Hey, It's Good to be Back Home Again....

"Hey it's good to be back home again
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long-lost friend
Yes 'n' hey, it's good to be back home again."

We have travelled by car, airplane, train, boat and bike on an 'amazing race', enjoying time spent with family and friends, taking in the beautiful countryside, the quaint and ancient villages as well as the bustling cities.

We have experienced both sunshine and rain; the weather of a sea climate.

A warm welcome was received everywhere with the generosity of family as well as friends, as we have been blessed with this wonderful opportunity to experience The Netherlands, and in particular Friesland, the province of our heritage.

On our arrival back in Canada after our wonderful holiday, we were greeted at the airport by our oldest daughter who 'held the fort' while we were away, looking after the hens, the mail etc.

We arrived home to find that Autumn had indeed arrived
at our doorstep:

A Welcome Home sign greeted us as stepped
into an immaculate home:

Yesterday, life was back to normal
with it's rythyms and routines;
back to jobs, high school and college,
and I was 'back in the saddle again'.

The suitcases needed unpacking
as the washing machine went full-speed:

The sun was shining for a perfect outdoor
clothesline -drying day:

The gifts received in Holland and bought for giving, were compiled:


Our girls spent four days of their time in England
with a wonderful friend,
touring the famous London city sights.
They arrived back in Holland with thoughtful gifts:

When the girls came home again from school/work,
we enjoyed a british tea along with my favourite
Fryske sûkerbôle or frisian sugar bread:

"It's the sweetest thing I know of,

just spending time with you.

It's the little things that make a house a home;

Like a fire softly burnin' supper on the stove

The light in your eyes that makes me warm."

My son, who is at university, came home for a visit and joined us in a traditional dutch meal. I prepared the same meal that we had with Mem/Beppe in her home;our 'last supper' together.
The dutch eat alot of meat and potatoes as well as fresh vegetables every evening, followed by a dessert of pudding or yoghurt.
I bought a special meat spice in Holland (gehakt kruidenmix) to add to the ground beef. We also had potatoes, green beans, carrots, cauliflower with freshly ground nutmeg, and apple sauce which is a staple with the meat and potatoes.

We are still feeling the effects of travel and jet-lag, but have experienced that the sooner we get back to our normal routines the easier it will be.

My sister is also staying with us for the week as she has a conference to attend in the city, so I have found a coffee companion for the mornings.

I brought back Douwe Egberts coffee which is the finest in the world (my opinion only) so we have enjoyed that as we catch up and share in conversations.

The house is now quiet again as the rush hour is behind me. (9 am)

After morning chores, I will go into town for groceries and running errands.

I hope to blog about the trip over the next week as I digest all of the wonderful experiences and moments we were blessed to enjoy. God has been very good to us.

It may take some time to acclimatize again to the Canadian way of living, but I can truly say after an absolutely wonderful time in Friesland that:

"Hey it's good to be back home again - you know it is

Sometimes this old farm feels like a long-lost friend

Hey, it's good to be back home again

I said hey it's good to be back home again."

Words and music by John Denver