amsterdam

Amsterdam - Wednesday 30th of December - 16889 steps

Citywalk in Amsterdam with Henk & Minne.

review twenty twenty

Review 2020

January - overnight stay in Antwerp to celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary

February - two days in Paris to celebrate our 'romance' since the 15th of February 1986

March - while we’re quarantined, we started a creative #stayhome challenge and moved from our cozy attic bedroom to Minne's old bedroom

April - blessed with a garden and being able to go outside for the weather has been amazing for weeks. Nature helps us through this uncertain time

May - midweek city break in Hamburg to celebrate Henk's anniversary

June - daily breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the backyard, we cooked a lot and tried to make a festivity of every meal

July - roadtrip Portugal - when we booked our summer holiday in 2019, we didn't have a clue, Portugal would be the only safe destination in Europe by then

August - one of the longest heatwaves ever, we often went to the beach very early, to avoid the crowds

September - we rebooked our flight tickets to New York and enjoyed a quiet week in Faro to the fullest. We took a boat to another deserted beach in Ria Formosa every day

October - two days in Maastricht, Paris of The Netherlands

November - dinners with friends and family at our kitchen table

December - lots of cocooning, crocheting, creativity and christmas with the family

2020 was the most bizarre year we've ever had, without a doubt!
Even though it was a year with the handbrake on, we tried to get the best out of it in a safe way.
Both our children got the keys to their first homes in March. We are happy they are living in Dordrecht and we can visit eachother easily.
I eagerly look forward to a new year, with good hope for better times. A 'happy new year' is not even necessary, a normal new year would be fine!

Thank you dear followers, lots of love and just hold on, everything will be okay one day...

The € 7.40 cappuccino, served at très chic Café de Flore, is 2020 in a nutshell...

christmas 2020

For an extra special and surprising christmas brunch, we've set the table at 'le petit restaurant' in the living room.

Change of scenery creates a different atmosphere. The illusion of being a guest elsewhere, sitting at the table somewhere else, anywhere other than the kitchen table. Using different tableware, that we have not used for a long time.

Try to think positively and creatively despite all the restrictions. A lot is still possible and it felt extra festive to have breakfast at home this morning.

Happy Holidays to you all!

new member of the housekeeping

Can you be happy with a vacuum cleaner?
I am, because our new member of the housekeeping, Henry is super cute, don't you think?
Vacuuming instantly is a lot more fun with Henry's cheerful face.

P➰A➰T➰C➰H

Ever had to say goodbye to a favorite item of clothing because of torn pieces or gaping hole?

Why throw something away, while it can also be repaired?

I once gave this handmade wooly cardigan to my friend Ank, when I was about to leave Marrakech and almost melted in my wooly cardigan. I was wearing it because I'm always cold on the plane and it didn't fit in my hand luggage.

We were saying goodbye at Mohammed's taxi and I said to Ank, you can keep this cardigan, I'll make a new one.

It became her favorite cardigan and she often wore it on chilly evenings in Marrakech. However her dog loved the sheepish garment too and played with it once a little too roughly...

She brought the damaged cardigan and asked me if I could fix it. I forgot about the 'repair project', but now I'm making a loopy patch to hide the hole.

Although I've made quite some loopy cardigans in the past, I somehow forgot how much fun working the loop stitch is.

I'm still wearing my loopy cardigan every now and then, even though it's already quite old. It's a piece that doesn't go out of style and feels wonderful soft and warm to wear.

If you al looking for a new crochet project, you can download the crochet pattern in my ETSY SHOP. And if you don't fancy 'loud' loops, you can also wear it inside out.

striped or checkered?

New on ETSY; striped & checkered!

Same colors, different pattern.
Which pair would you choose?

Get them before they are gone.

And you'd better hurry cause today is winter solstice, the shortest day of the year ;-)

rotterdam - citywalk crooswijk

Saturday 19th of December

Citywalk in Rotterdam with Henk & Minne.