Week 41
Week 41
The first ten days of October were so warm that the 22-year-old record was broken by 1 degree. In recent years the average temperature was 12.2 degrees in the first part of October, this year it was 16.6 degrees.
The previous October record dates from 2001, when the average of the first ten days and nights was 15.0 degrees, says Weerplaza.
Between the years 1901 and 2020, this average temperature was 12.2 degrees. The current record therefore exceeds this by more than 4 degrees.
Daily records were not measured. "Although we were sometimes close," says Weerplaza.
Anyone who goes outside can also see the effects of the warm weather. The trees are green longer and insects are active for longer, biologist Arnold van Vliet of Wageningen University & Research told NU.nl last week.
...and my grass just keeps growing. It is in very good condition and I have been mowing without it being too wet.
Lots of acorns and beech seed pods - Janny says a strong winter coming up - or so the folklore goes...
Mowing
The Boat
The marten
acorns
A couple of years ago I wrote about martens and that we had captured a couple of them and let them loose in another place. Strictly speaking, it is not legal, but we were afraid of damage to our vehicles...and the chooks!
Karma has struck.
On Thursday, I was getting ready to take Ben to the train station in Heerenveen and take the doors off the boat for the winter. It was an early start and in the dark I noticed that only one indicator light worked when I unlocked the van. So I checked and only one headlight was working. I bundled the replacement doors and tools into the other car and left Janny with the request to check out the lights and get it fixed, if possible.
One of the clients had a look...and discovered that a marten has been nesting under the bonnet (hood).
There was a dead bird and a mummified mole in there as well - they do that, apparently (see story below). Janny rang the garage and they are trying to figure out if they can fix it - and at what cost - some of the wiring has been chewed out, so it may require a new loom - and probably removal of some of the motor! €€€ (And, it is not covered by insurance - no surprise there)
Stone martens and cars (Google Translate)
Stone martens are resourceful and like to explore different places. The car is an interesting location, with a popular hiding place for them under the hood . This has to do with the fact that it is a dark location first of all. In addition, it is also very interesting for them, especially when it is cold, as a car that has just been driven is nice and warm. To get under the hood, however, they work their way through the bottom of the car, where they can chew through all kinds of things. Stone martens also regularly gnaw on the cables and pipes in the car. But why do they do this?
It is said that stone martens themselves do not like the cables and pipes in the car, but that this mainly has to do with the insulation material that surrounds the wiring. In some cars, this insulation material contains fish oil or fish meal to keep the wiring flexible. Martens obviously find the smell of fish very interesting. It is also often said that it mainly concerns younger martens that gnaw on the cables and pipes. This has to do with the fact that young martens do not yet know the difference between what is and what is not edible and therefore smell the smell of fish, but do not yet understand that the cables and pipes are not edible. It is also said that martens regularly use the insulation material to make their nest and therefore gnaw it loose from the cables and pipes.
But that is not the only reason why stone martens sit in the car. These animals are solitary and fiercely defend their own territory. They also try to release as much scent as possible into their territory, they also do this under the hood of the car. When another marten enters the car, it will try to remove the odor and leave its own scent behind. This process involves a lot of scratching and biting.
All in all, enough reasons for a stone marten to pay a visit to the car. Unfortunately, this can have major consequences.
On Monday and Tuesday
The Boat
I was going to do the motor myself, but I found someone who could take over from Sander (our former boat specialist). It was going to save me some time and give me some peace of mind. It was the same business that had installed the motor - so we all felt fairly comfortable with the arrangement.
One of the more important things I have learnt (fairly basic) is to check the water pump impeller - it "sucks" the cooling water in from the canal. We change it automatically every 2 years - and this is the first time that I have seen it actually damaged. I carry a few spares on board - one new and a couple of undamaged ones that have come out.
Wassenaar is a municipality and town located in the province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands. An affluent suburb about 10kms north of The Hague.
This is a pancake restaurant at the farm where he had to model - shoes! Some exclusive brand that Ben said he didn't like very much :)
On Friday we went back to one of the kitchen places - to do the computer drawing of our current ideas - another 3 hours...
The bank worried me a bit at first. We started off with only the energy savings in mind - the new kitchen, laundry, bathroom and downstairs bedroom just seemed to get a life of their own as they obviously have to be reinstated from scratch.
