From the minute I spotted this blue and white top in March 2020, I loved it and it hasn’t disappointed me since. It is from Essentiel Antwerp, as is the silver belt. You have seen it before in this post with white trousers and silver high heels and in this post with jeans and white (somewhat high) heels. For loyal readers it will come as no surprise that I love the outfits with the high heels. Yet, if you are going to stroll around Amsterdam, high heels are impossible (for me). So I teamed the top with my yellow trousers and put on my kitten-soft shoes by Fratelli Rossetti. You happened to see them last week as well.
Until I saw the photos, I didn’t know these trousers creased so much. Bummer. You saw them before with a long white summer jumper and sneakers and (my favourite) with a multi-coloured shirt and purple high heels.
Anyhow…Ron suggested to do the shoot in Amsterdam near the ‘Magere brug’, translated: the ‘Skinny bridge’. He told me the story behind the original bridge across the water (the Amstel). Two rich sisters lived opposite each other, each on the other side of the water and visited each other every day. It meant they had to detour a long way before they could cross. To solve this annoyance, they asked the city council whether they could install a bridge across the water if they paid for it. They got the permission and had a bridge built that was the width of one person. After all, either the sister from one side would visit or the other one would. No need to make it wider.
Below: This skinny bridge is replaced by this bridge but kept its name.
Below: It was a very windy day.
Below: Before we got to the bridge we took some shots near a houseboat. The owner allowed us to stand on the gangway to his boat.
Below: As we walked along the canals to the Skinny bridge we passed such beautiful houses.
Below: One house had a funny item behind the window. Hello mouse. At least I think it is supposed to be a mouse.
Below: And how about this door? Isn’t it grand? The number of doorbells tells you there are several people living in the building.
Below: Close-up of the door.
Taking photos on the Skinny bridge was virtually impossible because of the wind, so we just went for a cappuccino in Café Krom.
Below: Café Krom, a typical Amsterdam ‘brown café’ as we call them.
Below: Husband Ron.
Below: Look at his glittery Converse sneakers.
Below: Gazing dreamily. Makes a change from my usual smiling face.
Below: A close-up of my Fratelli Rossetti shoes.
Below: We were served by barkeeper Anita, who wore lovely earrings. She didn’t want to be photographed but just the earring was OK.
Below: We spotted a flower shop on one of the bridges, where I bought peonies. The wind billowed out my top and made me look pregnant haha.
Below: I can never resist steps and flowers as background. Earrings are of course, by Lara Design.
Below: Passing a cheese shop.
Below: Our Royal Theatre Carré and a small part of the big locks in the Amstel.
Below: Presumably the owner of the houseboat didn’t want dogs shitting in front of his boat and hung his sign up.
Below: Ahhh…a swan.
Lovely day.
What happened in my life this week
Let’s start with something funny. A friend of mine sent me this video which is a parody on Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Subject: menopause. I thought it was very funny, but then my menopause was short, not too bad and already years in the past. So I can laugh now.
Saturday. A beautiful morning at the beach with Ron and dog Watson. I cannot remember what I did in the afternoon.
Sunday was another visit to mum and I forgot to take a photo this time. It might have something to do with the fact that a migraine developed in the afternoon.
Monday was not funny. My migraine was still there and no amount of pain killers could stop it. This meant I had to cancel my date with a friend which I hate to do. In the evening my new computer arrived as my old one is really old; 8 years? 10 years? No idea but it is getting shifty. Sometimes it stops working in the middle of what I am doing. I can turn it back on and it’s OK again but I’d better not wait for the moment it totally shuts down.
Tuesday my migraine was better but from experience I knew I had to take it really easy, so I did. Especially because I wanted to be fit for Wednesday. A little quiet trip to Amsterdam in the afternoon with Ron wasn’t strenuous.
Below: Ron walking into a street in Amsterdam called Egelantiersgracht. On the right is café ‘t Smalle. They don’t only have tables outside their café and across the street, they also have a jetty in the canal with tables. We used to moor our boat there. It was sooo decadent, especially when I would ask someone on the terrace: “Could you please move your foot? I have to fasten the boat.” Whahaha. As Ron has sold his boat, this is now a sweet memory.
Below: The girl with the pink trousers is sitting on the jetty.
Below: We sat on the bench just outside the café where there were no tables. No problem.
Below: Bad selfie.
A lady sitting next to us, asked whether I used to be a model and thought I was 50 haha. That made me burst out laughing. (I have a very loud laugh.) Mind you, it was a strange lady and I don’t know whether she had all her marbles.
