nobody's life is a bed of roses

Nobody's life is a bed of roses.

We all have crosses to bear and we all just do our best.

Henk ended up in the hospital with a heart attack last Wednesday and our life was turned upside down.

Thanks goodness he is back home and is doing well now.

Henk is always positive and optimistic and never gives up, which will help his recovery without doubt.

We're all very grateful it turned out so well and from now on things can only get better.

Lots of love from the both of us.

PS: Normally I choose not to post too personal and serious experiences on my blog, but I wanted to share this with you.

lundi lunch

Lundi lunch.

Find magic in the little things.

Brewing coffee with an old-fashioned percolator for instance.

friday morning

Friday morning.

Together at the kitchen table, Henk working from home and i'm having a day off.

We are already quite used to it, although for me it is less drastic because I still go to work at Villa Augustus 3 days a week.

The desk in the living room we hardly ever use.
I always like to sit at the kitchen table, which now is Henk's office during the day.

Especially in the morning when the sun is shining it's a lovely space, and Henk allows me to sit at his desk haha...

This morning i was working on assembling the new loopy patchwork pillow i've made this week.

We drink coffee together and both do our own thing. We're glad we have adult children and no home schooling at the kitchen table.

winter vegetables

We like to eat seasonally.

Tonight on the menu; roasted winter vegetables.

Super simple, healthy, tasty and easy to make with everything from the vegetable drawer.

Chioccia- and yellow beets, chicory, red onions and a mini cauliflower.

A colorful composition of sliced vegetables, before they go into the oven. Feast for the eyes.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Place the various vegetables in the oven dish. Mix some olive oil with garlic, pepper, salt and herbs and drizzle the oil mixture over the vegetables.

Place the dish in the middle of the oven and roast the vegetables for about 15-20 minutes.

A delicious basic dish that you can actually combine with anything.

get in before it's gone

New striped beanie on E T S Y!

It's handmade and a unique piece, so get is before it's gone. I love the cool color scheme of this one.

You can find the ready made striped beanie and the crochet pattern the make it yourself.

Crochet really gets me through the lockdown...

Another advantage, you can make this hat from scraps of wool, so you don't have to leave the house to buy new wool.

first snow of the season

First snow of the winter season and first snow since two years.

We made a tour through the white Villa Augustus garden. It's only for one day, so we went outside to enjoy the rare snow moment of 2021.

new design - ribbed & striped beanie - crochet pattern

2021 and a brand new design, easy to make, cool, warm and unisex!

Last week i've made a colorful striped beanie with ribbed texture.

This week i've made another one with natural colors.

The striped beanie is very easy to make, the fabric looks like it's knitted but actually is an easy crochet technique.

You can download the pattern from my ETSY SHOP.

And since we are still in lockdown for a while, it might be a fun project to keep you from getting bored.

You don't need to buy new yarn, because this project is ideal for using up old scraps of wool.

PS for the non-crafters: the two ready-made striped beanies are also for sale

the slaak

Saturday 9th of January - Rotterdam

On the occasion of our 29th wedding anniversary we stayed overnight in room 409 at The Slaak. A hotel which is housed in the former pressroom of newspaper ‘Het Vrije Volk’. A beautiful building with many authentic elements.

We keep celebrating love and traditions. L'amour toujours!

A sunny and crispy cold weekend with winter walks in Kralingen and Katendrecht.

Coffee to go at Vicini, take away ciabatta's for lunch from Da Giuseppe and dinner by hotel restaurant Didot34, which was delivered up to the hotel room door on a trolley.

Awakened by the sun shining through the large 'office windows' we had breakfast at 9 o'clock (also delivered in front of our door) overlooking the city. We've had a lovely stay.

PS: In November 2019 we had a coffee in the lobby and visited the Pantone Pantry by Tribute Portfolio to celebrate the opening of The Slaak Rotterdam. Different times, when you could drop by spontaneously to drink coffee. How we all miss that!

the turn of the year in amsterdam

Sleepover & slow living at my friend's house in Amsterdam from the 30th December to the 2nd January.

Four delightful days with many walks in the city, where everything was closed, but you can always take a walk in the fresh air and feed your eyes.

Amsterdam has so much to offer, inspiration everywhere, beautiful canals in scenic winter light. We 'rediscovered' the city in lockdown.