地人，都还没有答案。

3. Coffee shop. Coffee shops in Amsterdam / Netherlands are not selling coffee, but a place to enjoy the legal drugs like cannabis (ganja).

4. Heineken is from in Holland too.

5. Red Light District and all sex related business i.e. sex shop, sex museum, sex show, sex services... ( too bad no photo allowed, please use your imagination). I spent one week in Amsterdam during my first visit and i was staying in this hotel - The Barbizon Palace. Not far away was the Red Light District where i watched my first live adult show!

除了毒品，妓女在荷兰也是合法化。在红灯区一带，许许多多的小小透明玻璃门，暗红色的霓灯下，身材姣好得摆着撩惹人的姿势。在寒冷的冬天，她们为了吸引顾客，穿的单薄性感，看了还有点辛酸。如果有兴趣，只要敲敲门，探头把价钱谈妥了，就可以直接经入屋内。只可惜，红灯区里不应许拍照，四周围站着高大威猛的“保镖”，我猜，每个地都有个幕后集团所操控的吧！我只能大开眼界，没有留下任何到此一游的证据。

6. Cheese

7. Herring - a raw small fish covered in raw chopped onions.

Check out the poster on the wall! This is the correct way of eating Herring - picking the fish up by its tails, open your mouth and bite!!!

8. Dutch food includes potatos, cabbages, meat dishes, apple jam, pears and ends with Dutch sweet - liquorice.

9. Windmill is the most elegent machine designed to convert the energy of the wind to rotate blades or sails for grinding grain, pumping water or even generating electricity.

A modern windmill known as the wind turbines.

10. Wooden shoes or clog as a safety shoes can withstand sharp obejcts, walking on ice and healthy for feet. It's also my beloved souvenir and as a prop in photos. This reminds me of Melaka, the state in Malaysia ruled by the Dutch from 1641 to 1795, after defeated the Portuguese. Until today, we can find the similar wooden shoes in Melaka.

11. Canal and the Dutch houses

12. Cycling in Amsterdam was a great experience although it took me a while to learn how to cycle the older model heavy bike.

荷兰的脚踏车数量比汽车多，空气清新，天气凉爽，大街小巷都设有脚踏车行道，骑脚踏车的确是一件十分愉快地事。