One of the perks of blogging: you meet kindred souls. Like blogger Nicolene from South Africa. We got to “know” each other through Instagram (Stylecuratrix), when Nicolene showed great pieces from the H&M Conscious collection. I loved them and tried to track them down in Europe. So we mailed and we followed each other’s IG account and I got to like her. She is a laywer by profession and works full time. Which means her blog – Fifty Fabulous (Stylecuratrix) – sometimes has to suffer.
As soon as she booked a trip to Europe, she got in touch to meet me when visiting Amsterdam. I would have shown her around town if it hadn’t been for my knee problem. So our meeting had to be limited to a cup of coffee and even that was not easy to arrange. I wanted to take her somewhere nice in the centre of Amsterdam but there was no way I could travel and walk the distance. Dear old Ron came to the rescue by driving us. We picked up Nicolene at her hotel, leaving her husband to enjoy some time on his own. Ron dropped us off in Utrechtsestraat at the Koffiesalon and came back a couple of hours later to do the reverse trip. Sweetheart.
Below: I took a picture of an area in the lobby of Nicolene’s modern hotel. Looked very cosy.
Below: I really liked the lamps but I am like my mum… I immediately think:Ā “oh dear, dust gatherers”.
Below: Nicolene in what her husband calls “her Tupperware coat”. I love it.
Below: A quick shot by one of the staff members.
Below: The coffee place (De Koffiesalon) in Utrechtsestraat has a homey atmosphere.
Below: Looking down from upstairs. Going up the stairs for me was one thing. Going down… once is enough. So Nicolene offered to fetch the coffee from downstairs.
Below: Of course we started rearranging the furniture, taking pictures of each other and asking people to take pictures of us. Let’s say we were quite a nuisance to the other clients.
Below: We had very little room and distance for shooting photos with the “indoor” lense. Anyway I was wearing a black leather wrap skirt, a black cashmere (yes.. fancy) turtle neck jumper, tan boots (ancient) and, to brighten things up, a colourful scarf (present of Ron a couple of years ago). When putting my outfit together I had Nicolene in mind as she is a scarf lover and I guessed she would have brought scarves as they are a girl’s best friends when traveling for a longer time.Ā Bingo.. I was right, she was wearing a scarf. I think they call that mirroring in psychology.
Below: Nicolene brought me a present. YAY. I love presents. Beautiful earrings. They came with (what I call) a hook but I had my friend Anja change that. My earlobes are horrible, very thin, wrinkled and with the puncture really low and saggy. If I hang an earring in it, it is scary. As if my earlobe will tear. Which is why I make sure all my earrings are not too heavy and cover the hole. Not to frighten you too much I have photoshopped my earlobe in the picture below. The rest of the wrinkles and spots are genuine.
Those few hours flew by while we talked and talked and talked. She is a very accomplished, friendly, upbeat, happy and cheerful person. I was glad we were able to meet.
Below: I asked Ron to stop on our way home to take a proper head to toe shot outdoors. Here we are. It is not really my kind of outfit. A bit too classic but I am trying new things with flat shoes.
Below: Cold and windy though. The orange glow is caused by the late afternoon sun. When I saw these pictures I realized I should have polished the boots.
Then one last thing.
Remember my green faux fur coat? The lining came undone. Had I been mobile I would have gone back to the shop. I learned afterwards that the lining was a production fault and they replaced all coats (which clients brought in) with an entirely new lining.
However, stuck with the knee indoors, I decided to solve the matter with sticky iron-onĀ bonded fibre tissue. You put a strip between two parts (of the lining in this case), cover it with a damp tea towel and press it with a hot iron (on the tea towel of course). Worked fine.
Then the next day when Ron and I went out, he said: “What have you got on the back of your coat? It looks like three moulds of an iron!” And it was exactly that.
Below: The evidence. Scorched from the inside. Luckily I paid the coat with Visa and they gracefully refunded me, after deducting a small amount (as per agreement).
An update on the knee: the orthopedist sticks to his first diagnose: it is most likely inflammation or rather bursitis. On the upside: not very likely I will need an operation. On the downside: healing might take a year. Fortunately there is progress so I am hoping it wonāt take that long.
Greetje
The whole outfit looks divine on you Greetje!!! That leather skirt looks very soft and goes super with your boots,
Hugs,Paula B,XXX
I am not a fan of this skirt to tell you the truth. Never was either. It used to be ankle length but as I have a short upper body, the proportions weren’t right.
Hi, I liked your outfit! Hope the knee is continuing to recover.
Thank you Isa. It is not my usual style but sometimes you have to try something different. Knee is getting better but ever so slowly…. sigh. Patience is not something I posses.
