Sometimes a reader of my blog is so enthousiastic to suggest we’ll meet whenever she is in my neck of the woods. I find that very sweet. And at the same time a bit scary. You see, you (readers) know a lot about me. I share my experiences, thoughts, bloopers, face with no make-up, friends, husband and, of course, many outfits. I, on the other hand, know nothing at all about you. Can you imagine that meeting a total stranger makes me a bit nervous? On the other hand, if somebody likes my blog and the things I share, we must have something in common, right? So whenever I can, I will meet that interested person.
Today I will give you a further insight in little old me. I have read “10 things you don’t know about me” on other blogs and always found it a good read. Hope you like mine equally.
I have included some photos of way back when. The photo above is taken when I featured “the yellow skirt in the Rijksmuseum“. The coat is Weekend Max Mara.
Impatient
I am very, very impatient. When I was a young girl and my parents promised me to redecorate my room, I wanted to go to the shop and pick out paint and wallpaper THAT VERY AFTERNOON. Not tomorrow, not next week, no, NOW ! Which never happened. Of course I pleaded and nagged, but not for very long as my parents were very good in their upbringing. Nagging and coercing were not allowed. I had to shut up. To this day I still have the patience of an ant.
Nagging
I nag, something I am not proud of. But I do nag. Poor Ron (husband). I nag like this: “Why is it always such a mess in the house? Hadn’t we agreed to vacuum every day? Why am I always the one who…. etc etc.” It doesn’t work. It only gives friction, arguments and distress. Why do I not stop nagging? So very difficult. Is this a female thing? Mom, did I get this from you? Or do I only have myself to blame? The latter of course. You cannot blame everything on your parents. Sorry mom (photo below).
Upbringing
I had the best upbringing a person could ever want. My parents were very loving but not over-protective (which a lot of today’s parents are). They were fair, honest, gave us quality time but also enough freedom to roam on our own. They also taught me many wise things which helped me through my entire life. Things like: “Treat everybody the same way, have respect and say please and thank you to everyone. By the same token, people should treat you that way too, don’t settle for less.” Which resulted in me treating everybody the same, regardless of rank, title, job or wealth.
As a family we played games (I have a brother who is 6 years older). Monopoly was a terrific game. Lasted all night, with lots of laughter, outcries and accusations. Accusations because my brother used to hide his money, playing pitiful. After we were “less businesslike” with him as we ought to have been, he would triumphantly produce his money and start buying hotels.
Everybody is equal
Don’t get me started on things like race, gender, sexual preferences etc etc. Honestly the intolerance of so many people is unbelievable. We are all the same. Treat everybody the same. I better not elaborate on this subject or it will become a rant. But if you discriminate in any way when I am around, be prepared for my verbal attack.
What you cannot see in the photo below is my directness. You already know about me always being very direct, don’t you?
Arachnophobia
Yep, spiders and me are no friends. My arachnophobia got out of hand when I was about 35. If a teeny weeny spider would let himself down from my rear view mirror in the car, I would hit the break and jump out of the car. Even on the highway. Not a clever thing to do. So I went to see a psychologist once a week for nine months. There is no easy fix for something which has gone wrong for 35 years. Ron used to find me the spiders for the therapy. Tiny ones to start with, gradually getting bigger in size. I agreed to the last session in which I had to let that spider walk across the back of my hand. Without pulling my hand away. Three times. The room was not sound proof. If there was anybody in the waiting room, they would have fled as I screamed my head off. But did not pull my hand away.
I still am the one in our house who has to remove spiders and put them outside. Because, if I give in to fear again and let Ron do this, my fear will grow again. Everytime I overcome my fear, catch the spider and put it outside I win and my fear will become less. The therapy in a nutshell. I hardly ever kill a spider. I think it is wrong that beings who frighten me, need to die for that reason. No photo. Obviously.
(Over) sensitive
I am very sensitive to suffering. I cannot see it or hear about it without feeling sick. I will carry a story about mistreatment with me my whole life. If I read a headline in the paper about physical abuse of a child or an animal (especially an animal) I envision it immediately. I see the picture and I will see that picture for the rest of my life. Which means I do not read the papers anymore. I just cannot take it. I listen to the news on the radio and even then I sometimes have to be quick to turn it off. Cannot handle the smallest thing in this area, no movies either.
You should see (and hear) me when the cat brings home a frog, a bird, a mouse or a rat and the animal is still alive and screaming. I go berserk. I will scream at the top of my longs: RON, RON COME AND SAVE THIS ANIMAL, while shaking all over. He has to do it, I am worthless in a situation like that. Nothing should suffer, not even a spider.
Below a photo of me with short hair when Charlie was a few weeks old (2006). I was still having red gel nails which I loved. Alas, no more because of threat of staphylococci infection (long boring story).
Anger
I am a very angry person. Or better said, there is a lot of anger in me. About apps and computers when they don’t work, but especially about injustice. Difficult thing is that I find a lot of things injust. Which means I get angry a lot. And you’d notice! It might be better than indifference but it is tiring and angry words never get the desired results. Quite the contrary. I wish there was less anger in me. Cannot find a photo of me in anger. Thank God.
Laughter
Nothing as nice as laughing. As much as I can. I laugh very often, very loud and people say very infectious. A good joke? Please tell me. A funny story or situation? Yes please. Laughter is something I seek, is something I share, is something I love to give.
In the photo below we were on holiday in France and I had put on the wedding dress of the owner (a size smaller). I went into the private restaurant, dressed like the bride from the seventies to “convince” Ron it was time he proposed haha.
Love
This is perhaps something you do know. I love Ron. We are together for 30 years now. I met him when I was 34 and had already given up on a relationship. Before him I hadn’t had any long relationships. A week, a day, two months utmost. Ron was my colleague at the advertising agency and I already knew him for a year. As he was married, I never even considered him as a candidate. I have never had married guys as boyfriend, because that only brings sorrow. Then he got divorced and we became friends. One day I noticed a change in our relationship and wanted to bow out. He thought: “Rats, she is escaping me” and suddenly kissed me. Flowers, fireworks, music and a guy with wings and an arrow aiming at my heart. From that moment on I was deeply in love and it never changed.
Stepdaughter
Ron had a daughter who was almost 3 when we got together: Nicky. I hoped we would bond and have a loving relationship while she grew up. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. I won’t go into details why it didn’t work, but it was very stressful for the three of us. Not the easiest period of our lives (understatement of the year). To my utter joy this changed 180 degrees when she was a grown-up. Never expected it to, but we now get along so well. We laugh together, shop together, go out together and celebrate Christmas together. That pleases me so much. Life is a funny thing. Photo below: Ron deliberately put on his clogs.
You know me a little better now.
Greetje
PS after reading this post Ron said he knew a few more things you don’t know about me. I told him 10 was enough 😇😎.
Falling in love with Ron came as a total surprise to me. I never thought real love could come from being friends. I had to eat those words. And I cannot stop myself from nagging either. What is wrong with us?
