Another post with many photos by Kitty as it is hard for me to kill my darlings. She documented my green suit which I bought because 1) I love suits, 2) I love bright colours and 3) it looks good with trainers.
Kitty suggested to go to Santpoorterplein in Haarlem which, to me, is rather a dull strip of grass with some trees and surrounding houses. Until she started to explain.
Below: Santpoorterplein is in the top marked square on this map and in 1911 this was all just grass, a meadow.
(The circle I drew around another square underneath it, is where we went afterwards.)
Below: There is a memorial stone at Santpoorterplein, saying: “This is the spot where A.H.G. Fokker started his successful flight on the 31st of August 1911 with his plane De Spin (Spider)“. That’s what makes this spot interesting.
More about Anthony Fokker after this photo of me in my bright green suit with a soft yellow top.
(Does anyone know how to keep the belt lower on my belly? It rides up.)
Below: This is Anthony Fokker in his first airplane design, called “De Spin” (The Spider) because of the numerous wires.
Below: He first flew it in 1910 but got pneumonia as he wasn’t properly dressed.
On the 31st of August 1911 he successfully flew his plane, taking off from the meadow which is now Santpoorterplein.
Below: The next day he flew around the church Sint Bavo in Haarlem.
Below: Here is a little video, created by Kitty’s son Wim, created from the tower of the Sint Bavo church, so you can see what Anthony Fokker saw from his plane. If you think “Gosh, this is a rather wobbly recording“, then know that there was tremendous wind on top of that church and he had to film it by hand.
If you missed the link to more information about Anthony Fokker, here it is again.
Now back to the outfit.
Below: There were pretty birches to use as background. I am carrying a little golden bag.
Below: And a bench to sit on. This is the ‘edited’ version.
Below: And this is the original version. Kitty started making noises like: “Uhmmm, don’t know about this…” haha.
Below: Close-up of the lime earrings with brown button, from Lara Design. The link will take you to a grey/green version, but you can always mail her and she will customize the earrings to your liking, free of charge.
Below: Another close-up with a wilder breeze. Having a good laugh with Kitty who warned me every time the wind started blowing again.
(When I see a photo like this, I am so glad I had my teeth straightened with Invisalign.)
We decided to go around the corner to an area with less wind.
Below: I am feeling with a wet finger if there is any wind, meanwhile hiding behind the hedge.
Below: The coast was clear, so I came out of hiding. I swapped the soft yellow top for my silk blue/white/silver blouse. Kitty liked this combination the best, with the trainers. I also swapped the golden bag for a pewter bag.
Below: The two bags.
Below: Houses surrounding Santpoorterplein.
Below: We decided to go to another big square with trees, Kleverpark. I switched the trainers for my silver pumps. A suit like this can be dressed up or down.
Below: Around this square the houses are bigger and more beautiful.
I started yelling “WIND” again. We both hadn’t thought it through. Another square gave us the same problem with the wind. Well, to me it is a problem as wind tends to flatten my hairstyle.
Below: I ducked into a doorway and struck a pose.
Below: Oh thank you Kitty, for such a lovely photo. The blue earrings are Ador by Ayesha.
Below: Another photo I couldn’t resist showing you.
Below: And a head-to-toe photo. The silver pumps have been in my wardrobe for a couple of years; the little silver belt is new.
The left trouser leg is a bit too long and needs taking up.
Below: Ohhh….little cute cat.
Below: Some beautiful autumn shots by Kitty.
Below: And here is Kitty, just before we went off to a restaurant for our cappuccino.
Thoroughly enjoyable morning, despite the wind and the lack of sunshine.
What happened in my life this week
I finally saw my friend Lia again, who has been on trips with the camper van almost all summer and autumn. I really want to see her more often than I do, but her time is limited. It was a joyful afternoon as it always is. Forgot to take a photo. Sorry girls.
With mum I scrolled through the catalogue of an online clothes shop and ordered a couple of tops and jumpers. They arrived at my house and I took them with me as I picked her up to go to the hospital to have her eyes checked. She can try them on at her own pace and on Sunday I can take back the stuff that she doesn’t want. Below: Mum, wearing a polo neck underneath her cardigan. It has been around freezing point in the Netherlands and the energy costs have skyrocketed, so we have to put on extra layers.
Mum’s good eye hadn’t just stabilized, it had even improved which I didn’t think could happen. She will have to continue getting eye injections once a month, once every six weeks. Mum is not amused but of course it is important to keep her eyesight.
Below: This was my cosy, layered outfit. (Link to the original look with bright pink pumps.)
