Well we have now moved to our new apartment here in Amsterdam and I have to say that it is much better than the old one!  We have moved right into the centre of the city and our apartment sits on a really pretty canal.  We are only 5 minutes from Dam Square and 5 minutes from the Jordaan area which is full of little shops and cafe (not those sort of cafes!)

 

The apartment is pretty standard but it works for us and I feel much safer being on the first floor.

 

Our landlord is an older guy who is a sculpture artist and as such, the apartment has lots of artwork from his friends and collections on the walls.  I almost feel I should hold a gallery night but I think I am more interested in serving champagne and canapes rather than try to talk intelligently about the art itself!

 

The location is perfect and we have a spare bedroom so room for visitors too!

 

Pictures are in the album.

Its now been a month since I have been in Amsterdam and I am really missing one person in particular.  Yes its hard to be away from my Mum, and not seeing my sister and her wonderful children is difficult and of course I used to love seeing my Dad too.  But I really miss Keith!!! It was hightened recently when I went to a bar and the owners had a tiny kitten that they had got...she was sooo gorgeous!  And then whilst sorting out my old emails I came across the following two pics of Keith, he was just so cute. I never thought I would be one of those 'cat lovers' but I am and I'm proud!

 

 

This weekend was great as I had two of my best friends come to stay with me from Thursday night til Sunday.  It was Lou's birthday on the Thursday so I decided to get her a cake to have when they arrived.  I had the cake delivered to work and wrestled with it on my way home on the bike which was quite difficult due to the wind completely slowing me down!

 

They arrived right on time on Thurs evening so we headed into Rembrandtplein for a few cocktails and then back home for a glass of champers and some birthday cake.  I couldn’t find any candles so we used sparklers instead when surprising Lou with the cake.

 

The following morning we headed down Albert Cupymarket and had some breakfast before walking into the centre of town and wandering around the canals.  Come the afternoon we stopped at a cafe for a beer and some bitten ballen (dutch croquette things) and then decided to do a bit of shopping.

 

In the evening we decided to brave it and head to the red light district, it was extremely busy and we thought at first that the 'ladies of the night' were much prettier than we had expected.  But to be honest, I think it was just one alley as the rest were certainly a lot older and more haggard lets say than the others! 

 

We were then looking for some food and noticed several people holding red flags.  Hennessy was intrigued and asked what they were doing it for.  They were ‘praying’ for the city and we got tied up in a little bit of a religious conversation which did nothing for our hunger pangs and the sore feet we all had from wearing heels.

 

Saturday was beautiful so we decided to have breakfast and then head to the park with a bag full of magazines enabling us to just chill out in the sunshine.  The sun was shining and we spent pretty much the whole day in the park.  I was naughty and got very burnt (despite putting suncream on) so felt rubbish by the evening.  So much so that Lou and Karen headed out to eat without me and I joined them with Richard later.  We ended the evening in a local bar which was really nice and more so because they had a resident kitten (only a few weeks old) who entertained us all.

 

Lou and Karen went home on Sunday morning and Richard went off to start his holiday so I now in the Dam on my own.

 

Check out pics below

The weekend of 22nd July saw my Mums and Aunts 50th birthday.  They were spending the day celebrating at Thorpe Park as they are both a pair of kids at heart.  As I had just moved to Amsterdam the previous week I wasnt going to be able to make the family day so had to explain to my mum how I would treat her to a birthday weekend when she came over to visit me. 

 

In reality, the main reason I wasnt able to make the Sunday day out was because my sister and I had organised a surprise trip to Rome the following weekend which meant that my budget wouldnt stretch to two return flights to London as well as the weekend in Rome.  As it happened though, I had to go back to the UK for work so managed to get a flight out on the Sunday morning.  Surprise 1 for my Mum - I managed to turn up at Thorpe Park and she was happy as it meant the whole family was there.  The weather was glorious and we all had a fantastic time.  The second surprise was our little trip which we told her about via a poem and she was just sooo surprised and chuffed.

 

It was all booked, 2 nights for my Mum, sister and I in Rome, we all couldnt wait.

 

Thursday came and I had to fly from Amsterdam to London and then catch the flight with my mum and sis to Rome, it was a tight connection and I literally had about 20 mins to get from one terminal to another, through security and to the gate.  Luckily I made it and I also told the staff on the flight that it was my Mum's 50th so they sang her Happy Birthday and we received cakes and some champagne!

