Friday, March 21, 2008

Happy Easter!

According to the calender it is Spring now, but the weather tells me differently. It's been quite cold and wet these last few days so I'm happy that I did a lot of work in my potager earlier this week.
This is the colour of the sky lately and it's been raining all day long yesterday and it's stormy, wet and cold again today. My poor daffodils are slightly the worse for wear, so I decided to rescue the ones that had been flattened by the wind and rain and put them somewhere nice and cosy.
I swear I could hear them breathe a big sigh of relief! ;-)

With weather like this, what is a poor gardener to do? So I decided to decorate my home for Easter.
And who was following me around while I decorated the house?
Well, Mummy's little helper of course. :-)
Kadootje (Small Present) is always willing to help her Mum and she really liked those new Easter eggs I bought for decorating.
At least, I thought they were meant for decoration but Kadootje obviously had different thoughts about that.
So while Kadootje played I got on with my preparations for Easter.
Here are some cute Easter bunnies made of bread, they will be good to have for breakfast on Easter day.
I'd also bought a nice bottle of a kind of eggnog (advocaat) that we Dutch have in huge quantities during Easter. Well, just a drop or two. ;-) And there had to be eggs of course, the chocolate ones and the normal ones.
The chicken eggs I buy from someone who keeps a few free range chickens in her back garden. Those eggs taste so much better and and fresher than the ones from the supermarket!
They are as fresh as the proverbial daisy! :-D
Some very decorative eggs
and a lovely Easter wreath.
It's strange to realise that, although we didn't have a white Christmas, some of my garden blogger friends in Germany and Sweden will probably have a white Easter this year with all that snow they've been having lately.
And they are not the only ones as my garden blogger friends in Ohio and other states of the USA and in Canada, whose gardens are still covered in snow, know all too well.
For them, and for everybody else that needs a bit of cheering up, I've made this little Easter collage.
So there may not be a Spring in your garden yet, but let there be a wonderful Spring in your heart!
Happy Easter everyone!

copyright 2008 Y.E.W. Heuzen

Abundance in summer is easy, but sufficiency in winter - especially late winter and early spring - is another kettle of fish.
Ministry of Agriculture, Allotment & Garden Guides, March 1945

53 comments:

Carol Michel said...

Happy Easter, Yolanda Elizabet. It looks the Easter bunny spent a lot of time at Bliss this year. Everything looks wonderful and quite spring-y.

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

VP said...

Happy Easter Yolanda - I'm glad to see the cats get to join in all the festive fun too!

Frances, said...

Thanks Yolanda for cheering us up. Your helper is most delightful, as are your pretty decorations. One of our offspring raises chickens, including ones with blue eggs, she calls them here Easter eggers! Have a happy Easter!

Frances at Faire Garden

Anonymous said...

How pretty your decorations are! Since I won't have time to decorate for Easter, I will stop in over here to enjoy yours so double thanks!
In reference to the comment you left over at Ledge and gardens, I never heard of toasting bread with a torch! LOL at that one!

Anonymous said...

Pas je een beetje op met die advokaat? :-))
Je hebt prachtige Paasversiering!!
Voor jou en de jouwe ook heerlijke Paasdagen.

The Diva said...

Yolanda, I hear the birds singing outside. It will be Easter in just a few days. Thank you for the beautiful decorations. It's fun to see how we are similar and different. I had chickens for many years, and yes, the eggs are different and better.~~Dee

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Yolanda
Happy Easter : )
What pretty pictures to see on a very cold and snow filled morning here in Kingston. I love to see your kitties too !
Thanks !
Joy

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Happy Easter Yolanda,

Your Easter decorations look so cheerful as Kadootje shows us they are fun to have around.

Libbys Blog said...

Happy Easter to you too! Lovely post with flowers, cats and easter goodies!!

kjohnson said...

You have all the essentials for a spring fling! I love your kitty's curious inspections.

Happy Easter

Entangled said...

Was that a picture of lambs? Did you start raising sheep? I must have missed that post ;-)

Your decorations are lovely, and the Easter Bunny bread is way cute. I think we here in the US should take up the eggnog custom at Easter. It seems more natural for Easter than for Christmas.

Happy Easter!

Karin said...

I love your Easter decorations! The wreath and little collage outside are beautiful! I've been decorating myself both in- and outdoors but now the garden is fully covered with snow and it's still snowing. :( I'm longing for spring! :)

Happy Easter to you too! Take care!

Kram Karin

Janine said...

