Night Spotlight set

Scarlet Drop set

Blue Sky ear-rings

Nightowl ear-rings

Purplia set

Cleopatra set

Sad day for the girls

Our lively – and questionable – district was hard hit last week with the murder of a young Hungarian prostitute. A 46 year-old man was arrested, but the 19 year-old and her 4-month old kid will never understand why.

There’s a flower tribute by our back door, next to the world’s only monument to prostitutes. A sombre sight for us, but a curiosity for the hundreds of leering men who have been passing by it on their way to more fragrant attractions. Increasingly I wonder how many to these tourists would cross the line – who do more than look. How many have wives and kids, which ones view my neighborhood simply as a bit of ‘manly’ fun?

Berti – for she had a name – probably questioned that too.

Diamonds are a girl’s best cultural distraction

And so a long hard day was spent among diamonds.

The Moon

Last week I snapped this photo from our flat. The moon was amazing. And actually, I never noticed before this lovely golden boat on the top of the Royal Palace Amsterdam.

Amsterdam’s Royal Palace is in the heart of the city, on Dam Square. It’s just over the rooftop from us …

New Year’s Eve gone mad

It may look as if at midnight all hell broke loose, however rockets and flames flew constantly from 3pm! The Dutch love their (unregulated) fireworks. With blasts going off at shoulder level from all directions… the action soon got too intense to hang around and we retreated indoors. Things only got quieter around 5am – and our balcony revealed scorch marks all over!