Remember I had these trousers shortened so I could wear them with trainers? (Link to that post.) When I styled the suit with the coral T-shirt, I had this chartreuse jumper lined up as my second styling. I like it even better without the blazer.
Loes and I went to the beach for this photo shoot as it was lovely weather. Alas, when we arrived, clouds rolled in.
Below: 2 photos of the beach. Cloudy or not, there were quite a few people at the beach and kids were playing in the sand.
Below: We decided to stay on the terrace although wind is now a lesser issue thanks to the hairpiece. This chartreuse jumper is from a shop in Antwerp, bought when we were there in October. It took me a while to feature it on the blog. It is a nice jumper and because I like that colour, I have more items in this shade, like a little bag.
Below: I did wear the jumper these past months, usually with my barrel jeans. I think I like it even better with jeans because there is more definition of a (non-existent) waist.
Below: The earrings from Baublehaus are great with this outfit. I ordered three more pairs of big earrings from her as you saw last week in my Paris post.
The hair, hairpiece or not, could have done with some attention. Never mind.
I never pay any attention on how I put my bag on a table or how I hold it when a photo is taken. Usually you’ll see the back of it.
Below: Loes didn’t trust the weather that much so she was dressed warmly.
Below: Close-up of her bag.
Below: After the photo shoot, the beach restaurant called De Haven (the harbour) was an excellent place for a cappuccino, one of the best I have ever had.
Below: Plenty of possibilities to sit and relax.
What happened in my life this week
Saturday Ron and I watched people on a terrace in the centre of town while having a cappuccino. Gorgeous weather, warm and sunny.
I can hear you think “Gosh, that woman seems to be doing nothing but drinking cappuccinos”. Yes, you are right, I drink an awful lot of coffee, I am addicted.
On our way home we bought a big bunch of flowers, alstroemeria or Peruvian lily (below). Got three bunches for €8 as flowers are inexpensive in the Netherlands.
Below: In the morning when I walk dog Watson, it is such a pleasure to see the buds of the magnolia trees burst into bloom.
Sunday I met Catherine (below), one of my blog readers from Canada. She is an elegant, stylish woman who obviously takes good care of herself and we got on well.
Below: First thing we did, was go for a coffee (of course we did). The weather was warm and friendly.
Below: I was wearing those barrel jeans again. They are my go-to jeans. So comfortable and I can wear trainers (sneakers) with them. I noticed in the mirror that my bosom was sagging. I still like my breasts a lot, but I cannot dispute the fact that they have dropped a bit. It turned out the bra I was wearing was quite old and it could do with tightening the shoulder straps and fastening the back strap one hook set tighter. Oh, these old bras are so comfortable but actually that is because they are out of shape. I need new ones. Anyway, after adjusting shoulder straps and back strap, I got my perky set back LOL
Monday Catherine and I roamed Haarlem again. I showed her the old buildings and streets, and an almshouse courtyard. Below: A beautiful old building above a chocolate shop. Those curved windows are custom-made.
Of course, we visited several restaurants. On a Monday a lot of restaurants and shops are closed in the Netherlands. Sometimes all day, sometimes until 1 pm. Restaurant Metzo was open and was very welcoming.
Below: Catherine gifted me a necklace which was very sweet. It is made from wool/felt.
The weather was fine in the morning but in the afternoon, it got cold and we walked back to her hotel. We decided not to walk all the way up to the centre of town again for our meal but to eat at the hotel restaurant.
Tuesday I did the tax returns which is pretty easy these days. Created this outfit below. It was a try-out. Adding orange elements to brighten up the pastel green. Hmm…a bit too matchy matchy though, my pitfall.
Below: I changed the orange scarf and the orange earrings for Catherine’s necklace and round golden/yellow earrings. I think it is better balanced this way.
Wednesday I helped Wil, friend and dog sitter, with her tax return and ran some errands. In the evening we were invited by Georg and Marla to come and eat pea soup, a famous Dutch soup. It was delicious, as was the clafoutis with raspberries for dessert.
