#original wheelbarrow pedestrian

[lilithsaintcrow]

“His name was Bob Carlisle, and his big claim to fame was that he was the “original wheelbarrow pedestrian”."

[chrismbr]

The Morell Bridge, 1899, the first use of reinforced concrete in Victoria. Designed by Walter Baltzer with Carlo Catani as main works engineer and built by Carter Gummow & Co from Sydney, it was built over a new channel for the river before the river was diverted into it, producing the straight section we see today (after severe floods in 1891). Using the Monier system, originally used to produce flowerpots in 1867, they moved the concrete to the timber formwork in wheelbarrows! To test its strength a 13 ton road roller wheeled over it. It became pedestrian & cycle only in 1998. (at Morell Bridge) https://www.instagram.com/p/CogG1Mxyk6S/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[masonrytuckpointing]

Concrete Stairs and Concrete Sidewalk Installation

The following blog post Concrete Stairs and Concrete Sidewalk Installation was first published on: https://masonrytuckpointing.com

Replacement of: Concrete Sidewalks, Stairs, Patios, Garage Slabs & Aprons, Driveways

Installing a new concrete sidewalk, garage slab, patio, driveway or concrete stairs at your Chicago property, improves its appeal and value. There could be a few reasons behind installation of a new concrete; you may just need to give your property a dressing, it became hazardous to walk the existing concrete sidewalk or stairs, you have water ponding around the property, you’re changing the layout / landscaping around the property, or maybe you just got a Chicago building code violation ticket.

No matter what the reason is, the procedure of replacing old concrete and or just installing the new one will always be the same: remove old concrete or excavate soil to required depth, prepare base, install forms, pour new concrete.

Let’s dive into the reasons behind concrete replacement and concrete installation procedures a little deeper.

Chicago building code violation

The Chicago building code violation ticket, mentioning concrete related problems at your property, is usually triggered by a poor condition of concrete sidewalks and stairs, such as cracks and displacement that creates safety / trip hazard for pedestrians. Depending on circumstances, leveling of concrete sections may be possible (unfortunately we don’t offer such services at EDMAR, only new concrete installation), however, the majority of cases will require removal of old concrete and installation of a new one.

Do you need new concrete sidewalk and / or stairs? – Not sure if you can handle such project?

Call 1-847-724-5600

All Estimates are Always FREE for home owners.

Concrete Replacement / Installation Redesigning your Landscape and Drainage Issues

Both of these reasons are often closely related. Just like the house’s foundation, the crucial element of every structure, preparation of concrete base is a must. Skipping this step or skimming it, could be what’s responsible for drainage issues around your property.

After building a house, the soil along the foundation is loose, and needs to saddle on its own or be compacted properly. That has to happen before installation of concrete sidewalks, patios, driveways, or stairs. Ignoring this will cause any new concrete poured along the house perimeter saddle over time, and tilt towards the house.

If you noticed that water starts ponding on top of the sidewalk along the building’s foundation, it means that the process has already begun. The problem is, that ponding water will now accelerate further settlement and it may also penetrate foundation walls, as well as elevate moisture levels in basement or crawlspace areas.

Remember to always grade surfaces around your property in a way that creates positive drainage – away from the foundation.

If you catch this right away, you should consult mudjacking contractor, he might be able to correct the problem without ripping of sunken concrete.

What is Mudjacking? It’s a procedure that involves injecting a mixture of cement and water underneath a sunken concrete section, in order to level it / achieve desired pitch.

If there are already multiple cracks, so you’re dealing with smaller concrete pieces, it’s probably too late for mudjacking, and you’ll be facing complete replacement of compromised concrete.

Hazardous concrete surfaces

We are accustomed to walking on flat surfaces, and unless we always pay attention to what’s in front of our feet, it’s easy to trip over even small displacement. The same applies to concrete stairs, they should have uniform size treads and risers.

Assuming they were originally poured keeping uniformity (and complying with building code requirements), cracks and displacement could make some of the risers taller or shorter, which creates trip hazard.

A sidewalk, if still intact / displaced only along expansion joints or seams, can be mudjacked. Other option could be to grind down elevated edges. If it cracked in multiple areas, and shifted along cracks, replacement is the only “clean” solution.

