Partir, c'est mourir un peu

‘Le ciel pleure de ton départ’, a friend once said to me when it rained on my departure from Geneva. The sky really did cry yesterday as Wanda and Kirk left, to return to Canada.
The weather had been so good during their whole stay, but now on the day of their departure the weather gods really shed their tears.

Wanda and Kirk had been here for several weeks, time flew by and seemed too short. Wanda has shown beautiful pictures on her blog Victorian 1885, showing the beauty of the places they visited during their stay. Not only Holland, but Bruges and Paris also. No doubt many posts will follow, as their keen interest in history, architecture and art made them take a zillion pictures.

It is never easy to say goodbye when you have had fun and a good time. I am terrible at saying goodbye: I cried on my first school day when my sister’s face disappeared from the school window, I cried shaking hands with the school director at elementary school on my last school day, I cried on leaving every job (only for getting a better one) and so I can continue for a while. Together with the weather gods I dropped a tear yesterday. It is getting involved, attached and connected with the people you meet and the things you do, sharing family histories. We so enjoyed getting to know Wanda and Kirk, show them our country and introduce them to the ones they were looking for.

Wanda, taking a picture of the harbour and the rescue station at Marken

It was not a big job to invite Kirk to step into these clogs! He did it immediately.

Wanda became one my first followers on this blog. It took me a while to find her blog, as Blogger did somehow not reveal her blog when I clicked on her profile. We got connected on Blogger through showing our most beautiful teacups on the linked Teacup Tuesday parties,  organized by Martha and Terry.

As time went by we left comments on each other’s blogs,  Wanda sharing with me last year that a trip to Holland was planned in memory of Kirk's father. As we live in this more than wonderful environment with so much to see and do, it was more than obvious we would invite them for a boat trip and a visit to ‘Les Trois Jardins’.
The main reason for their trip was to track and trace Kirk's father’s footsteps during WWII. We managed to find the people Kirk was looking for after a little bit of investigating. It meant also showing important war related historical places, like Hotel De Wereld at Wageningen and the War Museum at Overloon. Old photographs having been put away in a box for over 69 years do not easily give away the story behind it. It all came to life when exchanging stories with the people we met.

How surprising and great it was, in fact it was extraordinary. Thanks for being there, Wanda and Kirk, for the gifts you took us and for Floris, for the time we shared. It will be a well treasured memory.
All this in memory of Kirk's father, who left Canada as a young man, leaving a wife and a child behind, to join the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment. The regiment took part in the operations and task forces after 'Market Garden' at the end of the war. Cliff came through parts that had been terrible war zones, it will not have been easy what he witnessed. He took back to Canada a memory of families where he was warmly welcomed in Holland, he cherished the pictures and put them well away. How incredible it was to shake hands with the 'children' on those pictures, now being senior citizens well in their seventies. Just like their parents in '44-'45, they gave us a surprising warm welcome.

We are forever indebted to Cliff's contribution to freedom in Holland.

Your departure meant a little sadness yesterday, we realized the train that took you to Schiphol airport would be zooming by fast on the railroad in the not so far away distance. Partir, c'est mourir un peu. Bye bye, happy landings! Until we meet again, until we sail again, until we drink a glass of wine again in ‘Les Trois Jardins’.

Patchwork plans for a tweed quilt

Quilt made from red-white-blue farmers handkerchiefs, on show in the garden of Quiltatelier Vlijtig Liesje

Late in June all of a sudden this heart shaped yellow leaf of the elm trees dropped silently on the lawn. With a frown I watched this, as to me this is always the first sign that the garden is taking a turn, summer being over its top. Plenty of those leaves are on the lawn now, everything is changing colour in the garden. Beechnuts are plentiful all over the place, the pear trees heavy with fruit. There is a lot to be done in the garden still and hopefully we will enjoy a few more nice weeks. In August I usually get the itch to start clearing out wardrobes, kitchen shelves, to give the garage a good shake and clear out, because it has become a mess over summer with the outdoor living. It indicates it is soon time for cocooning and indoor activities. Unfinished projects will be picked up, new ones started, as the work in the garden comes to a stop and the boat will be on the dry.

