Thursday, October 11, 2007

A Forest Walk With a Difference

As it is such a glorious autumn day with clear blue skies, we're going for another walk today. I hope you're wearing comfortable shoes as it's going to be a long trek today and we're going to do some climbing too.
Just look at those toadstools, aren't they humongous? That's the under-gardener's hand BTW and his hands are not petite!
Oh look, someone has lost their trousers, a tad careless that, don't you think?
This forest doesn't look that autumn-y, does it? That's because it's mainly pine trees.Don't you just love the smell of the fresh autumn air? It always smells so nice and fresh and earthy in a forest, doesn't it?
Have you noticed that it's not all that flat over here? You always read about the Netherlands being flat as a pancake and that's true for most of my country not not all.
See? We do hills too. And just to prove that we really are in the Netherlands .......

This is a forest I love to visit. There's always so much to see and enjoy and you usually meet the kindest ....
ponies! They're wild ones but very friendly and wouldn't harm a soul.
Oh look, a watchtower, let's go up, shall we?

Just look at those views, those are great views, don't you think? Hang on while I get my camera out and take a few snaps. Right, down we go again, you first as I have no head for depths and those stairs look a bit scary. I have no problems climbing up them, but down is an entirely different matter.

Phew, we're safe on terra firma again. Which way shall we go next? Wanna climb up that hill there? Not too tired yet? OK, let's go then.
The soil is rather sandy here, isn't it? Very different from that heavy clay I garden on.And climbing up that hill is rather hard work as your feet keep sinking in that sand.
What's that? You wanna catch your breath? Come on, just a few more steps to the top. The view will be worth it, I promise you.
It is really heavy going, isn't it? But we're almost there now and there's a lovely surprise in store for you.
Can you see it yet?
Yes, that's right, it's the sea. We're in the province of Zeeland (=Sealand) where there are lovely forests, vast dune areas and wonderful, big, sandy beaches.
And you've probably guessed by now that those hills are dunes. Here we look back from the top of the dune to the forest and ..... hey, wait for us!
Shucky darn, that under-gardener with his long legs is always moving so fast. Come on, last one down is a lame duck.
Nice aren't they, those wide sandy beaches and not a soul in sight.
Oops, sorry seagull!

Right, let's go down to the water's edge, shall we? Just look at that lovely pattern the water has made in the sand here.
And these patterns have been made by something or someone else. Can you make them out?
Yes, you're right, those were made by a doggy, a human and a horse.

It's low tide right now, the water has retreated and left some nice gifts in the sand for us.
The common name of these shells is razorblades, for obvious reasons.
We've reached the water's edge. It's a very calm sea today as there is hardly any wind, usually it's more choppy.
It's nice here, don't you think? I love the sound of the sea, it's so calming.
I love shells, don't you? They are so pretty and are great for decorating and ......
are very yummy too. Bon appetite! We've deserved it after that long walk and steep climb up those dunes.
Pass me the white wine, please!
copyright 2007: Y.E.W. Heuzen

'Will you walk a little faster?' said a whiting to a snail,
'There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.'

35 comments:

kate said...

what a wonderful walk I just took with you! From the forest to the sand dunes and along the water's edge, I had a delightful time. I would have been gathering up those seashells so quickly.

The horses look like Icelandic ones to me. What a treat to discover them on your walk.

And there's Vita - I always like visiting your blog for a glimpse of her!

Entangled said...

That must have been a very enjoyable day. Thanks for the tour and the virtual exercise!

Robin (Bumblebee) said...

All that scenery on a single walk? Gracious. No wonder you need a feast.

--Robin (Bumblebee)

Anonymous said...

Hi Yolanda,

Yes zeeland is a very nice place to visit and enjoy the scenery. But the weather has to be good, otherwise it's not nice to take a walk. And zeeland is the province for seefood.

Bye,

Bert

Anonymous said...

Well, I can see how this is preferable to my photos of spiders. :-)

I love forests and the sea (and mountains). Makes me wonder how I ever ended up smack in the middle of Texas far away from all three.

Karin said...

When I see your pics from the beach I can't imagine it's autumn (and alreday October). We've had minus degrees during the week but also warm and sunny days. :) Ahh, the last pic of the seafood - yummy! I hope you will have a nice weekend.

Kylee Baumle said...

