In other words

When you live in The Netherlands, it is only too obvious that flowers should be all around you, from the field next door to your own garden or dining table. What is maybe less common is to hide these precious little things in between the pages of your books. I like to believe that is a very retro habit...even though I actually do not know what inspired it to start with. Do you have any idea maybe?

What I do know, is that the effect they have on me is a very sentimental one - readers may have noticed along these daydreaming pages that I have a very soft spot for all things sentimental... Oh well, that's my lifestyle! Just imagine that one beautiful day you feel like flipping through the pages of a book you read a few years back: you take the book out, start leafing through and that's when an unexpected faded green leaf falls to you feet! Where did you pick it up? How did it end up there in the first place? Was its presence in the book linked with the actual story the author wanted to tell?

Delightful children offered me this buttercup and its green companion this week during our discovery of the Zaanse Schans. Before they faded away, I preciously clasped them in the Amsterdam guide I carry on each and every field trip. Next time I will open the page, hopefully the sight of the little treasure will bring me back to the pleasant Sunday spent with dear friends and their kids. A story within the book's story, in other words.