It's Ugly Weather, But You Never Can Tell....

I had pulled-on my raingear because the sky looked angry and there were two levels of clouds. Ther lower clouds were gray and zipping by like they were being shot over our landscape. They were coming out of the north west, and they had "Greetings From Droopy" written all over them.
We turned left at the red traffic light and headed into the western bicycle path. I say "into" because it is like a long, dark and leafy tunnel, with a carpet of dead, yellow leaves on the ground, carpeting the bike path. You sort of get the idea that you're heading into a Lord of the Rings adventure.
Every time we went under a break in the canopy, I could feel misting rain in my face. I just sort of pursed my lips and shook my head at the irony of this "sunday weather" and peddled on.

The old lottie is beginning to take on a forlorn-look, with half-dead plants and fading blooms. The veggie plots are looking fairly good now, except for the remaining strawberry beds. I think that there are only two left now. The beets need to be harvested and then I can finish off the whole lot.

I did clean one of the beds and removed netting that was protecting the newly sown green manure--Yellow Lupine. However, found the ground too wet to work on in any more. The misting rain just kept falling with periods of respite, but no sun to speak of.

Some flowers were not looking too bad and I can show them now.
The Black-eyed-Susans add some brightness to an otherwise somber garden.


These ones are almost totally bloomed-out after a very productive season.


The pom-pom type sunflowers are still looking cheerful, but some are turning brown around the edges.


A closer look at the lovely things during literally a second of sun. I was lucky.


You know, I was working in the new lotty, which is situated diagonally across the path from the old lotty and I saw two men coming from Nelleke's garden. They had been there to give an estimate for some work that they would do on her failing shed that's slowly rotting-away.
One of the guys stopped and I couldn't hear what he was saying to his collegue...but he was stroking my sunflower like it was a cat, and then he started rubbing his sheek against it and smiling--I wonder what he was saying. Then he saw me kneeling there pulling weeds and stopped, but kept chatting to his co-worker.
I could hardly hold-in the urge to burst out laughing.
They greeted as they continued on their way, not stopping.
I wish you could have seen it. In one way, it looked pretty dumb to see a grown man rubbing cheeks with a sunflower, on the other hand, I am pretty affectionate to my flowers as well. So maybe it wasn't so odd. So, not odd then, but certainaly comical to see. It was a cheerful moment in an otherwise drab day.

This Oenothera is one of the last.


After tea and bikkies and a chat with Netty...we cleaned-up the crumbs and decided to do a bit of harvesting. There were still bits and bobs to harvest in the veggie gardens...so we both set off with our respective trugs feeling optimistic.
My partner had luck with beet(root) and paprikas.


...and I harvested 26 crooknecks, one green courgette and a handful of runner beans. I borrowed one of her paps for colour.


I was taking another break and I heard the bell from the lottie entrance--it was Marianne from up the way. She came on in, sporting a big potato net with a handful of quinces in it. A huge smile slowly broke across my face. I had been waiting and hoping.
They had been picked a bit early, I noted...but no worries, that just ment that there would be a little more pectin, I reasoned.
We will make quince jelly only this year, as we found the jam totally un-interesting and dry last year.

You know, this day wasn't turning out so badly afterall.

After chatting for awhile and exchanging recipes, Marianne headed back up the way shouting back that if I wanted more, I knew where to find them behind her garden house in the storage box.
I thanked her profusely as I stood straddling the fence, one foot in the garden and one foot on the path...waving sincerely.

I gave the greenhouse paprikas water and asked my partner if she would like a fishie in the harbour. She had interest.
We packed-in and locked up, heading down the path with bike satchels bulging.

I led us to the harbour choosing the very narrow, Italiaansezeedijk (a city street). I like this route because it ends right at the harbour tower, so the approach is a romantic one.
I could see from half way down the street that there was a crowd at the end...and as we drew nearer I could hear music.
When we got there, it was obvious that it was a gathering of people clogging the intersection and filling the terraces of the cafés there. It was a concert.


There was a stage at the base of the tower and a large choir (chorus) getting ready to sing. The musici were fingering their acordions and the leader was tapping the mike.
Nooooooowwwwwwww, I remember. I read in the paper that there was going to be music today in the harbour where the "Shantykoors" from surrounding villages would come and entertain us Hoornaren. Marvelous.
They sing the old sea-songs that we all know and can sing along with...for some reason with this hypnotic swaying back and forth movement that always acconpanies the songs.
The groups did the typical sea-songs (shantys), but also some other ones.


All this was nice to see and hear, but we came to eat fish and the way through was hopelessly blocked. We'd never get ourselves and our bikes through that throng, so we had to walk around, taking the back alleys and coming out on the other side.
We made it into the fish man's stand and he called out as my first foot was in the door, "Twee lekkerbekkies"? (two orders of fried fish)
I nodded and made my way up to the counter.
He stood with his back to me basting the fresh whiting with batter as he told of what had been going on there. Where all the choruses had come from and what they sung. He was making money hand-over-fist.
I told him that we needed to speak and he stopped a second and looked over his right shoulder, sensing something other than the usual.
He slipped the fish into the hot oil with a sizzz!

My partner stepped outside to have a smoke and I waited for the food, making small talk. I could see he was curious, but I didn't want to talk business in front of a stand full of people.
He served the lekkerbekkies up and I told him that we'd be back later, but first a little fish and a little singing.
He said, "Very dangerous-- singing with your mouth full."
I told him that "everyone likes a little........"
well, you know how it goes.

