5 weken: alles klaar? Lopen maar!

English version below

Dank voor alle giften afgelopen week!! We zitten al aan € 430 op de pagina en nog eens € 40+ via Paypal!! Als je je afvraagt waar ik het in 's hemelsnaam over heb en/of ik moet je even porren om op te komen tegen kanker, kijk dan even op deze pagina voor alle details and geef een centje!

Vorige week liet ik jullie met een visademke afwachten wat het nu zou worden met die vervelende enkel/hiel die wat extra aandacht en rust vroeg, net wanneer ik het hoogste aantal kilometers moet lopen in mijn marathontraining. Zou ik moeten afzakken naar een halve marathon (boehoe 😿)? Zou die enkel op mysterieuze wijze zich toch beginnen gedragen zodat ik mijn gebruikelijke snellere trainingen tijdens de week volgens schema kan afronden? En wat met die 32km die ingepland stond voor mijn lange duurloop op zondag? 🤔

Wel, hier is de update dus je kan een zucht van verluchting slaken!

Maandag waren het basisoefeningetjes kracht en stretch, en dan 5km stappen. Dat ging goed maar we waren nog niet aan lopen toe.

Dinsdagavond kon ik even wegglippen voor een goeie 4km. Niet teveel gezeur van die enkel, maar ik was niet zeker hoeveel verder ik kon gaan.

Mijn schema voor de rest van de week ontnam me de keuze, met slechts ruimte voor een kleine 4km stappen-lopen op de terugweg van de fietsenmaker (de fiets is weer ok, hoor), alvorens ik dus aan de grote 32km tocht kon denken voor zondag. Ik had nog wel mijn drie dagen fiets-trein pendel, maar dat voelt niet aan als training (lopers zijn een beetje raar op dat gebied...).

En… Ik heb het gedaan! Alle 32 km. Het was niet snel en de tweede helft was volgens systeem 'blik op oneindig, verstand op nul', maar het is achter de rug en mijn enkel zeurde niet. Ik voel dat mijn hiel/voet niet 100% blij is met die afstand, maar het werd/wordt ook niet slechter. Dit was dus een goeie boost voor mijn zelfvertrouwen: de kilometers in de beentjes en de laatste 10 tover ik wel tevoorschijn op de dag zelf (zoals dat bij 99% van de trainingsplannen voorzien is). Ik heb nog eens de kans om een lange afstand (meer dan 25km) te lopen, da's over twee weken.

Voor de andere trainingssessies ga ik nu af op gevoel: misschien geen snelheidswerk, maar gewoon rustige kilometertjes, die dragen ook bij tot het geheel.

Zo ziet het er helemaal niet uit als je me 32km ziet joggen...

5 weeks: all systems go!

Thanks for all your donations over the past week!! We've already got €430 on the page and another €40+ via paypal ✌️ If you're wondering what I'm on about and/or need a little poke to join the fight against cancer, please check this explanation for more details and chip in!

Last week I left you with a bit of a cliffhanger, with a rebellious ankle/heel that needed some TLC and rest right when I should be churning out the highest mileage in my marathon preparation. Would I have to downgrade to a half marathon (sniff 😿)? Would the ankle mysteriously heal itself and allow me to stick to my schedule with my interval and tempo runs? And what about the 20miler that was on the programme for the long run, what did the ankle think of that? 🤔

Wait no more - here's the update!

On Monday I kept to my basic strength and stretch exercises, and added in a 5k walk. That indicated I was not yet ready to run.

Tuesday evening was for a 2.6M test run. Not too many complaints from the ankle, but not sure how much further or faster I could go later in the week.

My schedule the rest of the week took care of my choices, and I only could fit in a 2.4M walk-run mix on the way back from the bike mechanic (bike is fixed, btw) before attempting the big 20 miler on Sunday. I had my three days of bike-train commute but that doesn't feel like exercise (it's still 8-9M three times per week but runners are weird like that).

And... I did it. All 20 miles. It wasn't fast and the second half was a slog, but it got done and my ankle didn't rebel. I can feel my foot/heel is not entirely happy but it's also not getting worse. This was also a big confidence booster: I did get the recommended longest run in and on race day I will squeeze out the remaining 6.2M (as 99% of training plans tell you to do). I have another shot at a long run (16M and upward) 2 weeks from now.

