Kitty took me to a field with wild flowers called ‘Plukweide‘, literally translated this means ‘flower plucking meadow (or garden). I am wearing the same trousers as in this post, but with a cropped orange and cream top. I thought I’d try a shorter top with these wide high-rise trousers.
The top is the one I bought in the sale when I was with Marjolein in Leiden. I like the shape and the colour and thought it would look cute with these trousers.
Because the proportions from my upper body part to my lower body part was a bit odd, I added a belt. A brown one, to counteract the lightness of this outfit. Subsequently I also chose a brown bag.
As I looked in the mirror in the bedroom I was pleased with the styling. But after I saw the photos, I wasn’t so keen on the outfit anymore. And that has nothing to do with Kitty’s photography skills, not at all. I just got another good look. I like the front of the outfit, but sometimes the part around the belly, hips and bum looks off. It isn’t too bad so I will probably wear this outfit again, but it isn’t in my top 10.
Below: When Kitty suggested this flower garden, I hadn’t realised that there wouldn’t be neat, paved paths. Walking around in espadrilles (= fabric shoes) on wet grass, stepping on molehills, trying to avoid stinging thistles and nettles is something I dislike. On top of that, I had been to the hairdresser two days before and I hate the way my hair looks those first days. To my shame I have to admit, these things make me grumpy. So a lot of the photos couldn’t be used because I was pulling a grumpy face, not because poor Kitty didn’t do a good job. Other photographers like Marjolein, Anja and my husband know about my foul moods and it really won’t do. They are going out of their way to do me a favour and I spoil both the atmosphere and the photos. Sigh. I am such a whingey bitch. I promise, I will try and control myself better in future (have I promised this before?).
The system of the garden is built on trust. You pay for the flowers you pluck by either transferring money into the bank account written on the sign, or you put coins through a hole in the wall. The word ‘Betaalopties’ on the sign means ‘payment options’. But first you take a basket plus a pair of scissors and choose your flowers.
Below: My orange earrings would have been a bit much with all the orange already going on in the outfit. I chose these long ones with a glass pendant (Lara Design).
Below: It looked like a lovely way to create a bunch of wildflowers.
Below: Bees love this garden.
Below: Cute shed.
Below: The flowers in this vase were already withering but they made a nice ‘prop’.
Below: I am cutting away, following the instructions.
Below: After three flowers I couldn’t see many more that I liked, so I stopped. But I did pay for the three. Never mind, the garden served its purpose as background for the photo shoot.
Below: We have these flowers in our garden as well.
Below: Kitty, my skilled photographer, wearing a pair of Dries van Noten trousers. She looks beautiful.
I might not have been in the right mood to like anything, whatever it was. Do you recognise moods/days like that?
What happened in my life this week
Saturday was a day filled with a visit to the seamstress, having a chat and a cup of coffee with her, some sale shopping and a visit to the market. We have an outstanding market on Saturday with high quality food. I needed to bring home snacks to go with drinks before dinner as our friends and neighbours Froukje and Petro came to taste Ron’s excellent mussels. He prepares them well. It was an evening filled with laughter.
On Sunday we got a visit from our friends Anne-Hiske and Jan Daniël who had to pick up something in Haarlem and combined it with looking us up. Always so nice to see them. They are great people. The rest of the day was relaxed.
The rest of the week was filled with visits to physiotherapists and a blood test (hurray for old age stuff pffff), seeing the seamstress and finishing the work of clearing my mum’s old, rented house. Good old Ron turned out to be a mountain of muscles.
Monday we will give the keys back to the landlords and I hope that will be the end of it.
As I said before, we are not complying with all the demands of the landlords and they have turned nasty. We are going to leave the house in a tidy way but I take my conscience as my guideline, not their demands. For instance, the stairs were in a right state (see below) with nasty glue on them after my brother removed the carpet (1 day’s work).
Below: This is how it looks after Ron slaved away for 2 days to remove the glue. Still not perfect, I will admit that, but perfect is a bit too much if you realize that nothing in the house has been updated in 63 years. The landlords never provided maintenance of the house. Until he died in 2006, my father did everything himself.
Below: For example, this is the state of the kitchen door.
Below: And this is the state of the French doors.
The person who buys the house (as the landlords are selling it), will have to knock down everything and execute a pretty expensive renovation.
You can tell I am frustrated about this.
Friday was another quiet day. I haven’t got much planned for next week either. I am just not in the right frame of mind. It will come back.
Greetje
Love this shirt and the pants. You couldn’t have picked a more beautiful spot to take pictures, what a great way to get beautiful wildflowers. You always look so stylish with whatever you wear.
I’m so glad you are done with that horrible landlord. The way the house looks now he will have a lot of renovations to do before anyone will even consider buying it. I say “Good Riddance” to him. I’m sure things will be much brighter from now on.
I don’t always look stylish, I just never show you when I don’t LOL.
The story with the landlords isn’t over yet. They have threatened again with a registered letter to my mum. “Fix what we want to have fixed or we’ll bill you for it”. We’ll see them in court.