  Ready to replace your old, deteriorated Chicago concrete sidewalk?

Concrete steps / stairs replacement is slightly more complicated so we start from flat work.

Chicago concrete replacement procedures

Cold weather in Chicago can be blamed for a multitude of concrete related problems. Freezing temperatures during the winter cause soil to expend and contract. All that movement is transferred to hard surfaces, such as concrete sidewalks, concrete stairs, concrete driveways, concrete patios, etc., causing surface delamination, cracks, and displacement.

How do you control that? Do it “By the Book”

Chicago requires a permit for concrete sidewalk installation so you’ll need to spend a few hours to complete entire process.

Pick a day with good weather, it would be nice if it lasts for at least 48 hours, 60F – 80F is the best temperature to work with concrete.

Make helper arrangements for the new concrete sidewalk installation projects. Concrete is pretty heavy and requires a lot effort to install properly, especially if working on larger sections.

If you’ll be mixing ingredients by yourself, this tip doesn’t apply – Depending on location of the new concrete section, concrete mix delivery truck may or may not be able to pour directly into the concrete forms. If this is the case, you’ll need a wheelbarrow or a couple of them to handle larger projects. Make sure they are strong enough to carry concrete and in a good shape, so they last several runs!

Other than the wheelbarrow, you’ll also need some tools and material to make this project as smooth as possible:

Concrete sidewalk installation tools and materials

Sledge hammer or jackhammer to demolish old concrete if you’re working on replacement, not just installation of a new concrete sidewalk.

Material to shape side walls of the sidewalk – if you need flexibility, for curved sections, 6” hardboard siding panels can be used for that, or just wooden planks for straight runs.

Stakes to support the forms, as many as needed to be driven approximately every 3’.

Circular saw to cut forms, screws and a screw gun to put the forms together.

Shovel for excavation of soil and sod cutter (if you need to remove sod).

A hammer to pound stakes into the ground.

Wire mesh (and cutting tool) to reinforce concrete sidewalk – this is an extra thing, not required for a residential concrete sidewalk in Chicago, however, it will add extra strength to the sidewalk.

Gravel to create 4” thick (after compacting) base for the new concrete sidewalk.

Magnesium hand float, edger, iron rake to distribute concrete inside the forms, groover to create at least 1” deep control joints (or ¼ of the concrete thickness), bull float, concrete broom for surface finishing.

Protective glasses, gloves, long sleeve shirt and long pants, rubber boots suitable for concrete work – they’ll all get dirty but will protect you from spillage and splashes! Concrete can cause eye / skin irritation, and burns, so be careful!.

Spray paint for marking the path if different from original / if creating new one.

Hand temper of mechanical compactor – rental places may rent the machine by the day or by the hour, so make sure you do as much advance preparation work as possible at the construction site before picking up the compactor.

If you’re replacing old, deteriorating concrete sidewalk, you have to calculate how big of a dumpster you’ll need or find a company that will pick it up from you.

If excavating, consider the amount of dirt and grass when ordering the dumpster.

Once you remove the old concrete, check the depth of exposed gravel to make sure you have at least 4” after compacting. If you’d like to keep the new concrete’s finished surface at the same level as the old one, and there is not enough gravel base, you’ll need to remove what’s already in the trench, excavate to require depth and refill with old and additional gravel to get the minimum required 4” of compacted base.

Install the forms and reinforce them with stakes / cut the stakes even with the top of forms. Make sure the forms are projecting 4” above the gravel surface (unless you’d like thicker concrete sidewalk) and are positioned in a way that the finished concrete surface will provide positive drainage, away from the property.

You can use hand temper for compacting soil and gravel in small area, but be prepared for an exhausting work if you have a long stretch of concrete sidewalk or patio. If this is the case, renting a plate compactor totally makes sense. Do a good job, remember, this is the foundation of your concrete slabs – if it fails, the same will happen to the concrete sitting on top of it.

You’ll achieve best compacting results if you do it in layers, so, compact the soil, add 2 inches or so of gravel – compact it, add next 2” and compact it again. Spray / mist some water between the layers to reduce friction, thus making compacting more efficient.

