The painters have invaded my house. They are painting the outside, the windows and the front door, but they have decided to try and do as much as they can from the inside. That might have something to do with the wind and the rain. The experienced painter, Philip, the one in charge generally works on the inside while his helpmate, a Scotsman called Brian, is stuck on the scaffolding outside for much of the time.
Brian is nice but not very experienced, and so far he has managed to break a window and to sand the inside of one of the windows instead of the outside, much to the annoyance of Philip, who ends up with a lot of extra work. Philip likes to chat. He talks about his travels, to Southeast Asia and to Mount Everest, and about social politics. He's very charming, and he knows it. He doesn't mind starting a little flirtation late in the afternoon, and he does it very well. It did make me smile.
Today they finished the windows, or as much as they could, the final layer. That meant the windows had to be open all day. I was at work in the living room, with the windows open, and 15 C outside. It definitely isn't summer anymore. Well, they're nearly finished now, so we'll be alright for another winter, and I'll have some peace and quiet again next week. And I'll have warm feet...
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
First Days of Autumn
It's autumn now. This morning I needed the light on my bike on again cycling into work for the first time. Soon I will be cycling to work and back in the dark again. I don't mind so much, I like this time of change, I like the feeling of just a little chill in the air, though I will miss the warmth and the sunshine. Then again, this wasn't exactly a very warm summer.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Chernobyl Reclaimed
I went to see a film called "Chernobyl Reclaimed", about the life around Chernobyl after the disaster. The animals have reclaimed the area immediately surrounding the Reactor. They are free to roam the area without humans to interfere with them so on the surface this must be a paradise for them. But all the animals living in the area are radio-active, the bears and the wolves, the feral cats, and the birds. The people filming had to wear protective clothing and they could stay in the area only for short periods at a time, these animals live there and get their food there. They move in and out of the area freely and they seem to be doing very well. It's a worrying thought though.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Bicycles in Amsterdam
An American visitor to Amsterdam spent about an hour a year ago taking pictures of Dutch cyclists, all in one spot in the very centre of Amsterdam. They make a nice illustration of traditional transportation in the city. And it's interesting for me to see all that through the eyes of someone not used to it all. But this is just the way it is...
Amsterdam Bicycles
Amsterdam Bicycles
Friday, September 07, 2007
The Crossing
Living here in the big city, where it is so grey and crowded at the moment, it is hard to imagine that I once crossed the Southern Ocean, sailing all the way from South America to South Africa. People wonder if it isn't boring, spending all that time out at sea with very few landings to break the monotony. Day after day looking
out over a vast ocean, stuck on a small ship with a small group of people.
It's not boring being out there. You always have the world outside the ship to keep an eye on for a start. Sailing from Antarctica via South Georgia to Tristan da Cunha means you get to move from one bird population to another. You start out with the Antarctic birds, the Black-browed Albatrosses, the Penguins, and then you move on to South Georgia, where you get more Wandering Albatrosses and the King Penguins. And then further out on to the ocean you get more kinds of Albatrosses, the Yellow-nosed and the Shy, and more kinds of Petrels and Shearwaters. The Great Shearwaters are such beautiful birds, and this is the only place where you will get to see the Spectacled Petrel. And the landscapes as well as the seascapes are stunning.
Getting closer to South Africa you get to see fewer birds, and you actually get to see some ships. Some are fishing boats that attract all the birds. One of the first big ships we passed got in touch with us on the radio, and it turned out a former Europa crew member was on board. I'd been wearing his waterproof gear for the previous seven weeks.
Travelling all this way also means very slowly travelling from one climate to another, just as you move slowly from one bird population to the next. You start out at the Antarctic Peninsula at the onset of autumn. There are storms, the first snow starts to fall and it is cold and wet. You can't do all the landings you might have wished to do, and you can get a little chilly at times, to put it mildly. Moving towards your first stop it only gets a little warmer. Or we were lucky, when we landed at Grytviken on South Georgia we actually got sunshine, and a lovely walk over to Maiviken. The rest of the trip is a very gradual move from the cold Antarctic to the very warm South Africa. When you plan the trip you think mainly of being on the ship and of being down south, so you have a lot of warm clothes with you. And then you end up in the heat of Africa, going on a short bird safari.