I will play it by ear for my other training sessions the coming week(s): maybe speed work isn't on the cards, but gentle miles will also be useful.

Definitely not the image that comes to mind when you see me running 20 miles...

6 weken nog: voorzichtig!

Heb je al gedoneerd?

Na de 29km van vorige week vraag je je misschien af hoe het met me ging? Het goede nieuws is dat ik redelijk snel herstel van mijn sessies. Het slechte nieuws is dat een oud blessuurtje eindelijk besloten heeft om weer eens langs te komen, tijdens mijn lange zondagloop.

Dit zijn de weken waarin het totaal aantal kilometer per week nog steeds een impact heeft, en met slechts 3 sessies per week tot hiertoe zit ik aan de lage kant. Een extra loopje ertussen smokkelen in de week is niet makkelijk als je zo traag bent als ik, want het vraagt tijd. Hier is hoe ik het deze week toch probeerde:

Maandagavond: een kort eindje "herstel" joggen, 6km en een beetje. Fijn dat het makkelijk was om zonder veel wandelpauzes toch mijn hartslag laag te houden. Niets deed pijn of herinnerde me echt aan de 29km van de dag ervoor.

Woensdagavond: intervals, 8km. Interessant dat mijn schemaatje me dit keer intervals van 1-2km liet doen, vorige week waren het er nog van 1-2mijl. Niet zo snel op elk snel stukje als ik al geweest ben de afgelopen maanden, maar genoeg om me gerust te stellen dat zondag goed verteerd was.

Vrijdagavond: 10km, wedstijd tempo, als geïmproviseerde tempo sessie. Ik wou nu eigenlijk wel eens weten hoe snel ik ben op de 10km, dus deed ik er 10 alsof het een race was. Ik stond verbaasd over mijn tijd voor elke mijl, en wist dat ik een goede tijd ging neerzetten. Maar het was helemaal te gek dat dit mijn 3e snelste tijd is die ik ooit op Fetcheveryone optekende. Ik heb geen 10km zo snel gelopen sinds 2009, en dat was in een echte wedstrijd.

Zondagochtend: Ik wist niet goed hoe ver ver genoeg was, maar meerdere marathon training schema's toonden me dat dit nog niet de week is voor de 32km (20 mijl). Ik koos dan maar de halve marathon en startte met een hartslag die netjes in de juiste zone bleef, met best een goed tempo. Een beetje stijfheid rond de rechterhiel en enkel verdween al snel, en alles liep op wieltjes. Tot ergens rond de 8km, toen de enkel weer van zich liet horen. Ik stopte met lopen net voor de 11km, want het werd niet beter. Dit was niet iets dat ik kon van me afschudden, of mee blijven lopen, tenminste niet zonder grotere schade. Gelukkig was ik niet ver van huis en kon ik terug wandelen.

Dit was een belangrijke herinnering dat ik het volle programma van stretches, foam roller, en de basis krachttraining moet hervatten; dat zat de voorbije weken op een laag pitje. Blijkbaar ben ik niet meer zo jong als ik dacht en dus wanneer de training intensiever wordt, moet ik goed opletten dat er meer gebeurt dan alleen lopen en een snelle stretch hier en daar. Ik ben meteen weer aan de slag met de meer diverse training en het voelt goed om spieren ook eens anders te bewegen! Die 32km volgende zondag komt hopelijk wel in orde, zolang ik alles goed verzorg.

Witte eend loopt mee in een loopwedstrijd op de baan
Dat is nu eens een loopeend!

6 weeks to go: caution!

Did you donate yet?

After last week's long 18 miler, you're probably wondering what I got up to next.
The good news is that I am recovering from my runs reasonably well! The bad news is that some ancient niggle has finally decided to break through once more as of Sunday's long run.