Once you have an evenly compacted gravel surface, if you wish, you can install wire mesh keeping it 3” away from the form surfaces. Unless you used just a single sheet of wire mesh, make sure that the edges of overlapping sections (at least 6”) are jointed together with wires.

All of the above should be done earlier, not 5 minutes before the concrete truck comes in. Make sure you have everything ready, including your helper.

You should order ready mix concrete from a supplier closest to your place, that way you’ll have a fresh mix and more time to work with it. You can use the calculator below to get the required amount, or ask the supplier for recommendation. Don’t forget to order approximately 5% extra to compensate for uneven base surface or accidental spillage.

Concrete Sidewalk Installation Calculator

The concrete calculator below will help you to determine the number of yards of concrete you need in order to pour a sidewalk, slab, patio, footing, column, or post fill-project. It will also provide estimated cost of materials, and calculate the number of pre-mix bags needed, in case you decide to do the mixing yourself.

Concrete Calculator

Inch Calculator

When ordering concrete, ask them for 6 bag mix 4000PSI concrete (this is what we always use), and to add an air entrainment agent to the mix. It’s a type of surface-active substance, a chemical that includes detergents which help in creating and preserving air bubbles in the mix. The main purpose of air entrainment, especially in climates like ours, with freeze-thaw cycles, is to increase the durability of the hardened concrete, as well its workability before hardening.

Start pouring by first creating “network” of small concrete piles, a few inches tall, and pull up, approximately 2”, the wire mesh off the gravel base, so it is supported by those piles of concrete.

Keep pouring and distributing concrete inside the forms with streel rakes, have your helpers go behind you leveling the surface with a screed board and following immediately with a bull float.

Finishing Newly Poured Concrete Sidewalk

Finishing of the concrete surface takes a lot of practice, it will be fairly easy on small areas, but large surfaces require finesse and making them smooth may not be that easy for inexperienced person.

After working on the concrete sidewalk surface with a bull float, watch for any bleed water appearing on surface. It will eventually disappear, and once it does, hand float the concrete surface with magnesium float, always slightly lifting the leading edge.

Once you are satisfied with your efforts, using the edging tool, take care of all outside corners.

Next, use a groover to create 1” deep control joints, approximately every 5-6 feet apart. This will lower possibility of concrete cracking, and if it does crack, chances are that it will be right under the control joint, making that crack invisible.

Time to add some texture to your new concrete sidewalk surface – put the concrete broom at one edge of the sidewalk and pull it gently across the width and over the parallel edge. Move over and make another pass overlapping the previous one by a few inches.

After completing this step, wait until you can’t make a fingerprint impression on concrete’s surface anymore, and cover your piece of art with plastic.

How to Cure your New Concrete Sidewalk?

Concrete needs to be cured slowly in order to achieve maximum strength, it takes almost one month for the full cure. It doesn’t mean that you can’t walk on it during that time, you can, even one day after completing the work.

For the next few days, keep concrete sidewalk moist by soaking it up with a garden hose. This will slow down curing process and further increase sidewalk strength.

You can remove stakes and forms the day after finishing concrete sidewalk.

Can you Use Ice Melting Agents on Fresh Concrete?

If you’re installing Chicago concrete sidewalk at the end of the year, restrain yourself from using ice and snow melting agents on it for one year. They may weaken the surface and cause delamination. We recommend that you don’t even use the ones that say they can be used. Switch to other stuff that provides traction, like sand, or kitty litter.

How Difficult is Installation of a New Concrete Sidewalk or Stairs in Chicago?

It depends on your skills! All of the items above describe each step necessary for a new concrete sidewalk installation, however, there are many little things that can and will go wrong. You have to play it by ear and find solution when it’s required.

There is also experience factor, learning curve – even if you know exactly what to do, but you’ve never done it before, the results may not always be as expected.

1. Can you handle new concrete sidewalk installation? 2. Can you handle new concrete stairs installation?

If you can’t, give us a call, and we’ll provide a FREE, non-obligatory quote for replacement of an old concrete sidewalk or stairs, or for a fresh installation of a concrete sidewalk / stairs at your Chicago property.

