This gallery contains 12 photos.
St David’s Day is traditionally celebrated on 1st March each year. On the nearest weekend to 1st March there is a St David’s Day concert in the English reformed church in het Begijnhof. The afternoon starred the wonderful Welsh soprano and … Continue reading
An appointment to meet at a certain time and place, especially one made secretly by lovers. She had to look up the word’s meaning in the tribe’s human dictionary. The anonymous note intrigued her, the words written in charcoal, smudging into each other, already half disappearing.
She gazed at her reflection in the water. The People of the Wood were said to be beautiful but she doubted her comeliness now. The foundling was truly exquisite to behold, her eyes so blue, they were almost cerulean. Until then Cimmeria had been the tribe’s beauty. Usurped, in a fit of pique, she had taken the garment that was hidden in the foundling’s basket. Standing alone by the water she slipped on the stolen dress and twirled, lighting up the gloom with sparks of kingfisher blue. Then she sat down, crossed her legs and waited.
As the sun lowered in the sky the light became grainy, crepuscular. Behind her something rustled. She turned to investigate but it was only the elderly unicorn. He shied when she looked around. Then he nickered, recognising Cimmeria. He lowered his head to the pool and started to drink. The rhythm of his swallowing soothed her as he drank great gulps of water.
Cimmeria read the note again. Tryst by Unicorn’s Pool, today at dusk. The longer she waited the more she suspected it was a hoax. Any minute now one of the Fakefleshes would run up behind her and push her in the water. She was tempted to jump on the unicorn’s back and gallop away but suspected he would no longer be strong enough to carry her. He was fading. Sometimes, all you could see of him was his shadow as he flickered between the second and third realms.
From a nearby camp floated music. Her feet twitched and her legs became restless. She waited till the sun was just a red sliver above the hills beyond the trees. She got up and shook the pins and needles from her limbs. Turning around, she saw him. The woodsman. He reached his charcoal-stained hand towards her. Placing her hand in his she felt his blood pulse through him. At the camp, the music suddenly stopped and the musicians tilted their heads, straining to hear something. Then came a whistling, the rush of wind through leaves followed by a murder of crows cawing as they pierced the stygian sky. The man and Cimmeria walked hand in hand towards the campfire. A cheer went up as they welcomed her. The clan of humans started playing again and suddenly Cimmeria’s legs knew what to do. She lifted her turquoise skirt and like a wild thing, began to dance.
This magic realism piece was published on National Flash Fiction Flood Day in 2012. Hop over if you’d like to read some more flash fiction. National Flash Fiction Day is planned on 22 June in 2013. More details here
Meet my dear friend, Pam Barick. Pam is an American expat who lives in Amstelveen. She was born in 1955 in Kodaikanal. Kodaikanal is a city in the hills in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its name in the Tamil language means, The Gift of the Forest. Later Pam lived with her family in Andhra Pradesh, one of the 28 states of India, situated on the country’s south eastern coast.
Pam’s father was missionary doctor and ran the hospital in Andhra Pradesh. Pam’s mother, Margaret Durkee; known affectionately as Peg, bought a collection of saris over her time in India, during the fifties and sixties. Peg wore some of the saris for various official functions when she wanted to add a touch of glamour to the occasion. Her favourite was the green silk one pictured below. The collection is eclectic and many of the saris she bought for the sheer joy of owning such exotic and colourful textiles.
Pam also occasionally wore saris as a child. Every Wednesday night was dress-up night at her boarding school. The dressing-up evenings added a bit of sparkle to their otherwise humdrum lives at boring school, I mean boarding school! All students and teachers changed into Indian clothes for dinner. Pam favoured a Punjabi outfit, consisting of trousers and a scarf. It conjures a slightly surreal image of expat children sitting around a traditional Western dining table wearing bejewelled outfits; Hogwarts meets Bollywood perhaps!
Pam moved to Holland in the eighties and married her American husband David Barick. They have lived happily together since then, in Amstelveen. As an artist Pam always remembered the saris from her childhood and was overjoyed to rediscover them while clearing out the parental home in the States after Pam’s parents had died. The saris were concealed beneath a pile of boxes in a trunk in the basement. Pam’s mum suffered from Alzheimer’s and because of the confusion in her latter years had lost some precious family jewellery. Pam was overwhelmed with relief when she discovered that these beautiful fabric memories hadn’t been lost for ever. Here are a few pictures of the contents of that box of hidden treasure…
Recently, a friend loaned me a book about Amsterdam gevelstenen (stone plaques) by Onno W. Boers.
A system of house numbering was introduced in Amsterdam in 1795; all the plaques on the front of buildings before this date acted as house signs so that visitors and merchants could find the relevant building. One lived in the ‘The Black Sheep,’ ‘The Red Lion’ or ‘The Milkmaid,’ – or the house opposite or next to it.
Often plaques functioned as advertising boards for the trade of the builder or resident. Sometimes it included a play of words on the name of the builder or hinted at the origins of the owner. Very often they have a mythological or enigmatic significance which we can only guess at. During a recent tour of the Red Light District I discovered that a plaque showing a swan indicated that a prostitute worked in the building in the times before prostitution was legal! Here are a few photos of my favourites and where in Amsterdam they can be found. Why not just take off with your camera and notebook and find a few for yourself? I’d love to hear what you discover!