Well, we ate and sang along with every shanty they sang. It was such fun. Everyone was in a very good mood...I was so involved that I hadn't noticed, but the weather had cleared-up and the situation was quickly becoming, 'magical'.

When the last group of singers had finished, they did a couple of encores then for the very last song, they sang "Een Kleine Café Aan De Haven"-- an old one reportedly written about one of the harbour cafés called "the Volendammer', situated just adjacent to the tower.
We let the performers sing the lyrics and then the entire crowd would join in and sing the chorus. Lovely.


If you want to hear the song, go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8j9zgOXvXo

After the concert was over, we made our way to the fish tent and had a word with the chappy about him feeding all us cousins next year. It was possible and we worked-out the details.
We shook on it and said good bye.
We headed out onto the pier again for one last look at the habour and the boats. Everything looked so calm and peaceful, as a boat slowly slipped in past the breakers...


We went to the bikes and as I reached out to pull my bike away from her's, I heard "splikkity-splikk-splikk-splikkity" in the leaves of the tree above. I dollop of bird poop fell exactly between our bikes and missed us as well.
She said that it was uncanny-- it looked like I parted the bikes just to let it drop through.
I flikkied my eyebrows up and down a few times and winked as I pushed-off, grinning.
I could hear her go, "Tch" with her teeth. Hee hee hee. "You're insufferable, Sjoerd, did you know that"? My grin just got broader. :-D
We biked along the edge of the inner harbour, along all the old houses and out through the old eastern city gate and home.

The perfect end to a perfect day....but the day had not ended, had it? There were the quinces.


I put on the water for tea and we chopped-up those lovely quinces-- core, skin and all. We let them boil for a couple of hours and then dumped the gunk into a cloth sack and let it drip back into the pan that it was boiled in.
When nothing more dripped out, we threw the pulp away and re-boiled the red liquid, pouring it into the jars.
The next dat it all looked so good with the outside light transluminating the jars.


Well, what started out as an ugly, cold and un-interesting day turned out pretty ok after all-- which just goes to show......which goes to show........."C'est la vie say the old folks, it goes to show you nevuh can tell".

Excuse me while I just kick off my shoes here and begin twisting in my sock feet--music from a YouTube video blaring and me singing along at the top of my lungs....."It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well......"

Dance along?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmAWUxw5PQE

 

I feel that I have just read a fine book. Love the story and your pictures (as always). Thanks for taking us along on your day out.

 

Glad you liked that KG. You are welcome. It would have been REAL fun if you had been there.

 

A huge Awww... *sigh* from here. I did send you the clouds but I didn't want them back, you know. You could have sent them further south.

I love your story, especially the bit about the man rubbing cheeks with the sunflower, and the quinces, the chorus, the fish'n'chip-shop and everything else you touched upon.

I can't remember the Italian sea dike street. Did we get to see it? I do remember that lovely tower of yours, though.

 

Heh heh heh... good for you. Did you klik the links to play the music?

 

I'm listening to it right now, along with most of my family.

 

WOW!!!

 

as usual sjoerd, i have a big smile on my face after reading your post of your adventures and the wonderful pics. and the jelly, looks soooo yummy! thanks for sharing!

 

Sounds like you had a good day. I love those pompom sunflowers...I think we have a variety like it called teddy bear.

I like the pics on the concert, how lovely. A perfect Sunday afternoon if you ask me.

I have never made quince jelly, I don't know anybody with a quince tree, and I certainly don't have room in the garden. I shall have to put the word out locally and see if anyone has any going begging.

 

Wow Sjoerd, my day's never turn out as eventful as yours! You still have some lovely blooms in your garden too

 

EILEEN--thanks for the nice words,. The jelly was good, if not a bit stiffer than I expected, but that was oké. Yes, I shall be getting more quinces. In fact, I got some today. A collegue brought some for me and I told her that I would give her a jar to sample. I felt lucky, because she has pigs that she just feeds the quinces and anything else extra to normally. She has never eaten any quince jelly.
I hope that you were able to finish the decorating.

DROOPY-- We diod not walk in the Italian sea dike street together, but you may have before we met. I am not entirely sure where you parked, so you may have walked a pierce of it when you headed for the tower.
Anyway, when we met, you guys were standing just to the side of the tower. If you stood with your back to the door whereby one enters the tower you would have been looking right up the Italian sea dike street. Ring a bell?

TONI-- I will try and remember to take a piccy of the tunnel-like bike path segment. Don't hold me to it, though.

I am very happy that you liked the posting, Bunkie.

EJ-- I wish that I knew the name of those sunflowers. They are seeds that I gather each year. The original plants were planted years ago. I ought to look it up sometime, I reckon.
I wish that Ihad a quince tree too., but like you--I have no room at all, so I must go begging. Most folks do nothing with their fruit. They grow the treed for the lovely spring blooms. I like those blooms very much. They make me think of a dogwood flower somewhat.

NETTY-- Thank you so much for your nice comments. I am delighted that you liked the days' account.

 

Sjoerd, you can make anything into a grand adventure, I really enjoyed reading about y'all day.

 

What an fun and eventful day you had. Sitting, eating fish and listening to music sure sounds relaxing. enjoyed reading about your day.