'De Boven Slinge'

Latest from Maarten, our man on the ground in Heelweg.
There is a little river, more like a creek running through Heelweg,  'de boven slinge', pronounced 'slinger', it is not navigable by kayak as they use it for irrigation and flood control and there are moveable flood gates every kilometer or so.
There are bike and walking paths alongside.
In winter they level a field, dyke it, shallow flood it, from the Slinge and then use it as a public skating rink.
This is the first time this winter that is has been cold enough to freeze the rink.

 It is safer to skate on a shallow flooded field than than a natural deeper pond.
Here they are measuring the thickness of the ice.
The Dutch love to skate.....me ? I need to skate/ hold a chair, just as they teach the kids to skate holding a chair.
Makes sense to me and you can sit down and rest on the ice, very practical.
I used a shopping cart trying to learn with online roller skates. FAIL !