Happy Halloween!

--------------------*--------------------

Zealand, the Nederlands ( № 1)

A few weeks ago, I went on a school excursion for field research. We went to Zeeland, a province of the Netherlands, to examine life in -and around- salt water.

I will write several blogs about this excursion, because there is so much I want to tell and show.

We stayed in a former farmhouse, called 'de Schelphoek'. (You can see an area in the map below called 'Schelphoek'.) Today I will show some pictures of the area, which was formed by the 1953 North Sea flood. In the map below, you can see the huge gap in the dyke (in between the 'lines' in the water) the flood caused. They were not able to close the gap, so that's why the land still misses a piece in that area. The sea actually took a mouthful of land and swallowed it.

 

Day one

The first day, we had a walk through the 'Schelphoek' area. The camp manager showed us how the area had emerged and which kind of plants and animals found their place in and around the area.

 

The 'new' dyke, built after the flood. A lot of oysters live on the shores.

Indy, the camp manager's dog.

A spit.

View from the dyke.

Landward, one of the small lakes of 'Schelphoek'

Common sea-buckthorn, a plant with edible berries. The berries of this
plant are rich in vitamin C.

 

A peaceful death

Today, I found a dead coot along the waterfront of a recreational lake. I don't know how it died, it seemed like the bird just washed ashore after a silent, natural death.

However, it was in perfect condition. It lay there so peacefully, like God himself put it down on that small beach. 

I know there are people who don't like to look at dead animals, because they think they're filthy, scary or they just don't want to get faced with death. But every time I look at an animal -dead or alive- I'm always astonished by the beauty of nature. A dead animal is innocent, inspiring, beautiful. It stands for transience, but also for new life. The sight of a dead animal is so peaceful, I forget all those things I normally worry about. 

I think it's healthy to be faced by death, every now and then. A dead animal put your legs right back on the floor. And I hope, I really do, that I will not be the only one who is thinking about this in this way. Fore those people I took some pictures of this wonderful, inspiring bird. 

This is how I found the coot. 

I turned the bird, just to gauge its condition.

Everything was so perfect: its eyes half closed, the sands on its beak. His beak and forehead were so bright white, it seemed as if someone furbished it.

--------------------*--------------------

Bad weather comes with good music

--------------------*--------------------

Autumn fruits

Autumn is a fruitful season. Last weeks, I collected nuts, berries, apples and pears from the park and our garden.

Homemade applesauce and stewed pears with cinnamon.

A plate full of autumn! Plums, an apple from our own tree, grapes, pinecones, a pear, hazelnuts and leaves from our apple tree and ivy.

Stewed pears with cinnamon, sponge cake and grapes. Yummy!

 Preserves nascent! Elderberries with applepieces (for the pectin).

--------------------*-------------------