 

We arrived in Rome to 38 degrees of sunshine and headed to the hotel which was perfect and most imortantly airconditioned.  That afternoon we went to the Trevi Fountain and then on to the Spanish steps.  Later in the evening we went to a lovely trattoria just around the corner from our hotel.  So far we had been pleasantly surprised as nothing had been as expensive as we had expected.

 

The following morning we got up and headed straight to Vatican City.  A great place with fantastic architecture and the best collection of art (and most expensive) including of course the Sistine Chapel.  We wandered through the museum which was packed and headed into the chapel.  It really was awesome and the painting was so vivid.  Some aspects were even almost 3d so had such an impact when you looked up at it.  The afternoon we headed to the Colosesum - my favourite of all the sites.  Just in its grandeur and architect, I really loved it.

 

The evening we sank a couple of bottles of wine and really had a nice evening.

 

Our last morning we went and did a bit of shopping - well it would have been rude not to.  Both mum and Becks got some sandals and my Mum got a lovely dress.  I bought a bag (you know me ) from the airport and then off we went.

 

All in all a fab weekend - checkout the pics in my album

 

 

Whilst I wait for the gas man to arrive at my house here I thought I would update on our impending move to Amsterdam.

 

Rich and I now have an apartment to move into which means the date we will be heading over looks set to be the 11th July!!!  I cant believe it has come around so quickly, I guess I should start to think about packing the house up!

 

My last day at work here in the UK will be Friday 6th July and then we will be having a few leaving drinks with family and friends on Sat 7th July.  My mum is coming to ours on the Monday to help clean out the house.  I know I could do this by myself but there is something special about how clean your mum can make things. 

 

I had the removal people come over this morning and they have sized up all of our belongings ready to order the van to pick it all up.  This is the first time I have ever moved and had the luxury of having removal people do it all so am sadly excited about this prospect.

 

The gas man is coming to do the important checks so we can rent the house out and our new tenant arrives here on the 12th July.

 

The saddest thing I have to do this week is say goodbye to Keith :(  I really am upset about this but I know it is better for him.  Luckily friends are taking him on so I am sure I can visit once in a while.

 

Its all so real now its actually quite scary!

Along with my house being up for rent, I also need to sell my car.

 

Take a look at the picture and again feel free to comment if you have any questions :)

As part of our move abroad we do have our house here to rent out.

 

If you know of any potential tenants then please direct them to:

 

 

We have posted our information there.

 

Alternatively leave me a comment if you have any questions.

It seems that now the news is out about our move to Amsterdam one of the questions of many peoples lips is "What about Keith?".  Well I am afraid to say that I dont think he will be able to come with us

 

We have some very kind offers of places for him to stay and a couple have asked us for some pics of him.  So one evening I had my camera out taking pics for putting items on Ebay so I thought I would take a few shots of Keith.  As I took picture after picture willing Keith to pose for me, I had a wave of guilt flood over me.  I felt I was putting him as just another item on Ebay!!!!  Letting Keith go is going to be soooooo much harder than I thought.  Below are some of the pics though.

 

Anyway, once I got over my guilty photoshoot I then went and really peed him off by inviting my Mum and her new pup over on Saturday.  Suffice to say the cat and the dog did not get on...how Keith could refuse him though I dont know.  Again check below for my Mum's new pup, MONTY.

It has only taken a few weeks or so but Richard and I have finally accepted new job offers!!!  We are both really excited as wanted new challenges and hey we really have taken on a new challenge.  We are not only starting new jobs soon but we will be relocating for them!  Our new jobs are based in The Netherlands so will be living in Amsterdam!

 

I still cant quite grasp the fact that I am leaving the UK but its definately an adventure I have wanted for a while and I cant wait to live in a city.

 

So now its a case of organising everything and this is already hurting my head.

 

Will keep you posted on the fun that will be relocation relocation relocation

My space along with 9 others is in the final to win the Kleenex 'Let it out' Competition.  Feel free to have a look at my blogs past and present, check out my photos and leave comments.  If you would like to vote for my space please go to http://specials.uk.msn.com/kleenex/archive.aspx and select EMILYS INTERWEB

 

Thanks in advance and fingers crossed!

