Fashion

Finally, a skirt again. I told you in a previous post that I spotted this patterned pink skirt by accident only a couple of hours after I saw a woman on Instagram styling it six times. Loved it and ordered it. Fits like a glove.

I created many outfits with the skirt, a few of which are copies of the Instagram inspiration, of course, copycat as I am. This version with my golden yellow top from Milan is my favourite. The suede yellow slingbacks from Marks&Spencer bookend it perfectly in my opinion, although a bit matchy matchy. The shoes are holding up surprisingly well, considering they are suede in a light colour and six years old. Bought them in Newcastle when I was there with Nikki of Midlifechic. Scroll down a bit in that post and you will see them.

Below: After I sorted all the photos at home I discovered there is a man behind me, sticking his tongue out haha. I guess he won’t mind being recognised in this blog post.

Below: The plant man had such pretty plants. He displayed them well.

Loes and I strolled across the market.

Below: You can see the lower hem at the back. I like such a feature and I like that the skirt is really long. Can I also mention the quirky heel on the slingbacks?

Below: We decided to have a coffee at this market stall. Great coffee.

Below: Here is Loes, my photographer with a summer haircut. That pink colour suits her so well.

Below: This is Loes from head to toe. The trousers and jumper make a charming summer outfit.

Below: A rather successful close-up with the long glass drop earrings by Lara Design. This close-up is for my friend Jose-Maria, my blog supporter since the very beginning. He loves elegant outfits and close-ups, so I dedicate this post to him.

Below: A stall with pies. I bought 10 little ones to try all flavours. Definitely will go there again. Only we ate the 10 little pies with the four of us, so I don’t really know which one was the best.

Below: This is one of my favourite stalls with French cheese, sausages, pesto, you name it. All sorts of delicacies. Great for when people come round for drinks.

Below: And the nut stall is fab too. A queue (actually 4 queues) all day long but well worth waiting.

Below: I got chatting with the lady of the Polish crockery stall. Very nice woman.

Below: If you are interested, her website is www.emilia-bunzlauceramika.nl

Below: Close-up of my beloved Demellier pale slate bag.

Below: And a close-up of my shiny bracelet. I think I found it in a second-hand shop once. It was at the back of my wardrobe where I suddenly saw it again. People are right when they say that if you haven’t got your clothes (shoes, accessories etc) in view all the time, you forget about them. In our small home it is just not possible to have everything in view all the time, but luckily I have a good memory.

Below: The terraces surrounding the market square were filled with people enjoying the weather and the hustle and bustle of the market.

What happened in my life this week

Saturday Ron was selling all sorts of nearly antique (or just old) stuff at an outdoor antique market. Stuff from our house, his allotment and the shed. The market is called Antique Market and sells ‘brocante’ which is a French word for anything old but not yet 100 years old.

Below: The antique market in the morning when it was raining cats and dogs.

Below: After 1 pm the sun came out. Ron is on the left, in front of his stall. The photo isn’t sharp and it was at the end of the day when they were packing everything away. He was there with our friend Marla and they both sold well.

Below: I made Salad Niçoise with fried chicken this time instead of fish. I don’t like cooking and I am not very good at it either, but this is just a matter of assembling. I figured Ron would be tired after a long day at the market. I can be nice. If I want to haha.

 Nothing to report about Sunday.

Monday on the other hand was a great day in Amsterdam with Sylvia of 40PlusStyle.

Many photos to come.

Sylvia (below) was the one who gave me the support and encouragement to start my blog in 2012. Now living in Portugal and still travelling a lot, she visits the Netherlands now and then. Of course, we meet when she is here.

Sylvia is still able to pack everything in a carry-on suitcase even if she is away for a couple of months and still look stylish.

Below: Terrace of Café De Jaren in Amsterdam where we had lunch.

We had tickets to visit a historic house of rich people around 1884 which is now a museum, Museum Van Loon.

Below: The kitchen.

Below: Stairs and the ceiling.

Below: One of the bedrooms. They weren’t shy of a little pattern here and there.

Below: There was an exhibition called Flourish by an artist who paints portraits of people he approaches in the street in Suriname. He paints them after a painting of someone of the Van Loon family. The artist is Kehinde Wiley who also painted the official portrait of Barack Obama.

I quote: “Kehinde Wiley’s new body of work constitutes a visual response to the portrait collection and historic interiors of Museum Van Loon. Melted into the museum’s collection, Flourish addresses ties between Western portraiture, Dutch global colonial presence and contemporary art as social and cultural practice. Simultaneously, Flourish highlights beauty and grace in the 21st century, captured through models the artist met in Suriname.”

Below: Here is another painting by Kehinde Wiley. (Sorry about the lamp light on the painting.)

Below: Me and Sylvia in one of the rooms. A kind gentleman took our photo.

Below: The stunning garden of Museum Van Loon. At the back there is a little restaurant. Yes, in that gorgeous building which used to be the coach house.

Below: A last view of an Amsterdam canal and back home after a joyous day. Bikes are everywhere.

Tuesday the day started with rain and this continued until noon. By that time I had arrived at Marjolein’s house and she made me coffee and lunch. As the skies had cleared, we ventured out for a photo shoot. It is always hard to find a new and interesting background for our shoot but Marjolein came up trumps again. Several public objects throughout The Hague had been turned into artwork and became a mural. We found a number of them. We couldn’t use all of them as people parked their bike or motorbike against it (rude). Below one as an appetizer. I ‘removed’ the cart that was parked against it. By the time I went home the sun came out. Never mind, we had a good day and a successful photo shoot.

Wednesday I took the shoes back which I bought a week ago. I didn’t think they were too comfortable, Ron hated them and frankly, I didn’t have the money to spend. The shoes went back to the shop and surprise, surprise, I got a refund! Usually, you get a voucher. I was so pleased. Rest of the day physiotherapist, fitness, chores and clearing the leaves from the garden.Thursday Ron and I walked dog Watson at the beach on a gorgeous day. Below: Ron and Watson in the shadow.

Friday the family came over and we all went to the beach. It was wonderful.

Below: Nicky and Zoë, fetching water from the sea.

Below: This time fetching water and looking for seashells with daddy and grandpa.

Below: I was there too, bit of a blurry photo.

The baby was content with her bottle and slept a lot.

Greetje