Windmill 'De Vrijheid', Beesd

'Vrijheid' = 'vraai-heit' = 'freedom'
'Beesd' sounds like 'baste' (as in turkey in the oven) and NOT 'beast'.

This 'Freedom' mill is about 250 years old.  It is one of those where the actual year of construction has not been determined, and the wild guess is based on the style as well as the construction materials of the oldest parts.  It is standing at the end of a very narrow dike, next to a house, but the owner of the house does not own the mill.  I actually passed by last year, but the dike was choked with vehicles, most likely people visiting the folks who own the house, so had no choice but to turn back.  No such misfortune today and I could park easily a few meters from the mill, as you can see.  Tried to get a decent panoramic shot, but that was not possible as my back was against a gate that leads to the fields further on, and it was shut and the rains of the last few weeks had turned the soil into a muddy mush I wasn't keen to step on anyway, even if I had entertained the idea of trespassing.  The dike is so narrow that when the owner returned after walking her dog, she had to stand on the slope of the dike to avoid getting hit by Teqla.  I drove a mere 10 km. an hour as I didn't fancy an accident either.

The day began rather slow but then accelerated, largely due to the very welcome appearance of the sun.  It heated up my room and reminded me to dust in it as well.  AW took an afternoon walk of 10 km. because the light was just lovely.  Anyway, I took a good long look at my book of mandalas, the first one, and after yesterday's shot I thought I'd start again, as I know from experience that it relaxes me a lot.  The hunt took place mid-afternoon.  I am thankful for every opportunity.

In the evening, I finished checking what had been submitted so far by my 1st-year re-sitters.  Not so happy about having to check for plagiarism, but no problem, part of the job and a solid reminder to include the topic in my lectures.  Then discovered that my first plenary session with the next batch of freshmen was moved forward from Monday, 06 Feb, to Monday, 30 Jan, which is two days from now.  Guilford Guy had requested this because he and I need to have parallel lectures (but not necessarily parallel styles!) that are in sync.  This means I'll have to devote tomorrow to preparing my PowerPoints.  This should not be a problem because I have Toons's work as a basis, although I will make my own, of course.

Thank you for dropping by!