Green grass everywhere!

There are so many hidden places and corners at the Park in the Summer time. The grass is so high at some spots that you only can follow the walking paths, because the green jungle has been spreading all over. It is also the high season for all sort of bugs, including the Tick. I would not maybe sit on these benches in the picture below, the surrounding grass looks like a Tick Paradise. I actually love all sorts of green plants and especially the spiky grass with strong graphic lines and the sharp compositions that these plants seem to be naturally arranged. It symbolises to me the vitality of the Nature and the huge, fast power of growth.

I had two nice walks this weekend with my daughter. This was one of the rare weekends this summer without the rain or cool weather. The evening walk was interesting. In a good Weather all sorts of groups are gathering at the park and you see happy looking people grilling, listening to music, playing outdoor games and enjoying the open or hidden spaces at the park. One bigger group even had their own DJ.

I don't go often for walks later in the evenings. The normal evening routines with the Children are taking so much time and then it is already too late and almost a sleeping time. But I think I should go more often for a walk in the evening. It just gives a peaceful feeling and the fresh air (as fresh as it can be in the City)just clears the mind and the Nature with all its colors gives more space for positive thinking and for the open mind. And with that sort of balanced peace...it is easy to go to sleep.

Nice picnic: Someone was painting, there was a small band playing..like a hippie meeting and looked like a lots of fun!

On Sunday morning we went to Vondelpark first for a Coffee and then watched a little bit the the Half Marathon at the park. There was the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam last week. We go often for a coffee in "Vondeltuin", which is a nice outdoor Cafe just in the opposite end of the Vondelpark if you walk or cycle through the park from the Centre. There is a playground and a big, high slide where the kids love to climb. In the Summer they also organise "a silent Disco" for a few times. Everyone is wearing earphones and dancing! The people living in the neighbouring houses can sleep in peace and it must be fun to look at the people dancing like this. I would really like to go there once this summer:-).

       

Vondelpark

Inspired from the weekend, I went for a jog and I am ready for this new week! It was good to be outdoors first thing in the morning. So my "feel good recipe" is having some fresh air in the evening and in the morning and I guess every time when it is possible!

The memories from the Summer time are a collection of small moments that matter to you and give a smile on your face. It doesn't have to be something big and spectacular, the best things are connected to the small flashes of feeling, noticing the moment and being present to yourself and the people around you. And the Nature is full of wonders to see if you stop and have a closer look!

Soft Sunday

I had the best and sweetest company on sunday. I was walking at the park with my daughter and I let her take some photos out there. It was a good motivator, because she was complaining that she did not want to walk  anymore. I saw from her face, that she was really enjoying taking the photos and hearing the sound of the Camera everytime she pushed the button. I was patiently waiting for her...she stopped every two meters to take a photo. She was fascinated about the small details on our way and in the end said, that she wants her own Camera! 

She made a photo of her shoes

...and she memorised the bench

She went to bushes to have a closer look at the plants.

The weather was soft and quiet today. There was no breeze of wind in a misty landscape. It felt almost like being in a turkish Sauna without the heat. It was moist, but not rainy. The air felt like a finest beauty treatment on my skin, like a body lotion. The dutch winter can be mild and mysterious.(When it is not raining all the time). It looks like a very thin, soft material covering the view and giving some protection. The hard winter is somewhere else. I read about the snow, freezing cold and storms from the news every day. 

It was a good, slow and spontaneous sunday. I spent some special time with a special person and we had many good moments. It is funny when you think it afterwards, it is a long list of small things we did today together. I hope she will remember later some of those things. I think we gave a lot of inspiration to each other and I hope we will have many days like this now, in the near future and later in our lives.

The last two photos are from my walk alone. The big advertisement of Cola just above the sport Club. I guess they are making some sort of renovation in the building and this picture is hiding the mess. In the evening light it looked good and I love the colours and how the whole absurd beauty made a beautiful reflections on the surface of the canal. Soft end for a soft Sunday.