Author Archives: mcharlottesmith

I did the travelling with cake thing again, but this time I thought it over a bit better, so I kept the topping in a separate zip lock bag, and the cakes in a protective container inside a cooler bag for the duration of the journey. I will definitely recommend this approach. The cakes itselfContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 131”

One of my lockdown projects was to learn guitar, and I’m so glad I did. Whilst I am by no means fluent in guitar, I am developing an appreciation for the instrument I’ve never had before, and an ear for an entirely different kind of music. I love how the chords are so rich andContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log:Day 130”

I took the day off today and spent it having a fun day out with my special someone, since it was his birthday. The highlight of the day was probably going for a boat ride around The Hague, and of course stopping for drinks at one of the canal side bars. We finished off ourContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 129”

Traveling with a cake. I baked a birthday cake at home , because I know where things are in my kitchen. I know how long the oven needs to warm up etc. Then the challenge: getting to the destination. Using public transport. With my hands full of other stuff. Wearing a mask. Clearly I didn’tContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 128”

There is an article in the news about what looks like a successful vaccine. But I guess we’ll have to see what happens with side effects and such. We can hope and pray. Be kind. Stay safe

With life steadily getting more open here in the Netherlands, it is easy to start wondering if we are still in the time of Corona. But then I read the news and I realise that we are just in a lucky bubble. Around the world people are affected in so many ways. Hospitals are stillContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 126”

The original plan was to go camping this weekend, but we weren’t really paying attention to the dates, so when we were trying to sort out a camp site, we realised that it was the school holidays and the Dutch isn’t leaving the country much this year, so it’s all booked up! However, we decidedContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 125”

Let’s take a moment to geek out. Normally I’d specify a topic to geek out about, but to be honest I am just kind of passionate about a number of things. I mean I’m still dreamy about the amazing dinner I had yesterday at Casa Perú. There’s also this video that does a really interestingContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 124”

Today I collected my Dutch drivers licence. After doing all the paperwork to get the required permissions, filling out the health declaration forms and making an online appointment, I finally managed to exchange my South African drivers licence with a Dutch one. Why bother, you ask? Well, it seems that after 6 months of livingContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 123”

Today I had the pleasure of meeting a colleague and friend for dinner. He is London based and hasn’t been to Amsterdam since early March (more than 122 days ago.) On my way to dinner I had a little detour around the city centre to run some errands and it was noticeably busier than onlyContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 122”