I wondered down towards the Spaarne quite early. Sinterklaas was to arrive at 1pm by boat.

I started from the house and went to the Spaarne via the Grote Markt where there was much activity and many Zwarte Pieten. And there were excited children everywhere. I then wandered down to the Spaarne to pick a spot to stand and watch from and maybe get some reasonable pictures. The children everywhere were dressed either as Sinterklaas and mostly as Zwarte Piet.

It was really surround sound frivolity. The Zwarte Piet were riding many different sizes and styles of bicycles, a few skate boards, roller blades etc. There were boats on the river full of excited children and Zwarte Pieten. It is just as well everybody loves Zwarte Piet because there were so many of them.

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So it wasn’t a dismal day at all – it was wet, grey and colourful, and fun for everyone. And we wandered into Den Uiver to recover from the excitment and remained till the Jazz began. It was Sunday after all and jazz begins at 5pm.

In New Zealand – people mess about in boats and then they take them out and sail, or row, drive or whatever else one does to move a boat on the waves. And of course it is usually on the ocean waves which makes it not messing about in boats. It might also be in an inner harbour, or up a river or on a large lake. BUT you do have to concentrate in New Zealand – you don’t generally stoodge about. If you stoodge about you are at risk and people die every year because they were just too laid back.

Well, here in the Netherlands one really does stoodge about, or mess about in boats. We have seen it many many times – walking over the many bridges over many canals, and we have experienced it personally as well.

We did do a RIB (rubber inflatable Boat) trip last year – 6 of us in a RIB riding around the canals and up the Spaarne River and it was fun, but it was not just messing about in boats – we had a time frame and people who were leaving to catch planes. Of course it was fun and we will do it again ourselves – which may well qualify as messing about in boats.

And of course we have been on canal tours – but that is also not messing about in boats.

On Saturday we were going to ride our bikes slowly up beside the Spaarne and listen to live jazz at the Cafe Terras in the afternoon at Fort Zuid. It was to be a test to see how we are both doing as this spring has affected us both quite negatively.

But as it happens we changed our plans as we were invited for a ride around the canals in a private boat. Now that was really messing about in a boat. We had lovely food, lovely company and a tour by two wonderful locals who know the canals and all of Haarlem extremely well. The boat was quite large, has sleeping accommodation for up to 5, small bathroom, kitchenette etc. It also has a Coots nest (black and white bird a bit like a pukeko) on the platform by the rudder. An exceptional living arrangement.

This tour was fabulous. We were told all about the buildings lining the canals including one which used to belong to Napoleon, and many other interesting facts. We also passed a small boat – maybe 15 to 20 feet and I will update that figure after confering with Best Beloved.

When these two were very young and very much in love the took a boat of such size and shape – across the English Channel and up the Thames. Wow! it was a very small boat – not designed for ocean travel. It clearly made it because these two are still together and they still mess about in boats. It seems that they were a little nervous in parts of that earlier journey.

We explored to the end of the canals where this boat was too substantial to go under the bridges and continue. I seem to think we have done that before in the RIB – although in the RIB we pressed on regardless – laying flat in it, so that we could negotiate under the bridges. This boat was too big for the little bridges, and we jiggled and jiggled (don’t know that that is a nautical term) around so the boat could turn and go back where from whence it came.

We drank lovely Rose and ate Cheese sticks, nuts and fishy stuff on melba toast and just simply enjoyed a lovely few hours messing about in a boat.

And we saw Haarlem with new eyes – odd for us really because we see most things with new eyes. But from a boat the world is a different place.

I actually enjoyed messing about in this boat with Best Beloved and these lovely locals.

Thank you

Queens Day / Koninginnedag : or is it Orange Crazy Day – for the House of Orange.

The shops are full of Orange merchandise right from 1st April – not just for the week prior to the big day. My memory from last year is obviously a bit out of tune. Is that short term or long term memory loss? (just checking being of the older age spectrum).

I have seen – Orange Stetsons, Orange boa, Orange eye lashes, Orange G Strings, so totally Orange sunglasses (worthy of Elton John), Orange pendants, flags, balloons, candles, Orange hats with Orange flowers, T-shirts, belts, Orange wigs (2 types even), Orange gumboots, aprons, Orange socks, and clogs, Orange crepe paper, Orange origami cranes, Orange bunting, posters, skirts, flowers including tulips, Orange Chefs Hats. In fact one could be forgiven for thinking one is in a vast stand of heavily laden Valencia orange trees and a mighty wind just blew all the oranges down to the ground and we are to be lost and swallowed under a mountain of Oranges or should that be under a mountain of things Orange. I think the later is kinder, a mountain of Oranges may not be so good for the bones.

Orange is so important, that if it can be made, it can be made in orange.

All these photos were taken on Sunday afternoon in Haarlem

I have bought myself the perfect Orange hat with Orange flowers on it and when I have a photograph taken of it with me wearing it, I shall post it here. I am really not sure if silver grey hair and an orange hat will go well together or not. You can let me know later.

We have bought a couple Orange glass candle holders with candles. We did use them last evening, just testing the effect of Orange ambient light – and it was okay. We have not bought 3 foot high candles designed to be pushed into the ground and lit at the right time as we have absolutely no ground in which to put them.

I have bought Orange acrylic yarn – and if I can get it done in time I will create something knitted in Orange for out there in the world – for a small Orange yarn bombing, graffiti art knit (maybe not art) thing or two. trouble with Orange yarnbombing is that it may never ever be noticed amongst all that floaty, floating, flowing, flowering, flimsy, fragrant, fragile, and fresh Orange everywhere on April 30th.

On the day – there will be Orange food, not just Oranges – but food with Orange colouring, Orange cakes, Orange icing, Orange marzipan, Orange names of menu items, Orange menus, Orange boats, people wearing all sorts of Orange items (not all could really be called clothing, especially as this event is also part of the gay festival season as well as the celebration of the Queens birthday). It will be the Orange Party of the year – as of course every year it is the Orange Party of the year and the party will continue over the weekend.

This year we have noted that the Amsterdam railway station is having issues with its cleaners and the cleaners are on strike. The station is an absolute shambles.

Last year the day after Queens Day we were in Amsterdam and it was one largely orange covered place. I hope the cleaners will not be on strike in the streets of Amsterdam as well as those on strike at the station because then Amsterdam could be Orange for many many days – because Orange Day and the amazing party that happens creates soooo much Orange litter.

Which is of course why every year there is new mechandise to be purchased for this amazing event and celebration.