A few days break in the Mosel Valley (part one)...

After our brief stop from my previous post, we drove on towards the Moselle River. This is our 4th visit to the Mosel Valley and we just love it there. This time we stayed in the village of Lieser at Landhotel Steffen. This hotel was something I chanced upon while looking for a place to stay. It lived up to its description and more. We had a room with a view of the river and dinner included each evening. Jos was a little leary as food in hotels is not always good. But this could not be farther from the truth. Both evenings were excellent. We ate a starter that we would not have ordered but really enjoyed. Funny thing is we had it at the second place and would not have eaten it otherwise. But more about that later. There was a beautiful big terrace but the weather was not warm enough to sit outside unfortunately. We will certainly return here for another stay in the near future. 

We choose Lieser because it is close to Bernkastel-Keus. This is a pretty German village and we always enjoy walking here. Jos tried a Riesling ice cream while we were there which was delicious. It really did taste like frozen wine. 

The Italian restaurant was right across from the Bear fountain. I just love this fountain and have shown it before in my old blog. My father's nickname was Bear so I must be a bear cub...right? *grins* 

I always walk around in awe in villages like this as I adore anything wrought iron. They have beautiful hanging signs that just make me drool. And we discovered a Dutch connection with an iron shield hanging on the city wall. It reads "Vivat Oranien Nassau" or Long live Orange Nassau which is the Dutch royal family.

Jos peeked one morning to see what was right next to the hotel. He told me to come over and look as I would love this garden. Then he said "Oh no...don't look!" It was a wonderful garden for a shop. Lucky for Jos, the shop was not open on the days we were there. We did however go look in the garden. It was so beautiful and gave me some inspiration for my own garden. 

I loved the angels and wrought iron! I want to go look for a chair in the charity shop to sit in amongst my plants now. And I told Jos I wanted him to make me a ladder for our tree. He said he would so now I just have to hold him to it. *grins again* 

Heidi

Walking into a fairytale.....

On our way for our vacation last week, I searched for a good place to stop halfway there. I discovered this castle on the outskirts of Bergheim, Germany. It is the magical renaissance style castle of Paffendorf. You could easily pass through the village and miss this treasure which is set off the road behind the church. But from the moment you drive up, you are met with a fairytale castle...

We had lunch in the castle brasserie. Knowing we had a dinner booked that night at our destination, we ordered a starter to tide us over. Jos had white asparagus soup and I had the green asparagus salad. Both were delicious!

We then took a short walk in the castle park. As you walk in, you are met by the first of the ponds and giant sequoias. There were wildflowers in bloom all around you. 

There are gunneras in bloom all through the grounds. 

How beautiful dead wood is! It becomes a garden ornament when left to stand along the water's side or a piece left to sit and rot naturally. Since we are doing this now at Cranberry Cottage, I loved seeing this. 

The water in the ponds was so clear that you could see the fish swimming (left) and the tadpoles darting around (right). 

If you are ever in the area, this is a wonderful stop. We could not take the time for a tour of the castle but would love to go back one day...

Here are some links I found on YouTube so you are take a cyber tour for yourself...

You may want to turn off the sound on the second video. It is a good look at the grounds but the music is terrible for the scenery. 

Heidi

Garden visitor

Sprng is such a pretty time in our garden. This year, all three of our wisteria are doing well. One was badly frost damaged 4 years ago but even it is perking up with 4 blooms on the vine. One for each year I had to wait and see if it would survive.

Jos was very busy starting back in February. He relaid all the paths here in the city garden. We decided to use the stones we had at Cranberry Cottage so he had to remove them there and relay paths there too. There are three wider paths now with give order between the cottage garden planting. 

We put out our fountains again. I always have them on when I am in the garden and love the sound of water. I also discovered that there are 2 frogs and a toad living in that tiny pond on the right of the photo. 

Decorating in the garden is a must for me and now I have a new table to decorate with. Our older table is still on the back terrace but we had a robust table specially made for the terrace closer to the house. 

It is a monk's table made with very chunky douglas pine. We both love it! Jos aged the wood with vinager and steel wool so that it would match the chairs and bench we have owned for years. 

This special visitor to our city garden is such a treat! For the third year running, this great spotted woodpecker has been visiting us each spring. I was so pleased to get some good photos while he was at our peanut butter feeder. It is a crowning glory to me that he feels safe in our garden. We have achieved what we set out to do when we bought this house 5 years ago...that is to create a little piece of the countryside in the city. 

Heidi

Busy bee in springtime.....

Where did March go??? I was really busy and kept wanting to blog but time just slipped away. I will share more about it at the end of this post. March meant two holidays to decorate for this year. I started the month with my cloches showing a tiny of St. Patrick's day cheer but then had to switch them after the 17th of the month to Easter...

All my spring and Easter quilts were pulled out and accessories added to welcome the Easter Bunny when he arrives...

These little shoes were my Easter shoes when I was a baby. I am so glad my mother kept them along with a few other items of clothes...