What also keeps you from getting bored is the world inside the ship. Guest and regular crew together build up a routine, that people will quite easily get used to. It's all pretty straightforward. There are the watches to keep you occupied, you can be at the helm, help with all the sailhandling, or take on duties in the galley. The list of jobs to do is endless. When the weather gets a little warmer there is a lot of maintenance work that can be done, fixing things, painting the ship. You get used to getting up in the middle of the night to be up on deck somewhere doing something important. In the dark you get to see the most beautiful skies, because it still is really dark out there. On clear nights you can see all of the Southern sky, you can get beautiful views of the Milky Way. You can also see all the luminescent life beside the ship that migrates up to the surface at night. Little lights above and below you.
Living with a small group of people for several weeks is a very special experience. You get to know people quite well and this is a society you have to be part of for the duration, there is no escape. You are stuck together for seven weeks. There are some people you get to like and you get to spend a lot of time with, and there are people you try not to get too close to if you can help it. And people may move from one category to the next between the start and the end of the trip. A lot happens during that period, and you could write a book just on all that. Reaching Capetown is something of a shock after all that, almost from one moment to the next you move from this tiny, secluded world into all the life and colour of a big city.
Travelling aboard a three mast bark can feel a little like travelling back in time. You cannot hurry, you depend to a great extent on the wind to take you where you want to go. When you are not on watch, when there are no birds, there is time to read. I read all of Dan Brown and all of Jane Austen during this trip, a great way to unwind.
So, if you ever get the chance, take it. The landscape on south Georgia is stunning, Antarctica is a unique place, and Tristan da Cunha is the remotest inhabited island in the world and and well worth a visit. And travelling on a ship is the kind of experience you don't get anywhere else.
out over a vast ocean, stuck on a small ship with a small group of people.
It's not boring being out there. You always have the world outside the ship to keep an eye on for a start. Sailing from Antarctica via South Georgia to Tristan da Cunha means you get to move from one bird population to another. You start out with the Antarctic birds, the Black-browed Albatrosses, the Penguins, and then you move on to South Georgia, where you get more Wandering Albatrosses and the King Penguins. And then further out on to the ocean you get more kinds of Albatrosses, the Yellow-nosed and the Shy, and more kinds of Petrels and Shearwaters. The Great Shearwaters are such beautiful birds, and this is the only place where you will get to see the Spectacled Petrel. And the landscapes as well as the seascapes are stunning.
Getting closer to South Africa you get to see fewer birds, and you actually get to see some ships. Some are fishing boats that attract all the birds. One of the first big ships we passed got in touch with us on the radio, and it turned out a former Europa crew member was on board. I'd been wearing his waterproof gear for the previous seven weeks.
Travelling all this way also means very slowly travelling from one climate to another, just as you move slowly from one bird population to the next. You start out at the Antarctic Peninsula at the onset of autumn. There are storms, the first snow starts to fall and it is cold and wet. You can't do all the landings you might have wished to do, and you can get a little chilly at times, to put it mildly. Moving towards your first stop it only gets a little warmer. Or we were lucky, when we landed at Grytviken on South Georgia we actually got sunshine, and a lovely walk over to Maiviken. The rest of the trip is a very gradual move from the cold Antarctic to the very warm South Africa. When you plan the trip you think mainly of being on the ship and of being down south, so you have a lot of warm clothes with you. And then you end up in the heat of Africa, going on a short bird safari.
What also keeps you from getting bored is the world inside the ship. Guest and regular crew together build up a routine, that people will quite easily get used to. It's all pretty straightforward. There are the watches to keep you occupied, you can be at the helm, help with all the sailhandling, or take on duties in the galley. The list of jobs to do is endless. When the weather gets a little warmer there is a lot of maintenance work that can be done, fixing things, painting the ship. You get used to getting up in the middle of the night to be up on deck somewhere doing something important. In the dark you get to see the most beautiful skies, because it still is really dark out there. On clear nights you can see all of the Southern sky, you can get beautiful views of the Milky Way. You can also see all the luminescent life beside the ship that migrates up to the surface at night. Little lights above and below you.
Living with a small group of people for several weeks is a very special experience. You get to know people quite well and this is a society you have to be part of for the duration, there is no escape. You are stuck together for seven weeks. There are some people you get to like and you get to spend a lot of time with, and there are people you try not to get too close to if you can help it. And people may move from one category to the next between the start and the end of the trip. A lot happens during that period, and you could write a book just on all that. Reaching Capetown is something of a shock after all that, almost from one moment to the next you move from this tiny, secluded world into all the life and colour of a big city.
Travelling aboard a three mast bark can feel a little like travelling back in time. You cannot hurry, you depend to a great extent on the wind to take you where you want to go. When you are not on watch, when there are no birds, there is time to read. I read all of Dan Brown and all of Jane Austen during this trip, a great way to unwind.
