First seen from the bathroom window this morning: a jay rooting about in the growth. It took its time so I could run off to get the camera. First jay I've seen in quite a while - we used to see them every so often in bygone years.
jay - geai - vlaamse gaai
The first repair café of the year saw me taking photographs again. Lots of people brought in things to mend, though apparently a number of items showed signs of previous unsuccessful repair attempts and couldn't be fixed.
A vintage amplifier was brought back to life, and the owner of a wonderful old HMV radio was advised where to find replacement valves.
The missus brought my parents' old table knives, which for a modest donation were expertly sharpened.
The cherry pie was tested and found to be good too!
I was going to get to grips with applying for the subsidy I might get for insulating our roof when Apple's rock-bottom-worst product conked out again - the infernal power adapter needed to keep the MacBooks going. So I first spent an hour with cutter and soldering iron to get the worn-through lead accessible and cleaned and reattached and insulated and wrapped up again. I'll buy another one (the sixth I think) but at least I can keep going right now.
Saw a new display cabinet in the local supermarket promoting Moët & Chandon, which is the champagne we tend to drink in the family. Where we're always amused by the label's nickname of "Moed & Schande" - which sounds very similar and means "Courage & Disgrace" because in the olden Calvinist Netherlands it took courage to bear the disgrace of (being seen) imbibing something as frivolous as this. We of course have no problems with the stuff, though I -would- take the regular bottles instead of these vividly coloured examples on display. Perhaps a bit too frivolous after all.
It's confirmed: there's a pair of coaltits busy making a nest in the living room's roller blind housing. In previous years they'd have a look and nothing more but this year they've followed through.
One of them has got the hang of going in - i think the female because it appears to be just a tad smaller. In and out in a jiffy.
The other is still struggling quite a bit. First grasping the guide rail at the side before scuttling in...
Once done and out again, it takes a breather on the railing before flying off for another beakful of moss.
coaltit - mésange charbonnière - koolmees
We're out of (regular) sugar. So this morning I shook the last of the icing sugar out of a packet into our coffee.
It's pouring down by the bucket this morning. Glad to work from home today - I'd've been drenched before reaching the car.
More and more flowers are appearing. Bulbs and plants and some bushes.
Tulips are coming up and the lavender bush is turning, well, lavender.
The water lily I bought last year looks like it's making a fresh start.
And our birches are now full of catkins!
tulip - tulipe - tulp
lavender - lavande - lavendel
water lily - nénuphar - waterlelie
birch - bouleau - berk
This is a Hema sausage. For those who aren't Dutch: Hema has been producing and selling these since 1936. According to the label they're smoked the traditional way for seven hours over beech and oak wood. Every Hema store in the Netherlands sells them (not the Belgian stores alas); larger stores also having a counter where you can buy them hot and in a bun. They're a veritable and venerable Dutch institution. For those who are Dutch: is it me or have these things become smaller in size? Can't find anything about this but the ones I got yesterday do seem smaller than I remember them. Strange.
The sun is out, and so is the missus. Toing and froing through the garden and busy with everything and whatnot. Thankfully she does take a break here and there!
Last times I was in Princenhage I photographed the church so here it is again. We took advantage of our foray to quickly nip into Albert Heijn for groceries and Hema for their sausages and some sweets and face cream before driving back home and also catching up on sleep on the couch.
We got up in the middle of the night to drive to Schiphol. Our eldest came back this morning from attending a wedding (in Melbourne of all places) and we were going to surprise him there and save him a train and bus ride home.
We saw dawn appear while still in Belgium, but once over the border the Netherlands were covered in fog.
We arrived nicely on time, bought a suitable balloon and achieved total surprise!
A quick ride to Breda and the weary traveller could catch up on some sleep.
These all-white Bleeding Hearts have come out on the kitchen steps. Next to the kitchen door more flowers are appearing, though the purple Violets are a recent purchase.
bleeding hearts - cœur-de-marie - gebroken hartje
violet - violette - viooltje
I was lucky today - finally caught a magpie having a go at the seed balls before it saw me. And a squirrel a bit later.
magpie - pie bavarde - ekster
squirrel - écureuil - eekhoorn
Three squirrels were chasing each other this morning. Going round and round so I only managed to catch two together each time.
One did catch another eventually and I think give it a bite before all scarpered off.
squirrel - écureuil - eekhoorn
When we come home again, the sun is starting to go low in the sky and bathing everything in bright light.
We're off to a family birthday party. Along the way we spot a nice vintage bus in the yard of the Brussels Transport Museum. On our way home we see it again, burbling along on the road in front of us.
And it's actually stopping at bus stops!
The sun is starting to shine just over the roof, lighting up a few branches of the prune tree in front of our bedroom window. Little buds are starting to show.
prune - pruneau - pruim
