This Week in Wijnjewoude 2020: A Prickly Pig

Week 45 A Prickly Pig

Lotte was not game to put the kids' sheets and stuff in the clothes dryer - it didn't seem to be working properly after we sorted out the power points and shifted it around a bit.

A porcupine is known as a "stekel varken" - literally a "prickly pig".

So, Janny had a look at the dryer - exhaust hose didn't look right, so she pulled it off - only to find that a porcupine had crawled into the hose.

It was playing dead - but it soon disappeared a little while after we had cut it out!

It crawled in through here...

Monday Record Temperature!

The record for the warmest November 2 was broken before the sun even rose on Monday, according to the national weather bureau KNMI. The temperature at the De Bilt weather station reached 17.5 degrees at 1.10am, beating the previous record set in 2014.

By 7am it had risen to 18.5 degrees, making it the warmest November night ever. The daytime record for the month of 20.3 degrees could fall later on Monday, although a cold front is forecast to sweep in over lunchtime that will bring the mercury down to 12 degrees by sunset.

Monday is the 11th day so far this year to set a new high temperature record, while not a single day has brought a new record low figure. The KNMI is also warning of strong winds of up to force 8 in northern coastal areas and gusts of up to 75 km/h on Monday. The wind speed will drop later in the week, giving way to drier spells with patches of sunlight. The temperature is expected to drop to a more seasonal 11 to 12 degrees and could dip as low as 2 degrees overnight, bringing the prospect of the first frosts of winter.

More Beech Trees

About 15 years ago, the local government planted beech trees along our cycling path - maybe 100 or more. They have now come of age and have been trimmed up to a height of 3-4 metres - much easier for me to mow around!

These are the much photographed beech trees across the road from us - about 100 years old.

The Two Beeches (De Twa Buken) of our place would have been the same age if they had survived.

My birthday treat for the clients (although we don't really need an excuse)

...and Tjeerd supplied the cake for his birthday! We were back to a "full house" on Thursday - Uilke is our oldest client and has to be particularly careful with Lockdown restrictions.

and Lucas supplied the cake on Wednesday - as he has been with us now for 12 years!!

Daniel and Peter have also been with us for 10 years - but we missed the date (and the cake) because we were closed for the first Lockdown.

Janny's little speech for Lucas included the sentiment that "they all feel a little like family to us".

Boeke and I found a new walking path out the back...

...and they are busy landscaping/terraforming the new heath area diectly behind us.

Starting at 0700hrs... under lights

We cleared out the garage (again) to make room for 3 cars over the winter...

Ben is back with us - he can do his normal work from home, but the modelling work seems to have dried up again - due to all the Covid restrictions.

He took these photos on one of his daily runs across the heath.

Janny's Mum, daughters and a Granddaughter had a craft afternoon out the back - including the social distancing...

With Ben home, we try to do something together each evening - this one is "Ticket to Ride - Europe". I was reminded of playing "Oil" and "Sheep Stations" when I was a kid.

Board games seem pretty popular over here - and particularly so with all the Lockdown restrictions.