162E - English versions!

 Yesterday, when I checked how my blogpost 161 had been received, (I forget to do that most of the time)I was amazed to see that the majority of readers were from 'abroad', meaning not from my own language area (the Netherlands and Flemish Belgium). Since the difference was enormous, I decided I should not ignore this. After all, why does one blog? To be read, right? And to be honest, my blog started out in English in 2021, but then I changed it to Dutch because of complaints by my Dutch readers that the Google translation to Dutch was often shitty.

So. Here we are on this wet, windy, cold Friday morning, and I can happily announce that from now on I will provide you with your very own version in English. Yay!

I'll simply write the blog, translate it and tag the E for English onto the blogpost number. Easy peasy.

Please feel free to comment! There is a window provided.

Here we go.

Four seasons in one day is the title of a marvellous Crowded House song, but very applicable to our weather this past week. Golly, a person simply doesn't know what coat to wear: I've seen it all in the streets, from shorts to wintercoats.

Walking Puck was hot some days, 20°C, with too many clothes on, and then shivering in 6° and icy rain. Hail, thunder, horrible rainshowers; emigration to Spain began to look very appealing. So, anyone out there with an empty finca for free, do contact me.

In my tiny orchard

   But is is Spring without a doubt! In the early morning the waterfowl in the waterway near my house were very active, with angry coots (such aggressive little birds!) that dared to challenge the swans that are nesting, but lost, obviously. Crested ducks, ordinary ducks, moorhens, herons and a pheasant cock are animals which shared our early morning hour.

   And the scent! Lilac, Hawthorn, there is nothing more lovely. Unfortunately in one section of the waterway there was rotten fish, not so lovely...Why those fishermen can't take them along to dispose of them properly, beats me! Even the herons and jackdaws turned up their noses at them.

My shrubs are showing colour

In my (allotment) garden the plants are shooting up. Every time I visit I see new ones, some showing themselves hesitantly, others cheeky. My Pinus for example, enjoys being the tallest one now that the Buddleias are still recovering from the brutal pruning I treated them to. It pleases me, because a garden with only one height is boring i.m.o.

The 1st Rhubarb harvest

   It was time for my traditional Rhubarb pic. If you've done something for four years running, you can call it tradition, right? I do think so. Rhubarb-and-apple compote coming up!

  You can see by the state of my hair that it was blowing hard, yet again... My sweet gran would call me a name which would not compliment my hair, but would be an endearment all the same: Polletje Piekhaar.

Never mind. I planted my Ribes Rubrum 'Jonkheer van Tets' , a cheapo supermarket buy, so I'll let you know how it has performed later on. Red currants are favourites of mine, to me they are far better than the overpriced blueberries.

Achillea

Another thing that made me happy was my Achillea, which I replanted from my balcony to Hunky Dory last October. This plant is just as pretty in bud as in full bloom.

The buds were still wrapped, like little parcels made of felt, you'd almost want to stroke them, and expect them to purr.

And the roses were looking good, fresh, showing buds despite the chilly wet temperatures of this past week.

No, you will not hear me complain. About the garden, eh? I did swear about the weather (often).

Oh: the ants have woken up as well, I found no less than four nests.

Right, wherever you live, I wish you a great weekend!