These are the weeks when total mileage per week still matters, and with only 3 runs per week so far I've been on the lower end. Sneaking in an extra run is possible, but I can assure you this would be easier if I ran faster on average. Here's how I try to do this anyway:

Monday night: a little recovery run, 4M and change. Nice to see that it was easy to run almost continuously and still keep my heart rate low. Nothing was hurting or complaining about the miles from Sunday's long run.

Wednesday night: intervals, 5.1M total. Interesting to see the schedule make me do 1-2K intervals after last week's 1-2M intervals. I was not as fast on every fast bit as I have been already in this training block, but I was close enough to be happy about my recovery from Sunday.

Friday night: 10K race pace -- improvised tempo+ session. I was still curious about my actual 10K time now, and so I just ran 10K the way I would run a race. I was amazed by my 1M splits and knew I was heading for a good time but surprised it turns out to be my 3rd fastest 10K I have ever recorded on Fetcheveryone. I haven't run a 10K distance this fast since 2008, and that was in a proper race

Sunday moring: I wasn't sure what distance to pick, but looking through various schedules I noticed this was not yet the week for the 20 miler. I chose a half marathon, and set off keeping the heart rate nicely in the zone, yet my pace was decent. The little stiffness around the right heel and ankle disappeared within the first mile, and we're off! Until... somewhere around mile 5 when the ankle starts complaining. I canned my run at 6.7miles when it still hadn't got any better. This was not something I could run off, or run through for another 6+miles, at least not without doing some serious damage. Fortunately I was close to home and walked back.

This was a big reminder to resume the full programme of stretches, foam rolling, and basic strength exercises, that had fallen to lower levels in the past few weeks. Apparently I am no spring chicken anymore and as training intensifies, I need to be very careful to do more than just running and a quick stretch. I'm back on the diversified training wagon - and it felt good to move muscles in different ways! I'm hopeful to run that 20miler next Sunday if I baby that spot.

White duck running along in a road race
A real runner duck

48 days to go?

Spring naar de Nederlandstalige versie

We are apparently "M-48 days": seven weeks to the start of the marathon. Have you donated yet? Don't wait! Do it now! I'll wait here for you to return ☕ And a big thank you to those who already chipped in! 🙏

Ok. Donated? Thanks! Back to business now! How's the training going??

I am in the weird mid-training-block place where I feel totally confident right after I finish a run and the endorphines are high, and then the rest of the time wonder what I've been getting myself into and how I'll ever run a distance that the car was invented for.

So how are things shaping up, 11 weeks into formal marathon training? I had a tune-up 10K on Sept. 20, and that was encouraging even if not perfect.

For starters the 10K was 300meter short, so it doesn't count as an official race time. But it achieved its main goal for me: assess where I am after 10 weeks of training. I am slow - I'm sure painfully so for most serious runners - but I am faster than I was at the start of the block. In July I calculated my interval pace. That should be a bit faster than my 10K pace, and I came up with 12.05 minutes per mile (I could run faster for short distances). My 10K (or 9.7K) pace is now 11.20MM, a real improvement. This is backed up by what I see in my other training runs, and commensurate with the changes in my "slightly slower-than-10K pace" the tempo runs require. These runs are also faster than they used to, for the same effort. One small caveat: the race was in the evening, when I run faster. If you ever run with me before my coffee or breakfast, you'll notice the difference.

Schildpad op een loopband

So far for speed. I'm still looking at a 6hr marathon (I know... 🐢). What about endurance for the distance? I am not afraid of mixing running and walking when it helps me go the distance: it lowers my HR, and mixes up the muscles I use. The race and my training runs take place in the pancake-flat parts of Flanders, so there is not much beyond variety of the terrain underfoot to entertain me.

I've done 3 half-marathon runs since June, and 6 runs beyond: 14, 15 or 16 miles, and today 18. Ideally I'd get 1 or 2 20-milers in for confidence. With 7 weeks left (including taper), I don't have many shots left for that distance, so this enters into the confidence debate I mentioned at the start. Will I be alright without a 20-miler? Heck, I ran my first marathon with two 16-milers as my longest runs and lived to tell the tale. And I've done more quality training the past months than I did in years. Should be alright, shouldn't it? 🤞

Today's plan was to run a mile, walk until heart rate was back to "comfortable and easy run", then resume running for the rest of the mile. I had a few longer breaks to nibble on snacks, but it was only after mile 16 that I really needed a different pattern. At no point did I feel like 18 miles was impossible, and any niggles that tried to show up disappeared within the mile. I even managed a little sprint for the final 200m! 🏃‍♀️

That concluded a training week of 33 miles, my longest since late December 2023, and definitely of much better quality! Overall, I am feeling happy with my progress so far.

