Happy new year

beste wishes to all of you !

May all your wishes and hopes come true!

Love,

Andre

goodbye 2008

Well, that was 2008 and will not miss it one bit.


As in most years good and bad things have happenened and I'm still very very satisfied with allmost everything and thankfull for having health, love and the best husband in the universe.





This year we had to say goodbye to Janny, my beloved mother in law and late night chatting companion. I'd like to say thanks for having had the pleasure of knowing her and will cherrish the memory of her.



So, thanks to all the people who helped to make my life wonderfull this year and thanks for the ones that reminded me that everybody is different but amazing.

Now it's time for 2009 and that will be a marvelous year full of great joy.

best regards,

Andre

crappy weather and hope of bloom

So, it's autumn and all seems to be grey and misty here in Amsterdam. Even the cold, wet weather can't take the cities loveliness away :-).....

I'll wrap up the last summer bloomers from the garden today and prepare for winter. The first winter flower bulbs are in and I need to put them in the ground.

There's someone who doesn't not mind any weather as long as he's outside...... check the foto and you'll know.

Enjoy,
Whatever weather it is !

Andre

pumpkin magic

It's amazing .... watch more here....

the future

Did you ever ask yourself what the future will bring? Should you want to find out where on the time/space horizon you are then this might help ! What it basically tells you is that only the moment is specific that you think about the future or observe something that might lead to a future. Everything before and after that is increasingly uncertain.
My advise would be not to think about a possible future but make the possibility you desire to be the future :-)

Good luck,
Andre

Want to learn more about the future?.... click here !

photoshop weekend

well, it has been one of my photoshop weekends again. I'm trying to find out how to best produce a coffee-table book so I've collected some pictures for that. Still no luck with the book but here already the pictures :-).... enjoy....

things I like a lot - the art of Ukiyo-e

One of my many addictions are online test. Just having done the "What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test" I found out what the name of one of my favorite Art-styles is. It's Ukiyo-e. The explanation I got about my personality ( as goal of this test) has also made me smile and I must say I agree with it. here it is:

Simple, Progressive, and Sensual

People that chose Ukiyo-e art tend to be more simplistic yet elegant. They don't care much about new style but are comfortable in creating their own. They like the idea of living for the moment and enjoy giving and receiving pleasure. They may be more agreeable than other people and do not like to argue. They do not mind following traditions but are not afraid to move forward to experience other ideas in life. They tend to enjoy nature and the outdoors. They do not mind being more adventurous in their sexual experiences. They enjoy being popular and like being noticed. They have their own unique style of dress and of presenting themselves. They may also tend to be more business oriented or at the very least interested in money making adventures. They might make good entrepreneurs. They are progressive and adaptable.

back in town :-)

Our holiday was as relaxing as we hoped but it's good to be back in our beloved Amsterdam ( and to have Internet connection again:-)..... Here's some info about Hejlsminde where we spent the last week...

Hejlsminde is a small and cosy holiday and harbour town, which is situated by the Little Belt.

Hejlsminde is situated by the Little Belt, with a view of Funen, in a scenic area near forest, beach, sights and nature attractions. The town has a cosy boat harbour.
Right behind the town and the lock the bird sanctuary 'Hejlsminde Nor' is situated and further inland you will find the scenic nature area 'Skamlingsbanken'.
The nature, surrounding Hejlsminde, is characterized by hills, valleys, green areas and beautiful beech forests, which grow all the way down to the water.
The bird sanctuary 'Hejlsminde Nor' is a shallow cove with a surface of about 350 hectares, which borders on forest of reeds, fields and meadows.
From 'Skamlingsbanken' towards north, the landscape falls gradually towards 'Hejlsminde Nor'. 'Skamlingsbanken' is a scenic nature area with the highest point in South Jutland (113 metres). From here you can enjoy the magnificent view of the Little Belt, Funen and the area between Kolding and Christainsfeld. This area is characterized by large elevations and deep gorges. The landscape appears lush with slightly hilly fields, beech forests, field boundaries and hedges along the roads.

relaxation here we come

A few hours, some car filling with clothes, food and us to go and we'll be off for a week to Heijlsminde.

Relaxation here we come.

Updates, stories, foto's will be posted here in about 8-10 days.....

