Week 37 Even more Rain!

Week 37

September Storms

13 September saw us preparing for a heavy storm - code orange in Friesland. September (early autumn) storms are rare. The worst was 7 September 1944 and two in September 1935, the 2nd of which claimed the lives of 4 hobby fishermen.
We have had a lot of rain in the last 2 weeks with some areas recording up to 110mm.
The Friesland record for September is 232mm in 2001.
The most in one day was 65.4mm in 1993. Daily totals (September) above 50mm have occurred 6 times since 1951. It appears to be occurring more frequently but 20 years is too short to provide reliable statistics.
I have yet to see it referred to as such, but my idea is that Friesland is like a big sponge... They have been operating extra pumps in order to lower the water levels - in anticipation of even more rain to come.

A tree in Bertha's backyard (Janny's sister).

Het historische Woudagemaal bij Lemmer in Friesland wordt vandaag ingeschakeld om het overtollige water af te voeren. Dat is bijzonder; volgens Hilda Boesjes, directeur van het bezoekerscentrum bij het gemaal, gebeurt dat ongeveer eens per twee jaar. Er komen naar verwachting veel mensen op af.

Sunday 10 September 2017.The historic Woudagemaal (steam pump) at Lemmer was brought into action to try to cope with the excess rainwater in Friesland. This is very rare, says the Director of the Visitor's Centre. It would normally be expected once every two years. They are expecting a lot of visitors.

The Woudagemaal is the largest working steam pump in Europe. It was built between 1916 and 1920 and has been on the Unesco World Heritage list since 1989. It is tested a couple of times each year with visitors having to queue for many hours to get in.

And continuing the watery theme...

The Wadden Islands

We have visited all the Frisian Islands - Texel, Schiermonnikoog, Ameland, Terschelling, and Vlieland. but there are many more islands forming the Wadden Archipelago, including German and Danish islands.

A new group of young researchers is engaged in a cultural and scientific debate about the Wadden area.
Specifically, the rising sea levels.
Whether you have your eyes closed or your head in the sand, one thing is certain: the water is coming.
A lot of thought has gone into the need to raise the dykes. A German Wadden specialist says that we have to think differently; the water pressure will simply be too much. Therefore, we just have to prepare for a watery future with tidal reserves, floating fields and houses on poles. The world without dykes.
Technicians and water experts do not necessarily have the biggest ideas! Artists and creative people are (better at?) thinking of creative solutions.
Another professor of Management Philosophy suggests that other solutions have to be considered - but it is not yet clear what those alternatives might be. We have to keep watching and thinking...

Last Sunday in Beetsterzwaag

Bourgondisch Beetsterzwaag beleeft op zaterdag 9 en zondag 10 september haar derde editie. In het Lycklamapark worden de zintuigen van duizenden bezoekers weer geprikkeld door lokale smaakmakers, foodtrucks, muzikanten en theatermakers.

For the third time,  the "Bourgondisch Beetsterzwaag" festival was held in the gardens behind our local government offices in Beetsterzwaag. Thousands of visitors, local restaurants, food trucks, live music, and street theatre.

(Edit, I'm really struggling with the Oxford Comma - fancy having gone so many years thinking that I knew how to make a list without the comma preceding the conjunction of the last item! I'll probably spend too much time worrying about it now. I notice that it isn't used in the (Dutch) article, above. I'll have to ask Ben about normal Dutch usage).

My Photos

 Janny & Anneke

Around the farm...

...raining!

We had a visit from a foster parent - of one of "our" boys of a few years ago. They do a wonderful job and also have new kids from time to time. They now have 9-year-old twins and have asked us if we can have them full-time for a month next year, over the school holidays.

Janny has to assess how difficult they are and if our personnel will be able to manage.

The process made me think again about the system here. These particular foster parents live in a fairly modest house and have kids of their own, and yet make the effort to care for other kids in need, as well. 

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we were told that "some kids in Kenya are just locked up and left at home" for want of any alternative. It seems that the new twins were "saved" or removed from a similar situation, here in the Netherlands! So, it might be tough indeed to have them in care for a full month!

I asked the Mum about our boy - he is now 18 or 19 - but unfortunately, he has "gone off the rails" and they have little contact. His background is troubling, to say the least. His natural mother committed suicide and a couple of years later his stepmother and sister murdered his father! (One can only wonder what the father must have been like).

They all have a place in our hearts, so we hope that he comes out OK in the end.

I was just reminded of our current twins - with this weather, we struggle to find things for them to do. One of them complained during the week that "we aren't allowed to do anything dangerous when we're at the farm"!. You know, like using the chainsaw or some of the other tools in the workshed!.

A new favourite pumpkin!

The Sweet Grey F1 - some seeds from our Dutch seed company. It's probably called something else?

I think I mentioned it last year. The Sunflower Action. Every year, we get a visit from a care organization. They give us a bunch of flowers "in appreciation of the fact that we work in the care sector". Just a small thing, but it always strikes me as being very worthwhile - and appreciated.

Ben at the Bijenkorf

https://www.debijenkorf.nl/amsterdam