So all in all I know this won't be easy, and it certainly won't be fast. But as long as I stay injury free, it will likely get done. Check back next week for more, or check my Fetcheveryone log for the detailed stats until then!

NL: 48 dagen te gaan!

We zijn blijkbaar “M-48 dagen”: zeven weken tot de start van de marathon. Heb je al een gift gedaan? Wacht niet! Doe het nu! Ik wacht hier op je terugkomst En heel veel dank aan iedereen die al een steentje bijdroeg! 🙏

Ok. Gedoneerd? Bedankt! Terug naar de training tussenstand! Hoe loopt alles nu?

Het midden van een trainingsblok vind ik altijd wat raar: soms voel ik me 200% zeker dat het zal lukken, vooral als de endorphines na een goeie sessie lekker vloeien. De rest van de tijd vraag ik me waar ik nu weer in hemelsnaam aan begonnen ben, en hoe ik ooit een afstand ga lopen waar ze de auto voor uitgevonden hebben.

Dus waar staan we, 11 weken na de officiële start van mijn training? Om dat na te gaan liep ik op 20 september een 10km wedstrijd. Aanmoedigend resultaat, ook al zijn er nog werkpuntjes.

Om te beginnen was de 10km eigenlijk 300 meter te kort, dus het is geen officiële wedstrijdtijd. Maar mijn doel was beoordelen waar ik stond na 10 weken training, en dat zit snor. Ik ben langzaam –schildpadlangzaam voor serieuze lopers– maar ik ben sneller dan 11 weken geleden. In juli berekende ik mijn tempo voor intervaltraining (da's iets sneller dan mijn 10km tempo), en ik kwam uit op 7:30 minuten per km (ik kon wel sneller lopen voor kortere afstanden). Mijn wedstrijd 10km (of 9,7K) tempo is nu 7:03MM, da's een reële verbetering. De data van mijn andere sessies bevestigen dit, vb in mijn "iets langzamer dan 10km" voor tempo sessies. Die gaan sneller dan vroeger met dezelfde inspanning. Let wel: de wedstrijd was 's avonds, wanneer ik sowieso sneller loop. Als je me ziet joggen voor ik koffie of ontbijt had, merk je het verschil.

Schildpad op een loopband

Tot zover snelheid. Dit wordt nog steeds een marathon van 6 uur (ik weet het… 🐢). Hoe zit het met uithoudingsvermogen voor de afstand? Ik gooi er gerust een stukje stappen tussen als het me helpt de afstand te halen: het verlaagt mijn HR en gebruikt iets andere spieren. Ik loop de marathon en mijn training in de vlakste landsdelen, dus de afwisseling tussen asfalt en onverharde baantjes is dan de enige die ik vind.

Voor lange duur heb ik sinds juni 3 keer een halve marathon afstand gedaan, en 6 keer verder gelopen: 22,5km, 24km, 25,7km en vandaag 29km. Idealiter zou ik 1 of 2 keer ook 32km lopen om mijn zelfvertrouwen een boost te geven. Met nog 7 weken te gaan (inclusief afbouw/rust), heb ik niet veel ruimte meer voor die afstand, dus je snapt waar de twijfels waar ik het eerder over had vandaan komen. Red ik het zonder de klassieke 32km sessie(s)? Mijn eerste marathon liep ik met twee keer 25,7km als langste afstand, en ik overleefde het. Daarbij heb ik de afgelopen maanden met meer focus en kwaliteit gelopen dan ik in jaren deed. Dat moet toch goed komen? 🤞

Vandaag was het patroon een mijl (1.6km) lopen, dan stappen tot mijn hartslag weer zakte naar 'aangename inspanning', en dan de rest van de mijl weer lopen; en een paar langere stukjes stappen om mijn snacks te eten. Pas na 25km voelde ik de nood voor een ander patroon, maar op geen enkel moment had ik het gevoel dat 18 mijl onmogelijk was. Als iets begon tegen te wringen, verdween dat voor de mijl uit was. Ik kon zelfs nog een sprintje trekken voor de laatste 200 meter! 🏃‍♀️

Daarmee heb ik deze week 53km bij elkaar gelopen, mijn langste week-afstand sinds eind december.

