Amsterdam-London weekend

In two days in the Dam I got soaked twice and got the umbrella out a gazillion times. It usually rained for about three minutes at the time when I was out witht he brolly, and of course it wouldn't stop when I left the brolly at Mary's. Ah well. I went for friends and babies and friends and babies I saw. Plus I stocked up on drop, sultana biscuits and volkorenbrood. Gutted I forgot the walnut boterkoek. Then again, as the plane that was meant to take us to the Dam broke down on its way to London, I was lucky to even get there. Thank you VLM/KLM for sorting out a spare plane and crew within two hours!

And thank god for the bank holiday in Old Blighty today. It was sunny and warmish and lovely. Friend Ilse and I decided to go west and explore Richmond and Twickenham. I had been to the park and the rugby ground but that was about it. We spent five hours outside. Walked along the fields, ate blackberries, we even took a wee ferry across the river. Lunch was BBQed food at a pub by the river in Twickenham and we finished the day with a cuppa and a cannoli. I took one pic that I am too lazy to upload now but trust me, it was fabulous. And worth the 20 stops on the District Line as the fecking Jubilee line was out of service again.

And I was working from home today :-)

"London News: Tube bosses warn Friday 5 December will be the busiest day ever in the history of the Underground

COMMUTERS face Tube hell as bosses warn today will be busiest day ever in the history of the Underground.An estimated 80,000 additional passengers are expected on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines alone – the equivalent of Trafalgar Square filled eight times over."

Good timing, Saskia. The Jubilee line is the line I take every day. And I so do not like feeling like a canned sardine!

Miles and miles and miles

Fifteen minutes to the tube. Standing in the tube. Half a marathon in the tube stations when changing lines. Five minutes to the office. And all that twice a day. No big deal as such, were it not for the fact that I do this on heels. And I am a sneaker and flipflop girl, who partly converted to ballerina's when they became fashionable. Heels are fab when you drive your car to work, drive your car to the client, and drive your car back home. Or when you cycle to a bar, sit on a bar stool the whole night, and cycle home. Heels are awful when you do this marathon plus 40 minutes every day. Blisters everywhere, skin is not where it should be and my feet hurt like hell. Welcome to London.

Now I could do what many London women do, and wear sneakers, flipflops or flats to work and change into heels there. But that looks silly. And I decided to become all elegant now that I am here and looking silly is not part of the game plan. So I grind my teeth and go on with it. Poor stupid Dutch feet!!