Handbag Museum and Afternoon Tea

Posted on by ghotiindustries

Last Friday Titan and I packed ourselves off to the Handbag Museum. He wouldn’t let me go without him! He made a lot of new friends from the staff of the Museum!

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Both Titan and I were disappointed that we couldn’t show you the inside of the Museum, but no photographs are allowed to be taken of it’s amazing exhibits.

So we left the Museum, and went for a wander.

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How cool are these gnomes?!?

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You see, I’d recently posted the blog’s 200th post, and as it’s been going for nearly 3 years now, I thought that was a reason to celebrate! So I headed over to my favourite macaron shop Poptasi Pastry in order to buy something to celebrate with.

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It’s rather difficult to make a selection when the range is this good! But the staff are always willing to help!

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My final choices were joined on the table with my favourite marinated cucumber sandwiches, and smoked salmon and improved cream cheese sandwiches.

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And it just wouldn’t be Holland without ham and cheese on heavy brown bread!

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Final touch was the T2 Blue Mountain tea. Not a bad spread if I do say so myself!

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Though of course, I managed to forget to take a final shot with the teapot sitting proudly on it’s warmer! Oh well. I’m sure you can imagine it.

Now anyone for tea?

Things we do for fun

Posted on by ghotiindustries

When we have a spare moment (and we have to plan make them happen) Himself and Myself are prone to strapping our favourite wheels to our feet and heading for the park.

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My wheels are different to His, because I’m a klutz and may at any point need to be suddenly stationary to not run into trees or other pedestrians. I know this about myself. I’m working with it.

Yes, I’m aware this photos is fuzzy. The problem is I wasn’t aware until after we got home.

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The inherent problem with strapping wheels to yourself is that it limits the amount of photos one can take. We made great time though! 😀 These were taken the day before New Years Eve. The last Sunday of the old year.

New Years Day we decided to go back to the park but walk to see if we could find some of the devastation resultant from the explosions the night before. You see, fireworks are legal in the Netherlands. And though you are only meant to let them off within about a 2 hour period around midnight … they went off all day on the 31st December. They finally quietened enough for us to sleep around 2am I think. The cats just had the best day that day!

So we left the house on the first, and found this.

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And when I read up on it later, apparently ex-christmas tree bonfires are prevalent on New Years Eve too. Though it looks like they couldn’t get this one to catch.

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All those little red bits are the paper of cracker casings. Don’t fool yourself into thinking someone just exploded their mother’s rose garden!

The ducks seemed to be recovering nicely though, even with the odd bang still going off.

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Vondel Park was a hive of activity. So many families all out promenading along the avenues, and the local dog walking crew were getting together for a New Years Day picnic.

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We saw lots of bird life. I thought they would have flown South for the Winter, but I guess it’s not cold enough? I keep forgetting to take bread to feed them too!

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As the sun was setting, and the temperature dropping …

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we headed off to a nearby café that looked warm and inviting enough that it was packed! We were quite lucky to get a table!

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After a hot chocolate and some kroketjes we headed on home to the central heating and three very anxious cats.

Next year I hit up the vet for kitty valium!

Giftmas Day Cooking Adventures

Posted on by ghotiindustries

I can honestly say that I hit a new low point with my cooking on Giftmas Day.

I had a strong start and gathered around myself coffee, milk, bacon, eggs, and brie. I even had the coffee before I began cooking!

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Something I’ve been wanting to post here for a while and this seems like the perfect opportunity here; what is with Dutch bacon?!?! It’s see through!!! And cured … differently.

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But I combined it all and set up for mini frittatas for breakfast, so we’d have something tasty to open presents with! I mean, have something tasty to eat while opening presents!

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I did it again. I knew when I poured them that they’d be too full, but I pressed on!

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Oh well! They were still damn tasty when combined with the bottle of Veuve!

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It was a different Christmas, and thanks to the wonders of modern technology we caught up with everyone at one point or another.

One of the strangest things was watching the international date line move across the world while tracking Santa with NORAD. I’m used to him setting off, reaching Oz within 2 hours, then I go to bed and wake up and am too busy relaxing to think about it. This year while chatting with friends, Santa reached New Zealand, then Australia … and then I had to watch him cover ten more hours of world time zones … New Years Eve is going to be odd … I also suddenly felt really sorry for Alaskan children.

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On that note, I hope you all had wonderful Christmases, and are all continuing to be safe, happy, and healthy!

(PS – the less said about the duck, the better *hangs head in shame*)

‘Twas the night before Giftmas

Posted on by ghotiindustries

‘Twas the night before Giftmas and all through the house, not a creature was stiring

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not even the flamingo who was standing in for the mouse.

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The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in the hopes that Saint Nicholas (who is _not_ Sinterklaas) soon would be there.

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All the little windows on the Advent Calendar have been opened (lewd scenes removed before photography), so it must be that time of year!

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We have been shopping and have a ridiculous amount of food for the next three days. The duck is in the fridge, waiting to be slow cooked in the oven on the morrow, there is a paella planned for guests on Boxing Day, and enough cheese and cured meats to clog all the arteries!

As people have been asking, I will also tell you now that the forecast is for rain. Not Snow. It hasn’t been cold enough. I think we’d need to be further North for the white Christmas.

To all our friends and family who were kind enough to send us things, they are under the tree waiting for tomorrow morning. I want to thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts. It is wonderful that even though we are so far away, we aren’t forgotten. It means a lot that you went to the effort.

I haven’t heard from all of you yet, but I hope all our return packages arrived safely. Know that we love you all, miss you terribly, and you’ll be in our hearts and minds as you always are. I’ll also keep Skype open for all those wishing to indulge!

Have a merry and safe Christmas everyone! See you on the other side!
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George & Himself.

Sinterklaas

Posted on by ghotiindustries

I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but we got into the swing of things last week and had a visit from Sinterklass (and probably Zwarte Piet came along too). We put our newly acquired clogs out by the fireplace to see what would happen, and lo and behold we awoke to find them full of goodies!

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We each got a chocolate letter of our initials, an orange, some walnuts, and a DVD! Thoroughly spoilt! *grins*

We have also cleared a space and put up our Giftmas tree. I was grateful that I only lost one of my glass ornaments in the move!

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Miraculously it seemed to attract a multitude of gifts to it almost instantly! Though, these have subsequently gone into the post, bound for far away lands!

Now to restrain myself from putting on my Twisted Sister Christmas album so Himself doesn’t get sick of it too quickly!