Above: Isn’t this a fantastic photo? My yellow blazer and the yellow stripes in the police uniforms differ but I think we are still a match.
Further down the post I’ll tell you how this photo came about.
Loes was photographing my outfit in Haarlem, in a park called Kenau park. The park was designed in 1865 and the villas and apartments looking out on the park were the place to be for rich people from Haarlem.
Below: There are some grand houses surrounding Kenau park.
Below: How about this white villa?
Below: Same house from another angle.
Below: Loes and I were happily doing the photo shoot with pretty flowers in the background.
Below: Then Loes saw a tent, hidden in the bushes. Strange.
Below: A few minutes later we saw that policemen were investigating the tent.
Below: We moved on to photographing at the side of the park where this listed house is being renovated. If you think “why doesn’t the council do something about all of these weeds in front of the house…?”, the answer is, we let them grow for the bees. Along all roads, plants (weed) used to be cut to the ground, until finally everybody understood, they should leave them for the bees, whose existence is threatened without the plants.
Below: Detail of the facing brick at the top. I couldn’t find out what it meant. I did find out that Zoar is a place in the bible, along with Sodom and Gomorra, but less hedonistic. Gen 13 10 is easy (in the bible Genesis 13 10), where Sodom and Gomorra are mentioned and Zoar. I guess 1881 is the date the house was built? The text underneath 1881 is intriguing. It says “1996 I will do it anyway”. Was this the text of someone who decided to buy the house although being advised against it? No idea.
Anyway, as we were busy there, the policemen walked past us and I inquired whether they had found someone in the tent. They hadn’t and they explained how such matters are handled. Cheeky as I am, I asked whether they would let Loes take a photo of them with me and could I put it on the blog? They said yes. On one condition: I had to link through to their Instagram account: wijkagent_haarlem_centrum. Which is of course, only relevant for my Dutch readers. So glad these two strong men are keeping the neighbourhood safe.
Below: Because I like it so much, here is the photo again.
Below: Back to the rest of the photos we shot. The sitting pose, gazing adoringly at that gorgeous plant pot.
Below: Actually, there were two plant pots.
Below: And here is Loes, bridging our outfits with her yellow bag.
Below: Loes’ new shoes. Dainty, aren’t they?
Below: Some more houses for you.
Below: We saw this sweet little doggy. She is called Gwyn. Unusual name for a dog and a beautiful name.
Below: Last two photos of the outfit, in front of someone’s house. I was matchy matchy with the blue earrings, the silver belt and the silver boots. But I like it. And I am wearing a green and an orange bangle to break up the matchy matchy! That’s new to me.
Below: I think I should have pulled my jumper out of those trousers a bit more. Not the most elegant pose anyway LOL.
What happened in my life this week
Happily did a lot of shopping on Saturday, buying things like a present for my friend’s new born baby. It was difficult to choose as I fell in love with nearly everything. So tiny.
Below: Paid a visit to Marianne in the afternoon, just for a coffee and a chat. Every time the cat (in the photo on the right) hears the coffee machine, she comes begging for a treat. Once you’ve taught them that, Pavlov reaction sets in.
Marianne is a gifted ceramics artist. She created the rose below, which sits on a little stand in her garden. Love it.
Sunday I persuaded mum to sit outside on one of the nursing home’s balconies. It was a bit too cold for her liking to go outside, but I wanted her to profit from the sunshine. The balcony was sheltered from the wind and close to her front door. Easy to make coffee and get it out on the balcony. Because she likes to be really warm, she brought a cardigan and covered her legs with it.
Monday my doctor checked all the spots on my body, to see whether they were still benign and not developing into skin cancer. She does that regularly with me, once every half year I think. I got the all-clear.
Marcella of Lara Design came round for coffee and to talk about her website. She was wearing new bangles and I immediately bought two of them haha. You see them in the outfit above.
In the afternoon I picked up two pairs of trousers which were altered. One shortened and one lengthened. They did a terrific job. I had to seek another place for my alterations as my seamstress is really too ill to work again. Poor thing.
Tuesday Marjolein and I went back to Delft where we had such a good photo shoot a couple of weeks ago. It was beautiful sunny weather so I started to complain that there was too much sunshine to photograph. We Dutch do know how to whine.
Wednesday was a bad day as my physiotherapist did an echo on my shoulder and concluded that my main shoulder tendon had snapped. It wasn’t cracked calcium, but a really broken tendon. I still have a few back-up tendons but I have to be really careful in the future and not lift any heavy things with my right arm and certainly not above elbow height. I am adjusting and it is not simple.
Not much to report about the rest of the week. We did things like going to the beach with the dog and such.
Have to dash now as we are going to have drinks with our friend/neighbours.
Greetje
Absolutely love this outfit on you!
It is one of those outfits that is always good: jeans and a blazer. Easy peasy and just right for my figure. Thanks for the compliment.
I loved your whole post. But I really loved the blaser and jeans. Where did you purchase them?
