Batten down the hatches
Spring?
A funny old year so far
After a good Christmas in Scotland, I missed my usual foray with my Uni group at New Year, partly down to reading a friend the wrong way, my own fault. I stayed at home over the period and met up at a local friend's house for a more sedate meal, half a dozen of us seeing in the New Year.
A large number of people gathered in early January for my friend's funeral, some coming from as far as Australia, Boston and Germany, a reflection on how much she had meant to folk. I still haven't got used to A not being around, and it must be agonising for her elderly father with no close family left.
February was rain, and more rain. Flooding in my county but thankfully not here, and I'm finally getting the roof repaired. It was still relatively mild, so business has held up, and will get busier soon.
Took a short break at the end of Feb to Belgium.... A swift two hour journey by Eurostar to Brussels. The route is often sunken between earth mounds, partly to keep noise down for local inhabitants, so there are parts of the journey with little to see, and along with the smooth, wider tracks and rhythmic motion, it was hard to stay awake. Either that, or the fact I'd been up all night finishing a piece of work before I left.
I met up with some of my horticultural friends for a meal and a look at Leuven, an attractive old town with student bars and smart restaurants, and a brief view of the EC HQ at Berlaymont on the route back.. The next day I walked around Brussels, joining up with an organised tour in the afternoon, a good way to cover some of the history, major sights (the Mannekin Pis described as one of the world's more underwhelming attractions), and culture, a mix of French and Dutch with (International) English widely spoken. It was a brave group, in freezing weather and hail showers. The tourist shops majored on chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate. I therefore brought along some shortbread as a gift when I visited my old schoolfriend, now an architect in Brussels, and still reeling from the repercussions of Brexit. We had a good time, reminiscing, and looking to the future too. He and his wife were facing some difficulties ahead, and I hope to keep in touch.
I squeezed in visits to a major museum and an exhibition of Keith Haring's work
The entrance shouted his words 'Art for everybody' but his foundation was good at charging for it (thankfully for a good cause), 18 Euros seemed quite steep (I'm spoiled by our free museums in the UK), but it was a well presented selection of his work, including some of the more famous items. I was surprised (well, not that surprised) at how many penises he managed to squeeze into some of his art, but Belgian children seemed relatively unphased by it. His activism was to the fore as well, and the salutary reminder that it took the deaths of 12,000 US citizens from AIDS before the President first mentioned the disease in public (1985). Would such avoidance happen today?
I met up with S for the journey to Bruges. Formerly a major trading capital in the Middle Ages, it is now a major tourist capital. On the night we arrived it was cold, and deserted - a good way to see it, as it was thronged with tour groups by the following morning, and this is well out of peak season. We had a good walk around the city the following day, getting as far as the outer canal with it's redundant windmills, before being driven to a tea and waffle shop by the incessant rain.
A short train journey to Ghent the following day, a University town with a long history, and more grand buildings. We dodged the gales, hoping to get a peek at the 'Lam God', Van Eyck's triptych which has been recently restored, revealing more human 'starey' eyes on the central sheep. Tickets had long sold out, but the entry displays in the impressive cathedral made do.
The wider triptych is packed with imagery, but none as striking as the focal point. Religious icons can often be a little bizarre, but this depiction of Jesus with the blood fountain, takes the biscuit, so to say.
Further afield was the marvellous Ghent Castle, storybook turrets and crenellations.
Another night in Bruges, and completed the list of Belgian foods to try, before heading back to Blighty, (hopefully without a dose of Corvid-19).
Can't believe that we are so far into March already. Locally it is race week, though I'm keeping a low profile. I did venture to the supermarket yesterday evening, quieter than usual, and surprised to turn a corner and see a complete double aisle totally devoid of any stock (toilet rolls and tissues). Such is the power of panic buying. Thankfully I still have rolls to spare.
Keep well, out there.
A funny old year so far
After a good Christmas in Scotland, I missed my usual foray with my Uni group at New Year, partly down to reading a friend the wrong way, my own fault. I stayed at home over the period and met up at a local friend's house for a more sedate meal, half a dozen of us seeing in the New Year.
A large number of people gathered in early January for my friend's funeral, some coming from as far as Australia, Boston and Germany, a reflection on how much she had meant to folk. I still haven't got used to A not being around, and it must be agonising for her elderly father with no close family left.
February was rain, and more rain. Flooding in my county but thankfully not here, and I'm finally getting the roof repaired. It was still relatively mild, so business has held up, and will get busier soon.
Took a short break at the end of Feb to Belgium.... A swift two hour journey by Eurostar to Brussels. The route is often sunken between earth mounds, partly to keep noise down for local inhabitants, so there are parts of the journey with little to see, and along with the smooth, wider tracks and rhythmic motion, it was hard to stay awake. Either that, or the fact I'd been up all night finishing a piece of work before I left.
I met up with some of my horticultural friends for a meal and a look at Leuven, an attractive old town with student bars and smart restaurants, and a brief view of the EC HQ at Berlaymont on the route back.. The next day I walked around Brussels, joining up with an organised tour in the afternoon, a good way to cover some of the history, major sights (the Mannekin Pis described as one of the world's more underwhelming attractions), and culture, a mix of French and Dutch with (International) English widely spoken. It was a brave group, in freezing weather and hail showers. The tourist shops majored on chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate. I therefore brought along some shortbread as a gift when I visited my old schoolfriend, now an architect in Brussels, and still reeling from the repercussions of Brexit. We had a good time, reminiscing, and looking to the future too. He and his wife were facing some difficulties ahead, and I hope to keep in touch.
I squeezed in visits to a major museum and an exhibition of Keith Haring's work
The entrance shouted his words 'Art for everybody' but his foundation was good at charging for it (thankfully for a good cause), 18 Euros seemed quite steep (I'm spoiled by our free museums in the UK), but it was a well presented selection of his work, including some of the more famous items. I was surprised (well, not that surprised) at how many penises he managed to squeeze into some of his art, but Belgian children seemed relatively unphased by it. His activism was to the fore as well, and the salutary reminder that it took the deaths of 12,000 US citizens from AIDS before the President first mentioned the disease in public (1985). Would such avoidance happen today?
I met up with S for the journey to Bruges. Formerly a major trading capital in the Middle Ages, it is now a major tourist capital. On the night we arrived it was cold, and deserted - a good way to see it, as it was thronged with tour groups by the following morning, and this is well out of peak season. We had a good walk around the city the following day, getting as far as the outer canal with it's redundant windmills, before being driven to a tea and waffle shop by the incessant rain.
A short train journey to Ghent the following day, a University town with a long history, and more grand buildings. We dodged the gales, hoping to get a peek at the 'Lam God', Van Eyck's triptych which has been recently restored, revealing more human 'starey' eyes on the central sheep. Tickets had long sold out, but the entry displays in the impressive cathedral made do.
The wider triptych is packed with imagery, but none as striking as the focal point. Religious icons can often be a little bizarre, but this depiction of Jesus with the blood fountain, takes the biscuit, so to say.
Further afield was the marvellous Ghent Castle, storybook turrets and crenellations.
Another night in Bruges, and completed the list of Belgian foods to try, before heading back to Blighty, (hopefully without a dose of Corvid-19).
Can't believe that we are so far into March already. Locally it is race week, though I'm keeping a low profile. I did venture to the supermarket yesterday evening, quieter than usual, and surprised to turn a corner and see a complete double aisle totally devoid of any stock (toilet rolls and tissues). Such is the power of panic buying. Thankfully I still have rolls to spare.
Keep well, out there.