2026/7 - Tricky Times

 It is the 3rd of February today (writing and actually posting do not happen on the same day, as I'm sure you'll understand), and we are at that point when nature seems to be shaking off the winter fast.

Puck is feeling the approach of Spring as well, and wants to sniff out the balcony...just to make certain all is still as she wants it to be.

But appearances can deceive...Yes, in my neighbourhood the snowdrops are showing, and some even have buds, and just look at the buds on that plant in the photo with Puck! But experience tells me we could still have frost and snow in the weeks ahead.

And the many buds on my pretty absinthe plant could all freeze.

It's too late for my Pelargoniums, I'm afraid. In the previous very mild Winter they happily grew on, and saved me a lot of money, but this year they are as dead as doornails.

I simply have nowhere to store them at home  over Winter, and carting them all to my greenhouse is too much work and useless anyway, as it is unheated.

Oh well...it gives me the opportunity to sow some different plants for the balcony planters this year.

I do have something special though...no filter used! This is the third time I witnessed the Northern Lights this year, and this time I had the brilliant thought I'd take a photograph. The other two times I was so in awe I forgot.

Well, no need for me to fork out thousands of Euros to travel to Lapland, eh? All I need now is for a herd of elephants to appear on the abandoned football field at the end of the street, and a pod of dolphins in the Brielse Meer. 

I drove to Hunky Dory to pick up some chicory and sow some new seeds, and took a quick tour of the garden. Very quick! It was 1°, but the Eastern wind made it feel like -6°. But hey-ho, the bulbs are showing themselves!

Thanks to the rain my frog pond is full for a change, and I hope the resident salamander is fine and sleeping in the mud.

The Helleborus is waking up, no more sleeping for her. She is five years old now, and getting a bit tired. I really should get some fresh ones to keep her company.

The Tradescantia is lighting up that entire corner on the other side of the frog pond. Have you ever seen something that red? In a few weeks I'll give her some support to scramble up against. It blew over in a storm and I haven't got round to it yet.

This baby is holding its own so far. It is a Cyrtomium falcatum, and I simply cannot remember that name, so I call it 'fern', which is not too bad, as it is from the Dryopteridaceae family (niervaren in Dutch). It is a rock plant...so totally out of its comfort zone in my soil. I really should provide it with some crushed brick or something! I'd love to build it a brick folly, so it could hang down gracefully...and be the belle at the wall, so to speak. But as I garden on an allotment, that is out of the question.

My other fern, nameless, is also still alive. Totally out of place as well, but I pamper it with my leafmold and put sticks around its base, hoping that it gets tricked into thinking it is in a forest.

I bought 3 little Cyclamen this afternoon, but could not face that wind on the balcony. Tomorrow should be better, so I'll put them properly into a pot then.  They are so sweet!

Alrighty, this is it for this week. Do look me up at my website Renée Grashoff Schrijft, where I hope to have some exciting news about my second part of the trilogy about murder in Brielle soon. I cannot wait myself, and I hear from some of you that you cannot either, which is pretty cool!

Take care!

Renée Grashoff 

2026/6 - Join me on my trip to Middelburg, attractive capitol of Zeeland

 There. In your face!

We are in the bleakest part of Dutch Delta winter right now, and it is cold, and mostly grey, and sometimes wet as well.

But occasionally we are lucky, and the sun shows herself. I was extremely lucky with the weekend my daughter and I took the train to Middelburg, as it was cold but sunny.

In one of the many charming alleyways we stumbled across this magnificent Camelia.

Middelburg

Zeeland is one of our South-Western provinces, and is made up by a collection of islands. They used to be at the mercy of the sea,  but no longer, as our engineers cleverly built the Deltawerken. So now there are barriers to keep the sea out, and dams to connect the islands. Eventhough I live on such an island myself (but in Zuid-Holland), Zeeland feels distinctly 'different'! And it IS old! Viking king Harald the Young is said to have ruled here between 841 and 864.

It was quite a weird experience; my hometown Brielle is just as old, so the Middelburg buildings feel very familiar, but they are larger, grander and more numerous. Above is the Vismarkt (fish market), our view from the b&b. A lovely square, very quiet. Until we were shouted awake no less than 5 times by drunken louts in the middle of the night...some people have no manners!

The gothic town hall (1458) is overwhelming. All turrets and statues and gargoyles, very beautiful.

