When Marjolein asked me to pose like this I thought she was mad. Never would I be able to do that and certainly not with slippery leather soles and a bit of a heel. I tried it anyway which is quite dangerous at my age. Especially because I leaned back and the door gave way haha. It was a narrow escape but what a fun photo it made. “Look mum, no hands” LOL.
Wearing a green and cream houndstooth blazer, this time with jeans. You’ve seen me wear it before with cream trousers and with baggy jeans.
To add a little extra bling, I used a metal belt with a hint of blue in it which is 30 years old, perhaps even older. Somewhere I read that these belts are ‘in fashion’ again and I never throw belts away. It was hanging on my mannequin, it only needed some dusting.
Marjolein was in town for only a few hours, so we didn’t venture out too far. We wouldn’t want to sacrifice our cappuccino for a photo shoot, now, would we?
Below: Even after all this time, there are still streets and neighbourhoods which we haven’t used as background for a post. I love the house with the step gable.
Below: The entrance of an almshouse courtyard. Well, they used to be almshouses with (in the end) 11 cottages. The facing brick reads: ‘t Coomans Hof Ao 1609. If you click the link, you’ll learn more about the rise and fall of this almshouse courtyard, but you have to use a translation tool, like Google Translate as it is in Dutch. Above the text you see Saint Nicolas, patron of the guild plus one child standing and one child kneeling. I am not a fan of such images. Nobody should have to kneel before another person. That is abuse of power.
Below: It makes a nice background though, it is even dark green. YAY. The flared jeans are Paige, bought when I visited Vancouver in 2015 for a blogger meet-up. They are a bit long for these boots. That is the fashion but I never cared for damaging my trousers by dragging them over the ground.
Below: There are still houses there and you are only allowed to walk on the path, so there are similar rules to an almshouse courtyard.
Below: The sunlight was blasting, which is bad for photography, but we didn’t protest as we didn’t want the sun to go away.
Below: It meant that I had to use Photoshop to get the colours right in which I didn’t succeed. Below, you see the right hue of the orange bag but Photoshop made my face stark white. Above, the shade of the bag is far too bright but my face and the jacket are the right colour. Whatever…who cares.
Below: Many benches for the sitting down pose.
Below: I cannot read this facing brick
Below: A bit of a vague photo as it is cropped from a larger one. I wanted to show the large green earrings by Lara Design.
Below: Adjacent are a church and another almshouse courtyard called Frans Loenen Hof (see the entrance in the first photo of this post). But it could also be that both almshouse courtyards are now one. I cannot figure it out.
Below: As we were leaving, we saw this old pump with that beautiful lamp above it.
Below: The exit of the almshouse courtyard. The facing brick shows a beheaded lion, which was the facing brick of the Frans Loenenhof Hof. Perhaps they placed one or two facing bricks in the wrong place as time passed?
Below: Another lovely old house. The sign says ‘t Ooievaarsnest which means The Stork nest.
Below: And to the cappuccino…although Marjolein enjoyed a ginger tea.
We didn’t do too shabby for an impromptu shoot.
What happened in my life this week
Saturday Marjolein and I did another photo shoot, this time in The Hague. I had chosen a nice area with beautiful historic buildings…which were all being renovated and not accessible for taking photos. Just my luck.
Below: An example of a historic building behind building walls. Nevertheless, we managed to shoot some nice photos.
Sunday Ron and I went to the park with dog Watson (below) who thoroughly enjoyed his walk in the warm sunshine. He is now 7 years old.
Afterwards we had a cappuccino at restaurant Het Wapen van Kennemerland, also known as De Stinkende Emmer (the smelly bucket). More details about this restaurant and the funny nick name in this old post.
Below: Part of the terrace and the view from the terrace. The restaurant was being renovated as well.
In the evening our friends Georg and Marla came to dinner. Ron had cooked a marvellous fish dinner.
Monday was a quiet day with creating blog posts, washing hair and laundry.
Tuesday the physiotherapist worked his magic on my frame again. I am still positive.
From his place I drove to the hairpiece salon to get help and instructions how to wash and blow-dry my hairpiece. I did quite well, even a bit too well as I blow-dried my hair so plump and round at the top that it made the hairpiece a little too short. It was remedied in a minute.
When I got home, the plumber had arrived to check whether the chimney was leaking. It was and he fixed it. Also the heating system had a few flaws, which he repaired. I love professionals. We are lucky with our plumber, electrician and cobbler whom we know for 30 or more years. But they are getting older and both the cobbler and the plumber have no successors, the electrician does. I have a back-up for the cobbler but not one for the plumber and there is a big shortage of professionals. Well, not to worry before time.
Below: I wore this black and cream coat that day. It was begging for an outing. First featured on the blog in this post.
Wednesday was a weird day.
Because the battery of my iPhone ran out very quickly, I had gone to the Apple store on Tuesday to check for a new battery. While chatting about new iPhones, the sales guy recommended the new iPhone 16E, which got me checking and comparing on the internet for hours when I got home. In the end I went back on Wednesday and bought an iPhone 16 PRO 259GB (for those who know what this means). Now my savings are at an all-time low and I spent the entire afternoon re-installing apps, looking for some lost passwords, scanning ID cards etc. It certainly is no Plug and Play, it is indeed Plug and Pray.
I’ll spare you the shenanigans of this process, but one thing. I had bought the phone at another shop than the Apple Store because of some discount. The guy in the store forgot to give me the SIM card from my old phone…luckily, I headed back to the shop and installed everything there which led to finding this out. They retrieved my SIM card.
