Brace yourself, there are many photos to come.
I don’t know whether you can remember, but I bought this top together with two of my BVA friends (see below). Funny.
I thought it was time to style it for summer, so here is my multi coloured top with cognac coloured trousers. Both heavily reduced in the sale and the golden slingbacks are second-hand and a steal. The trousers you have seen in this post with a long blue shirt.
Below: The Shopping Saturday girls got together again for a happy day. Sabine on the left (who took most of the photos) and Anke on the right. Always starting the day with coffee and cake.
Below: Sabine suggested to meet in an old town called Weesp as she knows a few nice shops there. Weesp is gorgeous and so was the weather.
They agreed to do the outfit shoot before the shopping and we went to a nearby canal.
Below: The sitting down pose on the steps leading to the canal.
Below: The canal is so beautiful and with weather like that day many people are cruising with their boat.
Below: The boats will be let through by the drawbridge in the distance. Bridges usually open at preset times.
Below: Poor Anke got quite bored I think.
Below: Sabine joined her. No idea what they were looking at.
Below: We walked on to another bridge and canal in search of shade.
Below: We deliberately let this tree grow out of my head.
Below: We goofed around while taking more shots. Anke’s jeans vest over her dress made the outfit edgier.
Below: Sweet.
Below: Sweet too.
Below: Sabine was dressed sensationally as always.
Below: Can you believe she walked on these heels all day? RESPECT.
Below: Time for lunch. We stumbled upon a great little restaurant called Harmsen. They are allowed to have a terrace across the street, next to a cute shop.
Below: The Shopping Saturday gang at restaurant Harmsen. Good food, nice service, clean and good-looking toilets etc. I’d give it a 10, an A+.
Below: Our lunch view into the street.
Shopping time ! Our first stop was Boutique Bijt (here is their Instagram account). They sell attractive clothes by appealing brands. Anke hit the cash register hard and Sabine also bought a jacket (forgot to take a photo).
Below: Anke didn’t buy this see-through dress but a cream with orange maxi dress with fun black platform mules. Stupid me forgot to take that photo too.
Below: She also bought this top and the shorts. Later, she found another top and a pair of shorts in a vintage shop which also came home with her. She did well that day.
I found a peplum top in the last shop we visited. Great for my body shape. You will see it soon.
Below: As we quietly walked back to the car, we passed this cute drawbridge. The city of Weesp did a great job with the flowers and the water lilies.
Below: The swans agreed, I think. Aren’t they adorable?
Below: There is a famous ice cream parlour in Weesp so we all had an ice cream and sat on a bench to eat it. Sabine took a selfie of us but I looked like death warmed up in that photo. So instead, I’ll show you our view.
Below: Another beautiful church with bells.
Below: Sabine took this shot of me shooting the church.
No need to tell you how much we enjoyed ourselves.
Below: As I picked up Anke from her house, her daughter took a photo of me and their new painting. Haha…very similar.
What happened in my life this week
Sunday I visited mum together with Ron, my brother and SIL. Because mum, by her own wish, had decided to move to a nursing home. We applied for it about a month ago and Friday the 16th I got a telephone call saying it was all arranged and she had to move in on Thursday the 22nd, six days later…AAAAGGGH.
It took a lot of phone calls, searching for a removal company, measuring and above all, choosing what mum wanted to (and could) take with her as her room in the nursing home is small.
My loved ones amazed me that day. Every decision was made after approval by mum. We don’t decide for her.
- My sister-in-law managed to go through all mum’s clothes, shoes and jewellery and sort out what to take with her. And that is a lot. You know I own a lot of clothes, but my goodness, I now know whom I got it from.
- My mum was decisive and quick to respond which is a devilish task. She keeps being very positive throughout the whole process. Kudos for her.
- My husband managed to find a removal company for a very reasonable price, ordered boxes, wrapping paper etc.
- My bother cleaned out the desk and took all the financial papers with him to deal with.
Of course I haven’t mentioned everything they did, but I can safely say we are a good team. We could do this professionally.
The rest of the week I have been busy with phone calls, organising things, filling in papers, putting stuff in boxes and finally on Thursday the move itself.
Below: Here is mum in her new dwelling. It isn’t quite finished but it already looks a bit like home.
As I woke up on Friday, every muscle in my body ached. Keep on moving is the best remedy, so I got up and after the morning rituals, drove to my friend Maurits for a relaxed morning and lunch in their beautiful garden.
