Winter!

February was the beginning of winter this year in the Netherlands. Doesn't that seem a bit late? The birds and flowers are getting quite the shock right now. Last week there were daffodils blooming by the side of the road. The roses had not stopped in our garden. The thermometer dipped below freezing only a few times.

View from the living room.

This past week, it has not been above zero! The coldest week in 17 years or something. And to top it all off, it snowed on Friday! We got about an inch, but this pretty much shut things down. Trains not running, people not wanting to leave home, etc. Biking home was a bit of an adventure. We helped one truck get going at a stop light - there was a slight incline and it was glare ice. Pushing was tough as we could hardly stand on it.

View from the office.

Yesterday the park across the street was full of kids sledding down the little hill and skating on the ice. Naomi is hoping that they will soon start the skating extravaganza in the north of the NL. This happens once every 10-15 years that it gets cold enough for the canals to freeze over and people from all over the country come to skate (or watch) the 100 some kilometers of frozen canal. Even the royal family gets involved!

View from the kitchen.