Chestnut Trees

Every year at this time of year I look up with suspicion. The beautiful chestnut trees I can admire all year round decide it is time to drop the fruits of their hard work. And believe me, a chestnut on your head does not feel nice. Those old trees are beautiful to look at, and all year round I find them a real feast for my eyes. But one month a year, I wish they were somewhere else and not in my front garden. That is this month, the month that they drop their chestnuts. And in this way, they create chaos that I must clean up again. And that is not as easy as it seems. So today I started this annual mission. It always sounds so simple. "Oh, you just have to get the chestnuts off the lawn before you can mow it again. Maybe even for the last time this summer." Simple, right? No.

Chestnut Chaos

Normally I grab the lawn mower, throw the power cord out the window (yes, I still have one of those old-school electric mowers), and start mowing happily. But not this time. Chestnuts. Everywhere. Bang, bang, bang, followed by a loud PING when a chestnut lands on our metal mailbox. Skipper really 'enjoys' that. He doesn't like it at all and makes it loudly known. It's as if he's asking "Can someone please turn off those chestnut trees?". And our lawn mower doesn't like it at all either. It has a hard enough job mowing the lawn, but if there are a lot of chestnuts there as well, then I have a problem and it won't do the job anymore. We have to prevent that, so armed with an old-fashioned rake I went to the lawn. Ready to quickly rake away the chestnuts. That raking quickly turned into a fitness exercise. While I was working I noticed that the lawn was a lot bigger than I thought. Well, I knew that of course, but it seemed even bigger than usual. As if a whole lot of extra grass had been thrown down last night out of nowhere. Especially for me ... After about two hours of raking, I had removed wheelbarrows full of chestnuts, old grass, and leaves from the grass, but I hadn't even finished half of the lawn. When I saw that, I wished we had a small patio, without grass, or chestnut trees.

I'm Not 18 Anymore

One thing is for sure: I'm not 18 anymore. My back gave me that subtle hint after about an hour and a half of intensive chestnut raking. I was stubborn for a while but then had to decide to stop. Every time I bent down to scrape those damned chestnuts off the grass, I heard a cracking sound... and no, that wasn't from the trees, but from my own back. At that point, I decided to be sensible and call it a day. Do the work in parts. After all, tomorrow is another day, and the weather seems to be cooperating all week. That is the only thing that is cooperating.

Time For Lunch

After my first session of "Raking Chestnuts," it was time for a well-deserved lunch. Skipper and I enjoyed a simple but delicious lunch outside in the sun. A cup of asparagus soup with a baguette that was left over from yesterday. I am convinced that even the simplest meals taste better when eaten outside. Skipper seemed to agree. It could also be that he was more fixated on the baguette. Since I already knew that, I can report that he did not miss out on anything and enjoyed the baguette, and the soup.

Autumn Will Be Here Soon

With a full stomach and a happy dog, ​​I enjoyed the sun. Every day that we can still sit outside without having to crawl under a blanket immediately feels like a gift. Autumn will officially arrive in the Netherlands next week, and although we will certainly still have some nice days, this also means that the temperature will gradually drop. The days with sunshine and pleasant temperatures are unfortunately numbered in the Netherlands. The long, cold, dark days are coming. Before we know it, and certainly before we want it, we will have to stoke the stove again. I will be shivering with cold again and spring seems further away than ever.

Nature Keeps You Busy

But hey, it's not that far yet. Let me stay positive! This week the weather is still nice. You can feel the autumn in the air, but with the sun it is certainly still pleasant. Tomorrow is another day, and hopefully, I will manage to get the rest of the chestnuts off the lawn. Then I can finally mow that lawn. Not that I will be finished then, certainly not. In a month or so the annual circus of falling leaves will start and that will have to be cleaned up again. Nature keeps you busy, even when you think you are finished.