Dear readers,

This week another newsletter from me: my father is busy with the daffodils again and as you know by now I am then appointed to tell something about the goings-on in Burgervlotbrug.

Not much has changed since last week, except that a lot of work that still had to be done then is now finished, but you probably saw that coming. ☺ I'll ask my father if he has an idea of how many daffodils pass through his hands in an average summer: I actually wouldn't have a clue. Can you make a guess? I'll publish his estimate in the next newsletter!

At this time of year, lots of land is often flooded, a way to clean the ground and prepare it for the next season. In that shallow water, all sorts of nutrients float to the surface, something that the birds are also quick to notice. That's why every now and then a rare bird is spotted in such a piece of land and I don't know what means of communication birdwatchers use, but in no time the entire road is full of people with binoculars and cameras who want to see the special bird in question with their own eyes. (By the way, everyone who lives here would rather joke about putting the cat outside than go and have a look.)

This year it seems to be a striped sandpiper? Or a sandpiper? (Sandpiper, Wikipedia just told me.) And while that may sound like a tourist without sunscreen, it caused quite a stir, especially by Belkmerweg standards. I think it has left by now, because I can't see the birders anymore, but I'm curious to see what the next bird will be that is viewed en masse here.

Narcissus seedling 'I Love You'

This week my father also finished selecting the daffodil plants, so to celebrate we went to Schagen for ice cream. If you have ever been to Schagen, you may know that the ice cream parlor there is run by Master Ice Cream Maker Robert Bakker, whose work we are of course big fans of. I had actually never heard of the term Master Ice Cream Maker until I saw it there, but there is a website of the Guild of Master Ice Cream Makers, and there are not that many people who have achieved the title. They are listed on the website, along with the ice cream parlor where they sell their ice cream.

Narcissus 'Love You More'

We always order the chef's special, and it changes all the time, so you can try a different ice cream every time. Tip if you're ever in the area!

Reading about becoming a Master Ice Cream Maker did get me thinking about possibly becoming a Master Daffodil Breeder? Or Master Daffodil Expert—I think expert might be a better word, breeder is too narrow a field of knowledge—but I think we could come up with something to create a nice test for that. Unfortunately, I can’t find the requirements for becoming a Master Ice Cream Maker, but there is some reading about Master titles in general, although they all have to do with the hospitality industry, so projecting it onto flower bulbs requires a healthy dose of artistic license.

Narcissus 'La Delicatesse'

Obtaining a Master title is determined by a committee of experts, who then let the participant do a Master test. Not everyone is allowed to just start the test: an application and a motivation interview are required beforehand, and if the test is passed, there is a moment for the inauguration. When I look at the website, I get the idea that the shared knowledge of the committee is the most important, so that they can see whether the candidate is indeed a jack of all trades, so I think that you would want to see something like that for flower bulbs. I think that you should also start a kind of test period earlier, of at least a year, so that the candidate can prove himself in all phases of the daffodil, both as a bulb and in flower form. This does make it a time-consuming process, but okay, we can think about that further. I will add the websites about becoming a Master Ice Cream Maker for you, so that you can see what we based our decision on:

https://svhmeestertitles.nl/svh-meester-worden/

https://svhmeestertitles.nl/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211124-Algemene-informatie-en-Proceedings-SVH-MeesterTIEs.pdf

Narcissus Splendor

For now, we might be better off focusing on apprentice connoisseurs rather than master connoisseurs: we have a lot more of them. For example, do you remember Natan, from the newsletter a few weeks ago? Or Pracht? I think they are excellent candidates to be seen as apprentice daffodil connoisseurs. Then there is Karel, who you may also know from a few photos, but I have to admit that I don't know whether he should be seen as an authority. (But then again, which sister would think that of her little brother?)

Since last year, we have given Karel his own verb: Karelen. Karelen can best be explained as thinking with yourself about whether something could perhaps be done better than the way we do it now, then fantasizing about it for a while, and then coming to the conclusion that we are already doing it in the most efficient way, and therefore not changing anything in the process. The profit of Karelen is therefore on average nothing, but Karel himself is of the opinion that the few times that he did come to the conclusion that there was a better way, he has gained enough not to consider the other, less fruitful, moments as a loss. I think that we all Karelen in our own way at work, but well, if you do it too clearly, you will soon be stuck with your own verb, as you can see here.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and the nice weather!