UKATANI

Summer is coming to the end in the Netherlands, here are some pics around the house The wildflowers were spectacular this spring and summer, as was the grapevine.  The 30 year old grapevine grows on the pergola and was cloned from neighbors 100+ year old vine. Last year we pruned it heavily and had a really great crop of very sweet disease free grapes this year. It provides a lot of shade to the east side of the house.   Discovered that sunflowers can be pruned to increase blooms from one to 3 or more on each stalk. M found a tingum to stick on the window outside and hung peanuts in the shell, the birds spend hours working the nuts out of the mesh bag.  Planted sweetpeas as they reminded me of my dad's flower garden in Oz, they are still blooming and smell wonderful inside. M sits inside in the mornings, reading the newspaper, drinking coffee, watching the birds and smelling the sweetpeas. Nice thrift shop find.....perfect to display wildflowers f

......and there is a hot air balloon outfit nearby.  We usually see them on calm evenings just before dark..... Apparently a balloon frightened some parrots to death in the south of the Netherlands . When the balloon pilot fires the big gas burner near our house is doesn't seem to bother the peacocks.