Oh, I’m a whingey bitch at times too, honey. I can get pretty snappy and sharp-tongued – I’m known for it. A delicate fucking flower, indeed.
I like this outfit – I don’t love it, but I do like it. I find myself wanting more colour in the pants – this putty colour is just blerg. Royal blue! Green! I like Kitty’s Dries trousers too – love that fabric.
That landlord has unrealistic expectations – that is totally reasonable wear and tear for someone who has lived in a place that long. Even requiring carpet removal is not a reasonable request. I’m sure you have a lawyer. Sending good vibes over that stress, as well as your ailments (our own reasonable wear and tear!).
Mwah, big hug to you – it’ll get better.
I chose those putty colour trousers because I thought they would go with any old colour. But as my friend Marjolein said as well as you do, the outfit becomes a bit bland. Others would call it chic, but we are colour lovers. Kitty’s trousers are the bomb. Fabrics by Dries are so good.
We don’t have a lawyer yet, but we have so much evidence plus the report written by and photos taken by a bailiff, we don’t really worry about a possible lawsuit.
Everything will get better when the sun starts shining again. We hope from Wednesday next week onwards. But weather here is fickle.
We all have off days, Greetje! And I would never have known you were being a ‘whingey bitch’ in the photos! I’m sorry but your comment made me laugh! I certainly have my bitchy days too though so I know what it’s like—but it’s good when you can recognise it!
Big hugs
Suzy xx
I know we all have bitchy days, but it is so unfair on the lovely people around us.
Of course I didn’t show you the photos with my grumpy face haha. And if you laughed over my comment, then I am very pleased. All wasn’t lost with this post.
We all have our off days and it sounds like you had some good reasons for it. Is that even legal to have demands after not doing any maintenance work on the house for that long!?
Hope this coming week is better for you. And despite of what you may think, at least you still look good!
Hahaha.. that’s the main thing. “Zolang je haar maar goed zit”.
If the maintenance work was never done, you should have complained about it at the time, not afterwards.
But we have a dozen reasons why their demands are unreasonable. We now handed back the keys (it was not a wonderful afternoon…). We’ll see whether this is the end of it.
Greetje, I know your mother’s changing home and life stages isn’t easy to handle. I am so sorry the land lord didn’t take care of the home which should have been done with her paying for rent.. We have laws about bad service when renting here. Sending you a prayer that this situation resolves itself quickly. I hope your mother loves her new place.
Your outfit looked wonderful! I’m so sorry you weren’t happy with it. I thought it was lovely. I’d like to see the blouse with navy or white trousers
The wildflower place was very nice. With my allergies, I would have sneezed and sneezed!
My father used to work for the company from which he rented the house. He knew what they were like and as he was a carpenter and a very handy man, he just did the maintenance himself. Until about 2004 when he was 88.
We handed in the keys. I hope I will never hear from them again. But I am not sure.
I think I can comply with your wish to combine the top with a dark navy pair of jeans.
Gardens and allergies do not go together.
Unbelievable that your dad and mom rented that house for 63 years, the landlords did no maintenance, and now they are making demands! You have every right to be upset by this. It looks like you and Ron and your family have done lots more than you should have had to do.
Love the orange and cream top. Also love Kitty’s outfit, and the wildflower garden is charming.
Wishing you much less stress soon, dear Greetje.
Thank you Cynthia. I hope so too. I want my joyful mood back. Well, at least we turned the keys in and we’ll see whether he dares taking my mum to court.
Hello, You
Sorry you’ve had a bad week, but don’t let it get to you because that means the baddies have won 😱 and that We Do Not Want! Sling ’em the keys and tell ’em to sling their hook if they’re not happy. Look at their house-care record. Oh no, you can’t, there isn’t one! They’re just not worth wasting your energy on, honestly, kiddo. Do as Lynda Ashley does and pivot (love it!). I reckon you, good old Ron and your brother and sister-in-law deserve a nice meal out somewhere fancy where you can raise a glass to Mama (and yourselves) and then kiss the whole sorry tale goodbye. You could wear one your lovely dresses, Phfftt! to whittling about wide legged trousers, sticky-out tummies, soggy espadrilles and misbehaving hair. A sip or several of something spicy with chips and van vollenhoven (spelling from memory here) mayonnaise will soon set you to rights! Oh boy, I can see it now…
You wait; you’ll soon have your European vibe back. I know Paula Ryba was talking fashion here but it could still apply to how you feel. I know very well what small town America fashion is like, and vibes, and she’s quite right. But both are lovely in their own way.
Now, have a better week than last week, starting the minute you hand over those house keys on Monday!
Hugs
Gee x
Just handed over the keys. One of the two was the nasty one but gilded the arisen situation with statements like “I don’t have a quarrel with you. As far as I am concerned we are still friends. It has just been an exchange of who is responsible for what”.
I told him I don’t regard him as a friend and left the rest of the procedure to my husband. I couldn’t stand seeing his lying face anymore.
I am sure I will get my good mood back soon, although it might take a week haha.
