Before I start telling you about this outfit, let me explain why it is called “Big Bird jacket or Pino jacket”. Pino is the Dutch equivalent of Big Bird from Sesame Street, only he is blue. And feathery. Immediately after I bought this jacket in Spain, I named it my Pino jacket.
Below: The Dutch equivalent of Big Bird, called Pino.
Kitty and I did the photo shoot in the old centre of Haarlem, with a church, a square, trees and old houses. In short, a picturesque area.
Below: Nieuwe Kerk (translation: New Church) is a 17th-century church at Nieuwe Kerksplein.
The tower is Dutch Renaissance in style and particularly worth a look-see when you are in the area.
Below: The entrance of a church always provides a good background.
Below: Across from the church is this adorable house.
Below: Of course I used the bench for the ‘sitting pose’. Because the jacket is so conspicuous, the rest of the outfit is a plain block of blue. With a touch of green in the earrings and bag. The jeans are J Brand, bought in Vancouver, Canada in 2014. Couldn’t resist wearing the blue bracelet my friend Marjolein gave me.
Below: My sequinned trainers (sneakers) from Essentiel Antwerp. You can rub the sequins up for a glittery golden look and down for a matte silver look. I have had them for quite a few years and I still love them. Very comfortable.
Below: Hollyhocks. I am searching on my phone for the right spelling of these flowers as Kitty was about to take a video of me on this subject, which is just a bit of fun, nothing special.
(Note to people who read my post in their mail: you have to click through to my blog in order to see videos.)
Below: Next to the church is a big square with a modern statue which I dislike (sorry, artist) and many old trees. The kind of square Ron and I always looked for in old French villages. It turns out that we have many of those in Haarlem. With the climate change in full operation, we now also have the temperatures south of France used to have. It seems nice but of course it isn’t. Not at all.
Below: On the bike. As we only have short distances in the Netherlands and certainly in towns and villages, we Dutch cycle a lot. My bike isn’t the nicest but very practical with two side bags to hold groceries and with so little appeal, it isn’t very attractive to steal.
Below: Another outing for the green corrugated cardboard earrings. Now this is a beautiful example of a bokeh photo, which is ‘me sharp and the background blurry’.
Below: We continued our shoot in the courtyard of some almshouses. Haarlem has many of these, called ‘hofje‘. Usually single elderly ladies live in the very small houses.
(Link to a more wintery shoot in this ‘hofje’ in 2019. Looking at that outfit, I regret having given away that furry jacket. The outfit looked good. Oh and in that post is a photo of dog Watson as a puppy. Adorable.)
Below: Most of the residents are keen gardeners and have lots of plants in pots in front of their house.
Below: A lovely kitty. Whenever I see a cat, I talk to it and often stroke it.
Below: Another lovely corner.
Below: Outside the ‘hofje’ was a big flower stand in the main shopping street, surrounded by terraces. Such vibrant colours. In the Netherlands flowers aren’t expensive, which is why I always have fresh flowers every week.
Below: We stopped taking photos for a little while as there was so much noise of the waste container being emptied. Have you ever seen that? The waste container above the street is way smaller than the bit underneath. It always amazes me how they manoeuvre that big truck through those narrow streets.
Below: I so love Kitty’s photography skills. Fantastic photo.
Of course we then had cappuccino on a terrace. Two terraces even.
Below: Kitty on terrace numero uno.
Below: Me on terrace numero due. I had changed into my most comfortable summer dress as it had become hot.
What happened in my life this week
Saturday I took mum to her hearing-aid technician. He checked a lot and ordered new devices but the general verdict is that she is slowly losing her hearing. Let’s hope very slowly.
We had lunch together and I took her to the supermarket, which was nice for her. She got to see for herself what was on offer instead of making a list for me to fetch it. Below: mum, caught eating a cookie.
Sunday. Haven’t got the faintest idea what I did on Sunday.
Monday was my day at the dentist. Filling the molar wasn’t bad because he gave me anaesthetic. However, the molar on the other side of my mouth was hurting so he had to take a look at that one too. I threatened the dentist to bite his finger off if he dared touching it.
My threats never impress him much, so he laughed and went ahead. Luckily it was only an inflamed gum and no biggie. By Wednesday the pain was gone. Below what I was wearing that day. (Link to original post.)
