Oh, to be in England, now that April is here

Walking down memory lane,
I can't help feeling nostalgic for the beautiful countryside of England.
Before I conclude my blog,
I just had to share some of these visually stunning images with you that I took while on my travels.
I have had the opportunity to travel twice to England, once with my dear friend Karen and this last time with my middle daughter. Both travels were highlights in my life that I shall never forget as I tuck away in my mind images of the british countryside, the sheep peacefully grazing in pastures and on rolling hills, of royal castles and quaint cottages, majestic cathedrals and humble country churches, small towns and villages, wisteria and foxgloves, roses and hydrangeas, narrow winding roads lined with bramble hedges, the book shops and tea rooms, tea and scones, and authors such as Jane Austen, Emily and Charlotte Bronte, Beatrix Potter, and movies such as Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Ladies in Lavender, Becoming Jane, Miss Austen Regrets, Young Victoria, North and South, Wives and Daughters, Miss Potter, Bright Star, Cranford, Lark Rise to Candleford, Downton Abbey, Keeping Up Appearances, BBC, PBS, Masterpiece etc....
Check out this site "dedicated to those classic films that take us to another era, to a time of simplicity and serenity. Grab a cup of tea and make yourself at home..."
Can you see why I have become an Anglophile?

Journey with me as we enjoy a wee bit of Spring time in England....

Wisteria Covered Cottage, The Cotswolds, England
(image found online)

Gold Hill, Shaftsbury

Arlington Row in the Cotswolds

Sheep peacefully grazing

Beautiful countryside

Mornings shrouded in mist and fog

dew in webs

sheep grazing

Sally Lunn's Tea Room

British Post Box

Foot Bridges

Cotswolds

Cottage Tea Room

Tea and Scones

Kissing Gates and Cottages

The Kissing Gate in Marshfield near near Bath

Tea and Welsh Cakes after a day in Hay-on-Wye,
on the Welsh/English border

Memories kept in Photo Albums

Some springtime movies filmed in England include:

~♥~ Bright Star~♥~

~♥~ Emma~♥~

~♥~ Miss Potter and Peter Rabbit~♥~
(click corner arrows to enlarge)

Oh, to be in England
Now that April's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England - now
by Robert Browning
Home Thoughts from Abroad.

Listen to stunning music by Ralph Vaughan Williams:
The Lark Ascending

Friesland: Northern Netherlands

Friesland is a province of the Netherlands that has its own flag, language (Frisian), many of its own local customs, and a simple way of life that has lasted through the centuries, rich in history and folklore.
Friesland (Fryslân) has a population of around 640.000 living in its 11 cities as well as in the rural towns, villages and hamlets.

The language:
Frisian is a West Germanic language which is spoken by about 400,000 people in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands.
It is closely related to Dutch but also shows a number of striking similarities to English.

To really appreciate Friesland, this beautiful part of the Netherlands, I wanted to give you a brief history of the land.
The Landscape:
The Netherlands is frequently associated with polders. This is illustrated by the English saying: God created the world, but the Dutch created Holland.
The Dutch have a long history of reclaiming the marshes and low-lying lands from the sea, resulting in some 3,000 polders nationwide.

The province of Friesland consists of with many lakes, waterways and ditches, surrounded by fertile pastureland rich in peat, also having many polders protected and enclosed by an embankment called a dike.
A large part of Fryslân has been and continues to be formed by the sea.

The sheep pictured here are on the dike of the IJsselmeer:
The sheep are used to maintain the grass to keep it dense while compacting the soil:
This windmill shows the polder which lies lower than the surrounding water on the other side of the dike:

There are Terps or artificial mounds on which are built hamlets and fortified towns, many with the church as central focus as it is built higher yet:
The landscape is vastly agricultural with many friesian cows, horses and sheep grazing in the lush green pastures:
There are many picturesque lakes and waterways throughout Friesland, which I will be sharing in another post:
The cycling in Friesland is amazing with its intricate trails and safe, level pathways throughout farmland and along waterways, past small towns, villages and hamlets.
We had the privilege of borrowing bicycles and were able to use them for the duration of our time there. On the first day we cycled 28 km and although I was exhausted by the time we returned home, I just have to mention that our Mem/Beppe does this on a regular basis and was just fine. There is definitely more exercise in the daily routine of those living in the Netherlands as cycling is a regular form of travel for most people. While we take advantage of the school buses here to take our children to school, most children there cycle to school in their village or if they are in a specialized school (such as high school or college), they may cycle as far as 15-20 km or more one way.
They are definitely a hardy folk!
This was just one of the bike paths we took while in Friesland:
These videos sum up the love Frisians have for their Province/Land:
Frisian Anthem (frysk folksliet)

