What's Happening in the Garden

This morning I intentionally got up late with nothing much on my to-do list, and then this inspiration hit me! I suddenly had more inner strength and motivational energy than I've felt for a very long time!  Gerard thinks it's probably that I'm over my jet lag, and maybe that's part of it, but this feels different.  I felt so healthy and so strong and motivated inside. So I vacuumed the main floor and washed all the floors. That hasn't happened for a long time and it felt really good!  And I had Handel's Messiah playing full blast. It was wonderful, but I have no pictures to show you of that, so let me show and tell you what's happening out in the garden.

Have your garden plants been behaving differently this summer from last year?  Ours have. They're thriving and much bigger than usual.  Maybe it's the cold long winter, the wet spring...? When I came home  from my trip the garden looked lush and beautiful, but even though I like the natural look, it was getting a little too crowded and wild. I've been pulling spent wild flowers and clearing out the flower beds ever since.  Here's what showing right now:  The most colour in the front flower beds is coming from the black-eyed susans right now.

black-eued  susans

The purple cone flowers are bushier and have more flowers than ever before.

Lots of bees in the garden these days!

And these are (what is sometimes referred to as) our "volunteer flowers" this summer, .  That is, they reseeded themselves from last year.  I did nothing to grow these portulacas and sunflowers.  They surprised me by coming up where they did all by themselves!

portulacas

 
sunflowers

So the flower garden is thriving this year, but the vegetables have not done very well. I'd really like to grow our own organic vegetables, but I'm really disappointed and starting to get discouraged about how my vegetable gardening is (not) going.  Out of all the seeds I put in I have one climbing bean plant and a few scraggly little red beet plants.  The kale was thriving, but must have been eaten. 

The only plants doing well at the moment are the tomatoes and some basil and beans that are growing in pots on the deck. The lettuce and spinach were good for a  few pickings but are now  past their peak, and oh yeah, the rhubarb did really really well this year.  I have lots packed away in the freezer for making rhubarb crumble and stewed rhubarb later in the year!

the phlox flowers are just opening up the last few days

Wish the vegetables would be as easy to grow as all these flowers are.  If you have any suggestions to help me out with my vegetable gardening I'd love to hear them.  

Have You Ever Seen?

Have you ever seen a traffic sign like this? This morning I was delightfully surprised by this unexpected street sign on Bellamy Road where we were shopping for my new bathing suit. I love the juxtaposition of the warning of geese crossing the road with the high rises in the background. Unusual combination in my mind.

Warning: geese crossing

Have you ever seen a hanging cherry tomato plant like this? We are taking care of it for our neighbour's while they're on vacation. It's called a tumbler tomato and is bearing masses of cherry tomatoes. The neighbours had been counting how many tomatoes they picked so we have continued the count. We're up to 172!  I've never seen a hanging tomato plant like this before.  It's not looking as good as it was when they handed it over to our care.  I'm hoping it's just that the plant is nearing the end of its season and because of our treatment.  I feel kind of bad returning a plant that looks this bad. Hope their excitedment over how many tomatoes we picked (and ate) will make up for their sad looking plant.

tumbler tomato

Finished Adding Pictures to the Holland Posts

There!  Just finished adding pictures to all the posts about Holland. So if you're interested in seeing them, you can scroll back through some of the previous posts and get somewhat of an impression of my wonderful trip. These pictures and words can't completely convey the richness of this experience, but at least you can get a little taste of what it was like. What an amazing time it was!  What an incredible blessing! Lots of happy memories!

one of my favourite pictures from Holland

I'm slowly getting back into a routine here back at home: gardening, sorting and inserting pictures into this blog, swimming, preparing green smoothies, Pilates class this evening, last cataract surgery follow-up appointment and buying a new bathing suit tomorrow, and still napping a lot!  I feel great; kind of energized by this trip.  Lots of memories to cherish.  And now it's time for me to get off the computer. 

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig!

I'm home! from an absolutely wonderful ten-day vacation in The Netherlands, the land of my birth. I just loved it there! What an experience! I feel so amazed and blessed to have had this opportunity, in light of my health journey over the last few years.  

Let me introduce you to my "guardians" on this trip, who largely made the whole experience possible and really enriched my ten day stay in many ways: Oom Ab (my mother's youngest brother) and Oom Gerard and Tante Nel (my father's youngest sister)... 

 

Oom Ab

 Oom Gerard and Tante Nel 

And then there were my brother Nick, my sister Anneke, and my sister-in-law, Fanny who graciously let me join them for part of their three-week stay in Holland.

