Lazy Days

When I look at the photographs below, I realise that I have not been altogether lazy during the past ten days.   However, for me, I have been sitting around more than normal.  Yes, I have had a cold, nothing really bad, and certainly a few days of warm, sunny weather will cure it.   

We have had, I think, three days of days of sunshine in the last ten days.  Mostly it has been grey and dreary.   Yes 'dreary' is the new word that AcuWeather uses to describe grey days, when there is no sun, wind, rain, hail, snow or anything really.  Just 'dreary'.   

Easter Sunday.   I cannot complain that today has been dreary, in fact we have had wind, rain and hail.  And a little sunshine.   At the moment the dogs are sleeping in the warmth of the house, Walter is reading and I have a blanket covering my legs as I write this blog.  Roll on summer, I say.  

Ten days ago we travelled to Kensington High Street, by train and tube, so that Walter could renew his Dutch Passport.   Everything went smoothly, and he was delighted to find that new passports are now for ten years rather than five years, as before.  Walter has two surnames, his birth one, and the name the Australian immigration officials gave him on arrival in Australia, in 1953.  Van Dam belongs to his step father, and it was just too complicated for the officials, so they lumped the whole family down as van Dam.  Imagine that being done at any Border Control now.

The sun was shining on the day we travelled to Kensington High Street.  Very warming, especially when we sat by the sunny window of a very upmarket cafe to drink our rather excellent coffee.   

The church in the photograph below looked stunning in the sunlight.

We caught a bus back to Victoria Station.  Great view from the top front of the bus.

Victoria Station, looking a little forlorn amongst the massive redevelopment taking place around the station.

The two photographs below were taken at an event three weeks ago, namely Emma and Steve's combined 40th birthday celebrations.  A fantastic evening, with great company and plenty of dancing.

The photographs below were taken by Steve's friend, Dave, and posted on Steve's Facebook page.  My photographs turned out blurry and distorted, which was a pity as it was such a special night.

Emma, Steve, Jackson and Isabel gathered together in order to cut the birthday cakes, three of them.  All delicious.

Emma and me.  Our youngest child has turned forty.  Where has the time gone to.

Emma, Steve, Jackson and Isabel have flown off to Adelaide, Australia, for the holidays.  A quick visit, to be sure, but really exciting, and I know they will enjoy every minute of it.  There will be a great family reunion too, with Darren and Donna now living there.

Meantime we are dog sitting, Bobbi and Jezzie, and lizard sitting, Jeff.  Always a pleasure.

The dogs having a snooze on my chair.

They especially love running around the sports fields, which is a less muddy than the woods.

I have finished this patch of garden,  hedge cut down low, cultivated blackberries tied up, not very elegantly I know, and everything weeded, manured and composted.  Now to tackle the rest of the garden.

I cannot put it off any longer.  The dogs need a walk, and the sun is shining, so fingers crossed we do not get wet.  This morning we got caught in a hail storm, and they came back very wet and bedraggled..  They do not like cold and wet weather.   Real woosies.   Yesterday I had to literally drag them out.   So here goes .....

A visit to the Hair Exhibition

I took Abi and Raphy to the Hair Exhibition at the main museum in Utrecht.  A surreal experience, to be sure.  

Who would have thought that human hair could be used for purposes such as fashion and art.  But then why not, we use animal hair, which is similar to our hair.  But I still found the exhibition bizarre, and a little unsettling.

Imagine wearing these outfits out in public.  Or perhaps I am being a little too fragile.

The shoes looked as if they were going bald rather than having hair artistically glued on them.

Gossamer hair thread outfits.  Almost like delicate spider webs.

High fashion outfits.  Human hair and other materials.  I suggested to Raphy that next time he has his hair cut, he should glue the cut off hair onto his new Star Wars jeans.  He was not impressed with the idea.

Abi painstakingly used hair to outline her name on a thin piece of paper.  First she had to make holes in the paper, and then thread the strands of hair through the holes.   It took her nearly three quarters of an hour to outline the letters ABI.  Such patience.

Meanwhile Raphy and I looked at photographs and video clips which showed how different hairstyles could be achieved using gel and coloured hairsprays.   This part was quite fascinating?

We went next door to the Nijntje (Miffy) Museum for a little light relief.  It has been renovated so that it is now a glorious Nijntje play centre for under five year olds.  However there are no longer any displays on how Nick Bruno wrote and illustrated his story books which is very interesting for adults but not so for young children.

Abi and Raphy had a really good time.   I think the Nijntje activities have a great appeal, for older children as well as the under fives.

It was certainly an interesting afternoon, even with the strange Hair Exhibition, plus the enjoyment of a lovely hot chip lunch eaten in the sunshine and a walk along a canal, also in the sunshine.

A short trip to the Netherlands

A short trip to the Netherlands.  A catch up time with the family here, only a week though, and a bit too short.  But we will be back here in May.   

I flew to Schiphol from Southend, a short trip, only forty minutes.   But an absolute pain, getting through security, both leaving and entering the UK.  I think that staff members in Southend have very little to do, so they spend their time taking security to the extreme, all for our safety of course.  

After dispensing with half of my clothes, just enough left on to preserve my dignity, I was told my plastic bag holding the small bottles of cosmetics was too large.  And of course I was swabbed for drugs, there being no other people checking in at that point.  Luckily I remembered not to wear jewellery, having had to remove all jewellery on a previous trip.  And so it goes on.  When I return I will face an oversupply of immigration officers, some with weapons, who will watch our every move, just in case.   They especially like to harrass people with Australian passports.  Not me anymore, thank goodness.

But I am here, and enjoying life in Houten immensely.  As I sit here writing this blog, my view out of the back patio doors is serene.   Aaron and Kylie have had the back fence removed, and a delightful patio built by landscaper, Ivo de Vries, so the beautiful view through to the woods is now uninterrupted by any solid fixtures.  Instead a lovely patterned patio, with shrubs and plants frame the wider view of the woods.

A walk on a footpath beside of the canals in Utrecht, with carpets of crocuses in bloom.  Not so noticeable in the photograph below.

We found it best to walk on the unsurfaced track rather than walk on the bicycle track, with a risk of being run over.  I did not want a repeat performance of my bicycle accident in Adelaide.

It was such a beautiful day last Sunday.   Great reflections.

Raphy standing proudly beside the daffodils.

More reflections.

A deserted bicycle path looking very inviting in the Spring sunshine.

Raphy loved running up this sculpture.  Perfect for little children.

Hot chips.  Great on a cold day.  But flooded with tomato ketchup.  A reminder to self, no ketchup or mayonnaise next time.

Abi and Raphy enjoying their hot chips and ketchup/mayonnaise.

One more day and then home again.  Sadly.  Lovely being here.