This Week in Wijnjewoude 2026

John P Weiss (again) George Will once wrote that memories are roses in our winter . I have always liked that line. It suggests that the past is not merely something we once endured but a fragrant gift when today’s air grows stale. Of course, some people warn us not to live in the past. We are told that if we dwell too long in yesterday we will miss today entirely. It's light in the mornings now when I get up... and the birds are singing again. I suspect that they know spring is coming... I've made a few more nesting boxes that can be hung up next week. ...Meteorological spring starts on March 1 , while astronomical spring begins this year on 20 March. Anniversary Janny and I had a very quiet confirmation of  "being happy with what we've done" after 34 years - a trip to Dokkum for lunch at De Koffiepot - Dokkum always draws us - well be there again before too long - with the boat. Around the farm... Cleaning out one of the wood sheds...we still have a few years sup...

 Week 7 because I write this for my family...(inspired by the Lizzie Letters from 1895) What do we owe the dead? (John P. Weiss) What is our responsibility to those who came before us? The ones who began or carried forward our family line. The ones who worked, endured, sacrificed, and loved in ways that made our lives possible. I believe we owe them three things. First, remembrance. We tell their stories. We speak their names. We teach our children and grandchildren that they are part of something older than themselves. There will be light and shadow in every family story. We learn from both. Second, honor. If they lived well, we carry that forward. If they fell short , we improve upon what we were given. We mend what was broken. We build something steadier from what we inherited. There is a quiet redemption in that. Third, forgiveness. Beyond anger and disappointment, we try to see them as they once were. Children. Before life hardened them. Before fear or failure reshaped them....

 Week 6 Glen, Nicole, Jaz and Lily arrived for an all too short visit... nice to have some time with them. Glen arrived a couple of days earlier for a little extra time, texting to request a "cold beer" when he was still on the train... We still had some snow... We managed to get in a bit of walking and talking...so good to catch up on where he is at - now semi-retired due to his successful business enterprise. (He lived with me for a while as a teenager going to RMIT - I was a bit worried early on, but the penny seemed to drop from one day to the next and he didn't look back ever since). He's bought a farm down near Colac and wants to indulge his hobby of growing vegetables...the key being soil quality - for which he has done a few courses and a lot of research... Nicole and the kids (no longer kids) duly arrived - the European Holiday was a 21st Birthday special event - Nicole is (still) working in palliative care for kids - so much respect for her! and Lily and Jaz...