"Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest."
~ Henry Van Dyke

Monday, April 5, 2010

Into spring at Cranberry Cottage...

Spring is bounding out before our eyes here in Holland, but at Cranberry Cottage it takes a slower pace. The cottage's garden runs along the woods so it stays a little cooler there than other areas. We again have not been able to get up the cottage much due to buying our new house and Jos' work so we were not sure how far along things would be there when we arrived on Friday morning. We were greeted in the gravel drive with the sight of lungwort all in bloom with its cheerful lilac and pink shades hovering above the speckled leaves. What is it about this cheerful plant that says to the world...hello world, spring is here!

Our winter heather is blooming happily and feeding the big bumblebees that have awoken after a long winter's sleep.

But each year, the great joy are these little beauties! One of the first things I did when we bought Cranberry Cottage was to spread out these little golden Tete-A-Tete daffodils in the grass.

Jos and my step father carefully cut open the grass to bury each bulb giving them a very natural look each spring.

I have been planting others sorts of daffodils as they are my favorite of the bulb flowers. These are only just coming into bloom.

They are like sweet ladies wearing pretty skirts and bowing to you as you walk by...

Spring brings you to mind that things need sprucing up so we used a little portion of our long Easter weekend to put up wallpaper on a poor looking dry wall of the living room. It had never been worked other than painted over the 35 years of this little cottage's life. The wallpaper is supposed to be very easy to apply as you paste the walls and cut the paper to size before applying.

It was incredibly easy to do. We both love the way it turned out and might go back now for the lighter color for the other walls now. We also bought a second roll of this same paper to use in the tiny second bedroom as that wall needs done now. I now hope we can have a beam placed on the fireplace to create a mantle.

Tomorrow is back to the routine as Jos will be very busy again working in Belgium but at least we had a weekend of rest and enjoying spring.

20 comments:

Nancy said...

That wallpaper is really pretty. I'm glad it went on so easy for you also.
I remember well when the daffy bed was planted. I thought you must be a little nuts to just spread them all over the middle of the yard. Guess not, they look good every year. LOL.
My flowers are also coming up. Most of them you brought from Holland to plant when your sister died. Every year I am reminded of you and your brothers out planting them.
Love you, Mom

Sonja said...

Wat een mooi gezicht: al die narcissen in het gras!
En de muur is heel goed geworden! Een heerlijk warme kleur. En wat fijn dat jullie een paar daagjes CC hebben kunnen doen. Hoe was Havelte?

Maggie said...

Heidi,your garden at Cranberry Cottage looks very pretty, i love daffodils, i have plenty this year too, we planted lots last year and they look lovely dancing in the wind :-)

Rhonda said...

is that OK to live in Holland and like daffodils best, when your country it famous for tulips?
I have both of them blooming in my yard right now.

the pillows on your sofa are cute as can be.

DonnaTN said...

There is something so cheery about spring time daffodils! All your plant pictures made me smile. I'm glad you had a nice Easter at Cranberry Cottage!

Ginny said...

Your daffodils are lovely! We had a nasty chipmunk come through last summer and eat the majority of our bulbs, and now there's a rabbit that we think is eating the tulips. I'll just have to enjoy the pictures that others share.

Elizabethd said...

I agree with you...I long to see the first daffodils, and they are my favourite Spring flower. Yours look so lovely growing through the grass.

Brigitte said...

Oh yes, that is definitely spring. I love these daffodils and have also seen some around here as well. In a couple of days they will be blooming along main street in our town. Hopefully the very frosty nights won't destroy them.

Joni said...

The daffodils are beautiful and I love the way you spread them out through the grass. So cool!! The wallpaper is really pretty and I'm glad it went up easily for you. The cottage is such a special place and I hope you can enjoy it more in the coming months.

Enjoy the Seasons said...

Hallo Heidi,
Wat lijkt het me heerlijk om zo af en toe even er even tussenuit te gaan naar een vakantiehuis!
Ik vind het longkruid ook zo leuk. Heb het zelf ook in mijn tuin staan en laat het zich daar expres wat verspreiden.
Fijne week nog!
Groeten Vroni

hazel c UK said...

The daffodils are looking lovely Heidi and I just love the cushions on your sofa. Happy memories.
Hazel (UK)

diane said...

All of those daffodils are so, so pretty!! They are in full bloom here, too, in Michigan and today I saw several farms with daffodils. Some of them are in such funny places and it makes me wonder how they got there. Do the squirrels move yours around? The wallpaper looks great, too, it looks like there is a texture to it? Aren't you glad spring has sprung?

Jenny said...

The daffodils are lovely Heidi and I love your garden. It is so much fun to watch all the spring flowers bloom. My roses are budding, my daylilies are coming back, birds are nesting all over the yard...hurray...spring is here!
Your wallpaper is lovely and Cranberry Cottage sounds like a wonderful place to be. I hope you can enjoy alot of time there.
Hugs!

Carolien said...

Your daffodils are so cheerful in the lawn, lovely! And I LOVE lungwort ...
You did a great job with the wallpaper. I thought you would be there to relax, by the way ;)))

Have a nice weekend & groetjes,
Carolien

*Ulrike* said...

I have never seen lungwort before! Would love to get some. Your daffodils are so pretty and I love how you described them with skirts on! Too cool!!! You have an early blooming heather. The heather I saw in Germany when I was a child bloomed more in the summer sometime. Your wallpaper looks really good. Can't wait to see how it will look when it is all finished!

Amy Marie said...

Happy Spring cousin! Everything looks so pretty!

Tone said...

Hope you have nice days of spring my friend!! - here spring has finally arrived - the snow has left my garden (finally!!) - and the flowers starts to grow!

Hope your health is ok!

Hugs from tone

Mary said...

The cottage is looking lovely, the pillows on your couch are gorgeous!
Hope you get your mantel soon - know you will enjoy placing your lovely accessories there Heidi.

Our daffs are over now and the early tulips are also on their last legs after such a hot spell last week. If only Spring flowers could last longer, they are so pretty. I do have bluebells out - the Spanish ones being the best as they have strong stems and large bells - the English ones are inclined to fall flat in our weather.

Hope all is proceeding well with your new home purchase - a lot of work I'm sure but it will be worthwhile.

Hugs - Mary

Happy@Home said...

Hi Heidi,
The windmill in your header picture is so cool. I have not been to Holland, but that is one of the images that come to mind when I think about what it is like there.
Your spring flowers all look so pretty. I really like how you put the daffodils in the lawn. Our daffodils have come and gone and the tulips are nearing the end.
Such a pretty time of year.

Reginas Cottage said...

hi heidi
your garden looks very nice with all
the wonderful daffodils.i love this
flowers ,too.
your cushion on the sofa are so pretty!!!!!
have a nice time,
hugs regina