Most items are from my wardrobe. I had already combined these wide cream trousers with a red and white shirt the day I bought them. They say it is best to create multiple outfits with a new purchase straight away. For once I did that and kept photos on my iPhone in an album called “Outfits still to do”.
You have seen these trousers with a rather tight leopard top as well as with my oversized men’s blazer. This blouse makes three outfits, which is two more than I would have come up with 10 years ago. And perhaps I will create another outfit with it.
Loes was my photographer and Heemstede (adjacent village to Haarlem) provided backgrounds. Heemstede has a lot of wealthy residents.
Below: A home for elderly people. Seems very roomy to me.
Below: Wearing an old but dear red jacket
Below: One of the houses nearby. This, to Dutch standards, is pretty posh.
Below: And this one too. It would probably take a couple of million euros to live here.
Below: We chose another posh house as our main background. The car suits me, don’t you think?
Below: Let me get the post from the postbox…
Below: The silver boots I am wearing, are new. I messaged the designer (Jolanda of EIJK) in August asking if she could have the boots manufactured in the colour silver (I have them in champagne) and suggested there might be a market for them. She agreed and started the process of finding the right leather etc. They arrived in January.
Below: Couldn’t resist to combine this silver with gold crossbody bag.
Below: Or this silver coloured metal bracelet. Bought second-hand a couple of years ago. The gold part you see on the bracelet is just sunshine.
Below: Ring created by Melanie’s husband O. Melanie had a blog called Bag and a Beret, but now mainly posts on Instagram.
Below: I like the black and white striped earrings with the red button with this outfit (Lara Design). At first I thought it would be too much (pattern) but they actually work very well.
We decided to move onto the market. Well, you know what market stalls are like, so I will skip those photos.
Below: Sweet child with doggie. Nothing to be afraid of.
Below: The guy from the coffee stall was a keen photographer and didn’t mind taking a photo of Loes and me. We had freshly baked ‘stroopwafels’ with our coffee. They are toaster waffles with syrup or treacle-waffles.
Below: One last house before we headed home again.
What happened in my life this week
I attended the last session of my photography course. A pity as I really enjoyed it.
We visited friends and took our dogs for a walk. Unfortunately my knee was really hurting, so we cut it a little shorter than planned. When we got back to their place, they served delicious bites and soup and we talked and talked.
Below: I wore my leopard print trousers (link to outfit post).
Mum and I played rummikub while Ron fetched the weekly groceries. I taught her that a polo neck looks much nicer when you tuck the collar in instead of rolling it out.
Loes and I did another photo shoot. Lots of women smiled and made sure they weren’t blocking the camera which is nice. We had the most delicious ‘pastel de nata‘ at Metzo, the best I’ve ever had. The restaurant served the pastel de nata hot with a scoop of raspberry sorbet ice cream and chocolate sprinkles. So good. I can highly recommend this restaurant; all their food is outstanding.
A bit of a rough visit to my dental hygienist. She discovered ‘pockets’ near two molars and that is not good news. We immediately bought new electric toothbrushes and I now have to use pipe brushes to clean between the molars. Getting teeth cleaning instructions (for the umpteenth time) when you are nearly 69…I should be ashamed of myself. I always thought I did it correctly. Apparently not. Glad I went; my teeth are beautifully clean again.
Hanneke, my seamstress is going to hem the trousers of my green suit and the lining of a wool skirt. We chatted for a couple of hours. We know each other for such a long time.
Helga and I went out to dinner and that was lovely with one snag. A singer with guitar and amplifier, was performing almost the whole evening in the restaurant. That meant you had to raise your voice to be intelligible. Not something you want during dinner. Anyway, we still had a good time.
Below: Helga and me. I wore my lilac dress with burgundy boots. We had sushi and of course I spilled little drops of soy sauce on my dress. I took the dry-cleaning label off when I put it on that night and the dress went straight back to the dry cleaners the following morning. Next time I had better put on a print dress.
Marcella came round for coffee on the 23rd and when Ron arrived back that morning from walking Watson, he brought cake. I said: “Oh nice!” He replied: “You have no idea why I bought cake, do you?” Then it dawned on me…it was our 28th wedding anniversary. He always remembers, I always forget.