Contact our office for a FREE, not obligatory estimate at 1-847-724-5600 or email us to schedule an appointment. An experienced specialist will walk you through the necessary repairs, provide you with a recommendation, and get you on the way to a new concrete sidewalk and / or stairs as fast as possible.

You can also visit our office to schedule an appointment – https://www.google.com/maps?cid=18377081688069956063

[johanklejs]

Ksar Aït Ben Haddou 03.08.18

From the sketchbook: “Something about the kasbah reminded of Jan Gehl’s iconic Between the Houses. I guess it was first and foremost the stairs and the low stone walls and narrow, winding pedestrian streets. It was something about the scale. Yet the place was lacking one thing, a thing which seperates architecture from architectural museum: the human activity. The kasbah had been reduced from its original function as a community to a mere tourist attraction, the only ‘activity’ you could find being the local merchants selling their traditional berber paraphernalia of swinging quality. The place is no longer a boheme oasis. It has turned back to desert. Some places, however, were being restored, in the original adobe masonry, probably supported by the UNESCO protection, and this meant that a few jobs were created for the local youngsters, who were trained in traditional building practices. Almost all new buildings and building repairs are being carried out in aircrete blocks and cement plasters in Morocco. It is a big shame, because the earth around these parts is rich in clay and well-suited for the hot, arid climate. I passed by a reconstruction of one of the old ksour and chatted with the young builders. It was hard work, but the vibes were good, and most young men are struggling to find a job, so they all did a good effort. Their technology of building was medieval to say the least with earth mortar being mixed by foot abd raised in a bucket on a rope. To bring in the reused adobe bricks, the shortest guy had to wheelbarrow under a low hole in the wall, carrying around four large bricks at a time. I yelled to the guy: “C’est de la haute technologie!” and he replied: “Oui, c’est la terre.”

[reimaginethecity]

What are the infrastructures that bodies interact with in public spaces?

I am trying to do a thing where I just keep my life as simple as possible, and don’t start over thinking every conceptual element that I bring into my analysis. To answer this question, I will simply look at infrastructures as an unloaded term, a purely functional term describing things/entities/bodies that provide a materiality and/or urban service. 

So what are the infrastructures present in public spaces in Maputo?

The main key infrastructure is obviously roads, as this is the thing that I was most directly interacting with in my daily mobilities, and with which other bodies also interact on a daily, mundane basis. It is an infrastructure you do not think about, and yet you do. Like bemoaning the daily ritual of traffic jams on the Marginal into and out of the city. Laughing at the people who think they’re better than everyone else and therefore are entitled to using the parking/emergency lane and parking lots as extra driving space. The wonder that they don’t take it further and just take over the sidewalk. People forget, or perhaps don’t understand, that the entrance to the city is in any case a bottleneck, and having to change from 3/4 lanes to 2 once you hit Gloria Mall is in any case going to slow you down. The design of 2 lanes all the way is there, but disrespected due to individual hubris and priorities. 

The Marginal can be broken down into various parts. The central divider with two driving lanes on either side, which contains lighting poles and serves as a walkway for pedestrians attempting to cross the flow of vehicles. The two lanes themselves, with an extra lane on the seaside for extra parking space (and as an emergency lane perhaps? Who knows what it’s original purpose was...). Then the sidewalks, aiming to be a walking esplanade reminiscent of old colonial towns or the Havana malecón. 

Sidewalks no longer take a primal role when you leave the Marginal. Turning inland at the level of the Maritimo as a pedestrian you become aware of your footwork, breaking the rhythms of unconscious walking. You have to negotiate varying qualities of sidewalk, or non-existent pedestrian spaces. You have to cross over occasionally to find a safe space to walk, or you stop caring and just walk in the accumulated sand banks on the side of the road, a sidewalk de fortune. By slowing down the cars and reducing their road space, sand acts as a friend of pedestrians. 

