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November 29, 2004
Didn't see the Sint for the trees
Jacob was supposed to meet the Sint on Saturday. Ron's work had organised a family day where all the kids could meet the Sint and his "Black Piets". Jacob was also to receive a present. Something in the 'Bob the Builder' (Bob de Bouwer) line we believe.
But Jacob's dad took a long nap at the same time that Jacob did and I was feeling just fluey enough not to bother waking either of them so by the time they did wake and Jacob had been fed and coated and shoed to go outside it was too late to drive all the way to Amersfoort for Jacob to see the Sint. Very possibly his last ever Christmas in the Netherlands and he didn't get to meet the Sint. Or get his Bob the Builder present.
Instead we took him to a small forest just outside Utrecht squeezed in between two freeways.
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November 28, 2004
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November 27, 2004
Desmond and God in Elsternwick
While browsing through the comments on Chocolate and Zuchinni I came across Ecritures which led me to photographer Sandy Nicholson's site and there I found, Desmond! [At the Sandy Nicholson site, click on Suburban Stories and then Desmond and God]
Desmond lives a couple of blocks from my mum's house in Elsternwick, Melbourne, Australia. Desmond has been an eccentric feature of Melbourne life for years, pushing his cart full of bibles to give away around the city or other possible sites of fun, er, sin. Chapel Street, (shopping and nightclubs), Prahran, (shopping and transvestities), St Kilda, (eating and drinking) and appearing at any large scale event intended to attract lots of people. Who might end up having fun, er, sinning. His house is, as the photos show, a sight in itself and responsible for more than a few traffic accidents.
Posted by Faith at 04:39 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
November 26, 2004
A Pot Boiler
Only seconds after I got home with Jacob this morning after yet another great-tricycling-adventure the front door bell was rung by a young man with a parcel! We love parcels so we let him in and signed with abandon, tore great chunks of cardboard apart, wrestled with cellophane and stickytape, and there it was! Stephanie Alexander's the cook's companion 2nd Edition.
I've coveted this book for years. I always figured there was no rush to buy it, I'd buy it next time, it was too heavy to carry right now etc etc. And then poof! Gone! Out of print! I am now glad I missed out because the 2nd edition is not only full of stephanie alexander's culinary wisdom but GORGEOUS to look at, with a stunning cover, SILVER-edged paper and pretty orange and silver place-markers. Gorgeous AND encyclopaedic! I've come over all trembly....
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Look Mum, I'm on the Internet!
Jaap has made me famous!
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November 25, 2004
Easy Walker fleece footmuff (Fits the Bugaboo)
To make an offer or if you have any questions send us an email
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Miele Flamenco vacumn cleaner
Very lightly used Miele Flamenco vacumn cleaner. At this stage there are no accessories but they may still surface. Will keep you posted.
To make an offer or if you have any questions send us an email
Posted by Faith at 08:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Nick Cave and the Memories
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds played last night at the Heineken Music Hall, which is why we didn't go, the Heineken Music Hall is under BOYCOTT for various reasons, not least of them the great St-Germain-disaster-of-2002.*
This morning there was a review of the concert in De Volkskrant which completely validated (ooh, now I'm trilingual, I can write American too!) our decision not to go as it bemoaned the lack of feeling Cave injected into his music, especially the older numbers. Poor Nick, I blame the venue!
The review DID mention that the Bad Seeds had been around for 20 years. This was a bit of KING HIT at 10.30 on a frosty winter's morning over your first coffee. 20 YEARS? I still think of the Bad Seeds as the NEW Nick Cave band. The new-fangled-trendy-not-sure-if-I'll-buy-this version of Nick Cave after The Birthday Party and those fun lovers, The Boys Next Door. Who will ever forget "Door Door" and the classic "Shiver"? Does ANYONE know what I'm talking about?
I can remember going to the Seaview Ballroom in St Kilda, (when it was a decrepit goth hangout, looooong before it became the George) and seeing Nick and the Birthday Party upstairs in the Ballroom. They weren't meant to be using the Ballroom for gigs as it didn't meet building safety requirements and as the crowd danced you could feel the old springy floor moving up and down in what became an increasingly alarming manner. (The Ballroom was probably one of the few venues that would be raided just as often by the Fire Brigade - responsible for building regulations regulation- as by the Police) The floor was bouncing up and down and Nick Cave had stripped down to his leopard skin undies (or was that a Cramps gig?) and sang the longest version of Nick The Stripper ever.
