ABC in Pictures, V is for ... Violets

V is for ... violets.



They're not always blue ...


Don't forget to visit the others at Quilly's blog!

Wordless Wednesday, Shadows

I almost forgot it's Wednesday again!!
Wordless Wednesday.
So I'll better shut up.



As for ABC ...
U is for ... unique.
I think this one is.



This one is my absolute favourite.


Don't forget to visit the other Wordless players ...

And the ABC players are here

ABC in Pictures, Raindrops on Springflowers

I am belated for my "R", I'm sorry!
I'll make it up to you today!

I have picked "raindrops" for "R"

on spring flowers for "S"


Don't forget to visit the other participants on Quilly's blog.

O is for ... Offspring

O is for .... offspring.



When I first saw them, I didn't even realize there was a little one hidden behind her.

It took some patience to get a good picture,
she kept protecting it with her body.

This is my favourite picture of this series.
It also speaks of spring ...
( just playing with words here!)


Visit the other ABC players at Quilly's blog,
or join us if you like, it's fun!

Spring is right here at my kitchendoor

"Teetu teetu teetú !!!"

It's still very early in the morning,
but the young parent Tits are already very busy feeding their young ones.

I can watch their activities from my kitchen, I think it's a gift from heaven.
The eggs must have hatched by now, the parents are flying off and on all day.
I can hear them calling to the young ones when they arrive,
pretty soon I'll be able to hear the little ones sqeaking as well.

It's funny, but they have a special routine with what they do.
They always sit ont the willow first,


next he hops on the (potted) tree on my patio,



The plantstand ...


Into the nesting cage, and out again ...

Click on the picturees to enlarge.
You'll see him/her coming out of the cage again!


This is the highlight of spring season to me,
watching them building a nest first,
and then raising their little ones ....
right here at my kitchendoor!

Thirteen Reasons why I love Spring

1. All the trees are getting new leaves again.
There is something about that fresh new green.
All of a sudden, after a long winter,
they're back, and the world is full of colour again!

2. The days are getting longer, I know this is just an illusion,
there are always (only) 24 hours in a day,
no matter what season it is.

3. The first buds, and the first flowers on the plants outside.


4. Waking up and hearing the birds sing!
I always wonder what on earth they are talking about!

5. The Great Tits started nesting again.
It's always great to see them come back, year after year.

6. My herbs start to grow again. I just love my herb garden.
Cooking is not the same without them.


7. We can eat outside again!
Yesterday was the first time we had lunch outside.
It feels like being on holliday!

8. The blossoms on the trees, I love those fragile flowers.


9. Planning hollidays! We're off to Normandy next week,
it's just a couple of days, but I'm very much looking forward to it!

10. A few extra days off, in the month of May.
To me, the month of May is the most beautiful month of the year,
and I always feel it passes twice as fast as the rest of the year!

11. There are all sorts of outside activities being organized again.


12. I can leave the doors of the study and the kitchen wide open.
My cat loves it, she can go out and enjoy the sun as much as she wants,
and I can hop from the study straight to the patio, or into the kitchen.

13. With all the windows open, I can enjoy the sound of the children
on the playground of the nearby school, I hear the birds singing
and let some fresh air into the house!


I love spring, it's my favourite season!

Visit more Thursday Thirteen players here.

Wordless Wednesday Easter Bunnies in the snow

It's that day of the week again, a day without words...
Wordless Wednesday!

I guess I'll still have to use some.



This is my Easter bunny ...

But my sister's backyard looked like this!


I am sure all of you folks upthere in certain parts of the States or Canada
might think there is nothing wrong with that last picture.
Let me tell you, to us this is very weird!

We have not had any snow all winter. None. At. All.
We had one "white day", but that was not real snow.
But instead of a white Christmas, we are having a white Easter!
That last picture was sent to me by my little sister,
they had a white carpet of snow, and the Easter Bunnies
had to hide the chocolate goodies inside people's houses!


Belgian weather, it's crazy!


Don't forget to visit the other players!
Or join us if you feel like it, it's fun!

Weekly Winners Happy Easter!

Sunday again,
time to share your favourite pictures of the previous week ...
Here we go ....


First sign of spring ...


The Great Tits have moved in to their home on my patio.



Muscari in the sun ...

Easter decoration in my living room .








Happy Easter everyone!