Sunny Thursday we saw Ron’s SIL and of course, his brother. It was SIL’s birthday and we had a pleasant morning with coffee and cakes. In the afternoon we bought some plants for bonus daughter’s garden. Ron, Nicky and Randolf are really busy choosing plants and deciding where they should go. Our friend Froukje is helping as she is a keen gardener. I stay away from it all as I cannot see the difference between weed and plants.
We also bought a new pump for our pond because the gardener had put his spade through the cord of the one we had. The cord was hidden in the soil, so you cannot really blame the guy.
Cappuccino on a terrace in the sun afterwards…such a happy retirement life.
Friday was a relax day with running errands. I had planned to sit in the sun in the garden, but the weather decided otherwise. Never mind, next week should be good.
So far I am not doing too badly with sitting, standing and walking straight. Fingers crossed.
Greetje
The chartreuse jumper is fabulous on you, Greetje. How fun to meet up with someone from Canada! Maybe one day that will be me!
Catherine lives on Vancouver Island too. Who knows one day I can show you around! Wouldn’t that be great.
I love the color of the sweater and the combination with the black pants—a very balanced look. The small bag is beautiful; it fits perfectly with the outfit. The sweater also looks adorable with jeans. I love your earrings. The design of the Loes bag is gorgeous. I love the oversized shirt with the jeans; the look is great with all the accessories.
Thank you my friend, what a lot of compliments. I am grateful for them, as always.
That chartreuse color is just so good on you! It’s one of my favorites, too. And I’m with you on the barrel jeans…they’re the only ones I want to wear these days.
I have looked at a few other barrel jeans online, but I have to go to the shop. I cannot see how they will look on me.
G-Star Raw is a good brand for me. They provided me with boyfriend jeans for years which were just as good as my black barrel jeans. Everything looked good on them. There is a big G-Star store in Amsterdam, so I’ll go there.
I love your chartreuse jumper and bag. I ordered a pair of Wolky Jewels in chartreuse that are supposed to come sometime in May. I also have some yarn that would go well — and a purse in white/navy/chartreuse. The colorists tell me chartreuse is not my color, but I beg to differ!
BTW, I am quarter Dutch (Friesland) so the Wolkys fit me well.
I love the last photo with Catherine’s necklace! Great styling!
I can’t figure out how to get my photo up.
What do you mean Julie? Do you want your photo near your name when you comment? I think you have to create an avatar. You can create one on gravatar.com
If you look in the mirror while wearing chartreuse and you like what you see, then you are totally OK.
When you were with the colorist, you should have seen if it suited you.
Colours that don’t suit me, I often wear at the bottom (skirt or trousers). As long as it is not near my face, it doesn’t matter. Or I use one of my good colours in earrings or a scarf, to neutralize a bad colour.
Wolky’s are supposed to be very pleasant for your feet.
Stunning first photo today! Love your pose in the rattan chair, and your outfit is gorgeous. I wish I could wear chartreuse.
How lovely that you met Catherine from Canada. If I ever visit the Netherlands again, I’d love to meet you for coffee too.
I am trying to up my act of posing and that is not easy. Photos where you are having genuine fun, where you are not posing are always the best ones. Only when you take unexpected photos of me, when I am off guard, they always turn out to be lousy. My face moves too much.
As for having coffee, of course we will do that when you are in the Netherlands.
I have to say that meeting readers of my blog is fun but I do want to restrict the time I will spend. You see, readers know A LOT about me, but I don’t know a thing about them and that scares me. What if we don’t really get along?
How wonderful that you had the opportunity to meet and spend time with Catherine from Canada! I like how you styled the necklace that she gifted you and agree that the outfit looked better that way. I also enjoyed your bra story as I understand completely! I hate shopping for bras, so I tend to hang onto old ones longer than I should. I got smart last time though… when I found a style that fit comfortably, I bought extras and put them away so that I’ll already have them when the present ones wear out.
