Everything But The Kitchen Sink

I´ll be off to the coast in just a few days and I´m busy packing right now. It´s so difficult to make up my mind about what to take and what to leave but I´ve finally narrowed it down by deciding that I don´t need the kitchen sink. If I change my mind my husband can bring it the following day along with Dora . I don´t trust the weather forecast which promises warm but not scorching temperatures so I´m glad I won´t have to run the risk of transporting Dora in a 4-wheel sauna. She´ll be a lot happier – and cooler - in her kennel in our bus.

Before I go I´ll give you the link to this little seahorse which coordinates with Jewelled Sea. If you´d like it, you´ll find it HERE.

Have a wonderful summer!

Perfect Match

I was taking some photos of the new lilies we planted in the spring, which had just started to bloom, when this little hover fly landed on one and I couldn´t help noticing how well he matched the stamens on the flower.

The moment I viewed this photo I was irresistibly reminded of one of Jean´s recent pages which I´d admired that very morning. Thanks for the inspiration, Jean!

Long Ago And Far Away

What I miss most about Scotland is something I took for granted while I was living there, namely my close proximity to the sea. No matter where I´ve lived in my homeland I´ve always been close to either the Atlantic Ocean in the west or the North Sea in the east.

It seems almost inevitable that every move we´ve made within Germany has brought me a little closer to the coast...and to home. Now we´re living right on the Dutch border and at last I´m able to spend part of each summer in one of my favourite North Sea resorts on the Zeeland peninsula which is only a 3-hour journey from here.

This photo was taken on a deserted beach in the far north of Scotland when I was 19. To me this page expresses how I feel about those days which now seem so long ago and far away when I still took the sea - and my youth - for granted.

No Dogs Allowed

I was strolling along the beach in Domburg when I saw this row of newly built, as yet unoccupied, cabins looking quite surreal against a dark stormy sky. My first thought was what fun it would be to leap out of bed in the morning and run straight into the sea. My second thought was they were so close together it might not be such fun if the people on either side stayed up until the wee small hours partying every night. As it transpired, there was no decision to be made anyway when I discovered that dogs were not welcome but I really don´t care. The small cottage I rent every year where dogs are allowed has its own secluded patio and no close neighbours and is only 10 minutes from the dog beach. We´ll be going there in just a few weeks and I´m looking forward to sun, sea and peaceful relaxing evenings.

As you can see, I´ve altered the photo quite a bit by removing everything but the cabins themselves and changing their colour. In place of the sky, sand and sea I´ve used backgrounds from Jewelled Sea. As a protest I´ve included Dora and I´m sure that she wouldn´t mind a bit if that lobster dragged those dog-free cabins into the North Sea...