Spring Break :: 't Zwin

 

You probably guessed it but we were (well, actually still are) on Spring break. Despite the bad weather I took the girls to the Belgian coast last week. It rained and rained and rained some more but we did have a great time and even got a teensy bit of sun in between showers.
One of the highlights of our week was our trip to 't Zwin in Knokke-Zoute, a beautiful nature park and breeding spot for stork and many other birds. We saw and heard quite a few stork - simply amazing. And the one in the picture treated us to a defile as if on a catwalk, walking slowly and elegantly not the least bit shy. All, while I was taking pictures in real paparazzo style, trying not to disturb the bird but getting as many shots as possible. Wonderful!
After our visit to 't Zwin (and after taking off our muddy boots and clothes and me performing a silly dance with one foot still half way in a boot and the other one wearing a sneaker in an attempt to catch a plastic bag which flew from our car trunc - I got it! ) we went to Marie Siska for pancakes and some more fun at the playground.

A perfect afternoon despite the rain - you can't tell from the pictures, but as soon as we bought our entry tickets it started pouring - p o u r i n g! - for a minute we thought about going back to the car and simply leaving. And are we glad we didn't...!

Lotus :: ctd

Remember the lotus seed pods from a while back?
That's what they look like now.
I can't tell which version I prefer, but there's certainly something about them right now...

Old and crumpled, a bit stubborn but proud.

I hope I can grow old like that...

Fall

 

It's official now. Fall has begun. You won't hear me complain about this September's weather. It was nice as a real September should be. But yesterday the first signs of Fall were showing. Cloudy, sunny by moments, a little more windy, some rain and the first fallen leaves. It makes me want to bake and make soups and knit. Little H. announced we should start thinking about getting her some new boots.

I hope this Fall will last long into winter...

Snow flakes

These two pictures were shot one week apart. Exactly one week ago, I spotted this little fellow on our balcony, happily dancing around, preparing what might have been his last dinner (I looked it up: spiders either die or hibernate when winter hits). The thermometer indicated 14°C. The temperatures have dropped considerably since, flirting with a mere 0°C for days in a row, now.

This morning my girls were the ones to be happily dancing around. In the news, they announced snow for today, but when we woke up, there was no snow to be seen. "Ah, well! They got it wrong again...", we said.
Fifty minutes later, however, when we were about to leave for school it started snowing - and it still is. The girls just loved it. The two of them ran upfront all the way to school, while I was struggling, pulling the caddy loaded with snacks for H.'s Christmas party in class and both girls' teachers' presents. I kept looking down, watching my steps - glasses are so annoying with this kind of weather...

I just looked outside my window and everything is covered in white and looks so peaceful. Will this be enough to get me in the mood for the holidays...? Not so sure... But it definitely got the girls in a good mood.
It's sticky snow, so it might last. I hope the girls had their snow fight at recess...their first one, for this year...

A perfect day...

We're still enjoying the most wonderful weather here. No way we would stay inside this afternoon! These are today's pictures, taken at the Bois de Boulogne. Fall is shedding its first leaves, but to my surprise there's still a lot of green left...
Hope you had a wonderful weekend too!