Scottish Castles

Amsterdam

Dam is a bit of a blur...

Our first night in Amsterdam we stayed on a houseboat. We had a very friendly and enthusiastic host named Sjuart.

This is the view from our hostel in the Red Light District. Ironically, our 18 bed mixed dorm was quieter than the private room on the houseboat that echoed when drunk Germans came home at 4 am.

We rented bikes. :)

Beautiful.

Norfolk Broads

Some Pretty Things

The other day I was in a charity shop and I found a copy of Beatrix Potter's Book of ABC's. There was an inscription penciled inside the cover: "To our darling Oliver on his first Christmas, all our love, Mummy and Daddy." I flipped through it, and when I got to "L is for Ladybird" I got all verklempt and had to buy it. It is those little nuances that I am going to miss and appreciate the most once I leave.

The evenings here are endlessly long, which is great because evening is my favorite part of day. And the sun takes hours to set. This is the castle looking like a cake.

This is the cake I want for my wedding.

This tree peony is 25 years old. I know because the French woman who lives here and was pruning her roses when we walked by told us.

Jeffery and I live a 5 minute walk from this little park.

Blue sky and puffy clouds.

Poppies.