 Nick, Anneke, Fanny off to the second leg of their trip

The six of you will never fully know how much this trip has meant to me.  Thank you so much for all your loving concern and support that made this experience possible for me!  It's hard to find words to adequately express the gratitude I feel. I love you all. Here's a BIG HUG and THANK YOU to you all!

Some family members, in their concern for whether I'd be able to manage the trip home on my own (problem with time and space orientation) organized special assistance for me so that I wouldn't have to worry about anything and could have a carefree trip.  So a couple with two little kids (mother had injured her leg) and I were met by an assistant who took us from the ticket counter to the boarding area. He gave us a ride from one end of the airport to the other on something like a golf cart.  That was fun! The whole trip went smoothly (no turbulence either).

screen on back of chair in front of me

Again I was seated beside a musician, a young Dutch music producer from Amsterdam, with his Canadian girlfriend. They were very pleasant company, and in the end he ended up taking my carry-on luggage to the baggage pick-up for me too yet.  

mountains in Iceland? or northern Canada?

The whole flight was by daylight. The time seemed to go by quickly.

combination of birthday treats from Holland and Canada

And then I have one other strong supporter for my trip - Gerard! He called me a number of times in Holland to make sure I was OK and to help me keep things in perspective, as usual.  He met me at the airport and I was welcomed home with a big hug of course! and birthday flowers, decorations, cards, tiramisu (my favourite dessert!) and a CD set of Handel's Messiah!

I used to have this on LP records, but couldn't listen to it because our record player hasn't worked for many years.  So I'm really looking forward to listening to it again.

It was great to be in Holland and it is great to be home again!  So far I've slept, prepared a green smoothie, gone swimming, napped, worked in the garden, napped again, transferred my pictures from camera to computer, and started inserting pictures into my Holland posts.  So if you're interested in seeing them, scroll back through my Holland posts and have a look! It's a project in progress, so it may take a few days before I get them all inserted.  Then you'll get a little taste of why I had such a wonderful time.  

A Heartwarming Poffertjes Experience

This morning we bought a new suitcase to replace mine that was broken.  It's the same length and width of my former one, but not as deep. I'm hoping I can fit everything in, and if not, some decisions will have to be made:(

So for my birthday lunch my uncle and aunt treated me to poffertjes (very small pancakes) at a pancake house in town.   

                    

poffertjes

The poffertjes were delicious and a uniquely Dutch treat.  But even though I enjoyed them very much, it was the whole experience that touched and impressed me so much more.

                                

Oom Gerard and Tante Nel treated me to poffertjes for my birthday

This restaurant belongs to a sixteen year old girl, Cathelijne Kok, who has Downs Syndrome.  Her dream was to have a pancake house.  Thanks to her determination and perseverance and the rock-solid trust that the people around her have in her, her dream has come true! (translated from a note on the menu - see below))

(double-click to enlarge)

Her shop opened four months ago.  Cathalijne greeted us warmly as we came in and led us to a table.  With prompting from (her older brother?) she distributed menus, asked what we wanted to drink, and took our orders for the main course.  Her mother was preparing the food in the kitchen. her brother(?) was behind a counter, supporting, encouraging and complimenting her.  She was very excited to serve the other family that was there with two little girls.  She was so-o-o good with them, bringing them crayons and coloring paper.  I don't know who was more excited about the pancakes being delivered to the little girls, Cathelijne or the girls.

 Cathelijne posing by the letter from her mom

The restaurant was modestly furnished and decorated. Painted on one wall was a letter from her mother (my translation):

With your dear little eyes looking at me

It is as if the world has stood still for a moment.

It is as if I am melting inside. 

No one has told me that this could be so beautiful.

With all my love, for Cathelijne.            Mama

on another wall was "A Recipe for Love"
1 cup of romance.             1 cup of respect
1 pinch of humour.            1/2 lb of sharing
2 spoonfuls of joy.            1 zest of tenderness
1lb of compatibility.          3 tablespoons of trust
And 3/4 cup of patience

The place just oozed love, joy, and encouragement.  It was all so joyful and heartwarming!  What a beautiful and profound experience!  I'm so glad my uncle and aunt intentionally chose Cathhalijne's restaurant for my birthday treat!