It must have been 82 or '83, I had a fake ID, a Black Russian, Depeche-Mode-hair, a crush on Roland and was desperately trying to look mean. I didn't realise it at the time but I was failing dismally!
*Other reasons include the knee high slush of beer and cracked plastic beer containers you end up wading through by the end of every concert, the fact that they serve only Heineken beer, the complete lack of atmosphere, (Its name 'Black Box' is the most inspiring thing about the place, seriously!), the fact that you have to catch the Metro to get there, the fact that its not the Paradiso, the stupid-token system, need I go on?
Posted by Faith at 12:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 24, 2004
de sint
The Sint arrived in the Netherlands on November 13th to begin his annual tour of the country and assesment of the local youth before pakjesavond or 'parcel evening' on December 5th. On that evening, if you've been good you'll receive gifts. If you've been bad you will be tossed into a sack by the Sint's companion, "Black Pete" and carted off to Spain. Now, ironically, these days most Dutch pay a significant amount of money to be carted off to Spain at regular intervals, but obviously there was a time when this was a more terrifying prospect.
The whole 'Sint' thing is quite challenging for many foreigners, especially if you come from a country with a culture of political correctness. The Sint you see is accompanied by a Morrocan boy, "Black Pete" who is variously described as his slave or helper. As if that wasn't confronting enough he is usually depicted by someone 'blacked-up' as a caricature of a little Morrocan helper.
And so it is that at this time of year you can quite regularly find yourself confronted by the site of a benevolent looking old Bishop reminiscent of Santa Claus, accompanied by a bevy of "Black Pete's", blacked-up 2-meter-tall-helpers, strewing bitter cookies and sweets before them. Even after nearly-four years this still induces mixed feelings!
The problem I have with the Sint and his Black Pete's is that for me the stereotype's they represent always come looming large before them and I still haven't found a way to digest all this baggage, together with the event as a harmless children's celebration and end up with something I feel totally comfortable with. Even at a superficial glance the recipe includes this;
1. The Sint - White, is the 'owner' of Black Pete, benevolent, Christian, Holy, Master, reassuring, European
2. Black Pete - Black, foreign, mischevious or controlled 'evil', slave/servant, does the dirty work, may get out of control, scary, African
Hmm, so lets see, this gives us:
Europe/Africa
White/Black
Christian/Muslim
Master/Slave
Good/Evil
It's a recipe for something hard-to-swallow and an especially interesting one in these times with so much unrest between the white-Dutch and Muslim communities in the Netherlands. "Black Pete" seems to be a particularly Dutch invention and no matter how long he has been helping the Sint and how often he returns to the Netherlands he remains the outsider. His role is to depict the 'other' as it loomed large in Dutch imaginations three hundred years ago or more ago. Shame then that he also happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to so many immigrants who have settled in the Netherlands and that as recent events have shown, Europe is still haunted by pretty much the same nightmares.
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November 23, 2004
Orbit men's Ice Hockey Skates
One very exciting pair of Orbit men's ice hockey skates, size 11 (42?)
To make an offer or if you have any questions send us an email
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Bobike Mini Child Seat
Seat is available after Thursday 22nd December
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Sparta Ladies Bikes x 2
But only one is sold. One is still available!
Not one but two identical dark green Sparta ladies bicycles (28"). Back pedal brakes, front and rear lights, mudguards, chainguard and bell. No gears. Very stable, sturdy bikes. Perfect for getting around on and attaching children and groceries to. Pedal very smoothly. In very good condition and have been stalled out of the weather. Serial no. engraved on the frames of both bikes which means they come back to you after being stolen. (Proven to work!) Both bikes have a carrier at the rear, one with straps.
One bike has no built-in lock but it does come with an enormous very sturdy chain.
One bicycle available now, one available after December 22nd.
Optional:One Bobike child seat attached to front steering wheel. Suitable for children from 9months to 15kg (about 2 years). Also have Bobike windscreen for child seat. Not pictured. Child seat be sold with or without bike.
To make an offer on the bikes, with or without child seat, or if you have any questions send us an email
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Maxi Cosi child car seat
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From the trenches....
