This post will only be a little bit about the anchor print blouse and a lot about the house of an inventor. You see, the father of our friend Arine sadly died recently and she and her brother and sister have to clear out their parent’s home. Arine’s dad is Lou Ottens, a famous inventor who invented the compact cassette while working at Philips.
As his house is filled with science stuff and quirky experimental things, Arine asked my husband Ron whether he would be interested to have a look around. Everything was already sorted with the family and the things that were left were of no interest to them, but might be for someone like Ron.
WOULD HE BE INTERESTED??? I stopped him from jumping in the car immediately and scheduled a trip a couple of days later.
I decided to make a ‘documentary’ of our trip with the outfit of secondary importance. So brace yourself, you are about to see a lot of photos and I have absolutely no idea whether this ‘documentary’ will interest you at all.
Below: Before we left, I asked Ron to take a few photos of my outfit with the anchor print blouse, to have at least one or two outfit photos. The blouse is by Malene Birger, from 2013. I keep clothes that are really good and I think this blouse is. The boyfriend jeans are by G-Star Raw, the boots by a Dutch brand, Paul Noyen. The little silk scarf I got from kpa.haarlem. Dog Watson was photobombing.
Below: The house of Arine’s dad is a bungalow in the woods that was built in the sixties. Not a bad place to live if you like peace and quiet (as you know I don’t).
Below: We started in the garage.
Below: A toy that the inventor made for his children.
Below: A wooden boat! The things you find in an old garage.
Below: Ron found a fez and imitated the British comedian Tommy Cooper, famous for his fez.
Below: I loved this ship with the battered old sails. It is a ghost ship.
Below: We went over to the stables. There had not been any horses in there since Arine’s mum and dad bought the house, but the previous owners had them.
Below: Now, lots of planks and books were stored in the stables. Ron found this hockey stick, just the thing for his gentlemen’s club (as he calls his upstairs room in our house).
Below: Three photos that won’t interest you a bit as you don’t know these people haha, but I will show them anyway. Ron and Arine discussing all sort of things. Apparently it was funny.
Below: Meanwhile Doctor Watson was running around, having a great time. We had to stop him from digging holes in the grass and from walking into the overgrown pond.
Below: He was a happy dog, certainly after he found a ball. He is not really allowed to play with tennis balls as they are sooo bad for their teeth, but for only 15 minutes, it won’t be that harmful.
Below: This bust is a gift to Lou Ottens from his fraternity for his 80th birthday in 2006. It is the Roman goddess Minerva. Click on the link and read all about who Minerva was and what she represented.
Below: Great thing to lean on if you don’t know what to do with your hands. Because it was a rainy day, I had put on my hat (I swore I would never put a hat on my head ever again) and took out the vintage trench raincoat I had bought two years ago. Looks pretty cool like this, don’t you think? Only I never wear my coats open. What’s the point of a (rain) coat if your body and clothes are exposed to the elements anyway?
Below: This is what the coat looked like buttoned up and with the belt tightened. This is what you get with big boobs, a short torso and hardly any waist. I was so appalled when I saw this photo, that I immediately took off the coat when we got home and I gave it to somebody with the right body shape.
Below: After I loosened the belt a bit, it was better, but then it made me look verry narrow. The flowers on the bush are pretty though.
Below: I decided it was time to take a nice photo of Arine, who, like most people (women?), hates having her photo taken. And really there is no reason for that. She is a lovely woman, inside and out.
Below: And she has the nicest laugh. Wholeheartedly.
Below: We went inside to check out the boxes with quirky things. I really should have taken this tiny bingo thing home to my mum. She loves playing bingo haha.
Below: I was smitten by the simple design of this clock, until Arine told me the ticking of the clock was very loud and very annoying. Hmm…better not then.
Below: You are about to see a couple of photos of ‘the useless box’. I will explain how it works. You switch the lever on the right side, then the left side of the box opens and a little perspex finger appears, pushing the lever back to off. A truly useless box haha. It came with us.
Below: See the perspex ‘finger’ appearing?
Below: The mechanism.
Below: I tried two pairs of old glasses of Arine’s mum. They didn’t suit me.
Below: But I did like these sunglasses. They are very ‘en vogue’ (I think).
Below: I couldn’t resist this vase, sculpted on paint brushes. So cool.
