April 30, 2025

Left twenty after six. Blacksmith. Low sun again, but now warm with just a light northerly breeze. A real summer evening. Blauwkapel, Ruygenhoek. A stork picking its way through a field. Dutch dinner time is always a good time to be out. Scooter on the bike path toward Egelshoek, but 45 km/h is still a tall order in the aftermath of a little virus episode. Grass already cut in a field between Hollandse Rading and Maartensdijk. Chasing a car through Groenekan. The rest very quiet also, but along the Biltstraat everyone was eating outside. The news for Ukraine better than dismal for a change. The "minerals deal" is far from ideal, but one has to take what one can get, and it's certainly not great news for Moscow.