Extract from my 1st thesis concerning sand:

Sand is an ever-present element of living in Mozambique. You cannot really talk of ‘earth’ when you live so close to the coast (though there are some more classical agricultural lands around Xai-Xai, as an example). Everything is sand. As such, dealing with sand shapes a lot of daily dwelling practices. For a housewife, sand is the struggle of keeping it out of the house (especially when it has rained), and the constant routine of sweeping. It is also the decision to pour cement in their courtyard in order to reduce their housekeeping tasks, and make it cleaner for their children to play: this is sand in its ‘dirt’ expressive role. Children most commonly play in the street, and the sand is a good play- companion to avoid injuries. In the cova – a depression on the side of the neighbourhood that was created during the 2000 floods – the steep sandy sides are dug out to make hideouts, or used to have a makeshift zipline. Sand is the thing that washes away entire communities when there are floods. In public spaces such as the street or the sides of the main avenues (e.g. Julius Nyerere, where the slopes have been cemented over in order to prevent more erosion onto this key throughway in the city), concrete comes to replace sand, because sand is deemed too dangerous to leave be. But sand is also constructive, as it is an essential part of making concrete, and thus can never truly disappear from the assemblage, and continues to territorialise it, though playing a completely different role when combined with construction materials.

Sand, as a key material aspect of dwellers’ environment, mediates how they dwell and the strategies they adopt to improve their dwelling space. Refusing to deal with sand, for example, may lead to cementing up a plot, reducing the material roles that the ground may have (e.g. can no longer grow anything on it, reducing infiltration of water). The material role of sand as something that is considered ‘dirty’ is linked to its expressive role as undesirable; it becomes a sign of improvement to not have to deal with sand, or not interact directly with sand e.g. by cementing or putting a capulana in between the human and sand, or the imperative to use chinelas (flip-flops). This constant struggle between sand and dwellers is a sign of a conflicting relationship that still stabilises the assemblage in its constancy. 

Sand and water interact to re-shape the materiality of the assemblage during high-intensity (weather) events. The first thing I think about when someone says “water” in the context of Mozambique is floods. Floods and torrential rains. I remember as a child the absurd hilarity of seeing the Marginal and the Baixa flood with water after heavy rains, and the cars that would float by aimlessly, incapable of resisting the strength of the water; I did not realise the damage that these floods caused. 

Memo on 6/05

Formalised places attempt to be sterile; the sand is their biggest enemy, concrete the weapon to combat it, and cleaners the footsoldiers in the war.

The road on the south side of Kayalethu is sleek, but only because there is someone there with a wheelbarrow clearning out the trash and sand that naturally accumulate in its corners. 

The natural state of public spaces is thus messy, and maintaining it in a pristine, ‘modern’ state requires great amounts of labour. But labour is cheap. 

Trees of course are another important element of the Marginal, as an aesthetic element contributing to this beach vibe that the esplanade should take on, but also as a functional element providing shade and therefore a certain level of comfort for remaining for more extended periods of time in certain spaces of the Marginal. 

Trees are a very dominant entity in terms of how they are used within Casa Minha’s marketing of the neighbourhood: they fit within a discourse of ‘green neighbourhoods’, sustainability, and quality of life. Although they are a ‘natural’ non-human, they are heavily involved in human manipulation.

Casa Minha often mentions the trees as a key distinctive feature of the neighbourhood and thus as a selling point; it is true that the more luxurious or older neighbourhoods of Maputo, such as Sommerschield, have a lot of trees that remain from the colonial period, as opposed to the newer neighbourhoods that are distinctly more barren and in part due to this, hotter, and with less public spaces for socialising or economic activities.

In addition to this, they have very material effects on dwellers’ lives: they provide fruit (most common are papaya, mango, and lemon) and shade against the hot sun. As such, they are part of food practices and socialisation, two key sets of practices in the neighbourhood. Having access to fruit through the trees also supplements family incomes, and thus the trees are also integrated in the economic practices of dwellers. Trees are rooted in the private space – literally – but serve many public functions, and thus another example of the fluidity of public and private space. Trees perform a series of public services, such as providing shade, regulating the temperature in the neighbourhood, as well as the water management.

The beach (and bay), alongside trees, is another symbolic element of the Marginal landscape. I remember growing up in Maputo and driving past the beach every morning to go to school and marvelling at how pretty the morning light reflecting on the calm sea was. 

