2026/21 - 10 Reasons to Embrace the New Climate

 Seriously, Renée?

Yes...My stoic self tells me I cannot change the climate single-handedly, so I may as well resign myself to it. It's very simple to moan, and I could find a 100 reasons to. But instead I will attempt to find postivity, and share this with you lovely folk.

1.

The tall grasses along the river walk, on the other side of what you can see in this photo, are over a month early in their tallness. That means Puck can walk on the path through the tall grass which has been mowed especially for that purpose, without being spotted by other dogs. In the very early mornings (that photo I took at 06.15 a.m) there is no need to hide though, right then my reactive rescued doggie and I have the entire riverbank to ourselves. Which is the exact reason we get up that early!

2.

The vegetation underneath my favourite Willow is a month early as well. Which is good for the insects, which in turn is great for the birds, who are nesting earlier too. I have been enjoying the 'cuc-koo!' of the cuckoo for a fortnight already, and spotted the first swallows that have returned. The crows in the roost down the road have fledglings already, and keep a beady eye on Puck, who ignores them.

3.

In Mildenburgbos wood in Oostvoorne, the Wild Garlic is prolific, and scents the air. I would love to get some to make pesto, but a. it is forbidden to pick and b. there are masses of dogs being walked there...garlic pesto à la pee...no thanks. The new climate means we enjoy balmy weather much earlier in the season, mid-May feels like the end of June.

4.

There is absolutely no need to force my Rhubarb, as I grow much more than I can eat, and this is very early as well. I give loads away to the immigrants in the Taalcafé (Dutch language café) I volunteer at twice a week, to teach them Dutch. It always makes me laugh when they sniff at the stalks suspiciously. This is edible? But I provide my recipe, and so far they all love it.

5.

My Roses are, so far, taking the lack of rain in the Spring (3rd year running with hardly any rain in what should be very wet months!) in their stride. This one is already in flower, and the other three are full of buds. I adore my Roses, so I watch them like an eagle for signs of stress, and water them.

6.

Okay...I am struggling a bit now... Can I find four more reasons to be happy about the lack of rain? Or about nature being confused? Can nature be confused?

These are the Lilacs next to the ruin of Oostvoorne Castle, and they smell delicious. Lilacs are unassuming when not in flower, a bit boring really. But when they do so...hardly anything beats them for scent. Rain makes them look bedraggled. (I told you, struggling)

7.

The sunny, unseasonably hot weather, has made visiting the coast a lot of fun. This early in the season it is not overrun (yet) by tourists. It was extremely windy at the Brouwersdam (hence the bad hair), and this restaurant used to stand on the beach...Due to seawater levels rising, it is now permanently in the sea, and that beach is history. Need I remind you my country is situated approx. 4m. below that sea level? Oops, this is not exactly a positive...delete.

8.

Found one! Reason #8 to be positive, is that we can grow Grapes outside of greenhouses. We used to wax lyrical about vineyards across the border in France and Germany, well, we have our own these days. So there. Okay, we lack the gradient, and proper soil (to name a not unimportant detail), and our delta tends to get very muggy in Summer, but the vines do grow. I have my own, and am very proud of it. Any grapes? Nope, not so far.

9. 

I am stumped, I must admit. Cannot think of a reason to be positive about all those storms, one after the other, that we are experiencing, but most without a drop of rain for my gasping garden. So I just post a pretty picture of the Bluebells in Mildenburgbos. Gorgeous, isn't it?

10.

My rescued girl from Curaçao. She's having a good sniff, other dogs use that spot to swim. She does not swim. She does not do most doggie things, like play, jump around like a happy maniac, or chase sticks or balls. My Puck was chained up, beaten, starved and permanently pregnant, before she was rescued and flown over to me. Her joys are simple: eat, sleep, get belly rubs and feel safe. Climate change means nothing to her. She enjoys her walks best when no other dogs are around, in her mind her species is a threat. We have a lot in common, my dog and I, that's why we get along so well.

Do look me up for more stories about my country at Renée Grashoff Schrijft

Or when you are looking to adopt a dog, and give it a good life, here is the link to Curaçao Animal Rights Foundation CARF

Have a good week, wherever you are!

Renée Grashoff 

2026/8 - Mildenburgbos Magic

 On the cusp of being able to tell you all about my garden awakening, I took myself to the largest forest on Voorne: Mildenburgbos. Actually not that large, we are a small island, but worth the effort!

It is a mixed forest of predominantly Oak, Beech and Elm, with an underplanting of prickly Holly. In fact I was amazed by how much holly there was! I have been coming here for 67 years, and this was the first time that holly really sprang out at me. By the way, February is a much more interesting month to visit than, say, July.

In Summer the forest floor is a mass of nettles and other weeds, and you lose the contours of the forest. Whereas in February you can see how this area is laid out, as original parkland bordering the sand dunes. The mansion whose park it used to be, has long gone. But that Ginkgo in the photo above is an original tree from the mansion era. It is huge!

Both Oak and Beech trees are in danger from the extremely dry years we have had. Here in Willow country, those trees are precious, and I'd hate to lose them.

When I was a child these fallen down branches would have been cleared away, but thank heaven they leave them to rot now. The insects and small forest floor creatures are grateful, and so are the fungi. You can tell how wet everything is; there was an entire day of rain the day before.

The entire area is criss-crossed by waterways, for water (duh!), but also to act as anti-fire ditches.  When I stopped to take this photo there was a small woodpecker hacking away above my head, not taking any notice of me.

There are roe deer here as well, but I didn't spot them.

When you come closer to the dunes, the huge Oaks disappear, and Pines appear. But the Jays and Red Squirrels have burried a lot of nuts, and all those saplings you see in the back are young Beech trees.

When I admired this fungus I was scolded by a Red Squirrel, who clung to a Pine next to me, and did not like me stopping. They are rare, so I was happy to be called nasty names.

On one side of the forest there is a stinzen garden, a collection of early flowering bulbs and roots which grow wild on land of old mansions and castles. This garden is cared for by volunteers, so you should take the word 'wild' with a pinch of salt. They keep that holly at bay!

I love those cheerful Aconites, and they were happy with the sunshine, I could tell.

A gorgeous bed of Ferns looking their best in the sunshine.

As a child I adored this side of the forest, as it had 'hills'! Growing up amongst the flat meadows of my polder, anything higher than a molehill was amazing to me. The highest hill in Mildenburg is approx. 10 m., and I know now that they are actually ancient dunes.

Isn't this idyllic? Those ducks in the background were making a hell of a racket, splishing and splashing away.

Yes! We are on the right side of the Winter months again! Whatever the weather may yet throw at us, we will have some sunny days to enjoy.

I bought fresh soil for my balcony, so will start to prepare for the days Puck and I spend with the doors wide open. Can't wait!

Have a good weekend wherever you are, and do visit my website at Renée Grashoff Schrijft where I will share the publishing date of my 2nd part of the trilogy about murder in Brielle soon. Or follow me here, on blogger, for weekly instalments about gardens. Take care!

Renée Grashoff