Farewell to spring

Surprise! Spring is over, and in its place is some kind of... weird autumnal hybrid. Did I miss something? Did we just skip summer altogether?

The weather for the past two weeks has been positively dismal: bleak, gray and rainy for days on end. While Holland is spared from the thundering torrents that we're used to in our tropical corner of the world, this light rain just seems so... endless. So I guess this is the famous Dutch weather they all complain about. I'm straining my neck looking ahead, and there is not a single sunny day in sight. Here's hoping July and August will be better.

I didn't even notice that spring ended. When the flowers started popping up in April, I thought they'd be around for at least a few months. Silly me. I guess I've gotten used to things being around pretty much all year, as they are in Manila or Singapore. Now the rampant blooming has ceased, and though the surroundings are still alive and green, I wish I took more notice of the flowers. Still, I rounded up enough photos to mount a decent farewell to spring.

Begijnhof

Vondelpark

Museumplein

Practically everywhere in the Jordaan

I never had to go far to get my fill of flowers. Sometimes I just had to look out my window.
Just across the street, my neighbors grow the most gorgeous roses over their front doors. My mom became a huge fan of those while she was here in May.

I miss the easy abundance of spring flowers. I even picked some on my afternoon walks and runs around the neighborhood. (I never picked any of the neighbors' flowers, of course!)

Free flowers!

 Picked along the river and at the Beatrixpark

I was horrified at the prices of fresh flowers in Paris: €30, €40, even as much as €60 for blooms that would cost €8-10 at the most here in Amsterdam. Thankfully, this is Holland and we can bring in a little bit of spring practically all-year round.  Sunflowers arrived on the scene a week or two ago...

... while my new favorite, peonies, made their first appearance in the market in late April. I'm glad that peonies are still in season. And it appears I'm not the only one.

Product photography = FAIL.

As you can tell, Rogue likes peonies too! Luckily for her, there will always be a little corner of spring to nibble on here at home.