De marathon wordt dus niet een makkie, en snel al helemaal niet. Maar zolang ik vrij van blessures blijf, ziet het er haalbaar uit. Kom volgende week kijken hoe het verder gaat, of bezoek mijn Fetcheveryone log voor alle gedetailleerde info over mijn training!

De Wase Marathon – Ik kom op tegen kanker

logo Wase Marathon

Hop down to the English version

Omdat zomaar 42km lopen tot de finishlijn niet genoeg is voor me…🏃‍♀️
Omdat papa 9 jaar geleden aan kanker overleed… 🕯️
Omdat die rotziekte nog steeds te veel mensen rond me raakt… 😢
Omdat er na jaren toegewijd onderzoek nog steeds geen wereld zonder kanker is –maar we komen telkens een stapje dichter…🔬
Omdat jij niet hoeft te lopen ter nagedachtenis van een dierbare, maar me wel een duwtje in de rug kan geven met een gift! 💪🏻

Op zondag 17 november loop ik de Wase Marathon - de volle 42.2km! En jij kan intussen helpen om ons allemaal wat dichter bij een toekomst zonder kanker te brengen: 💰💰💰

Makkelijkste manier om te helpen:

👉 Doneer rechtsreeks bij Kom op tegen kanker via mijn actiepagina! 👈

Alle beetjes helpen, want vele kleintjes maken één groot! Doe dit voor 17 November!

Dit kan ook:

Stort je liever een anonieme bijdrage? Dat doe je op rekeningnummer BE03 4886 6666 6684 met de vrije mededeling 110399720 GIFT. Ik weet dan niet wie je bent, maar je bijdrage gaat wel naar mijn actie 😇

En heb je cash gevonden tussen de kussens van de sofa? Ook welkom in een envelopje! Ik zorg dat het netjes bij Kom op tegen kanker beland 👌

Elke gift telt voor 100%

Inschrijving en de kosten voor vervoer en bevoorrading neem ik op mij! Elke gift van jou, groot of klein, helpt rechtstreeks en 100% om onderzoek te financieren, patienten en hun families te ondersteunen, en red dus levens ❤️

🏆 Samen kunnen we opkomen tegen kanker! Ik loop, jij doneert. Deal?

Ik hou je op mijn blog wekelijks op de hoogte van mijn training, of je kan de tussenstand bekijken op Fetcheveryone, mijn online logboek 📊

Wase Marathon - Joining the Fight against cancer!

Because just running 26.2 miles to the finish isn't enough for me…🏃‍♀️
Because dad died of cancer 9 years ago…🕯️
Because that horrible disease still affects way too many people around me…😢
Because after years of dedicated research, we still don't live in a cancer-free world –but we get closer, step by step… 🔬
Because you don't have to run in memory of a loved one, but you can support me with a donation! 💪🏻

On Sunday 17 November I will run the Wase Marathon. Yes, all 26.2 miles of it! And you can help to bring us all a bit closer to a future without cancer: 💰💰💰

All the different ways to donate:

If you're with a Belgian bank or have a credit card

👉 Donate directly to Kom op tegen kanker via my dedicated fundraiser page! 👈

Every little helps, from pennies to pounds, cents to dollars/euros! Donate by 17 November.

You prefer an anonymous donation? Use this account number: BE03 4886 6666 6684 and add the following message: 110399720 GIFT. I won't know who donated but with that message you'll contribute to my specific fundraiser. 😇

If you're abroad and can't use the Belgian bank account

👉 Send your donation to my Paypal (email address tinekedhaeseleer @ me.com), and mention MARATHON. I will send everything to the Belgian cancer-fighting charity Kom op tegen kanker! 👌

I also accept cash, so save up those coins you find under the sofa and send them to me before 17 November

Your gift: 100% impact!