Celebrating my Birthday in Holland

They are treating me royally here for my birthday.  Birthdays are a big deal in Holland!  So, like I told you already, Tante Nel served birthday cake last night so Jeff and Alida could participate in the celebration and there were buntings hanging from the light in the kitchen.  Then this morning when I came downstairs I was greeted with big birthday hugs, the singing of happy birthday in Dutch, a colorful lai decorated my chair and there was a beautifully wrapped gift on my breakfast plate.  The gift was a small journal book with Marjolein Bastein's nature illustrations on the cover.  I have admired her nature drawings for years already.  How did Tante Nel know?

 my birthday spot at the breakfast table

Tante Nel and I.  Oom Gerard is taking the picture.

So today is my last full day in Holland already!  Can't believe this visit is almost over.  Lots of memories stored up in my brain and also on my camera.  Can't wait to share some of my pictures with you when I get home where I know how the computer works.  Later this morning we are going out to buy a new suitcase because we found mine broken on the luggage carousel.  Then my Oom Gerard  and Tante Nel are going to treat me to lunch at a place that serves poffertjes (tiny pancakes).

Right now I'm sitting on my bed writing this post.  Through my window I hear the sheep in the pasture behind our house.  In the distance I can hear the pounding of pillars into the ground at a construction site.  They have to reach a solid bottom to support all structures here.  There is a huge
viaduct being built here, passing under a river, to accommodate the ever increasing volume of traffic between Amsterdam and Utrecht.

                       

birthday decorations on the kitchen lamp

Today has officially been declared as  a national day of mourning for all the people who died in the air disaster of  flight MH17.  The flags are flying half mast and the blades of the windmills have been stalled at "mourning position".  This afternoon there will be a minute of silence across the nation, including on buses and trains.  At 4pm we are going to watch a nationally televised  service of mourning. Every newspaper, radio and TV channel is full of news about this disaster in which at least 192 Dutch people perished.

Day in Amsterdam with Jeff and Alida

Jeff and Alida are in Amsterdam for two days as part of their whirlwind tour of parts of Europe.  So yesterday (Monday) we spent the day together.  They came by train to pick me up and together we headed for Amsterdam Center.  They offered to treat me to a canal cruise as their birthday gift for me. I was so excited because that was one of the things I really wanted to do in Holland, but so far it hadn't worked out yet. 

we passed under a lot of these curved bridges

It took us a while to chose a cruise.  We finally settled on a small open boat in which the skipper was our local guide ( as opposed to a recorded tour).  Our boat was full with only 11 passengers.  Being so small, we were taken through places that the larger commercial boats cannot access. It turned out to be a good choice.  Our skipper was calm and knowledgable. We really liked him.  Seeing the city from on the water in the canal gave us a very different perspective than from the walking tour I did with Nick, fanny, and Anneke earlier in the week.

                         

eleven passengers filled the boat. It felt like a family reunion boat tour

As we drifted along the canals I was thinking, "Life can't get any better!  This feels so good! Gorgeous weather - blue sunny skies, a light breeze, comfortable temperature, pleasant skipper, beautiful buildings, interesting narration, archways of mature trees, draw bridges and arching tunnel bridges, bicycles everywhere, Sharing this experience with Jeff and Alida." It was wonderful!

                                         

           Enjoying our lunch - Jeff sharing his with some ducks.

                                       
                                         

By the end of the tour we were ready for a bite to eat so we bought some lunch, took it down to the water and sat at the edge of the canal, dangling our legs over the wall.  O, wanted to tell you - one of the first points of interest was a barge loaded with bicycles that had been pulled from the canal. Apparently on weekend nights young revelers get a little rambunctious and start shoving bikes into the water just for "fun".  After a week in the water the bikes are ruined, so then are sold for scrap metal.

pile of bicycles that were hauled out of the canal

I'm so glad I got to experience this boat tour!  It was one of the things on my wish list for Holland, and it was an amazing experience.  Jeff and Alida brought me back "home" by train and were invited to stay for dinner. Then they were offered the use of some bicycles to explore the area on their own while the rest of us relaxed at home.  Tante Nel had strung birthday decorations from the kitchen lights. We had birthday cake, Jeff and Alida brought me some birthday cards, and then they headed back to their hotel.  An absolutely wonderful day!  Thank you Jeff and Alida and Tante Nel and Oom Gerard.

Stand or Sit? That's a unique way to label the washrooms! 

                     OR      

                                                            

Amstel River

 Still can't believe that we were sharing the day together in Amsterdam!

