Not long now! + Birthday present.

All B&B's booked? ✓, House-/Cat sitter in place? ✓, Travel documents ✓, Car service? ✓, Travel guides? ✓, First aid/safety gear? ✓, Family oké? ✓-ish, Finances?...ermmm... Who knows, right now?

PS Guess what Eric gave me for my birthday yesterday (see bottom of page)?

Dinner at REM island

Eric and I went to an interesting restaurant in Amsterdam yesterday.

It used to be a North Sea Platform, used for commercial TV and was moved to an area near Eric's home.

It opened recently and we decided to give it a try. We really liked the setting but it's a little 'out of the way' by Amsterdam standards. I hoped the food would be good enough for it to survive the 'latest place to be seen/have been-craze'. Fortunately it was lovely.
Out of a choice of two House wines we preferred the Chardonnay. There was a very pleasant atmosphere (a little noisy) and the service was friendly. Do try it!  Dutch info:click here

windy gangplank

Bar+terrace on 1st floor

Cruise ship passing

restaurant on 2nd floor

Our choice from the menu  (for those who can't read Dutch)

Starters:  A tasty clam chowder (with bacon-bits and cream) and a crostini with blue goats cheese, mushrooms and salad (yummy).

Mains: Eric had Halibut with asparagus, spinach and baby spuds, which he liked, but wasn't wild about. I had (superbly cooked) beef with potato-gratin, veg. and a lovely gravy, which I thought was excellent.

Dessert: we shared a scrumptious lemon tart with Chantilly creme and raspberries and sipped from our very nice dessert wine from the Chianti area. (marks: 7)

Pine cones (photo's of month)

In the hot, blistering sun, pine cones open slowly, giving the seeds a chance to be 'taken' by a soft, warm breeze.
Summertime! I remember it well.

Do's and don'ts of packing

Packing used to be easy. Fill boxes with...whatever. Make sure they're not too heavy. Wrap delicate items in newspaper. Write FRAGILE!!! in huge letters all over box. Use loads of tape and... Bob's your uncle!,  Eh Presto!... job well done.
This time, I was provided with white paper, tape, sticky labels and two types of boxes, (which is nice), a whole list of do's and don'ts and, to my utter dismay, a 'live' demonstration.

The smaller boxes are for books and books only! These have a red line printed all around the inside (about two thirds up the side) and my books are not to cross that line! (Why not just make the boxes smaller?) The labels can only be used on these smaller boxes and must be placed on the therefore designated 'stick-your-label-here-mark'. I am not allowed to close them by folding, nor by using tape.

The larger boxes I can fill to the brim, but, understandably, they can't be too heavy. I was shown how to fold them and was told to use tape...but only one piece, and only over the length of the box. Any information is to be written only on that piece of tape. Do not use the sticky labels, do not use tape anywhere else, do not write on the boxes, do not.....ohhh, for crying out loud!!!!!! Somebody stop me, before I commit a 'packing-crime'!!!

On the road again.

I can't quite believe it myself, but I'll be moving house again soon. In exactly 2 months from tomorrow.

The new contract was signed and sent off this morning, and the boxes arrived just a few hours later.

Big change this time will be that I'll be moving from the countryside to the big City. The 'almost-centre' of Amsterdam, to be exact.

The last few weeks, life has gone into 'zippy' gear again. On a Friday, there was a viewing at an apartment and on the following Monday, I was asked to sign an agreement, sent to me by email. 

Will I miss this beautiful spot, where I live at the moment?...Yes!
Will I like living in Amsterdam?...Yes, I believe I will but there's only one way of finding out. So, here goes! 

Must get back to the many chores that come with this sort of thing. Like measuring and making a list of what must go and what can stay....Anyone interested in a large Bosch fridge freezer?

Once I've moved and have actually tested my new tel.nr. I will send you all the full details of my latest address etc.

Dragonfly Doom (photo's of the month)

They're back! With a vengeance, I might add.
Apparently, I live in 'Dragonfly Heaven' although it means 'Dragonfly Doom' for any insect that comes anywhere near this place.
At this time of year, they zip around at incredible speed and when all is calm and there's no wind, I can hear them coming by the 'clicking'sound of their wings.
They are fierce and ferocious insects and show no mercy. Heads roll (literally).
I don't know what it is. Maybe I attract insects, or maybe I look like one, but they seem to have it in for me too. The near misses happen just a little too quickly, too often, for it to be 'just coincidence'.
As for the Damselflies. They're smaller and have a sweet name...but they're NOT!
They're all beautiful...but...those eyes!!!
Here are a few pictures (enlarging, a must).

Herring in Holland with Natasha

My niece Natasha was over from England for a few days. Due to a public transport strike in Amsterdam, we decided to skip seeing the sights there and stay closer to home, instead.
It turned into a day with a 'typically Dutch' theme and it was lovely to spend some time with her and catch up with the latest (graduation end of this month!, charity work, jobs and travels).
It just so happened that it was the day of the 'Hollandse Nieuwe' (Holland's New)! This is the term used for the first catch of herring, of the year. Yes people, it is true. We eat raw, 'salted' herring in Holland, usually with raw onion, pickles and accompanied with Jenever (Dutch Gin).Herring info. click here.
Next on the menu were some 'poffertjes' (mini blinis with butter and icing sugar) which went down well. Later, in a trendy  café in Leiden (near me) we had some 'bitterballen' (deep fried, meat-ragout balls).

Hollandse Nieuwe in Scheveningen, The Hague.
A whole festival is organised around this event and the first 'tub' of herring is always auctioned for an enormous amount which is given to charity. This year it was sold for € 67.0000,-
Tasha is showing how to eat herring in Holland (the gentleman behind her had about 3, while we were there).

Poffertjes
The garish interior of this 'poffertjes-p(a)lace' is very typical. This is an antique, copper, handmade 'poffertjes-iron'. The copper plate gets heated and the batter gets poured into the little 'dimples'. Once they're done on one side, the cook deftly turns them over with a sharp, two pronged fork.

Bitterballen in Leiden
One of my favourite café-restaurants in Leiden is called 'de Poort'. Part of the ancient gateway to Leiden has been transformed into this modern restaurant, by the water.

Tasha admiring the lampshades.

Bitterballen