Compared to this, my Brielle town hall is like a shed...But then Middelburg was extremely wealthy during the 15th and 16th century, whilst Brielle fell on hard times after its brief fame of being the first town to be liberated from the Spanish in the 80 year war in 1572.

Again the town hall on the left, and the Abdijchurch (called Lange Jan) on the right. We had a wonderful meal in De Herberg, which serves a good selection of vegan food, as well as meat and fish.

Such grandeur! 

The old centre of the town is a collection of squares, mostly connected by gates. There is a huge Norbertine Abbey, dating from 1127, and it has numerous winding alleys.

It also has many churches! The Reformation meant they all converted to Protestantism in 1574, as did this one, but the outside still felt pre-reformation.

Middelburg made its wealth from VOC and WIC shipping. And that means not only spices, and luxury chinaware, but slavery as well. Funnily enough Amsterdam has 'the bad name' where slavery is concerned, but Middelburg was just as notorious.

This used to be where the ships docked, and the huge houses along what used to be quays (Prins Hendrikdok) still project wealth. When you get a wobble from the crazy business of Amsterdam, go to Middelburg! The houses are just as imposing, I promise.

The rich 'reders' (shipowners) all proudly named their houses, this one is called De Witte Swaen (the white swan). 

But, as ever, richess 'don't impress me much', to quote Shania Twain, and the ordinary houses charm me much more.

Higgeldy piggeldy...lovely! The Kuiperspoort.

It appears to be a completely deserted town, but it was minus one... All people had hidden indoors.

One of the many gates. And no cars allowed...bliss. The typical cellar doors on the left are still in situ all over the town centre.

The square of the Abbey. 

Can you spot that Camelia?

And here it is...glorious! My daughter (not familiar with camelias) was amazed that it bloomed in late January. But it stood in exactly the right spot! Protected from the wind by tall walls, and in sunshine.

I'll leave you with a typically Dutch café, again empty, as it was early on Sunday morning and all those louts were still sleeping off their hangovers I guess...Can you spot those ancient white tiles on the back wall? We call them 'witjes' and they are very old. This building must stem from the  late 14th century, and escaped the fires that swept the centre a couple of times. And those heavy beams on the right! Impressive.

A Dutch breakfast. The boiled eggs were still boiling...

Well. Hopefully you have enjoyed joining me on my weekend trip. I will revert to Hunky Dory blogs soon, so watch this space. My manuscript is at the printer's, a.s.a. I have news, I'll let you know. In the meantime you can have a look at Renée Grashoff Schrijft

Do follow this blog when you like it, won't you? And have a good week, wherever you are.

Renée Grashoff 

2026/5 - Delta Winter Wealth

 There is nothing nicer, weatherwise, to have a week of calm, sunny weather after the misery of icy roads and sub-zero stormy winds.

Us delta dwellers take our moments of weather joy when they arrive. Personally I did a round of Hunky Dory to see how my plants were after the snow and ice, and basically they were absolutely fine, except one. My Clivia, which I had put into the greenhouse, was definitely very unhappy. Too cold!

But my veg, such as it is at the moment, was still looking good, lovely! It will not be long before I will buy some more soil for the other three beds (two more on the other side of the greenhouse) and sow some more seeds.

There is one plant that has nestled itself between the chicory, which turns out to be a Glebononis coronaria...never heard of it. It can stay, for now.

I am curious to see how it develops. Will still have to look up if it is edible.

It being such wonderful weather yesterday, a friend and I drove to the next island, Goeree-Overflakkee, to take a walk along the sea.

Well, I say the sea, but actually there is a marsh, with lots of reed beds and thus lots of wader birds. Just like at a lot of other Dutch island coastlines, the seawater comes into the marsh at high tide, and leaves again through gullies. The sun lightened up the reeds, and it was beautiful. We walked to a birdwatchers hide to see if we could spot any Spoonbills, but they were not there.

In the background you can see one of those gullies and the sea, and that light stripe right at the back is my island, Voorne.

There weren't any Spoonbills, but we did spot Mallards and Cormorants, and when we sat on a bench to rest, a Buzzard passed by overhead.