Hi Greetje. Cool blogpost. I think you must be a very lively person with all your characteristics; the impatience, anger, love for others and for justice and your huge, huge sense of humour. I am sure there is hardly a dull day with you around. What I liked most in this blogpost is that you also seem to be a person who is thankful for what she gets in life; love when you didn’t expect it (and this twice). You do not take that for granted, you are thankful for it and I have the feeling you have put quite some work and effort into these two important relationships as well. I have got the impression that you are more patient than you think you are, since you have had to wait quite a bit for the love of your life and the love of your stepdaughter. I am ever so happy for you you have found both. With just knowing you from your blog I feel you deserve this! Love, Lieske
Such a fantastic compliments Lieske, makes me a little shy. You know what we are all like, when receiving compliments. But you got me pegged quite accurately. Apart from the impatience bit. As you cannot get love because you wait for it patiently. It happens or it doesn’t. But yes, when it happens you have to work at it.
Greetje,
Thank you for sharing all of these details about you. Many of them I know or have intuited from reading your blog.
I agree with you on so many things. Particularly in America we indeed spoil our children and there are not sufficient boundaries. Also there is great injustice here and intolerance is growing. This feels alarming to me. I live simply by the Golden rule.
I am terribly sorry about your struggles with your stepdaughter. But I am so glad that you and she are very close now. I loved seeing all of these photos of you going back in time.
Also so very pleased about your romantic and sweet relationship with Ron.
I hope one day we will meet in person.
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
New York is still a possibility in my book. When Knee is well again. Maybe next year? Otherwise you will have to come to Europe and travel a little further up north than last time you were here. We have splendid weather these days. Although… one good summer does not make it a tropical climate yet haha.
I love reading your blog so much. You are such an incredible special woman!
Sincere, honest, intelligent and with a lot of humor. I think it’s amazing as you describe yourself and not only telling us your good characteristics, but also the less ………………Which of course we all have, but rather prefer not to talk about it…….
I love the picture in the wedding dress 😊
I hope you will continue writing your blog for a very long time!
See you soon x
Ahhh…. so sweet of you to say. I have a grin on my face from one ear to the other. I will app you for a date in September.
PS after this post and all the lovely comments I get, I will certainly continue with my blog. Such a moral and confidence booster.
I’m very impressed that you’re trying so hard to overcome your fear of spiders! I’ve always been scared of them, but I’ve got a bit better over the last couple of years. When my husband worked away I had to deal with a few big ones and put on a brave face for Isobel, which helped a lot. I didn’t have a good relationship with my step mother for years but we get on well now which makes life so much easier for all concerned!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
As I explained: giving in to your fear of spiders will make the phobia worse. Overcoming a spider situation by yourself = winning = making the fear less. But it took me 6 years and a level of ridiculousness before I went into therapy. You know you will be confronted with the very thing you are frightened of. Which you want to avoid.
I am glad to hear you get on well with your step mother now. It is indeed much easier.
I just love your blog. It is my favorite of all the blogs I receive! When I see your email, I think, Oh good, I cannot wait to read it!
I am only impatient when I have to wait in line to buy clothes. Ha ha. I am sensitive to the cruelty of animals and people. Don’t get me started on our despicable President, I can rant for over an hour about how horrible he is! I don’t tend to be very direct at all- I try to not get into confrontations with friends. Not thrilled with spiders either! Love the picture of you in the wedding dress! You have such a great sense of humor! Unfortunately, I did not have loving parents, so when I am treated badly, I am very angry.
Again, I love your blog. You are such a sweetheart!
Sorry to hear your parents were not loving people. Your upbringing years so define how you will be in life. Although I think some people can break away from flaws they don’t like about themselves, there are things that just cannot be repaired. As a friend of mine said: “I can go to therapy and improve a lot, but it will always be patchwork. I will never have the level of confidence you have through your upbringing”. And I get that. Thank you so much for your compliments. So very, very nice to read.
Hi Greetje,
I am in awe of your honesty in print, and appreciate your stories and – as always – your humor. Thank you for sharing. If I visit your neck of the world (last time there was 2007) will definitely contact you to see about meeting up! This summer my husband, younger son and I were in Victoria. Before hand I emailed Sheila and she graciously offered to tour us around. We spent an amazing day with her so she can vouch for us if we make it to Amsterdam!
Kudos to you for not killing spiders found in your house. I am NOT that kind to bugs and insects found inside; only kind to them outside.
Cheers, Laurie
Oh Sheila! She is a hoot. Love her blog. And especially her shoes!! Did you ever read about the blogger meet-up in Vancouver? Where I met Sheila? This is the link:
https://www.nofearoffashion.com/2015/08/01/blogger-meet-up-in-vancouver/
You should see her face when she discovers the price on the Prada price tag haha.
Thank you very much for the lovely compliments you paid me. And I will be hearing from you when you are here.
I used to cry at those commercials for abandoned pets. Seriously. It is a problem. Like you, I cannot read or hear about animal abuse or I carry it with me and have nightmares.
Good for you on getting the spider to crawl across your hand several times. It is better than what I could do. I’m not terrified of them but I’d much rather I didn’t have to deal with them.
I can attest to you being direct. Between you and Sylvia I think you’ve got that covered pretty well.
Fun post!
LOVED the photo of Charlie as a puppy. How adorable!
Suzanne
http://www.suzannecarillo.com
Oh yes, people who read this post, cannot really imagine what I mean with being direct haha. Lots of people have problems with that. Fortunately, once they get to know me, they accept it as me, being me. They know then, that I never mean it disrespectfully. It is just that my sugarcoating is very thin or not there.
How lovely to read! It s very nice to know you a bit better!
Thanks Nancy. It was a pleasure writing it, although it took a lot longer than I anticipated. It was supposed to be an easy post.
Thank you!
Ha. short and sweet. You are welcome.
That was lovely, Greetje. Love the photo of you in the wedding dress.
P.S. You vacuum every day???
The wedding dress thing was a hoot. We had such a laugh. Took a while before we really got married.
And No I do NOT vacuum every day. I even have a kind hearted woman cleaning my house once a week as I work full time. But with that dog and with that man, it really is a mess on the floor every day. If it were just the two of us (and he was still working in the office) the house would be flawless.
Delightful post — so glad to learn more about you! I always look forward to your blog and now admire you and your sense of justice and kindness even more.
Wow, that is high praise. Perhaps I have been telling too many nice things about myself ???
No, I think you are quite human! 😉
So cool of you to be so open to tell us such personal traits of yours! Of course I already knew you were impatient as we met and you told me you were Aries! They’re impatient as well as direct. At least I’m quite sure you said you’re an Aries! The other things I didn’t know…..as for nagging, lots of women do that, of course. I did that more during my first marriage but after that I learned that I needed to not be so precise and remember that not everyone has the same values.
Love everything you told us! I’ll never bring you a crunchy African spider as a delicacy, though!
Xoxox
No indeed, please do not bring me spiders. And yes I am an Aries. Full blood. You mentioned another quirk of mine: being very open about myself. I always say: even the milkman knows all my deepest darkest secrets. Nothing to blackmail me with. Now I have to adjust that as there are no milkmen anymore.
Okaay, just how alike we? You, young(ish!) [sorry x] and Dutch and me, crone, stubborn, sneaky, bloody minded – and a Brit! Hey, what’s not to love?!
