Monday 22 December

Quite a windy day, by local standards, and no sun to speak of. It was nonetheless very mild, as is commonly the case with cloudy weather in December. It was mainly dry, so I jumped on the bicycle and went for a 3 mile ride round the district. Starting out from Velp, I visited the site of the old swimming pool at Beekhuizen, right on the edge of the town, then back to base through the woods. This involves a steep climb, which I tackled by pushing the cycle up the hill. The downhill section permitted speeds in excess of 20 mph.