Bulbfields

Still very changeable weather. But the bulbfields look much more colourful than they did five days ago. With dark, threatening skies pouring out heavy showers unexpectedly, strong winds but bright sunny spells as well, the reds and oranges and purples are breathtaking. Not to mention the smell of the hyacinths. Now tulips take pride of place and narcissi and daffodils are fading and dying. The tulips can only be admired for a very short time before the blooms are cut off, so that the bulbs can grow. After all, that is what it is all about, big, fat bulbs for our flowers next year.

This weekend may be very busy indeed, as it is the beginning of the May school holidays with "Koniginnedag" , The Queen's official birthday celebration, plus May 5th, Liberation Day, and for the Germans May 1st, Labour Day. Funny having a holiday on Labour Day. Coaches with tourists will flood this area of Holland. Hopefully the weather will improve a bit and give us some hope for a nice summer. Perhaps we can put away our winter coats at long last.

A day in Utrecht

An exhibition at the "Catharijne Convent", and a ticket for free travel which would expire the next day, lured me to Utrecht, a very lively and interesting Dutch town any time of the year.

The trip by train from Leyden to Utrecht did not really make me very happy. The so called "green heart of Holland" wasn't green at all, the heart being in the greedy and suffocating grip of new housing estates, spreading like a cancer and with its tentacles eating up the green land – or eating out its heart! Industrial estates, new housing estates, apartment buildings and shopping centres rob any passenger of a view of the nice pasture land that once was. Old and picturesque farmhouses protected by gnarled oak trees and straight poplars to shelter them from the extremes of the Dutch climate, were totally surrounded by brick and tarmac, sad oases in a world made of stone. Only once in a while did I get a glimpse of the land, and once even of a herd of cows, probably recently released from their winter quarters and happily grazing in the open. Most residential estates lack front gardens, nor are the streets tree lined. The fronts of the houses are very bare, without  bay windows, without nooks and crannies, without any exciting architectural features, just plain walls with flat windows and a front door, the doors immediately opening on the pavement. To compensate for all the multicoloured brick houses, any useless plot of land between a main road or a railway line has been transformed into "original" wild nature, a type of untidy park land with some stray highland cows to give it a fake authenticity.

The quiet mostly residential "Nieuwe Gracht" (New Canal)

 The city of Utrecht was a blessing. It is a picturesque and old town, its canals with quays on two levels, on the lower quays access to cellars and warehouses where ships unloaded there goods. Nowadays a large variety of restaurants and cafes are housed in those cellars with nice terraces along the canals, very popular with the local population including the many students, and of course with the tourists.

Utrecht was very important throughout the Middle Ages. It is a archbishopric and before the Reformation there were lots of monasteries and convents. It has a rich musical tradition and the many interesting old churches are used for musical venues. Organ recitals, a museum with mechanical music boxes and barrel organs, it can all be found in the heart of this interesting city.

Catharijne Convent, Inner Courtyard

 

One former convent, the "Catharijneconvent" now houses a Museum for Christian art: medieval wood carvings of Biblical scenes, quite a few sculptures of Anna, Mary and Jesus, so called "Anna te Drieëen", etc. I went to see a special exhibition about Christian women throughout history: from medieval martyrs who are now revered as saints, to nuns, protestant recluses, Christian housewives, Mennonites and Anabaptists, Lutheran women, wives of ministers and in the end female preachers.  It was interesting, but not very well documented and in that way rather superficial. I had expected that the catalogue would give more in depth information, but alas, not so. A video about a protestant family growing up in the fifties and sixties, the rituals they kept and the traditions, plus the attitude of the two younger generations was a "Ah-ha Erlebnis", as the Germans so aptly call it. The permanent collection of this museum is worth seeing, even if there is no special  exhibition, and so is the building, the former convent. "Worth seeing" in fact applies to all of the centre of Utrecht.

Disciple asleep in the garden of Gethsemane (15th century, wood)

 Back of the Cathedral

Cloisters and fountain

 

I meandered along the canals, through narrow streets and alleys, had coffee and a bite in one of the many colourful establishments and ended up in the Cathedral, or rather what is left of it, as only the choir of the building still stands. The nave collapsed in a tornado in 1674. For the history, see the English part of the website of the "Dom kerk". The tower is standing quite separate from the church, is most impressive and dominates the city. It can be seen from far away, and on a clear day I could even see it from my office on the 11^th floor in the main building of the Free University in Amsterdam. The church must have been very high, for the choir is most impressive, spacious and high. The cloisters are still there, and next to the church tower is another garden which has sculptures from the original nave embedded in its garden walls.