Until then.... enjoy
Andre

common sense dilemma

It is a dilemma that vague state of "common sense". According to wikipedia it's :

"Whatever definition one uses, identifying particular items of knowledge as "common sense" becomes difficult. Philosophers may choose to avoid using the phrase when using precise language. But common sense remains a perennial topic and many philosophers make wide use of the concept or at least refer to it. Some related concepts include intuitions, pre-theoretic belief, ordinary language, the frame problem, foundational beliefs, good sense, endoxa, and axioms."

I think that common sense is a non verbal sensation. In its many forms of use it allways indicates the set of standards that a person or group has or where boundaries are.

The latest use of common sense is more tool oriented. "One should always use common sense when solving complex issues". meaning that there are basic instincts in each of us that we can use to also help us when in doubt. So, clearly a personal view of common sense.


The question that puzzles me is " If it's just "common sense" then why is it so difficult to explain ? " ...... nice one to think about

things I like a lot - an Igloo

The Igloo Satellite Cabin from Icewall one


The Igloo Satellite Cabin is designed to provide safe, reliable accommodation in remote areas. It has been used for over 25 years in conditions ranging from the tropics to polar icecaps. Units can be flown by helicopter fully assembled, and often fully equipped, to locations inaccessible by road transport. Igloos are ideal short-term accommodation for exploration and research, as well as an attractive alternative for eco-tourism.
Read more on their site.....

holiday about to come

Just a week to go and we'll be staying in Denmark for a week. Last year we found a wonderfull holiday home there so we rented it again this year.
Denmark is one of my favorite holiday spots due to the untouched nature and the nearness to water on all sides. Here some pictures from last years vacation to give some impressons:

Happy Dashain to you

"Dashain", the longest and the most auspicious Hindu festival in the Nepalese calendar begins today, celebrated by the Nepalis of all caste and creed is being observed throughout the country on Tuesday.
The 15 days of celebration occurs during the bright lunar fortnight ending on the day of the full moon.
Dashain is celebrated with great rejoice, and goddess Durga is worshiped throughout the kingdom as the divine mother goddess.
Dashain commemorates a great victory of the gods over the wicked demons.
The first nine days signify the nine days of ferocious battle between goddess Durga and the demon Mahisasur. The 10th day is the day when Mahisasur was slain and the last five days symbolise the celebration of the victory with the blessing of the goddess.
The first day of Dashain is called Ghatasthapana, which literally means “pot establishing”. On this day the kalash, (holy water vessel) symbolising goddess Durga often with her image embossed on the side is placed in the prayer room.
The Ghatasthapana ritual is performed at a certain auspicious moment determined by the astrologers. At that particular moment the priest intones a welcome, requesting goddess Durga to bless the vessel with her presence.
Interested in more… click here to get a google search on ” dashain”
May this great festival of Dashain bring good fortune & prosperity in your life. May the blessings of Goddess Durga always be with you and your dear ones.
Happy Dashain!!!
Andre

testing Qumana - offline blog editor

Why test an offline weblog editor when I'm online 99% of the time ?

Since our friend Coleen is in Kathmandu and doens't have a reliable internet connection I;m tryin our some offline weblog editors to send here the best one. So, this is the first test with Qumana. Lets see how it will go....

UPDATE - This offline blog editor does not work for me. I've tested a few more but none of them made it easier for me to blog then just typing it online and press publish. My next step of investigation will be to run my own blog using worldpress. Will keep you updated....

Powered by Qumana

Things I want .... Digital Dawn

This is a design from 8 years ago but I just found it and need to find out if it's available somewhere...it's just a great concept:

A light reactive window blind inspired by photosynthesis, 2000

DigitalDawn is a reactive window blind with a surface that is in constant flux, growing in luminosity in response to its surroundings. It digitally emulates the process of photosynthesis using printed electroluminescent technology. The darker a space becomes the brighter the blind will glow maintaining a balance in luminosity. A natural, botanical environment appears to grow and evolve on the window lamp.More here.....

It looks like this :

back to the garden

Autumn is about to enter the garden and I've invested a few days to get everything in shape for the colder seasons. The last week we've paved the rest of our city garden and rearranged some of the flowers in pots to be planted in the ground. Main reason being moist for the plants and us forgetting to water plants frequently. Here are some pictures of the result:





















Hope you like the results....
Andre

addicted to word clouds

and yet another word cloud... this time from this site's content.

the secret of love

It's amazing! In march 1996 I got to know Frans and never looked back. Now, after TWELVE AND A HALF year I can tell you the secret of love:

Never give up, never surrender and you'll always find your way to love !!!