As mentioned last week, I went out to dinner on Friday night and wore my black suede boots with high heels. Man, I regretted that on Sunday. The muscle ache hit me two days later. I could hardly get over a threshold. My knees! My legs! All muscles were hurting as my legs aren’t used to really high heels anymore. I can walk on them, no trouble, I just have to pay a price afterwards.
Something really nice happened to me which shows that it only takes a little kindness and a little effort to make somebody really happy.
My friend Marjolein sent me a card (see below), just because she felt like it. We see each other about every couple of months. She used a grainy photo of the two of us this summer (see this post, scroll down a bit) and created a postcard saying “You light up my life” with a sweet message inside. Immediately counteracted that by saying “We’re not getting sentimental, you know” LOL. I was completely chuffed.
Marjolein and I had planned to go to a museum in Rotterdam and shoot blog photos but alas, I got a severe migraine that day and didn’t surface until 2 P.M. Such a shame. A shame I didn’t see Marjolein and a shame as it was gorgeous blog photo weather that day. Of course it was… darn.
Over to something delightful. Helga treated me to a delicious dinner at a very good restaurant in Haarlem, called Moustique.
Below: The waiter was very good at his job and pretty bad in taking photos. On the other hand, this is what my hair looks like most of the times. You usually get to see the ‘fluffed-up’ version.
Helga is my age, only her skin has no wrinkles, not even when you come up close, she has lovely thick hair and a slim hourglass figure. I should really hate her haha. I don’t, she is lovely and full of humour. (Link to original outfit with black midi skirt and combat boots.)
The problems with the Wi-Fi are unfortunately continuing. Nearly every day I am on the phone with the provider and together we then change something in the router. If we still have problems next week, I will ask for a new router, hoping that this will solve the problem.
Another enjoyable day I spent with Arian who used to be my colleague. She is in one of the booth photos I showed last week. We decided to meet in the city of Utrecht, which is very accessible for the both of us.
We walked and talked from the hours of 11 to 4. Great to see her again. Added bonus, she took blog photos of me. She wasn’t sure whether she would prove to be any good at photographing. Well, she was. Yay. Next week you will see the result.
Below: Arian at our fancy lunch restaurant. I photographed her by surprise.
Greetje
I envy you having Kitty available to take your photographs – she has an excellent eye, and her photos are always well done. I love the colour of the suit – it’s a wonderful colour for you.
Your Mum is always beautifully dressed and I’m happy to hear her eyes are improving. My mother is on the waiting list to get her cataracts removed as her eyesight is deteriorating.
My mum had cataract operations long ago so that wouldn’t be of any help anymore. But I had that done in June (don’t know if you read that) and the world looks wonderful after the operation. Good luck for your mum; may everything go smoothly.
I am very pleased with Kitty taking my photos. She is very skilled.
Oh, so much goodness in this post. I LOVE the green suit – it looks fabulous on you. I’m partial to the silver pumps with it, but I like all of the combinations. Kitty takes such good pics – you look amazing, Greetje! The pic of you peeking out from behind the hedge cracked me up. I hear you on the hair, as I have similarly thin (but lots of it) hair that falls flat two seconds after I do anything to it!
Oh, your poor knees/feet after wearing high heels. I’ve had to let a lot of mine go due to foot pain.
Sweet kitty! Love seeing your mum, as always – her jumper looks fab! We also wear lots of layers around our house – it’s impossible to heat (open floor plan in our living area) so we only heat the bedroom and keep the door barely ajar for the cat. We use heated blankets to watch TV.
Hm, let’s see. Love those cream trousers (one of my favourite clothing items of yours), what a gorgeous restaurant (the floral mural is amazing), and what a sweet card!
Happy weekend, Greetje!
As you know, in real life I look a lot less amazing haha. My hair hardly ever looks like this. When I meet somebody, I immediately go to the toilets when I arrive and ‘do’ my hair. I think they call this sort of behaviour compulsive haha.
At least you have lots of hair.
I am not prepared to let my high heels go. Stubborn, I know (or is the word stupid?).
Funny, we don’t heat the bedroom (at all), even leave the window ajar during the night, but we do heat livingroom, kitchen and corridor.
Thanks for the outfit compliments.
It was interesting to see the green suit with an athletic shoe and then a pump. Liked them both.
I do too. The fact I can wear them with trainers (sneakers) and still look stylish and modern is a big plus.
Love the green suit. I bought a green suit in linen for the summer months, and would really like one for winter. You look wonderful in green against the autumn colours. I like the styling in all the photos, Lovely earrings once again.
