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Sunday, July 6
After
a two-day stay Walter, our friend the professor from Samos left this
morning to meet in Bordeaux with his all-time friend Werner and his
lover Bernd for a beach holiday.
Within a week or so he'll be coming back to the Netherlands for the
annual gathering of the Eurofaeries on the isle of Terschelling 
.
(People who are interested in medical history can take a look at his
work at .)
Monday, July 7
Suddenly she was there. Only 3 feet away from where we were clipping the branches of a collapsed willow. A racing pigeon: exhausted, starved, dehydrated. As if providence had sent her to us. But she didn't go away, not even after she'd been given water and food. As if she had chosen us to be her new family. In the end we had to chase her away before one of the cats would catch her.
Saturday, July 12
Every gardener's horror; to encounter a complete wilderness after returning from a holiday. After two weeks of clearing out the weeds and grasses, cutting branches and clipping the hedges there's finally some time to enjoy the beauty of it all.
Tuesday, July 15
We spend a wonderful evening with Paul and Maria, our aperitif friends in Greece. They're an amazing couple. While he was serving for HM's Royal Airforce against Hitler's troops, her father - an Austrian citizen - was killed at the eastern front. Their advanced age - he's almost 90 - has taken it's toll, although they're still very active and on top of things. And, as the picture shows, able to maintain a lovely garden.
Wednesday, July 16
While a giant thunderstorm (that killed a bunch of campers in the South of France last nite) is coming our way (due this afternoon) sheep are still fighting for every piece of shade they can get. Temperatures go up to 35°C (about 95°F) which is pretty rare in these lowlands. All-time maximum temperature in July is 36,9°C (Maastricht, 1921.)
Saturday, July 19
Endless
summer! Getting a stripeless suntan in the backyard. Cooling our feet
in the stream. Having a bbq in the orchard untill late at nite. As if
summer will last forever. Water may rise and our dikes may give up,
but untill then we just can not get enough of this global warming.
Sunday, July 20
"Most
of it was done by my father-in-law", was the modest comment of
the owner of what is probably one of the most beautiful gardens of the
Netherlands. True, most of the refined landscaping was done by the old
Mr. Gatacre, but the influence of his son Peter and his wife Laura is
non the worse for it. The flowerbeds in the deepened garden wouldn't
be out of place in Great Britain; they're just amazing.
