gardenmarket Amstelveld

A visual impression of the monday gardenmarket at

Het Amstelveld in Amsterdam.

A few more weeks on this location and then this market will move to

De Nieuwmarkt untill October due to renovation of the pavement.

hofjes

Hofje is a Dutch word for a courtyard with almshouses around it. They have existed since the Middle Ages.
A hofje provided housing for elderly people (mostly women). They were privately funded, and served as a form of social security. In the Netherlands there are still a number of hofjes in use.

wisteria lane

tulips from Fransje

Our dinnerguest, Fransje, brought these gorgeous orange tulips. Together with the greeny white snowballs a perfect bunch.

getting better all the time

At the market this morning a happy explosion of springflowers. Yesterday I took the ferry to pick some wild flowers in Amsterdam North.

fabulous fabric

In one of the "9 straatjes" I came across a beautiful shop called "Ethnic Chic" . (Runstraat 24) Here they sell exclusif fabric to upholster and for curtains. LIZZO is a Spanish lable with an interesting baroque collection.

tja

two nights away

Orange is not really my colour except for that special day in the year, Queensdag

sunny saturday

orange

Slowly but without any doubt Amsterdam is colouring orange.

One more week before we celebrate the queens birthday.

dining on the river

Frankendael

feel good

Copied your blogfeed, uncle Beefy, to spread the word but mostly the feelgood.

Oosterbeek

I spent this easter weekend in Oosterbeek, the village where I grew up. A beautiful village near the city of Arnhem along the river Rijn. We visited a special garden that belonged to the estate "De lage oorsprong", before WO2. Both house and garden didn't survive the war. The glory days were over. A few years ago an enthousiastic couple decided to give the garden a new life. They moved into the old gardener's cottage and started to make their dreams come true. With the help of a lot of volunteers and people with expertise they have succeeded in realising a solid and interesting structure that forms the base of this maturing garden.

happy easter

magnolia

After weeks of promising buds, magnoliaflowers are blooming everywhere

B&B Amsterdam

If you're planning to visit Amsterdam and would like to stay in the heart of the city, staying with Wies in her B&B is a great option. In walking distance of Central Station you'll find her nice home in the middle of Amsterdam's historic centre.Visit the website to find out more.

hallelujah

love is all

anunciacao

notcot

designlink > notcot

Catalina Estrada

A flower power revival. The work of Catalina Estrada spreads over Europe and leaves you with a smile.

Born and raised in Colombia, and living in Barcelona since 1999, Catalina brings all the colors and power of Latin-American folklore and refines it with a subtle touch of European sophistication. Her ability for creating fascinating illusive worlds, full of colors, nature, and enchanting characters, bursts in all of her works: art, graphic design and illustration. Presented as a fresh and new design talent by Communication Arts and Computer Arts magazines, her work has also been featured by Die Gestalten Verlag, Swindle, DPI, Ppaper and Graphic Magazine. Some of her clients include: Paul Smith, Coca-Cola, Nike, Microsoft, Paulo Coelho, Sony Music, Anunciaçao, Smart / Mercedes Benz, Custo-Barcelona, Chronicle Books, Motorola, among others.

easter table

Easter table with wow factor created by Rebecca Thuss

paperpassion

All kinds of paper at papier royaal

april 1

H&M Home collection

towards easter

doggy

This cute little dog is an antique nightlamp. After an unfortunate fall, earlier this week, I had to repair it so it can shine again.

finally

Explosion of springflowers on this first official day of spring 2009

toits de Paris

Thinking of Paris,

I'm adding this cushion to my wishlist

three days later

Hedera and promissing narcisses

Judith's roses

springflowers

back home

Bringing Bolivian goodies, lots of stories and even more photo's, Emma's back. Tanned, wiser and matured.

nooosugar

NOOOSUGAR

Graham and Green

GRAHAM & GREEN

RICHARD AVEDON

Yesterday was the opening of the Avedon photo exhibition in FOAM Amsterdam. A good opportunity to see the impressive work of this important 20st century photographer before it will be shipped to the VS at the end of May.

Beyond the Taj Mahal

"Incredible India" is the slogan in the TV commercial for tourist India. Incredible, India is for sure. In the film "Slumdog Millionaire" we are witness of the life and andventures of Jamal Malik from the slums of Mumbai. And although the people in the film are characters, and the slums they live in is a filmset you can't help beeïng overwhelmed by the incredible poorness and inhumane struggle of daily life. Lucky for the benign Jamal there is a possible escape. A wonderful story and a peak behind the tourist India.

mimosa

Mimosa belongs to February. Every year at the end of January I'm starting to look out for it. This year it is available in different types. With a little bunch of fuchia-coloured anemones and the yellow mimosa, combined with the green base of last week's saturday flowers, I made this new bouquet.

Mancora

Emma's last Peruvian stop before she flies home to cold and windy Amsterdam.

het vrije schaap

The television highlight of my week is the series "Camping het vrije schaap".
It is a lighthearted comedy in a typically Dutch setting in the fifties. A strong cast, oldtime quality songs and a brilliant director. Probably not at all appealing to "the not Dutch" but it makes my fridays.

touch of spring

machu picchu

I asked Emma for an Alpaca-photo. Here it is. Taken yesterday.

flowers for Pienke

Last goodbye to a very dear aunt .

thora in pink

The enchanting Thora Egidius, painted by A. Piersch in 1909.
While visiting the canalhouse museum van Loon, this pink picture caught my eye.