March 26, 2026

 Thursday. Left ten minutes to ten. Nikor. On the cold side, with sun and showers. Moderate winds out of the northwest. Blauwkapel, and by the side of the road a goose with five chicks. Ruygenhoek, and past the swimming area the stark line of small trees on the driveway to the farm on the right. There and all the way to Egelshoek the interaction of the white and gray clouds, the blue, and the light. In Westbroek, people still feel victimized. On the extension of the Korssesteeg a dark gray cloud over Nieuw Loosdrecht with a lighter, dome-shaped area right over the church. Rain and hail after Egelshoek. Maartensdijk wet asphalt, but the sun coming back. Turning onto the Lindenlaan, the bricks have been leveled out. Groenekan to de Bilt. The colors and the light on the Kerklaan glorious. Berenkuil into the city and Mos. In the paper a discussion of the NATO secretary general's juggling of European misgivings and U.S. expectations of support, and a report on how in Spain the German Chancellor has been criticized for not criticizing the U.S. president's criticism of Spain's criticism of the war. All that needs to, and can, be managed. One has to hope that the same can be said of those other bits of news, regarding Ukraine: increasing U.S. pressure on Kyiv to cede territory to Russia, and a potential dearth of supplies for Ukraine because of the war on Iran. Ukraine, and Europe, is mostly on its own. The good news is that Russia's new spring offensive seems to have stalled the moment it was launched.