Please look at the tumeric user group on fb. Tumeric is a great anti inflammatory and may well make a difference. I take ‘golden paste’ every day for arthritis pain and swear by it.
I had not heard of it before and looked it up. It is very kind of you to give me the advice but… it is the flavour that makes curry. I hate curry. So that is not go8ng to work. Thanks anyway.
That scarf is so cheery on you; I love it!
There is one thing you Dutch people do better than anyone anywhere else, and that is lighting. I’ve never EVER seen more beautiful creative lighting than when I lived in Holland.
What a pleasure that you got to meet Nicolene! I’ve followed her from when I first joined Instagram. I love that she lives in South Africa and I get to see so many places I know in her feed. I love her style and her appreciation of clothes.
I didn’t know you followed her as well. She is really nice in real life.
As for the lighting.. hmm never thought of that. Perhaps we pay a lot of attention to it because we like to keep things “gezellig” indoors? And the fact we have to spend so much time indoors? British people go to the pub to meet people. We invite friends into our homes much quicker. Could that be it?
I love that beautiful leather skirt you have on, Greetje. You suit these boots too – I love them. What fun to meet up with a fellow blogger, and happy that you hit it off. Both scarves are lovely. What a bummer about your green coat!
The bummer of the green coat is made up for by the refund. I really love Visa. They always come through when I need them. No hassle. Fortunately I don’t need them very often. The first time I claimed (about 5 years ago) I had to claim briefs. Yes as in underwear. That was a funny conversation. They were expensive.
Me on flat boots… it is still something I cannot accept. But necessity calls. I find this outfit rather classic, which is not me, but I tried something different and that is always good.
Happy Easter. This post and the photos look like you had a great time. Love the scarf story. A great idea to add a belt on a wrap skirt. I have to adopt that.
I was trying to get the tan colour incorporated in the outfit other than only with the bag, hence the belt. It was a bit tricky as it is a wrap skirt, tied with a knot at the side. I just pulled the end of the belt through the knot. I was quite pleased with myself 😇.
Try acupuncture. Acupuncture reduces inflammation.
I have the same problem with my knees and acupuncture once a month done on the tops of my feet and up my leg to my knee has done the trick for years and years. Pain-free. Seriously.
Love your blog.
That is a very good idea: acupuncture. Thank you. I will look for a good one.
Greetje, I think you are looking fabulous… The outfit you call classic, but I consider it contemporary and fabulous. The colorful scarf is what makes it stand out. I love your friend’s vinyl coat in purple, and I am searching for a similar item.
I am so sorry about your knee, and how it limits your activities. Ergh.
Fabulous shots of you against the chevron wall !
I know what you mean about the ear lobes. I can’t wear heavy earrings either and nothing pierced.
Be well , heal quickly, I do sincerely hope!
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
Suzanne Carillo claims she has the same raincoat as Nicolene but in blue. I saw it on her blog and it is fab. I think she links to the manufacturer. Somewhere in Russia and it was made to measure.
Hi Greetje, sorry to hear you are still at odds with your knee.
I love that outfit, you seem to carry off classic very well ! We are still having winter in the UK, I am in the North East part and it’s felt like winter for half the year this time round. Desperate to wear spring clothes,made a couple of small purchases in anticipation of the better weather coming
I am so with you. Sick of winter and longing for spring. We have spring in the sense that it is raining all the time. That is a typical spring thing, but I prefere some sunshine. The classic outfit is not really my thing anymore, but I used to dress like this for many years.
Definitely the best thing about having a blog, for me, has been the other bloggers I have met. I’ve had good luck so far as they have all been very nice. Some you can tell you will have a good friendship with, others are fun to hang out with at an event.
Nicolene’s purple coat is fabulous! I’m glad Ron was able to come to the rescue so you could have this meeting with her. I love your leather wrap skirt – the leather looks very soft!
Is there anything like ultrasound or other treatment that might help the inflammation in your knee go down faster?
I might try acupuncture and I am seeing my physiotherapist next week. Although my gut tells me: hands off of my knee. Probably totally stupid, but I have this idea that it will only get worse when you aggravate bursitis.
That coat of Nicolene.. Suzanne Carillo says she has the same one but in blue.
I love your classy look Greetje and the skirt makes it a ‘rocking’ classy one. I think it’s great how often you meet up with fellow bloggers and sharing these meetings with us. I can imagine what it must have been like for the other customers in the little coffee shop, having the two of you moving around furniture and taking pictures, all the while looking very stylish and comfortable with what you were doing (do I guess right here?). Hope the recovery sets in soon. It has been more than enough now with that knee of yours! Love, Lieske
Oh the knee will continue much much longer. Pain in the you-know-what.