Could we possibly be soul sisters, despite the age gap? Let me count the ways, as a far better writer once rote (sic)….
Impatient? You bet.
A nagger? Come on!
Upbringing? Loving but very strict. And thus restricting at times. Still fighting that occasionally. But repeat, a loving upbringing with good intentions.
Like you, I hate injustice and that and internal anger go hand in hand. And again, like you, I neither watch nor read upsetting films/books. I can well do without any extra angst overload, thanks very much.
I don’t like spiders either and keep an Old Fossil (husband!) handy to deal with them for me. BUT, I did once handle a tarantula! (Ah, maybe that’s why I have white hair!)
Laughter, love, family and friends again go hand in hand. All very important to me and all very precious and cherished.
You know, I really should have found time to stop off on the way home from Poland. You wouldn’t have found me scary. Really.
Or would you?…..
Luv
Gee
PS Love the clogs!
As for differences: well, I like your style my dear, but if I dressed like you you’d fall over laughing – not good for either knee! But vive la difference, eh?
I just loved your comment and wish you had stop off on your way from Poland. But if you still live in the UK, then The Netherlands is not very far…. just saying. I am impressed about the tarantula. The white hair might indeed have come from that. So scary.
Wonderful stories, love it all and think you are brave and fabulous to share with everyone. Well done, Greetje, super hero!
Ah.. dear Aileen. So nice of you to comment again. I am no super hero. By no means. This post was meant to be an easy holiday post. Turned out to be a lot more work than I anticipated.
Thanks for sharing so freely of yourself Greetje. I’ve only met you in real life once, but I recognize a lot of what you’ve said today about your personality. Not the anger though, 😉 Nor do I recall you being impatient, LOL. Above all, it’s your sense of humour and humaneness that dominates.
Sigh…the nagging. Okay…Given your ‘script’ that you wrote about yourself, I must be a nagger too.
Finally, so happy that the story of Greetje and Nicky is a happy one now!
When there is nothing to be angry or impatient about, I am not. And our blogger meet-up was delightful, the best. So it was easy to show only my good sides haha. (PS I think most women are naggers.)
Hi Greete – We are all the same: anxieties, doubts, phobias, fears and other quirks – in other words: we are human! I fully understand your phobia about suffering, specially animals….. it causes me sleepless nights and torments during the days…I’m trying my best by: being a vegetarian, adopting a mistreated dog and caring for it…. but it just breaks my heart because this is not enough!Anyway I’m trying the best I can to relieve ane
That is so good of you Barbara. Like you I sometimes go to sleep and then I think of all the torments and mistreatments that are going on in the world at that very moment and it makes me cry. I know a lot of people will think me crazy, but I cannot help it.
Thank you letting us get to know you better. You are a very inspirational person!
Linda, what can I say? I am a normal person but when you start a blog, people only comment kind and lovely things, like you did. I have to watch it or I’ll get vain haha. No, I won’t. I know exactly how I am. Just normal.
What a wonderful post, and I love that you won’t kill the bugs that scare you.
Thanks Mary Ellen. I made this post because I had the idea that in summer probably won’t read my blog. So I shouldn’t put too much effort in it. Which, however I did haha.
As usual a total hoot, Greetje! Thank you for this uplifting post – self awareness and laughter. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Isa. I am quite surprised this post is so well received. It was supposed to be a light holiday read. But the comments keep coming. I never know in advance.
What a lovely post Greetje! I loathe spiders too….and it’s approaching that time of year. You are kinder than me though, cos I suck the buggers up in the Hoover.
Hello, Janis from Michigan.I live between two small lakes and the environment is perfect for all creatures.
My suprise creature was a mouse in my storage room.In the fall we have these little visitors, my husband Bill won’t kill anything.He went on Amazon and found a no kill mouse traps a few years ago,
He does catch and release in the Park across the street.
I’m over forty too, I love color and different clothing too.I don’t dress up much as I am busy caring for a disabled adult daughter.I take her to water aerobics 2x a week lunch with our friends.
I can understand that when you have to help somebody else, especially with lifting, and when you go water aerobics, you are not too keen on wearing pencil skirts and high heels. Heck I wouldn’t do that either. Just when you have a nice occasion it is good to be prepared. You instantly feel more cheerful when you know you are well dressed. It adds to the fun. I agree with your husband by the way.
Hahaha.. well I did the therapy remember? And one of the questions at the beginning was: “how do you want to be able to handle them?” I replied that I wanted to be able to put a glass over them, slide a card underneath and put them outside. For exactly the reason I mentioned: they don’t have to die because they frighten me. So that is what they taught me. The therapy brought me a lot. I can go into a barn and a cellar now without thinking. I never used to be able to.
This is such a wonderful post, Greetje! And I can’t believe how alike we both are! Seriously, I am quite impatient, I can be a bit of a nag (when necessary!), I’m sensitive, I HATE seeing people disrespect each other – like you say, we are ALL human, we are ALL the same! Why can’t everybody just accept that?!
I’m not a fan of spiders. My husband once made me jump because of a spider and it literally put my back out! I could barely walk for a few days and ended up having to visit a back specialist!!!
Husbands, eh?!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this, Greetje.
Big hug from Portugal
Suzy xxx
http://www.suzyturner.com
My husband never played spider tricks on me as he knew how serious it was. Most people have no clue what a phobia entangles. I think he once saw me trowing a heavy metal hole puncher at somebody who came into my office with a spider on a newspaper. Luckily I hit the door and not him. It might have killed the poor guy. So Ron knew what I was capable of haha.
And the fact we seem to be alike is perhaps why we follow each other?
I love you even more Greetje.
Knowing more about your fears, vulnerabilities, and anxieties elicit my recognition, sympathy and empathy. These give greater definition to your strengths.
Your loves and laughter ring out stong and true , and light up your joy.
Your anger reveals your pain.
It’s so good to know you Greetje!
Oh gosh Jude. You make me all shy. I am not a super human being. Remember I share things but might leave out the nasty bits haha. Like cutting in on other people’s conversation too many times as I am too impatient. Or being negative as a first reaction to propositions. I see the positives sides but immediately I see the negative sides as well and they prevail. See? It is not all rosy. Nevertheless thank you very much for your lovely comment.
I am VERY much like you. I cut in on conversations and I often see the negative as well. Good thing we laugh easily! Especially at our own imperfections!
Indeed, otherwise who would want to hang out with us 😇?
Love this! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure entirely Andrea.
We share a few of the same qualities 😛
Perhaps that is why you read my blog? Because we have things in common?
I really enjoyed this post, Greetje! I laughed at the photo of you in the wedding dress, and the reason you were wearing it. Hahaha!!! I’ve seen some of these other traits in action from meeting you and I can see evidence of them in the posts you’ve written. I remember your Yellow Skirt photos well, and that necklace. So good. Your brother must be a very successful businessman today, or a poker player. Heh.
I have slammed on the breaks before when I saw a spider in the car. I’m getting better. Slowly.
My brother did pretty well for himself s a copywriter and editor in the field of pensions and taxes. I always say he can make a novel from the tax rules. But poker face? Hah.. no.
