Paris Parfait

Ringing in the new

A plethora of bells at a sacred Hindu site, Nepal.


Saying it's been a tough year for many people close to me would be an understatement. With health issues, divorces and numerous upheavals, 2012 has proved one demanding challenge after another. Still, we are lucky, lucky, lucky to count our blessings, a privilege sadly denied to so many.

I'm thinking today of the innocents gunned down in a school in Connecticut; of victims of civil war in Syria, as well as those who succumbed to poverty or treatable disease in far-flung corners of the globe. I'm remembering brave schoolgirls and soldiers alike, who were maimed or murdered in Afghanistan. I'm thinking of the tragic demise of a rape victim in India and the struggles of those left homeless by storms or conflict.

I'm thinking of the re-election of President Obama and a chance to rise above our political differences and accept responsibility to do better; to act with intention and integrity.  I'm thinking of changes coming and projects that matter and possibilities to make a difference. I'm hopeful of a long-awaited dream finally coming to fruition.

When my daughter was home for Christmas, we watched the Walt Disney film Pollyanna, a childhood favourite. And I was reminded that no matter how bleak things seem or how much time I spend worrying over what I can't control, I remain an optimist at heart. I still have faith in the "better angels of our nature," as Abraham Lincoln said.  And I hope and pray that next year - 2013 -  will be memorable more for its laughter and sunlight than for darkness and shadow.

Wishing you and yours a new year bright with promise...

Quiet.

Misty morning, Molens van Kinderdijk, Kinderdijk, Zuid-Holland. That tiny ball of light is the sun, trying to emerge from the fog.

The tourists are gone and the area is serene and tranquil. Click photos to view detail.

Wintery landscape. We saw a postman on his bicycle, delivering mail to each occupied windmill.

A duck swimming in the canal.

Behind the scenes.

A bridge to a private residence.

Bare winter branches.

Reeds blowing in the wind.

A smooth glass-like surface in the canal.

Reflections.

Clouds reflected in the canal.

For more about the World Heritage site of Kinderdijk, go here, here, here and here.

Merry and bright: looking for the light.

Candlelight and Christmas crackers at home...

Glittery trees and a reindeer in Marken. Click photos to view detail.

A winter wonderful under a blanket of stars in Marken.

Lights over the canals in Delft.

A string of lights reflected in another canal in Delft.

Twinkling lights in the trees and stars overhead.

A giant Christmas fir in the market square in Delft (with the gorgeous town hall as the backdrop).

A Christmas tree suspended from the ceiling at Magna Plaza, Dam Square, Amsterdam.

An upside-down Yuletide tree in Marken.

A flower-bedecked tree at a restaurant in Marken.

19th-century lights festooned with decorations and greenery.

A tree viewed through stained glass windows at the Grote Kerk in Marken.

A chandelier dripping "icicles," Amsterdam.

Christmas tree lights in a window of a house of traditional Dutch architecture, Delft.

A boulangerie filled with special Christmas breads and pastries, as well as nougat-filled snowmen and chocolate sheep.

Glitter and glimmer, Delft.

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus at a shop in Delft.

Red stars topped with candles.

A design tribute to Johannes Vermeer and his painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring."

Megawatt smiles in Delft (my daughter Jordana with her friend Andrea).

 

A private residence in Marken, bursting with Christmas finery.

Evening light and little trees near the seafront, Marken.

 

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

We have many blessings for which to be thankful this Christmas, our first in our new home in the Netherlands. Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays, wherever you may be celebrating. Let's hope that the path forward - into the bright, shiny new year - brings us "more light; less noise," as Abraham Lincoln said.

Birthday girl

My beautiful daughter Jordana (left), with Andrea, her friend from college days, visiting us in the Netherlands. Today is Jordana's birthday and we've been celebrating. You'd never know it from the photo, but Andrea just arrived this morning, after a long flight from Los Angeles.



Never mind the foggy weather - at least it's not snowing!

Back to the birthday celebration! More images soon.

Lighting the way through darkness

Handcarved wooden Dutch girl, with lantern aloft amidst a sea of candles. Click photo to enlarge.

 

"We cannot hold a torch to light another's path, without brightening our own." 

In numerous recent events in the US, innocent children and adults have been victims of gun crime. Isn't it time that we shine a light on politicians, forcing them to strengthen gun control laws to protect us? It's past time the US Congress stands up to the fear-mongering NRA (National Rifle Association) and addresses what matters: public safety.

One has to wonder about where lawmakers' loyalties lie, when the day before the tragic school shootings in Connecticut, the Michigan legislature passed a bill allowing guns in classrooms. How many more mass murders will devastate families, before politicians find the courage to act??!!

 

Quote by Ben Sweetland. Photo in our canal house in the Netherlands.

Let it snow!

Early morning light on Thursday, photographed from the top floor of our house.

Thursday morning: snow covering the deck and most of the canal iced-over. Click images to view detail.

A layer of ice on the canal.

The view from the dining room window, Friday morning.

In the back garden: no footprints yet, just paw prints from the neighbour's cat.

Little Buddha, next to an outdoor light and turquoise stones.

Our snow-covered rowboat and deck. The Norwegian boat is made for manuevering fjords, although I doubt I could manage a rowboat through icy waters!

The horizon: still snowing on Friday, but ice in the canal has started to melt.

A Dutch train, with cars nearly empty of passengers.

Snow-laden mulberry branches.

A wreath of pinecones and berries next to our front door.

The weather forecast is for snow all weekend. Back soon with more wintery images. At the moment, I'm busy decorating our house for a dinner party Saturday. Bon weekend les tous!

P.S. Here's a short video that will warm your heart.