Country Garden

Last Saturday was warm and sunny. I know I say that often enough, but it seems that when we get warm and sunny here in Bremen, wet and gray soon follows and then warm and sunny is suddenly a faded memory. So you understand why when we get the warm and sunny part, we head out-of-doors! Saturday, it was a bike trip to the area of Elsfleth, about 25 k from here - so a relatively easy 50 k round trip.

We'd heard about this private garden that is open to visitors in the summer. And they sell a few plants as well. It is just far enough to be a good trip but not tooo far. So after the morning market, off we went.

Along the way we saw a "structure" in the fields. What in the world? It reminded me of a high school football stadium, but as we got closer, I recognized it - it'll be the framework for a solar array. Out in cow country. Very cool and very green.

And we saw cows,too. They're happy to be out in the pastures after a long winter indoors. The folks in the background are happy to be outdoors, too - cooling their toes in the stream. On a warmer day, they'd for sure be swimming.

Just before arriving at the garden we ran into a Floh Markt - Flea Market! Gotta stop. Don't gotta buy. This place was chock full of nothing that we wanted, but it interesting to look at anyway.

Finally to the garden. It's a perennial garden arranged around a wonderfully restored and maintained farmhouse. It's still a bit early to see all of what's in bloom, but we had more than an impression of the wonders of it - hostas and columbine and peonies and roses and so many other plants I recognize but can't name. It is clearly a labor of love.

After some coffee and Butterkuchen we headed back home. The view of Vegesack from the other side of the Weser is lovely and, to my eye, always welcoming.

And perhaps because it was such a lovely day, and the weekend, and it's a tourist area, we saw something new to us, someone on a horse-drawn tour of the harbor. I wonder if I need to try that someday!

More old stuff

Yeah, we have too much stuff, but I do try to trade out when we get something new.  Or new to us anyway.

Some time ago, we gave away the old triple dresser that we'd brought over from the US after we got a hand-me-down from Ursel - an antique pine dresser that was much more to my liking and much more in tune with our little house.

And it was pretty big, but not quite big enough to hold everything that had been in the old dresser.  So, we went on a hunt.

And we found something!  But of course it needed a little work.  Werner to the rescue, yet again.

He replaced runners, cleaned the pulls, and filled in more than a few holes the wood worms had left.

He sanded and waxed and now the old wood looks like honey, is as smooth as velvet and has a wonderful sheen.  I hope I don't fill it up too soon.
 

Gardens

Crissy posted a photo  a couple of weeks ago of Dylan proudly standing by the raised garden that she and Daddy put together. Isn't it pretty?  Everyone gets the garden bug sometime!

 
They might have a little trouble with the watermelon on the left though - they tend to get exuberant.

Michelle specializes - hanging tomatoes.  And she's really good at it!

I don't think I can claim any influence on their gardening bug, though I did try to do gardens now and again in Tallahassee.  Weeding was no fun in the H O T, though I do remember wonderful cantaloupe one year and growing okra to let it dry for the ornamental pods. They were taller than me!  Of course the cucumbers went crazy and cauliflower was not a great success and the asparagus never really took off. But tomatoes were usually pretty reliable. Oh, and I remember losing all my homemade tomato sauce from the homegrown tomatoes to the hurricane one year. 

It doesn't work so well for me here in my Germany, gardening that is, though folks here are crazy about their gardens!  There are gardening "clubs" all over town and at least four within walking distance of the house.  You can rent a plot and then plant whatever you like.  Some folks are intensive veggie/fruit gardeners, others go for the flowers.

I am limited.  Severely.  We just don't have much space and so often we are gone in the summer when I could enjoy our meager harvest.

But this year our summer vacation is in early June, and since warm weather arrived sooooo late, I'm just now getting my vegetable planted.

Squash.  Three seedlings. That's it.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Playhouse Re-Do

Amina got a playhouse for Christmas.  Not one of those over-the-top mini-mansions with down-sized furniture from the decorators, but a little, formerly-loved-but-no-longer-needed little house.  It wanted some work to make it hers.

Grandparents to the rescue!  It's taken a while to do the rescue work since you don't paint when it's cold and wet outside, and we have had plenty of that since Christmas, pretty much full time I'd say.

But finally there was a break in the forecast, so we made plans to work.

Werner had repaired the roof on our last visit.  Now it was time to paint and replace some of the rotted wood.  Rima and Amina worked on the inside and did a great job.  And sometimes, Amina took a break....

And a house needs a mascot, don't you think?  Amina was seriously leaning toward dragons, but Mom had an opinion about that, so a sweet puppy was the compromise.  Good choice.

So we found a puppy and Opa painted him next to the door and we all declared ourselves happy with the results!  Especially the proud home owner.

Next project:  order warmer weather.

Turning the Corner

I think we're there.  I think we've turned the corner and found spring/spring has found us  -- no frost at night, moderate-to-tending warmish in the sunshine hours. Trees leafing. Here are the beech and red beech trees so near our house.  Sigh.

Today was May 1 - a federal holiday here.  Too bad it was on a Tuesday, otherwise folks could have had a nice long weekend.  But this day is fixed, just as July 4 is fixed in the US of A. 

Workers, laborers, those who put out physically to bring home the bacon, those who aren't in the management level, are honored today.  Some call it socialist, others call it fair.

Regardless, it's an off day for us all!  And we had sunshine! Naturally, everyone headed outside.  For me and Werner, it meant getting out on the bikes.  Today, it was the annual windmill festival at Ashwarden, so off we went.

I decorated my bike.

We enjoyed watching the sheep nibble on the dikes as we biked by.

I am out of shape.  Though I go regularly to the gym, there have been lots of interruptions in the last  months and the work you do on the bike takes some -  w o r k.  And I am no longer 50 years old.  Or even 60!

Of course we have done this before - the last time with Hunter and Hannah!  That was fun, and fun to remember.


Have a Brat. Have a Bier. Check out the stands. Enjoy the fields filled with sunny yellow dandelions waiting to roar.

 Enjoy the day.