The wolf carried lavender and chrysanthemums
Düsseldorf 2021
September 2021
Meinweg - Schwalmbruch - the sea in the Netherlands
Düsseldorf 2021
Itinerary
Almost the entire month of September was warm, warm. I’m trying to keep a diary, and suddenly the song by DDT, “What Is Autumn,” popped into my head out of nowhere... I haven’t listened to DDT in ages.
The leaves on the trees are turning yellow. Three chestnut trees in our little courtyard are already almost completely russet. The day is rapidly getting shorter, and it’s getting dark earlier and earlier. Shiny chestnuts are scattered along the road; you just want to gather them up and take them home — but why? — in the apartment, for some reason, they immediately lose their luster.... In the evenings, it smells of smoke. The sun colors the clouds violet-crimson.
And it seems like there’s not much to write about. But a whole month has passed.. Is a whole month a lot or a little?...
During the first week of September, we had to observe quarantine, since we returned from the island of Crete, which Germany (a couple of days before our return) had placed on the “red” list.
After a vacation, you need to give yourself time to return to ordinary life… I missed the sea. I didn’t want to work. I wanted to drink retsina and eat sweet watermelons. But then everything inevitably returns to normal.
***
On the first Saturday of September, we went to get tested (to be released from quarantine).
On the way back, we bought flowers, as many as 9 pots — we could barely carry them in our hands.
Planting flowers!
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And on Sunday (hooray, the end of quarantine!) we went out to the forest of Meinweg National Park. The weather was wonderful. We had already been to the German part of this forest. And this time Volchiy decided to take us into the Netherlands, and we visited the Dutch forest.
The heather had just bloomed! I have long dreamed of seeing the heather fields in bloom.
Walking through the heather fields
Glad for the heather :)
Heather in close-up
Relaxing....
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One of the panettones...
Wolf helps me “hang” the panettone. According to the rules, it should cool for 8 hours “upside down.”
And I’m also trying my hand at baking sourdough bread. It takes a lot of time. I get a little tired of constantly thinking about it — I’ve got dough, I need to turn it over, put it in the fridge, shape a loaf, etc…. Bread is on my mind all day long :) I need to take a break. Especially since here, buying delicious bread is not a problem at all.
My ciabattas
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Having tea with a view of the lake
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September 17, the day of our wedding, marks 11 years this year. A colleague brought me wine from Tunisia, which was very timely, as there is a reason to try it. The wine is so-so, but the gift itself is very heartwarming.
Wine from Tunisia on our wedding day
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Netherlands. Sea.
Soaking up the sun
We walk to the “end” of the beach, where it is cut by a canal. Beyond the beach, across the road, there is a large factory, and from time to time it sends terrible gray clouds of smoke into the sky. This side of the beach is crowded, with many little restaurants right on the shore, and people stroll around with their families, children, and dogs. For some reason, I feel happy to be part of this society. It is a strange feeling — after all, I don’t know the language of these people, or anything about their lives. But they all look content, beautifully dressed; it seems their lives have turned out well.
Walking along the sea. There are lots of shells underfoot. Many beautiful striped ones. We’ll take a few home.
Factory, wind turbines
According to the plan, after the beach we were supposed to go to the town of Alkmaar, where we planned to take a walk. But by the time we got back to the car, we realized we didn’t have the energy for the town. And it still seemed a bit too early to head home. So we drove to a second beach, Noordwijk. It’s almost the same here. Only there’s no factory, parking is paid, and for some reason there are many more people.
We’re drinking coffee and shooing away the cheeky seagulls that have surrounded us, hoping to get a tasty bite.
And on Sunday, Volchiy flew off to Kyiv for a whole week.
And that’s how our September ended...