That is very good news about your mum’s eyesight.
Have a lovely week!
I am often surprised that we (my photographer of that day and me) are able to find yet another background for our blog photos.
Earrings are my thing from 2020 on. Before that it was necklaces.
I just love seeing Amsterdam through your eyes! Your outfits are delightful, too.
Kathy from Seattle
Hi Kathy, although both cities are alike, this wasn’t Amsterdam what you saw in the green suit post, but Haarlem. Also a very old town. Haarlem got city rights in 1245 and Amsterdam in 1300, so Haarlem is only a bit older.
Thank you for the compliment by the way.
You know one thing, I love seeing you in suits, it’s a garment that I think is the most feminine, and it also looks great on you. I love the color, the informal, casual look… I don’t have to explain to you, at this point, how much I like you wearing skirts or pretty dresses, but you also know how much I like seeing you in jeans or casual looks. Anyway, you look gorgeous and that wind, which also gives your hair an informal look, also helps. Damn, now I see you with heels and another shirt! I prefer the first look, more informal, I imagine this suit with that outfit.
If I read your comment correctly, it doesn’t matter what I wear, you like everything haha. Nice to know.
The suit with heels and the blue/white/silver blouse is just another way of styling to show the possibilities. I prefer the first look with the soft yellow top because it is laid-back. There is one photo in the post of the suit with the blue/white/silver blouse and the white trainers.
Beautiful suit on you and liked both stylings. The Fokker material was so interesting and went to look up more. Look forward to your Sunday posts.
I am always very pleased to read that somebody is looking forward to my Sunday posts. It is very flattering and it makes blogging so rewarding.
Lovely suit, and looks great both with the trainers and silver pumps. I like the blue top a little better, just has more “pop.”
Very interesting about Fokker. Amazing that he was able to fly around in such a populated area without any mishap.
I also love the pink sweater, and the gorgeous interior at the “fancy lunch restaurant!”
I agree on the “more pop” but it is a bit chic which is why I prefer the soft yellow top. It is more laid-back.
Fokker must have been a hell of a dare devil.
The pink sweater is a purchase from ME+EM in London, bought together with Lisa. The trousers as well. Sweet memories.
I meant to ask what brand are the white sneakers?
Your country and clothes are so different from Canada. So interesting!! Keep up the great work!
The white sneakers are by Pavement (https://pavement-official.com/). I bought them two years ago. They resemble the Balenciaga sneakers but are priced a lot friendlier.
I know our country is very different from Canada. For starters, we don’t have mountains or a lot of nature and only occasionally a few days with snow. Didn’t know that the clothes were different too.
I am from Canada and really enjoy your posts!!! Love the green suit and both shoes you wore. You look great!
It pleases me no end that you enjoy my posts. Entertaining is what I live for. And thank you for the compliments
I love that green suit; it fits you so well. I preferred the flow of blue and white top with the green suit rather than the white top. I so know what you mean about not being able to wear heels any longer! I would love to go back and tell my young self a few things that would be better for me now!
We have been getting in some beautiful cashmere. I got a red cowl neck sweater and a pretty solid pink one.
Your mother looks so lovely in her brightly colored top. I am sorry she will have to get eye injections! Bless her heart!
I’ll email you some pictures. We’re decorating for Christmas today.
The top isn’t white but soft yellow. Cashmere is lovely on the skin. The only wool I can stand.
Decorating for Christmas in a shop is always exciting I think.
Love you back in bright color and my eye likes the second blouse better. More pizazz. My modern self likes the trainers, but my older self prefers the heels. I love how in the search for beauty, each country adds different flourishes to terrace houses. The ones in these photos are very cute. I adore the big-cuffed cream pants. I wish I knew where to find some here in the US. So great that your mum’s vision can be treated and that she likes fashion. Since this is Thanksgiving weekend here, I give thanks for your perky blog. Hugs.
Ahh…that is sweet! Giving thanks for my perky blog. I am chuffed.
Each country has its own beauty I think.
The blue/white/silver blouse is more unexpected, but I find it too ‘chic’ to wear with trainers. And it’s the trainers with this suit that drew me. My older self loves comfort these days. And with the trainers, the yellow top is better, more laid-back.
As for the big-cuffed cream trousers, you will have to search the internet. I got them from a shop in London (ME+EM).
Fun post. I sympathise with the wind / hair problem! I enjoyed the info about Fokker. I’m fascinated by aviation history. Finally, the green trouser suit. Lovely! Both the style and colour.
