My friend Marjolein was my photographer again and she took me to a special garden, right in the heart of The Hague called Emma’s Hof. If you click the link, a video on the home page will play and show you part of the city from above, ending above the mentioned garden.
The information the website provides is only in Dutch. A brief English translation: this garden at the back of several rows of houses was created by local residents from February 2010 and onwards.
Below: Demolition of a big old building which was on the ground of what was to be the garden Emma’s Hof, named after our Queen Emma (1858-1934).
Below: Creating the garden. Marjolein is pointing out her old house which was bordering this garden.
Below: Map of the garden to give you a sense of the structure.
Below: Here I am, walking through the picturesque entrance to the garden.
The outfit consists of a new pair of pebble coloured trousers with a peplum top. I don’t think this is the best combination. I still have to figure out how to style these new wide high-rise trousers. With a short upper body, it is not easy for me to style them. In my wardrobe are only long tops and shirts which you tuck in at the front of a pair of mid-rise trousers. We’ll see in the future how I am going to figure this out.
Below: The garden is such a perfect place. There are several designated areas. The next two photos were taken at the “klinkerplaats” (bricks paving), mentioned at the top of the map.
Below: When creating the garden they have incorporated old historic features, like these sandstone tablets.
Below: No garden is complete without a cat.
Below: I am standing at the top of a long shallow strip of water for children to play in and have fun.
Below: This photo is taken from the other side of the water feature but there are too many plants blocking the view.
Below: Sitting in the zen garden.
Below: The zen garden is indeed a sanctuary of tranquillity. There is another old feature against the little brick wall.
Below: Marjolein wanted to take a fun photo through this gap in the wicker fence. I was talking…
Below: Marjolein with earrings matching her t-shirt. Again, a lovely outfit.
Below: Marjolein’s bag, so cute.
More about the mosaic wall as you scroll down.
Below: Many volunteers maintain this garden. There are people who water the plants, people who open the gates to the public (everybody is welcome as long as you obey the rules), people who clear out the bins every day etc. So good.
Below: Behind the flowers above you can see a rim of curved mosaic work. It turned out to be a dragon and his tongue is wrapped around a sandbox for the kids.
Below: His back makes a bench.
Below: Marjolein squatting to take the photo. I cannot do this anymore.
Below: There is a cute little restaurant which opens when there is an event. Again, all run by volunteers.
Below: The inside of the restaurant, photographed through the window.
Below: Marjolein took this photo from the other side.
Below: Outside the restaurant is a terrace. The fence and bushes create a sheltered space.
The photo shoot was a wrap as they say in the business. For lunch we headed around the corner to café Emma.
Below: This gentleman in the café was besotted with his little dog and told us all about him.
Below: Our view as we sat on the terrace of the café. Marjolein had these earrings made by an artist.
We sat there for hours. In the sun, in the shade, having coffee and other drinks. Life was treating us very well.
What happened in my life this week
A busy week again with doing all sorts of things for mum. Searching for things which were still in her old house, making telephone calls etc. Ron assembled a little Ikea dining table for her and sighed “I’d rather put together a 25,000 pieces jigsaw puzzle of a bulb field than ever assemble another Ikea thing”. But, the table looks good and stands firmly.
Below: While Ron was wrestling with the Ikea bits and pieces, I walked with mum to a restaurant on the central square of the village and we had coffee with cake.
The rest of the week was filled with doing stuff to get mum’s old house empty. And taking mum to the eye doctor for another injection (every 7 weeks).
Thursday was a day of rest. Marjolein and I did the photo shoot and relaxed.
Friday I had to put together this post, which meant several hours of ‘work’. I could relax a bit by doing some necessary gardening after the storm.
The storm
On Wednesday, when I had to take my mum to the eye doctor and had some appointments in her old house, we had a big storm raging the country, especially the north of it where we live. It was code red, which means ‘stay at home’. As I knew the storm would be all over by noon and I wanted to keep my appointments, I drove anyway. Bad decision. Not that I had any damage or injury but it was very dangerous on the road. A big branch flew against my windscreen, startling me and it could have smashed the window easily. We also had to slalom around fallen branches on nearly all roads, even on the motor way there were some. A woman in my town died from a tree on her car. I see this as a warning from above to never ignore a code red ever again.