Another parcel has arrived from Australia with more fresh knitting for Jacob. This jumper and matching hat were knitted by Sue, a friend of my mother's. The shawl collar looks great on Jacob and is also very practical with the cold Amsterdam winds that come whistling down the canals from the Ij. The wool is a lovely mix of wintery greens which also suit Jacob's fair looks. (As to why our landlord chose that particular shade of red high-gloss for the hallway, I can't help you I'm sorry)
Simultanously I managed to finish the orange scarf from Rowan's Cork Delight and an almost-matching hat. The scarf is a very basic K2 P2 rib and the hat is a bastardisation of the pattern in the Stitch 'n Bitch Handbook for "Hot Head". Both were knitted with 5mm bamboo needles. I've since discovered that 8mm needles are more usual with this wool so the scarf especially is nice and thick. The wool I ordered online from www.breiweb.nl They are not cheaper than going to the Afstap but after they had helped me with a tricky wool-matching problem for another project I wanted to buy something from them. Their service was great, especially as I gave them the wrong address to deliver the wool too!
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November 19, 2004
the evil eye
One of my few specialist skills is a mastery of "evil looks". (Its the Irish in me) Jacob seems to be catching on. The sideways glance, the lowered lids. Its all coming together. Shame about the bogey hanging from his right nostril. No credibility in that.
Posted by Faith at 04:32 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
November 17, 2004
arsenic and old lace
She's so innocent looking. And frumpy.
My new accountant. She's sitting in a corner built from filing cabinets piled to the ceiling with files and archive boxes. At first sight my uncharitable thought is that "life must be pretty easy if you can turn up to work looking that every day". She's a cuddly white-haired lady in what appears to be someone's cast-off fishing clothes.
She understands exactly what I'm looking for. In fact she isn't an accountant at all but the wife of one, who bothers himself with important-accountant-requiring clients while she provides the simple services that clients like me need. A BTW number* Someone to fill in the impossible form I have from the tax office. She goes further. She will also claim back all the BTW I pay on business related costs. "Business related costs" turns out to be a fairly flexible term. It's scope gets steadily broader. It is also apparently retrospective. She'll do things for me monthly. I thought a couple of visits per year but for a fee WAY below their normal rates and of course depending on what I earn, because I am just starting, she'll do things for me monthly.
I can see the train coming but by now I am too fascinated to move away from the tracks. If she was 20 years younger and in a suit I would have walked out long ago. But she's a frumpy late-middle-aged lady in a cast-off gardening outfit and its the combination of a veneer of ineptness with a very smooth deviousness that has me fascinated.
Twice, not once but twice, when there was a question that she or her 'directeur' husband couldn't answer she suggested I go home and ask my husband to call the relevant government department to verify exactly what applied in my case. If she'd been male I would have decked* her.
I leave everyhting in her capable hands. And with the added thought that I'm probably going to end up either on tax fraud charges or buried under her floorboards. I'm not sure which but I'm now totally committed to finding out. For a monthly fee.
BTW=GST or VAT
deck=verb. Australian for punching someone so hard they "hit the deck" or the floor.
Posted by Faith at 05:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
November 13, 2004
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Uitverkocht!
I've been trying for weeks now to find someone who would go and see the fabulous Mr Tom Waits with me, with no success. WHO ARE these people in my life? Isn't someone screening them? How did I end up knowing so many I'm-not-crazy-about-Tom people?
Not to be put off I logged on to buy 1 lonely-sad-ticket for myself and it's SOLD OUT!
Tom is lucky. The last time people refused to go to a concert with me (you don't want to know how regularly this happens) the performer-in-question died.
Posted by Faith at 10:21 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
November 12, 2004
kd lang - barefoot and pregnant?
We ventured down to Utrecht the other night to see kd lang at the Vredenburg. Hooking up with BBC-Star-Kathy-Clugston for dinner at Goos we then met the-very-late-Steve-and-Fintan at the venue. The concert was the first of kd's European tour and she was in fine form, 'consumate performer' was the over-used-cliche that kept springing to mind. Besides a voice that could peel-your-socks-off, she also managed to be witty, smart, dignified, barefoot and obviously having fun. This despite a rather-too-enthusiastic-Canadian in the audience and someone else piping up with the considerate question 'Are you pregnant?' (Maybe it was the barefeet?). It will take a European tour to excise the memory of Utrecht from her mind!
The show was a good mix of torchy covers at which she just excels and a few of her own numbers including some from her current album. For me the highlight was the Patsy Cline number Three Cigarettes In An Ashtray. Having a secret-Patsy-Cline stash back in Australia I may have been slightly biased towards this number anyway but if you'd heard her sing it I'm guessing you'd have felt the same.
***To give you an idea of how good this concert was I'll just say this. Utrecht is only 32kms from Amsterdam but the trip from Amsterdam to Utrecht, with a 8km detour to Ijsselstein to drop Jacob off at his grandparents, took 3 hours. Because of traffic jams. At 3.00 in the afternoon. Returning to Amsterdam at 11.00pm we then ran into another one on the freeway. This is why we NEVER leave Amsterdam.
