Furniture

I was at an exhibition about a Dutch 19th century architect. He was called Cuypers and he designed the Amsterdam Central Station, the Rijksmuseum, and a lot of churches. This exhibition was mainly about the restoration of a castle. There were a couple of nice models, some interesting furniture, and a lot of drawings. The thing I liked best was a design for one of the bedrooms in the castle. It struck a chord. I used to have furniture just like it for my dolls....

The Days Before...

Cycling home from work it feels like the days before Sinterklaas again. I don't know exactly what it is, I guess it is a combination of the winter temperatures, the chill in the air, the trees that have shed all their leaves, the grey skies and the darkness falling early.

This is the time of year when you close the curtains before you have dinner, when you sometimes actually have the heating on. Though not too long, of course. When you end your evening with very cold feet and spend the first half hour in bed trying to get them warm again.

I watched Sinterklaas sail past on the Spaarne last Sunday, followed on the quayside by a huge crowd of children and adults, and a lot of Zwarte Pieten handing out sweets. I guess that is part of the association for me. And it is the kruidnootjes I can smell right now.

Painted Birds

I was in Haarlem for the Audubon exhibition at Teylers Museum. All about art and birds. It isn't a very big exhibition, just one room, but plenty of interesting things to see there. Audubon wanted to paint all the American birds and publish them in a book. He did, the book turned into several volumes and is huge. I mean huge. The original volumes are in glass cases, and they are opened on different pages every day. On the museums website you can check which birds you can see on which day. A nice idea. And, of course, you can flick through the books on a computer so you can see all of the pictures. And then there are all the other bird books and guides you can see, you can follow the development. THe final case has the bird guides I have at home. Fortunately slightly smaller than Audubon's work, and easier to carry with you.



Teylers Museum is a lovely museum quite apart from the birds. Its collection is a strange mix, some fossils, a room full of old scientific equipment, a big, beautiful room with minerals and rocks, a couple of rooms with paintings. The museum basically houses the collection of an 18th century merchant and financier who had a great belief in knowledge and science. The collection does have that sense of the personal about it, it seems a random collection, but I can imagine one person putting it all together. And then keeping it all in such a beautiful building.

On the Wings

of the Albatross is a story in the December edition of National Geographic. Their website carries the story and has some film footage.

National Geographic

They're Back

Antarctic Mail

Today I got an email from the Antarctic. Someone I met recently is down there to do some work in the Dry Valleys, that part of the Antarctic which is not white, not covered with ice. The atmosphere is extremely dry there, hence the name, and as far as I know it is a place unlike any other in the world.

I knew he would be celebrating his birthday down there, so I sent him an email, not expecting a reply soon. But I underestimated modern technology, and I did get a reply almost straightaway. I'm used to being on a ship with limited email-access, he works from a modern US research station. It still feels a little odd though, to have someone tell you he just celebrated his birthday in the Discovery Hut and spent his day at work in the Dry Valleys. I'll never be able to do that, celebrating my birthday in the Antarctic winter...

Music. Again.

Two concert nights in a row, very different evenings. Thursday night I was at Studio K in the East of the city. A fairly new centre, a kind of small Paradiso, where three bands performed. I was there mainly because of the last act on the bill, the Brunettes from New Zealand. I liked their performance and their music, but I'm not too sure about the other two bands.

It felt a little like an alien environment to me. The bands were all new, small bands, attracting a different audience of very trendy young people. Spiky hair, big horn-rimmed glasses, very tight trousers and checked shirts. You could quite easily pick out the trendy from the non-trendy. No points for guessing where I was in all that. I actually sat on the balcony, looking down on the people standing in front of the stage. I quite enjoyed seeing the social goings on. Everybody seemed to know everybody else. I felt very much an observer, researching the habits of modern big city youth culture. Quite funny, really.

Then tonight I went to a small venue very close to my own home, one I didn't even know existed, to hear a Frisian band called Souldada play Mediterranean and South American music. Only some 15 people turned up, but the atmosphere was good. A grown up band and a grown up audience this time. I was much more part of the audience, sitting close to the stage, listening to the music rather than observing the whole scene. I liked the music and the performance.

Ouch

I went and had my company physical last week. I was declared fit and healthy, all the tests went well, and my marks were good. The only thing is, I had to take a step test, stepping on and off quite a high step at quite a fast rate, and I lost my footing a couple of times. So since I had my physical my right calf muscle has been giving me some problems. That can't really be the idea, can it?

