Yes, this is filler until I sort through all the photos from the last week. I’m nearly there!
Het Gezin
It was an over cast day in which our family (het gezin) headed off to see Dr Fleur.
This is how we head to the vet now. In a backpack. I really need to re-think the whole backpack-handbag thing when going to the veterinary/dierenkliniek.
Thanks to that quick (hour) visit, our fur-kids …
… made it to Dutch/EU citizenship before we did.
Ungrateful little wretches! How come they don’t have to speak the language?!?
Weekend Walks
I love walking around Amsterdam. There’s always a street you haven’t been down, and even if you have, there’s always something new to see.
This young lady is obviously taking her Frisian cow for a walk in its clogs. What else would you do with your cow? Perfectly normal!
The houseboats have their own gardens. They are often bigger than mine!
How can you not love going for a walk when you’re surrounded by this?
We had a purpose to our wandering this week, and hence were walking up the northern end of town up on Haarlemmerstraat.
We were heading for the Spanish food specialty shop Hollandaluz so Himself could make one of his world famous paellas for dinner that night!
Of course being such a busy strip there are lots and lots of shops up there, both specialty and kitschy. We found this in a home wares store. No, we didn’t buy it.
But I do want a Nijntje (Miffy) night light!
Of course the scenery never stops being spectacular and photo-worthy.
There’s always good sport in searching for all the different types of wall tablets too. Before adopting street numbers these tablets, along with the differing gable shapes, were how different homes were identified. They often told the profession of the inhabitants.
Of course, having been surrounded by all these specialty stores all afternoon, we weren’t immune to the calls of their contents. We may have succumbed to one store, and brought home a variety of samples for later consumption!
I can tell you now with authority that there is a reason the Dutch are known for their chocolate. These were rich, creamy, heaven!
Snowfall
It is rather beautiful to awaken on a bright crisp Sunday morning and realise that there was significant snowfall the previous night.
It was a day for families to be out in Vondel Park, reveling in the rare sunshine to build snowmen,
throw some snow balls for the dog,
and this guy (and all the others out running) to make me feel completely slack in my fitness routine!
It was a glorious day, and a wonderful start to the week after a fairly quiet and tame weekend.
What have you all been up to recently? Being productive? Or taking it slow and easy?
Amsterdam Museum, Freezing Canals, National Radio, Australia Day
It has been a huge week out here on the canals Ladies and Gentlemen! A HUGE week!
We managed to have the plumber here a total of four times before the sink in the kitchen was finally draining, we’ve been to see a legal aid about a previous landlord, there’s been knit nights, language lessons, and homework! None of which got photographed!
What I did take photos of was Amsterdams Historic Museum when I went.
It was a wonderful glimpse into the history of a great city, and all it has contributed to the global village.
Of course, dead things in jars never go astray either.
As promised, they have stopped water traffic on the Herrengracht in order to facilitate it icing over. We may yet get to skate on a canal!
Though, to be fair, you can already skate on the pond in VondelPark! I love the swirls that have been captured in the ice flow!
I was invited to go and see AWOLNATION performing a live gig at the National Radio Station. Which was an awesome experience!
We all sat around in a studio that was set up like a bar, had a few beers, and watched the show being recorded to playback on Saturday. Good band too! I need to look up more of their work.
The canals around home have been taking on their own stark beauty. I could sit and watch the ice flowing for hours if I were sufficiently rugged up!
Australia day dawned overcast and grey. There was snow at one point, topping up the fall we’d had a week earlier, and we’d been invited to a BBQ. There were snags, there was cricket on the TV,
and our gracious hosts just got engaged!
There was much to celebrate.
For those of you in Australia, I hope you’re staying out of the heat, away from the fires, and if you’re in Queensland, on high ground and out of the flood waters. Stay safe!
We’ve got a warm week ahead of us with rain and highs of 8C. Perfect conditions to create us some black ice! I think I’ll buy cleats for my shoes …
ghoti industries 