Dragonfly Doom (photo's of the month)

They're back! With a vengeance, I might add.
Apparently, I live in 'Dragonfly Heaven' although it means 'Dragonfly Doom' for any insect that comes anywhere near this place.
At this time of year, they zip around at incredible speed and when all is calm and there's no wind, I can hear them coming by the 'clicking'sound of their wings.
They are fierce and ferocious insects and show no mercy. Heads roll (literally).
I don't know what it is. Maybe I attract insects, or maybe I look like one, but they seem to have it in for me too. The near misses happen just a little too quickly, too often, for it to be 'just coincidence'.
As for the Damselflies. They're smaller and have a sweet name...but they're NOT!
They're all beautiful...but...those eyes!!!
Here are a few pictures (enlarging, a must).

Herring in Holland with Natasha

My niece Natasha was over from England for a few days. Due to a public transport strike in Amsterdam, we decided to skip seeing the sights there and stay closer to home, instead.
It turned into a day with a 'typically Dutch' theme and it was lovely to spend some time with her and catch up with the latest (graduation end of this month!, charity work, jobs and travels).
It just so happened that it was the day of the 'Hollandse Nieuwe' (Holland's New)! This is the term used for the first catch of herring, of the year. Yes people, it is true. We eat raw, 'salted' herring in Holland, usually with raw onion, pickles and accompanied with Jenever (Dutch Gin).Herring info. click here.
Next on the menu were some 'poffertjes' (mini blinis with butter and icing sugar) which went down well. Later, in a trendy  café in Leiden (near me) we had some 'bitterballen' (deep fried, meat-ragout balls).

Hollandse Nieuwe in Scheveningen, The Hague.
A whole festival is organised around this event and the first 'tub' of herring is always auctioned for an enormous amount which is given to charity. This year it was sold for € 67.0000,-
Tasha is showing how to eat herring in Holland (the gentleman behind her had about 3, while we were there).

Poffertjes
The garish interior of this 'poffertjes-p(a)lace' is very typical. This is an antique, copper, handmade 'poffertjes-iron'. The copper plate gets heated and the batter gets poured into the little 'dimples'. Once they're done on one side, the cook deftly turns them over with a sharp, two pronged fork.

Bitterballen in Leiden
One of my favourite café-restaurants in Leiden is called 'de Poort'. Part of the ancient gateway to Leiden has been transformed into this modern restaurant, by the water.

Tasha admiring the lampshades.

Bitterballen

Green Parakeet, Photograph's of the month (May)

Green parakeets with a red band around their necks have decided to settle in our lush, green trees. They're seen almost all over Holland now, but have only recently moved to our area.
This one is extremely well camouflaged ... So,.....spot the parakeet! (clicking on picture (twice!) will make it easier)

Little additions

Friday evening, while Eric was parking the car, I heard him ask:"What's that?" He was pointing at something small on the grass. There they were....two little fluff balls, born that morning.
They're healthy, playful and absolutely adorable.

Jerry didn't know what to make of these tiny intruders and decided to fluff up her tail to let them know that 'the Lady of the Manor' was NOT amused.

Queens Day in Amsterdam

Queens day in Holland is a National Holiday (info on Queens day). Officially it's about celebrating our queen's birthday but, basically, it's used as an excuse for 'major PARTY-TIME'.

This was my first Queens day in Amsterdam...The place to be. Especially if you're on a boat, cruisin' the canals, as we were.
Most people dress up in something orange (royal colour). There were hundreds of thousands of people, crammed together, eating, drinking and dancing to the many different bands and music playing absolutely EVERYWHERE!
The weather was fantastic and, once again, I was impressed by the friendly and joyful atmosphere.
We were on a (thankfully, very solid) sloop with about 20 people. There were times when the canals were so crammed full with boats that we couldn't see where the water ended and the road began. 'Onlookers' would just jump from one boat onto another and 'walked across the water' from one side of the canal to the other side.
Some boats were like floating discotheques with mirror balls, smoke machines, confetti- or 'soap-bubble-blowers' and 'boom-box-brain-busters' (as I call them).
Honestly, the best way to give you an idea is by showing you these pictures. Don't forget to magnify by clicking on them.

Coffee and cake, while waiting for the others.

Taking off in well stocked sloop.

Fancy Dress.









Many onlookers.

Confetti and bubbles.

Almost stuck/completely stuck.

Young (love the ears) and old with funny head gear.

The wildlife 'just wasn't bothered' and continued to build nests with whatever could be found in this dirty water. See coot, on top of nest, in tyre and swans on raft.

SPRINGGGGGG-(onion)/photo.of month

It's Spring, so here are two pictures of spring onions/chives in my garden. The first one is still 'budding' and has a baby stink-bug on it (so cute). Please click on the pictures for detail (they're much better that way).

The European Fine Arts Fair + Rest. Beaumont

Tefaf, 2nd time.
This year we decided to stay for a weekend so we could enjoy this amazing fair and also the lovely city of Maastricht (With generous help from Dick) .
Eric had managed, once again, to book a great hotel at a great location. When we got to our room, there was a cold bottle of bubbly waiting for us (pre-arranged by Eric) which set the tone for the whole, amazing weekend.

Our room was a little basic but comfortable and I do recommend this place if ever you decide to visit Maastricht: Hotel and restaurant Beaumont:
We decided to have our meal at the Hotel's restaurant, which was extremely good! We were advised to book a table and, by eight, the place was full. A lot of the people eating there were locals which is always a good sign. The service was very good, the food and wine, excellent and the ambiance pleasant. It was so good, that the next day (after having looked around in this culinary city) we decided to go back to 'our place'. 
The hotel arranged regular transport to the TEFAF for free and, the next whole day was spent, 'drooling, longing and dreaming' at this worldwide, renowned fair. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of modern art for sale, this year, but also enjoyed looking at the old Masters (Rembrandt for only € 34 million.) 

We looked at everything...from Jewellery (of course) ... to Egyptian, geographical finds ... to clocks (again, of course).

Dream on Son.

Miró

Crumpled copper.