We were on our way to music class the other day and I had to stop the bike to take this photo.It doesn't really do our street justice.  There a beautiful flowers everywhere, the sun has been shining and all in all, it's been a great week.#sopretty

Recently we thought we'd treat ourselves to a meal out.  We decided on our local Haarlem Chinese and the most difficult part was our Dutch Vs English Vs Chinese.So are Chinese restaurants the same no matter where you go in the world? Well sort of?In Sydney you usually get some prawn chips with, or before... Continue Reading →

Anneke started Peuterspeelzaal.LONG POST ALERT (Way too many pictures of the kid)It was a rush to get there in time.  The program advice was for me to stay with Anneke until lunch and then take her home.Well, we got there and Anneke was off.  She went and introduced herself to everyone (I have taught her... Continue Reading →

So, last night sees us at A&E in Haarlem Noord.  Dave helped Anneke out of her high chair last night and when he put her down, she clutched her arm and cried.  I thought she was faking, so I offered her the iPad (but only if she took it with her left hand), I offered to... Continue Reading →

Anneke started 'peuterspeelzaal' today.  It's the equivalent of pre-school, however it runs from 830-1130/1200.  Children can attend from the age of 2 and are advised to go at least 2 mornings a week and recommend 3 mornings.I looked at daycare, but I found that it wasn't the same as at home - it's truely babysitting. ... Continue Reading →

First lesson of Dutch Class. So far, we have learnt.Ik benJij bentU bentHij/zij/het isWij/jullie/zij zijn We've also learnt that Anneke loved her babysitter.Dave will fill you all in tomorrow. It's late here.

Note to self....MUST buy a raincoat ASAP

We tried really hard to minimise the impact of all this change for Anneke.It got a bit heartbreaking at times.  There were days when we thought we were having fun and Anneke would turn around and say "I want to go home" (and by home, she didn't mean the hotel/holiday house/apartment).   So, whilst she was... Continue Reading →

We don't have big green bins here, we have underground bins that service the entire street (see below).  You swipe your card, and dump your rubbish and once a week, a big truck comes and pulls the entire bin out and takes it away.This is a great system.Recycling.... Now this is a different story.With our... Continue Reading →