When we got home, Ron asked me to fetch lettuce for dinner. Because I wanted some exercise, I walked to town to return a library book and to fetch the lettuce. For some reason (I wanted an ice cream) I walked through the centre of town and happily went from one shop to another. Bought a skirt (and some shirts…ok…and a cardigan.) Bad girl. When I finally arrived home Ron showed me what he had done. He had put an advertisement on the Dutch equivalent of E-bay (Marktplaats) with the following text: “For sale: 500 dresses, skirts, tops, trousers and such. My wife went out to fetch some lettuce and never returned.” A second ad offered all my shoes with the same reason. I had such a good laugh. Then he shouted: “I’ve got an offer!” That turned out to be an offer from our friend Marla. So Ron replied: “Against all odds, she returned but you can buy half of it as she isn’t going to miss the other half anyway.” Having a husband with a sense of humour is a delight.
Wednesday was a great day as I met my BVA friends, a group of friends from work about 23 years ago. Unfortunately Marijke was on holiday and Marianna couldn’t make it, so we were with 4 instead of 6. Still a lovely day. You will see and read everything about it next week.
Thursday Ron and I went to the beach again in the morning. We are having our holiday 15 minutes from home. Honestly, when the weather is this nice and the beach is so close, why fly all the way to Spain? OK, I will admit that the feeling is different when you are in another country with another language. As our country is now dark red in Covid terms, we are not going anywhere. The beach of IJmuiden is never packed, but with hardly any tourists and on a day during the week, it was really quiet. See below.
In the evening my IT guy came round to install my new computer and we discovered we couldn’t install Lightroom on the new one. In the old days I had bought Lightroom (a Photoshop programme) and I could install it on my computer without having to pay a monthly subscription. Shortly after I purchased it, they changed their policy to subscription only. Sure enough, there was no working download link for my programme anymore. I now have to figure out what I want to do. I need a programme to edit my photos. Not removing wrinkles or such, but to crop or make the colours a bit livelier and to change the size of the photo to internet size. Darn.
Friday I visited Jolanda, the owner of shoe brand EIJK (Amsterdam). You can read about her shoes and boots and how she created her special heel in this blog post when I visited her in her workshop in Amsterdam. This Friday she was in the shop in Rotterdam as she is every Friday. It is called COLAB Design, a collaboration between designers with their own label. We chatted for a couple of hours; it was so nice to see her again. I wanted to try several shoes, boots and sizes to see what the best fit was. Of course I didn’t leave without a few pairs (below). That heel is sooo comfortable. It is 6 cm high but it feels like flat shoes.
That concludes my week.
Greetje
Wat een fijne foto’s weer, mijn ‘oude’ buurtje daar bij Carré en de Utrechtsestraat. Ik heb daar heel wat gewandeld met mijn oudste twee kinderen. Ik lees je blog graag.
Wat leuk, een Nederlandse lezeres. De meeste lezers van mijn blog zijn buitenlands, Amerikaans. Ben heel blij met je compliment.
Not being a man who would compliment you on your legs, I can say that I sigh with relief when you’re wearing what I would consider ‘real people’ shoes that don’t put a strain on your knee, and look wearable for the rest of us. I have much to say about Adobe/PS/PS Elements, but will wait to see how it goes for you.
Hi Alison, glad you are still reading my blog posts. Yes, retirement is helping me down from my high heels. The funny thing is, that however uncomfortable high heels may be, they have never been a strain on my knee. And my knee is not at all healthy with the arthrosis. Even three orthopedists told me I could walk on high heels without damaging my knee further. I don’t get it but they were right. Only, it is not at all comfortable and you cannot walk very far on them.
Photoshop Elements is still a mystery to me; haven’t gotten round to trying it. But I am familiar with Lightroom, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.
I LOVED that YouTube video….it had me in stitches! I shared it on Facebook lol! I’m loving the yellow trousers. I’ve been looking for a pair for a couple of years but haven’t found the right ones yet. I will, I’m sure of it!
Amsterdam looks like such a gorgeous place. I really hope to visit some time.
I have a recommendation to replace Lightroom. It’s called Affinity Photo and you just pay a one time fee (I think it’s about 50 euros). I’ve been using it for a few years and it’s brilliant. Easily as good as Photoshop / Lightroom. Here’s the link for it: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/photo/
Hugs
Suzy xx
Thanks for the recommendation Suzy, but I already went ahead and bought Photoshop Elements, also a one time fee. Now I have to open it and try it. Just haven’t had the time yet. One of my friends learned it half a year ago and made loads of video’s for herself. She is sending them to me. That will help.
I used to work with Photoshop Elements too – it’s also good!
Hugs
Suzy xx
I hope so. My friend Marcella made little tutorial video’s for herself (in Dutch) which she is going to send me. I like to learn the easy way.
