Dragonflies and sunshine equals to love dance on Dutch pond

 

This week the Dutch summer reached some 31 degrees....not only we were happy, also the tiny dragonflies were inspired and were doing their lovedance above water at a small pond in thegarden of my work place. I was so amazed by their numbers and beauty, so I biked home after wokr to get my camera and captured them!

Did you know that:
- Dragonflies are expert fliers. They can fly straight up and down, hover like a helicopter and even mate mid-air. If they can't fly, they'll starve because they only eat prey they catch while flying.
- Some adult dragonflies live for only a few weeks while others live up to a year.
- A single dragonfly can eat 30 to hundreds of mosquitoes per day.
(for more info feel free to check "14 Fun facts about dragonflies")

Dutch spring sky in Rijswijk, Holland

 

The Dutch sky always impress me with some fantastic blue shades, fluffy clouds and yesterday with tons of contrails (white-stripes left after airplane)...
As yesterday was the official first warm spring day I decided to share the beautiful sky with you:-) Happy new week!

Summer on my balcony: green herbs and colourful edible flowers!

 

Even if I don't have a garden, I never stopped loving having green plants around me. So during the warm moths of the year the balcony at home becomes our ("tiny") garden, thanks to the great care&dedication of Nico. Due to its limited size (1 by 3 meters) its of course nothing big, but I am so happy with our yummy selection of green herbs and colourful flowers.

 

We have been growing and enjoying watching following plants&herbs in the past months:

-> rosmarin and basil (for giving the final touch to Italian dishes and salads);
-> 3 types of peppermint, lemon verbena  and camomile for fresh&delicious teas (or ice-teas depending on the weather);
-> marigold and cornflower for their fantastic colours but also for their healing powers ( for wound-cremes or in teas);
-> sky blue borage and yellow& red nasturtium: for their edible blossoms (the first one has a refreshing cucumber flavour, while the yellow/red/orange flowers of the second surprises one after the first honey touch with its peppery aftertaste);
-> and last but not least my absolutely favourite flowers (my great-grandmother was always having some in her garden): the pansies (in Bulgarian "теменужки");

 

And here today I am sharing also some impressions of how I do use this yummy green treasures while cooking.  Personally I do love to add freshly cut mint leaves to my fruit salad (like in the picture above). I have also put on the top for the salad the edible flowers of borage&nasturtium. The blue borage flowers decorate on the next picture as well my home-made tiramisu desserts! The drying herbs (for teas in the coming winter months) are a lovely&aromatic deco at home too... Hope you have enjoyed my balcony-flower-herbs-tour!

Fluffy dandelions in Rijswijk, Holland...

 

Every spring one of the first flowers to greet the warming sun is the yellow dandelion! Funny enough at the end of its stay with us this flower tranforms to a very fluffy white ball...Few days ago I spent some time looking closely to this fluffy plant and took into pictures some of its spectacular details! One may also use its leaves in the salad, they are a bit acid, but mixed with other salad sorts makes a fresh meal;

Birds in Holland or about birds in my backyard...

 

There are plenty of birds in the low lands...even though the Netherlands are the most crowded country in Europe one can stop seeing birds at every corner. some like water (this is where they live and catch their food), others fly around (and sometimes even inside our flat like the loud green parakeets), another just sing, sit on the tree and enjoy their freedom.

 

On my pictures you may enjoy the following beauties:
- Green Parakeet (in French "Conure Verte")
- Great Crested Grebe ( in German "Haubentaucher", FR: "Grèbe huppé", in NL: "Fuut", in BG. "Голям гмурец");
- (male) Pheasant (in German "Fasan", in FR "Faisan", in BG "див фазан");
- Grey heron (in German "Graureiher", in FR "heron", in BG "Сива чапла");
- Great spotted woodpecker (in German "Buntspecht", in FR "Pic épeiche", in BG "пъстър кълвач");

All birds in this entry I have encountered from my balcony, in my street or in the near-by park where I go jogging:-))

Crocus time&flower carpets in Rijswijk, Holland

 

We know spring is in the air...How would you ask?!
Because there are carpets of purple and white beauties all around my place:-) I am actually more used to have first the snow drops then the crocusses and afterwards the dafodils, hyacinths and tulips, however in the Netherlands the first two often come...together!

 

For the last 2 weeks I have enjoyed a lot those colourful carpets all around Rijswijk...and not only spring is on its way, but also they are ladybugs around too! What a fantastic colour-therapy:-)))

Sunny and white "Dutch winter-wonderland 2012" in Rijswijk, Zuid-Holland

 

Yes, we have been asking for real winter and frozen canals here in the low lands and guess what?! Our prayers were heart! We finally got minus temepartures this week and then 10 cm of fluffy snowfalkes made their way down from the sky Friday lunch time...So today, on Saturday morning, we all woke up to a white and wonderfully frozen winter tulipland (at least in the area of the Hague and north of it).

 

I got the camera and went out to capture some lovely white moments in white Rijswijk! I did get forzen fingers and toes despite of my thick and warm gloves...But hey, it was worth it. The sun came also out, so I got warm sunshine+my vitamin D for the day!

First sign(s) of spring in Holland 2010!

Finally we have got a very suuuuuuuuuunny weekend! Last week i also have discovered the first snowdrops for this spring, so it is official.

Inofficial it is still winter...In the night under the zero and the poor duckies still need ot walk/slide on ice, as part of the canals still do get frozen...
Hopefully it warms up soon:-)