I take care of all costs for participating in the marathon, such as entry fee, transport and supplies. This means that every single donation from you, small or large, directly helps to finance research, and supports patients and their families, and thus will help to save lives. ❤️

🏆 Together we can fight cancer! I run, you donate. What a deal!

I'll keep you up to date every week on my training progress on the blog, or if you can't wait, have a peek at my most recent training via Fetcheveryone, my online running log 📊

No wonder I was tired! So let’s do that again!

In 2023 I finished another year of running 1000 miles... Because the relocation across the Pond and the concomitant travel shook up my schedule, and because of "stuff" that I can't remember now, my planning wasn't great and by the time October rolled around, I needed 27+ miles per week to stand a chance. So... apparently I did that. All I now remember is that it was a lot of miles run-walk, a lot of early mornings once I got my shiny chest light in particular, through wind and rain, catching little bugs in my Fetchpoint game Somehow I escaped injuries by sticking to snail-speed, but I did notice after consecutive days with 5 mile runs, it was getting a bit much.

But darn it, I did it. And I achieved my goal of running on average those 1000 miles faster than I did in 2022 (by 27' per mile, to be exact).

Colourful infographic from Fetcheveryone site, showing total number of miles and hours run, average page, number of days, heartbeat , etc broken down in multiple different ways.
I love all the detail you get from Fetch!

Obviously I decided to do it all again this year: another 1000 miles, if you please, my little legs? I'm adding in a bit more variation now I have a decent base: some intervals, tempo runs, and long slow runs without walk breaks. Or to be more accurate: replace "run" with "jog" because I'm still barely faster than a snail.

As of the start of May, I'm only a little bit behind on my target: instead of the weekly 19.2 miles, I need 19.9. Seems manageable for somebody who can churn out a few weeks at 27 miles, doesn't it? But that's not counting on a massive new change: I just started a full time job, and I've got a commute that requires bike+train three days a week. Planning is very tight if I want to reach 1000 miles with multiple shorter runs through the week. I still have 4 days without commute, to run on average about 5 miles each time. If you're speedier than me, you can fit that in before working from home, but for me it's a 3-miler on those days, and the rest I grab during the weekend. Or on one of the many bank holidays that grace my first month of work!

So we'll see if I can stay on target this year. At the moment I see very little opportunity to slack off, let alone fall ill or get injured. This will be another interesting year of "will she, or won't she?", but it won't be for lack of trying!

morningmistpink
Early morning runs have their charm -meadows and trees in the mist in Mespelare.

Strictly for the birds

Well, not really... But I have a job ahead of me taming this camera/lens OR I need to get a new one that's up to what I want to do with it. Out of 70 pics, this is the only one I kept because it's not a blurry mess.

Jay with a peanut
Lightly edited Jay and his peanut. I absolutely love the blue stripes on their wings.

I know bird photography is hard, but even then the sensor isn't up to it with the shutter speed and aperture on this thing. Cameras have evolved since *checks* 2007/8 when this camera came out, and the buyer at the time did not have bird photography in mind in the first place.

Things I can try before chucking it all out and saving up for a new one:

  • use a tripod (need to find the right screw to attach camera to tripod)
  • clean the windows (they're not that dirty, honestly)
  • not take pics through the kitchen window (the birds won't dare to come close enough for the 150mm zoom I have)
  • trying out different settings

That last one would require me to go through the manual, and we all know how we feel about that, don't we? 😅

Have you succeeded in taking pics of the birds visiting your garden, and can you share them? Drop a link in the comments! I'd love to check out your pictures!

Two sunflowers close up

Backyard Wildlife College closes its doors!

But Collegium “Vanachter in den Hof” receives a boost with additional human caretaker!

salad-bar
The wildflower strip at Backyard Wildlife College; our bees and other creepy crawlies enjoyed this a lot.