Tuesday I met my friend Ineke in Amsterdam. She was a colleague of mine at the advertising agency where I worked at the time (in 1981). Most of my friends used to be colleagues which isn’t strange if you bear in mind that I always worked full-time for 49 years. We saw an exhibition in the beautiful Hermitage. Below: Ineke who is of course very interested as she majored in art history. You will see more of her when I post the photos she took of my outfit. It was a day with a lot of laughter.
Wednesday the garage called me early in the morning to inquire whether I was still coming. Blast, I forgot the appointment to service my car. Luckily I was already dressed, so it was a matter of jumping in the car and a 10 minutes ride. The first cost estimate was almost half of what I had put aside for it but in the end I had to pay twice the estimated amount due to two new tires and a new windscreen wiper. Blast again. It wasn’t that I hadn’t put the money aside for this, it was that, in my mind, I was already putting the difference into paying the credit card debt caused by the new bag.
I set myself down and ‘counted my money’. In other words, I took a long hard look at my spendings this year and decided I really have to cut down on spending money. As a pensioner my income in fixed for the rest of my years unless I start working again (not very likely). So I shouldn’t dip into my savings as much as I have done. New resolution, although one I have made a hundred times before and failed to keep. Let’s see how I will do this time.
At noon Karen visited me in Haarlem, returning my visit to her in The Hague. We had coffee, lunch and a wander through my lovely city. Lots to catch up on.
Below: Of course we wanted a photo of the two of us. I suggested to have our photo taken while we sat down…
Below: …but she insisted on another photo of us standing next to each other. We are very different in height haha. Not flattering for me but funny and that prevails. (Link to original outfit post.)
Thursday was a quiet day with running errands for Ron and generally helping him where I can because he is so busy at the moment with work.
Friday was destined to be a jolly day with a photo shoot by Kitty in the afternoon and dining out with Ron at night. Both of them felt very much under the weather and cancelled. So it was a boring day. Never mind.
Greetje
The full-length photo of you taken by Kitty with the light behind you is beautiful. She definitely has a good eye for when the lighting is just right. Your Pino coat is such a fun piece. I think you need to be tall like you to be able to carry off a statement piece like that.
I always enjoy your street scene photos. I stop and talk to any cats I come across too.
I always say “Kitty has The Eye”, meaning she is creative and knows how to take the best shot. Being tall is probably a good thing with this jacket, you are right.
Glad I have been able to amuse you Shelley. Like you, I talk to any cat I come across.
Is there a color that doesn’t look good on you? The blue is delightful. And you are so fun!
Yes there are many colours that don’t look good on me. Baby blue is one of them. This Big Bird jacket is sort of duck-egg blue/green. It is a dangerous colour for me. I think it works because of the glitter, the structure of the jacket.
I remember wearing a baby blue jumper in winter a couple of years ago and it totally washed me out. Some greens are dangerous. Camel and beige are totally out of the question and teal is not my colour either. Basically, I need yellow in the hue. If the hue is more blue, it is wrong. Strangely enough I can handle navy, dark blue.
Thank you for the compliment of saying I am fun. Who wouldn’t like such a compliment.
I absolutely LOVE this jacket! It’s so fun & unique.
I just have no idea how to clean it…
Many moons ago, I remember you froze your credit card in your freezer, perhaps that is the answer, to return your credit card to the freezer, to help you with your spending issue.
My daughter returned last evening from a wonderful weekend in Amsterdam, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
I too, love your Pino jacket and sequinned trainers.
I remember that well. Only it wasn’t me that froze my credit card. I asked my husband to hold on to my credit card and hide it in such a way, I couldn’t sneakily use it. That’s when he put it in a bowl with water and placed it in the freezer haha.
I am afraid it won’t do this time as ‘less’ must become my lifestyle for the years to come. I really have to get a grip on myself.
Glad you daughter enjoyed herself in Amsterdam. It would have surprised me if she hadn’t.
I do so enjoy your posts, Greetje. The outdoor photos are so interesting, and you add some excellent background information as well. Great photographer! I had three days in Amsterdam in November 2019…not enough!
I had to laugh at the garbage collection… so much hidden below street level. My husband loves to watch the weekly collection outside our home… just bins lifted and emptied…but he’s like a kid. Must be the truck!
The outfits are so you… quirky, stylish and colourful.
Wow Cath, that’s a lot of compliments in one comment. Thank you very much.