Sailors

I was at a meeting of sailors last night. Tough people, sailing their small ships along the coast or around the world. At dinner I sat next to an elderly gentleman who had sailed round the world, and he told me something about his trip, crossing the Atlantic three times altoghether. Another man sails singlehandedly down to the mediterranean and back, a woman regularly sails up to Sweden.

I'm not really much of a sailor myself, if I'm honest. Yes, I've crossed the Drake Passage more than once, and yes, I've crossed the Atlantic ocean, but I'm still not much of a sailor. I wasn't on such a tiny yacht, but I WAS on a sailing ship, a square rigged bark, a tall ship. I like the ship I work on, she's a beautiful ship, and that she's square rigged is unusual and looks very romantic.

I still don't know much about sailing, though, as I realised again last night. When the captain of my ship started talking about sailing manoeuvres. I sort of know, but I don't really. I know some of the terms, but am never sure what they really mean. I know there's sails involved, and a lot of ropes, and sometimes I pull on ropes, and I know more or less which sail is which, but that's it really.

The evening before my night out with the sailors I was at a Film Festival, the Northern Film Festival, a different kind of atmosphere and a very different group of people, different topics of conversation. Another world, just like the world on board ship is a another world.

Polar Research

The Scott Polar Research Institute is based in Cambridge, and it is a fascinating place for anyone interested in Antarctic history. One part of the institute is the museum, for me the place to find many mementos of the Scott expeditions. There are cases containing items that belonged to Scott, to Edward Wilson and to other members of their journey to the South Pole. Final letters they wrote, Wilson's drawing materials, Birdie Bowers' copy of the New Testament. Impressive and moving. It makes history come alive, and it is weird to think that some of these items were taken from the tent where Scott and his companions died.




Almost even more impressive is the library in the institute. They seem to have almost every book ever published on Polar science, history, exploration, flora and fauna. It is quite overwhelming. I had a look at some of the books I had heard about, but which I had never seen. I had a good look at the biography of Birdie Bowers. I also looked at some of the volumes of the report on the Discovery expedition. When I opened the volume with photographs on the title page was Edward Wilson's signature! It must have been his own copy.



Visiting this place for the first time is a little overwhelming. There is a whole shelf of books devoted to Tristan da Cunha, something you are not likely to find in many other places. And this includes the books written by Dutch authors. All the books on the explorers seem to be there too. I guess next time I need to take a lot more time than just a day.

Around the time I was at the Scott Institue I also visited that other research institute, the British Antarctic Survey. They are responsible for carrying out research out on the continent these days. A big office building just outside Cambridge, with scientists and support staff. This is modern day science in the Antarctic, no long treks on ships, no two-year expeditions, but modern bases, planes and modern research methods. Most scientists just work on the continent in the Southern summer, you don't necessarily have to winter there anymore. I saw the model for the new Halley station, which looks like something out of a science fiction film, wonderful. Polar research has come a long way in 100 years.

B.E.

Did I ever mention Bright Eyes are a brilliant band? Listening to Cassadaga again I just couldn't help noticing. Fabchannel.com still has some earlier live shows available on line, which are fascinating. Too bad they didn't record the Amsterdam concert last July.

I'm still not sure what it is I like so much, or what appeals to me so much. It is Conor's voice, the music and the arrangements, and the lyrics. The man seems to have produced so much music in just a few years and there just are some real gems in there. It just seems to work together perfectly.

Shackleton

Thinking of early 20th century Antarctic exploration I always think of Scott and Wilson first, I guess I like them for various reasons. Just lately I've been catching up on my Shackleton. I watched the series that was made on his Transantarctic expedition a few years ago. Kenneth Branagh played the title role, and he did that very well. He managed to catch the passion, the compassion and the determination of the man, as well as his charm. I know it was a dramatisation, and in places it didn't look very realistic, but it did give some sense of the human side of the whole expedition.



I also recently watched Scott of the Antarctic, and this series had some of the same features. In some scenes of the film you could clearly recognise Ponting's pictures, in the case of the Shackleton series the images of Hurley came out in some of the shots of the series. They must have been a source of inspiration and information for the makers of the series.