 walled garden with sculptures

below: view of the tower from that garden

I had one hour left to browse around the big bookstore, and some antiquarian bookshops. There are antique shops galore, not to mention the many junk shops. As well as a mouth watering variety of specialist shops, cook shops, shops with a fantastic choice of haberdashery; it can all be found here. The railings along the top quays of the canals are laced with bicycles, of every make, size and colour. Market stalls make the whole atmosphere even more attractive and lively. 

 bikes and more bikes

below: the "Oude Gracht" (Old Canal) with restaurants

After all the culture I indulged in, I enjoyed an hour of fruitful shopping! But not in the shopping mall which connects the station with the centre of town. It is an atrocity, which finally one has admitted to, and there are plans to break it down and dig out the canal again which was partly filled in and once surrounded Utrecht. In the fifties, sixties and seventies a lot of damage was done to many old city centres in the name of progress. Many of those "improvements" can't be undone again. But hopefully Utrecht will be an exception and manage to restore its heritage.

I took another train route on my way back, and fortunately this really led me through the "green heart", with lush meadows, budding trees, poplars with light copper coloured leaves, big farmhouses surrounded by open land, wide skies with dark rain clouds interspersed by blue skies, unexpected bright sunrays making the fields even more green.

April 17th: Rain, Gardens and Writing

April 17th

Rain today. It is very cold indeed, not just for the time of the year. On the bright side: I do not have to water my newly planted border, nor the treasured tree and the shrubs planted beneath it, the acer japonica and a fiery red pieris. I spent most of last Saturday in the garden. Fortunately it was a sunny day, and since the garden is facing south it was pleasant being out there. Planting, staking, watering, getting rid of all the plastic containers, pruning, making neat and manageable pieces of all the pruned branches, cleaning paths, it took all day. But my hopes for amazing results are high. I have dreams of colourful borders, clematis full of flowers hiding the wooden fences, attractive undergrowth and a pergola covered again in shady foliage of a new wysteria and the bright pink flowers of Scarlet Dawn, my new rose. But I might have to wait at least another year for that, if not more. Still, gardens are made of dreams, that is the fun of them. And I dreamt all evening lying on the couch, resting my aching joints and muscles, not able to move either of them!

Today at last, I concentrated on writing again. The small writing group I belong to is stimulating. I am still busy adding instalments to my Christmas cycle, a series of short stories, each no more than 2500 words, about the celebration of Christmas during different periods of my life. The Christmases of my childhood, when I was so innocent and full of happiness, thinking Christmas would always be like that, with warmth, the protection of a family, with friends and unexpected guests sharing our meals, with singing in a dark church, safely beside my mother. The adventurous Christmas, which I celebrated with friends far away, sharing in their traditions, enveloped by their friendship and hospitality. The last time I celebrated Christmas with my dying husband, the last Christmas with my old and fragile father. And the lonely Christmases, waking up in a silent house, without friends, husband or family, just sharing a church service with the congregation. And the joy when friends invite me to their home at a time when I least expect it, asking me to share their festive meal with them. That is true friendship which is heart warming. Christmas can be the most wonderful and mysterious feast there is. And it can be the most heart breaking and loneliest time of the year as well, as families tend to form close circles, turning their backs on the outside world, revelling in the safety and security of family life, even if during the rest of the year there is not much contact. Not till the New Year are those circles broken, not until then do they dissolve. Only then people tend to open their eyes again to the world around them. It is a time when the only thing single people wish for is hide or hibernate till those days are over. It can be such a cruel and utterly lonely time instead of a joyful time.

Today my oldest brother in law is having his 75^th birthday. Are we really that old? We have become our grandparents without noticing it. They were indeed old at 75, at least we thought so. Are we? Or does everybody stay young inside, our grandparents included? What did they feel or think? They lived a full life, busy lives, hard work was normal. Were they tired of that, or were they still full of life mentally, and happy that they could now enjoy some leisure after the hard work was over?  I will never know. What I do know is that they were extremely thankful that they were entitled to a pension, thanks to Drees, such an unheard of blessing which their own parents had never had. They had been given far more than they had ever expected or thought had a right to. They have long been dead. I had two grandmothers and one grandfather, and they all died in the same year, in 1974, all far in their eighties. Their lives have not only become history but will also remain a mystery. For even their children are dead by now, and there is no one left who can tell me firsthand about their lives, their thinking, their ideas and possible ideals.

Domenica in Albis, a White Sunday full of colour

The Sunday after Easter, Low Sunday, in Dutch "Beloken Pasen". In Albis meaning in White. Apparently new Christians were baptized during the night preceding Easter Day, clothed in white. They wore these white clothes till the next Sunday, so for a full week, when they took them off. That is why it is called Dominica in Albis, white Sunday, the last Sunday they wore those white robes.

For me it was a peculiar Sunday as it was the last Sunday for our chaplain. After almost five years he is returning to a small parish in England. So it was goodbye and farewell. I am afraid that musically this was not a Sunday worth mentioning, at least as far as the contribution of the choir was concerned. We sang Chilcotts Irish Blessing, but that is hardly a musical challenge. 

