Our First Taste of Amsterdam

Hi Dear Folk,

My flight out from Philly was uneventful and with nobody sitting next to me gave me extra space always nice.  I flew into Manchester on American Airlines and then had to catch a connecting flight to Heathrow, London on British Airways.  Can you believe on that short little flight they served breakfast which was coffee or tea, orange juice and a hot bacon bap sandwich and let me tell you it was very good.  You can fly all the way to Hawaii and you get absolutely zero to eat included in the price of a ticket.

Unfortunately as I mentioned in my post last Wednesday my suitcase did not make the transfer and neither did it make it to my friends house on that Sunday evening, which I thought it might, because my door hubby one time left one of his suitcases on the carousel, forgetting it and we received a phone call that night asking for directions to my parents little thatch cottage which was in the boonies and he turned up at one in the morning, Mr. B. even remembered the name of the company Pony Express, well I guess they lived up to their name but City Luggage did not.  It did not arrive until Monday afternoon which under normal circumstances would have been fine except for our flight out to Amsterdam from Stanstead Airport was at 7:00AM, so no change of clothes for Amsterdam, but you know it all worked out, the weather cooperated by staying quite cool even a bit cold and I was prepared for that.

We navigated our way through the airport and out to the train station, figured out buying a ticket the easy way by going up to a ticket office and speaking to a person.  The train took us right into the Grand Central Station in Amsterdam.  We found the station lock up boxes, figured how to pay for that and left our luggage in one of those.  The Tourist Office is across the road.

So here we are, after having sorted out at the Tourist Info office, some tickets for the canal ride and trolley tickets, plus a very nice young man helped Jean sort her phone out.  A good time to pop downstairs which is where this lovely restaurant was located right on the canal and get a coffee and apple cake.  Totally hit the spot.

The shape of smaller mug seams to be the norm in Holland for coffee and I actually bought one just that shape and size, a little small for coffee compared with what we are used to but I love the design on my mug by a Dutch artist.  Will have to look him up.

IKEA serves an apple cake like this over here, but not as good.

Here is the outside of the restaurant, as you can see it is an overcast and cold day, well it was 21st March.  But we are all smiles just to be there, drinking coffee and eating cake and sitting by the canal.

Christy

Antique Pattern Library

Hi Dear Folk,

Just found a lovely resource for old patterns, The Antique Pattern Library, see the link in my top bar area.

Such fun to look at, love the Automobile Hat and Veil to crochet and so much more.

I have some of those Corticelli silks with the kitten as their emblem, they must be older than I thought.

Christy

Update on Amsterdam and More

Hi Dear Folk,

It has been quite winter weather since I got back, snowing most of last Saturday and raining today.  It was getting warmer when I left England, the last five days were nice, quite sunny but cool.  The first days in Amsterdam were overcast and cold.

I had an old coat/mac cleaned that has a detachable wool lining and it worked well, along with an Aran Poncho my sister knitted me, so was nice to have that.  On my mac sister BB said I looked like Vera, I don't think that was a compliment, but we laughed, I knew what she meant.

Si my nephew and Georgia his wife took me to Cambridge on the holiday Monday and one of the stores she likes is LUSH!, very popular in the UK bath bombs etc, they treated me to one.  I treated myself to a very psychedelic scarf which brightened up my Vera ensemble, actually I looked the designer up Oliver Hibert, an American artist, can't say I like his art, but I do like my scarf, so I must like some of it.

We went to a Farm Market Cafe and had coffee, Scotch eggs and ham and cheese pasty style meat pies, all delicious and ended out day with lager and chips at a Pub in Cambridge.  It's fun to have nephew and wife take me out, a reversal of positions, Si has charisma.

A month later would have been nice for Amsterdam because the tulips would have been out.  Our AirBnB was four flights up.  Our host was a young Dutch man tall with Indonesian looks and a Dutch name.  He was funny, trying to explain that old ladies might think BnB includes breakfast and it didn't, but we said that we'd already stayed at two AirBnBs and knew it did not.  He was quite surprised and said he wished his grandmother was more like us, and something we said really made him laugh.  And then he went out and bought eggs, bacon and bread for our breakfast, which was a lot since his fridge had hardly a thing in it and if it was, it was off.  He must eat out all the time.  We brought our own tea and bought milk.  Our room had a little table and chairs, so we ate and drank tea here.  We did make eggs for breakfast we didn't want not to seem grateful.