A couple of weeks ago my friend Erna said to me that the permanent make-up on my eyebrows was turning green (aggghh). I quickly made an appointment to have them “done” again. But by a different person than the first time in 2021. Marcella had given me the address of a lady who she claimed, was really good. And I second that. My eyebrows are so much better now. That weird square corner is gone; this is the shape of my natural eyebrows. My natural eyebrows are very blonde, which is the reason why I chose permanent make-up. It gets them noticed. Without colour on them my face looks like the surface of the moon (bare).
Below: My new eyebrows. Don’t be alarmed, this is an hour after they have been done. They won’t stay this dark. The second photo is a bit scary (there is a reason why I always have a fringe…). But it does show you that the shape has changed. And they aren’t green anymore. Me happy girl.
Friday we had cheese fondue together with Froukje and Petro at a restaurant which specializes in this. Happy evening.
Below: The restaurant, In ‘t Goede Uur (In the Good Hour), is really medieval with lots of different levels, nooks and crannies. They serve more than just cheese fondue, but that is what they are famous for.
Below: Preparing raclette on a grill together with Petro. The other two had gorgonzola fondue.
Signing off this week with some flowers.
Below: Spring in our living room: daffodils on a table and in the window.
Below: Ron cut some blossom branches off a pear tree in his allotment.
Greetje
Good that you had your eyebrows redone! Much better.
And keeping your teeth (and gums) clean and healthy is quite a challenging job. Age makes no difference in that. You do your best, are made aware of weak points and try again and even harder. No reason for shame, I think.
I even had them done again last week (“bijwerken”). They are even better now. Softer.
And I am not ashamed of my teeth not being clean. I do everything I can. Friday I will have a check-up to see how I am doing.
Happy Anniversary to you both. I love all the varieties of buildings in your photos. You are surrounded by beauty everywhere you go including your home with those gorgeous daffodils. Happy Spring (if there is such a thing)
I have to warn you that there are ugly bits too where I live. I just don’t show them haha.
Come April I hope the sun is shining and the temperatures will be nice. Like two years ago.
Lovely photos and interesting dialogue. It’s always fun to read your blog. I especially love the red and white shirt. Nice.
Thanks Linda. I am glad you appreciate my blog not only for the photos but also for the dialogue. That pleases me so much.
Regarding our valuable teeth…When I was a younger person…maybe 13 or so…I saw my Father brushing his teeth with gusto, so I copied him. His teeth were a bridge of 4 front teeth ! Problem was , of course, mine were still in my mouth and I was inadvertently brushing far too hard. One time I actually snapped my toothbrush! The dentist wondered why my gums had receded like someone much older, and suggested I take better care. Good thing too!
Later on , when I was a young teacher, a dental hygienist visited my children in class. I asked her why my gums bled somewhat. The best advice I ever received at age 21 was to use warm water and a very soft toothbrush, and take my time. I managed to stop the recession of my gums and at 72 still follow her advice. The teacher learned a lesson along with her young students.
Love the red blouse on you! I have a couple, both different scarlet florals, which I enjoy wearing due to the colour really suiting me. A boiled wool jacket that I’ve had for years in the same red ( Eileen Fisher) finishes the outfit. I choose lighter pants too.
Your weather appears to be relatively decent during your latest expedition, Greetje. We’ve been having cold winter temperatures with snow…enough shoveling already! Quite unusual for our area in coastal British Columbia.
I think it is the new electric toothbrush which is causing the trouble. We had an old one and that needed to be replaced. Perhaps the brush is too hard for me. I have put it on ‘sensitive’. Next Friday I will meet with the dental lady again. See how it goes.
By what you wrote I gather we like that same combinations.
The weather was ‘relatively decent’ indeed. Relative being the key word. It was bloody cold and I was wearing a legging and a heat-tech shirt underneath my fancy clothes.
Oh my goodness! Really love that red and white blouse and that red jacket, and they were perfect with those cream pants. Always love your pictures of the area.
The red jacket is pretty old, but I think it is a classic (Kenzo), so I will never throw it out. The red and white blouse was one I instantly fell in love with.
The cream trousers look so good on you, Greetje – I’m also a big fan of your leopard trousers. I love the bits of silver you accessorized with – and the striped earrings look excellent.
Your mum looks good in her striped zipped sweater. Happy Anniversary to you and Ron!
Glad you liked the outfits. I am pretty proud of myself that I have come up with yet another outfit from my wardrobe. You know how I struggle with that. (Unlike you.)
