Shopping together as a group of friends (Shopping Saturday girls) is of course not possible. But meeting in Corona times isn’t impossible in the Netherlands and we’ve missed each other. The three of us therefore decided to get takeaway coffee, kept the appropriate distance and did not hug or touch each other (or touch stuff the others had touched).
It was not that easy but we managed. We met near Anke’s place in Amsterdam.
Below: After getting the coffee on the corner at marvellous Vascobelo café, carefully not touching it, we found a spot to put our folding chairs. The girls had on new dresses and I regretted not having put on a dress as well. It didn’t seem clever as I thought I was going to hold Anke’s baby daughter. What was I thinking? No hugging, no holding, no touching, only distance.
Below: Anke in her new dress, lovely subtle leopard print.
Below: Sabine in an adorable floral dress by ba&sh.
After we sat there for an hour, blissfully undisturbed, Anke had to go home as her husband was taking their first daughter for a walk in the stroller. It was also time to feed daughter number 2. We didn’t feel like saying goodbye yet and worked out a safe way to enter Anke’s garden and not touching anything. As it happened, daughter number 2 slept right on for another hour.
Below: While Anke was looking to see whether the baby was awake, I took photos of Sabine. She is a very good model, not afraid to assume a pose.
Below: Anke seated comfortably with a rug on the chair. Sabine had fetched a second takeaway coffee.
Below: As I couldn’t give my camera to Sabine, she took some photos of me with her iPhone. Otherwise it is as if I wasn’t there. Posing is still not that easy for me, I like to hold on to something, so I grabbed the vase on the garden table.
Below: Sabine, enjoying herself.
Below: Anke again (I am afraid there isn’t much difference in Anke’s photos, sorry). They recently completed a very large renovation of their house. The garden is a project for a later date; for now it is a children’s dream to play in.
Below: And me, checking the photos Sabine just sent me.
This isn’t a new outfit. Loyal readers have seen it in this post, but I am hoping you cannot remember that.
What happened in my life this week
Saturday. A lovely get-together with Nicky and Randolf (stepdaughter and boyfriend) at Ron’s allotment garden. We were very, very careful and kept distance at all times.
I said “pretty please” to Ron for blog photos, which is why I wore a highly inappropriate outfit for a garden, high heels and all. You will have to wait for pictures.
My future son-in-law thought of buying flowers for ‘stepmother-in-law-day’ haha. Very sweet. They go very well in our colourful living room.
Sunday. I cleaned drawers and kitchen cabinets, so I wore clothes which could get dirty without me crying. No photo.
I forgot to mention last week that I received a parcel through the mail from a group of former colleagues. In it were cute little roses and a big card. They wrote that they miss me and my laugh and decided to surprise me with this. Well, they certainly did. It really warms my heart. Such kindness.
Monday. It took me a long time to do my exercises and bike tour. I was dragging my feet as I didn’t feel like it at all. I hate sport and exercises; it is a good thing I am so disciplined. After I was finally ready, I wore this to cheer me up. Link to original post with the flared trousers. I changed the belt (more modern) and the white top (this one fits me properly). It is an outfit I really like.
Tuesday. I wore a new outfit and Ron kindly photographed it. Photos will follow in a separate blog post at a later date, darlings.
To show you that I really do wear the clothes which I am showing you the different days of the week, here is some proof. The Saturday in the post two weeks ago, I wore my pink trousers with the bright yellow blouse. I threw on a poncho from Hope Fashion UK to go to the florist as the wind was fierce. When I got back, one of my neighbours wanted to photograph me and sent me this photo later. The colour of the poncho is nearly exactly the same as the trousers.
Wednesday. Again it took me forever to do my exercises and bike tour. That is because I get distracted by social media, my book or because I do some shopping when I am out on my bike. Before you know it, it is half past 2 before my hair is washed and I am properly dressed. This must change as I am wasting my life away. Anyhow, this is what I was wearing. Link to the original post (chicer version).
Thursday. To the allotment garden with Ron in the morning. We had to be back around noon for the guy who cleaned our awnings (I learned that this is how they are called). Only he didn’t show up, very strange. In the evening we heard he had been in a car accident but he was fine again and would come on Friday, which he didn’t. And he doesn’t answer his phone. That is getting annoying now.
Thursday in the afternoon I had an appointment with the pedicure YAY.
Picked up the sewing jobs my seamstress had done. Wore this outfit. Difference with the original outfit is that the belt is knotted at the back and I am wearing different boyfriend jeans, the legs of which I should have turned up more (link to post):
Friday. My appointment with the hairdresser was moved forward to this day. Another YAY. I was wearing a nice black top with a ruffle, but you cannot see it (the original post shows the details). What you can see is before and after the haircut.
To be frank, I like my hair longer, but I seem to be the only one. If I do wear it longer, it needs to be cut differently at the back because it started to look like this (also what my hair looks like when I don’t “fluff it up” for a blog photo; my goodness, it is getting so thin):
Over to pretty flowers again. The gerberas which I got last Saturday started to break. The smart thing to do with flowers that are past their prime time, is to cut them short. The shorter the better. Like this, you will keep them for another 4 or more days.
Till next week.
Greetje
How lovely that you were able to meet up with Sabine and Anke. I still wear my pink Hope poncho! It looks fab with the matching pink trousers and yellow shirt. I’m intrigued by the black and white boots peeking out from under the jeans, very unusual! I’m guilty of wasting time on social media too…I get so easily distracted!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
That poncho is a good one, right? If you want to see more of the black and white boots, you should click through to the original post. I am showing them there in full. They are by Fluevog, a Canadian brand which I discovered when I went to Vancouver for a bloggers meeting. (They have them all over the world, not just in London haha)
Lovely photos of your meeting and your friends look so gorgeous in their cute dresses and you rock in your summery outfit too! (I have a weakness for these cool sneakers!)