Quite a big apartment, nothing ritzi, probably from the thirties, nice area, and very easy transportation.  I kept imagining looking out the window and seeing the Nazi's going up and down.  We did go past Anne Frank's house on the canal tour, right in the heart of Amsterdam.

When you cross the road you have to look out for so many things, first the lane for bikes and motor bikes, then the trolley lines and pavement, then the road with cars and visa versa on the other side.  So you have to watch for six lanes of traffic, not just two.  they must be quite fit, everyone rides a bike.

The Rijks Museum, neo Gothic architecture had a ten year make over and opened up again about three years ago, so is very nice.  Saw many old Dutch Masters.  Did not even get to the Van Gogh museum, you can only spend so much time in museums.  We did very much enjoy the fashion show which they had on.  I did see a lovely long umbrella for sale in the shop for 6 Euro, but would never have been allowed on the plane they are so picky on Easy Jet.  I should have said it was a walking stick.

Ate at a wonderful locals Moroccan restaurant, he told us about, was actually housed in an old converted chapel, and of course coffee shops with apple cake desert and other goodies.  One restaurant, very misleading, very plain, but we just wanted a soup, we ordered it, could hardly find a suitable table, you know all organic, with tiny shelf tables and high stools, you can hardly get your bottom on.  Well when we actually looked at the price 14 Euros each soup, we cancelled our order, it was more than we paid at the Moroccan restaurant for dinner.  We walked down the street and found a much friendlier Pub.  Jean had tomato and basil soup with hearty bread and I had a melted goat cheese sandwich served with tomato jam which is delicious, whole bill 10 Euros.  funny enough in England at Clare, I had a cheese scone served with a wedge of cheese and tomato jam.  Love tomato jam, so will have a go at making it.

Of course all the time I was in Amsterdam I only had the clothes I traveled in.  Jean kitted me out with toiletries, socks and other essentials, but talk about a simplified life style.  I did have all my shoes, they were in my carry on.  Fortunately I had my coat, hat, gloves and alpaca scarf, all of which I needed, so it worked out all right.  Made it all so very simple.

Jean had updated her cell phone for the Netherlands and funny enough only two callers could get through City Luggage, the delivery courier and Jean's daughter, so between the two we were able to coordinate delivery of my suitcase on the Monday, while we were in Amsterdam, wohoo!  My brand new suitcase is very much the worse for wear, but that's the way things are.  I like my new suitcase with the four wheels, super easy to roll and not all that weight on your arm.  It takes up a lot of room when open as it basically opens in two halves, my old suitcase had more of a lid.

Much more to say but will hold off until I sort out all my pics.

Christy

This Will Lead To No Good

Hi Dear Folk,

Having had a very hectic week at work, coming back from England on the Monday, back to work on the Tuesday, I feel like a parachutist coming into land, I touch down and have to keep on running, so was not terrible to spend the whole day in today because it is snowing.

Of course this cold spell is not good and will freeze all my buds, I am thinking especially my hydrangea and wisteria, oh well!

I see the tree fell over.

I am happy with a nice fire.  Crocheting with my chunky mixed yarn, a lovely cowl and finger-less mitts, finished off with a big button.

Christy

Hotter Shoes Made in the UK

Hi Dear Folk,

Well I'm back and all I can say about travel it is not for the faint hearted and I really should have taken up the offer by a young man at Heathrow Airport an employee, who offered to take me on one of those buggies to my Gate, of course I said no I'm alright, yeah! I think my gate was the other side of the Terminal and the furthest extension.  I will not turn down another offer when it comes my way.  And when they say get there three hours ahead of time for an International flight, do so because you will need every minute to get through all the checks.  I arrived at my gate only fifteen minutes before we boarded and I did not even look around the duty free shops.

Well of course you know I always thrift on vacation/holiday but in the UK the shops are called charity shops.  In one I found an almost brand new pair of Hotter Shoes, my sister and her friend said that's great, they are wonderfully comfortable shoes and they have both owned Hotter Shoes, so that was my introduction.

