A peony lovers visit from Australia

Dear Joshua

Just a brief note to say that Judy and I are back in Australia now. It has taken a few days to recover from the trip - very long and very boring, with the constant hum of jet engines, and made worse by that dry air-conditioning. Anyway, I am fighting fit again now.

We went to the Flora Holland in city Rijnsburg and we were given a guided tour, even though I was first told that it was not possible, and that we would have to go to the bigger auction-house closer to the airport. So it all ended well. We saw the whole system in operation, and we were allowed to walk around the floor where all the electric trolleys were rumbling around to the purchaser's sorting and packing rooms. We also watched through the glass at the actual auction room. That was all pretty mysterious to us, how the buyers keep track of which lots are coming up on which "clock". I could see that they had advance notice of the next 3 or 4 "lots" on one clock, but keeping track of the entire traffic of flowers across all 5 clocks looked bewildering to us. Anyway, thank you for telling us where to go, and how to find the place, etc..

I would never have had the courage to just "Roll Up" at the door and ask for admission otherwise. It is such an amazing operation, and so professionally organized. Having been with you and your family the evening before, to see the peony flowers are being sent off to market, and then, being able to see the next stage of the process the next morning, watching peonies such as yours being sold and dispatched, was fascinating. We did not see any names or codes that looked familiar as being your flowers in particular - but of course there are so many!!! But our visit to your peony nursery and then the auction the next morning really was the highlight of our trip.

More generally, we both loved the trip to the Netherlands, and I was really interested that the countryside looked so healthy. I was concerned that with so much agriculture in such a small area, the insect life, etc might be being poisoned off. But I saw more water-birds (geese, ducks, etc) on the fields near your property than I saw in the rest of my entire trip.
Also, the people were very friendly and helpful, which made traveling as tourists in The Netherlands a very pleasant experience.

After we left your area (and after the Auction), we crossed back to the south-east, and paid a brief visit to Eindhoven (I hope the spelling is correct) where one of my nephews will travel next week, to join the Philips / Eindhoven Football team. So I was able to take some photos of the city, to bring back home to show his parents (my brother) and his grandparents (My father and mother). That was really nice, because, for them it is a really unknown part of the world. It was very re-assuring for them that I was able to show them some snap-shots of the town where he is going to live, and the "Philips Stadion", etc.

I got home in time to attend my Father's 90th Birthday celebrations, which as you would imagine, was a really big show. There were about 75 people there, nearly all immediate family.
Anyway, thanks once again for your generosity in showing us around your peony nursery, and to your Mum and Dad for their hospitality. Please give them both our regards,

From Denis & Judy, Australia