As for feeling comfortable while shooting blog photos… hahaha… I always am. I know no shame. Unlinke my husband. Very strange this man. He couldn’t care less about what people think, yet he feels highly uncomfortable when he takes photos of me in a busy area. I just chat to everybody and turn it into a happening.
lovely meeting, that’s one of the best things of blogging!, meetings and chatting!
And you look really elegant and cool, even in your flat boots!. Sorry that you can’t walk, that’s a shame!
besos
Ah, well, like all things… the knee trouble will pass. Just have to be patient (which I am most certainly not).
And yes, meeting and chatting with fellow bloggers… so nice.
‘Gatherers’ omg I just love that! My husband would tell you I always consider how easy something is to clean before I purchase. My nemesis is my hob range – which is beautiful – but has about 300 surface angles – so I make that about 2 hours cleaning a week. Don’t get me started on per year. Anyway. Love love your outfit. I hate my ears too – we should be pen pals xxx
I am careful about the maintenance side of stuff for the house. However I do have a chandelier upstairs.. collecting dust. Mistake. I am preparing my husband for a replacement… he hates change. A bit autistic haha. But with clothes I am stupid. I never check the label which means I come home with a lot of dry cleaning items. The dry cleaner loves me. As you don’t want to know the cleaning hours per year, I don’t want to know the dry cleaner cost per year.
As for a range… we differon this subject: I am a terrible cook. Now that my husband is retired he set himself this goal: “to make my life as easy as he possibly can”. Sweet, right? As I still work full time he cooks every day. With the odd exception of me heating something. He is getting better and better. I love this arrangement.
A blogger meetup for two! How wonderful of Ron to come to your aide so you didn’t have to walk and could still meet for some quality conversation time. Your outfit is very smart Greetje. That leather skirt looks really classy and your boots are great!
Your green coat story turned out a lot better than I thought it was going to!! I did have to laugh at those iron imprints! š
Yes, Ron and I laughed over those imprints as well. I could laugh because I knew in the back of my head that I had paid with Visa and that I could find the receipt as well (stuffed in one drawer). This blogpost is becoming an advertisement for Visa haha. Seriously, I am fond of them. Never a hassle.
Still struggling with flat shoes. Bought myself two new pairs of trousers to go with sneakers. To console myself. The knee is getting better but oh so slowly.
Wow another fabulous place! I like the lights but it’s the rug that I’d really love to own. You always find such awesome locations Greetje.
Now about the outfits. Ladies you rock! The leather skirt & belt are stunning, retro chic š
Bummer about the iron marks but glad you got a refund xx
I might get another coat next autumn 😇. For now it helps to fill the hole in the savings.
I’m so sorry your knee is still giving you trouble, but how nice that you were able to meet Nicolene! She has a great eye for fashion.
She is also very nice as a person. How come that all the bloggers I meet are always such nice people? Oh I think I know the answer. Of course I have been following them for quite a while and got loads of signals about their personality. And if I didn’t like them, I would not have followed their blog. Easy answer.
‘Gatherers’ omg I just love that! My husband would tell you I always consider how easy something is to clean before I purchase. My nemesis is my hob range – which is beautiful – but has about 300 surface angles – so I make that about 2 hours cleaning a week. Don’t get me started on per year. Anyway. Love love your outfit. I hate my ears too – we should be pen pals xxx
I am careful about the maintenance side of stuff for the house. However I do have a chandelier upstairs.. collecting dust. Mistake. I am preparing my husband for a replacement… he hates change. A bit autistic haha. But with clothes I am stupid. I never check the label which means I come home with a lot of dry cleaning items. The dry cleaner loves me. As you donāt want to know the cleaning hours per year, I donāt want to know the dry cleaner cost per year.
As for a range… we differon this subject: I am a terrible cook. Now that my husband is retired he set himself this goal: āto make my life as easy as he possibly canā. Sweet, right? As I still work full time he cooks every day. With the odd exception of me heating something. He is getting better and better. I love this arrangement.
lovely meeting, that’s one of the best things of blogging!, meetings and chatting!
And you look really elegant and cool, even in your flat boots!. Sorry that you can’t walk, that’s a shame!
besos
Ah, well, like all things… the knee trouble will pass. Just have to be patient (which I am most certainly not).
And yes, meeting and chatting with fellow bloggers… so nice.