Our garden survived the storm, only one of the catalpa trees is damaged. Half its leaves are dead, poor thing.
Greetje
I like your pants and top combo. I have no waistline so the top would be perfect for me.
Your Mom looks well, so the move seems to be working out well for her.
We had storms here (southern US) last week and we were without power for 2 days. It was so hot and humid that I had to go to a hotel. Lots of trees and power lines were down, but neighbors and the utility company cleared the streets pretty quickly. I mention this because you seem to have had a similar experience.
Thanks for sharing your trip to the garden. The dragon is so clever.
I always envy women with a slim waist, but also women with great hair or a great bum. Really, I stopped envying them as it doesn’t bring me anything and I am really quite happy with my figure.
Our storm only lasted one morning and I don’t think any electricity went down, but that could have happened somewhere in the country. The Netherlands is a country where such things are solved very quickly as well. Imagine, you had to go into a hotel to fight the heat. Hope you enjoyed the stay and waiting on you though.
As always, you do a great travelogue. I enjoy seeing your part of the world! The pants are great. You have great legs. Legs + pants go together like a horse and carriage. It’s good to emphasize them!! What if you were to wear the pants with a much slimmer silhouette on top? A more formfitting t-shirt type top? That might really make those great gams of yours be the star of the outfit. 🙂
Best wishes to your mom. It looks like she’s settling nicely into her new living quarters. How nice for her to have such wonderful social opportunities. 🙂
I agree that a much slimmer top would be better. Only it cannot be too figure hugging or my stomach will bulge out. (So many things to consider haha.) And I agree, my legs are my best assets. The one thing I am sure of.
I hope my mum agrees with you. Don’t know yet. She needs time to settle in.
Great pants! I love reading your blog for the glimpses you give us of some of your lovely surroundings. I also come to see your brightly colored fashions and your madcap observations about your life in Haarlem. All of us of this age, as we near the end of our work lives (I’m still working but probably retiring next year) are seeing the transformation of the workplace, in the office-to-home shift, and in the more informal vibe in our offices. Nobody dresses up anymore, not even the bosses at my once very staid office, at a company with a worldwide reputation. So while I like many of your clothing choices, I often think your shoes are a bit behind the times, or more appropriate for occasions like weddings or galas. You are taking us to locations many of us would love to visit or that are like places many of us will spend our retirement years visiting. Why not show us what you would really wear in those settings? Sometimes I zoom in on your friends’ outfits and shoes to see what they wear. There are so many fashionable choices in casual footwear, at all price points. I’d love to see you model them. I can’t wait to see what you have next for us and what happens with your beautiful mom and family. Thanks for letting us in.
These are fabulous trousers Greetje. I would wear them with a platform sneaker or a more chunky shoe. You look great.
I love peplum tops and this one is so pretty with this delicate print. The pants are elegant, with a slightly exaggerated pattern, but with a very nice result in the look. I love your shoes. A beautiful park, with very original details.
What a beautiful, serene garden! Thank you so much for walking us through it! I loved your outfit!The print of your top looked pretty with the pants!
So sorry you had that dangerous storm. Next imme, please wait.
You mom looks great! She looks happy which is great!
I love the post, outfit, and the secret garden. Thank you for taking the time to do this each week! It looks so inviting. Not like the 110 degree F – 120 degree F we are having in my area now!
Adore this secret garden!! And the history that it still holds. Loved the dragon, too… what a gorgeous sanctuary to have in your own ‘backyard’ (and yours is so sweet, too!) Very glad you (and your garden) were ok after code red… lesson learned, I am sure. Your mom looks wonderful… moving from the home she had lived in for most of her life could not have been easy. And always fun to read about your fashion adventures : )
I’m glad you made it through the storm! Lovely pics of that gorgeous garden – I wish my city would do more things like that instead of building 20+ storey condos.
I like these trousers on you – I think this when you could wear a cropped style top, to show off the high waist and your long legs. Hard to fit cropped styles (not a belly-baring one!) with big boobs, though (I know this from experience).
Thank you for the tips re: Instagram, but they kicked me off (I don’t have a phone and they didn’t like that I logged into it from more than one computer). I agree, it’s not as good as long-form blogging, but it was nice to see my friends (who don’t see my blog) and readers there. Ah well, maybe one day I will get a phone! I will watch out for the men who fall in love with me (I already get their emails from the blog!).
