Old Windmill Site -- 'Dyrcxmolen', Breda

AW came along today!  The weather was too good not to go out together.

Also known as 'Ruisenaars Kleine Windmolen'.
'Ruisenaar' sounds like somewhere between 'Rauwsenaars' and 'Raisenaars', the most difficult sound in Dutch, as I've explained before.
'Klein' means 'small' or 'little' or 'short'.
There is a 'Ruisenaars Grote Windmolen', 'groot' ('growt') meaning 'large'.  Of course, it's no longer there, but I'll shoot the site another time.

The name 'Dyrcxmolen', or 'Dirk's Windmill', comes from one of its previous owners, Dirk Pieterszoon de Moelner ('Dirk, son of Peter the Miller), who bought it from the Ruisenaar family.  The windmill itself is thought to have been built around 1310, together with the larger one, and is presumed to have been razed to the ground during the seige of Breda in 1577.  According to researchers, the round area on the ground where the mill used to stand can still be seen in very old maps of Breda.  Not any more today, as you can see, as attached houses now occupy the spot.  That very first house, #7, and presumably the one next to it, #9, is where it used to be.  It is a fairly quiet neighbourhood, and definitely a very old one, too, close to the Aa on its way to the city centre.

This hunting method is proving to be a rather interesting way to study local history.  After all, while famous people end up in the history books, it's the invisible folks who give a place a certain atmosphere which somehow manages to endure all the wars, natural disasters, and crises over the centuries.  This is the aspect of culture that makes it challenging to define -- that part that touches on local norms and values and builds on heritage.

Enough bla bla.  After shooting this, we cycled on to Sweed's and Benna's for a short visit.  He was out in their motorized rowboat with Lucy the dog, that just had an operation.  Benna was at home with grandson Buddy, who was napping upstairs but then woke up.  She fetched him... he is a beautiful boy, with wild Peter Frampton curls.  We all had tea/coffee and cookies.  And then Sweed was back with Lucy, who has almost fully recovered.  Altogether a lovely afternoon!

Back home, attacked the pile of genealogy info, did some inputting and some housework, and AW had Monday evening live bridge.  They have now begun the last round before the season ends, and he cannot wait to start partnering with somebody else.

No, I did not watch 'the slap'.  All I wanted to know was whether or not Belfast won anything, and it did -- Best Original Screenplay.  Very happy for Branagh and the cast, which had already won the Hollywood Critics Award as well as several Audience awards in many countries.  Good for them!  And now, time for 'the power of the Ellaphant' to move forward and get some work done.