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 itself was a success, and was thoroughly enjoyed by the recipients. I feel like I’m finally growing into the shoes of the famous birthday cake baker, tannie Hannetjie. I’m so thankful that she has taken the time to teach me her secrets for the amazing chocolate cake, and of course the flan.

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 and full of colour and how I’m learning new and beautiful sound combinations. My ear (and really my brain) is focused on different things and it really transports me to a different world.

Today I was in my music lesson and while trying to learn the chords to a new song, I accidentally played the wrong chord. Wrong because it wasn’t written on the page, but right because it was a really beautiful sound. My teacher and I played around with it a bit and I honestly think I need to find a few more of those to string together into a song.

Be kind. Stay safe.

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.

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We finished off our adventure with a lovely dinner at the Haagse Bluff, where they kept the beautiful old façades and added some modern touches to give the buildings a new life.

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Be kind. Stay safe.

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’t think this through, because if I had, I would have gotten one of those cake carrier things that was designed for this purpose. But alas! I plated the cake on a paper party plate and then fashioned a protective cocoon out of an air filled plastic bag. I guess the icing won’t be entirely pristine but luckily it’s not that kind of cake.

It made me think of a few times I’ve had to transport a cake in the past. There’s been a few cakes on plates in a Lima Uber, including a chocolate fudge (incredible cake) and a Melktert.

But most famous was the time when my mother ordered a cheesecake supreme from my aunt’s bakery for her birthday, and I had to deliver it, in another province, by plane! I can tell you, I got a few funny comments walking through an airport with a giant cheesecake in my hands.

I will probably do it again, but perhaps with a better carrier…

Be kind. Stay safe.

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 still bending under the amount of patients they care for, economies are struggling and a whole new breed of conspiracy theories are still hanging around.

Today I worked on my weekend day (and yesterday as well, but not as many hours) to help the project meet an important deadline. I am still working.

So there isn’t really much to write about. Except, I have to give a nod and a cheers to my very special boyfriend who ensured that I was supplied with all the coffee and hugs I needed while working on this. I can’t remember when is the last time I was spoiled this much by anyone who isn’t my mom.

So, a sincere thank you Marinus!

Be kind. Stay safe.

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 decided to make the most of it, and my friends came to Amsterdam for some fun activities.

After a lovely Friday night of pizza and boardgames, we decided to go Stand up Paddle boarding near the Amsterdamse Bos.

I wish I had a waterproof camera with me to picture the fun, but the memories will remain.

We made our way through some canals, under a few bridges, one so low you have to lie flat to pass under it, and to a spot of water where a lot of people were enjoying the summer weather. There were boats. There were kids in inflatables being towed by boats. There were hydrofoils that look like a cross between a jet ski and surfboard and should be driven by a James Bond type character. And there was a big bouy with a funny bit of graffiti :

Buoy will be buoys

I guess things work out the way they should, so the outing was just perfect for the Saturday.

Be kind. Stay safe

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.

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There’s also this video that does a really interesting music theory analysis of a very popular song. Not only is it quite interesting and informative, I’m happy to see music theory get interesting and practical and it is a bit like a magical world that I’ve only just discovered.

Of course I also have a multitude of hobbies that I’m geeking out on, and I honestly love living in an era where I can read more information on how to make a great artisanal bread or upcycle an old sweater or garden furniture

But right now one of the things I’m geeking out on is the luxury of having lifelong friends who I van still be in contact with through the power of it internet. I’m even happier that some of my closest school friends live in the same country and at appropriate times we can hang out and play geeky boardgames.

Be kind. Stay safe.

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 living in the Netherlands, it becomes illegal to drive here with my old South African license. For the record, if I went to Germany or Belgium I would be allowed to drive there. Odd, I know,but it’s one of those things.

I had an appointment to deal with this rigmarole, but because of the coronavirus they didn’t handle anything that wasn’t emergency applications back then.

Luckily things opened up a bit and I was allowed to go do the paperwork and finally got the notification that it was ready to collect.

Funny fact: I’m also legally allowed to drive a tractor on a public road. I have no idea why, or how to drive one, but there you have it. I think I’ll stick to cars for now.

Be kind. Stay safe.

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 only a few weeks ago.

There are definitely more tourists about and I’m guessing it will only pick up as the summer progresses.

On my way back home I cycled on a feeling more than a route and I took a few new turns. So it happened that I stumbled across a little Peruvian restaurant that didn’t come up on my original Google search of Amsterdam!

I hope to visit it soon!

Be kind. Stay safe