Fryske Ferskes - Friese Liedjes - Frisian Songs

The Netherlands: Overview

When we think of the Netherlands, images of windmills and wooden shoes conjure up in our minds, however, it is so much more. Many people refer to the Netherlands as Holland but that is not accurate. Holland is only the western region, consisting of the Netherlands' three largest cities:
The capital city of Amsterdam, The Hague, the seat of the government, and Rotterdam, which boasts Europe's largest port.
Map of the Netherlands:

Fun Facts:

"The Netherlands" and "Holland" are often used to describe the same country.
One quarter of the Netherlands is below sea level.
With only 0.008 % of the world's area, the Netherlands is the world's third largest agricultural exporter after the USA and France.
People in Holland eat raw herring with onions on top.
The Netherlands' favourite sweet is a salty liquorice sweet called "drop".
On average, the Dutch are the tallest people in Europe.
Although Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, the government meets in The Hague.
There are twice as many bikes as cars in the Netherlands.
In an area of the Netherlands called Friesland, there are as many cows as people.
The Netherlands was one of the European Union's founding nations.
There are 206 paintings by Vincent Van Gogh in Amsterdam.
The Netherlands' highest point is 321 metres above sea level, and is officially called a "mountain"!
The Netherlands has one of the highest population density in the world. This means that there are more people living per square kilometre of land than anywhere else - over 400 people per sq km.
Most Dutch people speak at least one foreign language - usually English.
One in every three Dutch people belongs to a sports club.
Rotterdam is the world's largest port.
Almost all Dutch people can swim and skate.
Many Dutch people spread chocolate on their bread for breakfast.
Amsterdam has 1,281 bridges.
Dutch people take their own bags to the supermarket to pack their groceries in.
The above facts were found at this wonderful site where you can read more facts about the Netherlands

Some books that I found useful:

The Netherlands consists of 12 provinces, one of which is Friesland.

I will be making reference to the towns and villages in this part of the Netherlands:

This is just one of the many scenes I plan to share over the next few posts.
(Dokkum... the town where my mother was born)

Stay tuned...

Travelling Adventures

I thought it might be interesting for those who have not been on an airplane, to have a detailed description of our travel including the flight. We took our flight out of Toronto Pearson International Airport, travelling east over Montreal, then north across the Hudson Bay, over the Baffin Islands and Greenland, coming down from the north into Iceland, landing at the Reykjavik Airport for our two hour layover/stopover to Schiphol, Amsterdam.
(photos taken from the plane)

It was fascinating to see the long straight tar roads in Iceland, as well as the white buildings with brightly coloured roofs. The land appeared very barren with no trace of trees, so unlike Canada.

Sunrise over Reykjavik
This ship is a reminder that Iceland was primarily founded by the Vikings
(Norway and Denmark)
Iceland is known for its beautiful Icelandic wool sweaters

After our two hour stopover, we boarded again for Schiphol, heading into clear blue skies. I have always had a fascination and love for clouds, so it was with great appreciation that I admired the beautiful formation in the heavens...so amazing! (Psalm 148)

This is the bustling harbour/port as we flew over Rotterdam into Schiphol, on the outskirts of Amsterdam. Both cities are renowned for their massive shipping ports; Rotterdam's port being the largest in Europe.


This photo is not clear, but to really see the beautiful ariel view of The Netherlands with the green landscape, the red roofs and the immaculate lay out of the land...truly a wonder!



After arriving at the Schiphol Airport and retrieving our luggage, we boarded the train for our two hour trek to Lelystad, being met by our niece who helped load our luggage into her car before making the final trek to my husband's family home in The Joure, Friesland.

A warm welcome awaited us with enthusiastic greetings from family, gorgeous floral bouquets, and a hearty bowl of soup and buns along with a comforting cup of tea.

Stay tuned for more travelling adventures...

Added:

It was 26 years ago today that I married my best friend, and also 26 years ago that I first travelled to The Netherlands, to meet my new family and to visit the country of my hubby's birth, so I thought it was fitting to share this lovely bouquet with you, a surprise gift my hubby brought home from work. He is such a dear!

The middle photo is of a flower in the bouquet that comes from South America...so very unusual!(feels like plastic)