nature Archives | No Geraniums

Las Tablas de Daimiel, One of the Unique National Parks of Spain

February 26, 2024December 11, 2020 by Hannie Mommers

When I was doing the research for information about National Park Las Tablas de Daimiel, I realized this again is an article about a swamp. Like Insel Hombroich in Germany is a swamp. And that, while I really love all kinds of landscapes. 🙂

I have to admit that once we adore a place – be it a city, a museum or a landscape – we tend to revisit it often. In a museum the temporary exhibitions will be different each time. A landscape changes with the seasons and with the type of weather that can be extremely different in some years.

We went back only a few months after our 2017 visit to experience the difference of the Tablas after 2 months of excessive rainfall. And different it was!

Wadden Sea, the Netherlands. Get Ready for an Adventurous Walk

February 26, 2024November 13, 2020 by Hannie Mommers

A unique area in the North of the Netherlands and Germany is the Wadden Sea. The Wadden Sea is an unusual type of nature and shines on the Unesco’s World Heritage list.

The area is essential for a lot of birds, seals and aquatic plants and is very vulnerable. That became all too clear in 2019 when the ship MSC Zoë sank North of the Wadden Sea, the Netherlands, and a lot of plastic and consumer products ended up in the sea and on the islands.

The Wad Walk of 2019 (I explain what a Wad Walk is later on) was dedicated to cleaning up part of the sea shore of Wadden island Schiermonnikoog. But the effects of this environmental disaster are not clear yet.

2018.10.07 Will they thrive?

November 13, 2021October 7, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

Some of my plants are flourishing, unfortunately not all. The fig, geranium, and succulents are doing great. The avocado is still alive, but I am not sure he will make it. And the arugula is slowly vanishing. The move and being put outside were probably the cause. And at the end of the month, we’re … Read more

2018.08.29 Enjoyable walk

November 13, 2021August 29, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

Most of the time when it’s so hot as it has been for the last weeks, we do our daily walk in the evening. And often we see a magnificent sunset. When it’s cloudless it is just an orange ball of fire sinking behind the mountains. But clouds make it even more spectacular. We really … Read more

2018.08.19 Goats, birds, and buttons

November 13, 2021August 19, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

When we visited the Sierra Espuña earlier this week, we promised the foresters we would come back with our grandchildren. And since today was a cloudy day, we lived up to our promise. Driving to the visitor center we had to stop because of a great herd of mountain goats next to the road. Unfortunately, … Read more

2018.07.16 Watching birds and cats

November 19, 2021July 16, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

Whenever I look out of the kitchen window in the evening, I can see Tom trying to spot birds. He got inspired by the bird watchers that visited us. Most of the time he is lucky, because in the dry field behind the house obviously there is enough to find for hoopoes and orioles. To … Read more

2018.07.13 Growing things

November 19, 2021July 13, 2018 by Tom van Oosterhout

When I bought the soil for my succulents I saw sets with seed on the counter. It seems a nice set for the grandchildren to grow seeds, but they are still little. So I wanted to make sure the waiting time wouldn’t be too long. Besides, I like growing things myself as well. Last Sunday … Read more

2018.06.20 A first guestpost!

November 19, 2021June 20, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

Capers (in Spanish: alcapparas) Capers are the unopened flower buds, preserved in salt or in vinegar, from the Capparis spinosa, also called Flinders rose. This plant is native to the Mediterranean, and can also be found in the area of Mazarrón. In a way, it is tempting to pick the flower buds yourself to make … Read more

2018.06.14 Poppies and windmills

November 19, 2021June 14, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

Long distances are bo-o-o-ring. At least in my opinion. But this time I enjoyed myself very much. The landscape between Madrid and Albacete is my kind of landscape. Sloping and colorful. It’s an agricultural part of Spain with a great variety of uncultivated brown, green or yellow fields. But the best parts were the poppy … Read more

2018.05.21 Blue skies

November 20, 2021May 21, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

Until today every early morning and every early evening clouds are hanging either on top of the mountains or above our heads. Today was the exact opposite. An impeccable blue sky this morning and the moment I am writing this post. And clouds in the middle of the day. Everybody keeps warning us it’s going … Read more