
‘So how was your weekend in Amsterdam?’ asked a colleague over a slice of brown toasted batch bread, in the staff canteen this morning. Continue reading Conversation at breakfast
Category Archives: Amsterdam
One day I’ll fly away, leave all this to yesterday.

At 4.30pm my out of office message will be switched on. A car will be waiting at reception to take me to the bowels of Terminal 1 in Dublin airport. I will take to the skies in a low cost carrier. A few hours later I will touch down in the land beneath the sea. I may get all Polishly papal when I disembark from the aeroplane, by kissing the ground. I’m going to Amsterdam and I am feeling all aflutter at the prospect.
Continue reading One day I’ll fly away, leave all this to yesterday.
Happy anniversary…

Facebook is a cunning beast. The ‘On this day’ function in particular. The daily reminder of what you posted on a particular date, each year you have had an account, can throw up the most unsettling surprises. Continue reading Happy anniversary…
Nobody’s diary

It will surprise no-one who reads this blog on a semi-regular basis, that I lived for fifteen years in the Netherlands. What may surprise some Dutch readers is that, during this time, I never once owned a diary. Continue reading Nobody’s diary
I want to ride my bicycle

Having lived for decades in Amsterdam, I considered myself a bit of a cycling connoisseur. The bike-path network in the Netherlands is vast. And hopping on your two wheeler is the fastest, cheapest and most efficient means of getting to pretty much any destination in the city (I once had a job where it took fifteen minutes to reach by bike, but thirty minutes by public transport). As a result everyone cycles – from the very young to the very old. Although the site of a baby strapped onto the handlebars as the parent whizzes by is still a sight that gives me shivers. Continue reading I want to ride my bicycle
Red hot chili bastards

Last week it was announced, that the popular music combo ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers’ were playing a gig in the Point Depot near my house on December 20th. Being a creature that grew up in the 80s and 90s, this was thrilling news. Not only was their music gripping to my teenaged soul, I also had strong feelings for the lead singer Anthony Kiedis. Continue reading Red hot chili bastards