Tulips, Waves and Sunshine

I'm skipping over a load of pictures taken in England and Holland because I'm so  just too far behind.  When I am in a strange environment EVERYTHING seems to take me eons longer and I just get the bare necessities accomplished before it's time to go to sleep or off on another adventure.

But this day was just too lovely to pass over without recording some of the stunning beauty I was able to take in.

We just decided (or I decided and Patrice and Kristine agreed) to take the opportunity to join a little crowd that was heading to the daffodil farm.  I'm not going to try spelling the Dutch Name right now, but it's a wildly popular place with acres of exquisitely beautiful flower gardens and a huge old Wind Mill dating back to 1892.

The fragrant scent from the Hyacinth plants wafts around you as your eyes feast on the endless colour combinations and fabulous varieties of tulips and other flowers that miraculously spring out of bulbs. 

Look who I caught tip-toeing through the tulips!! 

The lovely couple that lent us the vehicle for our stay here in Holland took us to the flower gardens and we had sweet fellowship with them on the peaceful drive and as we strolled through acres of loveliness. The woman's name was Aly and she began to sing "How Great Thou Art" and I joined in the song of praise to our Glorious Creator. 

How magnificent is He?

Color and life spill out of his hands in this wild display of botanical beauty.

We are allowed to co-create with Him and it is good, good, good!!!

Fields of spectacular color, simply here for our enjoyment.

Definite heavenly highlights and foreshadowing of the loveliness that is to come. 

We got home and laid down for a short spell while I called dear Mom for her birthday before we headed out for one last Holland Hurrah.

I couldn't resist popping down to the beach since we were just minutes away and once again the girls said YES and away we zoomed with our sweet hostess Tiny  who was game for pretty much anything to investigate the Hoek of Holland on a sunny day.  

I wanted to have a memory other than our rainy freezing disappointing arrival day for this area. 

Tiny has been our hero on this entire trip, treating us all like her own daughters and sharing her home and life with us.

She is full of vim and vigour and although she has suffered a great deal in her life there is an indomitable spirit within her - the Spirit of the living God that spurs her on to love and good deeds. 

We were the recipient of many of those kind deeds and I am grateful to God for placing us into her care during our Holland adventure.

And what a glorious evening we had...

Tiny (Teeny) found us a lovely restaurant with this view. 

We munched on pizza, fries and a cucumber salad as we drank in the blue sky, beautiful beach and mesmerizing waves.

After supper Patrice, Tiny and Kristine  went out to put their feet in the water and run on the sand.

So happy with the way this week ended after that rough beginning.

A Dutch Wedding

Isn't she beautiful?

Hannah's wedding was my inspiration for a European adventure this Spring. 

Way back in Hawaii she and I had conversations about her longing to be married to the Superstar Husband that we were praying for.

This conversation was continued in Israel where the Lord gave us a precious time together.  At that point things looked horribly dark and depressing for her but we continued to pray and believe.

And somewhere along the line I said something about coming to celebrate when the blessed event took place. 

Not long after Israel I started hearing news about a Dutch fellow named Edwin that she had met. Edwin's mother thought Hannah would make a lovely wife for her son so she arranged for the two of them to meet. 

There was coffee but no commitment until his mother delivered a block of Dutch cheese from Edwin to Hannah who was working back in Israel again. 

How fun is that?  

A marriage sealed with a block of cheese! 

Needless to say, she left Israel and came to marry the one her heart was longing for. 

That's my version of the story... and the cheese bit really did happen in the Garden Tomb of Jerusalem. 

This wedding was amazing on so many levels.

It allowed me to reconnect with my very precious German/Norwegian friend Kristine, to meet Edwin, to spend some time with Hannah and meet her amazing friends and family, AND to celebrate this superstar miracle wedding while enjoying the lovely land of Holland.

We made our way to the pre-wedding luncheon in the "pope-mobile" and the festivities began. 

Here I am , high and lifted up and waving to the minions below.

After the luncheon we made our way to the City Hall where the legal part of a Dutch wedding has to take place. 

There was a huge windmill there which seemed fitting. 

Now legally married, pictures we taken outside and then we all walked down the road to a lovely old stone church where bells were ringing in anticipation of the blessing to be pronounced on the couple.

Unfortunately most of the message was lost on me, being in Dutch, but the worship was incredible and the Spirit of God was in that place.

It was a very God honouring ceremony.