Today I visited the ‘Open House’ of Hanneke Kwakkenbos, a shop and quilt course place, called Quiltatelier Vlijtig Liesje. 

For weeks on end the weather has been great, but today the rain came down. The horses nearby grouped together and were not sure whether they would grant me a look or not, the smaller ponies certainly did not, being persistent in standing still and holding their heads together. The black one did turn his head though when I made funny noises at them.

On my very first visit last year to this Quiltatelier I was not quite sure to drive over the entrance across the stream, not knowing whether I had reached the right place. It seemed so private and not like a shop. There is a nice name medallion and a sign at the gate, so you know you are there.
I discovered  the Quiltatelier by accident as I was checking out river trips on the MS de Tijd, a party boat on the river Vecht. Hanneke appeared to have organized quilt boat trips on it.  

 

The front is nicely tucked away in a lot of greenery. At that time getting out was a challenge just the same, the visiting ladies not so sociable in their parking manner. Guess I am a nervous parker these days, as my car has been bashed up recently nastily a few times. The insurance is not going to like me for more claims, so I parked well away on the main road. The walk gave me a nice view over the polder scenery, which is nearby the Lakes of Loosdrecht.

Beautiful red climbing rose, rain drops still on it.

The garden is intimate and so well kept, with niches everywhere to sit. A tea house, a verandah, a shed with a porch, a pond with beautiful water plants all around and gold fish in it. Click on the picture to see at least two of them - they are in the bottom shiny part of the picture.

 

The area just asks for a frog (or water) quilt to make and to be put up somewhere. I remember the pattern from years ago in a Quilters Newsletter Magazine. The fresh and bright colours of it highly appealed to me then. Hanneke's version of this quilt is gorgeous. Because of the dark sky, today's picture taken in the tea house does not do justice to it. Perfumed goodies were for sale at the front of the quilt.

 

The garden is a place to wonder around, with curving paths, to relax and to dream - of quilts of course! They were everywhere. Every quilt with its own story and made out of different materials, flannel, wool, cotton, linnens.

 

The intimate Log Cabin shop was crowded with ladies (with an occasional man sitting on a patched chair) who got the quilt bug and quilt fever just like me, the moment we stepped through the door. We were warmly welcomed with coffee and cookies, offered by ladies who made sure we did not miss out on it, being absorbed by everything around us. There is so much to see (and to buy) at every square inch in the shop, that you have to go round three times to see it all. At least, I had to, to take it all in and enjoy it. Hanneke's mother contributes with beautiful embroidery put up on the walls in between the many quilts. Last year it inspired me to take up my embroidery again.

Embroidery, and a mini quilt which is the background of Hanneke's blog - such a surprise to discover.

Bumping into a next village neighbour was fun. On exchanging what is our today's passion  (quilters have many passions I have noticed) we made a date for a joint quilting bee on Monday morning every three weeks. Great idea, as this will mean a continuation of my projects. Ria and I share our great interest in embroidered antique samplers, now we will start patching and quilting together.

Very personal sampler quilt by Hanneke with embroidered parts in it. Beautiful colours.

Recently a large box full of woollen and tweed samples arrived as a surprise at the door step. My husband sighed ….. my hobby room is already stocked up with materials to last for two hundred years. Sitting out in the garden the samples were taken out, rearranged by style and colour and valued on what to do with it. I must admit I did say to myself: why have I accepted this ..... What had fallen on the terrace was pinched by Floris, our dog, at a moment my mind was doing overtime and concentrating on the colourful Scottish tweeds. It was only a few days later on shovelling underneath the beech hedge and mowing the lawn, that I discovered he had hidden a whole bunch of woollen squares. I always startle when something strange appears, because you see something unsual coming out from the ground. His greatest fun is for instance to bury the garden gloves that I use to pull out the nettles.They are - muddy as they are - quite a sight coming up. He joined me at my garden job and looked at me: ‘What are you doing with my stuff, I hid it so nicely’. You cheeky something! Never mind, he is not a quilter and had no eye for the most precious pieces; he chose plain and uninteresting material. When I do notice him doing this, it is always so wonderful and endearing to see. His walk is so proud and special, sneaky also. Often it ends up in a nice game: catch me if you can!

There was so much to see in the shop, that I almost forgot what I had come for, apart from experiencing the Open House. As I had my coffee from these lovely rose cups with a butter cookie there it was on the wall on the side: the cat quilt. It is a perfect pattern for the tweed samples. Made in a bigger size no doubt it will become a nice cottage like quilt to snuggle up with when it gets cold in the winter.

 

Such an inspiring creative place, a must visit whenever near and a must have a chat with Hanneke when you are there. Do check out the links posted above and the blog mentioned on her website.

Hanneke, concentrating on giving change to a lady quilter.

 

 

On my way back to the car these apples caught my eye. It was a cheery, colourful and inspiring morning on a rainy day in Tienhoven, my mind spinning round on new projects.



The dike

In the autumn our boat would be lifted out of the water, placed on a trailer and then nicely parked in the garden. It was always a fun experience to get the ladder out, climb in the boat, do necessary repair jobs and look at the world around us as if being in Noah's arch. It is odd to sit in your boat high up in the sky on the dry. If the river would overflow and go behind the dike we would be safe with the boat at hand. It was never necessary, clever water management all round. We live 0,8 - 1,3 m below sea level. This sea business and reclaimed land is highly intriguing for anyone who has not lived with it.

On our day trip we travelled on from Volendam, to Edam and then to Enkhuizen on the Houtribdijk (N302) to get the feeling of what it is like to drive on a dike that runs straight through what once used to be sea, the Zuydersea. It all changed, from Zuydersea, to IJsselmeer, land was reclaimed, polders made, planning for more land. In 2013 it was decided not to continue with giving up more of the Markermeer.

The pictures below show what it is was like, what was planned and what it is like today.


Picture from Google of the dike: Houtribdijk - Markermeer left, IJsselmeer right, the difference in colour is the depth.





Old situation (Bosch atlas, 1951)

Planning for new reclaimed land (Bosch atlas, 1951)

The N302 at the top corner as we took it from Enkhuizen, driving back through Flevoland

The dike seemed to go into infinity, the sky colouring the water on both sides in all shades. Traffic not easy in the tremendous rainshower that hit us. It was quite an experience.

A visit to Volendam

 

The ultimate trademark of Holland - the girl with the cap from Volendam. Attracted to anything that has to do with national costumes her painting at Art Hotel Spaander was the first one my eyes caught. Is she not gorgeous?!

 

It was a busy day at Volendam, full with tourists from all over the world, cars and touring cars from all over Europe and way beyond. We parked quite a way out, had a nice stroll along the water front, listening to the movement of the water of the Markermeer touching the shores and hoping the grey skies would not surprise us with too much rain. The weather gods were gentle with us, only a few drops but the wind blowing through our hair. We built up quite an appetite by the time we arrived at the Hotel. Usually I peer around what interesting things other people are eating and then go back to the menu card. I noticed coffee cups on the table behind me with an intriguing design from a distance, a timid little girl. Surprise, surprise, when the bread plate arrived the girl with the bonnet was looking at me.

 

She appeared on tea cups also.

 

The table in the restaurant was set with small plates with the girl I had seen on the coffee cups earlier. It was only later I discovered her painting in the café where we had lunch.

 

 

The art collection is tremendous, you do not know where to start looking. There is a whole book on this, very famous artists have contributed to the collection.

 

Have a look at the guestbook of the Hotel.

 

 



The text on the wooden fish, dangling above a table in the café, made me laugh: 'Stammtisch, for fishermen and other big liars only'.

 

 

It is nice to see that despite the immense touristic value of the place (screaming souvenir shops) there are so many authentic things and so much heritage to be seen.

 

The map (1951)shows the old situation, when the Flevopolder had not yet been developed

 

Goodbye, Hotel Spaander, we will be back soon and will make it a full weekend - to study the art once more, to enjoy the hotel, to hear the sea and have some lovely Volendam fish!

 

 

Well, did you ever, Statesyacht 'de Utrecht' in the harbour - must do a sailing tour again on her.

 

A visit to Marken

 

Hope my new planted agapanthus will flower like these ones at Volendam one day.

The sun is peeping out, although dreadful weather has been forecasted - rain and storm, force 7 Beaufort. Maybe I should adjust my program based on the wrong weather forecast so far? Go out quickly and mow the lawn? Do a little bit of weeding as long as it is not hosing down? What do you do, on the weather forecast? I usually do not listen or watch it at all, stick out my nose out of the kitchen door, step outside and look at the sky. That is my barometer for the day, it sets my mood on what to wear, what to do.

The day started with reading a few blogs. So inspiring all of them. Snap made this gorgeous Sunburst, doodles and colours creating your very own. Very tempting to do - when it starts raining later on  in the day I will have a go at this and you will see it sooner or later on my blog.

First this though, sorting out my pictures of a day on a 'must visit' in Holland: to what once was an island in the Zuydersea, Marken. A peninsula today, connected to the main land by a dike. The name of all the water around it changed to Markermeer.

Cloudy skies on our trip on Friday. Strong wind, nice temperature. The Dutch three master 'Artemis' at the Buiten IJ was on its way to Amsterdam harbour, the Zeeburger bridge already pulled up for it to pass. We did not get blown off the dike by the wind as we stopped to have a look across at Zeeburg and Flevoland, Durgerdam in the distance. Driving on the dike is a bit hair rising, as it twists and turns, and you do not know who is around the corner. The locals who know the road startle you to death coming at you with terrific speed (it seems).

 

There is no major traffic in Marken, you have to park your car outside the village. A mix of rural scents and black paint tickled our noses as we bought our parking ticket. The fishermen houses are all in black and white paint, or green and white. The facades often decorated with lovely local shaped bird houses, the gardens full with overloaded fruit trees.

It is impossible to catch the culture and the beauty of Marken all in one go. I love its’ history, the costumes (of which we only saw one woman wearing it) and the way the houses are built.

Heavy loaded fruit trees, cheery bicyle.

Butterflies all around the front door. Every top window in the village is filled with little treasures.

The lady in the costume selling the 'poffertjes' (puff pancakes) was speaking fluent Italian!
My husband remarked: they speak all languages!

One of the windows of Sijtje Boes' house.

Now, who is looking outside? It looks like Wanda!

Gorgeous vintage embroidery inside Sijtje's little house

This is the other side of the window, Wanda looking at it earlier on. Sijtje's bonnets.

Sijtje's little fisherman's house is filled to the top with curious things and antiques
 

Sijtje Boes was a fisherman's wife. Many years ago I had pictures taken with her, but they are deep down in a box right now. There was no need for her to work really, because her husband fished, but she had quite a business talent and started a souvenir shop which flourished well. It was always fun to talk to her. If you Google her name and the pictures taken of her, you will get an idea. She is on internet plentiful.
Children who visited the little house together with us on Friday could not understand how a fisherman's family could live there with 10 children. Room for everyone!

Love the colour blue, and the wind screen in a different blue.

Such a creative idea to pimp up your fence.



The curtains at the bottom have been tied up with a ribbon. The picture reflecting the village and Kirk.

Private collection: a sampler made by me and a Marken girl, painted by Rijka Bleeker.



Detail of the scarf I bought at Ma Korving's Antiques and Curiosity Shop, The colours will remind me in the winter time of the history of the costumes and our visit wth Wanda and Kirk.
 





In the quaint antiques and souvenirs shop a KLM advert: Fly KLM to New York



We had a walk through a part of Marken, my husband staring with envy at the boat that left for Volendam at the harbour. He would so have loved to go on there, but the program of the day did not allow us the time for doing that.

The KNRM (Dutch Rescue Society) building at the harbour