And I am glad I could amuse you dear Melanie.
This was so lovely and helpful. We share characteristics, you and I. But more accurately, you’re describing my 11-year-old daughter to a tee. So it’s so nice as I worry about her to know she’ll grow into a wonderful and creative adult, with a little support and a lot of love. Thank you for sharing.
I tried to be fair to my stepdaughter. Take her needs into consideration as much as ours. And I have always been 100% honest with my her and never said anything bad about her mother. But I am also pretty strict (understatement haha). That was my approach. I was lucky it worked.
Love this! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure entirely Andrea.
I am VERY much like you. I cut in on conversations and I often see the negative as well. Good thing we laugh easily! Especially at our own imperfections!
Indeed, otherwise who would want to hang out with us 😇?
I love you even more Greetje.
Knowing more about your fears, vulnerabilities, and anxieties elicit my recognition, sympathy and empathy. These give greater definition to your strengths.
Your loves and laughter ring out stong and true , and light up your joy.
Your anger reveals your pain.
It’s so good to know you Greetje!
Oh gosh Jude. You make me all shy. I am not a super human being. Remember I share things but might leave out the nasty bits haha. Like cutting in on other people’s conversation too many times as I am too impatient. Or being negative as a first reaction to propositions. I see the positives sides but immediately I see the negative sides as well and they prevail. See? It is not all rosy. Nevertheless thank you very much for your lovely comment.
This is such a wonderful post, Greetje! And I can’t believe how alike we both are! Seriously, I am quite impatient, I can be a bit of a nag (when necessary!), I’m sensitive, I HATE seeing people disrespect each other – like you say, we are ALL human, we are ALL the same! Why can’t everybody just accept that?!
I’m not a fan of spiders. My husband once made me jump because of a spider and it literally put my back out! I could barely walk for a few days and ended up having to visit a back specialist!!!
Husbands, eh?!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this, Greetje.
Big hug from Portugal
Suzy xxx
http://www.suzyturner.com
My husband never played spider tricks on me as he knew how serious it was. Most people have no clue what a phobia entangles. I think he once saw me trowing a heavy metal hole puncher at somebody who came into my office with a spider on a newspaper. Luckily I hit the door and not him. It might have killed the poor guy. So Ron knew what I was capable of haha.
And the fact we seem to be alike is perhaps why we follow each other?
I really enjoyed this post, Greetje! I laughed at the photo of you in the wedding dress, and the reason you were wearing it. Hahaha!!! I’ve seen some of these other traits in action from meeting you and I can see evidence of them in the posts you’ve written. I remember your Yellow Skirt photos well, and that necklace. So good. Your brother must be a very successful businessman today, or a poker player. Heh.
I have slammed on the breaks before when I saw a spider in the car. I’m getting better. Slowly.
My brother did pretty well for himself s a copywriter and editor in the field of pensions and taxes. I always say he can make a novel from the tax rules. But poker face? Hah.. no.
And I am glad I could amuse you dear Melanie.
Thank you Greetje, thank you for letting me know you a little better. I love to coincide with you in many things (even in arachnophobia!). Some of the concepts that you have already intuited, are evident in following you a bit … Laughter, openness, your education, sensitivity, seriousness … And I love to coincide with you in the defense of the equality of all the people, the world needs a lot of people like you!
We had that dream in the sixties and seventies, remember? Make love not war. Peace for all mankind. It didn’t work just yet, but we should keep on trying.
Thank you Greetje, thank you for letting me know you a little better. I love to coincide with you in many things (even in arachnophobia!). Some of the concepts that you have already intuited, are evident in following you a bit … Laughter, openness, your education, sensitivity, seriousness … And I love to coincide with you in the defense of the equality of all the people, the world needs a lot of people like you!
We had that dream in the sixties and seventies, remember? Make love not war. Peace for all mankind. It didn’t work just yet, but we should keep on trying.
We share a few of the same qualities 😛
Perhaps that is why you read my blog? Because we have things in common?
Hi Greetje. Cool blogpost. I think you must be a very lively person with all your characteristics; the impatience, anger, love for others and for justice and your huge, huge sense of humour. I am sure there is hardly a dull day with you around. What I liked most in this blogpost is that you also seem to be a person who is thankful for what she gets in life; love when you didn’t expect it (and this twice). You do not take that for granted, you are thankful for it and I have the feeling you have put quite some work and effort into these two important relationships as well. I have got the impression that you are more patient than you think you are, since you have had to wait quite a bit for the love of your life and the love of your stepdaughter. I am ever so happy for you you have found both. With just knowing you from your blog I feel you deserve this! Love, Lieske
Such a fantastic compliments Lieske, makes me a little shy. You know what we are all like, when receiving compliments. But you got me pegged quite accurately. Apart from the impatience bit. As you cannot get love because you wait for it patiently. It happens or it doesn’t. But yes, when it happens you have to work at it.
Good to have it summarised after all those years 😉 Recognised it all, no dementia yet, phew. And, it’s what makes you such a dear friend.
Ah… so nice, getting these comments from my dear friends. Thank you very much my lovely. Hope to see you again soon.
Brilliant post Greetje, I share a few of your characteristics !!! …..definitely a nagger, almost certainly impatient and a softie where animals are concerned ….I am certainly getting more direct as I get older ( why waste time beating about the bush !!!)
It was lovely of you to share so much with us all and looking at everyone’s comments we all have enjoyed this blog very much.
You and Ron look so right together and I am so glad your relationship worked out with your step daughter – the cherry on the cake !
You summed it up quite nicely. Thank you very much for your comment. Each and every comment is so greatly appreciated. It is lovely to connect with my readers, getting to know a bit more about them. I suppose when people like my blog they must share some of my characteristics right? Being direct has its pros and cons, like everything else in the world.
Good to have it summarised after all those years 😉 Recognised it all, no dementia yet, phew. And, it’s what makes you such a dear friend.
Ah… so nice, getting these comments from my dear friends. Thank you very much my lovely. Hope to see you again soon.
Brilliant post Greetje, I share a few of your characteristics !!! …..definitely a nagger, almost certainly impatient and a softie where animals are concerned ….I am certainly getting more direct as I get older ( why waste time beating about the bush !!!)
It was lovely of you to share so much with us all and looking at everyone’s comments we all have enjoyed this blog very much.
You and Ron look so right together and I am so glad your relationship worked out with your step daughter – the cherry on the cake !
You summed it up quite nicely. Thank you very much for your comment. Each and every comment is so greatly appreciated. It is lovely to connect with my readers, getting to know a bit more about them. I suppose when people like my blog they must share some of my characteristics right? Being direct has its pros and cons, like everything else in the world.
What a charming, lovely, and funny post, Greetje. Thanks for sharing such special stories! You look fab as always in your photos. But I had a double take on the gorgeous redhead w short hair holding puppy Charlie. She’s glam, and he’s adorable too. 🙂
Haha.. thanks Linda. That person holding puppy Charlie is also 12 years younger. But thanks for all the compliments.
Greetje,
Thank you for sharing all of these details about you. Many of them I know or have intuited from reading your blog.