Hotter Shoes are made in the UK quite unique in this day and age see here and I just found out that you can buy them online in the USA and the shipping is only $10.00.  They also have quite a large clearance section so may make use of that.

Take a look and read the article below.

An article about Hotter Shoe Company in the The Telegraph

Christy

An English Country Garden

Enjoy
Christy

When You're On A Roll

Hi Dear Folk,

I just love this little crochet pattern.  I haven't blocked them but I'm not going to because they curl around the neck just right and with a pin to hold them in place, snug and secure.

This of course you have seen before, my alpaca yarn from New York State and the colour I call Heather and Broom.  I've decided to take it on my trip with me, I have a Heather coloured velvet cloche which matches it quite well.

Here is another scarf I made for a friend and with a special pin.  The yarn is wool, mohair and non natural yarns.  I lovvve this yarn it is sooo soft.  I have been on a quest to find long pins and have done pretty well.  Perfect one for Candyce above.

Have you seen these great big ball of yarns at Jo-Ann?  Just right for a scarf or cowl, I bought one for my sister in grays, as you can see it has all different textured yarns in one ball.  See the two pins on the right side the bottom one is for my scarf, top one auntie Joan's.

So now I'm on a roll with these little scarfs.

One for aunt Joan with a pin.

The pin is for sister BB, she loves cats.

One for cousin Esther with a pin.

So you get the idea I really have been on a roll and I don't think I'm finished yet because I want to look for some special yarns in UK.  So I'll throw this out there I will be in the Cambridge area any yarn shop suggestions?  Also Colchester, Halstead and Harlow.  Maybe I'll find something really exciting in Amsterdam.

We will see, take care, I think this may be my last post before crossing The Pond.

Christy

Holding Pattern

Hi Dear Folk,

Time is flying five days before I leave, so I thought I would show you the last two weeks at home and clean out my camera card.

Remember I promised myself some daffodils for this vase, well here they are three bunches from Trader Joe's and all from the UK.

And since I'm making a trip to Amsterdam, I could not resist this plate at the thrift.  I love blues, although a couple of weeks I stepped out of the zone and splurged on a Johnson Bros Heritage Hall in brown, a dinner service, I just love it, but more on that another time.

A lovely quiet Saturday morning, poached egg on toast, coffee and reading.

Mr. B. put up two of the remaining pictures that are closest to the corner both Gozzard prints.

Snowdrops from the front garden.

Just the past weekend I picked these out of the garden.  I have a little collection of vases which I keep handy this style reminds me of the south-west, and since I haven't used it before put it out with my daffodils in.  Not sure it was the best fit for them, but it gave me a smile to see my daffs and use my vase.

Another little vase makes it flower debut with miniature daffs from my garden.  I'm glad I picked them as it has rained since and I get to enjoy them in the house.  The pile of books on the chair is some of my library books.

Mr. B. jumped on this as it was unpacked from the box at the thrift, $6.00 not bad.  He had to redo one hook that was broken, and cleaned it up but otherwise very nice.  Does one call this chinoiserie?  I think so.  In any case it was not hard to find eight odd cups and saucers just hanging around.  I'm amazed a had a piece of wall to hang this on.

The cup on the bottom left was from my grandma and has the song Widecombe Fair a Devon folk song.  Another favourite is the Brambly Hedge bottom far right, but I may change them out, see how the mood takes me.

I did get almost everything done on my list.  My friend who is a hair dresser and cuts my hair chopped off six inches and it is still long, although maybe six inches was a bit drastic, but not really. Raincoat back from cleaners, gifts made and sorted, items washed, shoes cleaned and on the list goes and now I am so thankful that I'm not a totally last minute person.  Maybe I'm just getting slower.

Packing is hard when one minute it's 72f and sunny and the next minute is 42f and raining.  I looked at the long range for UK and Holland, but that is up and down too; well usual packing, one raincoat with detachable wool lining, one umbrella and the rest will fall in place.

That's my catch up, books have been reluctantly let go of and returned to the library.  I'll just have to get them again.