Hai, jaja je staat in de 'tuin en co', ook iemand met een blogspot, dan moet ik toch snel even kijken. Wat knap dat je het in het engels doet, zo goed is mijn engels niet.Ik kom graag nog eens terug want je geeft goede tips en de foto's zijn heel leuk. Ik ben ook een tuinliefhebber, en heb samen met mijn hond Sjuul een weblog. Succes met jou blog. Fijne paasdagen
groeten van Jeany

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Happy Easter! Isn't funny how someone ends up claiming the decorations as toys? (Here it's the kids.) I pulled out the box of decorations this morning - got to get moving on that. Yours are so lovely, especially the lavender watering can arrangement. Enjoy your bunny bread (I'd rip off the head first, tee hee).

Dominic said...

Dear Yolanda,

I've never commented on the blog post of someone I don't know before, but I just had to tell you how delightful and inspiring your posts and photos are. They make we want to go out into my garden (not obvious, as I am in neighbouring Belgium, and our current weather is terrible too - hail, sleet and snow today!)

Keep up the good work and Happy Easter.

Dom

Anonymous said...

everything is beautiful, we are in the middle of a spring snowstorm thanks for sharing all the spring fun at Bliss Happy Easter Karen

LadyLuz said...

What a beautiful, creative and uplifting blog, Yolanda. Thank you so much.

Our naughty Yang would have your Easter decorations strewn around in no time!

Katarina said...

Happy Easter!
-And, you are quite right - we do have a white Easter in Sweden this year! It drives me crazy...
/Katarina (Roses and stuff9

Kerri said...

A very happy Easter to you too Yolanda Elizabet. Thanks for all the cheery, bright pictures. The kitties are so helpful, aren't they?
Your decorations are so pretty, really delightful.
It's most unspringy here..cold wind blowing in through the nooks and crannies, and snow on the ground.
The glimpse at your pastels helps to put spring in my heart. Thanks :)

Lis vom Lindenhof said...

Nette Fotos hast du gemacht!
Hier regnet es schon den ganzen Tag und manchmal ist auch Schnee dabei. So trostlose Ostern hatten wir schon lange nicht mehr!
Happy Easter Yolanda Elizabet.
LG Lis

Tira said...

With best wishes for a Happy Easter, Yolanda Elizabet. Glad to see you are now up and about, and what lovely preparations. Shamefully, I haven't done any preparations or decorating this Easter-just trying to rest and catch up with work and the garden.

Cheryl said...

Lovely post...your cat is delightful.
Happy Easter to you...reading your post made me smile, tku.

Naturegirl said...

Happy Easter Dear Yolanda to you and all your Bliss team! It is wonderful to see our fur babies partake in all the Easter activities..all the bright colored ribbons are oh so tempting! Lovely vignettes you've provided for those poor folks that are experiencing the ice and snow!
sunkissed in Arizona NG

Anonymous said...

wat een fantastisch blog. Prachtige foto's. Nu maar hopen dat het een beetje weer wordt met de Pasen. Hier in Zeeland wil dat nog niet zo lukken. De herten hebben zo'n honger dat ze zich afgelopen nacht op mijn mooi bloeiende camelia gestort hebben.
Ach er zijn ergere dingen
vrolijk pasen

manon

Jane O' said...

I loved looking at your Easter decorations. I have an egg collection and also a blue and white pottery collection, so that was very appealing to me. Very pretty.

Tracy said...

Looks like the Easter fun has already begun at your house, Yolanda! Happy holiday weekend to you all ((HUGS))

Ewa said...

what a cheering up post you made Yolanda. Daffodils on the grass look very nice :)
Happy Easter!

Curmudgeon said...

Happy Easter to you and yours! At our house ALL decorations must hang from the ceiling or else they are destroyed by the kitties. We've gotten very creative with our decorating for the holidays!

Kylee Baumle said...

Ah, Yolanda, what a lovely, lovely post! I wish you a very blessed and happy Easter!
I love that straw rabbit. Well, all your decorations are so pretty and cheery!
And look at that GREEN grass!!

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Hi all and welcome to Easter Bliss!

* Carol: you are right, the Easter bunny did overtime at Bliss this year, probably because the weather was so bad. ;-)

* VP: the Bliss team always joins in whatever fun there is to be had, and rightly so. ;-)

* Frances: my little helper isn't called Present for nothing because that is what she really is, a precious gift. The people I get the free range eggs from have chickens that lay blue eggs too and some lay green. They even have the ordinary brown and white ones. So come Easter time, I don;t have to paint the eggs. :-D

* Layanee: you're always welcome here to enjoy my decorations.
Funny isn't it to toast your bread with a torch. I saw it on the telly once; Paul Hogan, he of Crocodile Dundee fame, had his own tv comedy show in Australia and in one sketch he played a character that toasted a slice of bread by sticking it on a nail in the wall and then get the blow torch out. It was hysterical!