You seem to have lovely thick hair, contrary to me. Not sure what your wind/hair problem would be.
I was surprised to find out that the Dutch government didn’t give Fokker the things he needed to develop his planes.
Which drove him to Germany and he created war machines there. It is difficult to see the genius of people.
I am partial to the silver/pewter accessories with the lovely green suit. Shoes are gorgeous. For some reason I like your hair with some wind. Nice photographs, Kitty. They have a sense of energy and fun.
I love all my photographers, but cannot deny that Kitty is the best. Well, after all, she is a skilled professional and it shows.
She often tells me: “move a little, say brrrrrr”. To get the energy going.
I also love my hair in the wind, when the wind hits me from behind. I absolutely hate it when it hits me right in the face.
If my hair has been in the wind too long (quarter of an hour??) it is really flat.
What a delightful post! I laughed out loud at the original bench photo– Kitty was right, but I’m so glad you included this in your post!!! Your green suit is so pretty — I love the blue and white top as to me it is more unexpected than the yellow. I enjoy seeing photos of your friends, your interesting locations, and, of course, your mom.
Anything for a laugh Cynthia, anything.
The yellow top with the trainers is a nice laid-back look.
The blue and white top is more unexpected, I agree. I like it best with the silver pumps.
It is nice to have a choice.
Thanks for writing about Anthony Fokker. I always learn something new from your posts. Love the suit. I actually like it better with the yellow top. I’m not a fan of green, but, as always, you look great!
Have a good week.
To tell you the truth, I learn something every post as well. As I have to look things up haha.
I am a big fan of green, although not this particular green. I do like bright colours thought and this suit fit me like a glove and it was rather inexpensive. In short, a good purchase. I agree with you, that the yellow top and the trainers will be the way I will wear it most of the times. But it is nice to have a choice.
I agree with you — the seated photo with the blue earrings, green suit, and orange pumpkins is beautiful!
I can’t remember if you enjoy changing your hair up. I stumbled on a Dutch hairdresser’s videos on YouTube and seriously asked myself if I could afford to fly to the Netherlands to get my hair cut (no). The hairdresser, Theo Knoop, seems like an artistic genius, as well as a kind person. Here’s a sample video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHfKcDRdhIU
I hate changing my hair up. I tried a couple of times when I was younger. Also a similar style that Theo Knoop gave Anne, his model. I love it on her but I hate it on me.
My hair is thin and has become even thinner as the years past and there is not a lot of it. I have come to terms with the fact that this hairstyle suits me best and I can handle it. My hairdresser is one of the best in the country and therefore pretty expensive. But she does such a good job with my pathetic little bunch of hair that I don’t care. My hair is my Achilles heel.
I so enjoy reading your blog! It is a perfect read for a woman with an eye toward fashion! You always look spectacular! And your writing is wonderful as well. Thanks for the pick me up. One of these I am going to travel up your way as I find the pictures confirm my feeling that you live in a delightful part of the globe. Take care…
Thank you very much for your compliments. I think less of myself haha.
If I look through all my outfit posts (in the top navigation of my blog under the button Outfit Gallery), I often find outfits less appealing than when I posted them. A lot less. And my writing…well, not being a native speaker, I miss the eloquence I think I possess in Dutch. I am also very grateful to Selina, who is my editor in London and who edits all my English mistakes in every post for the last four years for free. She is a gem.
As for a delightful part of the globe…it is nice, but Italy for instance is more spectacular. I do love the frankness of my fellow Dutchies and the freedom we have here.
You are lovely in the green suit! Informative post, I didn’t know about Anthony Fokker.
I usually try to add something interesting to the post but just my outfit. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don’t.
Hello, You…
Lovely little moggie and you don’t look too bad either😉
Good to see Mama’s dressing warm, and great news about her eyes. Not sure about her eye injections though. She’s braver than I am. I had two recently just before my cataract operation and was jolly grateful I couldn’t feel them – seeing the needle coming for me was bad enoug!
Is that sweatshirt you’re wearing alongside Helga the one your niece (was it?) repaired for you so beautifully last year? It looks good.
Talking of good, have a good week
Gee x
I keep forgetting this (new to me) word moggie. So cute.
Glad the cat didn’t steal all my thunder haha.
Mum gets anesthesia before they inject, which bothers her more than the injection itself.
I have had cataract operations done on both eyes and they didn’t use a needle to sedate my eye. Just something liquid.
The sweatshirt is indeed the one my niece repaired. Clever girl.
Hope you will have a good week as well.