I agree with you on so many things. Particularly in America we indeed spoil our children and there are not sufficient boundaries. Also there is great injustice here and intolerance is growing. This feels alarming to me. I live simply by the Golden rule.
I am terribly sorry about your struggles with your stepdaughter. But I am so glad that you and she are very close now. I loved seeing all of these photos of you going back in time.
Also so very pleased about your romantic and sweet relationship with Ron.
I hope one day we will meet in person.
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
New York is still a possibility in my book. When Knee is well again. Maybe next year? Otherwise you will have to come to Europe and travel a little further up north than last time you were here. We have splendid weather these days. Although… one good summer does not make it a tropical climate yet haha.
This was so lovely and helpful. We share characteristics, you and I. But more accurately, you’re describing my 11-year-old daughter to a tee. So it’s so nice as I worry about her to know she’ll grow into a wonderful and creative adult, with a little support and a lot of love. Thank you for sharing.
I tried to be fair to my stepdaughter. Take her needs into consideration as much as ours. And I have always been 100% honest with my her and never said anything bad about her mother. But I am also pretty strict (understatement haha). That was my approach. I was lucky it worked.
What a fun post, Greetje. The photos from the past were a wonderful peek into your history. The story about meeting your husband is so sweet. I’m so glad the relationship with your stepdaughter has changed for the better, those relationships are so important.
I am glad you liked the post Kim. I made it because I thought it would be an easy holiday post without having to make outfit photos. But it took me quite long to make it and I never expected so many comments. Which is lovely though.
What a charming, lovely, and funny post, Greetje. Thanks for sharing such special stories! You look fab as always in your photos. But I had a double take on the gorgeous redhead w short hair holding puppy Charlie. She’s glam, and he’s adorable too. 🙂
Haha.. thanks Linda. That person holding puppy Charlie is also 12 years younger. But thanks for all the compliments.
Very interesting and thank you for sharing. I always enjoy your blog as you make it fun. So my impressions of you are positive. Keep on keeping on! Your blog fan in Texas, Linda
Thank you very much. Who doesn’t want to have fans?? Love having a fan in Texas.
Glenda from Canada
Hi great post! I totally understand why you would feel uneasy about so many strangers pushing into your personal life. Interesting fact about our city Edmonton , we are getting bike lanes, a new concept for our city. I’m surprised at the nastiness on both sides of the issue. I note you often cycle. Edmonton is a winter city. Do you have bike lanes? Do the cyclists and motorists have so much animosity? PS: my hubby says I nag but I only ask more then once and I consider it reminding , spiders ok snakes,worms,caterpillars are my nemesis@
Do we have bike lanes??? Hahaha… Everywhere!! We have the silly law that if a car hits a cyclist, it is the fault of the driver and he/she has to prove it was the fault of the cyclist. That is to protect the cyclist who is so much more vulnerable. But you should see how cyclists break the rules/law! Cyclists are lethal.
Your idea of nagging is my idea of nagging: “I have asked you this, we agreed upon it, but you don’t do it”. He sees it differently. Good luck with the creepy, crawling animals haha.
What a fun post, Greetje. The photos from the past were a wonderful peek into your history. The story about meeting your husband is so sweet. I’m so glad the relationship with your stepdaughter has changed for the better, those relationships are so important.
I am glad you liked the post Kim. I made it because I thought it would be an easy holiday post without having to make outfit photos. But it took me quite long to make it and I never expected so many comments. Which is lovely though.
Very interesting and thank you for sharing. I always enjoy your blog as you make it fun. So my impressions of you are positive. Keep on keeping on! Your blog fan in Texas, Linda
Thank you very much. Who doesn’t want to have fans?? Love having a fan in Texas.
mwhaha, I really enjoyed this post!, it’s always interesting to know something more about other people, particularly if they’re so lovely like you are!. I like strong personalities and have not any problems with people speaking in a direct way. Obviously, I love a good laugh!.
So lovely to see all those pictures of you and Ron and so lovely that you look such a fabulous couple!. This kind of things put a smile on my face for the whole day!
besos
Well thank you very much. Your comment put a smile on my face as well. The humour I put into my blog post is for a reason: I think if I can make somebody laugh or smile, they will return. Everybody loves a laugh. It is also in my nature, I love to entertain and to tell stories. Downside is, that I always have a story to tell and people get tired of that or I never come to the point as I get sidetracked.
I love reading your blog so much. You are such an incredible special woman!
Sincere, honest, intelligent and with a lot of humor. I think it’s amazing as you describe yourself and not only telling us your good characteristics, but also the less ………………Which of course we all have, but rather prefer not to talk about it…….
I love the picture in the wedding dress 😊
I hope you will continue writing your blog for a very long time!
See you soon x
Ahhh…. so sweet of you to say. I have a grin on my face from one ear to the other. I will app you for a date in September.
PS after this post and all the lovely comments I get, I will certainly continue with my blog. Such a moral and confidence booster.
Glenda from Canada
Hi great post! I totally understand why you would feel uneasy about so many strangers pushing into your personal life. Interesting fact about our city Edmonton , we are getting bike lanes, a new concept for our city. I’m surprised at the nastiness on both sides of the issue. I note you often cycle. Edmonton is a winter city. Do you have bike lanes? Do the cyclists and motorists have so much animosity? PS: my hubby says I nag but I only ask more then once and I consider it reminding , spiders ok snakes,worms,caterpillars are my nemesis@
Do we have bike lanes??? Hahaha… Everywhere!! We have the silly law that if a car hits a cyclist, it is the fault of the driver and he/she has to prove it was the fault of the cyclist. That is to protect the cyclist who is so much more vulnerable. But you should see how cyclists break the rules/law! Cyclists are lethal.
Your idea of nagging is my idea of nagging: “I have asked you this, we agreed upon it, but you don’t do it”. He sees it differently. Good luck with the creepy, crawling animals haha.
mwhaha, I really enjoyed this post!, it’s always interesting to know something more about other people, particularly if they’re so lovely like you are!. I like strong personalities and have not any problems with people speaking in a direct way. Obviously, I love a good laugh!.
So lovely to see all those pictures of you and Ron and so lovely that you look such a fabulous couple!. This kind of things put a smile on my face for the whole day!
besos
Well thank you very much. Your comment put a smile on my face as well. The humour I put into my blog post is for a reason: I think if I can make somebody laugh or smile, they will return. Everybody loves a laugh. It is also in my nature, I love to entertain and to tell stories. Downside is, that I always have a story to tell and people get tired of that or I never come to the point as I get sidetracked.
Hi Greetje,
I am in awe of your honesty in print, and appreciate your stories and – as always – your humor. Thank you for sharing. If I visit your neck of the world (last time there was 2007) will definitely contact you to see about meeting up! This summer my husband, younger son and I were in Victoria. Before hand I emailed Sheila and she graciously offered to tour us around. We spent an amazing day with her so she can vouch for us if we make it to Amsterdam!
Kudos to you for not killing spiders found in your house. I am NOT that kind to bugs and insects found inside; only kind to them outside.