After lunch a quick visit to the seamstress, some errands and a coffee date with Kitty (below), who had just come back from a short holiday, looking very tanned.
Trivial miscellaneous
One pulling rope of the largest awning was broken and the company who had to repair it, was swamped with work and could only come in after a fortnight. We couldn’t use it anymore so we left the awning down, hoping we wouldn’t suffer rain or wind again. As we have had a day of massive rain.
Then on Thursday, while moving mum, I got a phone call “Was I at home?” As the awning company could squeeze me in. I called our neighbours who were to come home within an hour and the awning company agreed to wait for them (the neighbours have the key to our house). The new rope was fixed that afternoon. Kudos for the company and for our neighbours.
Next week you will see photos taken by Kitty again.
Greetje
I love all tthe photos and the outfits very well suited to you. You definitely have a knack for what style and colours suit you.
It has taken me years of research and failures Cheryl, but I agree, I now know pretty well the do’s and don’ts for my body shape.
Your Mum looks very happy in her new place,which looks very nice. I’m sure she will enjoy living their and making new friends..
It will take some time for her to adjust and get familiair with the routine of the place. She isn’t overjoyed yet.
Can I just say how impressed I am with your Mom? And the fact that you guys were able to pull together as a team so quickly and get her situated and organized. I’m currently going through challenging times with my Mom. Life is very difficult for her since my Dad passed away 2 years ago. She is very steadfast in her refusal of any changes to her life which of course is impossible.
Oh that is horrible. On top of all the care you want to give your mother you get the burden of not being able to do that in the right way. You are right, my mother was very sensible in knowing when it was time to go to the nursing home. She didn’t feel safe at home anymore. Of course it is not a happy choice to make. She isn’t walking around singing of joy. Quite the contrary. As we say: “Like a cat in a strange warehouse”. But the nurses told me it will take about six weeks to adjust and to get to know the new routine.
What a big decision for your mother. It says a lot about her self-awareness and resolve that she made the call on her own. She’s fortunate to have such wonderful support! I hope the adjustment goes well for you all.
Beautiful outfit this week, and what a fun outing!
It will take time for my mother to adjust, to find her way and to get used to the routine of the house. In the meantime I worry as well. Does she eat enough? Does she drink enough? Fortunately the bed is good.
Such a pretty town, and such sweet photos with your friends. How wonderful that your mom is happily settled in her new home with what sounds like minimal upset for her, although much work for you and your family.
Mum is of course very unsettled, leaving the house she lived in for 63 years and where she raised her children. It will take time to find new routines, new friends and hopefully enjoyable things to do.
Sorry, Greetje. I didn’t mean to imply that uprooting her life was easy for your mom. My parents went through a stressful eight-month-long period after they decided to move into a home more suited to their needs. I just meant that at least your mom was spared that dreadfully long process. Wishing her all the best in her new home.
You don’t have to apologize. I just wanted to be honest and not “sell” my mum’s move as being easy for her.
You are right, it is better to get everything over and done with in 6 days rather than in 8 months. It doesn’t give you time to imagine worst scenarios and start worrying unnecessarily. I can imagine it was very stressful for your parents.
I hope your Mother does well in the retirement home. I am glad your family was able to pitch in and help and glad it was your Mother’s decision. I wish her the very best. I have always enjoyed seeing her on your blog.
Love the mutli-colored blouse.
As I will be visiting her every week as usual, you will see more of her. And I also hope she will have a really enjoyable time in the retirement home.
Love this outfit on you and that blouse looks great on all 3 of you! The photos show such a sweet connection between all of you. Love the photos of water, always. Bravo on the family teamwork. I had 2 months to downsize with my mom. A few days is a miracle!
All my friends are very dear to me.
And yes, six days was quite a short time. But the whole family was wonderful in this process. Mind you, the house isn’t empty yet. We will deal with that before the end of July when the lease is up.
You look lovely in the print shirt and cognac trousers. I was amazed at the
photo of the swans in the canal, it was striking. perhaps you could have it
enlarged and framed, it is worthy of being seen, all the time.
It was so nice your Mom chose her own time to move- it seems that is the
only way for that kind of move to be wholly successful. Are the family
pictures behind her fastened to a cloth or canvas frame? It appears a very
sensible way to display personal pictures without damage to the walls.
I do enjoy your posts, but lately they do not arrive until Monday, my time.
