Spring idyll

What a delightful weekend we had in Rotterdam. The sunshine and high temperatures made it feel like summer.
The flowers in my garden seem to like the warmth and humidity. They thrive. Somehow they all seem to be in flower at the same time too.

In the middle part of the garden, which is quite shady, the rhododendrons, geraniums and Salomon's seal are in flower. In front of the garden house and along the garden path, the first roses steal the show. Foxgloves pop up everywhere. It's a spring idyll.

My middle daughter and I spent great part of the weekend at our allotment. It makes me happy to see how much she enjoys gardening. We cut the box hedging, mowed the lawn and did some weeding. With a heavy heart I decided to get rid of the lupins. They were covered in aphids, which caused the plants to wilt.

In between the heavy work, I found some time to plant sweet peas and sow Cosmos.

Next weekend I won't be able to post. Friends and I will be on a short holiday in the Lake District (UK). If you have any suggestions of special places to visit, I would love to hear.

Have a good two weeks. Will be back soon.

Love, Madelief x

* The dress on the above photo's  is a vintage one. I am not sure of the period, but it's beautiful.

* The purple rose on my photo's is called Rhapsody in blue, the lilac one Indigoletta and the bright pink ones: Pink Cloud and Tom Tom. 

The allotment kitchen

Most of you have probably seen photo's of the outdoor kitchen at my allotment before, but for those who are new to my blog, this is it. The place where I prepare simple dishes and store part of my vintage treasures. The items on display come from charity shops and thrift stores, or were given to me by friends. I use them as props in the photo's I take, or for parties I hold in the garden.

The outdoor kitchen is a lovely place to work in. It's at the back of my garden, out of sight, and really quiet. It has a corrugated roof that lets the sunlight through, and keeps me dry on a rainy day. 

From April onwards, we have cold running water. Which means I don't have to take my thermos flask with me any more. 

The stainless steel kitchen counter comes from a restaurant originally. On an old butcher block is a small camping stove I can cook on. It's quite luxurious for an allotment.

On a summer evening, when darkness sets in, the light of the lanterns illuminates the house and part of the garden. It couldn't be more romantic.

You may wonder why the kitchen is not inside our garden house. The garden house really is a 2 x 2 square meter shed, dating back to the 1930s. A veranda, an outdoor loo and kitchen were added later. When we took over the allotment, the kitchen was already there, but we changed it, and decorated it to our liking. 

Hope I will spend a lot of time there the coming months, which means we will have a good summer!

Wishing you a Happy week!

Love,

Madelief x



Tulip time in the garden

This post is actually a week late, but I so wanted to show you the sweet bunches of pastel coloured spring flowers last time, that I thought this one could wait. I hoped the tulips would still be in bloom today, but when I arrived at the allotment at the end of the afternoon, I saw the last petals fall to the ground... Too bad! So my title tulip time in the garden is really no longer appropriate, but I kept it anyway, as I am still showing you the flowers!

At this time of year, it's difficult to keep up with what's going on in the garden. It all goes so fast. Flowers come and go, and so are the weeds. If it hadn't been for the help of my daughters and sweet friends, my little piece of paradise wouldn't look the way it does now.

As soon as the water supply was on, my friend Wilma (thank you so very much xox) helped me clean the garden house and outdoor kitchen. Which is a horrendous task. Your always covered in dirt when finished, and you never know what you may encounter while cleaning. Fortunately no mice, or worse, rats, this year, only spiders. Lots of them! We did a good job though. Hopefully I can show you some photo's of our reinstalled and spotlessly clean outdoor kitchen next week.

Thank you too for your sweet comments on my blog. It's always a joy to read them and to now what you have been up to in your garden.

Wishing you a happy week!

Love,

Madelief x

A selection of the tulips on my blog are: Menton, Apricot beauty, Purple Prince, Flaming Flag.