I realise now that I’m not sure how to proceed with this or finish it... 

[olwog]

So, we’re off to Amsterdam. We travel overnight from Hull and I’m told we’re in an outer cabin; there is entertainment, there is also a bar and, the coup de gras is a casino. I’m not particular

ly a casino person although I have been involved with the organisation of ‘pop up’ ones for corporate events using pretend money and I have managed to make a lot more pretend money at those same events. Whenever I’ve had a bet using real money it deserts me like water in a desert so I make a mental budget so that if disaster strikes I can hit the bar with enough money to drown my sorrows then sleep.

It’s Brexit day so all is well with the world and utopia is just around the corner. I should have bought my Euros yesterday as the pound is having a few jitters but the result isn’t going to break the bank. I stopped the two hour footslog up and down the High Street to get an extra 60p when I realised my time was worth more than 30p/hour, I still avoid airports where I can though, that’s where you can really become unstuck!

The Pilgrim is getting quite excited and asks me if I’m taking a ‘proper’ camera. I have a couple of them and neither is light but there’s no restriction on the weight of our bags so in it goes and I must admit that the extra creativity that it’ll enable is exciting.

Hull is looking great in terms of flowers etc but I have to ask if they were late in being informed of the city of culture as there are road works, path works, holes being dug, holes being filled, scaffolding, drilling and stihl sawing nearly everywhere and with it the all pervading dust. The poppies are worth a mention though.

We arrive in Rotterdam to the equivalent of “good morning campers, hi di hi” together with some binging and bonging from a disembodied voice emanating from a speaker in the ceiling. I find it easy to go to sleep but I’m very easily woken so within milliseconds of the fist syllable from the voice of god I’m sitting bolt upright with staring eyes and a heart rate over 130 even on the atenolol.

So, be warned, a North Sea morning call is not to be taken lightly.

  The journey from Rotterdam to Amsterdam is nondescript in the strict sense that there is nothing to describe. The countryside is flat and varies from 1 metre below sea level to almost 5 metres below, so, I keep asking myself, why is it still land?

There are no bulb fields which is a little disappointing to me and I follow the example of The Pilgrim and go to sleep. Just 15 minutes later I awake to the sound of me snoring and see that one or two of the female passengers are smiling their sympathies at us.

As we begin to enter the city the size of the cycling population becomes obvious. There are thousands of them and they seem to outnumber the pedestrians and the cars. Over the next couple of days I’ll begin to appreciate their position in the pecking order of modes of travel. It’s great that they have such an important status but also unbelievably irritating that they have their own tracks and really don’t take prisoners if a pedestrian happens to walk on one of them. The trouble is that that they park their bikes on the paths reserved for pedestrians. There may be 30 or 40 bikes or there may be 100’s and they’re all parked and locked with huge chains thus blocking the path  and forcing the reluctant walker to use the cycle track – QED!

We’re dropped off near the beautiful St. Nicholas Basilica which is near the railway station and guarantees that we’ll be able to find this spot when we return tomorrow evening.

It’s a 15 minute walk to the Hotel Estherea which takes us almost half an hour largely due to me taking photographs and both of us pausing to take in the wonderful sites as we cross huge open squares. We dodge trams that creep-up eerily behind us then ring their bell in the full expectation that we’ll hear it and get out of the way. No sooner have we avoided almost certain death by being hit by one of these multi-tonne silent monsters than we risk major injury from the cyclists. Whilst cyclists may not have the mass of a tram they do travel faster and will result in some significant pain and really nasty injuries in the event of a collision; however, they are also skilful and blessed with a combination of lightning fast reactions coupled with a psychic ability to see the future.  I note there are no cycle hats or motor cycle crash helmets – by this I mean in the whole of the two days I spend here I see only one group of 8 who were wearing cycle helmets and they were being trained in the park.