They looked at our business past and future (including our ages!!) and were very positive...until one bright spark said "but your energy costs are a bit high"... duh!, that's WHY we want to do it...oh well, I kept my cool :)
On Saturday, we went to Amsterdam to help Ben clean his apartment prior to moving out.
We did the Park and Ride for €2,00
The rather posh-sounding address of Heerengracht 4...(for 3 years)
Next Sunday, we are taking a trailer (into the middle of Amsterdam!) so that we can bring all his stuff home. I had thought that he would be staying with us for at least a few weeks - but he is flying out the NEXT DAY to Mexico again. He loved it so much last time.
He was also trying to get a visa for another trip to South Africa . He tried at the end of September, but couldn't even get an appointment at the Embassy until February.
And he has booked South America including modelling work in Chile - I can't keep up with it all!
And on Saturday late afternoon...
...we had an unexpected visitor... one of our kids from about 3 years ago. He's been kicked out of home (age 16)...and came to us for some sort of support. Janny rang his Mum to see if it was OK if he slept at our place for one night. That was OK and Janny is taking him home later this morning.
Sadly, I don't see it ending well. There is already some home support, but there needs to be more intervention - the system is very involved at this age - from 18 onwards he will be more on his own.
Now I have to install a cat-flap :)
The first ten days of October were so warm that the 22-year-old record was broken by 1 degree. In recent years the average temperature was 12.2 degrees in the first part of October, this year it was 16.6 degrees.
The previous October record dates from 2001, when the average of the first ten days and nights was 15.0 degrees, says Weerplaza.
Between the years 1901 and 2020, this average temperature was 12.2 degrees. The current record therefore exceeds this by more than 4 degrees.
Daily records were not measured. "Although we were sometimes close," says Weerplaza.
Anyone who goes outside can also see the effects of the warm weather. The trees are green longer and insects are active for longer, biologist Arnold van Vliet of Wageningen University & Research told NU.nl last week.
...and my grass just keeps growing. It is in very good condition and I have been mowing without it being too wet.
Lots of acorns and beech seed pods - Janny says a strong winter coming up - or so the folklore goes...
Mowing
The Boat
The marten
acorns
A couple of years ago I wrote about martens and that we had captured a couple of them and let them loose in another place. Strictly speaking, it is not legal, but we were afraid of damage to our vehicles...and the chooks!
Karma has struck.
On Thursday, I was getting ready to take Ben to the train station in Heerenveen and take the doors off the boat for the winter. It was an early start and in the dark I noticed that only one indicator light worked when I unlocked the van. So I checked and only one headlight was working. I bundled the replacement doors and tools into the other car and left Janny with the request to check out the lights and get it fixed, if possible.
One of the clients had a look...and discovered that a marten has been nesting under the bonnet (hood).
There was a dead bird and a mummified mole in there as well - they do that, apparently (see story below). Janny rang the garage and they are trying to figure out if they can fix it - and at what cost - some of the wiring has been chewed out, so it may require a new loom - and probably removal of some of the motor! €€€ (And, it is not covered by insurance - no surprise there)
Stone martens and cars (Google Translate)
Stone martens are resourceful and like to explore different places. The car is an interesting location, with a popular hiding place for them under the hood . This has to do with the fact that it is a dark location first of all. In addition, it is also very interesting for them, especially when it is cold, as a car that has just been driven is nice and warm. To get under the hood, however, they work their way through the bottom of the car, where they can chew through all kinds of things. Stone martens also regularly gnaw on the cables and pipes in the car. But why do they do this?
It is said that stone martens themselves do not like the cables and pipes in the car, but that this mainly has to do with the insulation material that surrounds the wiring. In some cars, this insulation material contains fish oil or fish meal to keep the wiring flexible. Martens obviously find the smell of fish very interesting. It is also often said that it mainly concerns younger martens that gnaw on the cables and pipes. This has to do with the fact that young martens do not yet know the difference between what is and what is not edible and therefore smell the smell of fish, but do not yet understand that the cables and pipes are not edible. It is also said that martens regularly use the insulation material to make their nest and therefore gnaw it loose from the cables and pipes.
But that is not the only reason why stone martens sit in the car. These animals are solitary and fiercely defend their own territory. They also try to release as much scent as possible into their territory, they also do this under the hood of the car. When another marten enters the car, it will try to remove the odor and leave its own scent behind. This process involves a lot of scratching and biting.
All in all, enough reasons for a stone marten to pay a visit to the car. Unfortunately, this can have major consequences.