Last week we were fortunate enough to go and watch a recording of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross over at the BBC Television centre.  As you probably know its not quite Friday night as they actually record it on a Thursday.  I have been wanting to go to his show for ages because he just cracks me up and his guests are usually pretty good.  I was soo excited to receive the tickets finally and as soon as I could I found out the lineup for that night.  I must say that I was a little dissapointed :(  We had the night with Alan Carr, Patsy Kensit and artists Gilbert & George.  The music being supplied by Bryan Ferry (fresh from his M&S advertising/Nazi suit praising news headlines!).  I cant say I was too thrilled as I was really hoping for a film star or two.  The week before he had John Travolta and Ricky Gervais - that would have been V. funny.

 

We went along anyway because of the very reason I mentioned above...Jonathan Ross - he was worth it.  My god he is just soooo very dirty and very funny.  He is just so comfortable in front of an audience and although the recording was obviously longer than the show itself he did not faulter once.  We had a quick warm up guy but then JROSS came out and just had a good ole chat with the audience before the show began.  He was graphic and very sharing of home occurances and even demonstrated a new sex move called 'helicoptering', the action he opened the show with!!!

 

Alan Carr was actually quite funny and Gilbert & George were certainly interesting.  Bryan Ferry had to do his song a few times but all in all it was a fab night.  At the end as we were trying to get out of the studio I was nearly swept off my feet down the stairs by one of the four poofs and a piano group, not quite a brush with JR himself but made me blush none the less :)

 

Would love to go again and I think it has strengthened my fondness of JR.  Which leads me onto my new list I will be adding...watch this space.

Our colleague John came into work on Friday with a real 'glow' about him.  I knew it had been sunny throughout the week but he really looked tanned.  When complimented on his colour he mentioned how he had purchased a new 'anti fatigue' cream from L'Oreal...he just omitted that it was a cream which not only helped with the fatigue but also with a hint of self tan!!!

 

You can imagine the ribbing he got after that admission and I decided to complete it with the below ad:

 

 

When arriving back on the train last night I stepped out of the busy station only to see a small ginger cat sitting outside the main entrance!  It was certainly not something I was expecting but did make me chuckle out loud.  Anything to brighten up the long commute home :)

Whilst flicking through our Saturday paper last weekend, I came across three recipes.  I immediately read up on how to make one of the dishes and then just continued about my day as per normal.  The recipe was for jam roly poly...mmm

 

Then on Sunday morning when asking Rich about what we should do for the day, he said, lets make that recipe from the paper.  Yum I thought what a fab idea.  He then started rattling on about how we would need to dig out some gardening gloves and how I should probably not go out in my silver ballet slippers.  I enquired why he thought the supermarket had suddenly got a dress code when he told me "we're going to pick stinging nettles for that soup recipe!"  Nettle Soup!!!  it was one of the two recipes I immediately skipped in favour for a jammy delight but he was insistent that it would be nice to adopt that 'hunt and gather' mentality for our supper that night. 

 

Bear in mind that it was peeing down with rain but in (semi) good spirit I donned my hat scarf and raincoat and off we went.  According to Hugh Fearnly Widdly Sticks March was a great month for an abundance of nettles, we headed off to the canal and found it difficult at first to find any!  But sure enough we found a load and started filling our carrier bags up with stinging nettles.  For anyone walking past we must of looked like a pair of idjits but we soon filled our bag with our leaves.

 

Once back I have to admit that I left the cooking of the nettles to Rich, I was still irritated by being stung earlier in the day...despite wearing gloves!  You had to sweat the nettles down and I tell you what...they stank!  It really wasnt pleasant and I think we both began to wonder what the hell we were going to be eating.  After a while though the smell dissapeared and it actually started to have quite a nice aroma.  40 mins or so later a cannelini bean and nettle soup was ready. 

 

Despite knowing that the sting will have been boiled away, it didnt stop me from taking my first hesitant spoonfull of soup.  Once Rich had his first spoonful I managed to have mine and actually the taste was not too bad!  A couple of sips in, I was quite into my nettle soup but then the next mouthful and then each one after had a bit of a gritty bite to it.  My mind then took over and all I could think of was that I was eating dirt and worse than dirt...stinging nettles!!!  I couldnt finish the soup but did decide that should we have thoroughly washed the nettles beforehand, I could probably eat them again.  So much so that I think we will attempt the other recipe; Ricotta and Nettle gnocchi!