* Brimstone: ja hoor, na 1 glaasje vind ik het wel weer welletjes. ;-)

* Dee: that is what I like about blogging; there is so much we all have in common and then there is also a lot that's different. Variety is the spice of life!

* GardenJoy4Me: glad to have brought you some Easter cheer!

* Lisa: Kadootje puts the fun in everything. She is such a little happy-go-lucky kittycat.

* Libby: glad you liked it!

* Kjohnson: it's spring fling galore over here. ;-)Wish I could go to the one in Austin Texas.

* Entangled: giggle My lawn is too small to keep sheep on. Those little lambs are cute though, aren't they?

Eggnog does make more sense at Easter. At Christmas we drink mulled wine here, which makes sense too as it is nice and warm and spicy.

* Karin: I've just visited your blog and seen the lovely decorations you've made for Easter. It is such a pity that you have all that snow now. Hopefully it will go away soon! Here we will have a very wet Easter this year.

* Jeany: welkom en wat leuk om een Nederlandse blogster te ontmoeten. Ik hoopte al dat ik via mijn stukje in Tuin&Co meer Nederlandse tuinvrienden zou vinden op het internet. Enne, kom maar zo vaak als je wilt! :-)

* MMD: hmmmmmm, do I detect a spot of wabbit frustration there? giggle I'll be thinking of you when I'm sinking my pearly whites into that bread bunny!

* Dominic: what fun to meet a fellow gardener from Belgium and it makes me very happy that my posts and pics are so inspiring to you!

* Karen: another poor blogger lost in a snowstorm! Hopefully Spring will come soon for you too.

* Pam: of course Yang would do that, no surprise there! Here the kitties are pretty good and leave my decorations alone. Well, most of the time. ;-)

* Katarina: hopefully all that snow will melt away soon so that you can enjoy the lovely spring blooms in your garden once again!

* Kerri: yup, Kadootje is pretty helpful. ;-) Mission accomplished then! I like it when I can put people in a better mood with my blog. :-D And Spring will come for you too Kerri.

* Lis: you are right, it's been a looooooong time since we had such bad weather with Easter. Well, we'll just have to make the best of it indoors.

*Nicole: resting and catching up with work and your garden sounds fine too me. :-)

* Cheryl: good, I love to make people smile!

* Anna: you lucky nature girl you, to be in all that sunshine. Send a ray or two this way, will you? ;-)

* Manon: arme herten dat ze zo'n honger hebben. Wel mooi trouwens dat je in een gebied woont met herten, dat heeft ook niet iedereen. Bedankt voor je complimentjes! Hopelijk hebben we binnenkort weer eens echt lente weer, dat zou heerlijk zijn.

* Jane Marie: glad you enjoyed all the egg decorations so much.

* Tracy: indeed it has, I like Easter as it celebrates the beginning of new life and hope.

* Ewa: I thought we all could do with a bit of cheering up!

* WWW: LOL, don't tell me the Christmas tree hangs from the ceiling too!

* Kylee: gad you enjoyed it all so much. Hopefully soon you'll be looking at very green grass in your garden too.


Happy Easter everyone, glad you all came for a visit and left a comment on my blog. It's fun to communicate with you all in this way.

Robin's Nesting Place said...

Happy Easter to you, dear Yolanda Elizabet!

I've been wanting to find some sweet little lambs to photograph. I love your spring and Easter pictures.

Anonymous said...

Nou Elizabet, door dit heerlijke logje vergeet ik heel even dat het zulk akelig "lenteweer" is (hoewel het hier nog steeds droog is)
Wat een lekkere scheet is jouw Kadootje toch!
Hier heeft het viertal afgelopen week even geproeft van de blaadjes van een mooie azalea, wit met donkerroze randjes, dat viel zowel mij mij als bij de katjes niet goed, azalea verhuisd naar het achterportaal en de blaadjes in een kotsje op de vloer ;-)))
Dat krijg je met zo'n onopgevoed stelletje. . . alle nieuwe groen dat in huis komt moet geproeft worden, dus verkast het linea recta naar veiliger oorden! Proberen is weer geen succes.
Gelukkig blijven ze wel van mijn prachtige blauwe hyacinthen af die het hele huis een voorjaarsgeurtje geven.
Hele fijne paasdagen gewenst en dat zal we likken met al dat lekkers!
groetjes, Marian

Silvia Hoefnagels . Salix Tree said...

Happy Easter to you too! That bread bunny looks yummy. I've never seen a bread bunny before, what a nice idea.
Love the wreath with the speckled eggs!

Matron said...

