Spring Flowers

Another sunny but breezy day and most of the tulips are about to come out. This beautiful white one is the first to be fully open.

Tulips are one of the things that people associate with Holland (think Tulips from Amsterdam!) together with windmills and wooden clogs. I have to admit to not being much bothered with any of these when I lived there but since becoming an ex-pat here in Scotland I did become a lot more interested in all things Dutch and I always make sure we have tulips in our garden.

Holland or to give it its official name of The Netherlands has also been on my mind a lot since the attack(by speeding car) on the Dutch Royal family during the annual event of Queen's Birthday held on the 30th April. Many things have happened in The Netherland since I left, that I would have found unimaginable when I still lived there but this one is really beyond belief and I can only be a stunned onlooker from afar. None of the Royal Family were hurt but 7 people were actually killed, among them the attacker and there are also some serious injured people in hospital.

It was for the first time in many years that I actually read a Dutch paper ( De Telegraaf) online to find out more about it.

On a more positive note the Crown Imperial (see previous post a few days ago) is going from strenght to strength and I did not want to deprive you from sharing it with us! By co-incidence it is also orange, the national colour of Holland!