Week 41 A hole in my clogs

Week 41

Kids'  Weekend again...

I've been out to light the fire - everybody's sleeping, but I have Boeke and Tassie for company. It's still dark outside at 0730hrs and it's nowhere near real winter yet.



Last Sunday we had a scare with Boeke - he couldn't walk. We thought something was not right on the Saturday when we came home - and by Sunday it had deteriorated. So, a trip to the vet organised for Monday. 

The vet talked about knee problems, painklillers and operations - Boeke must have thought "uh-uh not for me" as by Tuesday he was on the mend again...we were scared of something genetic as we hear horror stories now and then - but all seems OK now.

Early on Monday morning we first took Ros and Paul to Heerenveen train station to get them on the way to France - having had a last meal at the local restaurant on Sunday night...


The B&B of Ros' brother looks like something to put on our list for a visit to France - we are already  long overdue to go to Frank and Pam's palatial residence...might have to retire, after all...







Meanwhile, around the farm...

Tjeerd and I prepared a few more posts and rails for a new section of Fencing - shoulld be able to get it in this week - but we have to transplant some beech trees first.







We pulled out the last of the old fencing and did some cleaning up, including hedge trimming - all under the heading of "preparing for winter".




Picnic tables and reserve railing to the hayshed...



Well, I had thought that it was another quiet week but we did get quite a bit done - as I look back.

I had thought of writing that the most significant thing was the demise of my clogs...making a klomp, klunk sound as I walk...



Tipping Points...

A lot of alarming reading - again, as if we don't have enough to worry about...

https://global-tipping-points.org/


https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/10/tipping-tipping-tipping-the-dominos-fall/?utm_source=Pearls+%26+Irritations&utm_campaign=43bc7ae1da-Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0c6b037ecb-43bc7ae1da-745124476

A fair bit of good information here (about the Netherlands in general)

https://openrijk.nl/

Heat pump subsidies - Amsterdam

Amsterdam residents who want to save on their energy bills and make their homes more sustainable will soon receive assistance. We are preparing a subsidy scheme for hybrid heat pumps, which will allow homeowners and tenants of housing corporations to significantly reduce their gas consumption.

Additionally, hybrid heat pumps contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions in the city.

€ 2,500 per home

The subsidy scheme will be rolled out in 2 phases. In the first phase, 1,000 homes can receive subsidies. € 2,500 is available per home. Based on the experiences from this phase, we will determine if the scheme needs to be adjusted for the next 2,000 homes.

Homeowners and tenants of corporations

The scheme targets homeowners of ground-bound houses with a maximum WOZ value of around € 500,000 and housing corporations for their ground-bound houses. Ground-bound houses are houses that are on the ground. So no apartments on, for example, the first floor. The exact maximum WOZ value will still be determined.

What is a hybrid heat pump?

A hybrid heat pump works in conjunction with the existing central heating boiler and can reduce gas consumption by an average of 60 percent. The boiler only kicks in on cold days or for hot water. For ground-bound houses, it is a relatively simple and affordable way to become more sustainable. It is cheaper than a fully electric heat pump and less burdensome on the electricity grid.

Climate Fund

The college wants to make € 7.5 million from the Climate Fund available for the subsidy scheme. If the council agrees, the college can make a definitive decision on the implementation of the scheme later this year.

October 16, 2025

Ten years after the Paris Agreement, it is clear that the Earth is still warming. Heatwaves are warmer and occur more frequently, and the number of warm days is increasing worldwide. Thanks to the Paris Agreement, we are no longer heading towards 4 °C warming, but towards 2.6 °C, if we adhere to the agreements made. As a result, future heatwaves will not be 3 to 6 °C warmer, but only 1.5 to 3 °C warmer. However, the world is still not on track to limit warming to 1.5 °C.

 From nu.nl

(and we have elections coming up - not quite as bad as the kleptocracy yet - but worrying nonetheless).

Unemployment in the Netherlands has risen to 4 percent, the highest level in four years. In September, 409,000 people aged 15 to 75 were unemployed. Those aged 25 and over, in particular, have lost their jobs more frequently in recent months.

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