Below: This vase is made with Lego, some sort of promotion thing for French florists, years back. Quaint.
Below: During all this looking, laughing, ohhs and ahhs…we had coffee and scrumptious home-made apple pie. Arine is a good cook. She effortlessly whipped up a delicious dinner for 5 out of nowhere.
Below: I loved this as well. They are a bunch of wires you can twist into any shape, like this skeleton.
Below: Arine’s daughter and her boyfriend arrived and as I took their photo, I thought “What’s that thing hanging from the ceiling?”
Below: It is a witch, handmade by Arine and her siblings as a present for their parents. They were small children at that time and loved crafting things.
Below: Doctor Watson was mesmerized by the squirrels. There were three of them running around, making him tremble with excitement.
It was a lovely day, spent with lovely people.
What happened in my life this week
We saw the newly built house of our friends Marcel and Maurits. It is nearly finished, lovely and big. They have great taste, so I cannot wait to see the house when it is all done and decorated. It was nice weather that day and they brought food and drinks for an improvised picnic in the place that had to become their garden.
Another milestone in our life: we have air-conditioning installed in our bedroom. It made me giggle as the temperatures have been pretty low this spring. But who knows? We might be very thankful in a couple of months.
I paid another visit to Marianne as she received her online order of a new wheelchair; one to travel with outdoors. She has a motorized one for in the house. As I often am the one who ‘chauffeurs’ Marianne, she wanted to be sure it would fit in my car and that it would be lighter/handier than the one she has got. As this was the whole point of ordering a new one. I had said to her once, that as years go by, a time would come that I wouldn’t be able to lift that thing in my car. She had ordered a beauty: lighter and nearly everything came off in a very easy way, like the wheels. It even fitted in my boot if I removed the window shelf. Saves me rearranging the back seats of my car to get a loading surface.
Below: Marianne in a cute blue shirt.
Below: Nice embellishment on the collar.
Below: I wore this outfit and decided the vintage necklace was cute but had to go. I want to become a bit more sophisticated. (Probably the effect of reading all the style books Sylvia of 40+Style gave me). (Link to original post where I have a pink cat brooch on the jumper. I like that more.) Ron however, really liked this outfit and the necklace. Hmmm…
Wednesday was a beautiful day and I spent some time in the garden in my new bikini.
Below: I put this photo on Instagram and Ron said he thought it was a hideous photo and that my boobs looked huge. Well, there is reality for you haha. At least the wart-like thing disappeared beautifully after the doctor’s treatment.
Below: In the meantime we have these peonies to admire in the house.
Thursday was another glorious day. In the morning we walked Watson by the seaside, had cappuccino and apple pie on the beach and in the afternoon visited our friends Georg and Marla. Who said retirement was rotten?
Friday I went into town for some errands, had coffee with a shop owner I have known for years. And my neighbour Ina, from across the road, came round for a cup of tea in the garden. All in all, a relaxed and fun day.
Below: I wore this outfit on Friday (see original post) and Ron said he thought it was rather matronly. I was trying to do elegant and/or sophisticated. According to the style books Sylvia gave me, the outfit below could meet the criteria elegant and sophisticated. It is also a side of me, but Ron prefers my colour outfits.
Below: And I really liked these Lara Design earrings with this outfit. (A bit of a bad hair day.)
We’ll see how I will get on, stylewise.
Greetje
I would have been racing to the car just like Ron in order to have a look around at your friend’s father’s house. I love looking through other people’s stuff, especially when they have cool stuff like this. The vases are wonderful, and I would have taken the useless box home too. Nice to hear that Watson got to enjoy the outing too!
I also agree with Ron about the pink and green outfit – I love it, and the necklace works well with the playful vibe. I do not agree with his opinion that you looked “matronly” in that last outfit, but we are all entitled to our opinion 🙂
You must like estate sales then. They have those in Canada right? I often heard Suzanne Carillo talk about them. I would love to visit an estate sale but they don’t have that in the Netherlands.
I value Ron’s opinion as he is often right and I know why he thinks it is matronly. But I disagree. If I had worn my silver pumps it would have been better though.
What an adventure going through someone’s semi treasures. I thought first of all “ art projects’. I know you have found art in your country. An artist would have so much inspiration in that barn. Just yesterday I gave away some old things to a group raising money to restore an old home as a community gathering place. I saw some of their other donations they were pricing for an online rummage sale an auction. So much fun and for a good cause.