Last year and the year before I bought quite a few bras, each time thinking I found the perfect one, but no. When wearing them I found flaws. It is so hard to find the right bra. I don’t mind shopping for them, but I do mind spending good money and ending up with the wrong ones. Well, in any case they are comfortable although they may not look so good on me.
Love the chartreuse jumper with the wide leg trousers. I’ve been trying on wide leg jeans but don’t feel comfortable in them yet. With my skinny legs, there’s a lot of material flapping around and it feels strange!
I have the same Ilse Jacobsen shoes that Catherine is wearing, but mine are blue. They are so comfortable that I’m thinking of getting a second pair.
Have a good week.
Perhaps the flapping of the material is caused by the fabric? Sturdy fabric like my jeans, doesn’t really flap.
Catherine was raving about her Ilse Jacobsen shoes too, and she also bought more pairs.
In my opinion there’s nothing wrong with matchy matchy!
You are right, there isn’t much wrong in outfits anyway, as long as you like it yourself.
I found that NOT being matchy matchy often enhances the outfit, making it more interesting. But I struggle how to do that.
Hi Greetje,
Your post was so fun and your outfits outstanding as usual. I loved Loes handbag, so much I am searching for it on the internet. I also need to find barrel jeans…hard for me as I have always liked very slim pants as I have no hips to speak of. My waist has disappeared so maybe the barrel style will help?? Your posts are always so educational to boot.
I have no idea where Loes bought the bag and she is on holiday at the moment, but I’ll ask her.
You are another soul without hips. Finally, a soulmate. I pull my barrel jeans below my waist and it makes my belly disappear. I can do that because I have a short upper body, so I can elongate that. Thank you for the lovely compliments.
Hello Greetje…still relatively close by visiting Nijmegen… morning walk through the only “slightly hilly” city along the Waal River. I succumbed and purchased my one clothing item…a short leopard knitted cardigan with buttons at WE. My colours for sure, and something different than what is available back home near Vancouver, Canada. Since I am in NL , I received your post this morning , your time. I am so pleased we met and I also very much enjoyed your warm welcome to Haarlem, and all of the walking streets in your home city. Very different than Amsterdam, and that’s good. For your readers, Uniworld cruises are such a great way to see and enjoy the culture, sites, and history of NL and soon , Belgium. And no, I am not being paid for my endorsement! As it is my fifth river cruise over 7 years, I speak from experience. Look how beautifully those alstroemerias match your decor! My designer eye says “well done”! And they are such long lasting flowers if trimmed occasionally. Tot ziens en bedankt Greetje. ❤️
I am glad you are enjoying the cruise. I hope you are experiencing some sunshine as well. Trimming the alstroemerias is new to me. I’ll examine them.
Dearest Greetje Thank you for another wonderful post. The section on your bra ‘travails’ was hilarious. I hope you don’t mind but I read it out loud to my husband who also thought it very funny. I love that you stop for coffee at regular intervals, truely you are a lady after my own heart. Your post has made my day, which is saying something as it’s my birthday!
Oh dear I’m really sorry but your lovely blog post has been eclipsed… by an eclipse! We were lucky enough to catch sight of the partial solar eclipse this morning. What a smashing birthday I’m having 😀
I don’t mind being eclipsed by an eclipse. The chances of that happening are slim so I don’t have to worry haha. And I totally understand that an eclipse is a rare and exciting phenomenon.
Reading your blog I chuckled at several of your comments. No wonder you have so many friends. Fun! You look very cute in the chartreuse sweater. A good color for you. How nice to meet one of your blog fans.
I do have many friends, granted but there are people who think I am loud, annoying and ostentatious. And other things. In any case, far from perfect haha. I cannot help it, I am who I am and I do know that when I walk into a room, there will be noise.
Thank you for the compliments, I’ll save them.
Of course I don’t mind you sharing the bra story with your husband. The more laughter, the better. If I didn’t want anyone to know or if I didn’t want it be shared, I wouldn’t have published it, right?
Your comment made my day too, I am very proud that my post could achieve such a thing. And Happy, Happy Birthday.