Pic above  is the view from my window today. And yes – I’m in Amsterdam! Looking after a friends house on an ueber-chic  Amsterdam canal.  The weather has been hot and sultry, so sitting on the stoop watching the world float by was the order of my day . I only have the little girl with me, and planned to do some fun things. But turns out she badly needs some R&R, courtesy of two sleepover nights that were sleepless nights, really. So I shelved my plans and went for a stay-at-home day. A lovely home at that, but must admit it feels strange not to have plans for the day.  So I’m within spitting distance of some good and some great art, but unable to go look ….  frustrating!

Note: must master the Facebook thing – just publish the ‘hey I’m here, who else is around’ message and see what happens. My kids have grown up with this and are totally ok with walking around in a sea of options. I just don’t have this mindset – yet.

Later: the house has great light!  Full of windows like the ones above and below,  connecting all rooms. The  light reflects off the canal, giving it a special by-the-sea quality.  Houses should be filled with light ……   I get to know houses by smell, too- this is very important to me. This house is easy on the eye but not on the nose: the house smell has an undertone of canal water that is disturbing.