Windmills in and Near Leiden...

We saw several windmills that day. Here is De Valk from a few different angles...

…plus the World War II Memorial in front of it, with a seagull resting on her head.

Here were two random windmills along our route...

…and the De Put, which I have photographed loads of times.

 

A Perfect Day for a Boat Ride...

Jimmy and Veronica brought the boat from Leiden to the closest point near our house. Kati couldn’t wait to get on board, while Jimmy walked home to pick up the beanbag chairs. 

How kind of Mother Nature to give us such a beautiful sunny day just as Veronica was released from quarantine. 

We picked up Mark around the corner from his apartment in Leiden. 

He was all smiles on his first trip on Bootjuh. 

These huge cherry blossoms were especially pretty.

The students were out in large numbers along the banks of the canals.

 

Even More Voorschoten...

Here’s another mish-mash of photos taken in Voorschoten in March that I previously missed including. It’s cool when we occasionally spot green parakeets during our dog walks...

…when a dog shows off for us.

…or when a cat perfectly matches a boat.

Before spring fully sprung, Jimmy took up guerilla gardening. When he joined me for a dog walk, he carried a pair of plant clippers to cut off ivy around the foot of the trees, a few trees per day in an effort to stop the ivy from choking the trees.

He also cut back the blackberry bushes that were overtaking the path along the canal in the field, although by the time this post appears, we’ll have stopped walking on that path because the stinging nettles have fully invaded so there’s no space left for humans.

From December until mid-May, we spent nearly every Friday night on a Zoom call organized by the BMPH3 Hash in Brussels. Sometimes Jimmy used that time to either clean the kitchen or bake bread, as he was doing on this particular call. 

We went out of our way to drink unique beers each Friday. We have really enjoyed some of the new beers brewed in The Hague by Kompaan. This one was especially apropos for our virtual drinks night. The Dutch curfew was finally lifted on April 28. 

When Jimmy and I spotted this darling little horse cart approaching our house while we were on a dog walk, we called Veronica to come outside to be sure not to miss it. 

On March 27, Jimmy DJed his second virtual dance party.

Once again several hashers joined us for dancing until the wee hours as well as Ashlynn and her flatmates.

It was great having Veronica with us.

 

More Voorschoten...

Spring started late here this year...

…which was lucky for Veronica so she didn’t miss it.

This floating bathtub is so small it can be towed by a bike.

We couldn’t help but laugh at the Pirates Party’s campaign poster: We fix the shit.

On March 28, we ran yet another lockdown virtual FILTH hash in our village. At least this time there were cherry blossoms...

…and daffodils to enjoy. 

These signs have undergone several modifications.

 

Back to Vlietland...

I went to Vlietland several times in March with friends. 

On one trip Kati surprised me by going underneath a fence and roaming around on her own. Luckily there wasn’t much to keep her attention, so I didn’t have to crawl under to grab her. 

On March 13, the winds were crazy, as you can see by Terri’s and my hair.

There were whitecaps on the lake, something we don’t see very often.

Despite chilly temps, Veronica started wild swimming (swimming in natural bodies of water) in Vlietland shortly after returning. This photo was taken by Jimmy on March 30.

The following day, Terri and I enjoyed some rare sunshine as we took Kati on another walk around Vlietland. 

Here’s a photo of Terri taking a photo of some strange pink plants.

Luckily we spotted this large frog before we stepped on him. 

 

Jimmy’s Birthday...

It was nice that Veronica was home for Jimmy’s birthday, but unfortunate that she was still in quarantine and couldn’t join us on our dog walk, where we saw sheep along the canal beside the field...

…and the funny little dwarf pigs at the farm. 

This is Billy, sticking out his tongue...

…and Beer, which isn’t the drink but rather translates to Bear. 

The chickens were still inside, but there were a few ducks hanging around their paddock. 

It was a cold day, but at least it was dry so we could still have drinks and appetizers out on the promenade deck. 

For his birthday dinner, I made Portobello mushrooms stuffed with chickpeas...

…and Veronica made this lovely spiral savory pie.