What is it about a holiday that brings out the romantic in most, the nostalgia in some and the jaundiced eye in others? I guess it all comes down to attitude, along with a sense of adventure and a dose of wisdom in the mix. Having owned a gift & decor retail outlet on theContinue reading “Rose-tinted spectacles.”
Author Archives: sallypereira67
Dutch dog-dash vs Swiss saunters.
High up in the rural slopes of the Swiss mountains we have found ourselves enjoying the cleanest air that is becoming a little fresher each morning on our walk – Autumn is upon us – and, apart from the obvious gradient difference between NL and CH, the other difference is of the canine variety, orContinue reading “Dutch dog-dash vs Swiss saunters.”
Opportunity of opposites.
A new chapter in our adventuring has begun, thanks to the incredible generosity of dear friends who own a holiday home in the rural regions of Switzerland where we have the privilege of basing ourselves for the next couple of months. We’ve arrived at a junction in our lives and so too the seasons: AutumnContinue reading “Opportunity of opposites.”
Last days…
At the risk of sounding apocalyptic, these “last days” prior to departure are turmoil of every kind. The most obvious being the sorting through, clearing out, discarding, treasuring, packing, storing. The less obvious are the emotional ones and for me it is the notion of leaving an old familiar routine behind which tugs at meContinue reading “Last days…”
Living my best life!
Pinch me! “Do you like pina-coladas and getting caught in the rain?” one of the pop songs that I grew up with in the 1970’s rang true last week when Darling and I were caught in a deluge whilst cycling home from Sunday evening supper with our family. We were wetter than wet, right throughContinue reading “Living my best life!”
Summer sizzler
Climate change is a real thing, not only because the planet we live on is spherical and orbits the sun in a miraculously synchronised cyclical pattern, but because just as the seasons change so too do the natural order of things. Only that in our modern era, the change is far more rapid than everContinue reading “Summer sizzler”
Workers/Volunteers
To be gainfully employed is more difficult than to work here in NL. I’ve been offered more work here than ever before, the vrijwillig (volunteer) variety, of which there is plenty and this, I believe, is what makes the Dutch society special: their sense of community. National Monument Day comes about each year in midContinue reading “Workers/Volunteers”
The Wandering (Travelling) Wilburys.
Today, exactly three years ago, we arrived in The Kingdom of The Netherlands to a completely empty apartment on the Valkenburgerplein in the beautiful town of Heemstede. Our team of four, each bearing the airline’s maximum luggage allowance of two suitcases, began our Dutch adventure together: sleeping on the floor, eating off plastic plates theContinue reading “The Wandering (Travelling) Wilburys.”
The wonder of weddings.
These corona virus times that our tiny blue planet is in the grip of has messed with many a plan, not least those of the nuptial sort: more than a few friends and children of our friends have had to delay, postpone or re-hash their “big day” dreams which got me thinking about the wonderfulContinue reading “The wonder of weddings.”
Farming the Dutch way.
Whenever we’ve had the occasion to travel across the country to the east – believe me when I say that it takes only two hours and one is already at the German border – we venture away from the densely populated coastal region and into the more rural farming area which immediately makes me feelContinue reading “Farming the Dutch way.”