Another HUGE bonus was getting to see Bruce and Hetty.  Bruce was the leader of the Word by Heart school Hannah, Kristine and I had attended in Hawaii two years earlier.

Following the ceremony there was the final episode of this very incredible day.

We drove to another nearby village where a delicious meal was served followed by speeches, cake, dancing and much merrymaking.

He truly makes all things beautiful in His time.

And I was privileged to be a witness to this beautiful miracle.

Angles of Amsterdam

Having been lent an incredible wheelchair accessible vehicle by some very kind friend's of Hannah's (who heard about our rental difficulties) we found ourselves buzzing up to Amsterdam for a quick peek.  

Check out the ramp on this thing!

On our way we were rather amazed to see an airplane heading across and overpass   

right in front of us. They make good use of the very little space they have in Holland!

Driving in the city of Amsterdam is not for the faint of heart and Patrice deserved a medal for her ability to navigate the crazy traffic without hitting even one biker or pedestrian!

We arrived to a deluge of rain so we scooted into a rather familiar spot for a hot drink as we waited for the skies to clear and for Patrice's friend to find us.

Patrice got to know Francine during her Hawaii mission building adventure so they were able to spend a few hours catching up and enjoying the sights of this amazing city.

The skies actually cleared the sun came out!

Kristine and I experiencing Amsterdam together.

How does this even happen?

A dream come true. 

Pure Happiness. 

Canals and Cannabis.

Could be a dangerous combination...

Cheese, of course!

Endless opportunities for photos. 

And this coffee shop below?

Not really a coffee shop at all.

In Amsterdam "coffee shop" is code for a place to curb your cannabis cravings.

We did not enter.

Not enough time.

HAHA!!

Lunch.

This peaceful picture below took place shortly before Patrice, Kristine and I accidentally wandered into a red light district while trying to find our car. 

We were given the authentic Amsterdam experience without even trying. 

Heading back to the car park where we had a conundrum trying to exit due to not understanding the Dutch rules of dispatch.

It was incredibly stressful for Patrice, while I was having another conundrum of a completely different variety as the "waterworks" program I was on had a severe malfunction.

One of many on this trip. 

It prevented me from going to the girl's pre-wedding party in the evening but it gave me a huge opportunity to rest in the love of Jesus while learning to trust Him on a whole new level.

I was amazed at how many of these opportunities were given to Patrice and I on this trip. 

And a final cool pic of Patrice driving like superwoman right past a windmill with blue skies and fluffy clouds.

Fabulous Friday Fun

Can you imagine I went to the Hundred Acre Wood and past Pooh Corner, the very candy store where Christopher Robin bought his sweets as a young boy?

It was the stuff of fairy tales and dreams and I was absolutely delighted to see these sweet spots.

The day was overcast and cool but these sights warmed our hearts and it was so fun that Mark (Lorna's husband) was able to join us.

Here below is the 100 Acre Wood (Ashdown Forest) with "Pooh Car Park" nearby.

Our next stop was equally as amazing and delightful.

We visited "Longbourne" house that was featured in the  modern Pride & Prejudice.  Such fun!

A peacock was elegantly posing back in the barn area.  

There was very quaint, ancient little village right nearby with the "village green" in the centre and rows of old homes which had smaller than normal doors.  So fun to imagine the scenes back in the day.

And to make an already exceptional day even more amazing, we visited an incredible castle that was built in the 12th century. 

Bodiam Castle.

After paying our castle dues and purchasing duck food for the journey we were escorted by the hungry fowl to the majestic edifice...

Hard to believe this was for real - a moat and everything!  

So special that Patrice could experience this along with me. 

Mark very glanatly gave up his jacket for this frozen damsel.  The damp England cold was making itself known and trying burrow into my bones.

Back in the day the knights were obviously tiny but mighty as you can see by the size of the door. 

It was a stunning piece of history in a very beautiful setting.

We celebrated once again with scones and tea and a few other delectable items.

And of course there was another amazing lovely old church that i had to snap a picture of. 

As I recall there was a donkey in the field across from this building. 

It would have been so wonderful to be able to step out and run around all of these old places to investigate but there was no time and not enough energy.  

Plus I'm still paralyzed which complicates things but I was just so happy to be able to SEE so many amazing sights.

All in one day.

There is nothing like having your own devoted and loving "local" tour guide to give you the experience of a lifetime.