But it WAS worth it!.
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Photo Friday: Family
This was taken with our brand spanking new Canon EOS 300D a few weeks ago. It was before I had had a chance to read the manual and play with all the settings so it was a unadventurous photo technically. I do like the way everyone is interacting with Jacob looking at me (he loves a camera!), Ron looking at his father and Wim looking at Jacob. Its three generations of men with weirdly long toes.
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November 11, 2004
Babble-on
While we were in Istanbul our Turkish guide interrupted his normal delivery outside the Blue Mosque to foray into the history and general-shape of Turkish Islam and all the reasons why Turkish Moslems were unlikey to be extreme fundamentalists and shouldn't be confused with fundamentalists from other parts of the world. And how most Moslems no matter where they were from were not extremists and that the Koran in its most usual interpretations actually forbade the use of violence.
At the time it struck me as very sad that he felt the need to do this and also a tiny bit annoying. Didn't he realise that his audience, a group of Netherlanders + one Australian, all came from reasonably sophisticated, well-educated, multicultural countries that had welcomed immigrants from all parts of the world for decades and might be expected to be able to work this out for themselves?
Then of course we landed back in the Netherlands to discover that some brainiac had BOMBED a Moslem PRIMARY SCHOOL for God's sake. Seems the guide in Turkey knows a bit more about people then I do! (But then I'm the one who said Howard would never win an election in Australia and three, THREE terms later is still unable to believe that anyone, ever voted for him. I mean WHO are these people?)
Since then things have been getting weirder and weirder, Mosque's have been attacked, and burnt, apparently one Catholic school as well and yesterday morning I did my usual Nu thing to discover that the air space over Den Haag had been closed, a man in his underpants had been arrested, everyone was looking for a Syrian, grenades have been thrown, officers injured and a house in the Hague was under siege.
The rest of the day was particularly spooky as there was no more information forthcoming from the Police, Army, Government or anyone else about any of this until well into the evening. The entire day was spent then greeting everyone you met with WHAT THE FUCK is going on and rumours were rife.
I have no idea which way all this is going to go but the Netherlands definitely has the feel of a tinderbox waiting to go off right now. The Dutch tolerance for immigrants is famous but for most of the Netherlands it was only ever tolerance. More than a few Netherlanders have explained to me this way; the other side of tolerance is "couldn't give a fuck". There are only some areas where diversity is embraced. For the four years I've lived here racism has been a constant presence and recently there have even been attempts to shape immigration laws based on the country of origin of the applicant.
What makes it ALL SO UNREAL is that living in an area like de Pijp, a multicultural suburb for over a hundred years, all of this seems so far away and removed from daily life. I go to the Moslem Ethiopan butcher on the other side of the market because he has the best cuts, the Turkish grocer because he has vegetables I can't find anywhere else, a Dutch cheese stand on the market because, well, he sells cheese and I buy cheap 3-for-one toiletries from Pakistanis on the Albert Cuyp. On the corner of our street I pass an Islamic cultural center and my son is in a creche where some of his carers are wearing headscarves and there is only one child out of six with two Dutch parents. In de Pijp there isn't just tolerance but a genuine acceptance of diversity.
Posted by Faith at 05:26 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
November 10, 2004
Elena and I have been missing appointments with each other for nearly two weeks now so it was nice to finally meet and have a coffee together this morning.
Our initial natter revealed some spooky coincedences and points of common interest after which we went to the Albert Cuyp to continue investigations while checking out fish and cheese. Its amazing how a network like the web can converge to these two points sitting in Cafe Krull discussing childcare, architecture, botanic gardens and Italian cooking.
Amazing and brilliant, is there a fractal to illustrate this?
Posted by Faith at 12:48 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
November 08, 2004
Istanbul
We spent the weekend in Istanbul. Or on route to-and-from Istanbul as it turned out, but they do say it's the journey that matters! It certainly did this weekend, and hence our time actually IN Istanbul was a tad more limited than we expected.
One of the most enjoyable things about our stay was the Pera Palas hotel, a sort of kitsch-art-nouveau-oriental-architectural-theme-park for adults.
Once a luxury hotel it has achieved just the right level of shabbiness for maximum character effect. It lacks all the bland enhancements of most modern luxury hotels and has accrued its own quirks. No two rooms are the same, either by design or through the passage of time, or the passage of damp. And the place is full of hidden surprises and discoveries.
