We had such a nice and relaxing Sunday. Autumn really was at its best today.
We decided to cycle to the heath. Two bikes, five people... so cosy. The sun was lovely and warm.
At the heath the children ran about; there was so much to discover!
We soaked up the sun on a small hill, enjoying it all.
Then we went home where we had hot chocolate and pancakes.
Right now Michel is cooking, the children are playing and I'm doing a bit of sewing... I'm happy!
I'm not a fan of autumn. Mostly because autumn means that winter is around the corner. All the cold, and the rain, and the dark... no, it's not really my thing.
That said, I must admit that autumn has its own specialities as well: the golden light, the colourful leaves and toadstools. And on our walk on Sunday we had a bit of all that.
But this little fellow was definitely the most gorgeous thing we found. Pure perfection if you ask me.
There were many other gems to be found as well.
The secret garden.
We love this place. And are certainly grateful that we can step right out of our door into this lovely bit of Holland.
After many attempts we finally got to fly in the hot air balloon last Friday!
It had all started in 2006 when Michel gave me a ticket for my birthday. Since then we nearly went twice and had a couple of other cancellations. However, this time the weather conditions were good, so we actually went.
It was amazing and very exciting. We went as high as 2000 metres to catch the right wind. We went through the clouds! At that point looking down was a little scary :)
The silence was fantastic, so very peaceful. And it's not cold at all up there since you're going as fast as the wind is.
It was an hour and a half of bliss and then we had a soft landing. Now have a great experience to look back upon!
Mmmm, we spent a gorgeous day at the beach today. It was the same beach that we went to last time.
It was just warm enough to be comfortable and although the wind was quite strong, it wasn't bothering us.
I was once again reminded that I love the beach. I do also love the forest or heath, but for me nothing beats the feeling of sand between my toes.
The children had so much fun. Simon was mostly in the water digging for little animals, Amber was literally rolling around in the sand and Linus loved to chase the seagulls. And Michel and I watched them and read (a few pages of) our book.
The surroundings, the company, the weather and the pace made this truly a perfect holiday-day.
We're getting about quite a bit while we are enjoying our summer holidays. On tuesday we went to a public garden that we've been passing for years. It turned out to be a wonderful hidden spot!
There was a little building where you could buy tea or coffee, which you could then drink under the trees. There was also a little shop selling flowers and a shop selling organic produce.
The flowers and plants were so carefully put together with beautiful colour combos.
The whole place breathed a warm quietness that made us wish we a had a garden like this. It was a very relaxing and inspiring visit. And it made us realise once again that you don't have to go far to find pretty places, this is only a 20-minute drive from us.
I put some more photos on Flickr.
We tried to fly again today. In vain :(
It turned out that the wind was too strong to fly safely.
We still enjoyed ourselves though.
It was a spectacular sight to see the balloon fill up with air. Unfortunately that was all the action we were going to get. Although, we were also supposed to help fold the balloon and put it in the bag. Well, makes a change from folding the laundry :)
Next week we will try again! Fourth time is a charm?!
A few weeks back Michel, Linus and I, plus Michel's sister and her boyfriend went to a wonderful exhibition in Amersfoort. It was called Wonderland, Through The Looking Glass and showed a very diverse selection of imaginative art.
These paper figures seemed so carelessly put together and yet they were so life-like.
The two most impressive pieces were two incredible realistic creatures by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini.
I couldn't keep my eyes off them. It reminded me so much of when I first saw Ron Mueck's work a few years ago.
There were many more surprising and wonderful things to see there. I'd really recommend a visit if you live anywhere near. You can see some more photos here.
Michel's sister and her boyfriend fiancee went back home to Australia today. It's always sad to see them go, because we quite literally live worlds apart. However, even though it may take us a while, we have made definite plans to go and visit them in Australia!
I took some photos while we were basking in the sun today (love this weather).
The garden looks wonderful right now, so fresh and green.
My mum put most of these plants in, she is the head gardener :)
We did, however, keep a lot of the plants that were already growing in the garden when we moved here.
Doesn't this photo look a little surreal?
Hey, three more pretty flowers!
Left: Linus at Queensday 2008
Right: Linus at Queensday 2009
What a difference a year makes!
And although we don't use it very often nowadays, we are still very happy with our BabyCuddle!
You can read about previous Queensday celebrations here, here and here.
Last week we attended the Elf Fantasy Fair. It was my first time there and it was quite a happening.
As you can see the setting was spectacular and the weather was too.
Most people were dressed up; we just didn't look where to look first. The best thing was that you could stare as hard as you wanted :)
Michel and I were traveling with three darling creatures: a princess, a knight and a gnome.
I whipped up Amber's outfit at the last minute. A very simple skirt and a t-shirt with a royal application.
It got her approval, thankfully.
Linus, ofcourse, wasn't wearing his hat.
It was a fun day!