So, if you ever get the chance, take it. The landscape on south Georgia is stunning, Antarctica is a unique place, and Tristan da Cunha is the remotest inhabited island in the world and and well worth a visit. And travelling on a ship is the kind of experience you don't get anywhere else.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Leo
In my company you get to talk to one of the directors once a year. It is a way for them to keep in touch with everyone and to find out what is happening to the people and to the company. I like the idea. The directors can be approached quite easily anyway, you don't have to make an appointment three weeks in advance, one of the
things I like about my company. But anyway.
This year the talks have been organised around star signs. For some reason I started out in the Cancer group, but now I'm back where I belong, with the Leos. I was born on the first day of Leo, but sometimes I get classed as Cancer and I am definitely Leo. So I had myself transferred back into my natural habitat.
Just to find out what kind of person I am I'd been sent a short description of "Leo in the workplace", written in 1968. It's a little dated, and obviously written for male Leos in the workplace. It still says that the boss has to put some flowers on the desks of us Leo girls once in a while to keep us happy, and to say something nice about our dress or our new haircut. The director is a wise man, and he turned up with a bottle of rosé to show his appreciation for these hard-working Leos.
The meeting itself was interesting. We were nearly all women and almost every one denied being the roaring type of lion. I am not necessarily the most audible always, but I have been known to roar from time to time. I thought it was quite funny that the director confirmed that immediately, he and I have had our little discussions over the years, but we have always managed to resolve them. It was a nice change of perspective again.
things I like about my company. But anyway.
This year the talks have been organised around star signs. For some reason I started out in the Cancer group, but now I'm back where I belong, with the Leos. I was born on the first day of Leo, but sometimes I get classed as Cancer and I am definitely Leo. So I had myself transferred back into my natural habitat.
Just to find out what kind of person I am I'd been sent a short description of "Leo in the workplace", written in 1968. It's a little dated, and obviously written for male Leos in the workplace. It still says that the boss has to put some flowers on the desks of us Leo girls once in a while to keep us happy, and to say something nice about our dress or our new haircut. The director is a wise man, and he turned up with a bottle of rosé to show his appreciation for these hard-working Leos.
The meeting itself was interesting. We were nearly all women and almost every one denied being the roaring type of lion. I am not necessarily the most audible always, but I have been known to roar from time to time. I thought it was quite funny that the director confirmed that immediately, he and I have had our little discussions over the years, but we have always managed to resolve them. It was a nice change of perspective again.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Bird Amusement Park
There is a Dutch documentary called "Amusement Park the Netherlands", which tells the story of how many Dutch people spend their free time. It is a fascinating film. It pays attention to a shopping centre in one of the polders, where the manager spends time in his room over the gate watching people leave the centre. He counts the number of plastic bags people carry to determine if they have bought enough. And then there is the man in another town, who is in charge of the Chocolate Festival, an event to promote the town. There is a wonderful moment when he has to keep a lot of children quiet who have been promised that they can eat a big chocolate bed in a furnishings shop. So many small dramas, so many different events for people to take part in, some completely alien to me. I loved watching this film, and yes I know it is a mirror...
About two weeks ago I was at the Dutch Bird Fair, where I have helped out at one of the stands for several years now. Anything to support the Save the Albatross Campaign. But this year I did look at it all slightly differently. The film maker could have shot part of his film here, and it would have fitted in very well. A lot of volunteers, people selling binoculars, art, and birding trips. Fun things to do for the children, lectures and excursions, lots of announcements over the PA system.
There are people I meet once a year, just at this festival, I meet up with people I've met on my travels in the Southern Ocean over the years, and I meet some new people every year. To me that is becoming the charm of the festival, and some other events like this one. And I like to observe, the people, the things that happen, the characters. It's good fun. So I guess I am well and truly Dutch after all.
For some pictures check the Bird Fair website:
Vogelfestival
About two weeks ago I was at the Dutch Bird Fair, where I have helped out at one of the stands for several years now. Anything to support the Save the Albatross Campaign. But this year I did look at it all slightly differently. The film maker could have shot part of his film here, and it would have fitted in very well. A lot of volunteers, people selling binoculars, art, and birding trips. Fun things to do for the children, lectures and excursions, lots of announcements over the PA system.
There are people I meet once a year, just at this festival, I meet up with people I've met on my travels in the Southern Ocean over the years, and I meet some new people every year. To me that is becoming the charm of the festival, and some other events like this one. And I like to observe, the people, the things that happen, the characters. It's good fun. So I guess I am well and truly Dutch after all.
For some pictures check the Bird Fair website:
Vogelfestival
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