Astrid's Bird Feeder

This project actually starts with the workbench Astrid made last year for our wee 6' x 6' balcony here where we live in our senior complex.  Everything she used was salvaged from the junk room in our complex where people can leave stuff they no longer want (i.e, someone's trash is another person's treasure)!

At 46 sq. meters (495 sq. ft.), our apartment is small.

But we both love the challenge of making every sq. inch count, including the balcony.

The workbench Astrid made, outside our kitchen window and backdoor,
 encloses and protects her Workmate and then opens up to become her workbench/table
 for whatever she wants to do.  Don't you love it?!

Now segue to the beginning of April this year when Astrid found a tiny bird feeder (in the junk room)

in which she put a suet ball and seeds for the Great Tits around here.  Problem was, 

it was way too small and not a good design for keeping the suet/seeds inside.

It was a mess on the balcony.

So, out comes the Workmate and pieces of wood she has collected over the years.

Who knew her salvaged bamboo would be used for the roof of a bird feeder!

She even waterproofed the roof so that rain couldn't leak through.

Voila!

What precious little birds, flying from the tree across the street to the feeder!

It was heavenly to watch them.

But suddenly, the Magpies, 10-20 times bigger than the tits, found the feeder.

They'd carry off a ball of suet in one blow.  UGH.  

So, it was back to the drawing board, moving the feeder from the railing to inside the balcony,

sitting on top of that magnificent cupboard that Astrid's mom painted eons ago.

For some reason, the Magpies will NOT come inside but the Great Tits will.

A win-win for us all!

Did I mention that we live on the second floor?
So, yes, we get to watch them as they come and go from the nearby tree, even if very briefly.
By now they're feeling safer than when I took this video a couple weeks ago.

Speaking of safe, are you still sheltering in place these days?
We are, until the end of May right now, with only a few restrictions lifted.
God have mercy on us all.

A Springtime Citadel Walk: Part II

To be honest, I didn't know my next post, after the previous post from April 10, would be a Part II.  But after another walk on our citadel wall the other day, I can't resist.  Besides, it's the other half of the citadel wall, which I didn't cover then.

Instead of turning left at the entry point from our backdoor, I turned right.

Actually, the bottom-right image is looking left, where I didn't go this time.

Turning right takes you to our Nooit Volmaakt (Never Forget) windmill a block away.

It's where Astrid buys her flours for bread-making.

After passing it and going down to the canal, I looked back on it.

Did I ever mention how soulful windmills are to me!

With the windmill to my back, I turned right, passing all the barge houseboats.

The rapeseed at this time of the year frames almost everything we see.

After crossing a couple streets, I'm back on the citadel wall.

See?  It really is a citadel wall, surrounded by water.

Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year,

but because of COVID-19, this year SPRING feels more important than ever.

The pollarded trees in particular always intrigue me.

The branches are cut back every or every other year, all the way down to the trunk.

from which they magically grow back more strongly than ever.

He's man's best friend for a reason, of course,

but once he saw me watching him and calling him a beautiful dog, 

he wanted to play with ME.  We all had to contain ourselves.  HA!
Social distancing, you know.

De Hoop (The Hope) windmill, from 1764, is the other windmill within our citadel wall.

As long as a windmill follows the regulations to keep it registered in the Dutch database,

it receives government subsidies to keep up its maintenance.

Spring cleaning!

On our Shutterchance photoblog today I said this is an Astrid image:  "Man at Work."
Since she wasn't with me that day, I took it for her.

All the land around it is great for dog-walking and...relaxing.

The garden allotments (center-right) are actually from just before the windmill.

Right after the windmill is the Dalem Poort through which you access the bridge,

taking you out into the meadows alongside the Merwede river.

It's time now to cross the locks, behind me, of the inner harbor,

allowing boats to come in from the Merwede river...

...before heading into town, halfway around the citadel.  I see that we are still meeting each other,

but trying to keep distance.  You always know who the couples/families are.

(Btw, that's our ice cream shop (bottom-right) still open.)

However, just so you know it's not THAT perfect, there are almost daily stories of the police fining

 those who are congregating without any distance between them, at €390 per person per pop.
I hate to say it but they're mostly teenagers or young adults.

Hopefully, as the word gets out, those stories will become non-existent. 

In the meantime, yes, we are thankful we can still take our walks.

Our citadel has never looked more beautiful to me in all my 10+ years here!