Beth
Although I like the swan photo, I am sure there are better photos with this subject than mine. It was only taken with an iPhone.
The family pictures are fastened to a board which hangs from two plastic wires, like a painting. I thought of it and the husband of my niece created it.
I am sorry that my emails don’t always arrive on your Sunday. That is because Mailchimp (the email executor) doesn’t upload my new post straight away. I have a free account so I cannot complain. Once the new post is uploaded (and I have checked that), I can let it send the email. But you don’t have to wait until the email arrives. I publish hours earlier than the email. At 10 AM Amsterdam time. If you just go to my blog on the internet (www.nofearoffashion.com) at that time, you will see the latest post at the top.
Great outfit, Greetje – the colours are lovely on you. I love seeing you out and about with your friends, and always imagine it’s much like my own outings with my girls. Looking forward to seeing your peplum top!
Fabulous pictures – I must make it to the Netherlands one day!
I’m glad your mum knew when it was time to move – and kudos to all of you for doing it so quickly! That’s got to be stressful.
Take care and have a good week!
Wouldn’t that be lovely…you making it to the Netherlands. Be sure to bring good weather. July is your best bet. Not guaranteed, but the safest month, weatherwise.
As you can imagine, I haven’t been able to visit many blogs (or do other things) in these past weeks.
I really like this latest outfit of yours and you wear it well! and as usual the scenery is beautiful.
Your Mom’s room looks like it is in a established home by the decor not one that looks like an institution as most of them look this way. It must have been a difficult decision for her to make the move and it will take her time to adjust but I am sure she will.
Glad you enjoyed the post.
We were able to decorate the room as we liked. And they gave the advice to bring as many items from her old house as possible to create an environment that (slightly?) feels like home.
It was indeed a difficult decision. Because she only made it because her health is declining, not because she loved to go to a nursing home, although there were times when she saw the benefits of it. More care and more people to talk to.
Love your outfit, and all the pics in Weesp were so lovely. What a beautiful day! Cute pic of the three of you in the same top.
So glad your mother’s move went so smoothly. Her room looks very nice, and I hope she has a nice view from her window.
Mum’s view from her window isn’t anything to write home about. And that bugs her a lot. On the positive side, it might get her out of her room and look for a place on the balcony in summer, or play games with other habitants.
I love that top with the cognac pants, great combo!! A+
Weesp looks quite lovely, and I’m glad you had some nice weather. We’re only now starting to have sun most days, though it’s still cool and breezy.
Glad everything went smoothly with you Mum, and I hope she settles in quickly. I’ll bet she makes some new friends right away.
Funny, we are grading each other haha.
Isn’t cool weather this season unusual for California?
I have no idea whether mum can make new friends quickly. In my experience, friendships grow slowly. But there are a lot of people who think the world of her, so she probably attracts people. Let’s hope for some friendships.
Your day with your friends looks so fun, and you all look beautiful and stylish!
I had to decide to move my mother into a nursing facility because she has dementia. It’s been almost a year and she is fairly happy there. She lived by herself and I worried all the time about her. We couldn’t afford to have full-time help which is what she needs. I felt such a sense of relief when she moved. It’s sad but it needed to happen.
Have a good week.
It was indeed a day of fun.
I hope my mother will be happy in this home. It will take a few weeks to get familiair with the place and the people and that is not a nice time.
Hello You
Well, that was a busy week! Productive too. Mama looks very settled into her cosy new home – her family did her proud. It was good that she made her own decision about things. People would tell me that I should be urging my Mum move into a care home and I always said “It’s not for me to tell her what to do, she’ll tell me when she’s ready.” And she did, and was very happy there.
Your Outfit of the Week is lovely. And so are your photos. I’ve not been to Weesp but have put it on my list to go-see as it looks so pretty.
You seem to be back to full health again and that’s good to see. As for having a girls’ day out, that must have been a fun time. Not one I could do often though as I’d come back loaded with lots of carrier bags full of goodies!
Have a good week.
Gee x
I totally agree with you. Mum has to decide. If I were old and someone would make decisions for me, I would be so angry. Another point is, that when you decide on a move, you will look at the new place with positive eyes. When you are forced to move, you will find faults everywhere.
Visiting Weesp is a good idea, it is small and picturesque.
Trust me on the shopping with these girls….very dangerous. Which is why we don’t do it that often either. Twice of three times a year? We used to do more, but lives got busy.