The alarm clock went off early today and I was a bit sluggish rolling out of bed. I just sort of sat there on the side of the bed blinking lazily waiting to hear "my song". Tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.......the water kettle for tea. :-o With a big yawn, I stood up and moved towards the couch like molasses on a day in January. The sweet sound of the spoon on the tea glass was music to my ears and I grinned as my bride brought the steaming cup over to the little brass Moroccan table at the edge of the sofa. As I watched the steam rise with a little swirl I finally managed to croak-out a, "Good Morning" and a "Thanks for the tea". She settled in a chair and we talked about the day's activities as we carefully sipped the hot tea. After a wash-up and brekkie we headed out on the bikes to visit my M-I-L. The day was sunny and a little windy. My M-I-L is getting on up there in age and needs help serving visitors. She was receiving visitors this morning and we were going over to give her a hand. We spent a couple of hours there drinking more tea and nibbling on "gravel cookies". It was good to chat with the guests which we had not seen since the preceeding year, but then as it closed-in on 10 o'clock we had to move on to the next engagement-- The market hosted by the club known as Groeie & Bloeie, which loosey translated means "Growing and Blooming". I would include a link here, but they do not have pages in english. We had to go there because my partner had made a collage for the stall manned by two members from our Gardening Club. We had a stall to give folks interested in having an allotment information. Those ladies really enjoied themselves chatting and looking around at the other stalls. There were primarily stalls selling plantlets to suppliment people's gardens. There was also fruit and jams being sold. Fresh strawberries were a favourite, since these were being offered so early in the season. I suspect that they were grown in a greenhouse. When I came to these I couldn't help but think of Droopy. I just smiled and wondered if she had this particular one, "the Night Before Christmas". ....and what goes with Hostas like peas in a pod?-- This nice wood carving was made by a gentleman and was not for sale, but it was clever--the snail shell on it's back was a loose ball of wood and the snails legs were smaller balls that the shell rested on so that when you rolled it forewars or bakward, the wheels turned the shell on it's back. I really liked it; however, the man was not selling his handicrafts, just showing them. There were lots of different handicrafts to see, such as handpainted post cards, objects made from bees wax, garden tools and flower arrangements. At around 3-4 o'clock we had seen it all ....more than once, spoken to the folks that we saw there and of course...I had made some purchases. The weather had turned gray and overcast and there was a chilly wind blowing. Was it time to go home? No, of course not--it was time to go work in the lottie. So we loaded the stuff in the bike bags and off we went out to the allotments. We got there and right away watered the things in the greenhouse. Next we had to tie up the pea plants...which had some pods on them already! Next I wanted to plant out the first corn plants....as we started, the rain began and we put in the corn in the blowing rain. Loads of fun that was. :-? It wasn't too bad, and actually planting things out is best done on a cool, non-sunny day. After we got them in the ground...we went and sowed the second (late) crop of corn to be planted out in a few weeeks. WHEW! After that, neither of us was feeling like fixing supper, so it was off to the harbour and our favourite fish man again. You can perhaps just make out his little fish hut beyond the old boats tied up along the wall. It was the end of a good day, a full day..... We biked home and showered and got all comfortable for an easy evening of computering and telly watching.
Sjoerd, again your story has captivated me. It was the type of day that I would have enjoyed, until you mentioned work at the lottie!! The pictures definitely paint your story. Love the strawberries! Yum-yum And the boats are so scenic. Lovely day indeed.
What a busy, interesting day you had. I really liked that snail, how cleverly done. We do have "Night Before Christmas". It's a lovely Hosta, but still young. I think it will look lovely this year.
Oh I'm as green as your peas!! How I would have loved to have been with you and your wife wandering around all those stalls, buying plants, working on the lottie and eating fish from that hut. SIGH. What a lovely day you both must have had. :-D
Oh Eileen, I know you would have. In fact we thought of you when we were there...knowing that you and your man like fish and chips. Well, we didn't have the chips, but we had some of the most wonderful whiting fillets that you can imagine. The guy there has a certain type of 'sprinkle' that he uses on his fish that is unique and really makes the fried fish what it is, so to speak. He has told me in the past how he bought the recipe from an old man going out of business years ago and absolutely will not say a word about the ingredients at all. heh heh heh. No matter, it is a perfect place to go for a fishie when one feels like a quick bite to eat. We had a long chat with him yesterday about all sorts of things pertaining to fish...and about things from the past (I have known him for almost 20 years now). He wasn't vert busy because of the rain, I suppose. We are all waiting for 9 june when the new herring will be available. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
Sounds a perfect day and how i wish I could have joined you but I feel I have had a little visit with your wonderful pictures, that fish sounds delicious and perfect after a busy day. I love visiting relatives and that fair looked great though I would have bought way too much, work on the lottie sounds like fun and of course I would have enjoyed the fish.