Be Prepared to be Delighted

Today was already day 7 of my 10-day stay here in Holland! The time is flying by so fast!  I am just loving it here and am so thankful for this experience!  As usual, it is high time for me to turn off the light and go to sleep, but I want to first give you a little update before I forget everything. As we were driving around in circles, trying to find my cousin's house, my sister shared a wonderful quote with us that keeps running through my mind, and it says, "If you want to enjoy your vacation, BE PREPARED TO BE DELIGHTED BY THE UNEXPECTED". I love this saying!

I am constantly being delighted by the unexpected.  The more these words roll around in my brain, the more I enjoy them.  And I realize that many of my posts have been sharing my delight in unexpected little surprises, as I run across them.  And there is much to delight in these days!

So here's a quick update: Sunday we met my Oom Ab at his church - a beautiful old formerly Roman Catholic Cathedral with a pipe organ that sounded amazing and a familiar liturgy (kind of high Anglican).  The congregation is now the only Protestant church in town - a merger of Lutheran, Reformed and Gereformeerd (Christian Reformed). Sitting beside my uncle worshiping with him in his home church was a real privilege and joy.

Later that day he took all four of us to see his sister, Tante Ank, in her seniors home.  Tante Ank has a special place in all of our hearts because she visited us in Canada so many times. Finally we got to visit her!  At 90 years of age dementia has taken its toll on her mind. We weren't sure whether she would even recognize us.  However, when we knocked on her door, she opened it, and was SO surprised and thrilled to see us! She definitely recognized us and we had a wonderful visit.  Oom Ab later told us that she was having a very good day.  So we felt really blessed for this opportunity to visit with her.

 Nick and Tante Ank

Two Anna Christina's: Tante Ank and Anneke

 Nick, Tante Ank, Anneke, Ellie, Oom Ab 

 Nick, Tante Ank, Oom Ab, Fanny

 And then Oom Ab treated us to a delicious dinner on a patio right beside a canal, with a draw bridge and near a beautiful old church.  Just before dinner was served it started raining and we all had to grab our drinks and cutlery and finish the meal inside - which Oom Ab had wanted us to see anyway, because it is a beautiful cozy restaurant.

 dinner out on the patio right by the canal

Our dear Oom Ab

This morning Nick, Fanny and Anneke left for their side trip to Paris and my Oom Gerard and Tante Nel moved into their daughter's house, where we have been staying, to keep me company and to get away from the renovations in their own home.
                          
                         

             heading out to the delta works, Brughes, Normandy, and Paris

with Oom Gerard and Tante Nel on their balcony

Today (July 21) my Tante Nel took me to visit Oom Nico and Tante Bep and Oom Heert and Tante Adrie in Aalphen aan de Rijn, since they were unable to join our family day on Sunday because of the heat. Another wonderful time of enjoying family stories and memories and watching some of my Dad's siblings bantering back and forth.

 Oom Nico, Oom Heert, Tante Bep, me, Tante Adrie 

setting the timer and jumping into the picture

Family Gathering

Today was very special. Some of our cousins - Gerard and Anneke Rothuizen, and Kars and Peter Veling came to visit. Tante Nel organized the event here at "our" house and Oom Gerard and Oom Ab were there too.  It was a wonderful time of getting acquainted, reacquainted, and of catching up. (Notice all the lap tops, I-pads and phones?) It's amazing how many connections and common memories we shared even though we hardly know each other, but we are family! I experienced a wonderful feeling of connectedness and belonging.

Kars Veling and Nick

Anneke Rothuizen, Tante Nel, Fanny

Oom Ab, Gerard Rothuizen, me,

Anneke Oegema, Fanny, Anneke Rothuizen

 Gerard Rothuizen, me, Anneke Rothuizen

Anneke Oegema, Tante Nel

Oom Ab, me, Anneke Oegema, Anneke Rothuizen

Nick, Oom Ab, Gerard Rothuizen

  

me, Peter Veling, Fanny

We shared family stories and memories. We heard a lot of  "I didn't know that!" or "Now that helps me understand my parents better!"  It was interesting that, even though we hardly know each other,  we all have memories of the same Opa and Oma and of the same uncles and aunts.  Family ties are interesting.  Even if we hadn't ever met before or hadn't seen each other for thirty years, there was an instant bond.  I guess it has something to do with a shared heritage; a collective family memory.  My sister Anneke likened it to a painting. Each family member's story helps to complete the picture.

It is such a unique experience for me to spend time with cousins and uncles and aunts!  So it was a very special afternoon!  We had expected a few more uncles and aunts, but unfortunately they cancelled out because of the heat (30 C).  Tante Nel has kindly offered to take me to visit them on Monday, so I will get to see some of them after all!