Saturday, 29 August 2026

The Netherlands Trip: Utrecht

Last week Saturday I flew to the Netherlands, the first time in 15 years. While I was born and raised there till the age of 14 and am still of Dutch Nationality I did not have much connections anymore.

In the first week of May, 4 months after the passing of my mother, I was contacted by my half brother from my father side, a brother I had never met before, I gave me the news that my (estranged) father had passed away.

Now being an orphan, and getting to know my 'new' brother I wanted to meet him and get connected.

I stayed with him for 3 days in Utrecht and we got to talk, I then went to Amsterdam where I was born, and will still be in Amsterdam till Tuesday.

I got a tour from my brother of the lovely town of Utrecht and also got to see his work and home life which was great.

Miraculously, I had great weather for the first 5 days, the weather is now the usual Dutch wetness though.

Utrecht had some cannels just like Amsterdam but also a beautiful church and buildings.

The church is also compared to Hogwarts, which indeed reminded me a bit of it.

One evening we went out and went to a short concert and a silent disco; it turns out my brother is quite the dancer! It was a fun evening!

I will also share my time in Amsterdam soon.

Sunday, 16 August 2026

Newly Listed: Vintage Wrought Iron Mirror

Vintage Wrought Iron Mirror: Gold and Crystals by StarDelights

Interiors via Pinterest

Monday, 10 August 2026

Newly Listed: Vintage Wooden Mirrored Cabinet

Vintage Wooden Mirrored Cabinet: Rustic Woodwork Nightstand, Wood carving, Verdigris details by StarDelights

Interiors via Pinterest

Friday, 7 August 2026

New Adventures

If the past few months has taught me something it is that life is short and should be lived :)

Getting my motorcycle license was something I wanted for ages but never got around to it. l have gotten my lessons and l passed my driver's test last week, here a little video from before the test.

This week I also took my sidemount diving course. I have been a scubadiver for 30 years now but always only dived with backmount. Now I can dive with sidemount and two tanks, so I can stay longer underwater. I also will do my enriched air exam for longer dives as well in preparation of a dive excursion I'm planning for November and another for next year!

This year I after the initial first 4-5 months of grief, I needed to focus on my mental and physical health and am spending more time doing fun things and less time focusing on work.

Thursday, 30 July 2026

Kintsugi workshop

The other day l went to a Kintsugi Workshop, organized by the municipality l live in. It was in an old traditional Turkish building which was restored and mostly used for courses and a help Center for abused woman. While the workshop was not technically accurate (24 carat gold was of course not in the budget) we did speak about the philosophy behind Kintsugi.

Wabi-sabi: Rooted in Japanese aesthetics, it finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence.

Resilience: Serves as a metaphor for embracing human flaws, showing that scars and repairs make an item—or person—more valuable and strong.

We talked about how painful life events, like loss and grief, changes our perspective of life and how it changes our way of living. And as a souvenir l took my plate home (everyone brought their own), l had brought one that belonged to my mum which was fitting for the occasion.