And so this is winter....

It's really begun now, hasn't it? I was so hoping it wouldn't really get cold, but I suppose that was just too much to wish for. After the storms, the skies cleared for a day or two, but the wind remained and the temperatures dropped to freezing overnight last week.

It was very cold on board. Yes, I admit it. Even with the heater left on over night, it was simply cold in the early hours of the morning.

The good news is that absolutely nothing went wrong last weekend. I'm always a bit nervous when I return after a weekend in Zeeland, but fortunately the gangplank was still in place and my ropes were too. It's almost a bit dull, isn't it? No dramas in Val land.

On a bright note, Koos and I went to the movies last Wednesday for the first time in what must have been years. I think the last time we went was to see the first Harry Potter film, so that's saying something, isn't it? I imagine what we went to see this time would be just as much a matter of taste as HP. That said, I was the one that wanted to go, so Koos indulged me and ended up enjoying it just as much.

It was a one day only showing of a documentary film about the band, Coldplay. We both love 'rock documentaries' and Coldplay are big favourites of mine, so since the film won't be available anywhere else (unless you're an Amazon Prime customer), I wanted to see it. In fact, it was well worth watching on the big screen because the atmosphere of their big stadium concerts was both electric and magical. There was also some unique footage from their very early days filmed by a college friend who ultimately directed the film. Mat Whitecross is perhaps better known for his part in documentaries such as The Road to Guantanamo, so this was quite different for him too. It was a great night out and definitely worth the effort.

The rest of the week was busy for me work wise. I am winding up some academic writing courses, which, while I enjoy, are a heap of work and take up a huge amount of time in preparation and marking. It's always good to see the results in the students' work, however, and some of them make tremendous progress, which is so rewarding.  Apart from this, the usual chores on the Vereeniging needed attending to. 

Another panel is off wating to be replaced

I prised off another panel to be replaced and then I wrapped up my skylight against the ravages of winter. There was cleaning to do and leaf removal too. Just the usual tasks at this time of year. On Saturday, we headed north to Leiden for a family birthday. Our gift was Koos's new book of photos, which is a real stunner. Take a look at it here. It's available for purchase if anyone is interested. The quality is fantastic and I think it would make a magnificent present for art lovers. Here are two screenshots to add interest to my blog:

Wishing you all a wonderful week allemaal. I'll be keeping my head down in the coming days, so I might not be here much, but I'll be reading and watching and will answer comments as soon as possible. The work goes on...