To add insult to injury, some train tickets to Paris in the near future were lost in the app, which cost me a phone call and installing another app (Eurostar) to finally get them.
How horrible if you don’t know how to do all this. And it will become increasingly difficult to keep up with new techniques as the rate at which everything is changing, is enormous.
Thursday, nothing much happened. Found out I needed new ear pods as my old ones (with a cord…old fashioned) do not match the new iPhone…More money to spend. It was gorgeous weather in the afternoon (19.5 degrees C), so Ron and I took Watson for a walk on the beach, with a drink afterwards.
I love having four seasons. They all have their own merits although spring is my favourite.
Below: Photo taken against the sun at the end of the day.
Friday we saw the granddaughters and I taught my bonus daughter how to sew. Passing on the skill from mother to daughter as it used to be in the old days, is something that has got lost over the years.
Greetje
Is it really been 10 years since the meet up in Vancouver? Those jeans still look great on you. Your photos are awesome and I love seeing all the old buildings.
That gray and white coat is absolutely beautiful. Can’t believe Watson is seven already, I remember when you got him.
I love your blazer, the fabric looks really nice. The combination chosen, with the jeans and the white, is very successful. The metal belt is perfect, a very successful accessory. I always love the architecture you choose for your photos. The earrings are very cute. I love your plaid coat, it’s fantastic, I already told you about it in 2021.
Thank you very much for your compliments. We were in Paris last week, which is why you are getting this reply rather late.
“Plug and pray,” hahaha! The length of the jeans looks good, but I’m with you on not having them drag on the ground. The belt is a good addition, and I love that first photo of you “perched” in the doorway.
That first photo is such a gem thanks to Marjolein. I would never have come up with this idea.
I thought that Plug and Pray was a very well-known expression as reply to Plug and Play, but even in the phone store the employee didn’t know it.
You look so good with the houndstooth blazer and jeans plus that great belt. It reminds me of the silver concho belts that sell for very high prices. When we vacation in Santa Fe many nice shops sell them. Love your hair too!
It is too long ago that I purchased this belt to remember the price but it most certainly was not expensive. I am getting more and more used to my little hairpiece and start wearing it more often.
As you plan for your Paris getaway, I am organizing the last few papers for my timely visit to my accountant this week, followed by another appointment with the eye surgeon in anticipation of upcoming cataract surgeries on each eye that are planned over the next few months. Being in my mid 70’s, it comes as no surprise, however I did think that my distance specs used for driving only needed a good wipe!
When moving here in 2016, I was fortunate to find a dentist, doctor, and estate lawyer who were all at least 15 years younger than me, so no worries about their retirements for awhile. However, the plumber and handyman both are contemplating slowing down soon, so there’s that.
I applaud your confident, although short lived ,doorway pose, Greetje . Was there a hilarious next photo Marjolein took that was edited, or did she run to your aid!? As always, the historic backdrops are so interesting .
Due to a wet stormy weekend ahead, plans for energetic hill climbs above the beach are on hold. As I realized that some winter treats eaten are still not magically disappearing from my middle, I am determined to be a tad trimmer before my upcoming travels to your part of the world. Lots of Dutch delights in store…the sort of things you all enjoy during your photo shoots. I could of course just dress appropriately for the driving rain and get on with it!
No, Marjolein did not need to come to my aid when I posed for the first photo. I regained my balance, something which I exercise twice a week and while brushing my teeth.
I am afraid you should indeed dress appropriately and get on with it. Every time I have thought of an excuse not to exercise, there is a little voice in my haid saying things like; “Oh, so it is all right to tell your mother she should exercise because it is so important when you are aging, but when it comes to you, this is no longer valid??” Or; “If we are going to accept excuses like that, we will end up not doing any exercises anymore. You’ll be on a slippery slide down.”
Looking great but just be careful with your posing!
Have a good week.
This is my first time ever commenting after following you for many years, Greetje. I love your blog posts, so many beautiful photos, and gorgeous outfits. I have a similar figure to you and am a similar age so I always enjoy checking out your styling. Now, finally I get around to saying Thank You.
Oh how lovely, thank you very much. It is so nice to know that my little hobby brings joy to other people.
I am looking for another blogger with my body shape too, to learn from. Alas, most of them are perfectly proportioned and don’t have the inverted triangle shape with big boobs like me.
I was careful, just didn’t expect the door behind me to give away. It ended well, as all good stories should.
Nice outfit today. Chef’s kiss! Your hair was perfect. I liked the cut. As always you blog is a mini vacation.
Chef’s kiss…funny. Didn’t know that expression. Thanks for teaching me another English expression.
Glad I could send you on a mini vacation LOL.
Loved the outfit and fun poses. My parents are from Holland. My Mom was pregnant with me on the ship from Holland to America. I’m two years older than you. I enjoy your blog to give me glimpses of Holland.
Your last name is a give-way. Your roots are clearly Dutch.
Just imagine, being pregnant and then embarking on a journey of emigration. What courage.
Love the jeans. My favorite. Re the aging of your professional helpers, this happened to us, also, Our family doctor, our dentist, our eye doctor, our dermatologist, and our plumber all retired in the past two years. For decades, they were our friendly community, there when we needed them. It’s discombobulating to have to find all new people, all at once. I recommend to your readers that they find YOUNGER people to add to their circle, so hopefully they’ll then be with you for life!
Flared jeans are flattering for many body shapes.
And I have thought the same as you, search for younger people to add to your circle. You’ll probably need them later on in life.