It's our favorite thing to do in autumn, to go for long walks. We're planning on doing that this weekend! Love the sea scenes!

RUTH said...

I loved every footstep of the walk...even the hills! Such beautiful scenery...I enjoyed collecting some shells and even popped my toes in the water...LOL :o)
The best part....the meal at the end!
Rx

Matron said...

I can smell the fresh sea air from here! wonderful! I didn't think there were any hills or mountains in Holland. Isn't it supposed to be flat?

Garden Cats + Crafts said...

Bilder zum Träumen, Yolanda. Von allem was, Wald, Natur, Strand und Wasser. Wenn ich sie mir ansehe, alle samt, will ich unbedingt in den Urlaub fahren. Zumindest einen Wochenendausflug machen. Wunder-wunderchön.
LG Birgit

Laurie and Chris said...

That sure was a fun walk with alot of great views thanks for inviting me to come along.

KC MO Garden Guy said...

Great pictures and such a beautiful area you live in. Glad you didn't run into the person who lost their pants. That could have been a little awkward! Thanks for taking us on your walk. Loved it!!

Carol Michel said...

Gee, I'm kinda tired and thirsty after that long walk. It was enjoyable, though. So much to see!

OldRoses said...

I love autumn walks. You're right, the air does have a special scent. I only wish we had wild ponies here in NJ too!

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

Just stunning photos of the seaside! I could almost smell the salt air. Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

Libbys Blog said...

I miss the sea, as a child I used to live a couple of miles away from it. Now its nearly 50 - 60 miles away!!!

Lis vom Lindenhof said...

Danke für diesen wunderbaren Spaziergang durch die schöne Natur. Mmmmh Meeresfrüchte, sehr lecker! Ich esse das für mein Leben gerne, überhaupt mag ich alles was mit Meer zu tun hat. Darum fahren wir ja auch immer im Urlaub an die See, aber halt ein bisschen weiter südlich:-)

Brimstone said...

Heerlijk zo'n duin- en strandwandeling! En tot besluit een echte zeemaaltijd, super uitstapje :-)
groet,
Brimstone

Anonymous said...

YE: Loved the walk and dinner was delightful yet not very filling! Love your footprints in the sand! Thanks!

Unknown said...

Well, what fun that is...and my knees don't hurt a bit despite all that walking. I've been wondering where the sea has been hiding in your posts about your country. The beach looks divine--this is actually one of my favourite times to visit a beach for just that reason--the solitude. Providing it's a fine day, of course.
That was great fun--but we really need some lobster rather than prawns, don't you think?

Robin's Nesting Place said...

I love these walks we've been taking together. What a lovely place this is and so much to see. Thanks for the beautiful tour.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Hi all and welcome to Bliss once again!

@ Kate: there are always loads of seashells to collect on Dutch beaches. The ponies are a nice treat, aren't they? And they help to sustain the landscape.

@ Entangled: yes it was a very enjoyable autumn day.

@ Robin: welcome to Bliss! Yes, isn't it great? That's why we go there often.

@ Bert: well I love to walk there on a stormy day too, as long as it's not raining.

@ MSS: it is one of life's mysteries why we end up where we do, don't you think? But I can think of worse places than Austin Texas. ;-)

@ Karin: it does look like high summer, doesn't it, with all those clear blue skies. You had minus already? We haven't had any frost yet.

@ Kylee: another thing we have in common; long autumn walks!

@ Ruth: glad you could join us. The water wasn't cold yet so great for popping in a few toesies. And yes, the sea fruit was great.

@ Matron: The Netherlands is mostly flat but not all of it, we do have hills in some areas but no mountains I'm afraid.

@ Birgit: going to Haamstede for a day to walk in the forest and the dunes and then on the beach makes me feel like I am on holiday. Especially when there is such a yummy meal at the end.

@ Laurie & Chris: glad you could join us, I hope you're not too tired? ;-)

@ Cliff: it really is a very beautiful area that I love to visit. Yep, I'm very glad not to have met that trouserless person. ;-)

@ Carol: there's a nice big pot of tea (cinnamon) and a bottle of mineral water too so help yourself. ;-)

@ OldRoses: most of us love a nice autumn walk and to come across a few friendly ponies, well, that's just the icing on the cake, isn't it?

@ Cindy: I hope you took a few good deep breaths of that salty air, it's so revigourating.

