After that heatwave the week before last, the temperatures finally dropped this last week from 37 to 22 degrees C. We can dress normally again instead of walking around half naked in flip flops. This outfit of pink cargo trousers with a white shirt was waiting for cooler weather to be featured.

When Marjolein and I did the photoshoot in Leiden some weeks ago, it was cloudy and a bit chilly. As I said before, fickle weather in the Netherlands.

Below: This is what the sky looked like that day.

 Below: The first thing we did was to dive into a restaurant for coffee. We went to the same place as last time in November, Paco Ciao because we love the place. The entrance is hidden and sure enough, as we went in, we found a family on their way out, not having been able to find the entrance 😂. We showed it to them. In the November post you’ll read how and why.

Below: And here is Marjolein in red, cream/white and blue.

Below: I had put on my cream trench coat which was exactly the right coat for the day. I hardly ever wear it. Just looking at it, I imagine the stains it will attract. Stupid purchase.

Below: Oh look, a pussy cat in the window.

Below: I used the bench next-door for the sitting-down pose. The coat might have been a stupid purchase, but I can see why I fell for it. So good.

Below: There is a cat hiding in the bushes. He was trying to catch a pigeon and failed. He thought he hid himself quite well but the pigeon was smart.

Below: One of people living on that street had gorgeous flowers in his ‘garden’ out front.

Below: We walked past builders and I said something to the ones on the street. Then I heard a voice coming from above: “Hey, do you need another photo model?” Hahaha. I replied: “Sure”, and he posed.

Below: There used to be a slaughter house here around 1644 that also traded in horses. Must have been a nervewracking place for the horses.

Below: Head to toe shot of Marjolein. Her trousers have an asymmetrical fly and her fabulous red trainers are bookended by her earrings.

Below: We headed to the Morspoort, built in 1669 as one of the eight city gates, protecting Leiden.

Below: We used it as backdrop for an outfit photo. Look at the shirt! I had the front part sewn so it wouldn’t gap, but I clearly need a larger size shirt. The ‘ladies’ haven’t got enough room.

Below: There are poems written on buildings all over town. This one is by a Russian, Velimir Khlebnikov.
It says:
When horses die, they breathe,
When grasses die, they wither,
When suns die, they go out,
When people die, they sing songs.

Below: We walked on to a nearby bridge and before arriving we found a little garden with a statue of Rembrandt. I was surprised because I associate Rembrandt with Amsterdam, but he was born in Leiden in 1606 en lived in this town until he moved to Amsterdam in 1631.

Below: Next to the little garden, there is a mill.

Below: We couldn’t get to the front of the mill as there was a fence. Mind you, even I could have jumped over this fence. But I didn’t.

Below: Next to the mill is the Morspoort bridge.

Below: Using the pretty flowers for a nice photo. I had put on a few kilos and these trousers were bought when I was at my lowest weight.

Below: Walking back to town again for lunch, we discovered this building with a courtyard. A man who used to live there and had visited his old neighbours, told us it used to be the Stadstimmerwerf (city carpentry yard). It was built in 1612 for city carpenter Jan Ottensz. van Seyst. Now the building has been converted into apartments.

Below: This statue of a girl with her little brother is in the courtyard. So well done.

Below: I have featured this building in a Leiden post before. It is so pretty. It is part of the ‘Stadstimmerwerf’. In those days it wasn’t just carpentry, it also meant building bridges, organising and overseeing big construction works, knowing everything about wood and buying the wood. As the Stadstimmerwerf was conveniently situated on a quay, the wood was shipped across water.

Below: Surprise, surprise, an old Renault 4 in excellent nick. Ron, by the way, has sold his red Renault. He didn’t think it was safe enough (….).

Below: A playful Dutch poem about a patchwork-coated kitten (“lapjeskat”) who asks her mother which tomcat is her father — the white one, the ginger one, the black one? Her mother answers that it didn’t really matter who the father was, since she loved all the toms equally and wasn’t picky (she was a little promiscuous)— which is exactly why her kitten ended up as a patchwork mix of colours herself. Of course, in Dutch, it rhymes.

Below: The earrings are made by a lovely lady in the USA who discontinued her earring business.

Over to…

What happened in my life this week

We had to prepare for new flooring in the bedroom and the landing, so everything had to be moved out of the bedroom and into other rooms (we don’t have many). And the bed had to be in full working order in another room as we had to sleep too. Two of our neighbours around my age helped us with the four-poster bed and the mattresses. On Tuesday the flooring was done and we could reverse everything. They did a great job. I was glad the heat was over by then.

Below: On Sunday we didn’t feel like preparing dinner and decided to go for fish and chips.
Ron took this photo for the section “What happened in my life this week’ of this post. Really flattering don’t you think…😱? We had to eat in the car as Watson was with us and they didn’t allow dogs in the restaurant or on the terrace.
Ron also took a photo of me in a not-long-enough T-shirt, while bending over in the garden. Thought I wouldn’t show that one to you. Quite embarrassing.

Sylvia of 40PlusStyle was in the Netherlands again so of course we met for a day in Amsterdam.

Below: Me and Sylvia after eating a delicious apple pie, which is a standard treat in Amsterdam.

Below: On our way to the terrace, we passed several beautiful doors. Couldn’t resist them so here are three photos I took.

Below: An Amsterdam canal is always a treat to photograph.

Below: The ‘Westertoren’ (West tower) of Amsterdam.

Below: And finally this bike with many Nijntjes (Miffies). I call it a bunny bike. It was a promotion for a shop who sold these.

It was grandfather and grandmother day at our granddaughters’ daycare, so we went by. The girls weren’t at all surprised to see us. We had dinner at Nicky and Randolf’s place afterwards.

Friday was another photo shoot day with Marjolein who was dressed to the nines. We might have done some clothes and bag shopping too. It’s sale time.

To the readers in the USA: Happy Independence Day.

Greetje