Wonderful photos! Happy Easter. That first photo.. isn't that a hare? the ears look too big to be a rabbit. I was wondering?

Boxwood Cottage said...

Yep indeed we are promised to get white Easter too here in Bremen. EEK! Your pictures are a treat as always Yolanda! Here is wishing you a very happy Easter time! Carol xox

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Hi all and welcome to Easter Bliss!

* Robin: I smuggled a bit and used a pic from last year as it was just too cold and wet to go out and take pics of cute little lambs.

* Marian: hihi, onze katjes geven wel wat extra werk zo af en toe. Hier vind ik ook vaak kotsjes op de vloer. Ach ja, het hoort er bij! De kleine Kadootje is een dotje, zelden zo'n lief poeske meegemaakt. En lekker speels natuurlijk. ;-)

* Silvia: we have bread bunnies and bread chickens (well roosters) and the bread they are made of tastes a bit sweet. Very nice with a bit of jam or marmelade! The speckled eggs are fun, aren't they?

* Matron: well spotted, that is indeed a hare. In the Netherlands we don't have the Easter Bunny but the Easter Hare (Paas Haas) that brings the (chocolate)eggs. That's why there's a pic of the haas = hare, not a bunny (=konijn). The things you learn on this blog, eh? :-)


Thanks for coming along everybody, it was fun to read your comments!

Poppins said...

You really have made it cosy indoor! I love your Easter decorations.
Let's hope that the weather will be warmer after Easter. Here it is very cold and rainy. But the snow is gone again.
I wish you a Happy Easter!
love Poppins

Piondröm said...

Happy Easter to you Yolanda!
From Ken & Carina in a cold and snowy Sweden.

kate smudges said...

A very happy Easter to you and to the Bliss team! It's no surprise to see Kadootje enjoying the decorations.

Your daffodil flower arrangement is beautiful and made me smile. Here the sun is shining but it is -1c.

I love your china decorative eggs along with your Easter wreath!!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Yolanda .. I meant to ask you what part of the Netherlands do you live in ? .. We were working in Brunssum (NATO) .. lived in Schinveld .. I expect you are farther north ? since we were so far south ..
Joy
PS .. Sophie is Main Coon/Siamese mix Lynx Point .. your kitties are such characters and so cute !

Anonymous said...

I still remember your equally pretty Easter post from last year. Thanks for the Easter (eye) candy, YE.

Angela @ Cottage Magpie said...

Bunnies! I love bunnies. Happy Easter!
~Angela :-)

Anonymous said...

Happy Easter! It's very non-spring like here in London today as it's cold and snowing. xx

Viooltje said...

What a lovely post Yolanda and that hare is adorable. With such enthusiastic helpers, no wonder your Easter decorations are so stunning. Mmmmm Eggnog! Awesome drink. Especially with rum... As we don't have it here, my substitutes are equal amounts of homemade eier likör.
Voor iedereen een vrolijk Pasen. ;-)

Andrea's Garden said...

hello Yolanda, your decorations are quite pretty. I struggled putting up decorations since Ms. Stella thought the branches of the forsythia were for playing. After I shortened them and put the eggs on the branches she left them alone. Strange cat. :-) Anyhow, it is cold this afternoon, but yesterday was quite nice and we got a lot done in the garden during our spring break in lieu of the bad weather we had. Have a nice day! Andrea

guild-rez said...

Dear Yolanda,
wish you a very Happy Easter. In Toronto, we have sunshine and blue skies, but it is quite cold.
The garden is still covered with snow, but I discovered two little snowdrops peaking through the snow.
But not for long, Maxi decided this was good warm spot to take a nap and the end of the snowdrops:-((
cheers Gisela

Anonymous said...

even een fijne paas wensen , heb de pc even niet aangehad ..GRIEP ..
dus ben niet zo lekker ...leuke paasversieringen bij je , gezellig ;)
groetjes Lenie

Rusty in Miami said...

Happy Easter, sorry about the weather, we are also getting rain today. We are not complaining we need it.

Lia said...

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." John 11:25

I wish you a Happy Easter!

Dawn said...

A Blessed Easter to you, Yolanda! You really know how to celebrate the holiday well. And with a helper like Kadootje how can you go wrong? Your Easter wreath is lovely. What beautiful animal and flower photos you've shared with us today. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Happy Easter! My what a beautiful collection of Easter related items! I love the eggs and flowers. Beautiful.

Aiyana said...

And Happy Easter to you too. Your Easter related photos are lovely.
Aiyana

Miranda Bell said...

A very Happy Easter to you and thankyou for visiting my blog in France... I've not seen yours before and what stunning photography! I'll put a link to this on mine if you don't mind and will be back for another visit v. soon! Miranda