The other element providing character at the Pera Palas is the staff. Competent enough to provide the services you want (mostly.....) but clumsy and inept enough to ensure that the place never has the feel of a too-well-oiled machine. The best comparison is with my Amsterdam bike, it will always get you where you want to go, it just makes strange noises while doing so.
Having in the end a limited time actually in Istanbul we settled for as many of the obvious tourist destinations that we could reasonably fit into one day via Bugaboo. The Blue Mosque, The Hagia Sophia, The Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. All of these were fabulous to see first-hand and we are already planning a return trip to see them again and all the things we DIDN'T have time for.
But Istanbul has another, more exciting side for the thrill-seekers out there. No theme park ride will ever be as exciting or terrifying as finding a way to the other sie of the road armed with only an arm-waving husband and a pusher in Istanbul traffic. "Spot-the-safe-place-to-cross-the-road-with-a-baby" is a game that could obviously go on for days in Istanbul. As could "find-the-route-back-to-your-hotel-where-you-don't-have-to-push-the-pram-and-baby-on-the-road-in-the-traffic". Fortunately the Oriental Bar at the Pera Palas is always waiting there at the end of the return journey (and the top of the Pera Hill) tp provide some badly-needed relaxation and refreshment.
What made our rather-insane-rush-trip enjoyable was the people of Istanbul who were amazingly friendly, alert-in-traffic, helpful and thank God, so obsessed with Jacob, (or Jakop, as he was renamed) that they would do practically anything for us. Well, almost anything. We did have to carry our own luggage after the bell boys had descended on Jacob to carry him aloft to our room. Luckily we got him back.
Some photos are here.
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Jakop boogie
Jakop (as he was known in Istanbul) mistakes a call to prayer for an extended remix.................
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November 07, 2004
Philips CucinaToaster
To make an offer or if you have any questions send us an email
Posted by Faith at 01:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Iron
Life doesn't get much more exciting than this. A Philips Azur cord/cordless 52 iron! You can choose whether to use it in chord or chordless mode. It has lots of dials and steamy push knobs as well as a self/clean button and the iron rest has enough information printed on it to give you something to read while you're ironing. Since I'm not an ironing person I can't tell you much more about it.
To make an offer or if you have any questions send us an email
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Philips HD7524 Coffie machine
You can read about it in Ukranian, Polish, Italian and English
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Two Cushions
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Quinny Baby Camping Bed
This Quinny camping bed is in virtually-never-been-used condition. It is not for camping. It is for giving to your in-laws so they will always be able to babysit while you go out. It folds down into a handy carry bag and includes the bag, the 'matress' and the bed.
To make an offer or if you have any questions send us an email
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Prenatal Baby bath with stand
A Prenatal baby bath with stand. Stand has never been used and thus is as stable as the day it was bought. Stand includes handy holes for your towel and soap container. Bath has non-slip bottom.
To make an offer or if you have any questions send us an email
Posted by Faith at 01:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kinder wintersport / snowsuit maat 86
Used for only one week this Rucanor snow suit is in brand-new condition. It's red with grey and cream details. We'll throw in the blue gloves and snow boots (size 23) for free. You can see action fotos of the suit here.
To make an offer or if you have any questions send us an email
Posted by Faith at 01:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 04, 2004
Tot ziens!
We're going to Istanbul to live it up in the Pera Palas* for the weekend. I hope everyone else has something nice to do?
Tot ziens!
*Thanks to a bargain basement package deal!
Posted by Faith at 08:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Scared people are scary
The whole "politics of fear" thesis seems to be converging in, well, a scary way! We have been watching The Power of Nightmares on the BBC over the past three weeks, which details the ways in which governments use fear to maintain their authority.
Michael Moore demonstrated the power of fear nicely in "Bowling for Columbine" in his trans-Canadian-border experiment.
And here in the Netherlands at the moment young morrocans are saying they're too scared to walk the streets, moronic white-extremists are arrested in Den Haag for threatening violence against the people who scare them, and everyone is waiting, scared, to see what the reaction to van Gogh's death will be.
Scared people vote in people like Bush. Scared people are very scary.
I'm going back to my knitting.
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November 03, 2004
The Big Noise
Yesterday Theo van Gogh, filmmaker and column writer, loudmouth and sometime-lout, was shot dead here in Amsterdam. On the street. Near the Oosterpark. In broad daylight. By a cyclist. (Well, this IS the Netherlands!)
