Grachten, sex dolls - and Bacardi Limon?

Behold the tarts in their natural environment... [click any pic to embiggen]

And so another fantastic weekend in our beloved Amsterdam - our first in two years - is over. Sob.

Needless to say, we all had a grand old time, meandering the grachten, people-watching at various bars in De Wallen, Leidseplein, Zeedijk, Rembrantsplein, Prinsengracht and along the river Amstel, having a laugh with many of the locals we have known for years - in our hotel Anco and bars Amstel 54 (former Amstel Taveerne) and Montmartre - and (of course) sampling the (slightly) seedier nightlife in another old fave Spijker Bar:

Yes, they're dolls

We paid due homage to the venerable Cafe 't Mandje - now under new management [see here and here], so no "Dutch sing-a-long Sunday" for us this time [although the new manageress said it would be coming back, starting in September, so fingers crossed it'll be going when we get there next year for my 60th] - and to the Queens' Head and its famous window display:

Het is zo mooi!

But what did we miss when we were away?

Obviously the dramatic energy price rises and rampant inflation we're experiencing at the moment dominated just about every headline [with no real solution in sight; although it was very interesting to find that despite the braying by various commentators that the UK's economic crisis is somehow "because of Brexit", the businesses in Amsterdam are having exactly the same problems dealing with price rises and recruitment problems]; Putin's evil just gets worse - threatening a nuclear crisis by bombing the Zaporizhzhia power station complex, cutting off gas supplies to Europe again, and planning Stalin-esque "show trials" of Ukrainian prisoners of war; the trial of champion footballer Ryan Giggs continued ad nauseum; the coverage of the battle between Conservative party candidates to replace Boris Johnson - Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak - also appears endless, and in the wake of the back-biting the long-serving grandee of the party Michael Gove announced his retirement from front-line politics; Kate and Wills are apparently planning to move to a "modest" home near Windsor Castle; Singapore became the latest (Commonwealth) country to end its long-standing ban on gay sex [although activists were dismayed that the reforms stopped short of repealing other repressive anti-gay legislation]; and there was a minor social media furore about police officers performing the Macarena at Lincoln's annual Pride celebration last Saturday.

We also missed marking the 95th anniversary of the birth of the fantabulosa Yootha Joyce, the 85th birthday of Private Eye co-founder Richard Ingrams, the 80th of the late Isaac Hayes, the 70th birthday of "Number One" (Riker) Jonathan Frakes and what would have been the 70ths of the dearly-missed Patrick Swayze and Joe Strummer of The Clash, as well as the birthdays of Dame Janet Baker (88), Robert Redford (86), former Doctor Who Sylvester McCoy (77), the lovely Andrew Garfield and the gorgeous Mika (both 39).

And, finally, also while we were away came the sad news that dear "Elizabeth" from Keeping up Appearances aka Josephine Tewson has, trembling hands on those "hand-painted periwinkles" and all, departed for Fabulon.

Oh! And a massive piece of news that occurred not while we were in the 'Dam, but in Essex for the Tom Jones concert - the sublime and incomparable Paul O'Grady (and his long-serving producer Malcolm Prince) resigned from presenting his Radio 2 show after fourteen years [apparently because he was pissed-off at having to rotate his Sunday evening slot every three months with the intensely irritating so-called "comedian" Rob Beckett - an attempt by the new powers-that-be to "bring in a younger audience", allegedly, which is a huge joke at their expense, given the fact that younger people don't actually listen to "the wireless"]! Very sad. Yet another blow to our regular listening schedule; Paul O'Grady and Clare Teal having gone in the space of a couple of years, there's only (endless) repeats of Friday Sunday Night is Music Night to actually fill the gap of "our kind of music" on Sundays any more.

Meanwhile...

...to conclude - what did we bring back with us for your delectation? A "spud-boy" covered in ghastly tattoos? That's not very you, I hear you say... Well, this song was the smash hit of the moment in Amsterdam, so I really had better play it!

Mart Hoogkamer - Ik Ga Zwemmen (in Bacardi Limon)

Is it good to be back?

NEE!