Spring Has Sprung

Not that we ever had a real winter this time around, mind you, but that's another story.

However, speaking of winter, Astrid loves to bring Mother Nature inside the house when it's cold outside.  It's soulful to her...and to me, because I get to see, smell, and take pictures!

If it's not hyacinths, it's narcissus bulbs, as in this case, on our koffie table a month ago. 

The Dutch call daffofils narcissus!

They stand so tall without any support whatsoever.  How is that possible?

And even though these aren't the typical yellow daffodils, they are still...daffodils.

 And of course, Astrid's orchids grow all year 'round, no matter what the season.

We both feel like kids in the candy store when they bloom like this.

But now...to show what weird weather we've had this winter...

these hyacinth bulbs on the balcony, planted last fall, shouldn't be up till April.

But what can you do in temps from 40-55 F!  They're doing what they should do.

 There's nothing we can do but enjoy them now.

This pink one is blooming today; the other colors will come later....

 

All that without stepping outside!  Astrid's green thumb is such a joy for us both.

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Once we do step outside, which we did last weekend in earnest, oh me, oh my!  Spring really has sprung!

As soon as the sun comes out, the Dutch are raring to go.

You can get an entire family of 4 or 5 on two bikes.  Seriously.

You know it's spring when the stork is in its nest.

It still tickles me to see the nests atop so many churches...as a wee sermonette?

This is the Dutch Reformed church in Ottoland 7 miles from our apartment.

It even has a postage stamp made of it.

Those fastidious storks really do bring children into the world!

Speaking of children, how's this for a spring fling!

We waved to the little girl when she drove past us, to which the man said,

"She's not allowed to wave because she has to hang on!"

(They went from one driveway to another...and not in horrendous traffic, of course.)

See what I mean about the Dutch going outside when the sun shines!

We LOVE driving the back roads...and stopping for ice cream whenever the farmers have it.

Did you know that ice cream on a Dutch farm is some of the best-inspected anywhere in the world.

We never say NO to that.

Now pay attention...and get your education with me!

While I was processing these pics, I suddenly noticed how NOT REAL these swans are.

You can see how far away they were, picked up by my new camera.

They're totally fake because they're giving the message to real swans that 

THIS PLACE IS ALREADY TAKEN.

The neighborhood probably has children who are two young for angry daddy swans 

who can get real aggressive if mama swan is trying to protect her babies.

 Another sign of spring is the renewal of thatched roofs.

Another education for me!

Weathervanes, water towers, windmills...all year 'round.  Old hat, right?

But the spring flowers do tug at the heartstrings, don't they.

 This is one of my Vision and Verb greeting cards coming up for our summer gallery.

Happiness really IS an inside job, isn't it, sometimes helped along by SPRING.

Springtime in Gorinchem

Even though our temps here in mid-Holland continue to hover between 40-50 F, it really is spring and we are full of it.

You've heard of spring cleaning, of course....

Surely you've also heard of DUTCH cleaning!
There's a reason!!!!!!!!!
It's in their collective psyche, seriously.
And when she's on a roll, I leave her to her own devices.
Sometimes she's on a mission and wants to do it alone...and I let her.

In the meantime, my walks during the week fill up my lungs.

All the sights so familiar take on renewed life after winter's hibernation.


The harbors are starting to perk up.


And while the construction work never stopped,
it, too, is alive with music...radios not-quite blaring.

But it's the flowers, of course, that are screaming SPRING SPRING SPRING.

Astrid's orchids bloom all year 'round on our windowsill...
as elsewhere all over the Netherlands.
I have seen more orchids in 2 years than the rest of my life put together!

But now it's tulip time and the window of opportunity is small.
Tulips or whatever you can find. It's the Dutch way.

HAPPY SPRING to us all in whatever way we celebrate it. Maybe you've had a lot of it already and feel summer is here. For us, we're still in sweatshirts and jackets....but the smell and feeling of change is in the air.

The Roller Coaster

By now most of you know that I was not able to make my original flight to Atlanta (from Holland) a week ago Saturday because of the volcanic-ash fiasco. My flight was automatically rescheduled by Delta for this past Wednesday at 1p. Good. So I kept my eyes and ears open all week for the status, knowing it, too, could be cancelled at the last minute. It was an hour-by-hour, day-by-day roller coaster of emotions.

Now, hold that thought.

I had sat at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport that Saturday for 8 hours before my original flight was cancelled. During that time, Schiphol was offering free wireless to everyone! Plus free water and free buns with cream cheese. So I was happy as a lark (almost as good as a free ice cream), sitting on the floor with my back against a pillar, plugged in to the power outlet, working on my photos from England and catching up on my e-mails. The time flew.

Then reality hit and I realized I wouldn't be leaving that day. But when? Who knew. So I contacted Astrid and she drove back the hour's drive one-way to take me back home. Two round trips in one day. Thank God for Granny Towanda!

Now here's what happens, remember, when they hand you a lemon! You go to the Keukenhof Gardens! We had planned to go when I returned from the States but we'd have only one week left for the tulip season and who knew what the weather would be like. With Sunday now free (no flights again), we made the spontaneous decision to go to the gardens NOW and not wait. That was a week ago today. The day was sunny and perfect in every way...not too hot and not too cold. So we drove past Schiphol airport, the third round trip in 24 hours, and "made lemonade!" I can't begin to tell you how everything I had ever heard about Keukenhof was even BETTER than what I had ever imagined. It was incredible in every way.

It even has a windmill, so you know I was in heaven.

Oh yes, and tulips of every kind and variety....

AND, orchids, of course....

It was a day to never forget. Totally worth the trip if ever you are in Holland during the Keukenhof tulip season.

Now, back to Schiphol and flying out to the States: it happened on Wednesday but NOT on the flight for which I had been rescheduled. The chaotic mess at Schiphol was so horrendous, I missed my flight! But they put me on standby for the next flight 2 hours later, which I made. It was a domino effect all day at the airport, I'm sure: people missing their first flight but making it on standby the next flight. While in the sky over the Big Pond, Astrid e-mailed daughter Amy who was able to reschedule a new flight from Detroit to Atlanta so that once I landed, I was able to go to the gate just as it was boarding. Son Mark was in Atlanta to pick me up and take me to Amy's...and I was in bed by 11:30 that night, 24 hours after having awakened in Gorinchem at the start of my day! THANKS to everyone doing their part!

And now I'm getting ready to go meet up with Vagabonde! Another sunny day (after rain all day yesterday and tornado warnings last night) and all's fine with the world...once again! (My return flight is on Monday the 3rd, via Chicago and London, adding another $900 to the cost of my flight back because of the change. But it's just money, right? Will there still be volcanic action then? I'm trying not to even go there yet....)