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 

2025 /1 - I love snowy days

 When Puck woke me this morning (06.30, so good dog) we stepped out of the door into a white winter wonderland. And it was still snowing, so my doggy was happy instantly. She adores snow, as do I.

This watercolour is from 2020, I painted it after the last time we had proper snow. 

Puck and I were the only ones out, except for the many waterfowl, who had marched down the path before us, leaving their prints.

But at 8 a.m. the snow had already melted and it had turned to rain, such a shame.

So to cheer myself up, I looked at some old balcony garden photos, from a few years ago. I am already looking forward to the new gardening season, aren't you?

My hands are itching to start, but I know from experience I will have to wait a bit. My greenhouse is unheated. So far my attempts to grow runner beans have been rather feeble, but I'm determined to try again this year, in another spot, and from pots. My clay has thwarted me so far, so this year I will try a new strategy. Why not? I have plenty of large pots.

And look, one of my neighbours grew pumpkins in his raised bed, so I'll try that (again) this year too! And I'd love to attempt one of those weird hanging yellow courgettes. So: the only way is UP! Up from that rock hard summer soil that keeps frustrating a lot of my efforts.

I'll leave you with a photo of what is to come very soon. I cannot wait!

Have a good January, enjoy the snow if you are lucky enough to have it (now don't grumble at me, having months and months of grey skies and rain is no picnic I tell you!).

Renée 

61- Our unpredictable climate

 On Thursday afternoon I was watering my parched pot potatoes (no rain for over a month) in my t-shirt, and on Friday morning I woke up to snow and 4 below zero temperatures. 

Woolly hat back on! 

As Puck and I slip-slided through early morning walkies, I thought back to previous years. Did I experience this abrupt weather rollercoaster before, ever? Well, my memories of previous April 1st celebrations (we have a huge street party in my town to remember "we" threw out the Spanish oppressor in 1572) are mostly of getting a thorough soaking just when you have bought some chips, and there is usually a lot of wind to make all those flags snap. But this huge a change...no, can't recall.

My balcony plants have taken it in their stride, but the allotment plants, hm, don't know yet. My experience is plants usually do not react well to rollercoasters, and simply put their growth on halt. Or die. I'm especially apprehensive about my clematis and artichoke, as they were put in under near desert conditions, and now have had to deal with sudden winter on top of that.

Some of my plants simply shrug and get on with it though.

And in the greenhouse all is well.

This morning I decided to plant out my Verbena bonariensis, as they outgrew their 9" pots, and I had no soil to pot them on once again. So I gave them a pep talk*,  dug them all a nice hole (pragmatically, i.e. at places I could get my trowel in), watered them in and left them to get on with it.

* "Well, here's the thing. You have been pampered since October, but no more. You are tough, you can do this! When you spot a slug, hit it over the head with a clot, Frith knows they are like concrete. Oh, and there won't be extra watering, so dig in those roots!"

The cauliflower are growing well, and I've planted some paksoi today, in between the salad greens (which so far are disappointing, but I have since read that they like light to sprout, ah. Well, in my defence, the earlier batch were covered and did just fine). As soon as I've moved the rest of the Digitalis outside, I'll prepare a bed for the radishes neighbour Yvon has given me, three kinds, no less.

And the beans have been moved outside as well, behind the greenhouse, next to the Apple trees. They were leggy...note to self: do not sow them that early next year!!

I have 5 days off work now, so there will be a lot more planting (on the balcony as well), so I will have a lot to tell you next week.

And perhaps, hopefully, there will be some news about the frog pond. Mr Waddles has moved himself back into the greenhouse though. I noticed him staring at me from behind the garlic this morning.

You can read more about my gardens at Instagram@songsmith2962,  where there are more photos of my garden as well.