This part of the island is called de Kwaade Hoeck, meaning Terrible Corner. The sea has 'walking sands', so the shrimp fishermen from Stellendam have to have a very good working knowledge of where they can pass with their vessels to get to the harbour. There are supposed to be a lot of old shipwrecks below the surface, and during the last couple of decades those sandbanks have become larger and larger. And the Goeree fishing fleet has become smaller and smaller...I used to teach English to their young men, I wonder how many of those boys attending that fishery college have actually become fishermen...

Anyway, that was aside. Back to my garden.

It looks bleak at first sight, but looks deceive. I saw my bulbs pushing their way up, always the narcisii first, and the tulips come later. No tulips in sight yet, which is as it should be.

What I also noticed, that all of a sudden my blood red Malus apples have disappeared from the small tree. So the birds do actually know they are there, and eat them when they feel the need!

That sky! So lovely! Talking about skies, we had the Northern Lights in my country for the last couple of nights. I spotted it once, when I woke up around 3 a.m., and I saw a red pulsating light in the direction of my allotment. I thought what on earth...is there a fire? But no fire engines, all was very calm and quiet. So I watched it for 10 minutes or so, and then it disappeared.

It was only on the day after that I heard on the morning news that I was lucky enough to have witnessed A Very Rare Event. So I set the alarm for the next night, but saw nothing. Ha! That is always the way, isn't it?

Proof that the trees are anticipating spring again. But first we are in for yet another icy spell, if I can believe the weatherman. Hm, can't say I am looking forward to that...after a couple of sunny days my body craves even more good weather.

Okay. Nothing more to tell you...these are the quiet weeks before the rush to get ready for a new gardening year.

Have a good week, wherever you are.

And please share my blog address when you enjoy reading my words, or visit my website at Renée Grashoff Schrijft

See you!

Renée Grashoff 

2026/4 - Memories of gardens past.

 Most of us gardeners never forget our previous garden(s). Which is logical; you have spent hours and hours of your life tending and shaping that garden, right? Sometimes you move on to an even better garden, sometimes you reluctantly can't.

Our first garden, 1969, hugely significant, for there I fell in love with green things. Especially with the meadows, where my mother kept goats, whom I adored. And the weeping willows, where a family of screetch owls lived.

She left the upkeep to others...who all accepted my interest with indulgence (and roped me in when nails and gardening tools had to be handed up, etc.) and gave me rides in the wheelbarrow.

This first home in the Dutch countryside, miles from a village, formed me. Eventhough I enjoy visits to cities, before long I need to get out.

My first garden

In 1987 I started my very first garden, on a balcony, so life has gone full circle by now. I again have a balcony garden now, as well as an allotment.

I was very proud of my garden, and quite disappointed when folks came round for drinks and did not even notice my pretty flowers.

The first proper garden

But then! In 1993 hubby and I moved to a corner house in a council row, so we had a front, side and back garden. Oh joy of joys! Hubby threw himself into the hard landscaping, and into keeping ornamental doves, and I spent every free minute shaping my dream garden.

Sorry for the blurry photo, this was pre-computer or mobile phones. But you get the gist of the lay-out.

I am still trying to duplicate the lush greenness of this garden on my allotment, but the soil is very different there, unfortunately.

For example, those Japanese Anemones,  the shining stars of my previous  garden, simply do not do well in my present garden. I keep trying though...as I really like them.

The side garden as seen from the fence. We had just planted a plum tree.

My daughter's rabbit Honing (honey) perched on his 'mount'. He had the run of the garden, and sat for hours on that pile of roofing panes, surveying his kingdom. The dog, cats and doves all respected him, as he was quite feisty.

The greenhouse was a great addition. Finally able to grow proper tomatoes and cucumbers was wonderful.

The last addition we made to that garden was a large pond...and I have no photos of that, unfortunately. Life took an unpredictable turn and I had to leave my old life and this garden behind.

I have no regrets about leaving that house, at all, but the garden...I still dream about that garden regularly.

Present day

I am nothing if not a pragmatist, so my present garden is very different. I try to go with the flow of my allotment garden, and some things work out better than others. The one thing that has not changed, is my love of emersing myself in my plants, both on my balcony and on my plot. I feel happiest when they tower over me...it must be the willows that imprinted on my early youth.

I already have made plans for both balcony and allotment for 2026, that is the sheer fun of gardening, isn't it?

So from Puck and me, a very green, happy weekend!

Do visit my website at Renée Grashoff Schrijft

Bye!

Renée Grashoff 

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