Oldies but goodies creating a different outfit. You have seen every item many times before and this time the brown jacket and brown jeans form a new combination. Brown and pink go well together, ergo the pink ankle boots by EIJK. To avoid my pitfall (matchy matchy), some yellow earrings. My green bag creates a link to the green in the shirt. Quite a few colours in one outfit but I say, they all go together.

Marjolein came to Haarlem on a dreary day. We went out for the photo shoot when the forecast said it would be dry for an hour. One hour? For Pete’s sake!

Below: Many photos will show a sky which is half blue and half (dark) cloudy.

Below: It is as if Marjolein did the photo assignments of my friend Katrien too. She saw the puddle and took this photo. A creative mind is such a joy. As it was cold I wore my brown braided leather jacket as well. That thing proves to be a golden move.

Below: There are so many flower beds through the city. How well do my earrings go with the pansies.

Below: On the bridge we say this cargo bike with a doggie. Sweet. He (or she) was all alone, waiting for the owner to return.

Below: This dog is like a human being: closing their eyes when a photo is taken.

Below: I put my legs on the table of this café terrace and got a warning to be careful and not to knock off the flowers or the tea light. I was ever so careful.

Below: It was Marjolein’s turn to take off her coat, which she reluctantly did. I don’t know whether you can see it but the vertical stripe of her jumper is repeated in the trousers. Great combination.

Below: Strolling along, we passed a hat shop, Cosy van Tutti. A sweet one with lots of other stuff too. Not an expensive shop but you can find a lot there and the atmosphere is fabulous.

Below: The window display from the inside.

Below: How about a hat for an English wedding?

Below: I was talking to a lady who was sitting there. See how the wrinkles in my face show, when I bend over haha? Tough, they are there.

Below: There was also a hat maker with a dashing moustache.

Below: On our way back, these columns appealed to me.

Below: Two old buildings for the architecture lovers.

Below: An adorable cat on the windowsill is the end of this post’s first part.

What happened in my life this week

My brilliant cobbler had a shoulder replacement in December and was out of the running for a couple of months. He is healing well and already working a couple of days a week. I had some boots that needed his TLC and brought them by. As his shop is near, I stopped at Marianne’s house for a cup of coffee and a chat.
Below: Marianne.

Below: From one of our elderly neighbours across the road, we received this spring bouquet. Mind you, she is not much older than I am.
Reason for these flowers? Because we invited her and her friend for drinks and snacks on New Year’s Eve (changing of the year) they thanked us by giving flowers for the changing of the season (21st of March). Isn’t that sweet?

A family in our neighbourhood had a new baby boy (third child). Ron saw them going into the house with the baby and called me with an order to get flowers for them. I disputed that. I don’t think you want to cut stems, search for a vase and later, throw away dead flowers when you are as busy as they will be (and exhausted no doubt). So I went for a little gift. As I was on my bike anyway, I stopped by the bike shop to have my pedals replaced by less slippery ones. And buy a new bell.
Hopefully, I won’t fall with my bike anymore due to slippery leather soles on slippery pedals.

Below: The beads that I wore with my bright pink cardigan had rubbed off on my cardigan. Black stains around the neck. The dry cleaner got them out, and I decided to set the colour of the beads with a varnish spray. I was pretty pleased with myself for coming up with the solution how to do that.
I wrapped some tinfoil around a wooden meat skewer (to stop the beads from falling down) and planted the pins in an unused flower basket. That way I had access to all surfaces. Marcella is going to restring the necklace.

Had to do a lot of administrative work for Ron. Boring and time consuming but OK, it had to be done.

Marjolein and I ventured out on another photo shoot on a gorgeous sunny day. You will see it in two weeks.

Below: Even though some days it was bloody cold, Haarlem looked as if it was splendid spring weather with all the daffodils that the council had planted through the whole city. A sea of bright yellow.

Now that the dog’s paw has healed and Ron can drive again, life resumes its normal pace and we can visit the granddaughters again. And Nicky, of course. Her husband Randolf is usually at work when we are there during the week. He said “I don’t need extra help; just be there for my girls.”

Below: Reading to both girls to quiet them down a bit before their midday nap. It worked for Zoë (3 years old) but on Evy (1 year old) it was wasted. She went to sleep 2 hours later. Evy was intrigued by the loose skin of my neck and kept pulling at it.😂🤣 That kicked vanity right out the door.

After visiting the granddaughters, we picked up Watson at Georg and Marla, stayed for a drink and a snack and headed home. We had French fries for dinner. After 8 weeks of cooking, I was ready for something easy.

Greetje