The 'Grebmolen', Warmenhuizen

'Warmenhuizen' = 'War-mun-how-zun' -- not exact, but the 'ui' sound can be a real puzzle

A mostly very sunny day, but when the clouds came in much later in the afternoon, that was that.  As you will note, I caught the sunny part, and I was fortunate because it was a very long drive to the northwest.  I wanted a polder mill, and I definitely got one.  The Greb windmill was built in 1875 to help drain the Greb polder, which had been parcelled out by the Count of Egmond in 1547, but draining it hadn't been that problematic, so it was not until the second half of the 19th century that people thought a mill would be needed.  Draining a polder was a rather expensive affair (it still is!), and in medieval times, which is when the mills were introduced, only the elite had the money for such an undertaking.  As forms of government changed, and as polders do not need to be flooded, dredged, and reclaimed endlessly, but only maintained, the urgent need for windmills (and other mills as well) also shifted and the nature of windmill ownership as well.  Finally, with the introduction of electricity in the very late 19th century, the relevance of wind-driven mills changed again.  I do wonder, though, with rising sea levels, if they will be called upon once again to save the land.  I'm sure the millers will collectively rise to the occasion if there is need to do so.  It is only unfortunate that thousands have already been demolished, and the turbines that have superceded them have other functions.  Time will tell.  In the meantime, I just enjoyed the typically flat landscape where the Greb is located.

When I got back, after dinner, an almost hour-long chat with a blip friend, about all kinds of things.  It was so good to hear her voice.  Much later, AW and I had a really long talk where we sorted out a lot of things as well.  It felt really good to explain to each other the where, when, and why of affairs.  A lot of talking, a whole lot of listening as well, on both our parts.

The longest talk today, though, took place on the drive to the Greb, with myself.  Runrig was quiet and I used the silence to sort out thoughts and sentiments about the old life and the people I used to know.  It is like a combat soldier returning from war and having to learn to deal with the peace of a new life and the idea that one no longer has to fight anything or anyone.  It took long enough to come to terms with myself (all those long drives to Germany way back in 2020).  The case has never been about money or property, but about closure.  Whether or not 'they' understand that is not important.  I fought for some peace for myself.  Almost at the end, so a little more patience.

Ending this post with my thoughts on Alexej Navalnyi, who died a tortured death without the answers he sought.  This was a man who had very strong convictions about his country.  There has been a movement here to rename the street where the Russian embassy has its accommodations -- it should now be the Alexey Navalnyiweg.  No idea if the Dutch government will give in to the thousands of signatures submitted in the petition as there is a strict criteria when it comes to (re)naming streets, but they have said they will look into other ways of commemorating his life.  Thankful for all the good things today, but thankful also for what he has done in the name of peace.

Turning off Comments for a while again.  Thank you for dropping by!  Rest assured, I'm okay.  Eventually, the inner turmoil will be gone.  It's already a lot less than it used to be.  Again, thank you.