When it’s sunny, we write about it, and it feels like it’s taken months to reach spring. Apparently April was the coldest in 35 years (a whopping average 6.7 degrees), and May didn’t exactly beg for sunscreen either. But, we don’t complain about the weather – we just celebrate and head outside more when it’s sunny (though I haven’t yet seen rain or cold deterring anyone from being outdoors).
Our lockdown is easing, and after about seven months of not setting my eyes on a physical menu in a restaurant, a few weeks ago we started eating out again and it’s been incredible. Only outdoor terraces are open, and things close at 8pm, but from this weekend, restaurants will be open until 10pm, and museums will be opening too. As my dad so brilliantly put it: “Seems like life is normalising and heading towards its potential”. And that’s just it – while we loved the city even in heavy lockdown, we weren’t experiencing it to its potential, and things definitely feel like they’re lifting. It’s so great to walk through shops again – from passing through the sweatpants at Uniqlo to sniffing the bubble bars at Lush.
Just over two weeks ago Andrew and I got our first vaccine shot. We’re asthmatic so were a little higher up on the list, and it’s given me great comfort and relief to have received it. Were there tears of joy when I got the jab? Why yes, yes there were.
Here’s what’s been on our radar:
- Max’s class had their practical cycling test last week, following a theory test at the end of April (Max aced the test, which was in Dutch). Though these kids have probably been cycling since they were toddlers and assumedly know the rules of the road fairly well, this is just a check that they do know how to put the rules into practice.
- I had a root canal at my dental practice this week, which wasn’t too bad (the cost was another story), and apparently it’s a Dutch thing to explain the whole process as it’s happening. I was listening to a crime podcast during the procedure, which was peppered with news about my nerves and roots!
- We’ve booked tickets to SA to see our family in July (Covid etc willing). My mental Woolworths shopping list is growing by the week, and while I’m being optimistic, I’ve been entering some running races in the hopes that these will take place. Paris Marathon is on the same day as Amsterdam Marathon, and while I so badly want to run the former again, I think it’s only “right” that I run in my home city this time round. Hopefully there will always be Paris (marathon) in April 2022.
- On our way to a restaurant one evening last week, Andrew and Rebecca had a little fall off their bike. Rebecca had fallen asleep, and Andrew was holding her up with one arm so that she wasn’t falling sideways. Anyway, they’re all fine, but some policemen who were standing nearby swooped in and helped them up, made sure everyone was okay, and even gave Rebecca a teddy bear from the boot of their car (it seems like they give teddies to comfort kids after incidents). Other people had stopped to help too, and it was all very kind and sweet.
Here are some pics from my runs and weekends:
