Late spring holiday 2024; 30 April

Lohne, Lower Saxony

So who would have thought, two days ago, that we would be sitting out of an evening  enjoying 25 heat! But it is lovely here this evening. 

This morning we went for a very pleasant walk to Castle Croy and back - it was a circular route, so no retracing of steps. Lots of spring flowers and so on, and we even heard a cuckoo! 

When we got back to the WoMo, we had coffee and half a slice of ginger 

cake each - this was a freebie from the aire, and very good it was, too! Then we set off. We had asked the Satnav for a route which avoided the industrial areas of Dortmund and so on, and the route we did go on went much further through the Netherlands. It was a most enjoyable drive, on main roads and motorways but even still. Why are the Netherlands so much more beautiful than Belgium? 

We stopped for lunch at a random services, still in the Netherlands, but then didn't stop again until we got here, other than briefly at a random Netto to buy some mushrooms. Although we are sitting out - and it is a really nice free aire (you pay for electricity, but that's all), it is beside a main road, so a fair amount of traffic noise, but we really don't mind that. 

There is a Lidl about ten minutes' walk away, and the Swan Whisperer has gone to investigate as there is a coupon for raspberries, which expires today. And also for a buttermilk dessert which intrigues him, so he might buy that, too. Meanwhile, I kindly bought some liver in France (dirt cheap!) and am going to cook it this evening now that I have the mushrooms to go with it. Also asparagus, but separately!