You lead an interesting band varied lifestyle a great example for retired people, actually for everyone. Bravo!
Oh thanks Jill. I thought my retired life was rather boring apart from the times I meet friends. On the other hand I have only found 4 days boring in this past, restricted year, so that is not too bad.
What a fun, varied post. BTW, there’s some sad news about our mutual friend Suzanne; it’s reported on my blog.
Thanks for the feedback on this post Ally. And I emailed Suzanne.
What a wonderful way to spend a day! I love sorting things out—some friends think I’m weird that way lol! I could quite easily go through other people’s belongings and sort them out for a living. That 60s bungalow looks amazing and in such a lovely spot with a gorgeous garden.
I love that photo of you in the hat, Greetje!
Hugs
Suzy xx
I love sorting things out too. I am always jealous of Americans who have estate sales to go to. I would love to go but there are none in the Netherlands.
The sorting of the buttons was something I enjoyed a lot too. A bit like the Memory game.
Funny you like me in the hat as I am not too fond of it.
Enjoyed the photos of your treasure hunt through the house in the woods. Interesting the things we collect during our lives. It’s also fun to see Ron and Watson and your friends. When you mention walking on the beach, I always feel “AAH.” We live so far from any beach! As for your fashion, I think you look great.
Thanks for the feedback on the post Linda. Now I know I can do more.
Walking on the beach is something I have done so many times, it is of no great interest to me. I always lived near a beach. It is like the tulip fields: when it is near you don’t realize or appreciate it that much. Shame on me.
What a fun post, Greetje! I would love to go poking around in someone’s house, looking for fun items – how nice that you were invited to do so! Ron looks great in the fez, although it needs a new tassel on it.
Clothes! I love your anchor blouse and so agree, that you need to keep useful good quality things for a long time. I like you in the hat, but I agree on the trenchcoat. I do not “get” the whole love for these boring beige things. I like a longer waist on my belted coats, to help accommodate “the girls”. I love your green and pink outfit, and I like the necklace with it. I disagree with “matronly”, Ron! But I do think you could do better with some bright shoes instead of black ones.
I saw one of those “Useless Boxes” in the movie “Tenet”, I think it was. Marianne’s blue boots are awesome, and you look fabulous in your bathing suit!
I am not so sure about the hat. There is no great love between me and the hat. I now have a wide green trench coat which is shorter and I think it suits me much better.
Yes, me and modern shoes, it is still a struggle. I doubt whether I look fabulous in my bathing suit, but thank you for the compliment haha.
Oh, Ron …. so wrong … The shoes elevate your black and white outfit far above matronly! I think I’m in love 🙂 I definitely want to get all dressed up with high heels!
You and all my other readers disagree with Ron heh heh. I did get a tip of another reader to perhaps wear more modern shoes with the outfit and I think that is a very good tip.
Looking at the boat and all the things in the garage, I thought what a mess to clean up. But, fun for others to rummage through. Having just helped out a friend do the same for her parent’s things,I know it takes a lot of time to divest of our accumulations. I wish your friend “good Luck”
I love all your outfits. I had to laugh at how the closed raincoat accentuated all the wrong proportions of your body. The way you dress, I never realized you had a short waist Smart to give it away immediately.
This was a fun post. Do more like this when the opportunity arises.
Fortunately my friend and her siblings have already done most of the work. She invited us to rummage through the stuff they were throwing out. It was nice to know you aren’t taking something home they would have liked to keep themselves.
Me and my with short torso is something I only found out at the age of 66, can you believe it? I should have invested more time in discovering all the bits of my body. I only knew the obvious ones.
It takes a photo to see whether the clothes suit you or not. Somebody else is now very happy with the coat. Great way of recycling.
Thank you for your feedback on the post. I sure will do more if possible as I love telling stories.
A very nice blouse and I love that scarf on your neck. And, of course, see you in your jeans. I really like your look with the raincoat and hat, it is a fun, original and elegant look at the same time.
Today’s report about that house, located in the middle of nature and full of interesting things, is very interesting.
Today there are many close-ups, some more beautiful than others, the huge glasses do not seduce me. In the others, you look pretty.
