Hello!
My days and weeks are very fragmented at the moment, and the only thing I can think of to do here this week, is post a few of those fragments.
Sunday
No workmen today. Ah, sigh of relief. I’m very grateful to them for all the work they are doing, and they are really nice guys, but I’m also grateful for a day without them. It isn’t just the upheaval. It’s also having to dance the distancing dance that we have been performing in shops and in the street this past year at home now, too, that is stressful.
After breakfast we’re escaping the house for a walk in the wood. Many trees are still bare, and in some places it still looks very wintry, but the amelanchiers are in bloom. Although torrential rain on Friday has made them look slightly dishevelled, they’re still worth photographing.
The fresh young leaves of the beeches make other parts of the wood look really springlike.
A couple of hours in the wood erase a week’s worth of stress.
Monday
Today the walls are painted. It feels like a luxury that somebody else is doing this for us – we have always done jobs like these ourselves in the past. Choosing paint colours was fun. There were so many colours to choose from…
… but in the end we chose more or less the same ones as before. We didn’t want to redecorate, after all.
For the living room we chose white with a hint of pink in it, like the blossom on our apple tree. Not like the buds, but like the petals of the fully opened flowers.
And we chose a pale yellow for one wall in the kitchen. Similar to these daffodils that are now flowering, only slightly less lemony.
The rest of the walls and the ceilings are simply painted white.
We’re suddenly without electricity and internet for part of the day, so no computer work for a while. When I head outside to do some jobs in the garden, it starts to rain. The only thing I can do now is retreat to our bedroom and knit.
Tuesday
This was the day the central heating radiators were going be re-installed, but alas… change of plan, it is now going to be Thursday (we hope). Changes of plans are not my forte. The weather is dismal (stormy view from our bedroom window).
Everything is covered in white dust again. I resist the urge to get back into bed and start cleaning again.
Flags are at half-mast around the village (and everywhere else in the country). On the 4th of May we commemorate those fallen during wars and peacekeeping missions since the beginning of WWII. At 8 pm we observe two minutes of silence and watch the ceremony on an almost empty Dam Square. The stories told by survivors and their children and grandchildren are deeply moving.
Wednesday
On May 5th we celebrate the end of WWII as well as freedom, democracy and human rights in general. Normally, there are all kinds of festivities. This year again only the flags show that it’s a special day.
I’m becoming more and more aware of how fragile these values are. We have a mini celebration at home with some sweet treats hot from the baker’s oven.
The June issue of Country Living magazine lands in our letterbox. I don’t think I’ll be visiting the UK any time soon, and it is a real treat to look at some lovely pictures of British wildlife. With phone calls with our daughter and a dear friend added in, this was, all in all a festive day in a small way.
Thursday
Hurray! I have an appointment for my first vaccine jab. And very soon, too. Can’t wait!
Hurray 2! The radiators have been re-installed! We have the house to ourselves again, and can start moving back in. This whole episode, with the semi-earthquake and the cracks in our walls, has taken up so much time and energy. I’m glad the end is in sight. I sympathize with all those people in the north of the country with far more serious cracks in their houses caused by real earth quakes due to gas extractions and fervently hope they will finally be compensated soon.
Hurray 3! The blue tits’ eggs in one of our nesting boxes have hatched. The parents are flying on and off with food. They refuse to be photographed, so here is just the nesting box and you’ll have to take my word for it.
Hope all is well with you and yours, hope to be less fragmented next week, and hope to see you again then. Bye!
I enjoyed reading your post very much. After all, it speaks of real life with its everyday ups and downs. We’re going through a similar renovation, and the thoughts of a thorough clean when it has been completed is causing me stress! I love the linen stitch piece that you are knitting… what will it become? Also, it’s so wonderful to know that you are celebrating the end of WWll during this time each year… my uncle’s name is etched upon the monument at Margraten, as you might remember per our earlier conversation. Thank you for sending such an interesting post!
Of course I remember your uncle! We owe a lot to men like him. I’ll write about the linen stitch project sometime during the coming weeks. Wishing you lots of luck with your renovation!
Thank you… it was lovely to hear from you!
I think you are holding up really well in all the chaotic surroundings. I enjoyed the read, and can relate to the fragmented feelings. I admire that you keep a positive focus.
Cheers! Cynthia
It’s been a struggle now and then, but taking pictures and writing a daily blog portion has helped me focus outside myself and see things in perspective. We’re almost back to normal (inside our house, I mean. Outside everything is still far from normal.) Thanks for visiting!