Jos and I have been really busy working both in the garden in the city and at Cranberry Cottage. Lots of changes have happened at the cottage but that is a post in itself for later. As for the city garden, we have added a conifer hedge right next to the house. 

We need a little privacy. See that beautiful pine on the neighbor's side? We found out they are going to cut it down when Jos saw a notice in the local newspaper. We ordered some 15+ year old Thuja Emerald conifers and the man from the nursery called to say they would be delivered. 

Once we removed the plants that were in this section, Jos had to dig a big trench. They are planted and watered in so we have our fingers crossed they root well. Jos also added a row of paving and it all looks so nice now. 

We have also been to visit a carpenter up north who is making us a robust pine monk's table with cross legs. The table is done so we have to go pick it up. I can't wait to see it and have our first meal of the season outdoors!

Heidi

A little winter.....

This piece of stitching adorns our living room each year in January. This year, it turned out to be prophetic. We spent last weekend at Cranberry Cottage and on Saturday morning awoke to this.....

I was thrilled to see some snow. It was thick wet snow that stuck too. What a pretty sight!

Then on Sunday morning, we had a visit by this little creature. This red squirrel was trying to get the peanut holder from the arbour but Jos has made sure he no long can make it fall off. But we felt for him as he was hungry and put out some peanuts for him. He was adorable with his bushy tail and pointy ears.

Back in the city, the little snow that fell here was all melted by the time we drove home on Sunday afternoon which made it harder to leave the snow still at the cottage. But I can think back to our perfect weekend while I look at my winter tree. All the ornaments are handmade by me.

Heidi

Autumn starts to show her colors.....

There is a buzz in the garden that autumn has come...

Our New York Asters (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii) are in glorious bloom. They have taken over a large area and put on a great show to say goodbye to summer and herald in autumn. The bees are enjoying a final summer feast of nectar.

There is such an overflow of flowers that I even put them in a vase to create an instant autumn table on the terrace just outside the living room. 

And our hydrangeas put on a great show over the summer but are not quite done showing off now with pretty rose tints to welcome the fall. 

There are touches of autumn in our front garden too. I love opening the bedroom curtains in the morning as this table display greets me as I start a new day...

Heidi

A visitor came calling at Cranberry Cottage.....

I was watching Jos saw some wood for a project in the cottage when I realized straight across from me, this cute mouse was also watching Jos too!

"Once upon a time there was a woodmouse, and her name was Mrs. Tittlemouse.

She lived in a bank under a hedge.

Such a funny house! There were yards and yards of sandy passages, leading to store-rooms and nut cellars and seed cellars, all amongst the roots of the hedge."

“Tiddly, widdly, widdly! Your very good health, Mrs. Tittlemouse!”

Quotes from The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse by Beatrix Potter

Have a great weekend!

Heidi

Garden inspiration.....

We love to visit gardens for inspiration. Visiting the tiny city of Gerberoy in France to see the garden of the French painter Henri Le Sidaner did not disappoint us. The addition of this beautiful ornament, which if you look closely in the photo collages, you will find in the artist's garden too. When I found this ornament in at a Dutch farm that sells ornaments, I knew it was the perfect way to remember our visit to Henri's garden...

To enter the gardens, you walk around the outside of the village along the old medieval walls. There is a door in the arch of one wall that enters into the garden. The day we went there was noone else there and it helped create the magic of the world where Henri painted.....

Click to enlarge the photos and get a closer look. 

I love this photo I shot of Jos sitting in the quiet garden enjoying the morning sun.....

Ornaments and statues were everywhere throughout the garden.....

What a privilege to be able to stand in front of the little summerhouse/atelier he painted. And what a summerhouse! I loved all the details in this tiny building. During the exhibit, this was one if my favorite paintings which came to life in the garden.....

The gazebo built on the foundations of a medieval tower allows you to take in the beautiful views of the landscape in and around Gerberoy..... 

Henri Le Sidaner passed away 75 years ago today 16 July in 1939. But his spirit lives on in his timeless paintings but also in the magical gardens he created in Gerberoy, France. 

Heidi

For those interested in seeing more, here is a YouTube film of his time spent in Gerberoy. It is in Dutch but well worth watching even if you cannot understand the language. 

A little well kept secret in France.....

In December, I went to an art exhibit of the paintings of an (to me) unknown painter. It was close by at the Singer Museum. I felt like I was able to slip away to France on a late spring afternoon in the dead of winter. Roses and wine around me.....I loved it so much that I made my husband go back with me another time before the exhibit ended. 

In december 2013 heb ik een tentoonstelling in het Singer Museum in Laren bezocht  om het werk van een (voor mij) onbekende schilder te kunnen zie. Ik voelde alsof ik in Frankrijk was op een late lente middag , terwijl het hier winter was. Met Rozen en wijn om me heen in Frankrijk...... Ik vond het zo leuk dat ik samen met mijn man nog een keer deze tentoonstelling heb bezocht.

All this because of this man...Henri Le Sidaner. He was noted for his intimate style and capturing atmospheric light in his paintings. I was so entranced by his work! Part of the exhibit was reading about his life and listening to the story as you went along. There I heard about his house and garden. 