On June 30 Backyard Wildlife College in Allentown, PA, closed its doors forever — we’re unsure if any new tenants at the human dwelling have moved in and kept up with the wildlife improvements, or if the wildflower strip (aka the salad and protein bar) disappeared when management prepared the property for a new caretaker human. In any case, some of the infrastructure went to neighbouring backyards. You can now find Café Colibri at the human dwelling to the left, and the heated birdbath, squirrel picnic table, and feeding tube right next door to the original location. You don’t have to travel far, and we carefully checked that the humans are wildlife-friendly.

The human caretaker has permanently relocated to Belgium, and has taken up the position of assistant caretaker at Collegium Vanachter in den hof (VIDH) in Flanders, with a side-gig as Orchid Whisperer (more about this in a separate post).

zomer23-overview-garden
Some portraits from the star performers in summer 2023 at Collegium Vanachter in den hof.

We look forward to learning how European wildlife delights the humans near their dwellings in the Old World. We already received reports of sightings of Erik Brown (Squirrel), and of Freddy Fox barking deep into the night. Owl hoot-offs are a nightly occurrence. Over the summer the mosquito aerial combat team prevented most outdoor human activity and we are curious to hear how both parties will negotiate a truce next summer.

At the moment, the caretakers are spoiling the Feathered Division rotten with this fab new addition to the infrastructure, and bespoke mixes of fat, insects, and nuts and seeds. They are setting themselves up for a real challenging Big Garden Birdwatch (Flemish edition) to count all the feathered visitors in late January.

Bird tube feeder mounted on a tray, and covered with a big L-shaped roof, sits on a small round table on a patio. Four birds are on the structure.
New infrastructure at Collegium VIDH is a hit with the Feathered faculty, staff and students!

PSA: For continuity we will continue using the category BackyardWildlifeCollege for all garden-related wildlife adventures even after this relocation.

Rich milk chocolate date and almond gateau

So: here's the recipe, scroll further down for the blabla story that other blogs put before the repice. I personally prefer the reverse: tell me how to do it, then tell me why this dish matters to you. 己所不欲勿施於人 as Confucius said. (Do not do to others as you wouldn't have done to yourself.1 )

Grab a 25 cm/10inch sandwich tin (I use one with a removable bottom), and a few mixing bowls, then gather the following ingredients, and follow the instructions below:

Ingredients:

  • 175g (6oz) unsalted butter
  • 250g (9oz) good quality milk chocolate. For my US-based friends: Trader Joe's Imported Belgian Chocolate is excellent, I personally vouch for it.
  • 3 whole eggs
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 125g (4oz) light brown sugar
  • 175g (6oz) ground almonds
  • 100g (3 1/2oz) whole almonds crushed
  • 150g (5oz) medjool dates (or poach ordinary dates in water and sugar for ± 3 mins), cut in small pieces

Instructions:

  1. Grease the sandwich tin, and line the base with a circle of grease-proof paper
  2. Preheat the oven to 170C (325F, gas mark 3)
  3. Melt butter and chocolate together au bain-marie or in microwave
  4. Beat the whole three eggs with egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale and thick.
  5. Add the ground almonds, the crushed almonds and the dates to that mixture, combine well
  6. Incorporate the butter and chocolate mixture
  7. Pour everything into the sandwich tin and bake for about 50 mins. (I needed to add another 15mins, but our oven is geriatric and temperamental)
  8. Leave to cool before turning out
  9. Decorate with an icing sugar pattern right before serving, if you fancy

Tadaaaa!

chocolate-gateau
Icing decoration optional, but tasty!

On Christmas day we had not prepared the quiche that was murmured about – that one had fallen by the wayside. Just as well, so there was a small pie-shaped hole still available for our guests to try out this gateau. (I know I called it a torte in that previous post but to err is human.) Everyone enjoyed it, after all the other delights we served – including a gorgeous Yule log. Just look at that picture!

yule-log-2023
Our reindeer decoration approves of the Yule Log.

Anyways: it's still as good as I remember, and it reminded me of a very thick brownie with added pizzazz: ever so slightly crunchy on top, moist and substantially chocolatey on the inside, and almond flavour everywhere. My cousin compared it to frangipane but with chocolate, and that's the almonds talking.