Leidsegracht 37
Leidsegracht 23
Haarlemmerdijk 98-102
Egelantiersgracht 63-65
Brouwersgracht 52
Dam 11, (formerly Warmoestraat 201)
Egelantiersgracht 52
Palmgracht 19/21
Palmgracht 33
Nieuwendijk 20
Yesterday I went shopping in Haarlem with my husband. What a turn up for the books! He was dashing in and out of the shops and bought an Ortlieb rucksack, frying pan and a new pair of van Lier shoes, whereas I didn’t buy anything!
Haarlem is a great town for shopping. There are many privately owned stores and the service is more personal and friendlier than in Amsterdam. It’s only a fifteen minute drive away from Amsterdam, or a short journey by train. While we were there it started snowing and I took some nice pics. Please excuse some some snowflakes on the phone lens! Below are links to some of the shops we visited and the St Bavokerk.
Mabrouk – Turkish delicatessen
Vind Iets – Quirky vintage shop
Candle Store
Household and Haberdashery Store – Bink
Sjakies – Furniture, rugs, textiles and handmade jewellery
Dille & Camille Everything for kitchen, garden and interiors made from natural materials.
St Bavokerk – Gothic church in Haarlem
A post about one of my favourite TV progs and its creator Julian Fellowes. Thanks, Kimberley for a great blog!
Well, perhaps in all honesty, I should entitle this post: Why this writer loves Downton Abbey.
Still, I see it’s become something of a trend recently. The Writer this month features the British period miniseries Downton Abbey on its cover, entitled “True to the Period” and the excellent Nathan Bransford blog had a recent post What writers can learn from Downton Abbey.
Is it true? Can I justify my frightening obsession with British, multi-part period dramas not as a mere time-waster, but as avaluable learning experience? No way am I letting this opportunity pass me by. Me? Lazy in front of the TV? Heavens no! It’s research.
The Writer interviews the show’s creator and sole writer, Julian Fellowes, who talks about his writing process for the screenplays and the multiple revisions each script undergoes after producers, executives, actors, etc. etc. all weigh in. Fellowes has also written…
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In the centre of Amsterdam, bordering on the Vondelpark, you will find one of the most beautiful riding schools in Europe. ‘De Hollandsche Manege’ is an elegant 18th century school which is one of Amsterdam’s better kept secrets. If you are passing through, or live in Amsterdam, then I definitely recommend you visit.
Recently, I enjoyed high tea at the riding school’s restaurant, with a few girlfriends whom I met through the Amsterdam Women’s Social Meetup group. Membership of Meetup is usually free and if you would like to encounter sociable, expat women from all over the globe, then I recommend you join! It’s great for newbie expats but also more mature expats can widen their social circles through this friendly group. Meetup groups exist all over the globe and cater for a varied range of interests and age groups, so why not visit the site and find out if there’s one you’d like to join near you.
Dating from 1744, De Hollandsche Manege is the oldest riding school in Holland. It is open daily from 10am till 5pm. The foyer is open every day as well, and from there you are welcome to look at and pet the horses in their stables. At the top of the dramatic, winding staircase, where you half expect Scarlett O’ Hara to come swaggering down in her velvet riding habit, you will find the restaurant. It looks out onto the indoor school, and here you can enjoy high tea or just a snack. If you have riding experience it’s possible to book a lesson learning to ride side-saddle in combination with high tea. Not simultaneous activities, I hasten to add! You can also book a guided tour of the building. For prices for these activities click here.
Alongside that there are regular events to observe; dressage competitions, show-jumping and of course the daily lessons. If you’re visiting the school in winter and planning to eat in the restaurant, it’s wise to wrap up warm as it can be pretty draughty. It’s a listed building so double glazing is a no-no. The swing doors are also regularly banged open and shut by rosy-cheeked young amazons so don’t pay a visit in your little off-the-shoulder number, because you will freeze!
De Hollandsche Manege
Vondelstraat 140
1054 GT Amsterdam
From Central Station take Tram 1 and get off at the first stop on the Overtoom after the Leidseplein.
In December 1961 de Jaap Eden IJsbaan (skating rink) opened its doors to the public. It was the third 400 metre rink in the world. It used an innovative ‘direct’ freezing system which means that ammonia evaporates from underground pipes and freezes the water.The rink was opened by the ten-year-old grandson of the legendary Dutch skater, Jaap Eden. In the first years after it was opened the rink was hugely popular and people came from all over to skate in Amsterdam. In those days mounted policemen had to guard the entrance to keep the crowds under control!
Now it’s a bit more sedate and if you go in the afternoon you avoid most of the school kids. The rink is located in the Watergrafsmeer area of Amsterdam and is open in the winter months. For information about opening times and entrance fees click here. Don’t worry if you don’t have your own skates, you can hire them at the rink. If you decide to try out your luck on the ice don’t forget to have the traditional ‘koek en zopie’ at the wonderfully atmospheric restaurant, de Scheve Skaes! (The wonky skate…) Here’s the recipe for zopie if you want to try making it yourself:
Ingredients for ‘Zopie’
Put the beer with the cinnamon, cloves and lemon on the stove and let it boil. Let it simmer for 20 minutes. Stir the sugar with the eggs and bind the beer mix with it. Add the rum at the last moment and serve when it’s still hot! The koek part of the recipe is basically just a biscuit.
Do you want to stay sober on the ice? Some hot chocolate will of course also do, or a nice cup of Dutch pea soup (‘erwtensoep’ or ‘snert’). Enjoy!
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,400 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 6 years to get that many views.
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Amsterdam Oriole 