Category: Blog posts

We have two cats and a dog, as you know. And like most cats, ours are happy to stay in and around the house. But our chihuahua is different: he is an adventurous spirit! He loved to travel and go to new places. So when we decided we needed some time away from work, the house, everything, we knew we had to take Chi along with us. Off to Cologne, a city in Germany! (more…)...

Planning my day in the morning always gives me a good feeling about the time I have available. How to plan your day is something I was taught in school, believe it or not. Or at least: I learned how to plan my way through lessons and homework, even if it was not a subject I had to study for. Actually, side note: they totally should teach planning in secondary school at least. Learning how to spend your time and how to study, is a skill will help you. And I would not be writing this article if I didn't have some ideas for you on how to make the most of your day. By planning well! (more…)...

Keeping track of what you want to finish on a day can be very easy. Just make a to-do list, right? Then just do your chores and go to your appointments and you're done and organised. But working and studying from home means: lots of distractions. I can find 100 things to do that are not on my to-do list, that I am sure I can make time for. In the evening is when I realise I haven't made a dent in my actual to-do list. So I did the obvious thing and made an extra sheet for my planner. And it works so well for me, that I decided to share the free day planner sheet with you. (more…)...

I was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I still can get lost in the city centre, but I usually am able to find my favourite places. Amsterdam is not that big. You end up where you want to go if you circle around long enough. When you live in a city that is also a tourist attraction, you end up liking the places tourists rarely go to. So what are my favourite places in Amsterdam? (more…)...

Italy has been on our To Visit List for ages. And last year we finally got around to visit there. We picked Florence, Italy for its climate, beautiful landscape and because of the art. The art! Florence breathes art. Of course there are other things: gelato, great food and warm weather. It has a rich and intriguing history and very nice people (who are probably fed up with all us tourists tramping around). But you want to know what we did, right? (more…)...

When my guy and I moved in together there was no doubt that we would adopt pets. We decided on getting a cat first, as cats need a little less hands-on attention than dogs. My guy had lived with a dog when he was a kid, but had no experience with cats. I have had the pleasure of living with several cats throughout my life, so I felt it was up to me to choose the right cat for us. How did I do that? (more…)...

Vacation for us is a time to see and do new things and relax. Taking time to organise see and do things we enjoy is actually not that relaxing, so we tend to plan ahead. First we pick our holiday destination and then we do research to find out what is 'touristy' to do and what 'locals' do. If any of that matches our own interests, we make sure to find time to see and do it. But how do we keep track of our vacation planning? This is how we get organised! (more…)...

There are some things I like to share about living in The Netherlands. My guy, as you may know, is British. Having a partner who comes from a different country has helped me to look at the country I am living in with new eyes. Almost. You know: things I take for granted are suddenly strange, because I can't really explain why it is normal for me! (more…)...

Welcome to my website. I am Daenelia, which has been my online nickname for many more years than I care to count. At least I am consistent. You may have guessed this is not my first website and you'd be right. I have been building websites for even longer than I have been Daenelia. Even this iteration of my site is not the first on Daenelia.com. I have a passion for creating new things. (more…)...