This thing was so delish we even saved the crumbs from my clumsy cutting effort for the next day. (Tip: use a sharp knife and a decisive cut.) The Belgian Army didn't show up, neither did the Navy, to help us out, so we hid the rest of the cake in the freezer, because there was serious temptation to eat all the leftovers in one go and that might not have ended well. We're now slowly munching our way through it one piece at a time. We're tempted by cake, not by new year's resolutions here!

chocolate-gateau-piece
This yummy piece of cake survived the freezer effortlessly.

  1. Analects 12:2

Feeding an army (chocolate torte edition)

I'm sure you know the situation: family members (3 people) have been invited for a holiday dinner, with the promise of "something simple, not like you folks do." Then you let it all go for a couple of days and next thing you know, you pick up murmurings of a quiche for opening nibble, and a brunoise has miraculously appeared in the kitchen ("That's the soup. I'm not sure yet there will be a starter but I might do something yet."), and there is some coordination to pick up the guinea fowl and then somebody (not me) is hunting through recipe books to find the right sauce to go with the veggies. At least, I comfort myself, we have the cakes covered: picking up a Yule log from the local baker's is a safe bet. He makes great cakes, we like 'em. Ganache-covered option for us, of course, we're Belgian.

That was until I bumped about four days ago into a dead link on the newspaper website, for an Almond Chocolate Cake and I said "Oh well, I do have a good recipe for that anyway."
"Oh? You do?" piped up my housemate. Yeah, I do. Somewhere...

Next thing I know, I'm digging in the garage amid the piles of boxes with my stuff from the US, for my handwritten recipe notebook; we're strategising about the egg yolks that are left over from the brunoise; and somehow milk chocolate and dates have appeared in the pantry so resistance is futile: all ingredients are in the house. The almond-chocolate cake torte (as the recipe calls it) shall exist.

Just one small thing I had forgotten in the 13 or so years since I last made this thing: it's rather dense and even with its innocent measure of a 25cm sandwich tin it will feed the entire Belgian army (if we cut small slices, part of the navy too). How on earth five of us will manage to tackle this thing after an extended dinner and a Yule log is beyond me, but: I was requested to contribute this torte, and I have complied.

On Monday we'll get to try it out, and if it passes muster, I'll share the recipe. Hold on tight!

Stitch pulling a very airy chocolate cake that has risen to fill the entire inside of the oven, out of the oven.
Nope, it's not that fluffy...

Ten books of summer: update book 3

Yeah, summer’s long gone but I haven’t finished my reviews yet! More coming, I guess, as I did manage to read a few more!

Some books start off as one thing and then become something else and it’s ok — as I wrote about in my previous update, that happened in Dan Holloway’s Our Dreams Make Different Shapes, which morphed from coaching you in memory techniques to boost creativity into a manifesto for diversity in society and the workplace, but it all made sense.

For other books, that transformation from one thing to another doesn’t quite work. Justin Jacobs’ Indiana Jones in History should really just have dropped that last section about the space race. That’s pretty much my only quibble with the book, and once you know that’s coming, you can maybe decide to skip that section and move ahead to the final chapter which is just👌🏻

I taught a course on material culture of China, and we touched on the ethics of archaeology. I tried to ensure that one thing students would get comfortable with by the end of the course was to ask the question “How did this thing end up in this museum?” It's common sense enough and yet few people seem to ask! This book and the excellent accompanying little YouTube videos go a long way to answering those questions. Fair warning: you may want to watch the Spielberg Indie movies before diving into all of this, because the adventurer's story won’t be the same again.

Jacobs' writing is geared towards the curious non-specialist, and not weighted down with notes but still based on thorough research, I can confirm for the China chapters. Definitely worth reading!

screenshot of a Classical Studies Memes for Hellenistic Teens post on Twitter. 
lmaonade: My favorite video game quest trope is [all caps text] "help us, they are stealing our ancient artifact, thank you for helping us, as a reward you may have our ancient artifact"
Reply by 6qubed: "The ancient artifact was less important than having agency in its distribution"
Reply by Suinicide: "Nothing is more important than keeping it out of the hands of the British museum"
British Museum, Brutish Museums… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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