 

For those of you that may wish to try the soup, below is the recipe we followed:

 

About 200g fresh young nettle tops (ie, four big handfuls)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 x 410g cans white beans, such as cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

175-250ml light vegetable or chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground pepper

To finish

Very good extra-virgin olive oil

Wild chives (optional)

Wash the nettle tops well, put them into a pan, along with the water that is still clinging to them, and place over a medium heat until wilted (about five minutes). Drain, squeeze out any excess water and chop roughly.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the garlic and cook very gently for a minute or two, taking care that it doesn't colour. Add the beans and stock, and bring to a simmer for five minutes or so. Scoop out around half the beans and liquid, and process in a blender to create a rough purée. Return the puréed beans to the pan, stir with a wooden spoon, roughly crushing the whole beans as you do so. Stir in the nettles. Taste, season generously and bring back to a simmer. You can add a little more stock if you like, but this is meant to be a very thick, coarse soup.

Spoon into shallow bowls, swirl a generous amount of your very best extra-virgin olive oil over the top and finish, if you like, with a scattering of snipped wild chives. Serve straight away, with chunks of rustic bread.

 

 

For the past couple of years we haven't really 'partied' on NYE, so it was lovely to have a house party to attend on the night.  Firstly because we hadn't really seen many friends over the Christmas period so was a good opportunity to catch up but secondly because it had been absolutely AGES since we had been to a proper house party...they seem to be farer and fewer between as we get older.  I used to LOVE going to house parties, plastic cups of homemade concoctions and control over the music listened to, they used to be fab so we were really looking forward to this one.  But then...oh BUGGER...it's fancy dress   Not a theme, not a character based one...just fancy dress!!!  We were stuck.

 

NYE day arrived and we still hadnt got our outfits sorted out, the search had to begin.  We started in one party shop which sold those packaged polysester ones...they were all pretty awful, although Richard did contenplate a couple of the choices...an arab...or I think the other one was Jesus...I cant quite remember.

 

We left that particular party shop wondering if we had anything at home that we could 'fashion' into something fancy dress...we were so uninspired we contemplated going as each other...how very original

 

The next shop was an actual hire shop and they had a bargain deal of £15 for any hire...we MUST find something here.  We were lead by the shop assistant into what was a large walk in wardrobe style area with a good 4/5 racks of fancy dress costumes.  We started to rummage, and rummage and desperately rummage!  We nearly chose:

 

Hannibal Lector

Snow White

Noddy and BigEars

French Man and Wench

Soldier

Peter Pan and Wendy

 

and then after much deliberation, we found our outfits!!!

 

When it came to going to the party we donned our costumes and drove to our friends house.  As we walked up the path way we had that dreaded feeling that we would be the only chumps in fancy dress.  Nervously ringing the door bell we were even more nervous when we we heard the histerical laughter from inside the house but PHEW!!! none other than DOLLY PARTON answered the door!!!

 

EVERYONE was fancy dress and it was a fab party complete with homemade alcoholic concoctions, great music (not including the singstar ) and a room full of the greatest outfits. 

 

I just felt for the taxi driver on the way home, I dont think she expected Charlie Chaplin to answer the door and to drive a vicar, James Bond and us two home! 

 

I have place pics in my photo album and here are both Rich and I in our outfits!

 

 

With my semi new digi slr I decided to enter a photography competition in a glossy mag.  The brief was pretty broad as they just wanted FASHION shots and wanted to interpret as you please.  As soon as I saw the competition brief I know of someone who I could shoot, my colleague Saira.  Standing at about 6 foot tall with a great sense of style I was in luck that she was willing to participate, agreeing that we would split the winnings should we be the lucky ones!

 

We had lots of different ideas with some erm interesting input coming from some of our male colleagues, it was amazing how willing to help they were!

 

We finally decided to run the shoot from her apartment complex as it is right on the river which was supposed to prove a good backdrop for our shots.

 

Baring in mind I am far from a professional photographer and Saira wasnt that keen on having her photos taken under regular circumstances the night was certainly going to be a challenge, however, nothing that a few glasses of wine wouldnt cure ;)

 

First job was to sort out the wardrobe, we used everything that Saira already owned and fashioned a few outfits together.  Then the shoot began.

 

Once we got over the initial nerves the shoot went quite well although photographing outside proved more difficult than expected.

 

By then end of it I had about 200 photos!  The magazine wanted 5!

 

Below are the favourites of which we chose 5

Yesterday I spent the evening decorating some dairy products with tinsel and twinkly lights...
then I was told that we were NOT going to be celebrating the birth of baby cheeses!!!  What a waste of my time & creative talent