All over the Netherlands, people celebrate by organising flea markets in the streets (it's typical that a nation of merchants should see selling and buying stuff as the most festive thing you can possibly do!), outdoor games for the children, and open air musical performances all over the place.
We went to the flea market here in Arnhem, to see half of the inhabitants trying to sell the stuff they found in their attics to the other half. It's usually good fun even if you don't actually buy anything.
Many folks are sort of dressed up, some are wearing funny hats, and many are wearing orange (the trademark colour of our royalty). We, of course, wore our latest Batavierenrace volunteer sweaters, which were of a deafening shade of orange adorned with light blue lettering.

At the flea market, we found:
- a breakfast plate that goes with what I've already got
- a tea (or milk) mug that does the same
- a pair of motorcycle boots, in my size and decent shape, meant for speedway riding! Not all that necessary, but very cool.
- a used helmet, totally unscratched, which Stoneshop will be able to use at least some vital parts of
- a book I read recently, and then passed on to lytteltonwitch, but I liked it so much I want to give away another copy
- a book on freshwater tropical fishkeeping
- a printserver
- a black and white laser printer for 2 euros. It's supposed to be working, even
- a handsfree car kit for the right type of mobile phone!
...and some small odds & sods that I can't remember now.

It was good fun, too. But then we hurried home because we had agreed to come and pick up a selection of the leftovers from a charity book sale stoneshop's father was helping organise. Took us most of the afternoon, but we ended up going home with about 16 boxes of books, hand-picked from a great batch, so all of them very 'crossable.

We were a bit tired after all that, but when we heard an explosion outside we hurried outside and were just in time for the Queen's Day fireworks. They were lovely. We watched them from across the river Rhine, so we could see the fireworks over the Bridge, and reflected in the river.
The fireworks were of the really professional and expensive kind. There were some rockets that left a gold or silver trail as they shot upwards, and then exploded into a ring or a sphere of coloured sparks or into a star or a flower of fire. Some didn't, and went up in the air unseen, and then when they exploded they took us by surprise.
There were umbrellas of green sparks that lit up the sky.
There were spheres formed of red lights, that died out, then there was a brief moment of darkness, and then a bunch of white sparks blossomed out of nowhere all of a sudden, in the spot where each red light had been.
There were rockets that went straight up and then burst into a nest of silvery firesnakes, wriggling in all directions.
There were even rockets that exploded into bright lights of our national colours: red, white and blue, followed by a big bright star of sparks in the royal orange. The explosions themselves were too far away to be loud, but we could hear the fireworks sizzling and crackling in the distance.
The banks of the river were filled with people who had gathered there to watch the fireworks. Folks of all ages were simply standing or sitting there to watch the pretty lights reflect in the river. Probably the dream opportunity for a pickpocket.
Then the fireworks ended with the traditional bang and we walked home again.
Leve de Koningin.