June 1, 2025

 Sunday. Left at 8:45. Blacksmith. Mostly overcast with moderate winds out of the west. Mild, but due to the wind and the clouds, hedging with a vest, which was a good idea. Straatweg to Loenen/Kerklaan. The part between Nieuwersluis and Loenen almost entirely without any motorized traffic. Just the estates, birdsong, and too much asphalt. Into the wind past Vinkeveen to Waverveen, then Veldweg toward Amstelhoek. Bridge before De Hoef, then back along the water, toward Vrouwenakker. Past the Langeraarse Plassen to Bilderdam and Leimuiden. Oude Wetering to and around the Braassmermeer, coffee at the Noordkade passage. Past Paddegat to Aderweg and Hoogmade. Still working against the wind and no view of Leiden, but you could almost touch it there. Woubrugge and back to the Braassemer. Then the other side of the Langeraarse Plassen, and entering Ter Aar/Papenveer the first swan chicks of the year. If I had been there yesterday, I might have spotted them in May. Noordeinde to Kromme Mijdrecht and Westerlandweg. Bovendijk, Wilnissezuwe to Spengen. There, a second set of swan chicks, this time tucked into the grass by the side of the canal, with their parents hovering over them. These may not have been there already yesterday. Kockengen to Laag Nieuwkoop and the new nature path. De Haar, Vleuten, and some detours (or opportunities to learn some new roads) in the park due to a running race. Hermelijnvlinderpad to Gele Brug and home. The Green Heart on a mild Sunday during a holiday weekend: you don't really get away from the world, but there are still many places where, at other times, you could. In the news, reports of bombed airfields and bridges in Russia, some very deep inside Russian territory. Impressive displays of asymmetrical warfare, although they will surely bring a response. More air defense systems for Ukraine are crucial in that light. And meanwhile, I still like to think that some day, that one, big bridge (hit earlier in the war) will be hit so hard that for as long as the war goes on, it cannot be rebuilt. It won't be the shock that will bring Moscow to reason, but it will hurt nonetheless. For the war to end, major change in Russia is indispensable, going well beyond the thug at the top. Shocks like those we saw this weekend, could perhaps help bring it about. Barring such change, the war will go on, for Ukraine, but also for all of its friends. Just arguing in general terms the war should end--or that you, as an outsider, can end it--ignores the nature of this conflict. Perhaps the conflict can be frozen in some way; it can only end through a fundamental political and ideological transformation in Russia.