The cello music was beautiful, but personally I object to favouring a grand piano and a cello over the church organ. The pot luck lunch following the service, to which I contributed a quiche, was a very busy do indeed, and the queue very long. There was a mouth watering selection of dishes, hot and cold, and it was hard to chose. We had to leave before the desserts were served, as I had to pick up a friend at the station. 

After that the white, and as far as the weather was concerned the grey Sunday, became multicoloured when we went for a drive along the bulb fields which are very colourful at the moment. It was blustery and cold, a typical Dutch Spring day, which makes one long for hot drinks and open fires, and wrapping up in warm winter coats. But the flowers were beautiful as always. Vogelenzang, a small village, had something extra in store for us. In the private gardens there were mosaics on show, made of hundreds of tiny individual flowers of hyacinths. As it was very busy, we did not explore the village but happened on one mosaic which was very appropriate for this day, April 15^th, a floral modal of the Titanic which sank exactly 100 years ago, taking with it some 1500 people who were drowned.

We did warm up afterwards, with another cooked meal of pasta, piping hot Bolognese sauce and a bottle of red wine. With a green salad and some bright red baby tomatoes, it gave even more colour to this white Sunday.

Easter 2012

Easter 2012

Rain, rain, wind, cold and miserable.

But on the positive side, of course a joyful church service on Easter Day in a full church. Our anthem was Vivaldi's Gloria, here sung by the Holland Boys choir.

Later that day we had a reunion of friends from University days. We think we haven't changed, but the pictures show otherwise. I suppose beneath the grey hair and the wrinkles, we are still the same. In the pictures we took we look very happy indeed! We each contributed  a dish and/or drinks to the meal. But the meal wasn't the main thing, which was proven later when it appeared that one of us could not possibly remember, not even after extensive prompting, what he had had for a sweet, although he had enjoyed two helpings because it tasted so nice! Let us presume the conversation was so riveting that the food was of no importance in spite of the time and effort spent on it. We could have saved ourselves the trouble and just served shop bought ice cream instead of homemade tiramisu. Only the tender and deliciously prepared meat was remembered. But of course we are talking about a man, a devoted and confirmed carnivore with no sweet tooth. The most important thing is that we are still all healthy and happy and now enjoying retirement and doing our own thing. It could be so different.

Easter Monday I spent with my Canadian friends. As my garden needs replanting, we went to one of the largest and most interesting nurseries, specializing in trees, shrubs , azaleas and acers, especially Japanese acers.  There was some slight rain, or rather drizzle in the morning, but once walking through the extensive show gardens and selecting my tree, the rain became heavier and the wind increased. I am usually excited when I walk around that nursery in Boskoop, Esveld. Their online catalogue is such a treasure trove and it is amazing what they have on offer. So at home behind the computer I selected which tree I wanted, after asking around and consulting with a friend who is a professional garden designer. The owners and people working at the nursery are very knowledgeable, so they love giving advice. It is a source of happiness, having to select plants for a newly dug border and choosing a tree. It is a luxury, exciting,  and so much better than choosing different flavours of ice-cream.  Even more mouth watering. Especially at this time of year, when the trees are just sprouting leaves. The shape and form of the tree is visible, but for the shape and colour of the leaves one needs to rely on the brochure and use one's imagination. The first year the result might be disappointing, but once a tree is happy it might "blossom"', and show its true splendour and colours. So buying a tree is a joy which lasts forever.

The tree I have bought did not fit in my car, as to my horror I could not flatten the front passenger seat. So we draped it carefully behind the front seats. The top stuck out for a meter, which is the length allowed by law. It is amazing how many laws we have in Holland. Just as well that the nursery owners know them. I did not. The next problem was that there was no good hook to fasten the rope which had to secure the hood of the trunk – boot in English. So it took some creativity before we could set off for my home. To top it all the road to the nursery was under construction and robbed of its surface, full of potholes and very bumpy. Just imagine driving there with a tree sticking out. The dancing hood might damage the trunk of the tree which might be lethal. So it took all my skill to drive smoothly in spite of bumps and "sleeping policemen". Anyway, the road home seemed very long, and it rained and rained and rained and never stopped.

Nevertheless, we made it without any damage to tree or car. The tree is now "resting" in the garden waiting to be planted in a few days' time when supposedly the weather will be better. Besides, I depend on friends. I can't wait to see the variegated leaves of this Liquidambar styraciflua 'Aurea', which is reported to have the most stunning autumn colours.

Courtesy of Esveld's catalogue

We were cold, wet and somewhat muddy in the end, nor does my car look very pristine, but we made it and I can't wait to see this tree develop and grow. It will change that corner of my garden quite a bit. Beneath it I will plant an acer dissectum japonica, with feathery green leaves which will form a sphere or ball like the purper leaved one I bought some 30 years ago and which is a treasured beauty.