Cheers, Laurie
Oh Sheila! She is a hoot. Love her blog. And especially her shoes!! Did you ever read about the blogger meet-up in Vancouver? Where I met Sheila? This is the link:
https://www.nofearoffashion.com/2015/08/01/blogger-meet-up-in-vancouver/
You should see her face when she discovers the price on the Prada price tag haha.
Thank you very much for the lovely compliments you paid me. And I will be hearing from you when you are here.
I’m very impressed that you’re trying so hard to overcome your fear of spiders! I’ve always been scared of them, but I’ve got a bit better over the last couple of years. When my husband worked away I had to deal with a few big ones and put on a brave face for Isobel, which helped a lot. I didn’t have a good relationship with my step mother for years but we get on well now which makes life so much easier for all concerned!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
As I explained: giving in to your fear of spiders will make the phobia worse. Overcoming a spider situation by yourself = winning = making the fear less. But it took me 6 years and a level of ridiculousness before I went into therapy. You know you will be confronted with the very thing you are frightened of. Which you want to avoid.
I am glad to hear you get on well with your step mother now. It is indeed much easier.
Thank you for sharing this about yourself – I enjoyed getting to know more about you. I have been working on being a more patient person for most of my adult life, and also am very sensitive about cruelty to animals and people. Ron is definitely a “keeper” and I’m glad that you were eventually able to have a good relationship with his daughter. As for being “direct”, I appreciate that in a person, as I am very direct myself.
I suppose being direct means you also attract people who are direct. I know for sure when I look at my friends in real life. I wonder whether that also works in blogging. The only impatience I have overcome is in traffic. I am zen in traffic now. I always think of bad drivers: “The way you behave now, is the way you always behave. And that is not going to get you many bonus points. Which will lead to you being less happy. One way or the other your own character will punish you.”
I just love your blog. It is my favorite of all the blogs I receive! When I see your email, I think, Oh good, I cannot wait to read it!
I am only impatient when I have to wait in line to buy clothes. Ha ha. I am sensitive to the cruelty of animals and people. Don’t get me started on our despicable President, I can rant for over an hour about how horrible he is! I don’t tend to be very direct at all- I try to not get into confrontations with friends. Not thrilled with spiders either! Love the picture of you in the wedding dress! You have such a great sense of humor! Unfortunately, I did not have loving parents, so when I am treated badly, I am very angry.
Again, I love your blog. You are such a sweetheart!
Sorry to hear your parents were not loving people. Your upbringing years so define how you will be in life. Although I think some people can break away from flaws they don’t like about themselves, there are things that just cannot be repaired. As a friend of mine said: “I can go to therapy and improve a lot, but it will always be patchwork. I will never have the level of confidence you have through your upbringing”. And I get that. Thank you so much for your compliments. So very, very nice to read.
I used to cry at those commercials for abandoned pets. Seriously. It is a problem. Like you, I cannot read or hear about animal abuse or I carry it with me and have nightmares.
Good for you on getting the spider to crawl across your hand several times. It is better than what I could do. I’m not terrified of them but I’d much rather I didn’t have to deal with them.
I can attest to you being direct. Between you and Sylvia I think you’ve got that covered pretty well.
Fun post!
LOVED the photo of Charlie as a puppy. How adorable!
Suzanne
http://www.suzannecarillo.com
Oh yes, people who read this post, cannot really imagine what I mean with being direct haha. Lots of people have problems with that. Fortunately, once they get to know me, they accept it as me, being me. They know then, that I never mean it disrespectfully. It is just that my sugarcoating is very thin or not there.
Greetings!
Thank you for this lovely post! How generous of you to share even more of yourself with us. You seem like a wonderful person and I can imagine how people would want to share more life with you.
The internet, like tv, creates an odd sense of familiarity with the people we view through the screen. People (the viewers) often develop a sense of…ownership about those they follow through the screen and it’s not always rational. The idea of having strangers, who only know the parts of me I’m willing to broadcast, wanting to come inside my life is unsettling. Of course, as an introvert, socializing during non-work occasions, i.e., when I don’t HAVE to, is usually not something I leapt at doing.
Good luck handling your hordes of fans (I’m one!)! If you ever, come to the southern east coast of the US, call me and we can have lunch and sightsee together. 🙂
I will definitely get in touch when I come to the southern east coast of the US, but don’t get your hopes up too high. Not planning anything.
Your compliments made me blush. You are right, I am not broadcasting everything. And I have only talked about my flaws in a way which make them seem acceptable haha. Not such a wonderful person as you might think. I never thought this post would create so much respons. Gosh.
Loved this! I’m a lot like you in several things; thanks for sharing.
ALSO love your flats in the picture, where did you buy them?
Thank for your comment. I suppose my blog attracts like-minded people. It was my pleasure to share. The flats in the first picture, als simple blue ballet flats with a round nose from Tommy Hilfiger. They are quite a few years old and made of fabric, not leather. They look different in the picture because of the angle of my feet.
I am sorry Becky, that isn’t true. Those flats are not Tommy Hilfiger but Jan Jansen, a famous Dutch shoe designer. You can see them better in this post:
https://www.nofearoffashion.com/2016/10/16/comfortable-clothes-for-the-brocante-market-at-chatou/
But I don’t think you can buy them anymore. They are several years old and Jan Jansen shoes are not easy to find.
What a wonderful post. You are so brave to share yourself with us every week. Now I love you even more! And Ron too! You are obviously great together.
Here I am reading all these comments and I am a bit overwhelmed. Never thought this post would “do” much, but the comments keep coming in. So nice. And all so lovely, like yours is. It isn’t so much bravery as it is in my character. I am very open, sharing everything. Up to a point where people say “Too much information Greetje”.
Thanks for sharing Greetje. It seems that quite a few women have a lot in common. Many of your traits I can relate to 100%, eg. being immensely sensitive to cruelty to animals and other vulnerable beings, nagging (It just may be the parents – sometimes I hear myself and I hear my late mother, and I cringe but cannot stop myself). She was also extremely sensitive to injustices and cruelty too. And you and Ron were so obviously meant to be together – fabulous love story. Glad I know you a bit better now. Lise
Falling in love with Ron came as a total surprise to me. I never thought real love could come from being friends. I had to eat those words. And I cannot stop myself from nagging either. What is wrong with us?
Thank you!
Ha. short and sweet. You are welcome.
That was lovely, Greetje. Love the photo of you in the wedding dress.
P.S. You vacuum every day???
The wedding dress thing was a hoot. We had such a laugh. Took a while before we really got married.
And No I do NOT vacuum every day. I even have a kind hearted woman cleaning my house once a week as I work full time. But with that dog and with that man, it really is a mess on the floor every day. If it were just the two of us (and he was still working in the office) the house would be flawless.
Delightful post — so glad to learn more about you! I always look forward to your blog and now admire you and your sense of justice and kindness even more.
Wow, that is high praise. Perhaps I have been telling too many nice things about myself ???
No, I think you are quite human! 😉
How lovely to read! It s very nice to know you a bit better!
Thanks Nancy. It was a pleasure writing it, although it took a lot longer than I anticipated. It was supposed to be an easy post.
This is marvelous, thank you so much for sharing all of this about you, Greetje. This is you at your most vulnerable, and I’m in awe of your strength!
