About me

Hi, I'm Tanya. I'm a South African now living in Amsterdam. I'm a mom, runner and writer, and work in content & advertising. Welcome to my blog, where I write about life here, settling in, and riding a bike. Read More

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  • Two lines, snow in April, marathons and beautiful blooms

    There’s a common Dutch saying: “April doet wat hij wil”, which I first heard last year in spring when it snowed over the Easter weekend. It basically means that the weather does whatever it wants, even in “spring”. And just when I thought we had turned that wintery corner and were facing days of sunshine and dresses, along came a…

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  • The mundane and the magical

    The daffodils are blooming everywhere and even though I ran in 1 degrees on Saturday and we saw sunshine-that-doesn’t-actually-warm-things-up on the weekend, it is starting to feel like a new season is emerging. Perhaps it’s not just about a season per se, but because lockdown was lifted a few weeks ago and it feels like “normality” is being restored. On…

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  • From France to Germany – lockdown lifters

    While around 85% of the Dutch are vaccinated, we’re still a little on lockdown as Covid numbers are high. Everything closes at 5pm (supermarkets at 8pm), and fortunately they haven’t taken away the salons, aftercare, museums and restaurants during the day like this time last year, so it still feels like we still have a life of sorts. A few…

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  • Where have I been all this time?

    So many of you (actually, just three people – hee hee) have asked me if they’ve missed a blog post or why I’m not writing much any more. To be honest, my creativity has been dormant and I’ve had little inclination to write. I’ve been silent’ish on all platforms and haven’t felt like communicating much. Nothing has been “wrong” and…

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  • Is this what “normal” feels like?

    Life is feeling very “normal” right now and our lives have opened up a bit. There are hugs, kids’ parties, eating at indoor restaurants, going to movies, running races and booking tickets for concerts (though the one concert we booked for Alanis Morissette has been postponed). Amsterdam feels full and busy, and the only time we wear masks is on…

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  • From baguettes in Paris to waffles in Belgium

    September is always a frenetic month. Jewish holidays and kids’ birthdays, and this one along with last month haven’t relented, though it’s been filled with celebrations and some travel, and lots of carbs consumed. Two weeks ago we took a train (around three hours) to Paris for the weekend. We had booked a few months ago and got really affordable…

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