I liked the story about the “skinny bridge”. If you are wealthy enough, you can even get a bridge constructed for your convenience! I think the flat shoes you are wearing with your yellow trousers are very chic, but I know you prefer heels to flats. I can only wear wedge heels now, and not very high. The heels on your new pairs of shoes do look walkable and yet still elegant.
Ron’s converse are very cool! Perhaps he can put an ad up for my clothes and shoes and it might encourage me to get rid of things 😉
If you are wealthy enough you can even get a trip to outer space. The heels on my new shoes are like wedges. They feel like flat shoes.
I don’t think you want Ron to handle any sales of your clothes. He usually sells things for a lesser price than he paid for it. Because “he is doing it for the fun”.
Love the top, love the “gazing dreamily” and thanks for the giggle about Ron’s advertising your clothes giveaway – what a hoot!
Oh do you like it? I must ‘gaze dreamily’ more often then (grin).
You know Ron is a funny guy. He makes me laugh every day.
The Italian shoes are ooh la la. I would like a pair! Loved your story of the sisters who built the bridge. And yes, a sense of humor is paramount in a marriage. We celebrate 41 years on Sunday and he still makes me laugh every day.
p.s. I agree with the lady who said you look like a model. You wear it well!
The white Italian shoes are so soft that I can overcome my dislike of flat shoes.
You (like me) chose a very good husband, making you laugh every day (Ron too). Happy anniversary next Sunday.
Me, a model, ha ha.. I still giggle when somebody says that. I would love to be though.
I like the yellow pants – I’m a fan of Essentiel Antwerp from the few pieces I’ve found over here.
I read Logan Ron’s eBay joke – he thought it was hilarious. Loved Ron’s sneakers! You’re a good influence, Greetje. I enjoyed the menopause Rhapsody, lol. Very cute.
I hope your headache gets better. Do you not have a basic picture editor with your Microsoft suite? The one that automatically opens when you open a picture? That’s all I use for cropping, resizing and editing my photos (you can change the light/darkness, clarity, etc.).
I hope you thought as well that Ron’s joke was hilarious. You got to love a man with humour.
His sneakers are not due to my influence. He has always loved nice and unusual clothes and shoes. Alas, his recent figure doesn’t allow him much frivolity.
I have bought Photoshop Elements now because I also wanted the possibility to remove unwanted items from a photo, like a dustbin.
Hi, I’m in the UK and read your blog every week and never commented but I had to comment today to say thank you for including the menopause video , a much under discussed subject in general .
The video is so , so funny and so well done and truthful . My hat goes off to those ladies . I haven’t laughed so much for ages and even my husband was laughing at it . I’m 70 years young and out the other side of the menopause but I don’t think you are ever free from all the symptoms that go with it . This is definitely a subject that needs to be discussed more openly .
About the menopause video…have a closer look. It is only one lady, wearing 4 wigs. It took me a while before I saw it.
I don’t think I have any symptoms anymore, but then again, I went through it in a short time and with not many difficulties.
A few years ago, Michelle Tyler had a blog where she talked about menopause and she really hit every subject. She has now moved from the UK to the USA and changed to a blog about sustainability. But that were good posts.
I had seen Menopause Rhapsody a while back–so funny! But not, I think, as funny as Ron placing those ads while you were AWOL. That made me LOL.
Your new shoes are very chic. Those heels look terrifying to me, but I’m sure you’ll rock that look!
I always enjoy your posts on Monday morning. Thank you!
Ron is very original in his jokes. I love that. He has me laughing every day. A great quality.
The heels of my new shoes are the opposite of terrifying. It is like walking on flat shoes. You have a lot of support because of the construction.
And I am very glad you enjoy my posts. That’s why I blog.
A very nice outfit! I remember the “skinny bridge” and the story behind it. And I would have been very tempted to spend some time in that cheese shop….
Love Ron’s sneakers too, what fun!
The cheese shop owners whould have loved to have you as a client. I am sure they can wrap it vacuum. Are you allowed to import it?
Ron loves his sneakers.
Oh, Ron beat me with his Converse sneakers!! He is way more cool than me with mine!!
Love the yellow slacks, I wear different colors all the time including purple, vivid green, yellow, etc.. I love Ulla Johnson tops with them to coordinate.
Fratelli Rossetti shoes are always “rad” whatever that means. They have a shop in NY CITY and I used to go there every time I was visiting my daughter. She’s back in CA now, so, no more. I miss their everything leather.
Loved the story about the sisters and their own bridge!!
Richard and I had drinks etc… at the pub you featured. Lovely!! One of the bartenders was a charming American transplant enjoying her stay in NL.