Don't forget to visit the other players at the homeblog of Weekly Winners ....

The Bells of Rome and the Easter Bunnies

When I was a little girl, we were made to believe that the Easter eggs
were being delivered by huge bells.
Not just any bells, they came all the way from Rome ...
Imagine this ...





I believed that those Roman bells escaped from their towers in Rome
and travelled all the way to Belgium, to my grandmothers back yard.
I even saw them flying over the garden at my grandmother's house once.
A friend of mine had seen a big flock of them actually dropping
the chocolate goodies over at her mother's place.
The huger the bells, the huger the eggs they carried with them.
I got to see them only once though.
From then on, I could only hear them.
I could not see them any more, but I knew they were there ...
... because I heard them, I really did ...
As I grew a little bit older it kind of made me worry a little
that the eggs could get broken
or that they might drop them on somebody's head.
But nobody mentioned any accidents that had happened
so I just assumed those bells knew what they were doing.

Growing up, I learned that some kids had never heard of
the story of the Bells of Rome.
Their Easter eggs were being delivered by Easter Bunnies.
I never gave it much thought.
One day I was old enough to hear the real truth,
and it was my first real dissapointment in life.

A lot has changed since then.
The Bells of Rome and the Easter Bunnies both play
their part in the modern Easter stories ...


My little nephew did have a couple of questions though...
But he has it all figured out ...

Here comes his theory on " who-does-what-and-when"

The Bells still travel all the way to Belgium,
but they drop money instead of eggs.
As soon as the money is dropped,
the Easter Bunnies come out and they collect it.
With that money the Easter Bunnies go out shopping.
( I wish I was a Easter Bunny right now!)
Anyway, they buy toys at the local toy shop,
and then they buy the chocolate eggs at Neuhaus , Leonidas
(or any other good quality Belgian chocolatier.
My nephew insists on good quality, who can blame him?

Okay, when they are done with their shopping the Bunnies
send a message to the Bells of Rome.
The Bells are now hiding somewhere in a secret clocktower in Belgium.
(They probably use their cell phones to send the message,
or they could send an e mail, it's the 21st century after all ... )

Then the bells come back and they sort of beam the eggs up.
( beam me up Scottie?!!!)
They keep them refrigerated in their huge bellies until Easter.
On Easter day they fly over and gently drop the eggs in people's gardens .
That's when the Bunnies come out again.
They are the ones hiding the eggs in the end.


And then the children come out to search them ...
Complicated?
Yes, but it does makes sense, now doesn't it?


Update:
To proove to you that the Bells of Rome really did hide in Belgium until Easter,
I found this picture in my old photoalbum.
It must have been one of the first pictures I ever took in my life.
It was on a shool trip in the Ardennes.

Photohunt ... I spy ...

Where's the week gone to?
Saturday already, time to go on a PhotoHunt!
This week's theme is "I spy".

Rather difficult if you ask me?
I mean how can you make a picture of something hidden?
I didn't have a clue what to post,
but the Photohunting Gods were with me yesterday
when we were out on our photohunt ...
And when I saw it, I knew that was the one.
The perfect picture for this week's post!
Now, I'm not really sure what's the right thing to do here.
Do I tell you what's hidden here?
Do I show you where it is?
Do I give hints?
I'm really not so sure?

This is funny ...
It's out in the open, it's not hiding AT ALL!
Still, it's hidden ...
Mother Nature sure knows how to play with colours.


Thre ... is that better?
Can you find it?
What is it?
Hmmmm, should have brought the other camera too though...
Oh well, there's always the other players too huh?
Don't forget to visit them and find out what they've got hidden?


UPDATE : I know, this one is very difficult.
I'll tell you what it is.
It's a Blue Tit.
For those of you who do not know these cute little birds
... they look like this:

Exactly the same colours as the leaves of the tree and the blue of the sky!
Can you see the branches of the tree forming an oval shape, a little bit like an eye?
It's in the bottom part a little bit off centre to the right.
There? See it now?

Wordless Wednesday ... Four Seasons in one Picture

Wednesday ...
let's go Wordless, I really love Wordless Wednesdays ...

It takes the stress away,
and I can share my favourite pictures.
Even that is sometimes hard,
not knowing wich one to choose...


I really love this on this week.
It tells of autumn, winter and spring
and it holds the promise of summer ...

Please visit the others as well, and leave a comment?