I fully agree with you, the photos with the big old-fashioned glasses are not pretty photos of me. But I don’t always have to look pretty, it is all about telling a story for me.
And I also like reality as there is enough fake in the world. Glad you liked this different post.
The house of your friend’s Dad reminds me of a typical NZ home – feeling somewhat homesick at present 😉
Love your pink and green outfit and had to laugh at Ron’s comment about your photo – can always trust our dear husbands not to bother to mince their words – smile.
Have a wonderful week!
xo Yvonne
http://www.funkyforty.com
Ah poor dear. Homesick. You haven’t been to NZ for a long time of course.
Ron is a pretty good stylist, but he is not always right. So I listen to him carefully and then make up my mind whether I think he is right or not.
Hope you can travel again soon.
Enjoyed the photos of the house and all the interesting things – I love a “sticky beak” into other people’s lives!
Also really liked the black and white outfit – very elegant.
Thanks for the feedback and for teaching me another expression (sticky beak) haha. And I am glad you agree with me that the black and white outfit is elegant.
What kind of dog is Watson? He looks like a shaggier English Setter – SO cute!
He is cute and very kind. To people and to other animals. Although he likes playing with my cat, who interprets this as an attack haha.
Watson is a Korthals Griffon. A certain Dutch fellow called Korthals, imported griffons from France and breeded them to an all-round hunting dog.
I just love love love the black and white outfit! Ron sorry you are wrong! Very sophisticated! nice with the new bag
Hah!! I so agree with you Linda. It was the French look I went for. Another reader suggested I might wear more modern shoes with it and I think that is a very good tip.
The black and white outfit is “ tres chic” and a must in your wardrobe! Simplicity at its best. Certainly, the ‘less is more’ genre.
Interesting and fun findings at your friends house. I’m always amused by other peoples quirky knick-knacks collections!
I agree with disposing of your trench coat. Not flattering!
The green jumper is a great color for you and the necklace is fun but not “a must”.
Lots of cappuccinos and sweets to go sound divine. I get fat though just thinking about it!
Fun outing for Watson as well. Oh, those intriguing squirrels. They live in my garden as well with tons of blue jays to make it interesting. We lost out little pooch, Benny, a couple of weeks ago at 16 yrs. of age. Missing him badly, I grieved for a few days not being able to focus on anything!! A beloved member of the family. The house without him is not quite the same anymore.
Thank you for the photos of your day with your friends. Your outfits are lovely. A treat for my eyes.
And thank you for taking the time to give me this feedback. I wasn’t so sure whether you would like it or not. It is great to hear you enjoyed the post.
Usually I am not very good at ‘less is more’ but I also think I did well with the black and white outfit.
I made somebody very happy with my raincoat, so it found a good home. I always like to know whether my clothes make somebody happy.
The necklace on the green jumper might get a second chance on another outfit, but it has a childish vibe.
My weight has gone up as well. Very few women our age get away with eating so many cakes and stay thin.
I am very sorry to hear about the death of your dog. Having lost our previous dog two years ago, I can vividly remember the pain and the tears. You have to go through it and it will get better, but it is not a fun time.
As everyone else has said, Ron is wrong about that outfit. You look elegant and sophisticated! And I love the tour 🙂
I really enjoyed your “documentary ” today. So interesting to see inside an inventor’s house. I, like Ron, would have grabbed my car keys as soon as I heard about it! The exterior of his house looks so peaceful and open to the outdoors. Thank you for sharing your visit. I enjoy especially seeing the places you show us. I’ve never been to The Netherlands, and it’s great to experience it this way.
So glad you liked this post. I wasn’t at all sure about it. I have to say, I love this kind of treasure hunting as well. On the other hand you feel like you are imposing because the reason you are there is because her father died. She was cool about it. And I love sharing my life through this blog. The Netherlands is a very flat country with many people living here, so space, land, ground is precious.
Thank you for your feedback Cynthia. I now know that I shouldn’t have worried about this different kind of post. And I agree with your disagreeing with Ron haha.
The last outfit is typical French effortless chic. Don’t agree with Ron on that one but I do love your colourful things too. What an amazing experience clearing the house – he had some amazing things. And a sense of humour too by the looks of things. Also wanted to say ypur tulip photos last week were breathtaking – I didn’t have time to comment but thought they were amazing. Have a great week!
