Cafe Vennington menu

We had intended to go to one of the museums today, but in spite of stopping for a nice hot lunch yesterday, I think I walked for a few hours too many and I got quite chilled. So in an effort to not have a return episode of the pneumonia that knocked the stuffings out of me 3 weeks ago and sent me to the hospital back in Australia, I made the decision to just be quiet in our temporary home here in Amsterdam. And I certainly do feel at home in our charming neighbourhood!

Amsterdam cat named Ginny

To add a nice touch of just-like-home, the apartment that we have rented even came with a very cuddly cat for the first few days whilst the owner’s cat sitter was away. A purring cat is a nice ‘wellness’ strategy, eh?

Yesterday, New Year’s Day, was quite busy for the few tourist attractions that were open and in the photo to the left you can see a portion of the number of people who were lined up to be admitted to the Anne Frank house which faces Prinsengracht Canal. The line extended around the block and down into the next block. I remember going there on a summer morning in the late 1980s and yes, there were always lines back then. But it has now become such a ‘must see’ place that people are apparently willing to stand for hours in the icy cold — something I am no longer interested in doing.

So today I am editing photos, sipping hot tea, conserving the small amount of energy that this jet-lagged little body has, and quite frankly enjoying being in my pajamas all day! Here are a few photos from yesterday. Enjoy!

Rypenhofje entry facade

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I’ve set the engine in motion and there is no turning back, thankfully. But the hardest decision that I have made regarding this move was a goodbye that I had to make on Saturday. It was time to find a new home for our gorgeous boy — Baby Ginger — the big, beautiful, 4 and 1/2 year old sweetie that we’ve had since he was a kitten.

Baby Sitting On Front Deck

A bit of serendipity had me visiting the hairdresser after voting in the local elections so that I could make that final appointment for one last cut-and-colour on the day we leave this lovely village.

Sitting there in the chairs was a mother and daughter duo and when I showed them a picture of Baby in the flyer I was getting ready to post around, they looked at one another and then said in unison, “We’ll take him!” And I began to tremble inside as they told me that he was a clone of their own cat who had died. I had asked the universe to send me the right person or persons for our lovely boy, and this was the undeniable reply.

A mere hour later, they were at the door, the bowls and bags of food and litter were gathered, and with a thudding heart and tears streaming down my face, I handed my big-fluffy-sweetie to these two women who each had the dearest, kindest energy. And Baby — whose usual response to people he didn’t know had been known to bolt away from those strangers and hide beneath furniture — sat serenely as they drove away and the teenage daughter scratched his head and spoke quietly to him.

Just writing that was hard. More progress reports in a few days once I am in a better place about it all — promise.

The expression on the face of Baby Ginger aka ‘Bouf Boy’ said it all. It was suddenly quite hot and, oddly for Victoria, quite sticky-humid.

Baby was still heavily furry — his winter coat hanging on a bit longer than usual since we were still having night time temps down to 8C (48F) up until a few days ago — so I spent a half an hour last night briskly brushing and brushing. The amount of fur that came off in wads was enough to spin into yarn and knit a kitten-sized sweater.

Time to lighten up in several other ways, too — need to get inside some of the those boxes that have been stored in the studio ever since we moved to the country from Melbourne 3 years ago. If I haven’t seen those things in all of these years — do I really need them?

Paperwork, artwork and clothing notwithstanding — looks like it’s time to lighten up via a big purge in the coming weeks.

And I’ll need to do it when Sweetie is off at work. I used to think I had an issue with keeping things that were long past their use-by date due to sentimental attachment, but my ‘issues with stuff’ are minor league compared to him!

So, is it ebay singing to me? A well-advertised garage sale perhaps? Donations galore to the charity shops?

Keep you posted — and I may get brave and document the process in photos!