Beachy Clean

It was absolutely WILD outside! Blowing a gale, but there was nary a cloud in the sky, so I decided a little jaunt up to Scheveningen and a stomp along the beach was in order. It certainly blew away the cobwebs, and Spring-cleaned the old soul!

It has to be said that there is one down side to losing a hundred pounds: it's much harder to walk against (or even with) gale-force winds than it used to be... It is, however, much easier to run out of the way of a tricksy incoming tide! And there's not a trace left of any cobweb; they've well and truly been blown away!

One Hundred Pounds

"My little sister, the inspiration behind, and biggest cheerleader of my attempts to lose weight, sent me a rare and wonderful dark Terry's Chocolate Orange a wee while ago in preparation for a certain event that she wrote about on the top of the box... The rest is self-explanatory, I think!

And in the immortal words of Dawn French: "it's not Terry's, it's mine!"

If you can't read it, it says: "For 100lb celebration coming to a flat in Holland soon!" Yes indeed. As of today I've lost 100 pounds, or 7 stone 2 pounds, or 45.3kgs. And if you can't celebrate that with some seriously lovely chocolate, when can you?!!)"

I have to add that it's not's so much about trying to finally fulfil the common (mis-)conceptions of female beauty (mainly because so many are manufactured and blatantly unattainable without surgery or photoshop), but more about not dying at the age of 50 to a massive heart attack, or being so big I can't get out of my flat without the fire brigade coming round to tear down a wall first.

I was going to wait a few more pounds so I could make one of my arbitrary amount of pounds lost post, but you know, one hundred pounds sounds so fabulous just like that, that I had to celebrate it just as it is.  

Bloesemtijd

I keep seeing patches of green on the map of the city, and taking off to see how pretty they are in real life.  But the prettiness of the green bits is only half the story, because in a very nineteenth century ideal, I like to include the journey in the overall experience, and if the getting there detracts from the destination, chances are I won't make the trip again.

But I'll be going back to Poot's Woods; there were pretty canal-side houses, flourishing magnolia, secret corners of colour and texture, and the bosjes themselves were lovely to wander around, and just starting to burst into blossom. I'm intrigued to see what it's like once leaf-time is here!

And As If By Magic, a Sand-Dune Appeared.

A story in 7 parts.

It was a day much like any other March day. The sun was out, and although it was not making much of an effort to chivvy Spring on its way, it managed to pull me away from my scores and outside in a direction of a park I hadn't visited before.

Part one was easy, through a park already traversed many times, and along an avenue of trees much to be found in many a Dutch public place.

Part two took me opposite Madurodam (of model village fame) and across the perplexing mini spaghetti junctions of the Hubertustunnel. Then finally to the entrance of the Hubertuspark, with its beautiful view of traffic and the Hubertusviaduct, working my way up through to the dizzying heights of three hundred metres above sea-level. Oh my. Oxygen was provided half-way up.

Parts three and four, the discovery of so many conifers and firs in a city full of deciduous trees, gave a real tug on the home-sick heartstrings...

... but in part five there were signs of Spring alongside the evergreens to gladden the eye, too.

Then suddenly part six.  Nobody expects the Den Haagian Sandquisition!

Yet, confused as I was at finding sand dunes at the top of the highest point in the city (and on further research it appears this area has been like this forever, used at one time for hunting, then as a training ground for artillery practise, which might explain some of the interesting terrain at the top, until now in its current incarnation as a nature preservation) I was delighted to be able to hide myself in the shade of a not very big tree at all!  Huzzah for part seven!

Covered In Trees

I was back in Sorghvliet Park again today to partake of a Saturday afternoon turn around the city wildlife, and spent most of the time with my neck cricked heavenwards. I love the starkness of the black, bare branches against the bright blue sky. It makes me feel like I'm watching an almost electric life crackling across the heavens, in negative form. It's mesmerisingly beautiful.