Dit alles vanwege deze man ... Henri Le Sidaner. Hij staat bekend om zijn intieme stijl en het vastleggen van licht in zijn sfeervolle schilderijen. Ik was helemaal in de ban van zijn werk! Een deel van de tentoonstelling ging over zijn leven waarbij ik ook hoorde over zijn huis en tuin.

There is a tiny village in the Picardie region of France. This tiny village is Gerberoy and was where Henri Le Sidaner first rented and then bought a house in 1910. When researching the painter, I discovered that the village still contained this house and his gardens which were also open to the public. We just had to visit and see it all ourselves! 

The medieval village celebrates the rose each year and like walking in a museum. It is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France. In this picturesque place there is one bed and breakfast. Above is a photo of Le Logis de Gerberoy which is every bit as enchanting as it looks in the photo. We were so warmly welcomed by Cécile when we rang the bell to her home. 

Er is heel een klein stadje in de Picardië (Noord Frankrijk.) Deze kleine stad is Gerberoy en was de plaats waar Henri Sidaner eerst gehuurd en daarna het huis gekocht heeft in 1910. Ik ontdekte dat het  huis en zijn tuinen opengesteld zijnvoor het publiek. We besloten toen om zelf te gaan kijken in Gerberoy.  

De middeleeuwse stad viert elk jaar een mooi rozenfeest  en lijkt  een openlucht museum. Het wordt beschouwd als een van de mooiste dorpen van Frankrijk. In deze schilderachtige plek is er ook een bed and breakfast. Boven is een foto van Le Logis de Gerberoy te vinden, in het echt net zo betoverend als het eruit ziet in de foto. We werden hartelijk ontvangen door Cecile  nadat we onderstaande bel gebruikt hadden:.

She and her husband having been lovingly restoring their old home. They have created a warm and relaxing atmosphere to spend your time in Gerberoy. We loved it so much that we asked Cécile if we could stay an extra night. We were so glad she was able to give us the room for a third night. The rooms are comfortable and we slept like on a bed of roses only to be awakened to a delicious breakfast and walks in the lovely village. 

Zij en haar man hebben deze oude herberg weer gerestaureerd.. Ze hebben een warme en ontspannen sfeer gecreëerd om je tijd door te brengen in Gerberoy. We vonden het zo leuk dat we Cecile vroegen of we een extra nacht konden blijven. We waren blij dat er ruimte voor een derde nacht was. De kamers zijn comfortabel en we sliepen als op een bed van rozen , om wakker te worden met een heerlijk ontbijt en wandelingen in het mooie dorp.

I enjoyed taking some detailed photos of things around the bed and breakfast to give you an impression of this magical house. Thank you Cécile for a memorable stay in your home. 

We did however go to Gerberoy for a specific reason...to visit les jardin des Henri le Sidaner. Come back for my next blog post to visit the gardens with me.....

Ik heb genoten van het nemen van detailfoto's  rond de bed and breakfast. Deze foto's geven een goede indruk van dit magische huis. Dank je Cecilia voor een onvergetelijk verblijf in jouw huis. 

We zijn  echter wel gaan naar Gerberoy voor een reden: specifiek om de tuin van Henry le Sidaner te bezoeken. Kom s.v.p. terug voor mijn volgende blog post zodat je ook de tuinen met mij kunt bezoeken .....

Note: Thank you so much for the comforting thoughts sent our way over the tragic loss of Elwin in my previous blog post. Your thoughts and concerns have really picked me up and helped soften the hurt I felt over his sad passing. 

Opmerking: Dank je wel voor de troostende gedachten over het tragische verlies van Elwin in mijn vorige blog post. Jullie gedachten hielpen de pijn te verzachten die ik voelde over zijn trieste heengaan.

Heidi

Garden visitors.....

When Jos told me months ago that he saw a woodpecker on our pergola, I thought he must have imagined it. We live in a city suburb and there are no woodpeckers here. But this weekend, he spotted one again. I grabbed my camera and started snapping photos. But it did not look the woodpecker we see at Cranberry Cottage. Then another landed on this tree next to it and we realized it was a mother and her baby feeding from our peanut feeder. It is the Great Spotted Woodpecker and we feel honored that they are coming to our city garden. It means we are doing things right with our planting. 

Toen Jos een bonte specht op onze pergola zag dacht ik dat het niet waar kon zijn. Wij wonen in een buurt net buiten de stad. Maar afgelopen weekend zag hij er weer een. Ik pakte snel mijn camera om wat fotos te maken. Maar deze bonte specht zag er anders uit dan de spechten die we in de Cranberry cottage tuin zien. Onmiddelijk daarna kwam er nog een  specht op de boom. Het ging om een moeder en baby grote bonte specht. Het is een eer om deze prachtige vogels in onze tuin te hebben want het betekent dat wij het goed doen met onze beplanting. 

 

"I would at least strike my spade into the earth with such careless freedom but accuracy as the woodpecker his bill into a tree."

Henry David Thoreau

Heidi