Green in every way ...

"Greens make historic gains in Belgium"

Big weekend in that I was allowed to vote for the first time in the City election. Responsibility!! I took soundings and discovered that Vlaams party meant Flanders to secede from the Walloons; not economically viable at the very least. Anything with ‘Christian’ in its name, meant, of course, descended from/via the Roman Catholic church; a definite No! No! for me…. A title with ‘liberal’ in it, means ‘conservative’ so again, not for me. There were so many shades of political stance that I completed an online questionnaire to determine to which Belgian political party I was closest. The answer was the Greens so the way was clear!! In Belgium, voting is compulsory [which I applaud] but even so I was surprised to see a small queue outside Sint Leo school at ten minutes before opening time at 8.00 a.m as I returned home from my early swim. Sunday was the first time for electronic voting in Brugge; brilliant; quick, easy, no need to count votes subsequently. I had a step-by-step sheet to guide the novice through the process but still had to ask for help. Without real Dutch I removed the card from the slot too soon and was unable to proceed. Unobtrusive help was at hand and the vote cast in seconds. It is a really quick and efficient system even for beginners.

Dirk de Fauw

Flushed with my presumed sensitivity to the local Brugge civic scene, I intended to write to the Greens to suggest they nudge De Lijn, the bus company, to invest in a fleet of electric buses and use Brugge as a test run for the country. Plus, to urge it to push for restricted car use in the centre. That is until I checked and discovered that I was too late as usual! This month the decision was made by the Brugge council to close the main streets to traffic each Saturday and the first Sunday of each month, from February 1st 2019, between 10.00 and 18..00. So, well done Brugge and well done De Lijn who have invested in over 120 electric buses for Belgium, with three operating in a small test project in Brugge. Meanwhile, a larger De Lijn pilot project will begin in 2019 in Antwerp, Ghent and Leuven with wireless charging. Brugge's project is testing batteries using cable charging.

One of the electric buses in Brugge

Apparently Bruggean air is of a very poor quality in the centre. The bus routes were changed in January of this year to remove them, chiefly, from the main streets and, in addition to next February's plan, cars could be banned on certain week-days, or staggered use permitted, say each car allowed three days a week only in the centre. Publicity for electric
cars could be increased and re-charging stations begun to be established. There are numerous permutations possible. The new Burgemeester [Dirk de Fauw] and his Council will be as exceptionally conscious of the aesthetics of the city as the previous incumbents, regarding both domestic and commercial buildings; colours for houses to be painted; designs for modifications to houses and shops; rules for trash [fines

Calicarpa Bodiniere

for putting out rubbish on the wrong day; plastic blue sacks often refused because of some unknown infringement]; very strict parameters for materials for road repairs; signage. The list is almost endless and it is worthy and effective. Tourists don’t want to see the historic street-scape spoiled in any way and they are the life-blood of this town. However, tourists don’t see, or therefore notice, poor air quality but residents increasingly do and they need better!

My little terrace continues to enchant and harbour, though tinges of Autumn are beginning. Walking home along Wapenmakersstraat on Friday, I stopped at the most irresistible shop in Brugge; a plant shop which, though it specialises in cacti and often has some beautiful bonsai in the window, offers a very good range of garden plants. As I have remarked several times, I can buy no more plants otherwise there will be no room for people on the terrace; however, there was a gorgeous purple-berried beauty on display over which I dithered for seconds before acquiring! It is a Calicarpa Bodiniere, named after Emile-Marie Bodinier, a French missionary and botanist who collected plants in China in the 19^th century. One wonders if the proselytizing or the plants were his chief passion. He certainly had a good eye for a decorative plant and one such is now gracing my tiny terrace.

Beautiful boy guarding a late-flowering fuschia