Good to see your mum, and glad you got an outing together.
I haven’t even thought about that (big boobs and cropped styles), just thought about my short upper body.
Although I like these high, wide trousers a lot, this is really a bit of a ‘problem’.
Kicked off Instagram, hmmmm saves you tons of time. I cannot imagine being without a smart phone. Then again, without one, I would have more time too.
What an idyllic garden, more so because of the care taken by volunteers. I do like your outfit as is, Greetje, and wonder if you were to tuck in a top , whether it might bring attention to your shorter upper body. I am considerably shorter than you, so what do know!
Good to see your Mum looking well , and I do relate to Ron’s frustration with IKEA parts. Built so many pieces for my kids in my 30’s. Good idea to heed warnings regarding weather.We’d miss you both if something were to happen🤕
The garden was a pleasant surprise for me too.
I don’t think I am going to tuck in a top, rather buy a shorter top. But just long enough to go over the top of the trousers a bit.
I will be a good girl in future and not ignore weather warnings anymore. Thank you for your kind words.
I agree with Geraldine, and your response to her. I liked the outfit and the photos. I’m probably too lazy today to think harder.
Haha, that is a funny comment Linda. Thanks for making me smile.
I love your top! It highlights all your strengths. The pants are gorgeous.
Thanks. But I still think I can jazz it up a bit. Make the look a bit more ‘arty’.
I like the pants and top combination. I wonder if a short cut tee shirt would work to show more of the high rise top of the pants. It would likely be a purchase just for high topped pants, but if you have enough of them, it might be worth it.
What a beautiful garden. I love the mosaic wall and the dragon.
Glad that you made it safely through the storm. That must have been very frightening and I am sorry to read about the woman who died in the storm. It is probably best to heed the warning to stay inside (while that isn’t always easy – appointments, etc.).
I have about four high topped trousers now, so it is worth investing in tops that go well with them.
It is a work in progress.
The garden in the middle of The Hague surprised me as well. Those neighbours take really good care of it.
As for storm warnings…I will do as advised in future.
The top/pants combo isn’t bad. I’d love to see those pants styled with one of your bright knit tops, and yes, maybe tucked in the front or belted.
What an incredibly beautiful little garden! I love the serene spots and the colorful mosaics. I’d never want to leave…
And I’m glad you weren’t injured in the storm. We don’t often get that severe weather here (though the last time we did, a tree blew over and smushed my husband’s car, thankfully no one was in it…)
I agree, the combination isn’t bad, but that is not what we are striving for, is it?
Tucking in the front with a high rise, is difficult for my body shape.
The garden was such a surprise to me. I think it is a hidden gem. And to think that so many volunteers have kept it like this for so many years. Usually people get fed up.
I clearly remember your husband’s car being smashed by a tree. Nature is a force to be reckoned with.
Hello You
I think you fret too much over choosing the right tops all the time. You look perfectly ‘right’ this time and most of the other times too.stop with the angst! And if it does bother then why are Bob buying trousers you don’t like?😉
What a lovely garden! And yes, a moggie is always welcome.
I understand why Mama needed her eye injection but maybe the next day would have sufficed, just this once? Red Alerts are sounded for a reason. Had that branch been heavier or that bit closer…it doesn’t bear thinking about. I know these things: A tree blew down behind our car once, with no warning except I heard it creaking and told my husband to put his foot down. He did and the tree fell into the road between our car and the car behind us, and that was without any red bad weather warning! So you be careful now.
Have a good week.
Gee x
Hahaha, that is my ‘thing’…fretting over clothers and colours and proportions. It is why I started this blog, because I am so obsessed by it. That won’t change. And I do like the trousers a lot, I just need time to learn how to style this new trend.
The thing is with the eye injection, it takes time to schedule an appointment. The next day isn’t an option, it would then have been at a day and time which would have been very inconvenient and would break up her “every seven weeks”. Nevertheless, that is still no reason to take that risk. Dying from a branch on your car is far worse.
By the sound of it, you had a narrow escape too.
My ‘nearly dead’ moments are usually by falling down stairs. I do that very spectacularly. It is a sheer wonder I am still alive.
Greetje, i think this outfit is lovely and in perfect proportion.
I agree that the proportions aren’t too bad, but I think I can spice things up a bit.