I did feel that much stress was placed on the preparation, and Shackleton's various affairs on land, and the final journey was dealt with relatively quickly. There were few images of the men living on Elephant Island, but I guess spending too much time dealing with that would be a little monotonous maybe. And it all seemed very clean. When the real Shackleton reached the Whaling station at Stromness he wasn't recognised by the Station Master, but the man reaching the Station in the series was easily recognisable as the man who'd started out on this ambitious expedition.

Another funny thing was the role of the Royal Geographic Society. They were asked for funds for the expedition but didn't provide much. When asked to help set up a rescue expedition they weren't very keen either. So I wonder what Shackleton would think of his statue adorning the current quarters of the Society.

When I was on South Georgia I visited Shackleton's grave. A simple grave amongst the whalers, but it does seem the right place for him to be. South Georgia is one of the most beautiful places in the world for me, a perfect last resting place.

Surprises

When you wander around London you can have some unexpected encounters. Only a few minutes after encountering Dutch royalty wandering round the street, I was suddenly almost face to face with one of the great Antarctic heroes. Well, I would have been if I'd been twice as tall, now I was literally looking up to Ernest Shackleton in full Antarctic gear. Impressive...



I've been reading about Shackleton again, or rather reading about the part of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition that he was not immediately part of. While he was dealing with his own little problems in the Weddell Sea there was another, smaller, party working for him on the other side of the continent, laying depots of food and fuel for his team. They ran into a lot of problems of their own, but still continued their work, not wanting to let the boss down. An amazing story, but unfortunately the outcome wasn't quite as good as that of Shackleton's own party. Not all members of the party on the other side survived.

I've also been watching the adaptation of the story of the main expedition for television, with Kenneth Branagh playing Shackleton. I'm halfway through now, and it's interesting. I'll get back to this one when I've seen all of the series.

Mechelen

I was in Mechelen to see a concert at the Stadsschouwburg. Maybe not the most obvious place for me to attend a concert, but that is just the way it worked out. What I didn't know was that 1 November is a national holiday in Belgium and that meant that all the shops and museums and many of the restaurants were closed. It was a pretty grey day anyway, so it turned into a slightly depressing day, just wandering round the almost deserted centre of Mechelen.



The thing that did make it all worthwhile in the end was the concert. It was An Pierlé I had come to see, and I have seen her a few times before, or quite a few, but this was a slightly different concert again. After the tour built very much around the new album, "White Velvet" last year, she now played a mix of songs from that album, from earlier albums, and some new songs.

She wore a shiny white dress with lots of sparkles this time, very stylish and very An. The set-up on stage a little different than before, Peter not way in the back with a full set of drums but more to the front. And An had a proper grand piano. And there was a little more room for the cello again.



A few new songs I hadn't heard before, and some old ones I hadn't heard live before either, like "Tower", which is a great song. She also sang "Build a Better Life", and was accompanied by Peter on high chair and ergonomic sitting ball, a new style of percussion that worked well.

The theatre was quite posh, a real old-fashioned theatre, and the audience didn't seem like An's regular audience. The set was relatively quiet, maybe because of that. The hall wasn't very big, which did create an intimate atmosphere, and also made it a slightly different concert.



I spent a short while in the theatre in the afternoon too, when the band was rehearsing. An empty theatre, just the musicians and technicians, testing the light and the sound. A different atmosphere again. Nice to hear some of the songs in such a different setting altogether.

Teaching

Once or twice a year I teach a short course on Dutch urban planning legislation. Not the easiest of subjects generally. A lot of rules and regulations, and it seems to get more complicated every year. Today was my turn to teach again, and I had to present the basic principles in about three hours to a class of 14 people. The people taking part are all in some way involved in urban planning, some know a lot already, and some know next to nothing. Every time I teach this course it is different. Sometimes I have just four or five people and I get into detailed discussions on various specific aspects, that people have come across in the course of their work and about which they already know a lot.

Today I had a big group consisting mainly of people who are just starting out, and I spent most of the morning explaining the basics, several times. The questions kept coming from all over the place, and they were not always the kind of questions you might expect. By the end I was completely worn out.....

Sunday and Small Corners

Some Sundays you just don't get round to doing much of anything. You write some emails, you tidy up all the stuff that has been collecting in different places in your room over the week, you listen to the radio. Jeremy Hardy was comedy controller on BBC7 today, and he played the Hancock episode about Hancock and his companions being bored stiff on a Sunday afternoon. There is some great comedy around. I very much like Jeremy Hardy anyway, and I like his choice of comedy. And Hancock did make some great programs, not without the help of Galton and Simpson, of course. But I digress.