On Monday and Tuesday
I had always thought that the fridge and combi oven would end up in the apartment that we will be using. We also discovered that most of the other cupboards are useable - so we installed them as well.
They are almost 25 years old. We never thought about it in 1999, but the quality is far better than I would have expected.
The Boat
I was going to do the motor myself, but I found someone who could take over from Sander (our former boat specialist). It was going to save me some time and give me some peace of mind. It was the same business that had installed the motor - so we all felt fairly comfortable with the arrangement.
One of the more important things I have learnt (fairly basic) is to check the water pump impeller - it "sucks" the cooling water in from the canal. We change it automatically every 2 years - and this is the first time that I have seen it actually damaged. I carry a few spares on board - one new and a couple of undamaged ones that have come out.
We probably only just made it home from Dokkum this year. Luckily, it is easy to swap over and it is the first thing to look at if the motor starts to overheat.
I had to get the boat back in the water so that I could run the motor for a while - to warm the oil and make it easier to pump out
Oil filters, diesel filter...
anti-freeze...
Doors off for the winter...
I had to get the boat back in the water so that I could run the motor for a while - to warm the oil and make it easier to pump out
Oil filters, diesel filter...
anti-freeze...
Doors off for the winter...
The reason that Ben had to catch the train so early was that he had a modelling job in Wassenaar.
Wassenaar is a municipality and town located in the province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands. An affluent suburb about 10kms north of The Hague.
This is a pancake restaurant at the farm where he had to model - shoes! Some exclusive brand that Ben said he didn't like very much :)
On Friday we went back to one of the kitchen places - to do the computer drawing of our current ideas - another 3 hours...
As all the floors are coming out, we also have to look at reinstalling the laundry - so I started getting some ideas for that as well...
Luckily, the bank people have come around... There's money available at the moment for "duurzame verbouwen" . The bank will charge interest, of course, but there is also an interest-free loan available specifically for energy related works - ie our entire floor!
This from the Government website...
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/duurzaam-bouwen-en-verbouwen/duurzaam-verbouwen
Sustainable construction through renovation
Extending the lifespan of a building is a very effective way of sustainable construction. Renovation often saves a lot of materials and costs for, for example, new roads and sewers and prevents construction and demolition waste. At the same time, renovating homes offers a good opportunity to make homes more energy efficient and healthier. Consider better ventilation and solving moisture problems.
Luckily, the bank people have come around... There's money available at the moment for "duurzame verbouwen" . The bank will charge interest, of course, but there is also an interest-free loan available specifically for energy related works - ie our entire floor!
This from the Government website...
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/duurzaam-bouwen-en-verbouwen/duurzaam-verbouwen
Sustainable construction through renovation
Extending the lifespan of a building is a very effective way of sustainable construction. Renovation often saves a lot of materials and costs for, for example, new roads and sewers and prevents construction and demolition waste. At the same time, renovating homes offers a good opportunity to make homes more energy efficient and healthier. Consider better ventilation and solving moisture problems.
The bank worried me a bit at first. We started off with only the energy savings in mind - the new kitchen, laundry, bathroom and downstairs bedroom just seemed to get a life of their own as they obviously have to be reinstated from scratch.
They looked at our business past and future (including our ages!!) and were very positive...until one bright spark said "but your energy costs are a bit high"... duh!, that's WHY we want to do it...oh well, I kept my cool :)
On Saturday, we went to Amsterdam to help Ben clean his apartment prior to moving out.
We did the Park and Ride for €2,00
The rather posh-sounding address of Heerengracht 4...(for 3 years)
Next Sunday, we are taking a trailer (into the middle of Amsterdam!) so that we can bring all his stuff home. I had thought that he would be staying with us for at least a few weeks - but he is flying out the NEXT DAY to Mexico again. He loved it so much last time.
He was also trying to get a visa for another trip to South Africa . He tried at the end of September, but couldn't even get an appointment at the Embassy until February.
And he has booked South America including modelling work in Chile - I can't keep up with it all!
And on Saturday late afternoon...
...we had an unexpected visitor... one of our kids from about 3 years ago. He's been kicked out of home (age 16)...and came to us for some sort of support. Janny rang his Mum to see if it was OK if he slept at our place for one night. That was OK and Janny is taking him home later this morning.
Sadly, I don't see it ending well. There is already some home support, but there needs to be more intervention - the system is very involved at this age - from 18 onwards he will be more on his own.
Now I have to install a cat-flap :)
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