Magic day in and around Jakubowizna

A belatedly announced public holiday, the sun's shining, so I head to the działka, and from there, a long circular walk around the fields.

Plenty of atavistic memories come flooding back during this walk.

Below: the road from Machcin II to Gaj Żelechowski

Below: the same road, but looking the other way (north)

Below: yes - I've been here before - in 1838? Or was it earlier still?

Below: old wooden house, in the village of Widok (lit. 'view') So there - widok Widoku.

A most unhappy sight (below) - unpicked apples. It was obvious from the spring that this would be a bumper year for fruit. The larger, better invested commercial orchards carried on with the harvest - their owners have loans to pay off, so not picking the fruit is not an option. The old, family-run orchards, mortgages paid off, have no great financial obligations. It's just not worth picking these apples.

And so, they fall off the tree, and lie on the ground, where they will rot. This orchard (below) is commercial, behind a fence, so one cannot go in an scrump. A sad waste of food - these apples are outstanding in terms of taste, texture and balance between acidity and sweetness. The best apples I've ever eaten.

Below: post box (!) by Chynów station. Can't remember the last time I posted a letter! [UPDATE JULY 2020: the postbox has gone, the post office in Chynów says it won't be replaced.]

Left: Chynów station; between the tracks, lengths of new rail waiting for new the track bed. In the distance, a stationary works loco. This track is now only used so that passenger trains can pass one another here; further ahead (and indeed behind), the track is being lifted ahead of its modernisation.

Despite the public holiday, there was a good service and the train back to Jeziorki was quite full already by the time it got to Chynów; by Jeziorki it was standing room only.

A beautiful day and a fitting end to an extended holiday weekend.

This time last year:
Warsaw-London-Ealing

This time three years ago:
With my father and brother in Derbyshire

This time six years ago:
In praise of Warsaw's trams

This time eight years ago:
Setting sun in the mountains

This time nine years ago:
That learning moment