Soms gebeurt er iets in je leven, wat je doet besluiten het roer om te gooien. Een sprong in het diepe. Op weg naar een nieuwe toekomst. Een kans, maar ook een risico. Varkenshouders Henk en Anja van den Broek maakten 15 jaar geleden de sprong.
Aanleiding was de varkenspest in 1997. Uiteindelijk moest ook het bedrijf van Henk en Anja preventief geruimd worden. Na het zien van zoveel dierenleed sloeg de twijfel toe. In 2002 startten Henk en Anja een nieuwe onderneming in de varkensstal; een speelboerderij. Inmiddels is Hullie een begrip in de regio en veel meer dan een gewone speelboerderij.
Ik weet dat veel veehouders voor moeilijke keuzes staan. En natuurlijk is de keuze voor een speelboerderij niet voor iedereen weggelegd. Wel kunnen Henk en Anja inspiratie bieden. Het laat zien dat een sprong in het diepe tot een mooie nieuwe toekomst kan leiden. Zij volgden hun hart volgen en zijn iets gaan doen wat bij hen past. En tegelijkertijd hebben ze hun verstand gebruikt om ervoor te zorgen dat de keuze realistisch is voor henzelf en de locatie.
Vlakbij Uden, tegen de peelrandbreuk aan, omgeven door natuurgebieden en met een gezin met kleine kinderen bleek een speelboerderij een uitstekende keuze. Voor deze dappere ondernemerskeuze en het bieden van inspiratie kreeg Hullie een agrofoodpluim. Mocht je het dialect uit de regio Uden niet beheersen en je nog steeds afvragen waarom dit bedrijf Hullie heet, een klein zinnetje dat mogelijk helpt om het te begrijpen: “Da’s toch knap gedoan dur Hullie Henk!”.
I Don't Love You, But I Always Will | Hank & Millie
WARNING: This involves hard-core sex, with whips and chains and other dangerous equipment used for sexual pleasures. Lol no, I kid. Just some terrible singing from Hank's part.
Millie She walked up to her dorm and grabbed her guitar. Though, one thing she had forgotten to do before she left was to ask Hank which dorm was his, since the change. She exhaled deeply, and brought out her phone to text him. 'It’s Mils. I must have forgotten, but which room is yours?' She sent it before walking out of the room, her guitar hanging off her back.
Hank Hank pulled the earphones from his ears while pressing the top button on his iPod. Collapsing on his bed, he turned his head, his eyes travelling straight to the digital clock across the room. Ten minutes she said, he thought as he lifted himself up into a sitting position. A beep on his phone pulled him from his train of thought. Opening the message, Hank couldn’t help but chuckle. His lips crept up into a smile as he replied. ‘I've left a sign on the door, you'll find it.'’
Millie Her phone vibrating, Millie checked and saw that it was a reply. She was sure she had exceeded her ten minute time frame. Feeling a bit sorry, she had finally arrived about 5 minutes late, not too bad really. She cleared her throat before knocking on his door. “Hello.” She smiled as he greeted her at the door, feeling a bit nervous all of a sudden. She hadn’t really performed in front of anyone before.
Hank Listening to the knock at the door, he hopped off his bed, allowing Millie inside. “Hey…” He replied, a smile beaming on his face, not bothering to mention the time. Hank stepped to the side, motioning her in with his hand. He waited until she had entered his dorm, before closing the door behind her. Walking past her, he took a seat down on the end of his bed. “So…I’m ready to be impressed.” He said, giving a slightly playful grin.
Millie She returned the smile as she entered his dorm. Looking back towards him, a shy smile came upon her face as she followed him and took the guitar from her back. “I’m warning you, you’re going to be let down.” She couldn’t help but smile at him as he sat there, waiting to hear what would come next. She sat down next to him on the edge of the bed and positioned the guitar on her leg, then reached into her pocket for a guitar pick.
Hank He gave a small chuckle at her comment. “Oh I very much doubt that.” Hank responded as he leaned back, using his hands as support. He smiled broadly up at her, shuffling to his side, making a bit more room for her to sit. As he watched her adjust herself, he used that time to bring up his legs onto the bed, crossing them over to make himself more comfortable.
Millie "Alright." She said at last, with a smile appearing on her face. She repositioned herself to make sure she was comfortable enough, cleared her throat, and began strumming. The smile wiped from her face as she began concentrating on the song. Whenever she sang, or played any instrument, she lost herself in it. Her voice picked up when she got to the chorus of the song. "Oh I don't love you but I always will. Oh I don't love you but I always will... I always will." As she finished the song, she kept her eyes down on the floor and stayed silent.
Hank He began to listen to her play, all he could do was watch in awe. Hank smiled fondly as he rested his hands upon his knees. The soft music that flowed from the guitar in front of him warmed his heart, and he found himself transfixed at how at ease Millie was as she played the guitar. His eyes widened slightly as her voice surprised him. She was good, for a dancer. For the rest of the song, he found himself mesmerised by not only the lyrics, but also by her voice. Hank with his mouth agape, couldn’t take his eyes from her until silence reigned. He immediately mirrored her actions, diverting his eyes to the floor. “That was…incredible.” He eventually spoke, lifting his eyes to meet hers. “I told you I’d be impressed.” He continued, giving her a light-hearted smile.