Christy

Spring Forward Twice

Hi Dear Folk,

It seems you have lots of time then you have none.  So with less than a fortnight before I go away I'm trying to get all those little things accomplished that must be done.  Get a long overdue hair trim, get rain coat dry cleaned, get some pounds sterling, think about what I'm going to pack and collect it together, all in one place so do not go into panic mode at last minute in not being able to find my passport or something like that.  When you work full time you cannot leave everything to the last minute or you'll be a basket case.  Plus tomorrow I am out all day and before I leave I should really drop our taxes off to be done.

Plus I have several books I have read and should write reviews, but I know they have to go back to the library before I can probably get to do that, bother.  And one has to go back to Omaha, Nebraska, it's the Persephone book.  As Mr. B. said all the way from Nebraska and you don't have to pay a thing, and when you think about it libraries are a wonderful resource.

Maman, What Are We Called Now?  by Jacqueline Mesnil-Amar  a Persephone book diaries written by Jacqueline during the last part of WWII in Paris, 1944 - 1945

This is a loan from another library so think this will have to be returned before I can even get to read it.  A Shepherd's Life in Wiltshire circa 1910

The Shepherd's Life in the Lake District circa 2000 and onward, in which he referred to the older book.

This a biography of Virginia Woolf which is most interesting, because when I first started reading this I could have thought it was a biography about Leonard Woolf, who I do not think the biographer thought too much of.

Plus have read The Leading Note by Rosalind Murray who also wrote The Happy Tree a Persephone book, but I could not find that one at my local library but they did have this her first book written 1910 when she was twenty.

Also this weekend is Spring Forward and I have to spring forward twice because in UK it is not until the end of March, I have a hard enough time with doing it once.  I didn't think that one out.

Well will try and keep you posted, but is a busy time so may be a little sparce.

Will try posting some Instagram while away.

Take care have a great weekend.

Christy

Counting Down

H Dear Folk,

Now it is March1st the count down is on before I leave for the UK and Amsterdam Saturday 19th March.  One of the things on my to do list is get a hair cut.  My hair has never been this long in my life and it seems the wrong end of my life to be this long.  When I was a teen I longed for long hair, but it seemed to grow at a snails pace, now for some reason, not that I'm knocking it but it seems to grow twice as fast.  It has now become so long it is becoming harder to sweep up and hold with one giant clip, so I think a cut is in order.

While reading The Vintage Traveler she mentioned a clothes show at the Rijksmuseum showing the fashion of the Dutch from 1625 to 1960 I think this will be so interesting, we hope to go.

Christy

Change in the Sitting Room

Hi Dear Folk,

It is done, it took all day Saturday but it has been accomplished, the re arranging of our sitting room.  We have a very large old comfortable sofa which was given to us by friends before they moved back to Scotland and it was given to them by someone on the Main Line.  I think originally it was a good sofa, because it still is and it is years old.  Having said that it is large and deep.  My room is longer and narrower and it always seems to be grouped around the center of the room and either end is no mans land.  My plan was to move the sofa to the end of the room and sit it across the short wall, making the room look wider and I think that has been accomplished and I am very happy with the way it turned out.  It took all day, but the entire room got a badly needed spring clean too.

So here is the sofa at the end of the room, I have had it at the other end of the room, but it is definitely better at this end.

This chair stayed in the same place, but has basically lived either to the left or to the right of the fireplace.

This corner stayed the same, except for a total re arrangement of knickknacks, I will never be a minimalist I have too many collections.   The table is Eastlake style along with the mirror and some of the shelves, I bought all these in a little antique shop that used to be in town, unfortunately no longer there.  Also the little art deco lamp sitting on the desk below also came from there along with a J W Gozzard print of  Monterey.

The secretary desk had to be moved from one corner of the room to the opposite end of the room.

The barristers bookcase had to be moved out of the other corner and relocated here, with the very small Eastlake sofa beside it, this wall was where the big sofa used to sit.  The Eastlake corner shelf, an Ebay find, had to be relocated to this corner from the opposite corner and a number of pictures had to be taken down.  Some books, pictures and photographs will be retired to the attic, oh and did I say I retired a chest and the TV to the basement last weekend to give me more room.  I hardly ever watch TV so no big loss and there's always The Boys monster upstairs.

