2026/3 - Beware Blizzards!

 The first week of January threw us a curveball. Here we were, reluctantly resigned to warmer winters without ice and snow, and then it first started freezing, and then snowing as well. Until it turned into a whiteout in the early morning of January 7th.

Mind you, Hunky Dory is very near the North Sea, so we always have less ice and snow than folks further inland. So whilst people were skating in many places, here ice fanatics had to get into their cars to search for places where they could skate.

We just had slush on the water, and then slush on the streets. Until, suddenly, it started to snow in earnest. At first folk were happy. Snowmen! Get out the sleds for the kiddies!

But happiness soon turned into dismay, for underneath that pristine snow in the streets lay a layer of ice. Cars were skidding, trains and planes stopped moving, buses were cancelled and the entire country came to a standstill. We are not prepared for this kind of weather.

I checked out my allotment on a day when I still could, where all was as well as expected. The Ixia finally gave up the ghost, so the only colour left was from the Hebe and Malus, refusing to budge.

This was before the snowstorm, obviously! 

Jan. 5th. The 'oh, snow, lovely' phase.

Jan. 7th. at 10.00 a.m. It hardly gets light!

Snow

In my country we have different words for snow. What we had at first we call 'wet snow' (natte sneeuw), because it melts away immediately, as opposed to 'dry snow' (droge sneeuw) which stays on the ground and looks pretty. Today definitely is a dry snow day! And then there is 'powdered snow' (poedersneeuw), very tiny snow pellets, not to be confused with hail. And kids have another category: 'snowman snow' (sneeuwpopsneeuw), meaning it sticks together well so it can be sculpted. They also have 'porridge snow' (papsneeuw), totally unsuitable for snowman building.

Birds 

The birds, who up till now have mostly found their food in the woods nearby, are now visiting me more often.

 They check out Puck and me, decide we are harmless, and then eat. The Jackdaws rule, and the Blue Tits and Coal Tits have to wait their turn.

(I took these photos on Jan. 1st)

They are fun, and very vocal. I always imagine they are nattering away amongst themselves. "Oh, those peanuts are running low! I do hope she'll go to the shops soon. And I prefer that other brand of peanutbutter, don't you?" And right now, when they are tossed and turned by snowgusts (but fly all the same, unlike our planes!) "Bloody hell, how am I supposed to land in this weather? Watch it mate, you are too close, you moron, too close!"

Jackdaws play a major part in my books, because they are ever present in my life, as there is a huge roost at the end of my street.

Apart from that, there is not much greenery to talk about...My favourite nursery has announced they are shutting down after spring of this year. Shock, horror! They are retiring, and nobody wants to take on the work. So then I will be thrown to the lions...meaning I will have to resort to the large, ridiculously expensive and not-organic other ones much farther away. I almost cried!

I'll leave you with two of my forest paintings, simply because there is no other greenery this week to speak of. Sorry!

But it will be better soon, I am sure. In no time at all my bulbs will start showing themselves (I hope!).

Have a good week, and do visit me at Renée Grashoff Schrijft

RenéeGrashoff