2026/30 - A Drop in Temperature...hurray!

 After two weeks solid of over 30°C heat, the temperature has dropped more than 10 degrees overnight. It is a shock to the system, but my old system is geared for 21° in July, not 35°! In the South of my country, it reached 42° and especially the old folk suffered, and mortality rates were up by hundreds. If you are still denying climate change as a non-existent crisis, you have mud in your eye!

I had to water my garden daily, which is something I am not used to. Mind you, I only watered the veg and the Hydrangeas. The rest of Hunky Dory has to get its water from the water table...which has dropped worryingly low. In fact, we now have an official Water Shortage Crisis on our hands. Government is urging us not to water gardens, take showers of under 5 minutes and be extremely careful with open fire, unless we go the same route as Fontainebleau, France.

Having said this, I must say I am really pleased with how my frog pond is holding up. Despite the heat, I have not had to refill! Hurray!

But, as I said, I have watered my Hydrangeas. And even so, they greeted me with bedraggled heads every morning... The Solidago however, seem to love that heat, and thrive.

My Tomatoes and Cucumbers have overcome their slow start, and especially the Tomatoes are loaded with fruit. Unfortunately, their taste is a bit bland...I bought bio ones, nameless, and am disappointed. They taste no better than the supermarket ones, and I guess I am spoiled.

Loads of insects on the Fennel, great!

And the Bumble Bee Hotel is open for business!

Those Cardoons are humungeous! I sometimes hear passing cyclists commenting on them.

The Wild Carrot, which I hope will spread through that pink bed... My allotment neighbour Hans (88) has lots of spontaneous ones, I swear they are the ones I have sown!

These are his beans. He is very good with veg.

The Teasels in my garden (I let them do their thing) are getting ready to receive the bees.

This year I can greet my very first grapes. We'll see what colour they are, a complete surprise.

As are these Strawberries! Rather late in the season, but I don't mind 😀

Okay, this is it for this week. Enjoy your weekend, wherever you are, and do pass on my blog address if you've liked my posts.

Renée Grashoff 

2026/29 - Heatwave # 3 - help!

 It is getting boring, I know... I realise that I do go on about climate change, but it is hard to ignore. Sorry! Whilst in the South of France bushfires are causing mass evacuations for campsites, our grass verges are as dry and yellow as if we have moved our country and dropped it in the South of Europe. And we officially have the third heatwave of the year.

My roses are thriving in that heat, though. They are doing much better than myself, I wilt as soon as the temperature rises above 24°C...

So I cycle to Hunky Dory in the very early morning, often around 07.00 a.m. when I am the only one there. Well, except the birds and other animals that is.

This Red Admiral kept fluttering around my head, I think it was attracted to my hot pink hat. And when I watered my tin planters, a huge bright green grasshopper startled me by hopping almost into my face. I wanted to take a photo for you, but it had other ideas.

I bought the first marginal water plants, Polygonum bistorta. And that bright green grass-like reed in the pond is the Papyrus...it has survived, happy about that.

The Lathyrus is moving along the branch. But I think it is past its prime now, eventhough I deadhead it daily. 

 Still, it is very pretty, don't you think? I keep throwing the pods in other parts of my garden, next to the fences, in the hope the plant will shoot up there next year. Probably not, though. In my experience my plants only shoot up anywhere if they feel like it...

Like the gorgeous Wild Carrot...The seeds I sowed in my planter...not one carrot flower has shown itself. But in the corner, next to the small mound, they have come up spontaneously, and also on the tiny forecourt where I put my bycicle. Oh well...they are welcome.

In between heatwave 2 and 3, we had a storm...in other parts of the country they had hail, so big, that the stones destroyed greenhouses and dented cars.

In my part there was not a drop of the so much needed rain, just gusts of wind that blew down trees.

One of the casualties was my favourite Willow, along the river bank. When Puck saw it in the very early morning, she stared at it for a while. She knows something is different, I am sure.

I suppose I can be glad not the entire tree blew down. From a distance it looks insignificant, but I assure you that the branch is a meter in width.

Anyway...I'll be glad when it gets a bit cooler! It is nearing 30°C this entire week to come, and that simply is too hot for me, my dog and my garden. The Canna Lily on my balcony is loving it though.

I'll leave you with my newest painting. I have an exhibition coming up in September, so in between watering my plants and writing my book, I paint.

Have a lovely week, do visit my website to read the teaser for Moss at Renée Grashoff Schrijft and try to keep cool!

2026/28 - July Jubilations

 Week-long tropical heat has made some of my plants wilt, and others throw a party!

The bumblebees were having a party of their own on this gate crasher from my neighbour's plot. It takes the heat in its stride.

When the flowers are spent, it decks itself in lovely blood red berries, which then darken to deep purple.

There were at least 15 bees on it!
So it can stay.

Another neighbour has this Artichoke in his cold frame. This does not mind heat either.

Oh, and I finally mowed my grass! It certainly looks a lot better now! Did I tell you I bought an old fashioned hand mower? Which came in a flat pack as if it was a bookcase from IKEA? And which I put together myself, only to find out at the very last two nuts and bolts that the bloody pipe was bent? So those nuts and bolts were too short?

I was so frustrated that I did not have the strength to bend it into shape, that I bolted the bloody thing together with tie wraps. And it works perfectly fine. Only looks stupid.

A bit like my new frogless frog pond, in fact.

But hey, Waterlily is thriving and blooming, so who is complaining?

Don't let those clouds fool you! It was 29,5°C when I took that photo.

Proof!

I am looking into marginal pond plants to camouflage that ugly pondliner.

The apples are okay too.

The Monarda looking its best. It is an insect puller as well.

And my Gaura has suddenly exploded. I have exactly the same one on my balcony, where it is unhappy, so in Autumn it will move to Hunky Dory. No room for unhappy plants on my balcony!

The Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' is giving my hot bed some sizzle. After a very slow start, three years ago, it has come into its stride now.

So my hot bed is looking marginally hotter this year, hurray! In here is another Gaura, the White Whirling Butterfly. And a bright orange Hemerocallis. 

Another plant which has decided to show me it was worth buying, at last, is this Digitalis ferruginea 'Gigantea'. It is a perennial, was next to nothing for three years and whoops! All of a sudden this year it is as tall as me. I think it is lovely, such an unusual colour.

I wouldn't mind some more to dot around, so I'll keep my eye open.

The bog standard Digitalis, the biannual ones, have bloomed and are already setting seed. I let them do their thing, and they walk all over the garden, although they do seem to have a preference for not-so-handy spots. Like in the doorway of my greenhouse.

The Digitalis being my height only shows what monsters the Cardoons have grown into this year! I mean...wow! No taking cosy photos of dozing Bumble bees in the flowers this time...they are impossible to reach.

One of my favourites: the drumstick Alliums. They are such fun!

I'll say goodnight, now.

There's a new blog on my website for your perusal (translator button provided);  it is a teaser for my 3rd part of the Brielle trilogy (called Moss).

You'll find it at Renée Grashoff Schrijft

Have a good week, wherever you are.

Renée Grashoff 

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