Koninginne Dag, Queen's Day

Ik wens alle landgenoten een fijne en vooral ZONNIGE Koninginne Dag.

I wish all Dutch people a wonderful and above all a SUNNY Queen's Day.











The Queen always visits two towns or cities on Queen's Birthday, together with her family, her sister Margaret and her sister's family.The flag together with the orange pennant is only hoisted on birthdays of members of the House of Orange.


Koninginnedag or Queen's Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba on 30 April or on 29 April if the 30th is a Sunday. Queen's Day celebrates the birthday of the Queen of the Netherlands and is supposed to be a day of national unity and "togetherness". The tradition started on 31 August 1885 on the birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, later Queen Wilhelmina. Since 1949, after the ascension of Queen Juliana, Queen's Day is Queen Juliana's birthday on 30 April. Although Queen Beatrix's birthday is on 31 January, she officially celebrates her birthday on 30 April, because 31 January is far too cold for open air activities.

ABC Wednesday, O for Ostrich

Please click to enlarge these photos.

When we were in Australia in 2008, we stayed in a caravan park in the Tablelands. One of the most attractive animals in this caravan park, was this male ostrich, even if it's not an indigenous animal in Australia. It was nice to see Ozzie at close quarters.
It's an interesting bird and the largest flightless bird of its kind. It's native to the savannas in Africa.
Ostriches usually weigh from 63 to 130 kilograms (140–290 lb), with exceptional male Ostriches weighing up to 155 kilograms (340 lb). The feathers of adult males are mostly black, with white primaries and a white tail. However, the tail of one subspecies is buff. Females and young males are greyish-brown and white. The head and neck of both male and female Ostriches is nearly bare, with a thin layer of down.. The skin of the females neck and thighs is pinkish gray, while the male's is blue or gray dependent on subspecies.


The long neck and legs keeps their head 1.8 to 2.75 metres (6 to 9 ft) above the ground, and their eyes are said to be the largest of any land vertebrate – 50 millimetres (2.0 in) in diameter; they can therefore perceive predators at a great distance. The eyes are shaded from sun light falling from above.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with O.

Anzac Day

To all Australians and other members of the Common Wealth: Blessed Anzac Day! In Remembrance of the lives given for our freedom.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.




The Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli

Weekend Reflections Cornwall

 
 

Click to enlarge please!

Cornwall is a peninsula in the south west of Great Britain. The Cornish consider themselves not to be English. They are Celts and try to revive their language. Popularly it is claimed that the last native speaker of Cornish was the Mousehole resident Dolly Pentreath, who died in 1777. Notwithstanding her reported last words, "Me ne vidn kewsel Sowsnek!" ("I will not speak English!"), she spoke at least some English as well as fluent Cornish and may well have been one of the last to do so before the revival of the language in the 20th century.

This meme was started on 27 September 2009, by James. You can join this meme at some time during the weekend. Just post your photo and go to James to tell him that you are on, or click on the logo in the sidebar.This meme is created for any type of reflection.

ABC Wednesday, N for National Trust in Cornwall

Click to enlarge!
St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall is one of the most popular buildings in the care of the National Trust.
Originally the site of a Benedictine Chapel, the spectacular castle on the rock dates from the 14th Century. Historically, St Michael's Mount was a Cornish counterpart of Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France.





 

We walked to St Michael's Mount at low tide, and went back by short ferry crossing at high tide. St Michael's Mount, is "the jewel in Cornwall's crown".

St Michael's Mount has a great history. The walk on the rock from the small harbour to the castle is interesting and we enjoyed walking in the beautiful gardens.


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with N.

The Trust's symbol, a sprig of oak leaves and acorns, is thought to have been inspired by a carving in the cornice of the Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex.
This rare 14th-century Wealden 'hall house' was the first building to be acquired by the National Trust, in 1896. The thatched, timber-framed house is in an idyllic setting, with views across the River Cuckmere, and surrounded by a delightful, tranquil cottage garden featuring a magnificent Judas tree.

ABC Wednesday, M for The Mousehole Cat., Camera Critters

To enlarge click first "View all Images", then "Original View".

Mousehole is a small fishing village in the south west of England, in Cornwall. See header!
The Mousehole Cat is based on an old Cornish legend. It tells the story of Tom Bawcock through the eyes of his cat, Mowzer. One winter, the great Storm Cat comes snarling and leaping at the harbour walls so that no boat can go out to fish. When all the food in the village is gone, Tom decides he must brave the terrible weather. As they sail into the mountainous seas, Mowzer sings a lullaby to calm the great Storm Cat of the sea. Tom catches enough fish to feed the entire village. And to this day the people of Mousehole hold a procession and feast every Christmas in memory of brave Tom Bawcock.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with M.

Camera Critters is hosted by Misty Dawn. Thank you so much Misty Dawn.We all enjoy seeing and talking about animals. All creatures great and small give us much pleasure.If you want to see more Camera Critters click on the logo in the side bar.

I must apologize for my early entry, but next week I shan't be able to blog, because I take a break.



There are two more movies about the Mousehole Cat on YouTube, which you can easily find after watching this one.

ABC Wednesday L for London

Wikipedia says:"The etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name and can be found in sources from the 2nd century. It is recorded c. 121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae. The name is described as originating from King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud.

From 1899 it was commonly accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos; this explanation has since been rejected. Richard Coates put forward an explanation in 1998 that it is derived from the pre-Celtic Old European lowonida, meaning 'river too wide to ford', and suggested that this was a name given to the part of the River Thames which flows through London; from this, the settlement gained the Celtic form of its name, *Lowonidonjon. Until 1889 the name officially only applied to the City of London but since then it has also referred to the County of London and now Greater London."

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with L.

Easter, Hallelujah by Handel

Happy Easter! I hope that you all will enjoy this excellent performance of this part of the Messiah by Georg Friedrich Handel(Halle an der Saale, 23 februari 1685 – Londen, 14 april 1759) .

Good Friday The cruel Death of Jesus Christ

The opening choir of the St Matthew Passion by J.S.Bach. Conducted by the Dutch Ton Koopman - Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Soloists.
J.S.Bach (Eisenach, 21 maart 1685 - Leipzig, 28 juli 1750) knew how to express his feelings of sorrow and shock towards the cruel execution of this young, gentle, man, who preached love and respect for people and whose hands healed and blessed those around him.
Today I am going to listen to this music like I do every year on Good Friday.

ABC Wednesday, K for Kilt

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with K.

Click to enlarge!

From Wikipedia:The history of the kilt stretches back to at least late 16th century.

The kilt first appeared as the great kilt, a full-length garment whose upper half could be worn as a cloak draped over the shoulder, or brought up over head as a cloak. The small kilt or walking kilt (similar to the "modern" kilt) did not develop until the late 17th or early 18th century, and is essentially the bottom half of the great kilt.

The nationalism of the kilt is relatively recent. It was only with the Romantic Revival of the early 19th century that the highland kilt was adopted by Lowlanders and the Scottish diaspora as a symbol of national identity. People from other countries with Celtic connections, some Irish, Cornish, Welsh and Manx, have also adopted tartan kilts in recent times, although to a lesser degree.Not every Scotsman or Scotswoman wears a kilt nowadays, but at festivals or special occasions they make a wonderful show in their kilts, while playing their bagpipes. Up until the eighteenth century, clans in Scotland had little or no association with particular tartans.

And tartans that were worn back then, were more likely to be associated with a district rather than a clan.Here are some patterns of tartans used for kilts. I couldn't find out which kilt belongs to which clan. I should like to know more about the clans and their kilts.