I love your classy look Greetje and the skirt makes it a ‘rocking’ classy one. I think it’s great how often you meet up with fellow bloggers and sharing these meetings with us. I can imagine what it must have been like for the other customers in the little coffee shop, having the two of you moving around furniture and taking pictures, all the while looking very stylish and comfortable with what you were doing (do I guess right here?). Hope the recovery sets in soon. It has been more than enough now with that knee of yours! Love, Lieske
Oh the knee will continue much much longer. Pain in the you-know-what.
As for feeling comfortable while shooting blog photos… hahaha… I always am. I know no shame. Unlinke my husband. Very strange this man. He couldn’t care less about what people think, yet he feels highly uncomfortable when he takes photos of me in a busy area. I just chat to everybody and turn it into a happening.
Greetje, I think you are looking fabulousā¦ The outfit you call classic, but I consider it contemporary and fabulous. The colorful scarf is what makes it stand out. I love your friendās vinyl coat in purple, and I am searching for a similar item.
I am so sorry about your knee, and how it limits your activities. Ergh.
Fabulous shots of you against the chevron wall !
I know what you mean about the ear lobes. I canāt wear heavy earrings either and nothing pierced.
Be well , heal quickly, I do sincerely hope!
ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
Suzanne Carillo claims she has the same raincoat as Nicolene but in blue. I saw it on her blog and it is fab. I think she links to the manufacturer. Somewhere in Russia and it was made to measure.
Definitely the best thing about having a blog, for me, has been the other bloggers I have met. I’ve had good luck so far as they have all been very nice. Some you can tell you will have a good friendship with, others are fun to hang out with at an event.
Nicolene’s purple coat is fabulous! I’m glad Ron was able to come to the rescue so you could have this meeting with her. I love your leather wrap skirt – the leather looks very soft!
Is there anything like ultrasound or other treatment that might help the inflammation in your knee go down faster?
I might try acupuncture and I am seeing my physiotherapist next week. Although my gut tells me: hands off of my knee. Probably totally stupid, but I have this idea that it will only get worse when you aggravate bursitis.
That coat of Nicolene.. Suzanne Carillo says she has the same one but in blue.
Hi Greetje, sorry to hear you are still at odds with your knee.
I love that outfit, you seem to carry off classic very well ! We are still having winter in the UK, I am in the North East part and it’s felt like winter for half the year this time round. Desperate to wear spring clothes,made a couple of small purchases in anticipation of the better weather coming
I am so with you. Sick of winter and longing for spring. We have spring in the sense that it is raining all the time. That is a typical spring thing, but I prefere some sunshine. The classic outfit is not really my thing anymore, but I used to dress like this for many years.
I liked your classic outfit! It looks great on you. This is something I would wear if it was cold here in Florida! Hope your knee gets better soon rather than later.
Oh I hope the same but doubt it. Cannot be helped. We just have to wait and see. A classic outfit is not really my cup of tea, but sometimes you have to try different things, right?
I liked your classic outfit! It looks great on you. This is something I would wear if it was cold here in Florida! Hope your knee gets better soon rather than later.
Oh I hope the same but doubt it. Cannot be helped. We just have to wait and see. A classic outfit is not really my cup of tea, but sometimes you have to try different things, right?
A blogger meetup for two! How wonderful of Ron to come to your aide so you didn’t have to walk and could still meet for some quality conversation time. Your outfit is very smart Greetje. That leather skirt looks really classy and your boots are great!
Your green coat story turned out a lot better than I thought it was going to!! I did have to laugh at those iron imprints! š
Yes, Ron and I laughed over those imprints as well. I could laugh because I knew in the back of my head that I had paid with Visa and that I could find the receipt as well (stuffed in one drawer). This blogpost is becoming an advertisement for Visa haha. Seriously, I am fond of them. Never a hassle.
Still struggling with flat shoes. Bought myself two new pairs of trousers to go with sneakers. To console myself. The knee is getting better but oh so slowly.
I love that beautiful leather skirt you have on, Greetje. You suit these boots too – I love them. What fun to meet up with a fellow blogger, and happy that you hit it off. Both scarves are lovely. What a bummer about your green coat!
The bummer of the green coat is made up for by the refund. I really love Visa. They always come through when I need them. No hassle. Fortunately I donāt need them very often. The first time I claimed (about 5 years ago) I had to claim briefs. Yes as in underwear. That was a funny conversation. They were expensive.
Me on flat boots… it is still something I cannot accept. But necessity calls. I find this outfit rather classic, which is not me, but I tried something different and that is always good.
That scarf is so cheery on you; I love it!
There is one thing you Dutch people do better than anyone anywhere else, and that is lighting. I’ve never EVER seen more beautiful creative lighting than when I lived in Holland.