Ohh Sjoerd your days sound like mine,,lol. You sure did have an intresting and fun day it seems. Can i say, Please pass the peas. they look so good already. From the pics it looks like all your plants are doing very very well. And that little trip to the local fisherman, well, we do that all the time. Good eating when its fresh. Thanks for the tour!
Waht a wonderful sounding day -- so many nice things that you guys did. It sounds like it was a happyalldayday. Wonderful plant sale and I never get enough of the lottie pics. I'll bet you really enjoyed your rest at the end of that day. I was trying to look more closely at the sailboats in your village -- I like boats.
Its was so much fun going to all the flower stalls, I think I would of have bought one of those hostas and fish sounds like the perfect dinner to have at the end of a nice day. Thanks for the tour.
It was a good day, Playtime--it would certainaly been fun to have you along. Most visitors like the harbour. There is an orgainzationthat gives free friday afternoon tours of Hoorn during the summertime. I'll bet you would like that as well. Biita....I would pass the peas, but those hulls are still flat, as the peas have not yet swollen. chuckle. We have been having lots of rain lately and when it begins to warm and the sun comes back out I expect them to take off again. I am also growing some of the Kapucijners--you know, the purple-podded peas. Netty....well let me think--I bought three Cerenthes, two orange Echinacea and something else...I just can't think of what it was for the life of me. Darn!...oh yes, two Verbena Bonariensis. I think one other thing....but my brain isn't working well. :-? Hi Daisy-- I shall try and remember to take a few pics of the typical boats that are docked here in the Harbour the next time I go there. I have posted some pics of my home town here and included were some of the harbour with some of the older boats, I believe...I just can't recall the date of the posting. Ah yes, here it is: http://www.gardenstew.com/viewtopic.php ... light=tour Well, sadly I do not see any excellent pictures of just boats, but if you want I will indeed try and take some pics for you. Taking digital digital pics don't cost anything and I enjoy going to the harbour. Yeah Petunia, it ws a great temptation to get one of those Hosta beauties...but I don't really have room for another...and I must split the one I have this fall--where I'll put them all, I have no idea. heh heh heh Anyway, I'm glad you folks liked the day reading about the day's activities. It was fun.
Sjoerd your day sounded perfect even if it did rain on you.Visiting with MIL guests.I would have loved seeing all the plants and buying way to many.The strawberries would have been in my hands too. I wish I could have spent the afternoon in the lottie with you and your bride.I bet I could have learned so much and then great fried fish yummmmmmmy.I love reading your days events.Thanks for all the wonderful photos.
Goodness me you crammed a lot into just one day Sjoerd! Made me feel exhausted. I love the look of your plant sale event and I would have loved to have a lot around, and eat a punnet or 2 of strawberries! Funnily enough, mine on the allotment are just starting to turn pink, but will still be a couple of weeks before they are pickable. That snail looks very cute and tactile. Mark loves things made from wood, he would have been smitten. As for your allotment, well I am incredibly envious of your peas. My first lot were eaten to ground level by the darn pigeons, but thankfully, a second sowing and I now have a couple of good thick rows, but no flowers yet so an age before I can enjoy fresh peas. Good to see you getting your sweetcorn in. Means I feel more confident about getting mine in over half term (25th May). I did get my toms and courgettes in today...a tad early, we will have to wait and see. And a fish supper to round off your day. Delicious. We had chicken, pasta and salad for ours. So, what have you got planned next weekend??????
It would have been so nice to have had you here for that little plant event and to visit the lottie and then have some fish in the harbour. It would have been just great. OMG EJ!!! That was terrible news about what the pigeons did to your peas. Those birds can cause such disappoint sometimes. I shall have to cover mine very soon, I believe. I know what you mean about those strawbs. The smell near their stall was strong and mouth-watering...Mine do not yet have a pink flush, but there are quite a few white ones. I shall have to put up the nets soon. As for next weekend....well the week is just beginning, no firm plans just yet. Anyway, things just sorta happen with us. We do many things on the spur of the moment. It's nice to be spontaneous sometimes. But we are pretty flexible people and it's not a problem to just do something when the opportunity arises.
I am so so glad you put the link to your My Home Town post -- I would not have wanted to miss that. Just for that, I'm going to take pics of my "home" town. I am fascinated by posts about the places the Stewbies live and visit. Your town has so much charm and so much history -- I do love looking at the architecture and the way things are laid out. In one of the pics, there is a sort of thing that looks like big tubes of netting with circle shaped hoops holding them open -- what is that? (It's in the pic where you comment on the flag being red and white.) I did see the boats -- looked like some were workboats? And a lot look like they are woodenboats? Thanks again for the tour. I think I will take it again.