Love the older pictures – aw, wee Charlie!
The funny thing about me being open Sheila, is that I don’t feel the slightest bit vulnerable. Nobody can blackmail me as everybody knows everything about me. And nobody has ever been nasty about me being open. Sometimes I get a remark: “Too much information Greetje”. To which I reply: “You ain’t seen nothing yet kiddo. Brace yourself.” But that is about all. I will admit that people who have never met me before, sometimes (often?) are shocked haha. My directness scares the hell out of them.
I’m a pretty direct person too – I like to tell people, “I’m open in a shallow way.” I’ll tell you all kinds of stuff about me, but I don’t get really deep with too many people. Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments!
1. There is a Fluevog store in Amsterdam! https://www.fluevog.com/stores/amsterdam/ – stop whining about not having good shoes!
2. I”m a delicate fucking flower! Ha! I have the socks: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cJSUecQdtTc/WJeM4u6-jWI/AAAAAAAAwCI/Sp9-MbiZRUoG7_xTny530Z1H8v1A2yUZwCLcB/s640/socks.jpg. You have to come back to Canada! You were one of my favourite people at the blogger meet-up. We would get up to many shenanigans if we lived closer!
3. The shoes you were drooling over are still available: https://www.fluevog.com/shop/4620-kendra-grey-floral – go pop into your new Amsterdam store and check them out!
OOOhhhh thank you so much. And I love to come back to Vancouver. Might take a while, but I will certainly not rule it out. Now onwards to the Fluevog store.
Thank you for sharing this about yourself – I enjoyed getting to know more about you. I have been working on being a more patient person for most of my adult life, and also am very sensitive about cruelty to animals and people. Ron is definitely a “keeper” and I’m glad that you were eventually able to have a good relationship with his daughter. As for being “direct”, I appreciate that in a person, as I am very direct myself.
I suppose being direct means you also attract people who are direct. I know for sure when I look at my friends in real life. I wonder whether that also works in blogging. The only impatience I have overcome is in traffic. I am zen in traffic now. I always think of bad drivers: “The way you behave now, is the way you always behave. And that is not going to get you many bonus points. Which will lead to you being less happy. One way or the other your own character will punish you.”
So cool of you to be so open to tell us such personal traits of yours! Of course I already knew you were impatient as we met and you told me you were Aries! They’re impatient as well as direct. At least I’m quite sure you said you’re an Aries! The other things I didn’t know…..as for nagging, lots of women do that, of course. I did that more during my first marriage but after that I learned that I needed to not be so precise and remember that not everyone has the same values.
Love everything you told us! I’ll never bring you a crunchy African spider as a delicacy, though!
Xoxox
No indeed, please do not bring me spiders. And yes I am an Aries. Full blood. You mentioned another quirk of mine: being very open about myself. I always say: even the milkman knows all my deepest darkest secrets. Nothing to blackmail me with. Now I have to adjust that as there are no milkmen anymore.
Thank you letting us get to know you better. You are a very inspirational person!
Linda, what can I say? I am a normal person but when you start a blog, people only comment kind and lovely things, like you did. I have to watch it or I’ll get vain haha. No, I won’t. I know exactly how I am. Just normal.
Hi Greete – We are all the same: anxieties, doubts, phobias, fears and other quirks – in other words: we are human! I fully understand your phobia about suffering, specially animals….. it causes me sleepless nights and torments during the days…I’m trying my best by: being a vegetarian, adopting a mistreated dog and caring for it…. but it just breaks my heart because this is not enough!Anyway I’m trying the best I can to relieve ane
That is so good of you Barbara. Like you I sometimes go to sleep and then I think of all the torments and mistreatments that are going on in the world at that very moment and it makes me cry. I know a lot of people will think me crazy, but I cannot help it.
Well I did know about you being direct and loving to laugh! Two of the things I like best! And your love of stopping for a coffee, any time, any place. 😉 You and Ron are so cute together.
Yes, Ron and I were cute, right? That is indeed another one of my quirks: stopping for coffee. As you say any time. And any place where they serve good cappuccino.
As usual a total hoot, Greetje! Thank you for this uplifting post – self awareness and laughter. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Isa. I am quite surprised this post is so well received. It was supposed to be a light holiday read. But the comments keep coming. I never know in advance.
What a lovely post Greetje! I loathe spiders too….and it’s approaching that time of year. You are kinder than me though, cos I suck the buggers up in the Hoover.
Hahaha.. well I did the therapy remember? And one of the questions at the beginning was: “how do you want to be able to handle them?” I replied that I wanted to be able to put a glass over them, slide a card underneath and put them outside. For exactly the reason I mentioned: they don’t have to die because they frighten me. So that is what they taught me. The therapy brought me a lot. I can go into a barn and a cellar now without thinking. I never used to be able to.
Hello, Janis from Michigan.I live between two small lakes and the environment is perfect for all creatures.
My suprise creature was a mouse in my storage room.In the fall we have these little visitors, my husband Bill won’t kill anything.He went on Amazon and found a no kill mouse traps a few years ago,
He does catch and release in the Park across the street.
I’m over forty too, I love color and different clothing too.I don’t dress up much as I am busy caring for a disabled adult daughter.I take her to water aerobics 2x a week lunch with our friends.
I can understand that when you have to help somebody else, especially with lifting, and when you go water aerobics, you are not too keen on wearing pencil skirts and high heels. Heck I wouldn’t do that either. Just when you have a nice occasion it is good to be prepared. You instantly feel more cheerful when you know you are well dressed. It adds to the fun. I agree with your husband by the way.
I love these kind of posts! I’m always fascinated by people’s quirks. You have plenty, which is why I like you so much! Well, that and the directness… The spiders thing really impresses me; I love that you still face it head on. I’m so glad that your relationship with Nicky eventually changed; that is hard on a family, as i know from experience. love to you, lovely xxx
I haven’t really listed my quirks (yet) haha. Like I used to whistle at good looking men the way they do. Or recently when I spotted a handsome man in the corridor of our office, I asked him “whether he was lost and if he really was, that he could come home with me” haha. He liked the joke.
That was my flirting quirk. Next time another one.
Greetje: I really enjoyed this post, esp the last entry about finally having a good relationship with your stepdaughter as an adult. Many ‘steps’ suffer in silence, so great to read about an eventual success.
We Poles share many of your attributes..impatience, anger at unyielding technology, love…
However, if I even venture your way (from Houston TX), I would love to meet for a beverage!
That’s a date then Carol. You never know. And yes I was both surprised and very happy when the relationship with Nicky turned 180 degrees. Never expected it to. Never give up hope and always be yourself and try to do what is best for the three of us (in our case).
Thanks for sharing so freely of yourself Greetje. I’ve only met you in real life once, but I recognize a lot of what you’ve said today about your personality. Not the anger though, 😉 Nor do I recall you being impatient, LOL. Above all, it’s your sense of humour and humaneness that dominates.
Sigh…the nagging. Okay…Given your ‘script’ that you wrote about yourself, I must be a nagger too.
Finally, so happy that the story of Greetje and Nicky is a happy one now!