Thanks for this feedback Liz. Colourful photos always attrack more people than pastels. So the tulip photos were very easy to ‘score’ with.
I agree with you in disagreeing with Ron about the last outfit. I thought it was pretty French as well. I did however got a tip from a reader saying that I might consider more modern shoes with it. And I think that is an excellent tip.
Wrong, Ron, sorry to say. Love the last outfit.
You’re a visual storyteller.
As usual – you look great! I love how you wear many different style and looks. I also agree that the long coat had to go even though it looked great open. Maybe a more fitted single breast long trench?
Sometimes I get asked what my style is and I always answer: “all over the place”. As I like a dress as much as baggy jeans. The coat is now much appreciated by somebody else, which is what I call recycling.
I have bought a green, wider model which comes to my knees and I like it very much. I also still have a very chic white trench. Every time I look at it, I think: “A white coat? What were you thinking??”
Hah… my readers are unanimous in this. Ron is wrong and the outfit is elegant. I got one good tip: wear more modern shoes with the outfit. Good one.
And I don’t know whether I am a visual storyteller, but I am most certainly a storyteller.
I appreciate your posts every Sunday, both for your outfits and the news in your life, as well as for the gorgeous pictures of everything Nederlands. Having been born in Nederland, your pictures touch a special place in my heart.
I read, recently, of the death of Lou Ottens in our area newspaper, and I also believe I heard him spoken of on our national radio station CBC. How nice to get a more personal insight into his very creative life. (I live in Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦)
With a name like yours, you can only be Dutch haha. Johanna is my second name.
Lou Ottens was indeed world famous, so it doesn’t surprise me that his death was mentioned even in Canada.
He not only invented the compact cassette, he also shared his invention with other companies like Sony. Which is of course highly irregular. Usually inventions are kept a secret. Because he didn’t do that, the compact cassette got so huge. He was also a kind man.
I can hear that he was a kind man indeed.
What an interesting post and slice of life. I love the last outfit and must disagree with Ron. It does look elegant and sophisticated. You look good in black and white as an occasional change from all your colors. Also love the green and pink one, especially the shoes. You seem to live a life that nurtures your friendships and family. Good for you. Dog Watson looks happy and adventuresome. Thanks, Greetje for a lovely and interesting post.
See?? My readers agree with me: the black and white outfit is elegant. Hah.
Yes, I do nurture friendships and family. They mean so much to me. It is always fun to meet them.
Thank you for letting me know you appreciated the post. I wasn’t sure.
Love the “documentary” of your tour. I really enjoy rummaging through quirky things as well. At this point in my life, I’m trying to get rid of things rather than accumulate them , so a vicarious look is perfect.
Also love Marianne’s pale blue boots and your green ankle straps.
Have a great week!
I agree. My husband was so excited and I was afraid we would have even more stuff in his room. But I get his excitement and didn’t want to spoil it.
Marianne always looks so good. She is very stylish. Her daughter is a stylist by profession and she must get that from her mum.
My green ankle strap shoes are by Marks & Spencer. Total surprise for me.
Enjoyed your pictures of the house in the woods….I did like the colors of your green and pink outfit also the black with the stripe top. I also thought the pictutres with your hair behind your ears was very becoming.
I am very glad you enjoyed this post which is quite different from the previous ones. And I am pleased you like me with my hair behind my ears. Another photo Ron thought I shouldn’t post. He is a darling and has great styling taste, but he cannot be right about everything.
Hello, you…
Nice outfits, one and all, especially the Friday one. Ron-Ron is SO wrong, it does not make you look matronly! Rather, it’s the look you were aiming for: elegant and/or sophisticated. But, please leave off the little scarf in the first set of pictures, it’s too, too much.
What fun having a rummage through Arine’s Dad’s shed: that ship, that box! Ariadne! Other people’s stuff is sooo interesting, isn’t it? As for the house (bungalow?), love that too. Just right for a country lover, but not you, I know.
Have a good week x
I agree with you, Ron is wrong. I am going for elegant/sophisticated how I see fit. The little scarf in the first set of pictures was to mask my long neck/wide neck blouse.
Not everybody elses stuff is interesting, but we thought they had a lot of nice things.
Enjoyed your post and the photos of the house and your friends.
Oh thank you, especially for letting me know.