For weeks, beautiful blue flowers dominated the park opposite our house. But now that I finally get around to taking a picture, most of them have already finished flowering. Large teasel plants are starting to take their place. Sometimes I feel like I should be flowering all the time. Like I should be enthousiastic about work, …
Mud on my face
Oops, my foot almost slips away. I quickly take a big step to regain my balance. It’s tricky with Y. dangling between my outstretched hands. He is suspended above a pool of mud that reaches my ankles. The backpack on his back doesn’t make it any easier. It was his idea to bring it with …
Talking to a tree
I hurry along the narrow path. The rain has finally overtaken me, here in the relative wilderness at the edge of Reading. I know there will be a place to shelter around the corner. There it is, the plane tree. Knobbly, lopsided and with branches that almost reach the ground. Hugging it would take four …
Back to the wild
A Dutch cow, Hermien, was on the news because she escaped from a transport to a slaughterhouse six weeks ago, and has been living in the woods ever since. Another news item was about a cow in Poland who escaped and joined a herd of wild bison. The Party for the Animals is raising money to take …
Shaken up
It’s our first morning on Chiloé. We are halfway through our breakfast when my teaspoon suddenly starts dancing on its saucer. At the same time it seems like someone is at banging on the door. Surprised, we feel that the floor is shaking. It is only then that we realize the whole house is shaking. …
Adventures in Patagonia
The moment I pull the brand new inca hat with pink accents over my ears, my holiday has started. We have taken a break from the work to explore a bit of Patagonia for a couple of days. In Coyhaique the rain is pouring down, but soon we are high and dry in a car …