Love the shoe designs for tired feet. Will have to try a pair as I love the shape of the featured heel. Clever counterbalance included with it!
Enjoy your weekend!!
A little colour in our lives is what we need, right?
I looked up ‘rad’ as I didn’t know the word either. It is slang for an excellent person or thing. Such a pity you don’t visit the Fratelli Rossetti shop in NY anymore. But NY (like Paris) is always a good idea.
What a coincidence, you being in the same pub as I showed. There are so many in Amsterdam. If you ever order a pair of EIJK boots you won’t be disappointed. I have an embarrasing amount of them in my closet now.
If you do order, have a little chat with Jolanda, the designer first. You usually need to size up a little for boots. I think but what do I know?
Hallo Greetje,
Ik gebruik al lang programma PlayMemories Home van website Sony, gratis. Zeer tevreden.
Dat is waarschijnlijk een heel goed advies, maar ik heb net Photoshops Elements gekocht. Hoop dat ik daar ook zo tevreden over zal zijn.
Oh wat een gift een man die zo reageert !
Geweldig je verslag van jullie tour door Adam
En omg die schoenen
Ja onweerstaanbaar
What constitutes a ‘brown café’? Colour of walls or coffee or just because it’s something ordinary? Enjoy your blog and the insights into life in Holland. Keep up the good work!
You were right to think about colour. It is the definition of an old café with walls that have gone brown with smoke and dirt. Sounds revolting I know, but it stands for cosiness, no nonsense.
I will keep on blogging for sure. Getting such nice comments motivates.
Ja, het is een zegen om een man met humor te hebben. Die schoenen…een paar dagen later arriveerden de champagnekleurige laarsjes. Manlief gaf geen piepje.
I remember crossing the Skinny Bridge when we were in Amsterdam!
I laughed and laughed at the story of Ron advertising your wardrobe! In fact, I even read it to my husband and told him how lucky he is that we live in a tiny village with no clothing stores!
No clothes stores wouldn’t stop me Elaine, I would just send for clothes and shoes. Mind you, there is less temptation when there are no shops. Being me, I would never live there hahaha.
lovely pictures of Amsterdam and great story of the bridge. More of those! Your outfit is lovely by the way. And that video on menopause is hilarious. Still planning to come to holland in August so hoping for a day in Amsterdam with you too!
Ron is my story teller concerning Amsterdam stuff. Born and bred there. I look forward to your visit. Hope it will happen. And of course we will “do” Amsterdam.
Give me an update of your shoulder.
Great post as ever, I always look forward to Sunday evenings. My other half thinks he is going to copy Ron’s eBay post!! Re your Lightroom problem have a look at Serif’s Affinity Photo, it is really a Photoshop competitor and so does everything that Lightroom does and is becoming very popular in the UK. No subscription just a one off payment of about £49, updates come automatically and are free. Good luck
Hahaha, Ron gives your husband the wrong ideas. Thanks for the Serif’s Affinity advice, but I just bought Photoshop Elements. In Dutch. Although I speak English quite well, I love to be instructed in Dutch.
Great Pictures and nice to see people in shirts, sans jackets. Finally a few days of warm summer weather??? I’d love to be sitting in that cafe by the canal too. Ron does great composition when he takes your photos. I feel he takes the entire environment – not just you. Going for lettuce and coming home laden with packages, I bet Ron knew what you were up to. Enjoy your week – no more migraines please.
We are indeed having nice warm weather, but…very fickle. One moment the sun is out and a minute later the rain comes down heavily. And that game repeats itself the whole day. I just take an umbrella with me.
I will pass the compliments on to Ron. He has the creative eye, just like Kitty. And yes, Ron knew exactly what I was up to.
My favorite outfit – where you are surrounded by red roses. Ron’s ads – hilarious. Love all the locations.
Oops – I forgot to mention Ron’s cool sneakers. Love them.
Ron likes special things in clothing. His figure these days, doesn’t allow him to go overboard, but shoes are still an option.
Another great post! I always love seeing you out and about and loved the silver and white loafers.
The Menopause Rhapsody was hilarious. I’m in the thick of it and still found it funny. If you can’t laugh at yourself you might as well be dead!
Those loafers are sooo soft. I can even overcome my dislike of flat shoes for these.
I totally agree with you about laugh at yourself. It also makes life so much lighter.
When I spotted the roses I knew they would be a great background. I have a very humourous husband.
Lots of great pictures! I love the blue and white top, and Ron’s sneakers. I’m sorry about your migraine though. I will watch the menopause parody later. Mine is in the past too. It wasn’t horrible, but so wonderful not to have to worry about it. Have a good week!
It was a post with a few topics haha. I will tell Ron you liked his sneakers.