Thursday, April 17, 2008

Among the hyacinths.....

My mother and step father have arrived safely and on time early Tuesday morning. We spent Tuesday here just catching up at the house. I baked this Norwegian Apple Cake for a treat that day. It is a recipe from a blogger named Mia who has such a beautiful home. It was because of this recipe, which I decided to give a try, that I have developed a blogging friendship with her. I had to let her know what a yummy cake it was and we started commenting on each other's blogs. I serve mine with vanilla custard and a little whipped cream.


Thursday, we drove over to see the flower fields near the west coast of Holland. It is still a little early so we got to see mostly hyacinths. There were some daffodils still blooming but not many.


It turned out to be a really beautiful day and it was extremely busy which made driving more difficult as we had to sit in traffic.


Every once in a while you come across some early tulips and they really do pop out at you! It is a beautiful site!


We drove to Katwijk Aan Zee so they could glimpse the North Sea and have some lunch.


We ate at this charming restaurant right beside the dunes called 'The Swan' and I can tell you that it was absolutely delicious. Three of us had salmon steaks and one 'kibbling' which is a batter fried white fish.


It was then back to the car to battle the traffic home again. It took us almost three hours to drive a 1 1/2 hour trip. We were glad to come home and relax.

I am missing your blogs at the moment. When I do get time, I will try to catch up with some of you but just wanted to say that I am thinking of you all.

14 comments:

Carolien said...

Glad you are having a good time!

Have a nice day & hugs, Carolien

Nancy said...

What a beautiful way for your mom and stepfather to start their stay!

diane said...

It looks like you are off and running already! The sea AND the bulb fields are gorgeous! Tell your mom she missed the earthquake. She will be glad, I think. Enjoy your visit together.

Teresa said...

The pictures are beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Elizabethd said...

Oh those tulips! I have a few just opening in my garden, but nothing like your fields of colour.
Hope your mum's visit continues to go so happily.

Andylynne said...

My goodness, I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like with all those hyicinths in one place. They are beautiful. The tulips are beautiful too. The drive looks deceptively quiet:) I like the looks of the restaurant you ate in, the countryside is beautiful. I miss the sea. I hope you have wonderful vist with your mom and stepfather.

Mary said...

It looks so lovely and I would love to look across the North Sea to the British Isles with you.

I'd have salmon, however would like to try the kibbling as that sounds good too. Do they serve with chips like in 'fish 'n chips', English style, yum!

Glad you are getting to see some color Nancy, perhaps more tulips will bloom while you're there - I didn't realize they came out this late because ours are just about over here. Yesterday was 93 by mid-afternoon, too hot for me, especially this early. I went to a plant sale for geraniums and am off this morning to the Farmers' Market for veggies, then to buy my hanging basket Boston ferns for the porch. Now the birdies have flown I can clean the porch and rearrange things - altho' pollen is heavy still but showers tonight may help with that.

Love and hugs - wish I was there with you to have a taste of that fabulous Apple Cake!

Dena said...

That cake looks absolutely wonderful! I am craving vanilla custard now :) Lovely pictures of the fields too!

Hugs,
Dena

Amy Marie said...

Glad to see that Nancy & George arrived safely. The flower fields are beautiful. That's what thy look like in Santa Barbara County, CA, where my husband works. This is the first year that I haven't seen them. Enjoy your visit!

Susan in SC said...

Enjoy your parents' visit! Time is too short as it is. I know they are enjoying your visit. Susan in SC

Rhondi said...

Hi Heidi
I thought you might be too busy with your mother being there to blog, but just thought I'd check. The fields of flowers are beautiful. I wonder how fragrant the air is around those rows of hyancinths!
Hope youenjoy every minute of the visit. Don't worry about trying to keep up with blogging. We understand.
Hugs,
Rhondi

Mia said...

Dear Heidi! I am so pleased to hear that your Mother enjoyed the Norwegian Apple Cake. To serve it with vanilla custard and whipped cream sounds like a very good idea. We tend to use vanilla ice cream, but next time I will try vanilla custard.

Your photos of the flower fields are stunning. How lucky you are to be able to see so many beautiful flowers all at once. Spring flowers are finally starting to bloom here in my garden too, after a very wet and cold April. Luckily things are looking up, and we have had beautiful, warm weather today. I do hope it will continue. I also hope your Mother will continue enjoying her stay with you in Holland.

Tanya Willis Anderson said...

Oh WOW look at that hyacinth!!! I could drink it in - so sweet to the nose. Enjoy!

Tanya

Suzann said...

The sea, the flowers, food, and family. A perfect setting, perfect company, a perfect everything! How special.