Millie She looked at him and noticed his eyes on the ground. He smiled and shrugged his reply off. “It wasn’t anything spectacular.” She confessed as she placed her guitar on the floor, leaning against the bed. Though, inside she felt a bit proud “But thank you.” Her eyes stayed upon his for a moment too long, and she finally broke away and breathed heavily. “So…should we get started?” She said as she rubbed her legs.
Hank He'd forgotten about the reason Millie was here, and suddenly became nervous. "Uhm, yeah, go ahead and start.” He replied, fully knowing that he sounded far too ‘jolly’ to be convincing. It matched his smile. Standing up, he walker over and picked up his own guitar and brought it back to his bed. "So you know the song?" He asked, positioning himself.
Millie She smiled and gave a chuckle. "Yeah, I did some research after our call and I think I've learnt most of it." She replied, as she tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. Getting her own guitar, she rested it on her lap. "Ok, just try and copy me..." She began strumming her guitar before she started to sing again. "I don't know how we happened we just kind of did I was being sarcastic and asked for a kiss You've been on my mind..."
Hank Taking out his pick, he listened to Millie as she began to sing and watched her fingers press down on the strings. It took him awhile to get to grips with it, but he soon felt comfortable following along, mirroring her fingers. Opening his mouth, he started to quietly sing. "I don't know what to call us but you're cool with that. I told you I was nervous, you smiled and laughed. You've been on my mind."
Millie Losing herself in the midst of the moment and in the song, she carefully plucked the strings as the sounds made their way throughout his room. Her eyes were down, watching her own hands on her guitar, though from the corner of her eye she saw Hank move and start to play. A smile graced her lips as she listened to his attempt to play. She quietly gave him some hints and ended up physically moving his fingers to make up some of the chords. Hearing him sing, made her happier than she'd had been. It was nice to see him actually trying at something. Joining in, she continued to sing "I won't say goodbye. I won't let you go all alone. Keep me inside. When I'm strung out, full of doubt. You keep me alive..."
Hank Continued to strum, accepting the hints Millie was giving him. Letting out a slight laugh when he messed up and she had to correct him. Getting even more comfortable performing in front of her, he began to raise his voice - singing loudly. "With the smile on your face and the hair in your eyes. I won't let you go this time. I won't let you go. Won't let you go. I've lost track of the days since you've entered my life. They all think that we're crazy, I tell them they're right. You've been on my mind. Waaaooohhh!" He then quietened down, as he realised he'd been getting too much into the song and most likely had just embarrassed himself.
Millie Lifting her head, she laid her eyes on him, content with listening to him for a while. But suddenly had the urge to do something, that was completely out of character for her. Dropping her pic, she placed her guitar down on his bed and got up, keeping her eyes fixated on his playing. She actually began to enjoy herself. "I won't say goodbye. I won't say goodbye. I won't let you go all alone, keep me inside. When I'm strung out, full of doubt, you keep me alive. With the smile on your face and the hair in your eyes, I won't let you go this time. I won't let you go!" She began to sing, matching his volume, while she spun around on the toes of her feet.
Hank Watching Millie halt her playing, Hank thought maybe he'd done something wrong. But he continued on strumming along, singing to his heart's content. "With the smile on your face and the hair in your eyes, I won't let you go this time. I won't let you go. I won't let you go..." His eyes followed hers as she stood up, and Hank gave a chuckle at the sight he saw. He wanted to get up and spin with her, but he held himself back and continued to play. "You've been on my mind. Waaooh!" He screamed, followed by an embarrassed laugh.
Millie She froze as she listened to Hank's 'scream' and concealed a chuckle. "That was... great!" She reassured him, as she sat back down on her bed. "And that playing was superb, you're a fast learner Hank Miller." She settled back into her previous position and locked her gaze onto his. It took everything she had not to lean over and take what she wanted. "Your, er, your girlfriend's going to love it." She drew her eyes away and tugged at her lower lip with her teeth.
Hank He laughed, knowing she was clearly lying and trying to make him feel better about being a terrible singer. But he liked it, Millie always made him feel comfortable. Putting the guitar next to him, he watched her expression turn at the mention of Amy. "I hope so..." He replied, rubbing his palms on his jeans. "Millie... why did you help me? You know, learn to play this song and all?"
Millie She looked over at Hank after hearing his question. A million answers popped into her mind, but none of them seemed fitting. She shrugged, and leaned back. "Because I love you. You're my best friend..." She admitted. "And I think what you want to do for Amy is really sweet, and if it makes you happy then I'll do anything I can to help you. Or her, for that matter." She added, keeping her eyes fixed to the carpeted floor.
Hank After listening to her reason, Hank moved a hand to the back of her head, his fingers getting tangled in her hair, and his other hand made its way to cup her jaw. Taking a breath, he pressed his lips to her forehead with a smile. "I love you too, Millicent Falcon. I always will." With that, he moved his hands to drape around her neck and pull her into hug. "Thank you." He whispered. "Thank you Millie..."