I think the Van Vollenhoven mayonaise is no more. We only have a Van Vollenhoven as the husband of one of our princesses.
Your outfit is really attractive and very suitable for what you were pursuing.
The landlords for your Mother’s home should take a hard look at themselves. Few landlords today could boast having stable rent paying tenants for 63
years. They should be grateful.
Grateful they are not. Hypocrites they are. They bend the truth to suit their money needs. Today we handed the keys over to them and as far as I am concerned (and mum as well), this is it. If they want other things done, they will have to take mum to court.
Thanks for the compliments on the outfit.
Hang in there…this, too, shall pass. I’d be grumpy too having to deal with an old house and a grumpy landlord. Just think what a relief it will be to turn it back over to him! You will feel so much better then.
Today we handed in the keys. Let’s say it wasn’t a pleasant conversation, so I left most of it to my husband. Safer that way.
The shirt is very pretty, I like the print and the original design, and with these pants it is a very sober and beautiful look
Well, a compliment coming from you, is one that I rate very highly. Thank you.
I know the shirt looks very pretty on you.It Just need a brighter color this is too flat, is that the word for it?
I know what you mean. Perhaps the top will look better on dark jeans. I will try that and look for another colour and shape for these pebble coloured trousers.
Hi Grumpy, Lol. Sadly, it is easy to focus on what you don’t like. The minute I start doing that I catch my thoughts and I say to myself: “pivot!” Find something you like! Interestingly, I always do and for me, that mood passes quickly. I didn’t use to, but that word always makes me look for a better feeling thought. That photo of you bending over to pick a flower is absolutely beautiful!
xo
Lynda
As I said to Anne, I think the whole shenanigans with my mother’s move got under my skin more than I acknowledged. And it had its effect on several situations. So it will pass soon.
But I agree with you that we tend to focus on what we don’t like. I will try your word pivot (well, the Dutch equivalent).
I love that blouse — it reminds me of a koi pond.
The landlord is over-the-top ridiculous. I hope you DO actually go to court and are reimbursed for your time and effort.
You are so right about the top! Koi pond exactly.
About the house…although I would love the revenge, I’d rather not go to court as it will only mean more negative energie. I can do without that.
What a beautiful garden! Your shirt is perfect for it, and too bad about the espadrilles.
I hope you have a good week and that your mood improves. We all have times like that. I know I do, but it always passes.
Best of luck with the stupid landlords!!!
I know it will pass, you are right, my good mood will come back. The whole thing with my mother’s move was getting under my skin more than I liked to acknowledge. Thanks for the luck wish.
Well, I can understand your bad mood! Wearing those espradrilles would have done me in. I had one pair at age 19 and gave them away! Never again! Walking in them is hard enough but add in nettles and uneven ground – a nightmare! And I also, never like my hair when it is freshly cut, and I hate the style she does. I guess I am just picky. I do like that orange and cream blouse. It looks very nice on you. You have been wearing a lot of pants lately. Is it cold there? Our summer here in Florida is sweltering. I buy nice linen clothes and then don’t want to wear them! lol. Sorry you are having so many problems with your mother’s landlords. Looks like poor Ron has done a lot of work. I hope it is over soon and you can rest!
Glad you understand me so well. It takes one to know one.
I am wearing trousers more than skirts or dresses ever since I got retired. It is easier and less formal. But I have shown dresses and skirts. But I’ll admit, the last 29 outfits held 9 dresses and skirts, the rest were trousers.
It isn’t cold at all over here. We have had really warm weather for more than a month and now it has gone down to 20 to 21 degrees Celsius. With some showers. The land needs it.
Tomorrow we will be handing over the keys of the house to the landlords and I hope that will be the end of it.
Dear Greetje, so sorry you have been having such a stressful time sorting your mum’s house. No wonder you have been feeling low. Hopefully once you hand back the keys your mood will lift and you can relax and recharge. I do hope your mum is settling, it is a huge change for her after so many years.
Your outfit looked lovely and the location was stunning as always.
I love your honesty in your blog, it is not easy to open up and show your vulnerability. Life is never all roses and we are all here sending you love and support.
Thank you for your good wishes Sue. The keys have been handed back and I hope I will never hear from them again.
I think it will take another week to get my good mood back. The weather isn’t helping either. Lots of rain.
I agree that the change is very big for my mum. I so hope she will feel less lonely there with more entertainment and more people to talk to.
For me it is very easy to open up and show vulnerability. I am an extreme extrovert. I always say that nobody can blackmail me as everybody knows everything about me haha.
Oh, you poor dear. There are just those days when your perspective is pickled and one needs to wait it out. You seem like a naturally buoyant person, so it won’t be long. I take your sense of fashion as my muse, but you are much more daring, or is that a European vibe vs small town America? At any rate I love your trials working through the proportions for the new wide legged trousers; they do look stunning with your long legs. Chin up, troubles do pass.
I expect to feel more cheerful soon as well.
My sense of fashion is both city vibe and being an extreme extrovert. And I am not even that daring (according to myself).
I will continue to work out the proportion quest with high and wide trousers.