In the end I went for a long walk to the other side of town, to Diemen, because that was where I had to be this evening. The weather was lovely, slightly chilly autumn weather. Along the way I took pictures of houses I really like, details of statues. I would normally be on a bike covering this distance, but walking all the way you see so much more. A tiny park next to a bridge with a row of statues of children, details in the architecture of certain buildings, a tree growing almost into a house. This isn't the centre of town, the part usually visted by tourists, but just outside. A good place for experimenting with a new camera. There is some very nice variety in architecture, and often when I cycle here I look at these houses. Not bad at all.

Alan Coren

Long ago, in a previous life, I was a great fan of the News Quiz. I could listen to various episodes over and over again. This was the time of Richard Ingrams, Alan Coren and Ian Hislop. I loved the Way Alan Coren could just take off and tell one his wonderful stories. He had a great sense of humour, and I would laugh out loud regularly. I've rediscovered the programme, some new players, still a great many laughs, but no Alan Coren.

Last week Alan Coren died, and his News Quiz colleagues paid tribute to him this weekend. A lot of Coren stories could be heard again, and it made me realize just how funny he could be, and just how unique his way of telling a story was. He just seemed to be taking off without going anywhere in particular, but at the same time he always seemed to end up exactly where he wanted to be. And it still had me laugh out loud. So he will be missed by me too.

A Chill in the Air

Well, this morning it was time for gloves and a scarf again. They say temperatures went below zero last night. And the maximum for today should be about seven. So I guess we're heading for winter again...

Luka in Paradise

Well, I went to see Luka again, this time in Paradiso in Amsterdam. Known locally as the temple of pop. It was once a church, and that is still very obvious when you're inside. The stage set as always, guitars, flowers, Luka seated again. The first half of the concert he used the Spanish guitar, the second half it was Rudy's turn.

He played a lot of new songs, some written about a year ago, some written during his recent German tour. And he sang a lot of old favourites, some unexpectedly. The second song of the evening was one of my favourites, about the uprising in Tibet, called "As I Waved Goodbye". I first heard this song shortly after it was written, when I first saw Luka in concert in Utrecht. At the time he still had the sruti box for accompaniment, which made it special. Then came the version on the album "Between the Mountain and the Moon", and now the accompaniment is on the guitar. He played a lively version yesterday, which I liked very much. And a beautiful "City of Chicago", a hard subject to sing about but it just is such a beautiful song. And good to know that both Christy and Luka sing that one.

He played a lot of old favourites. I was happy to hear "Exploring the Blue", still one of the most beautiful songs he's written. Two surprises were "Chiara" and "The Fertile Rock". He mentioned not having done "The Fertile Rock" for a while, which I knew, so I was surprised to hear him play that one. And "Chiara" is an old favourite, for the name, for the story behind it, for the lyrics and the passion.

He also did the songs that will always make me happy, the ones that make it hard for you to stay in your seat. One is "You Couldn't Have Come at at Better Time", the other one "Perfect Groove". He ended this one the way he ended the concert earlier in the year in the Amstelkerk with "Wave Up to the Shore", no accompaniment and no amplification. A lovely way to end a concert in a, former, church.

For every favourite I heard there was one missing, but that is simply because there are so many songs that I love. I can understand why there was no "Delirious", I would have loved to hear "Black is the Colour". The elusive one for me is "Don't Be Afraid of the Light That Shines Within You", but that one I certainly didn't really expect. It was good to see him again.

The London Stage

Alex Jennings is appearing at the National Theatre at the moment, playing the lead in "Present Laughter", Garry Essendine. He is brilliant, of course. The play was written by Noel Coward and is a sophisticated comedy. The reviews are mixed, about the play, but the critics agree with my opinion of Alex's performance. His timing is perfect, he's very funny and great for the part. He worked very well with Sarah Woodward, playing Monica, his secretary. Her dry, understated comments worked very well.



I went to see hello to Alex after the performance, but my timing wasn't quite right. Falling down the stairs meant that Alex had hurt his foot and had to limp to his taxi. I didn't want to take up any of his time, but he came over to talk to me, and he was very nice.