The youngsters pass us two on a bike and the pillion jumps off to help push the bike over a hump-back bridge then hops back on again without a reduction in speed; there is constant laughter. Mothers and fathers carry their children on seats that are mounted behind them above the back wheel, in front of them on the cross bar and also on the handle bars and in some cases all three. There is the occasional tandem, always with the man on the front! Sometimes there are two or three wheeled bikes that have a wooden structure on the front, it’s a bit like a wheelbarrow and it carries anything from ladders and paint to human cargo such as three small children, all of them chatting and all of them smiling. No one wears a helmet not even the kids. This is a very happy and carefree city.

The hotel is wonderful. It was built in the 17th c on Singel and overlooks the canal. It’s olde world and wonderfully quirky. We both love the decor and The Pilgrim immediately goes into search mode for her ‘phone to photograph the fabulous chandeliers which are absolutely astonishing.

There’s some light banter from the desk clerk.  He tells us that they’re full and we have to come back at three and would we mind taking our cases with us as they’re very busy and they’ll get in the way.  Then with perfect timing he breaks out in a smile that will light a room, “Joking!”, he says. This is just before go for his neck and The Pilgrim begins the process of trashing the chandelier… I pretend I’m adjusting my sleeve.

The room is excellent with more of the quirky decor and bathroom with shower and a bath, I like a bath although this one is for tiny people. I remember being bathed in something this size when I was a child. It was galvanised and was used mostly in the winter as there was no central heating and the bathroom was intensely cold. The tin bath would be brought out and placed on a clippey mat in front of the fire. It was then filled with a combination of water from the hot and cold taps in the kitchen. It runs in my mind that it was always a bit hot and I’d jump in and out of it just dipping my toes and chirping, “Ow, ow, ow!”. In fact, this was the performance whether it was hot or indeed, perfect. I do remember one night when I was sloshing water around by spinning on my bum and watching the bubbles rotate even though I was now stationary. I turned my back to the fire and made the mistake of leaning back against that side of the tin bath. It must have been a particularly well lit fire because that night I burned my back on the bit of the bath side that was above the water level. I cleared the other side in one bound and accompanied it with a scream that would have brought a social worker but I didn’t end up with a burn. My Mam had seen what had happened and had me under the cold tap in the sink before I could breath in enough air for the second squeal. She was a wise and wonderful woman was my Mam and I loved her.

We’re in and out of the hotel in minutes but not before The Pilgrim fills up with a piece of apple pie that is so big it had to the eaten from the sharp end to get it in your mouth followed by some excellent freshly ground coffee all on the house. Nice one Hotel Estherea another tick in the box.

We emerge blinking in the sun and begin walking randomly, the weather renders all plans for culture in art gallery or museum redundant and we explore.

Most of the canals have a variety of trees along their banks and they’re just becoming green. Amsterdam is probably a couple of weeks further forward in the season than Yorkshire, about the same as London and Kent. The trees are Elm, Plane and Lime with significant numbers of Poplar and others. There is a statistic of over 75,000 elm alone so you can see this is a woody city and all the more beautiful for it.

After an hour of exploration we decide on a canal boat trip and there’s a one hour excursion that we can take after a coffee and snack on the roof of a boat overlooking a motley row of buildings that look like they’re about to fall down. I read later that many of them are like this due to being built on wooden piles and they varied in both quality, length, girth and degree of rot. Things appear to be OK where there are lots of buildings together but where there has been additional work or they are standing alone they can adopt the most amazing leans to the left or right but also to the front or back or even a combination so, when you look at the photos, it’s not a lens aberration that you see, it’s real!

There is also the issue of their width and this is due to the original allocation of land being 5 to 7 metres in width to maximise the number of premises on the waterfront which was the means of access. The Pilgrim tells me that because the houses are so narrow the staircases are also famously narrow. This might seem difficult when you want to move house, but in fact, up to this day, people still use the hoist beam on top and the wide windows to move their stuff into the house.

We finish our snack and make our way to the quay side where our boat is poised ready for our trip. If you go to Amsterdam please consider an excursion on one of these boats, they’re informative and you get a different perspective on this beautiful city.

Towards late afternoon we do the tourist thing, a drink at a pavement cafe in the sun people watching. It really doesn’t get better than this.

