September 13, 2025

 Saturday. Left around 9:15. Nikor. Cool, so long sleeves, but when the sun came out that was on the warm side. Partly cloudy, breezes out of the southwest. People out, doing Saturday morning things. Gele brug to 't Zand and Alendorp. On the early part of the Rivierpad beautiful borders with grass, brownish weeds, and reeds, and behind two fields with sunflowers still up. Breudijk to Gerverscop (one car). It all felt more like late summer than early fall. Hollandse Kade for a change (hardly anyone), then Spengen, Geerkade, Portengensebrug (also quite peaceful). The view north from Galgerwaard, the bow of a big barge on the canal. Breukelen to Scheendijk (south), Veenkade and Bethuneweg. Lush grass or reeds in many places with red-brownish plumes. It was the nationwide open day at architectural monuments, which may have been why both windmills outside of Oud Zuilen were spinning, the small one quite fast. Just beyond, several storks in a field (and a woman trying to photograph the scene). Vecht back to Mos. Saturday paper looking back on the week in Eastern Europe (Russian drone provocation in Poland). By now, no one is waiting any more for a response from the White House. The best we can hope for is that U.S. representatives at NATO can continue (as they currently are) their constructive participation in the alliance's response (enhanced and coordinated air defense in the region). As far as more direct pressure on Moscow is concerned, that's just not going to happen. The decisive struggles in the interest of Ukraine's survival and a credible European deterrent vis-a-vis Moscow increasingly take place, first (of course) in Ukraine itself, and, second, domestically in the major European states (those whose governments are "willing" to step up). Ukraine increasingly is able to take care of its own needs; whether willing European leaders can continue to bring their constituents along, or whether too many will get suckered by one Moscow-friendly populist or another, remains an open question.