I didn't agree with MOST things Theo van Gogh said or wrote, which is pretty much true for everyone who wasn't Theo. As others have pointed out, there weren't many people with whom Theo hadn't had an argument about his opinions. (For the Australians, he was a bit of a Philip Adams with views that were a bit more Alan Jones)
But he didn't deserve to be shot.
The ONE thing I did agree with Theo about is his right to express his opinions. Although I usually didn't like hearing them and worried about the influence someone in his position could wield over people who weren't going to examine what he said with great detail. But still, he had the right to express his views and he never backed down from defending them or (unlike the Bushes, Kerries, Blairs and Howards of the world) never tried to hide behind obsfucation or half-truths. He was resolutely honest about his opinions. And thats something that these days should be applauded. No one deserves to be shot for that.
So now everyone is holding their breath waiting to see what happens. Because unlike the death of Pim Fortuyn, this time it does seem as though amoslem extremist is responsible for Theo's death. And this is not a good time for that to be the case.
Last night on the Dam thousands of people gathered to remember Theo with a "noise", a big noise, with drums, horns, rattles, saucepans, bicycle bells, tram bells, whatever. It was deemed the most appropriate way to remember someone who made a lot of noise and whose noise generated even more! Lets hope the politics around his death doesn't generate so much noise that everything else is forgotten.
Posted by Faith at 09:59 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 02, 2004
the first tuesday in november
There may be an election on in the States today and I'm not about to say that its not important, God knows, I'd be the first to cheer if Bush fell flat on a handy-sharp-object, for all sorts of high-tone reasons, (world-peace, democracy, his soul) but also for the cheap-but-easy-satisfaction of knowing how much it would piss off John Howard. But as EVERYONE knows, (don't they?) the REALLY big event today will be held at roughly 3.00pm EST in Melbourne, Australia and that is The Melbourne Cup!
Its 'the race that stops a nation', the one about which Australians get all political, poetic, drunk and misty-eyed. The race is run over approximately three minutes and yet the TV coverage starts at 5.00am and continues for at least twelve hours. It has spawned cliches that refuse to die and maybe for good reason. "The race that stops a nation"? well it does! The race that "defines a culture" ? Well as Leapin' Larry L points out;
Now the Netherlands are NOT a horse racing country. They have something akin to 'trap-racing' or is it "the trots", but even these are far and few between. So unlike the States, the UK, much of racing-mad-Asia and the middle-east, no one here has ever heard of the Melbourne Cup. And as they don't have a tradition of horse-racing events here describing it is difficult. No context. And while the race is televised around the globe even the sports cafes here don't show the race live. Well, its at 5.00am.
I don't know what it is about the Melbourne Cup but its the only thing-australian that I feel compelled to follow from over here. So, I'm in on a sweep, (I hope, Cathy?) and when I wake up it will all be over, but I will be watching the video, streaming from various sites. I'll also be showing it to Jacob, his first Melbourne Cup!
Sigh........Melbourne in springtime, sunshine, rain, jasmine, men in frocks, and the Melbourne Cup!
*Even Google celebrated the Melbourne Cup!
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November 01, 2004
The Achterhoek
We spent the weekend in the East, the 'achterhoek' to be precise, or literally, "the back corner" for those who aren't familiar with all of the Netherlands nooks and crannies. (East, in Twente, near the German border, where the girls look like milkmaids from Vermeer paintings and the cows have breathing room). Ron's parents were spending a week in a holiday park, as much of the Netherlands is wont to do. Its a culture thats still a bit of a shock to me but I can enjoy anything for a weekend! The autumn colours were amazing, and the famous Dutch light was everywhere, although I've still got no idea how to capture this on film, or pixels. I did manage the obligatory-autumn-berries shot though! Some photos here.
Posted by Faith at 12:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Movember
Having spent some time recently discussing moustaches (here and here) I was intrigued by the concept of Movember in Melbourne, Australia.
Movember is a very laudable attempt to raise awareness of men's heath issues in Australia but by encouraging men to GROW A MOUSTACHE!
I quote from the web site;
This is the second year that Movember has been held, you can check out photos from last year on the site. Girls who can't grow moustaches are also encouraged to participate by supporting the campaign although it doesn't mention what girls who CAN grow moustaches should do?
Its a fun concept (maybe by Urchin?) although I beg-to-quibble-over at least one of the published FACTS on the site;
I think Number 5 in The Rules says it all;
It may be dark, cold, wet and miserable here in the Netherlands at the moment, sartorial splendour may also be thin-on-the-ground, but for November at least, I'm glad I'm not in Melbourne!
Posted by Faith at 12:33 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack