Grey skies, twelve hours daylight, and snow again

Gulls are swarming by, by the window, fighting over the old bread that was thrown out for the birds this morning at the kitchen door. Inside the dog jumps up and barks because he finds they are intruding his peace and quiet, and his territory. It is a beautiful sight - the gulls and the dog.

 

Dogs days of winter, the snow has returned. Northeasternly wind, which makes it bitterly cold. Time for indoor activities. For the very first time in my life I made pea soup this morning. The kitchen is in a mess. My food processor gave up. Although I thought I was making 2 litres of soup, I had to move it to a pan for 5 litres of soup. Once it was all done it went back to a pan for 3 litres, pushing it through a seive and the left overs in a small magimix. Splashes of soup and kitchen utensils all over the place. It will not be soon that I will do this again, how tidious. It is easier to buy it ready made, although I must admit: it tastes good!

 

Twigs I gathered along my riverwalk last week are waiting on the g,arden table, together with a huge bunch of what came off the top of one of the trees, to be made up into an Easter arrangement, similar to the one I saw at the floral shop in 's Hertogenbosch the other day.

 

I guess this afternoon. after my walk in the snow with the dog. I shall have a go at my knitting: a spring jacket that needs to be finished. Difficult because I shall have a go at circular needles which I have never learnt how to use. Any teacher out there to help me out?

 

 

 

 

The heart shaped oil lamp was a gift last year from my creative neighbour girl friends. It waits for better times and outdoor life in the garden. There is the promiss of spring though, the thick buds of the purple rhododendron, the colour of so many early spring flowers. 

  

 

  

The elm trees have lost there twigs on Monday, they look like dancers, like candalabers in a way, an Indian god with so many arms. Very forceful trees, in the summer they will be one huge 'hedge on legs' and form a very secluded garden.

On Monday we could sit out and have coffee in the sun. Well, not today - off to my knitting and a bit of home made pea soup. Don't you think it looks more like porridge?





 

On posting this I realized there is a very old cookbook around the house, possibly my greatgrandmother's? A hundred years old definitely, with very old Dutch spelling, falling apart and no front or back cover to it, well used. The Dutch alone is amusing as such, but so is the recipe. When I have a moment I shall make a less foggy picture and will give a translation. So, do come back!

 

Sunshiny Sunday

Today's surprises during a walk along the river and in the garden.

 

Such a huge difference with last Sunday!

 

I worked hard in the garden today, tomorrow our elm trees will be trimmed. The bird which built a nest in the top of one of them will not be happy ...  

The garden will turn into one huge pile of twigs, the noise of the shredder will be outrageous.

The lawn is full with crocusses and snowdrops, the longer I look the more I see. Maybe in the morning I shall put flower pots over some groups of them? It will be such a pity if they get trodden on. A good lesson, next year I must have this work done earlier, or in autumn.

My body aches of all the bending and stretching, the birds loved me for removing leaves and finding plenty to eat. Ladybirds still hiding and appearing here and there. It is not time to clean up everything yet but in autumn I let the garden go to sleep and leave it as it is. This is just a 'rough' beginning of my gardening.
The biggest surprise was the blooming chaenomeles along the river, the trees above reflecting in the water. Later on the sun lit up the very first flowers of the helleborus, which were given as little seedlings from my neigbour. It took them two years to get into flower.

 

 

With love, from Amsterdam

 

 

Delicious chocolates from van Soest Chocolatier in the Utrechtsestraat, Amsterdam.
The white chocolate rose is stuck in dark chocolates at the bottom. The box with hearts and roses was screaming from the window 'take me away'! What a lovely gift box!

 

 

 

Delicacies made byPatisserie Kuyt, Utrechtsestraat, Amsterdam.

You really have to zoom in on the heart shaped mouthwatering centerpiece surrounded by macarons! 

 

 

 Vintage Valentine Card and booklet filled with Valentine poems,

sent to my family in 1960 by LeeAnn who spent time with us on an exchange program of the American Field Service. I think it was the first time I was introduced to the phenomenon 'Valentine'. At the time I was a teenager and found it all so fascinating.

The lace is a bit torn, a little treasure and held on to!

 

Happy Valentine! 

 

 

Heart shaped leaves of our willow trees, I so love their shape, big size and colour.

This picture I use as my ID on this blog.

 

Mary, of the blog The Little Red House has a theme up for this week on 'Love'.

I am joining her with this post.

 

 



King Winter returned

 

The other day I thouht King Winter had departed, his farewell tears dropping into the pond. But he returned and this is what our garden looked like yesterday. During the night it looked so wonderful I almost got out to take pictures, there is so much fascination in the fact the whole world is white all of a sudden. The pictures are taken early in the morning and around noon. The sky turned from grey to radiant blue, gulls and geese filling the sky. In the garden the small birds find plenty to eat underneath the hedges and the dead leaves.

Don't you think our fire place is a wonderful piece of craftmanship? It is more than one meter high and made of wrought iron.

 

 

This is what I saw on the 5th, last week's surprise, the first crocusses and beautiful magnolia buds. It really makes your heart jump when you discover them.

 

Icicles like îles flottantes

The moment our waterways get frozen over something happens to the Dutch: we simply have to skate. It is like a bug, a virus, a madness – no remedy against it: just get your skates from the attic, the cellar or garage and go. We indulge in endlessly repeated stories on heroic skating tours on television and eagerly follow all the news on ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is it safe to skate.

Our skating reputation caused one of my English superiors when I worked abroad to say: ‘Send Miss R in on her skates, please’. I hear him say this today, it is funny how the mind works and recalls moments like yesterday.

The river nearby is partly frozen, but is very dangerous to skate on. The water level keeps changing because of the continuous water works. There have been rare times though that the period of frost was so severe that we could skate from village to village. My old ice dancing skates were not suitable for tour skating on the river and the lakes nearby. A friend lent me a pair of old fashioned wooden skates, saying  they had just been seen to and sharpened. The disappointment of not being able to move one inch and not getting anywhere made me literally cry and so mad. It was terrible, and terrible to see how everyone was enjoying themselves. An outsider at once of all the ice fun. No compassion from anyone, busy as they were with their own skating. How stupid can you be not to be prepared for upcoming skating?! My friend told me later he discovered the skates had been sharpened the wrong way round and no wonder I was not getting anywhere.

Someone asked me then ‘Which village is this?!’, apparently in ice heaven and totally absorbed by the ice not knowing where he was going. I guess this ice madness is a bond with nature all around us, it is in our genes. The moment you can stand up and walk  like a kid you are put on skates.

Have a look at Jeroen Bosch's messenger in the side bar: on skates!

No more skating for me, I have reached the age that ulnar and hip fractures should not be sustained and being avoided. But I squint with envy when I see it all around me. Many memories on the skating rink opposite my parents house pop up like submarines, the whole family had such wonderful times on it. It was and still is a natural skating rink being maintained on a part of the wastelands of the river Rhine. There was always the excitement, first of the moment they would open up the locks and let in the wastewater of the Rhine. Then hoping and praying the temperature would go down and waiting to see the officials testing the ice.  Once the music came across and the gates were being opened we all became ‘high’ on our ice fever.

Today, as the sun was setting like a red balloon, I walked along the river with our puppy. The ice had soft shades of pink, blue and grey. Snow everywhere, also on the river. In the open parts water birds herding together, the sight and the sound of the wings of six swans taking off from the water was magnificent. I tried to take a picture of a little red robin that came close, but the puppy started to chase him. Clever guy, this red robin, he played hide and seek, not afraid or intimidated at all.

At one particular place along the river my eyes caught the sight of these icicles, like îles flottantes. The water level had gone down, but the little frozen round icicles remained attached to the reed, just on top of the water level. The pictures do not justice to what it looked like. A couple saw me taking pictures; together we stopped a while and were stunned by its phenomenon and beauty.

Click on the pictures and enjoy a better view, A fragment of one of the pictures almost looks like a Japanese painting. Jan Creemer has opened an exhibition just now on his sea paintings; maybe I should make ice paintings? Not that I can compete ...

 

 

 

Roses in the winter

King Winter has arrived!
Our roses never seem to give up florishinig, but in the end they have to bend for the icy cold.

This Pemberton rose is one of them,  I think it is 'Cornelia'. Two other 'sisters' in the border, so delicate, 'Felicia' and 'Penelope'.

 

 

Rosa 'Peau Douce' is a large strong yellow rose. It was the last one of the season and ended up in a floral setting on the garden table, now covered with snow. The frost topping is so magnificant.

 

 

 

My indoor activities are clearing out shelves, cupboards, etc. It is like a ritual, wanting to start a new uncluttered year. But why is it that I cannot part with the teacups with rose prints on them? Maybe I should organize a give away on here. If I am courageous enough to part with them you will read it!

 

 

 



 

 



Resolutions and wishful thinking

 

The abundant silk flower arrangements in huge silver buckets in the restaurant where we dined out on Boxing Day somehow set off my colour scheme for the coming days. Maybe it was because of the tulips and the blossoms? Wishing winter would not last long and longing for spring? Once the last brown leaves had fallen from the trees it became so dark. The festive lights all around made up for it, but I looked forward to Christmas and the light that it brings, the daylight increasing rapidly as from then.

 

The Rijksmuseum published a nice post on their Facebook page: 'did you stuff yourself over Christmas (and what with)'. The Rijksmuseum's website is a feast as such. I found the post highly amusing, creative, but confronting also. You can see  the picture by clicking on 'post'. Personally I do not like the verb 'stuffing yourself', although I have been told by native English speakers it is not a negative word. With all these festive moments, and a chef doing his utmost to offer us a wonderful dinner, you go home with a sigh: tomorrow I shall have to diet. Resolution number 1 (and for many others I believe on the top list) for the New Year. A waist as on show in the picture below will be out of the question, I am afraid, I am not 20 anymore.

 

 

This dress was designed by Jan Taminiau (Dutch designer) especially for the exhibition in the Centraal Museum in Urecht, Blue Jeans.
A highly interesting exhibition, well set up, informative, surprising, creative, what other superlatives can I give to it?! If around Utrecht do go and be surprised.

How about this Christmas tree in the Museum Restaurant, inspired by the exhibition and made up of blue jeans clothing, decorations peeping out of pockets and out of rolled up sleeves?!

How can you keep your mind on a diet when you pass a cheese shop like this on your way to the Museum?The nearby café offered a cheese plate with goodies from this shop, so I kept it at that and resisted going into the shop. I will be back though, for both the Museum and the wonderful delicatessenshops in the Twijnstraat. The Centraal Museum is a fascinating one, offering both medieval and contemporary art with always surprising and inviting exhibitions.

 

 

The floral shop nearby had done away with most Christmas attributes, bulbs in all shapes and sizes on show. Helleborus also with beautiful blooms. Difficult to resist of course. The small daffodils with their trumpets are such sunny messengers of Spring. In a pink pot they brightened our breakfast table this morning.

 

The pictures below are taken around here: a bucket with left over Christmas green, the first blooming hyacinth which has to be potted up in an arrangement for indoors. Snow poppies have been showing their noses since half December in the garden. Silk tulips in a blue and white Regout vase are on display all year around the house, they get moved around though and sometimes mixed with fresh flowers.



  

 

 

It has been so long ago that I was actively blogging that my first discovery today is the new way of adding pictures. A creative challenge! Now finding the time to do this all, maybe resolution number 2, creating time for writing and photography?!

 

Resolution number 3 is to try to work at least one hour a day in the garden, as from today. Mud pools, wind and rain disencouraged me, I chickened out. Now that I have written this down and shared with you I shall have to stick to all those resolutions! No chickening out!

 

I wish you a Creative New Year!

The balance of 2012

Making up the balance at the end of year is fun by making a collage of the pictures one took over the year. Ups and downs, friends lost, festive moments, three weddings, babies born, nice trips made, wonderful flowers in the garden, our gorgeous puppy, boating, sailing, art classes, good bye job, hello new job, etc. etc. At least I followed my passions!
This has been my third year of blogging and somehow the amount of posts has gone down, other things taking and needing my attention. Maybe better in 2013?!
Thank you dear (new) followers for your warm comments, and thank you unknown readers whom I see in my statistics, from all over the world.
It has been great fun to visit so many many creative and informative blogs, thanks your sharing!

Happy New Year to all of you!

 

Jacoba

 



Angels calling

 

It is an inevitable phenomenon, the urge to visit the places where we have spent our earliest Christmas celebrations. Maybe in search of the warmth of it we once knew? Breathe in the air, the atmosphere?

This time we decided to leave the car back home and hopped on the Intercity train Amsterdam-Maastricht. Frenzy on the platforms, relaxation once on the train. It is fun to travel by train, no worries about speeding cars all around you on the motor ways. You can sit back and enjoy whatever that meets the eye and hears the ear.  Young fellow passengers for instance, who had installed themselves as if the final destination of the train was not Maastricht, but some faraway place. I must admit, once on a train I get that feeling too, let’s travel on. Some had taken their shoes off, sleeping, plenty of food and drinks on the shelf next to them, books and magazines to read. A boisterous crowd of students exchanged happily their present experiences. A simple minded man endeared us all by insisting on a place near the window, by his worries of getting off at the next station and his warm Christmas wishes for the ticket controller.

Sitting at the top level of the train the view on the passing scenery brought surprises. Massive rail road extensions around Utrecht station, hare hunters lined up in the field, the rivers flooding into waste lands, one farm almost drowning at a peninsula near the river Waal. The high water level is early this winter season. In Germany there is a special word for it, Weihnachtstauwetter, melting mountain water over Christmas because of warm humid sea air coming in from the West(Illustration: Dutch Landscape, by Hendrik Jan Visser).

In ‘s Hertogenbosch we hopped off the train and on the city bus towards the Jheronymus Bosch Art Center. My husband’s face changed in an ear to ear smile on the recognition of the festive decorations, the hustle and bustle, the memories he holds on the city. We almost fell out of our seats trying to catch a glimpse of the decorated home of a relative as we passed it. It poured with rain once we got off, what a day to choose for a sentimental journey! And how about being so stupid to leave your umbrella and wax hat at home?! However, a warm cappuccino and salmon cucumber club sandwich in the nice museum restaurant encouraged us to continue. A tiered cake on display in the restaurant, by a local baker representing the Christmas story In the Jeroen Bosch style, immediately drew our attention. A piece of art as such.

The day before I had been going through the art work of Laetitia de Haas, forever one of my very favourites. Her art is so quiet and meaningful, no people, just nature, flowers, trees, birds. So different and contrarily, full of creatures are the paintings of Jeroen (Jheronymus) Bosch, obsessed as he was about heaven and hell, the seven sins: Superbia  (pride), Avaritia (greed), Luxuria (impurity), Invidia (jealousy), Gula (indulgence), Ira (fury), Acedia (laziness).

After the video introduction we took the glass lift to start the tour at the very top of the St Jacob's church, in which the Jheronymus Bosch Art Centre is situated.

 

It was freezing cold in the church and the tower. The top floor of the tower is sheltered with glass windows inside, not making it easy to take pictures. I must admit, inquisitive and curious as I am, I did try a door handle, but no way of opening the door and peering over the sides. On a clear and bright day the view must be magnificent. We had a good view at St Jan’s Cathedral, which appears in his painting ‘The Epiphany’ as a cathedral under construction.

 

For hours on end you can study and view his paintings.  His work is so fascinating, so creative, every inch a discovery. ‘The Epiphany’ shows Maria and Jezus in the local landscape, a typical Brabant farm house. Too much to take in during one visit. We must return. The museum shop could hardly be resisted,  off I went with a new book and Christmas cards.

Jeroen Bosch is of course an endless source of inspiration to other artists and creations. Beautiful tapestries with details are on show in the Center.

Little did I know that when I took a picture of the tapestry on the transformation from our earthly life to heaven that on Christmas Eve one of my quilting friends would be taken away suddenly by the angels. Imagine, she was tired, decided to put her head down for a moment, went to bed, and then left this earth ….. She was a creative, warm, engaged person, always dressed in black, but her quilts so colourful. I will treasure  the moments we shared during Christmas and Easter floral workshops, her interest in everyone’s life, her little quilt gifts and the seeds she gave me for our garden. The plants that she gave me will be named after her from now on.

On we went to the Sint Jan as we call it, to hear Christmas carols being sung, to light a candle in the Maria Chapel. So much goes through your mind when you sit there in meditation. In silence we watched others and wondered what would be going through theirs? Memories on loved ones, on previous Christmas celebrations, praying for recovery of dear friends like in our case?

 

On the Parade next to the cathedral it was Christmas party time: a skating rink, a Christmas tree full of wishes that would be broadcasted on TV, wood fires, winter delicacies. But who is looking down at all of this from the cathedral?

 

A very modern angel, dressed in today’s fashion with a cross bag and a mobile phone! You can phone the angel. Of course it is a pre-recorded voice, but if you do so it is very moving. It would not be a modern angel if there would not be money involved in this: the call costs 0,80 cents per minute, the revenues go to the restoration of the cathedral.
 

We were soaked to the bone in the mean time; my hair looked as if I had put my head upside down in a pond. Plenty of warm cosy cafés around the Parade to shelter though and always the end of our day trip. Inviting personnel with a warm Brabant accent organized a nice table for us, serving dark Trappist beer and Dutch cheese. One of my neighbours always says (from Brabant herself): 'it is warmer when you go South'. It is true, it is warm in Brabant. It is more hospitable, people are easier the way they live, Burgundian. There is a true difference between ‘above’ (Calvinistic) and ‘below’ (Roman Catholic) the rivers.

Deciding we would soon return to the City of ‘s Hertogenbosch we climbed on the train in the dark. We chatted with a young musician, a member of the Utrecht Student Concert, on her way to a concert in Amsterdam. She considered Sjostakovitsj on the program heavy going for Christmas. We, on our turn, shared how a week ago we enjoyed the concert ‘Noël de France’, chamber music by French composers in the Town Hall of the Naarden Fortress.

Celebrations, celebrations, there is no Greater Feast to celebrate than Christmas, in whatever manner. Merry Christmas to you all!
When you have a moment do call the angel. At first the angel explains a few things, you can make choices, you can pray together: (+31) (0)900-7468526