A quick shower later and we’re out looking for a restaurant for our evening meal. We have two criteria either it serves Dutch or Indonesian cuisine and we have two names on a yellow sticky supplied by a lovely lady in the hotel. We stop at the Haesje Claes Dutch restaurant and the evening is so warm we sit at a table outside. I go on a recce to trace the Indonesian whilst a beer is arranged at the Dutch. I come back bearing good news and after a little bit of banter with the waitress we pay the bill and make our way a hundred yards to Leantjil Tijger.

The waiter indicates a table for four that has two gentlemen on the inner side leaving the side near the path available to us. It’s standard practice to share a table in Amsterdam but we ask the occupants out of good old fashioned manners anyway. We’re greeted by smiles and open handed gestures that indicate a welcome and our English reticence evaporates.  The gentlemen are in conversation and one of them, an American clearly knows a thing or two about the food so we wait for a natural break and jump in with a question about how we use the menu and the reply is poetic. Indonesian food is meant to be colourful and we’re advised to explore the Sundanese choice.

A couple of beers later and it arrives. There are 15 different bowls of delightful, fresh and colourful foods and initially it looks over powering but the dishes are responsible for much of the space and the amount is just about right. If you’re an explorer with your food I’d urge you to try Indonesian.

An hour and half later and we’re on our way towards Dam square and a couple of bars later round off the evening in an Irish Bar, it’s only now that it’s chilly enough to force us inside.

Friday morning and a latish start with a promise to hire some bikes. The hotel has coffee which is all we require to nudge us towards the a gorgeous day in the sun. We’d already decided on a bite to eat later and go in search of a bike shop. Yesterday they were littered all over the city and I dare say that today would be likewise but we don’t find one, well not immediately; but it does give us the opportunity to explore some wonderful narrow streets and a very special square that is reserved for rent only to women. It has a wonderful history related to the conflicts of faith but the outcome is good and this quiet space in the middle of a very bustling city is astonishing.

We manage to hire some bikes and hit the road like locals, well not quite, we’re not as confident but the cycle paths make life so much easier and infinitely more relaxing for those on two or three wheels. We decide to go to Vondelpark but do it the pretty way by heading in the direction of the railway station first then we follow canals back through the city and entering the park via a detour past the museums.

Vondelpark is fabulous. The youngsters have taken it over and there are hundreds of them in small groups listening to music, making music, talking, walking or biking around the perimeter. There are lakes, trees, shrubs and cafes and when you mix in the weather the whole thing is idyllic. We opt for a hamburger and hotdog off the stall, I really know how to treat a lady! then lie on the grass to eat them.

The Pilgrim does a bit of litter picking and we set off again to do our own circumnavigation of the park and make our way back towards any of the offices that supply our bikes to return them and visit the flower market on the way back to the hotel for our bags.

The flower market is on Singel and is built over the canal with numerous stalls all competing with huge displays of fabulous bulbs, rhizomes and tubers along with all manner of other shrubs and plants. It’s a lovely experience to go there and if you’re not interested in plants there’s always the cheese shops in front of them.

We make some purchases and meander our way back to the hotel. It’s beginning to get overcast now and there are spits of rain.

The luggage is retrieved and we’re on our way to the pick up point, this time it only takes 20 minutes along the canal with the avenue of trees, through the stone clad squares and along the incredibly wide main streets to St Nicholas Basilica where the first of the buses is full and just about to pull away. We wait for the next and find ourselves in luck as there are two spaces left and we can have them.

Sadly our luck ran out at this point and we’re amongst a group of young men on a stag party one of whom is both pissed and has mental issues. It’s a long two hours and I’ll not describe it here but, in  a previous life,  I taught young men of these ages for 25 years and during that time, even when I’ve seen them drunk, I have never heard any of them quite as obnoxious as this particular one and some of his compatriots. Ah, well, they only spoil 2 hours, the rest of this break has been wonderful. Would we go back to Amsterdam, yes, we’re already planning it.

Enjoy the snaps…G..x

A Postcard from Amsterdam So, we’re off to Amsterdam. We travel overnight from Hull and I’m told we’re in an outer cabin; there is entertainment, there is also a bar and, the coup de gras is a casino.