I’m in the middle of a working holiday in Utrecht. I’m house sitting for my friend Annemieke whom I’ve known since I was 14. She lives in a beautiful little house just outside the centre with her partner Peter and their two cats Betsy and Boris (they didn’t have to put up with Boris Johnson so the name here doesn’t have the same vomit inducing connotations!).
I am working on producing my first two online courses and it’s really good to have proper long uninterrupted days to delve into this. No distractions other than going out for walks and coffee and seeing friends and family but mostly just kitchen discos and work.
I am extremely lucky with the weather as it’s mostly sunny and properly autumnal. There has been rain but almost entirely whilst I’ve been asleep or indoors! Perfect.
I have such a love for autumn. Much as I love sunshine and the ease of summer days and nights, there something about the changing, the colours, the freshness, the storms, conkers, red and yellow leaves, last flowers – looking at you asters!…. It makes my heart sing.
I’m also exploring bits of Utrecht I don’t know at all or haven’t seen since I left here in 1989 as a wild and wily 19 year old punk! And by golly Utrecht has sorted its shit out as much as I have! It’s greener, prettier, safer, more fun, funkier, full of good coffee and beautiful shops and gorgeous rewilded bits. Tegel wippen (getting a crowbar out to lift paving stones to turn the soil into mini gardens) is huge here and the delig he of seeing orange poppies and purple asters and yellow rudbekia everywhere is amazing. Wysterias must be the favourite plant here!