I’ve been sitting in my usual chair but not doing the usual things. I’ve been painting. Creating new pieces of art. I’ve been listening to long form vlog/podcast broadcasts. I’ve been taking my ease.
Some art I’ve been making
The festivities were lovely. I’ve enjoyed spending time with family (with the louder and quieter ones) and with my better half. I’ve enjoyed having the house decorated and lit. I’ve enjoyed the roaring fires and the special food and all of those things…. but now I feel like I can relax. Is it just me?
This year will bring more PhD. work, especially as I made it through the internal review just before the break, more travel, for fun and study, and things I don’t expect. More time.spent on committee work and at my club. Imalso hopeful that I’ll get back underwater as the Achillies injury heals slowly.
Tonight’s tea is a new to us recipe. Tomorrow, a visit to the chiropractic. Next week I’m seeing my parents. Funny how the whole world failed completely to change at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve or the first minute of 2024.
Family stuff, as they say. One such was a wonderful visit to my second home in the Netherlands. Utrecht is one of my favourite cities in the world. Thus year I had the chance to take my young nieces to visit and explore the city.
Our first meal in Utrecht
Of course they had never tries Dutch food so day one, meal one gad to be traditional ‘borrelhapjes’. To be honest, the wee one can be a touch fussy, so bar snacks offered the widest opportunity for something to be OK. Butterbollen. Kaarstengels. Loaded fries. Loempias. And the best baked apples ever. We ate, we collapsed.
For anyone planning a visit, I’d recommend the Strowis. It’s a workers collective run hostel. Clean. Quiet . It even has a garden…but no sharks.
We stayed in a shared bathroom twin in the attic. Showers are large and clean and there are plenty of loos on each floor. There’s a kitchen too for making your own food though sadly breakfast is no longer available (covid). There’s a bar and coffee available. Games, art materials and they own the pub axcross the garden too. We chatted to Aussies, Koreans and Americans. That’s the joy of hostels you never know who you’ll meet. The staff are great and proved very helpful on this occasion.
Day two with the small people and a visit to the Museum Speelklok which is a personal favourite. Noisy and full of grandparents and grandchildren. We were in there for hours watching and listening to the huge circus organs and making our own musical books to play. Of course there was coffee and apple pie
A ‘straatorgel’
After dad had gone off to the dance music festival in Amsterdam we carried on to the library. I love this building. It was once the Post Office. I’ve been trying to get inside again for ten years, and now it is gloriously open. Go to the library.
Utrecht library
It’s like something out of Dune. I just feel like lying on the floor snd staring at the ceiling. Now there’s a lift so you can get above it to see the preservation work they’ve done. Seriously, go to the library. They also have a play post office which took a chunk of time and an excellent cafe.
Day three saw very tired youngsters peek up at the sight of a playground and a petting zoo in Grift Park. Word of caution here. If you’re an Uber fan don’t expect to find them much outside of Amsterdam because the Dutch use cycles so much so why get a cab?
Day four. Amsterdam. A stroll from Centraal Station to Rokin for a trip on my favourite boat (Reiderij Kooi). By now, the young ones were flagging as evidenced by the question (from the 4 year old) “When are you going to stop showing us things?” To be fair we’d made each of them an age appropriate scrap book to use whilst we were there and these had been used enthusiastically throughout the trip. Daddy was spotted on the bridge awaiting our return. Lunch and off to the airport for us. Naturally, it is more bitterbollen at the Hoppe.
Showing them things
Twi weeks later and our chums from the Netherlands arrived on the doorstep.
ffiftypluses 