And you look so fabulous in these boot-cut trousers/jeans and beautiful jackets!, gorgeous!. I admire that you style white color so nicely!
Lovely hotpink poncho and trousers ensemble, really cool!
besos
Yes, I do have stylish friends. I am glad you are enjoying my posts as that is my primary goal with this blog: to entertain people. Through clothes and stories, always cheerful. There is enough bad news on TV and in the papers. My blog must be the opposite.
I love all your outfits – you are so good at just simple cuts and colours, with each of your pieces being very good quality. I recognize those black and white shoes!! 🙂
My hair is like yours – it does better with lots of layers to keep it full. I also would recommend Bumble & Bumble’s beach spray line. I use their beach spray regularly, plus I also found a spray mousse beachy spray by them – that’s how I was able to puff my hair into a bouffant!
This new kind of social distancing takes getting used to – people want to be closer to each other! I have the feeling we’ll be getting a lot of practice doing this for a long time, though, sigh.
I think you are right Sheila, we will probably get a lot of practice in not being close to each other. I have found some gel stuff for men (although it is pink haha) which is awesome for fluffing up my hair. And of course I use a volume spray mousse before I start blowdrying. And some other stuff after that is done. Bumble & Bumble is something I have never heard of.
My styling is indeed simpler than yours, but that is also because I am more conservative. But not as conservative as most haha. We are all different thank God.
It’s lovely that you were able to meet up with your friends Anke and Sabine, even if things weren’t straightforward with social distancing and not touching anything. One actually has to think and be careful all the time, which can be a bit exhausting.
I am so glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t like sports or exercising, but unlike you, I hardly ever make the effort. In normal times, I do a lot of walking, but we weren’t allowed to go anywhere by car for weeks here in Belgium, and there isn’t much around here where we can walk. Now that we’re allowed again, I should make more of an effort. Love the flowers you got and yay to a hairdresser’s appointment. I have one for June 3. xxx
I have a lot of discipline Ann plus I see what exercise does for my body and for keeping my weight down. That is my motivation. But again, I do have a character with a lot of discipline which helps. No discipline however when it comes to shopping haha. Now that my income is far less, I will have to learn this. Better late than never.
Yes Greetje love all your fab outfits and your friends, a lovely stylish group of ladies! In UK our hairdressers arent open, I have thinning hair but for the last 15 years have had a few extensions to give it body and it works great (for me!) but is expensive. Your flowers are lovely, its so nice to just hear about someone elses way of life, I’m retired 5 years and do my hair and make up as soon as I get up in the morning but after that I waste mch time on social media and reading – and I dont know what else I do but the time goes fast.x
Same here Linda, social media and reading and the day is gone. Still loving it though. I am very interested in your extensions. I have investigated that, but because I don’t need longer hair but thicker hair, especially on top of my head I haven’t found anything that would suit me. You would see the fastening of the extensions as soon as there is a little bit of wind.
You do a great job dressing really nice. But it looks like you’re still out and about so have reason to dress up. Since most everything here is still closed I’m staying mostly inside. And when I go out, I’m in sport clothes. Leaving soon, so my house is a complete mess and everything I still can take packed in 2 suitcases. Look forward to distance meet you soon!
I can totally understand your point of view on dressing up now. If I were in your situation, I would probably do the same. I also dress up when I have nowhere to go but I go and walk to the plastic waste container then haha.
I’m so envious that you were able to get your hair done! My hair is thinning, too, and I find keeping it shorter makes it look a bit thicker. Or maybe it’s the layers my hairdresser adds? Anyway, it’s been three months since my last cut and I’m looking pretty scroungy! Still, I may wait awhile, even when the hair salons here reopen, to make an appointment. My husband is older and we are being extra careful.
Your bright colors feel especially cheerful during this pandemic and I’m really loving the green of that jacket and the jumper last week. It is a color that is not easy to find in the U.S.
With me the layers are definitely what makes my hair look thicker. She cuts a short(er) layer underneath the top layer to give it more support. My last haircut was on the 23rd of February so pretty overdue. It is a good thing you are extra careful as I didn’t feel safe at all at the hairdressers. There are a lot of rules they just cannot follow.
I know green is not an easy colour to find. Not anywhere in retail. Not in clothes, not with cars and not with furniture. There is a retail saying you will lose money when you stock green. (In Duth it rhymes.) Then when green finally hit the clothes stores a few years ago, it was more petrol, which looks aweful on me. So whenever I see something green in my shade and shape, I will certainly buy it. (I find that the colour red isn’t easy to find either.)
Oh Greetje! You all look fabulous! I want to come out and hang out with you!
xo Eva
My friends always make an effort with clothes. Probably the mutual thing that started our bond haha. By now the friendship is much deeper.
It looks like you had a lovely time with your friends. I love all of your outfits. You always look so classy. Hopefully you will be able to hold your friend’s baby soon. Stay safe. – Amy
http://stylingrannymama.com/
We did have a great time, even though it was only for two hours. Any get-together in these days is good even though heavily restricted.
Hi Greetje, you looking well. I also like your hair longer but did not want to be rude and say so, but now you have I can 🙂 Love that green blazer, looks like a great shade. All your flowers are gorgeous.
Oh Lise, what you consider rude is soooo normal in the Netherlands. We are such a direct people. You can always say to me what you think. I know you mean well and aren’t out to offend me. I am glad I found at least one person who agrees with me on the longer hair haha.
The green jacket I call my Kermit jacket but it is actually pretty bright green with more yellow than blue in the mix.