Wow! You are ready for summer with these beautiful trousers. I like how they make you look so tall! The ring is amazing! So beautiful.
I think these trousers are autumn and spring quality. I wore a legging underneath it and a Uniqlo heat-tech shirt underneath the red and white shirt. It was cold. Never trust a photo.
Cute and stylish outfit! I agree that the earrings look great with the printed blouse.
I’m also a fringe girl of many years, although we call them bangs, as you know. The question is—why? Fringe makes so much more sense!
I’ve had years of experience with gum issues—cleaning every three months, deep cleaning, gingival transplants. Stay on it!! I added a mouthwash to my nightly regimen for extra protection.
Ron’s pear branch arrangement looks very chic!! Worthy of Architectural Digest!
Your mum looks great. Is “polo” what you call a turtleneck? Polo is a whole other animal in our vernacular. I’ll keep our “turtleneck,” but I’m adopting your “fringe”!😉
My gums aren’t going very well. Lot of aches, so I booked another appointment on Friday. And believe you me, I am very found of my teeth (and consequently my gums), so I treat them well.
I’ll tell Ron he can change career haha.
Polo is indeed the British word for turtleneck. My editor is English and I decided I wanted everything in British English, not American as learned Queen’s English myself. I don’t want a mix. But there are a lot of words really different. Like lift/elevator and jumper/sweater and so on.
I love your first outfit! So darling and the earrings are perfection. The red floral blouse looks like it could come from the brand I style for! Your silver boots are beautiful! You will wear them a lot. The handbag is really pretty. I’d love that one!
Nice to see Mom in her colorful sweater. You picked out a very nice one.
I loved all of the flowers, especially the tulips in the restaurant. I have never seen that many flowers at a table!
Mum picks out her own sweaters, nothing to do with me haha.
The tulips weren’t in a restaurant but in the house of friends. Tulips are very affordable in the Netherlands, so we can buy a lot of them.
I love the silver booties. They have just the right heel height for me. The cream trousers with the shirt has a real spring feel. We had lovely weather yesterday, so I am hoping spring is on its way.
Have a lovely week!
Those boots are sooo comfortable. I don’t wear high heels anymore, I am always on flat shoes nowadays. My leg muscles aren’t used to the position anymore. I can walk on them but get leg cramp during the night. These EIJK boots are like flat boots to me.
Such a pretty outfit! I love the earrings you chose, and love the metallic touches even more. How smart to ask the designer to make the boots in metallic silver — is your pretty bag a combination of silver and gold metallic, as well as the black stitching?
Those are impressive houses indeed. I do love the photo of your mom in her pretty striped sweater 🙂
The bag is leather in a silver colour with gold and black stitching (also leather). It was not expensive but I really liked the look of it. It is by Nooki Design. They still sell this model, but nowadays in 4 different colours, pink, green, golden and brown. Alas not in silver. Here is the link to it: https://www.nookidesign.com/collections/bags
The patterns in the blouse and the earrings look good together to me.
I spy the infamous “Paris necklace” further down… 😉
They do look good together, don’t they? As I am not much of a pattern mixer I thought it wouldn’t work, but one look in the mirror convinced me it does.
The Paris necklace…oh yes, it does come out once in a while. Fortunately.
Thanks for your post. Seems like you have a lot gong on! My favorite picture is the one of your living room. The colors are beautiful as are the flowers – gorgeous couch!
Have a great week.
Thanks. We do love colour and never get bored with it. Have I never given you the link to my blog post in 2014 about our living room? If not, here it is: https://www.nofearoffashion.com/2014/07/13/colourful-living-room/
Thanks! I was just coming back to add a P.S. to my comment. Love the silver booties!!!
Good aren’t they? I have so much use of these booties in champagne colour and I know I love silver shoes. Metallic is so easy to combine with most things. I am glad that Jolanda of EIJK Shoes agreed with me.
I share your favoring opinion on the red jacket, and so my vote goes to the photo of you wearing that (while standing). Lovely accessories. And the one of your mom, as this one uses a different picture-taking technique, that I do not know how to describe.
The collar of this red jacket is even nicer when done up to the top. The scarf got in the way of that.
I have no idea what you mean with “different picture-taking technique” as I just clicked my iPhone button haha. Or were you teasing me?