Carp and Geese feeding.

There is a beautiful area of natural woodland in Apeldoorn called Berg en Bos. Part of it houses the Apenheul - monkey zoo - and the other part of it is a delightful walk through woodland where there are wild boars and many species of birds - we have stood and watched woodpeckers tapping away on the trees. It all culminates at a glorious lake that is teaming with carp and geese. We try to visit there at least twice a year. If you go make sure you take a loaf of bread with you - not just for the geese but for the wonderful carp that will flock to you once you start to throw them bread - a sight not to be missed. It is open all year round and the admission is free.









one lonely large goldfish amongst the carp








canadian goose

wild boar

babies

small waterfall running into the lake



Star Trek The voyage Home!

When there is nothing on tv we always resort to watching our star trek movies on dvd - the one that gets more air time than the others is my favourite, Star Trek IV The Voyage Home. How could it not be - Star Trek and Whales in one movie - seventh heaven. Yes it is a little corny in places but I never tire of watching it. The original team of Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Bones and co; just blend together perfectly. They have me laughing - crying - and I am always left to feel there is a moral to the story at the end.
The next generation are second favourites with Worf winning me over. For years I had a framed picture of him on my bedside cabinet - he is still in favour but has been demoted to residing on the dresser now since getting married Lol!



Worf



Music boxes!

I have always loved musical boxes ever since I was small. My Dad bought my Mum one in Germany before I was born, of a chalet - I just loved to lift the lid and turn the key to hear the German tune playing and watch the teeth of the movement ping over the comb. Since my Mum's passing it was handed down to me.
The past two Christmases I noticed a shop called Blokker, here in The Netherlands, selling musical movements in gift bags and managed to buy them in the January sale for 99 cents - with an idea to incorporate them into a music box. So I bought a couple of plain wooden tea bag boxes from a shop called Action over here - for 1 euro and 30 cents each and set to. I made one for my sister and one for my daughter. I cannot find the photos I took of my daughters which was Alice in Wonderland themed but below are pics of the one I made for my sister as a Christmas gift last year. I love to alter boxes and other things - I find myself looking at items and wondering what I can transform them into Lol!






Took tea bag inserts out.



musical movements










Lined the inside with felt and paper and drilled hole for the musical movement and glued.
Attached feet to bottom of box - used wooden beads.

Decorated outside of Box.









Cutie Pie!

We have a variety of birds visiting us here on our balcony. Over the years we have had nut hatches (have photos of them), wood peckers and even sparrow hawks have landed in our tree.  Some rely on us feeding them several times a day. Mr and Mrs P, the 2 collared doves have been eating here for a few years now and announce their arrival by doing several fly-bys in front of the window spreading their wings. They have brought a few generation of their offspring also. It is a welcome sight and I have grown very fond of them. More recently we have been blessed with the cutest little visitor in the form of a great tit. He is just the cheekiest little chappie - I have named him cutie pie. He sits on the window ledge and taps the window pane, then cranes his little neck to see if you are in. Once or twice when we have left the door open he has been inside helping himself to the nuts we have in a container on the window sill. I just wish I could pick him up and give him the gentlest of hugs.



Hello!



Are you in?





It's me!








Feed me!





The object of his desire!





Yummy peanuts!





Mr and Mrs P.



Doctor Who and the BBC

Where would we be without the BBC? I for one would miss it. It brings us so many wonderful programmes - the nature documentaries - cookery programmes - entertainment and history and all available worldwide. It is a life saver for me here in The Netherlands. Well it's that time of year when Doctor Who airs to our screens. This Saturday the 1st September the new series starts and it sees a welcome return of the Daleks - love them or loathe them, it just would not be Doctor Who without them. It does not matter which actor takes over the role and I know we all have our favourites (mine was Jon Pertwee - in the 70's - yes I am showing my age lol!) but it is still Doctor Who - a legend.





My Tardis

Yay! Turnip!

Oh the excitement! We walked around our local market that visits our area once a week and there on the fruit and veg stall hidden amongst the celeriac were 3 Turnips or swedes depending on where you are from. I could not contain my happiness and swiftly bought one. If you love turnip as much as I do and lived in The Netherlands you would have felt exactly the same way. Turnips are like gold here - they cannot be seen for months on end and then only in the autumn and winter months - so it looks like the start of good things ahead. My husband was told by one of his Dutch friends that they use turnip as cattle feed as it is not a popular veg here. Mince and dough balls with tatties and neeps (turnip or swede) for tea I am thinking!

My beloved turnip ( swede or neep)

Our local market

Thirty Four degrees!! eek!!

Oh well - the best laid plans etc... We did not go to the hobby festival due to other things happening but I was rather glad in the end as the weather here yesterday topped 31 degs and hit 34 in some parts of The Netherlands - the hottest weekend since July 1994 apparantely. They expected a deluge of folks to hit the coast so the rail line added more trains to cope with the numbers - heat and crowds - top of my list of dislikes. There are a couple more fairs closer to home in October so not long to wait and it will be cooler :D.