This Week in Wijnjewoude 2024

  Week 13 Every week I read the notes of  Alphons van Winden at  https://www.waterpeilen.nl/ Last week he had a story about the Rhine and how it "hijacks water from the Danube" around the area of the red circle in the diagram below...there is a lot of limestone in the region and water flows underground through a series of caves that have been created over time. They did a test with some red salt - it showed up 3 days later in the Rhine. The research is interesting in itself - but in the last paragraph there is a reference that is looking ahead rather than just reporting on what is happening in any given week. Ultimately, the upper reaches of the Danube upstream of Fridingen will face the same situation and all the Danube water that now flows along it will flow into the Rhine. This will probably take some time, but if we see how quickly the number of days that the Danube dries up increases, the situation underground will change quite quickly and it will therefore not have ...

House Progress... Week 12 (to be continued) A very young spouting man came to line the spouting at the front - we had heavy intermittent rain downpours during the day - and hailstones! - mid afternoon, he came to me dripping wet and said "I'm going home" - I just laughed and said "no wories", wondering how he had lasted as long as he did... Week 13 (this coming week) Last of the new windows to be placed Week 14 Plastering to be finished (The walls with the new windows) Week 15 The floor heating - and any electical wiring that will be running through the floor - a fair bit as it turns out. Week 16 The final floor concrete - with a "plaster" finish - this has to be done at the same time as the concrete. It will give a decorative floor that we can use without any further floor coverings - but we then have to wait 5 weeks while it cures and hardens. The kitchen is due to be installed on 23rd of May... ...and Grandson Tom is due to arrive on the 24th!  It w...

 Thatching needs a bit of repair. We've also arranged for the whole thatched roof to be looked at - they comb and cut it and replace where necessary - and treat it with anti-algae. One side gets little or no sun and is badly deteriorated... The last section of insulation work in the apartment I pulled a cable out...but it was the phone! So we had to get it fixed...but some clouds do have a silver lining - we fixed another cable going to the Day Activity area at the back - so we have a phone there again. Driveway Repaired The Little Jobs Cutting all the old wood from the house - some of it with woodworm, so not recyclable. Wheelbarrow repair - 3 of them! Time to think about getting the boat ready - very pleased to realise that I don't need to varnish this year - due to using 2-component varnish last year. .. Haven dues, insurance, registration, marifoon (VHF), Marrekrite flag all paid - just have to "find" some time now :)) More AI I thought I might try some Frisian tr...