So not to prove a total bore over this basically that's it.  I cannot say how happy I am with this arrangement for several reasons.  Sitting on the relocated sofa gives one a totally different view of the room, a lovely place to sit and read by the window, where the sunlight pours in in the afternoon, and a better view of the fire, because the sofa is low and with the Chinese table between that and the fire ones view of the fire was impeded.

As everything had to come off all the shelves a total re putting together of collections was done, it was like collecting and enjoying them all over again. These used to sit inside the bookcase and now sit on top.  I used to collect one or two of these every time I went to England, I love the boot houses, very whimsical.

This my American collection of houses and barns used to sit on top of the barrister bookcase and now they sit happily on the window sill, we have very deep sills.  I love the shadows in these pictures.

My collection of clocks that used to sit in the opposite window sill now sit on the fireplace mantle.

And this is the other end of the room now.  I intend to buy a lovely big bunch of daffodils and put them in that vase.

Hope you didn't mind me prattling on, but I am super happy with the outcome and even Mr. B. approves.

Christy

Yippee it's the Weekend

Hi Dear Folk,

Yippee it's the weekend.  Crazy busy week at work but that seems to be the norm now.

And those of you who have children at College does this scenario sound familiar to you.  Our Boy phones at 10:30 PM at night, "Mum can you find the photos I took in Florida on that rainy evening with the raindrops on the window in the VW Bus and the one of my hat on the seat and the steering wheel?"

Now said Mum has already worked a crazy busy day, has sorted out said Boy's expenses with the bank, exchanged thoughts on duplication of a broken pair of glasses frames, that he got replaced, but somehow landed up with two sets of frames, two charges and one set had to be returned.  Now at 10:30 PM I am to look for photos for a portfolio he is submitting for a job app and must be done that night.

Photos are on the backup hard drive I did for you mum.  Mum at this point cannot remember where back up hard drive has been put.  After a house search for this, said back up drive is found and plugged in to search for photos.  All other Florida photos are on hard drive but is missing our very first day, when these were taken.  Obviously said Boy never backed them up.

Must be on very old laptop which has now been relegated to a shelf in the basement.  Fortunately said laptop was still charged and Voila!  said photos have been located and emailed to said Boy.

By this time said mother is beyond frazzled, because said mother does not do well at night when very tired.

So Yippee it's the weekend.

I have mentally been preparing Mr. B. for two weeks to help me rearrange the sitting room.  It has to be done that way to let the thought of change and doing it sink in.

Well take care, have a great weekend.

Christy

Warm and Natural Needled Cotton Batting

Hi Dear Folk,

I ran across this at Jo-Ann fabric store, and I just love using it.  Natural needled cotton batting, made from American grown cotton and made in the USA, which is a few and far between phenomena.

You might ask, how am I getting on with my Hawaii quilt square, well it is slow, I don't think I am a natural born quilter.  Mr. B. said the white looked funny, and I think the piecing together of uniform shapes is too constraining for me.  So this my be my last States Quilt Square.

I had even bought the material below for my interpretation of the Alaskan State Quilt Square, but as my time is limited I think I can better spend it on other created quests.  I thought if I carry on with this I will have popped my clogs before it is finished.

So may make the above into a cushion.

Can always use this on something.  It reminded me of our old popup camper and camping in Alaska, along with the Sitka spruce trees and camp fires in the evening swirling up between the tree branches into the night sky. Also the Indian arrows in the fabric, and the Native Americans of Alaska; which again leads me to words and terminology.  In Canada they refer to Indians as First Nations or First Peoples of Canada, which I think might be a better terminology.

I have however started on a Crazy Quilt, it is much more free form and allows for all kind of fabrics, arrangements and embroidery stitches, rummaging and using what you have and incorporating new ideas as you come upon them, that's more my style.

It takes me back to my remembrances of my grandmother who I have said previously worked at Courtaulds; well she always had an ongoing crazy quilt piece of material to add pieces of fabric to as she would get odd ends of brocade and silks from the mill and of course the edges were always embroidered in feather stitch.

Christy