oor hoose

Yep, we can finally say that. The flat we are currently living in is pretty much ours - it will be once the missives are complete and we exchange on 16th April. Yay! Can't quite believe it finally happened. There was much anguish, gnashing of teeth, a wee bit of playing hardball, and it has taken a wee while to come to terms with the fact that we are not going to be moving, after spending so long thinking about moving and trying to make it happen.

We can reclaim Thursday nights and Sundays, and Monday nights when the espc website is updated. It's quite a relief!

The weather didn't really get much better in Amsterdam, but we had a good time anyway. Our hotel was fab, even though the climb up the stairs to our "Mae West" room on the third floor required mountaineering skills (the stairs were very steep). Only 5 rooms, I think, so quite homely, and breakfast definitely fuel for the day.

Other highlights were the Van Gogh museum, and the Anne Frank House - incredibly simple and quite sombre, but an affecting experience. It reminds you of the impact that one young person's writing and experience can have, and even managed to keep the ubiquitous American tourists quiet for an hour or so. Shopping continued to be a worthwhile pursuit, as was cafe-hopping...mmm...applepie...yum...

Off to France on Saturday. It seems like our feet have barely touched the ground this week!