Music and Gardens

Busy weeks, musically leading up to Easter – and garden wise leading up through Spring into Summer.

In Leyden I attended a concert by the Winchester College Chapel Choir, conducted by Malcolm Archer. It is amazing how disciplined those choristers (called Quiristers on their website) are. One expects that of adults, but boys aged 8-12 were also singing and their attitude is amazing. Some barely seemed to be able to read the music, but they did. Several boys sang a solo, in a very natural and modest way without having the attitude of doing something special. It is fantastic what English choirs/choristers achieve. The Hooglandse Kerk is a very high building and perfect for such a concert because the sound seems to soar up and reach to the heavens. They concluded the concert by singing Five spirituals from "Child of our Time" by M. Tippett, totally different from the rest of the repertoire but fun to sing for the choir I think, very lively and rhythmically interesting. They could sing out, quite a contrast to Palestrina and Byrd. But I always doubt if "white" choristers can really sing such spirituals well – as they were meant to be sung. Of course Tippett made them into something special.

The choir's rendering of Brahms' Geistliches Lied, yet another type of music, took my breath away. I have also sung that with the ECS choir, but this was perfect! The long slow lines are not easy at all, but they were never boring or sagging or going flat, the latter a sin this choir does not commit! It was a joy to be there. Interesting too was mixing with them over drinks and talking with parents about the special musical education their boys are enjoying. It costs a fortune, I guess, but the rewards are worth every penny. Oh, to be born in England!
The Chapel choir video found on their website is well worth watching!

Last Saturday I joined a choir in Antwerp and sang Stainer's Crucifixion.

It is very Victorian and very dramatic, the type of music we do not sing often. But I enjoyed it. The choir parts are not too difficult, but the dynamics are important and varied. The two soloists, a tenor and a bass, were young professionals, the bass a small young man, nondescript. At 25 he is still a student at the School of Music in Antwerp. But when he opened his mouth, I was dumbstruck. His voice was unexpectedly deep, very strong, warm, melodious even in the lowest ranges and filled the church. I hope he will have a great career as a singer, because his voice is really something else! The church wasn't very full, which was a pity. But we all enjoyed the concert – as well as the delicious lunch, a mild curry followed by ice-cream. It was a welcome break after the long and intense morning practice! No  need to cook after the drive back home which was a bonus.

One Saturday I took a friend to see Elburg, one of the former Zuiderzee towns which I talked about earlier in this blog. It was an unexpectedly warm day, like an early summer day, and a pleasure just to walk through the narrow streets, along the city walls with its "wall houses", houses which share their back wall with the city wall. They look attractive, but must be rather dark inside. Perhaps it is not as bad as it seems, as they are not very deep and rather tiny. I can't see how I could accommodate all my things in a house like that.

It was so warm we sat outside looking out over the harbour, now only for pleasure boats, enjoying a roll with smoked eel and some pieces of cod fried in batter. Eel is a speciality in most of the fishing villages around the former Zuiderzee. It is a delicacy and I can never resist it when I am in those parts of the country.

The walls have storage cellars for gunpowder and other things used to defend the town against enemy attacks. Nowadays one can view them in summer as a tourist attraction. The cellars are still intact, as well as the walls which completely surround the tiny city. There is a pleasant footpath bordered by trees on top of the walls, with the town lower down on one side, and a wide moat on the other side, now a pleasant series of ponds with lilies and fountains.

Lion on top of the wall at a former city gate

Two examples of houses incorporated into the city wall - or the other way round!

 

 Elburg still has an original smithy, which is run by volunteers to save it from being gutted out and being converted into residential living quarters. The huge furnace it still there and still in use. I bought a bottle opener which supposedly always works. But once back home I found it was hard work using it. Still, a pleasant reminder of our visit there. Unfortunately the beautiful church was closed, as most churches are on weekdays in Holland.  The tiny and rather stuffy Organ Museum did not seem very inviting either on such a beautiful and sunny day, so we just walked past it.

The Smithy

Elburg still has an original smithy, which is run by volunteers to save it from being gutted out and being converted into residential living quarters. The huge furnace it still there and still in use. I bought a bottle opener which supposedly always works. But once back home I found it was hard work using it. Still, a pleasant reminder of our visit there. Unfortunately the beautiful church was closed, as most churches are on weekdays in Holland.  The tiny and rather stuffy Organ Museum did not seem very inviting either on such a beautiful and sunny day, so we just walked past it.

Now it is back to work: digging up the garden, putting in huge amounts of fresh, fertile soil, cleaning and planting. Fortunately a very dear friend is helping me out and doing the hardest work! Hard work indeed, but hopefully with satisfactory and surprising results in summer! And as such a labour of love.