What a pleasure that you got to meet Nicolene! I’ve followed her from when I first joined Instagram. I love that she lives in South Africa and I get to see so many places I know in her feed. I love her style and her appreciation of clothes.
I didnāt know you followed her as well. She is really nice in real life.
As for the lighting.. hmm never thought of that. Perhaps we pay a lot of attention to it because we like to keep things āgezelligā indoors? And the fact we have to spend so much time indoors? British people go to the pub to meet people. We invite friends into our homes much quicker. Could that be it?
I’m so sorry your knee is still giving you trouble, but how nice that you were able to meet Nicolene! She has a great eye for fashion.
She is also very nice as a person. How come that all the bloggers I meet are always such nice people? Oh I think I know the answer. Of course I have been following them for quite a while and got loads of signals about their personality. And if I didnāt like them, I would not have followed their blog. Easy answer.
Yikes that knee is rather stubborn. At least you are seeing some improvement.
Your friend has the exact same coat as me except mine is in blue! Ha! I got mine from Russia. I love hers in purple.
I knew immediately when you said you’d used an iron on that coat what to expect. Man made materials melt with heat. I’m glad they refunded you at least.
You are both looking very chic.
Suzanne
Thanks Suzanne. It is not my usual type of outfit, but one needs to explore more options, right?
As for the coat.. I just thought that it wouldnāt hurt as I didnāt put the iron on the coat directly. I used the tea towel and it was on the inside. Oh well, as you say, I got the refund. That was really nice. It is not a custom (yet) in The Netherlands to pay a lot of things with a credit card. We mostly use a bank card. As Visa has this great service, I always pay larger amounts with a credit card. Havenāt had to claim much, but they are good when you do.
I remember your Russian blue coat. That is terrific.
Wow another fabulous place! I like the lights but it’s the rug that I’d really love to own. You always find such awesome locations Greetje.
Now about the outfits. Ladies you rock! The leather skirt & belt are stunning, retro chic š
Bummer about the iron marks but glad you got a refund xx
I might get another coat next autumn š. For now it helps to fill the hole in the savings.
Please look at the tumeric user group on fb. Tumeric is a great anti inflammatory and may well make a difference. I take ‘golden paste’ every day for arthritis pain and swear by it.
I had not heard of it before and looked it up. It is very kind of you to give me the advice but… it is the flavour that makes curry. I hate curry. So that is not go8ng to work. Thanks anyway.
Hi, I liked your outfit! Hope the knee is continuing to recover.
Thank you Isa. It is not my usual style but sometimes you have to try something different. Knee is getting better but ever so slowly…. sigh. Patience is not something I posses.
Happy Easter. This post and the photos look like you had a great time. Love the scarf story. A great idea to add a belt on a wrap skirt. I have to adopt that.
I was trying to get the tan colour incorporated in the outfit other than only with the bag, hence the belt. It was a bit tricky as it is a wrap skirt, tied with a knot at the side. I just pulled the end of the belt through the knot. I was quite pleased with myself š.
Try acupuncture. Acupuncture reduces inflammation.
I have the same problem with my knees and acupuncture once a month done on the tops of my feet and up my leg to my knee has done the trick for years and years. Pain-free. Seriously.
Love your blog.
That is a very good idea: acupuncture. Thank you. I will look for a good one.
I’m so sorry your knee is still giving you trouble, but how nice that you were able to meet Nicolene! She has a great eye for fashion.
Yikes that knee is rather stubborn. At least you are seeing some improvement.
Your friend has the exact same coat as me except mine is in blue! Ha! I got mine from Russia. I love hers in purple.
I knew immediately when you said you’d used an iron on that coat what to expect. Man made materials melt with heat. I’m glad they refunded you at least.
You are both looking very chic.
Suzanne
Thanks Suzanne. It is not my usual type of outfit, but one needs to explore more options, right?
As for the coat.. I just thought that it wouldn’t hurt as I didn’t put the iron on the coat directly. I used the tea towel and it was on the inside. Oh well, as you say, I got the refund. That was really nice. It is not a custom (yet) in The Netherlands to pay a lot of things with a credit card. We mostly use a bank card. As Visa has this great service, I always pay larger amounts with a credit card. Haven’t had to claim much, but they are good when you do.
I remember your Russian blue coat. That is terrific.
Wow another fabulous place! I like the lights but it’s the rug that I’d really love to own. You always find such awesome locations Greetje.
Now about the outfits. Ladies you rock! The leather skirt & belt are stunning, retro chic š
Bummer about the iron marks but glad you got a refund xx