When there is nothing to be angry or impatient about, I am not. And our blogger meet-up was delightful, the best. So it was easy to show only my good sides haha. (PS I think most women are naggers.)
Wonderful stories, love it all and think you are brave and fabulous to share with everyone. Well done, Greetje, super hero!
Ah.. dear Aileen. So nice of you to comment again. I am no super hero. By no means. This post was meant to be an easy holiday post. Turned out to be a lot more work than I anticipated.
Greetings!
Thank you for this lovely post! How generous of you to share even more of yourself with us. You seem like a wonderful person and I can imagine how people would want to share more life with you.
The internet, like tv, creates an odd sense of familiarity with the people we view through the screen. People (the viewers) often develop a sense of…ownership about those they follow through the screen and it’s not always rational. The idea of having strangers, who only know the parts of me I’m willing to broadcast, wanting to come inside my life is unsettling. Of course, as an introvert, socializing during non-work occasions, i.e., when I don’t HAVE to, is usually not something I leapt at doing.
Good luck handling your hordes of fans (I’m one!)! If you ever, come to the southern east coast of the US, call me and we can have lunch and sightsee together. 🙂
I will definitely get in touch when I come to the southern east coast of the US, but don’t get your hopes up too high. Not planning anything.
Your compliments made me blush. You are right, I am not broadcasting everything. And I have only talked about my flaws in a way which make them seem acceptable haha. Not such a wonderful person as you might think. I never thought this post would create so much respons. Gosh.
Okaay, just how alike we? You, young(ish!) [sorry x] and Dutch and me, crone, stubborn, sneaky, bloody minded – and a Brit! Hey, what’s not to love?!
Could we possibly be soul sisters, despite the age gap? Let me count the ways, as a far better writer once rote (sic)….
Impatient? You bet.
A nagger? Come on!
Upbringing? Loving but very strict. And thus restricting at times. Still fighting that occasionally. But repeat, a loving upbringing with good intentions.
Like you, I hate injustice and that and internal anger go hand in hand. And again, like you, I neither watch nor read upsetting films/books. I can well do without any extra angst overload, thanks very much.
I don’t like spiders either and keep an Old Fossil (husband!) handy to deal with them for me. BUT, I did once handle a tarantula! (Ah, maybe that’s why I have white hair!)
Laughter, love, family and friends again go hand in hand. All very important to me and all very precious and cherished.
You know, I really should have found time to stop off on the way home from Poland. You wouldn’t have found me scary. Really.
Or would you?…..
Luv
Gee
PS Love the clogs!
As for differences: well, I like your style my dear, but if I dressed like you you’d fall over laughing – not good for either knee! But vive la difference, eh?
I just loved your comment and wish you had stop off on your way from Poland. But if you still live in the UK, then The Netherlands is not very far…. just saying. I am impressed about the tarantula. The white hair might indeed have come from that. So scary.
Loved this! I’m a lot like you in several things; thanks for sharing.
ALSO love your flats in the picture, where did you buy them?
Thank for your comment. I suppose my blog attracts like-minded people. It was my pleasure to share. The flats in the first picture, als simple blue ballet flats with a round nose from Tommy Hilfiger. They are quite a few years old and made of fabric, not leather. They look different in the picture because of the angle of my feet.
I am sorry Becky, that isn’t true. Those flats are not Tommy Hilfiger but Jan Jansen, a famous Dutch shoe designer. You can see them better in this post:
https://www.nofearoffashion.com/2016/10/16/comfortable-clothes-for-the-brocante-market-at-chatou/
But I don’t think you can buy them anymore. They are several years old and Jan Jansen shoes are not easy to find.
What a wonderful post. You are so brave to share yourself with us every week. Now I love you even more! And Ron too! You are obviously great together.
Here I am reading all these comments and I am a bit overwhelmed. Never thought this post would “do” much, but the comments keep coming in. So nice. And all so lovely, like yours is. It isn’t so much bravery as it is in my character. I am very open, sharing everything. Up to a point where people say “Too much information Greetje”.
What a wonderful post, and I love that you won’t kill the bugs that scare you.
Thanks Mary Ellen. I made this post because I had the idea that in summer probably won’t read my blog. So I shouldn’t put too much effort in it. Which, however I did haha.
This is marvelous, thank you so much for sharing all of this about you, Greetje. This is you at your most vulnerable, and I’m in awe of your strength!
Love the older pictures – aw, wee Charlie!
The funny thing about me being open Sheila, is that I don’t feel the slightest bit vulnerable. Nobody can blackmail me as everybody knows everything about me. And nobody has ever been nasty about me being open. Sometimes I get a remark: “Too much information Greetje”. To which I reply: “You ain’t seen nothing yet kiddo. Brace yourself.” But that is about all. I will admit that people who have never met me before, sometimes (often?) are shocked haha. My directness scares the hell out of them.
I’m a pretty direct person too – I like to tell people, “I’m open in a shallow way.” I’ll tell you all kinds of stuff about me, but I don’t get really deep with too many people. Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments!
1. There is a Fluevog store in Amsterdam! https://www.fluevog.com/stores/amsterdam/ – stop whining about not having good shoes!
2. I”m a delicate fucking flower! Ha! I have the socks: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cJSUecQdtTc/WJeM4u6-jWI/AAAAAAAAwCI/Sp9-MbiZRUoG7_xTny530Z1H8v1A2yUZwCLcB/s640/socks.jpg. You have to come back to Canada! You were one of my favourite people at the blogger meet-up. We would get up to many shenanigans if we lived closer!
3. The shoes you were drooling over are still available: https://www.fluevog.com/shop/4620-kendra-grey-floral – go pop into your new Amsterdam store and check them out!
OOOhhhh thank you so much. And I love to come back to Vancouver. Might take a while, but I will certainly not rule it out. Now onwards to the Fluevog store.
Well I did know about you being direct and loving to laugh! Two of the things I like best! And your love of stopping for a coffee, any time, any place. 😉 You and Ron are so cute together.
Yes, Ron and I were cute, right? That is indeed another one of my quirks: stopping for coffee. As you say any time. And any place where they serve good cappuccino.
I love these kind of posts! I’m always fascinated by people’s quirks. You have plenty, which is why I like you so much! Well, that and the directness… The spiders thing really impresses me; I love that you still face it head on. I’m so glad that your relationship with Nicky eventually changed; that is hard on a family, as i know from experience. love to you, lovely xxx
I haven’t really listed my quirks (yet) haha. Like I used to whistle at good looking men the way they do. Or recently when I spotted a handsome man in the corridor of our office, I asked him “whether he was lost and if he really was, that he could come home with me” haha. He liked the joke.
That was my flirting quirk. Next time another one.
Greetje: I really enjoyed this post, esp the last entry about finally having a good relationship with your stepdaughter as an adult. Many ‘steps’ suffer in silence, so great to read about an eventual success.
We Poles share many of your attributes..impatience, anger at unyielding technology, love…
However, if I even venture your way (from Houston TX), I would love to meet for a beverage!
That’s a date then Carol. You never know. And yes I was both surprised and very happy when the relationship with Nicky turned 180 degrees. Never expected it to. Never give up hope and always be yourself and try to do what is best for the three of us (in our case).