We have had to protect our new greenhouse from the extreme heat of the last few days (Camborne, our neighbouring town was the hottest in the country overnight 21.4C which is a very pleasant day time temperature but far too hot for sleeping!) and our baby lettuces are doing very nicely.
We love the colour combination here of the orange begonia, purple aquilegia and yellow poppies.
I love this:
Last night’s sunset was beautiful.
It was so hot (28C) today, too hot to work at Community Roots but I had baked a cake for the volunteers so I went along to deliver it to the few hardy (or foolhardy) folks who were there doing their thing. They were glad to have some ginger cake to look forward to!
Mary Berry’s Gingerbread Traybake
It’s only three days since I planted the seed bombs and two of them are sprouting already.
In 2014 we went to a Boat Jumble and, though we had nowhere to put it, I bought a beautifully decorated boat sink. It has been in the garden ever since! A couple of days ago, I planted the seed bombs I bought in Amsterdam, in a large pot but then realised that I needed that pot for a teepee of Sweet Peas so I have moved the bombs, which are just beginning to split, into the sink.
Our Crinidendron Hookerianum (Chilean Lantern Tree.) is spectacular this year.
I love the purple iris against the red of the lanterns on said Chilean Lantern Tree.
The Night Watch by Rembrandt being cleaned, love the t-shirts
Miniature kitchen in one of the dolls’ houses
I Love this jacket!
Taken from the Eurostar on the way home after a brilliant holiday with our very good friends.
The Stedelijk Museum was fascinating, I’d been looking forward to seeing the Karel Appel works, 
We later found a wonderful painting bursting with joy, Bal Tabarin by Jan Sluijters.
and discovered a room full of protest art work.
When in the gift shop, I found the perfect gift for Sue-next-door who looked after our place while we were away. I bought us a miniature egg box full of seed bombs too. Today, I have followed instructions and ‘planted’ them. We’ll look forward to seeing what comes up!
Wisteria in our garden
Wisteria in Amsterdam
There were shops all over Amsterdam selling plastic ducks. After passing several , I went in to one to ask ‘Why?” It seems they are simply a retail opportunity to attract tourists!
One of the Duck shops
Information re ducks
I loved the decoration outside a shop selling children’s clothes, the decoration comprising of painted bicycle parts and enormous knitted strawberries! 
On the corner of the street near our hotel, Roemers Hotel, was a house beautifully decorated with blue and white tiles near the top of the building. Lower down was a plaque to Maria Tesselschade Roemers Visscher. She is described by her friends mentioned below as “attractive, musically talented, and a skilled translator and commentator from French and Italian.They also praised her skill at singing, painting, carving, glass engraving and tapestry work.” From Wikipedia. 
Here’s a translation for you:
If Tesselschade is unfamiliar to you, then you may know
That she was a friend of Roemer Visscher,That she sat in the circle of singers
And with her stylus wrote wittily on the glass
And if you wish to find more merit and gifts
Speak to Huygens, Hooft and Vondel, her friendsPIETER HUISINGA BAKKER
Maria Tesselschade Roemers Visscher 1594 – 1649 poet
We came across lots of interesting structures around Amsterdam.
Against the Tide by Rini Hurkmans is a memorial sculpture honouring murdered Dutch journalist Peter R. de Vries who was shot on July 6, 2021, and died on July 15, 2021.
It’s worth reading this, if a bit of a struggle.
Gerardus Vossius and Caspar Barlaeus were pioneering Dutch scholars and the founding fathers of the University of Amsterdam. In 1632, they opened the Athenaeum Illustre, a city-sponsored academy that challenged Leiden’s academic monopoly and eventually evolved into the modern university I found this in a hidded garden off the book alley I told you about a couple of days ago.
We went to Amsterdam with our friends A&K and just had to find A’s Great Grandfather, Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis, 31 December 1846 – 18 November 1919) who was a Dutch socialist politician and later a social anarchist and anti-militarist. Just learned that we share a birthday!
A translation of the plaque: Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis sculpture represents the rise of the labor movement in the 19th century. Prometheus is depicted in the relief. This Greek hero stole fire from heaven and gave it to mankind. In earlier designs, Polet had placed the Greek myth at the center, with a subordinate position for Domela. Only in a third design did Polet allow himself to be guided by the form of a statue on a pedestal. In his time, Polet was an important exponent of Expressionism within Dutch sculpture. Artist Johan Polet 1931
Having missed Community Roots for two weeks while we were on holiday, the growth of everything in the poly-tunnels was wonderful to see.
I spotted a little pollinator where I was working today.
We visited many galleries when in Amsterdam and here are a few of my favourite paintings.
I loved this one as it reminded me of my lovely Dad’s beautiful beard.
Isaac Blessing Jacob by Govert Flink 1615-1660
There’ll be more.
We had some delicious courgette soup in the sunshine before going into the very interesting H’Art Museum in Amsterdam.
That evening, wanting to eat Dutch food, I had Boerenkool Stamppot and being a big fan of mash and gravy, absolutely loved this meal.
Tonight we have been to the Hall for Cornwall for a talk I really wasn’t interested in, A Gun Through Time by the historian David Olusoga. However, the subject was made quite fascinating by him concentrating on the social history rather than the military history of guns. 
Commentator Award