@ Libby: of course you miss the sea, I would do too if I lived that far away from it.

@ Lis: Meeresfrüchte are very tasty aren't they? I love them too. The sea is beautiful where ever you go.

@ Brimstone: fijn dat je er zo van genoten hebt.

@ Layanee: that's what I like about seafood too. ;-) And it was nice on the beach, wasn't it? ;-)

@ Jodi: I hardly ever go to the beach in summer, at least, not during the day; too crowded and too hot. Personally I'm not that keen on lobster and we had more than just prawns as this was a platter of sea fruit: oysters, prawns, clams, crab, alikruiken,langoustines, and many more shell fish. Together with the veggies, Dutch fries and white wine it was a very satisfying meal. Not forgetting of course the delicious cappucino with giant chocolate cookies.;-)

@ Robin: I'm glad you could join us on our walk. I love going for long walks in the company of a friend or two.

Anonymous said...

wat een heerlijke wandeling, van de bossen naar de duinen en zo het strand op ... en dan het eten ... ik krijg er trek van!

las ik trouwens toevallig bij brimstone dat je een leidenaar bent ... ik ook, ook altijd gewoond tot 3 maanden geleden, toen zijn we verhuisd naar zoeterwoude-dorp ... maar ik ben en blijf een leidse glibber ;)

A wildlife gardener said...

I loved that walk, Yolanda Elizabet. It had so much variety, woods with ponies, and sea and sandy beaches. Perfect:)

Anonymous said...

Prachtige foto's heb je aan die mooie wandeling overgehouden!
Dat maaltje zeevoedsel ziet er ook yummie uit :-)
(heb ik vandaag sporen in de klei! lopen kieken....zulke dingen verzin je toch niet....;)

Anonymous said...

Prachtige foto's heb je gemaakt op jullie wandeling.
En die pony's.....wat leuk.
Het zeebanket ziet er ook erg lekker uit. Ik heb genoten.

stadtgarten said...

Thanks a lot for this wonderful walk through the Netherlands. Most of all I enjoyed the time by the sea, because it reminds me of our holidays in Nieuwvliet not long ago.
And I would love to try those mosselen!
Groetjes en prettig weekend, Monika

Naturegirl said...

Yolanda I thoroughly enjoyed this tour and because I am still recovering from a virus I rode on the wings of a butterfly! Oh the sea..how wonderful it feels..reminds me of my winter in Florida and I posted many images like these!! I think I must get back to Florida soon.Those ponies..what a treat! those toadstools do I dare say houses for very LARGE fairies or gnomes!!hugs NG

Anonymous said...

Just wiping the sweat from my brow. Thanks for the walk Yolanda. I think I've found a few muscles that I didn't know I had.

The scenery is not too dissimilar to my neck of the woods here in down-town Oz. We are also nestled on the coast with forests surrounding it. The only difference is that Busselton is actually as "flat as a pancake"

Thanks again.

SchneiderHein said...

Hallo Yolanda,
danke für diesen wunderschönen Urlaubsausflug zum Meer - für uns am frühen Morgen. Ach, könnten wir jetzt doch die Taschen packen und gleich losfahren. Deine Bilder wecken so viel Sehnsüchte, vorallem durch die vielen schönen Stranddetails. Aber jetzt wissen wir ja, wo wir das Meer, den Strand, die Dünen und die Dünenwälder finden, wenn uns die Sehnsucht packt. Wir kommen bestimmt wieder für einen langen Strandspaziergang.
Liebe Grüße Silke & Wolfgang

Andrea's Garden said...

I wish there was a beach at the end of the forrest near my house. How beautiful and what a difference in landscape all in one place. Loved the pictures and story, Andrea

lisa said...

Thank you for the fun walk! Wild ponies? Cool!

Anonymous said...

Bos en bosrand net Oostenrijk... en de parasol paddestoel helemaal; ach wat is hij lekker, gepaneerd is de parasol net een snitsel!
Ik vrees dat jullie ze niet hebben geplukt en opgegeten?! ;-)

Connie said...

Enjoyed the virtual walk...especially the end destination! Thanks for sharing.

LadyLuz said...

dearest Yolanda. I was with you every step of this wonderful walk. Thankyou. I needed a nice cuppa tea and a lie-down afterwards. The ole joints aren't what they were!