As for your husband and the weekly collection…men always stop at roadwork and building sites as well. I can understand the interest though. As a pensioner I sometimes do the same haha.
You are so right, funny must ALWAYS prevail! Your posts never fail to add cheer to my day. Love the Pino coat! And Watson as a puppy…💕
Glad I could entertain you. Makes me feel a little proud. As if I achieved something. Thanks for the compliment of adding cheer to your day. So nice.
LOVE this jacket! Suits you to a T. Also love those sneakers, so cool that you can change them from smooth to shiny.
At the time I bought those sneakers, all kids had similar sequins on their T-shirt or sweater, which they could rub either way. I didn’t mind, I never lost the child within me haha.
So love your blog and photos. I especially think the photo with the Pino jacket where the light filters in through it is lovely. I am also happy to hear the Hermitage is open. When we were in Amsterdam earlier this year, the museum was not open. We so wanted to visit. Maybe another time!
Thank you for all your compliments. Much appreciated.
As for the Hermitage, they usually get their exhibition items from their sister museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. And of course, anything Russian is rather a problem at the moment.
The jacket is beautiful, I love the color and the fabric. Her look with her is very nice and chromatically balanced. I love the pattern of this jacket, with that marked volume. The earrings are precious. Your green dress is very pretty. I love, as always, the urban photos you publish, what a great country yours is!
You can show me equally beautiful photos of your country, probably even more. And I love Barcelona. All countries have beautiful areas. Nevertheless, thank you.
I am very scared of having to wash this jacket or bring it to the dry cleaners. Time will tell. So far I have only worn it for the photo shoot as it is pretty warm.
Another lovely blog. I particularly love the photos of you and Karen. What a stylish pair! I have a work trip to Amsterdam at the end of November, so I might check out the exhibition you visited with Ineke at the Hermitage. I don’t think I have visited the Hermitage on previous visits.
Have a lovely week!
Karen is indeed very stylish. She loves the more expensive brands which deliver good quality. And she is smart enough to wait for price reductions.
The Lover Stories exhibition is on in the Hermitage until the 8th of January. Usually the Hermitage has items from their sister museum in Saint Petersburg but at the moment everything Russian is too difficult.
What a fun blue jacket, which looks great on you with the navy column underneath, and the green accents. Such a quaint town you live in. I feel like I travel through your photos. I dream of having cold weather—my favorite—but, in Houston, that is definitely becoming just a dream (we are in the high 90s today—something new even for our area). Love the video of the waste container being emptied—it sure takes much dexterity.
With all the jacket fluttering going on, I thought I’d better keep the rest of the outfit neat.
If you like cold, you should definitely move to the Netherlands. We have it all, 4 seasons with wind, rain, sunshine and sometimes even snow.
So love to read your blogs- full of information and you always make it a very enjoyable account. Love to see your Mum too- she always looks so cheerful. You are lucky to have her.
My primairy goal of this blog is to entertain, to make you smile. I think ‘very enjoyable’ counts too.
I am indeed lucky to still have my mum. Imagine..for 68 years now.
Applause for Kitty’s photos. And of course for you – I adore your shaggy blue coat – yes, so like my orange one!
My favourite photo is the one of you in the green summer dress at the coffee shop – candid photography at its best.
We get your flowers here too, but not quite so cheap with so many air miles between us.
And your country’s beauty always takes my breath away. Some day I’ll make it there.
Yes, Kitty is good !
I have to learn how to pose without it looking as if I pose. Very difficult. Like No Make-up make-up.
Wouldn’t that be great? You visiting my little country?
Love, love, love the Pino jacket. That is so you — pretty, chic, unusual, and creative. This whole post was just beautiful with photos of interesting buildings, stylish friends, and a lovely photo of your mom. I looked at your previous post to see Watson as a puppy. So adorable!
Oh what a wonderful description: pretty, chic, unusual and creative. And that is all me? You make me shy.
Puppies are always adorable. Just like babies. (Well, to me they are.)
Wow – you covered a lot of ground in this post! Your Pino jacket is very funny and cool – something few people could wear as well as you do.
Thanks for all the wonderful photos. Have a great week.
My girlfriends who were with me when I found it, advised me not to buy it. They actually thought I was mad to do so. Until they saw how I styled it heh heh.
You definitely have the styling gene!