Norg and De Hoop

This is a photo from Sunday a week ago, taken during a hike near the village of Norg with a view on a mill named 'De Hoop' ('The Hope'). Built in 1857 it was originally a barley mill. In 1878 De Hoop was converted to a corn mill; during WW2 it was needed to to produce flour to feed the people of Norg.
After several owners and restorations, the mill turned for the last time on 24 August 1996. A year later the Drenthe Mills Society bought De Hoop, and they restored it to full working order again in 2000. The sails are quite special, in fact this is the only windmill in the Netherlands fitted with so-called Bilau sails.

I'm linking to St Germain's Blog and Seasons.

Dutch sky

A typical Dutch sky here above a wide landscape near Norg, a village south east of Assen. Photo taken in April last year during a Sunday hike.

I'm linking to Skywatch Friday.

Witches' broom

I photographed these witches' brooms ('heksenbezem' in Dutch) against a blue sky on Easter Sunday near the village of Norg. These dense masses of shootgrows, resembling a broom or a bird's nest, are a disease or deformity where the natural structure of the plant or tree is changed.


I am linking to Skywatch Friday.