Ah, that is a difficult question. You see, currently I am creating (with a lot of help of my friends) outfits with clothes I already have in my wardrobe. Which means, they aren’t available anymore in the shop. The yellow blazer is from Essentiel Antwerp, a brand I love. The jeans you might still get. They are Samsoe & Samsoe and called ‘Rebecca’. Here is the link, although I only see those jeans in a light wash and in black: https://www.samsoe.com/en-NL/woman/clothing/jeans/
Greetje, I loved your outfit! So very happy with the yellow jacket! Very nice of the police allowing you to take a photo with them! The first thing I thought when I saw the tent was that a child might live in the beautiful white house. I would love to see the insides!
So nice to see Lowes and Marianne always looks so nice! Love, love her red flower!
Very sorry about your tendon! I am taking 2 strong meds. I fear it will take a shot on my hip; this is too much drugs.
Today is Mother’s Day. Shops made up extra flowers and many people go out to eat. I hate a wait to get a table; hard with two boys eager to sit down so I cook.
Happy Mother’s Day from Watson!
It was indeed very nice of the policemen allowing me to take a photo. I didn’t expect that.
I know you will be careful with the meds. Difficult when you have to choose between two wrongs.
Mother’s Day is the same here. We took mum to a restaurant for a coffee in the afternoon. She cannot do dinner or lunch anymore.
A beautiful post! Lovely photos with great style. You look fantastic. It was nice also to see a sweet photo of your Mom.
Thanks Linda. It is one of those outfits I know always look good on me: jeans with a blazer.
I love this yellow blazer and jeans set, I think it looks gorgeous and has great balance, which the striped t-shirt contributes to. Always wonderful backgrounds in your photos, flowers, architecture, interesting people… you make your habitat look like paradise. By the way, I think that, in Spain, police officers cannot be tattooed.
Really, police officers cannot be tattooed in Spain? In the Netherlands they just look at the qualifications and the character.
And believe me, the Netherlands is far from paradise hahaha.
Wonderful photograph of Marianne!
Marianne is always stylish and is very photogenic.
LOVE the photo with the policemen – the flow of yellow really moves the eye around – and they’re not bad to look at either!. And I’ve recently reaffirmed that I really like a certain amount of matching. i stand proudly for it and your outfit today was a really good example of it. Glad to see your mum seeming well.
The policemen are certainly not bad to look at, are they. Handsome men.
I don’t think I’ll ever get my matchy matchy liking out of my system. So, if you can’t beat it, join it.
Even searched for policemen with yellow in their uniform hahaha.
Love this post. The photo with the police guys is great, and I love your outfit.
Marianne is very talented, and I think her rose is gorgeous!
Sorry about your shoulder. Getting older can be challenging, but the
alternative isn’t appealing!
Have a good week.
Marianne is indeed very talented. She can paint and her ceramics are stellar. And she is a good stylist.
I love the photo with the policemen. Such an endearing shot.
And you are right, the alternative to not getting older is certainly not appealing. When the day comes, it comes, but I am not really done with life yet.
I feel like my comments are so repetitive of what has already been said, but I love the outfit, love that the police officers let you photograph them, love the gorgeous houses, and always enjoy seeing your mum!
I value each an every comment. And if readers like a post, it is inevitable that comments will look alike. It doesn’t mean I like one less than the other. Blogging is rather a lonely task so connecting with my readers is terrific. At least I then know I am not doing it just for myself haha.
The policemen photo is gold.
That picture of you and the police officers is fantastic, Greetje. Great outfit, and I say YES to the matchy-matchy! The bracelets are so pretty. Good to see your mum out, and your friends too.
I was so pleased that the police officers said yes. I never expected them too. They are sweet guys. And very strong. Glad you like the outfit. It is my go-to style: jeans with a blazer.
Gwyn means white in welsh!
Love your jeans and the picture with the policemen!
Oh, it is Welsh? Thanks. I didn’t know that. The dog owner was a Dutch lady.
The policemen photo is gold, I agree.
I love today’s outfit! Just the right mix of casual and chic. And the photo with the police officers is wonderful!
I’m so sorry to hear about the broken tendon. That sounds very painful.
I was so pleased with the police officers’photo. So nice. Hence, I used it twice.
The pain of the broken tendon is not so bad (anymore), but the fact that I will always have to be careful with that arm is something I really hate. It is for the rest of my life.
I hope you will heal fast and feel better soon. Summer is coming. That might help.
You always look stunning in wide jeans and a tailored blazer. It’s my fav style of yours. It’s always nice to see the beautiful brick houses of the Netherlands. It’s amazing how green everything is already. The bushes are also in full bloom. Here, we had another snowstorm on the 6th. But now it’s green-up. Temps in the 10C. Life is good. Stay cool in style. Cute cat btw.
I am afraid summer won’t be much help in healing my shoulder. Besides, there is little healing to be done, only pain will subside. I have to live my life a bit more careful from now on. First task I cannot perform is changing the winter and summer shoes in the tall closet. Pfff. Ron will help me.
You are right, a tailored blazer with wide jeans is a very good look for me.
Hi Greetje,
I really like the post! The photo with the policemen is fantastic. You styled your outfit perfectly as usual. Thank you for all the photos.
I was also really pleased with the policemen photo. Thank you for the compliments. Much appreciated.