June 20, 2026

Saturday. Left a little before nine. Blacksmith. Warm, but still some moisture in the air from last night's storms. Light, variable winds, later blowing moderately from the west. Lots of small branches with leaves on the ground everywhere. Berenkuil to De Bilt and on toward Soesterberg. Under the trees, the pavement was still damp, sometimes wet. Zeisterspoor to Dodeweg, Heiligenbergerweg, and around Leusden. Engweg a new road, but a bit too rough, with long-neglected brick sections--old-style narrow bricks and even a short section of little square bricks. Then Stoutenburgerlaan to Hoevelaken, Middelaarseweg toward Terschuur, then back across the freeway. Coffee at Brons. Serve yourself in the mudroom. Back through Achterveld, toward Leusden, Kanaalweg, de Mof, and Treek. A lot of walkers, perhaps practicing for the Four Days Marches. In the woods, the roads still damp or wet. Around Zeist and back to De Bilt and home. In the news Ukrainian general-turned-ambassador Valerii Zaluzhiny warning that the war is far from over. It's a stalemate, and Russia still thinks it can outlast Ukraine through a combination of relentless attacks at the Ukrainian front lines (regardless of the cost) and terror attacks using ballistic missiles, against which, Zaluzhiny notes, it is impossible to defend oneself. Russia simply has too many of them. Also in the news, EU Council president Costa defends his recent approach to the Kremlin, and one wonders why he felt the need. In any case, against the background of Zaluzhiny's comments, these soundings look even more premature. Which may have been the ambassador's goal: focus European minds on the unceasingly urgent need to support Ukraine militarily and in other ways. The time for diplomacy isn't here yet; Europeans should curb their counterproductive eagerness to talk to the Kremlin. Right now, there's nothing to discuss.