It maybe interesting to know the statistics of this life we spend together:

I could tell you all kinds of good advise or nice tips about staying in a good relationship but there's a song text that describes it all:

L is for the way you look at me...
O is for the only one I see ...
V is very very ....
E like extra ordinary ....

Love is meant for you and me :-)


Hope you may experience the same :-)
Andre

wonderful wordclouds

Being lucky twice in one night doesn't happen often... but it does !
Just looking for some animated gif's I stumbled on this amazing wordcloud generator.

The pictures on both sides are random creation with the content of this weblog.

Next to having random wordclouds you can edit them online in the applet menu. Adjusting color, font and basic layout. Even maximizing the amount of words. All by entering either words or websites adresses.

If you like graphic design then you will get addicted to this wonderfull wordcloud generator !
Enjoy http://wordle.net/create

children stories

Just by accident I found bluebison.net
There are wonderfull children color pages and stories there. You can download 2 stories there for free and dozens of coloring pictures.
The stories are

confessions of a technical kind

Today something very interesting happened. Our friend Colleen has arrived in Kathmandu and we had a Skype video call. Now, that might seem very usual in the connected digital age but talking to friends face to face that are almost 4 timezones away just gives me a big smile in my face :-) ...
Just the fact that we have come so far that we finally can see our friends and family when talking to them is enough to amaze me. Maybe because I still know that this was just a very futuristic idea when I grew up. I welcomed the idea but was more concerned with the available digital devices like my digital wrist watch with calculator.
Having video-called Colleen when she was in the United States, Dublin and now in Nepal is just a wonderful way of staying in touch. So I must confess that I have become quite impressed about all the new ( and improved) ways we have connect to each other and hope that this development will go on so maybe someday you can beam yourself towards the person you want to speak with. Who knows what we think of next :-)....
Never tried a video call ?.... Just test it for yourself = http://www.skype.com

Regards,
Andre

adding a world clock

Did you ever wonder " what time is it in Kathmandu at this moment ?




Well, I did. Since our friend Colleen is in Kathmandu I've tried to remember that the time difference between Amsterdam and Nepal is GMT +5:45 . To make it easier I've added a world clock that just gives me three local times. Kathmandu , Ithaca ( NY time - where Colleen comes from and most of her fanbase is) and Amsterdam ( where we are). Hope this helps....

Andre

autumn has arrived

The time of saying goodbye to the summer memories has come again to prepare us for the colder time that ends the year. For me that means starting to clean up all of those summer plants and collect the last harvest of berries, fruit and tomatoes. The nice thing is that the clematis hasn't given up just yet and still gives some nice flowers to admire.

It has been a good harvest this year:

around 12 glasses of jam from the grapes
about 1.5 kilo of tomatoes
a small bowl of raspberry
a big bowl of strawberries
and one small cucumber


For the first test of what to grow in our garden it has been very clear that the cucumber will not return. The rest has tasted delicious and I'll start studying how to improve the amount of fruit I grow with organic fertilizers.

My goal was to find easy fruit and veggies to grow myself and I think this year was a good start to get even more addicted to my gardening ambition.

Andre

In need of good news?

As for a lot of people around the world my day starts with a quick scan of the news around the internet. Most days that means that I start my day with death, distruction and other bad news.
Of course there is other news around thats report about the good things happening around the globe but that news is harder to find.

To make it easier for you I've found a site thats not about religion ( most good news pages seem to be about happiness and god). This site will give you a cheer in the morning rather then a panic attack.... enjoy :-)

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org




Andre

My friend Colleen will save the world

Attention all decks !

My dear friend Colleen Boland is on the verge of departing to Kathmandu, Nepal to help the
"house with a heart" . That house is a wonderful initiative of a women helping abandoned children and their mothers. Or better said helping mothers so they don't have to abandon their children.
Click here for the " house with a heart " website.

I know that Colleen will help that initiative in Nepal and maybe even find the time to write about it.
Are you interested in reading about her stay?... there then click HERE.

I wish the house with a heart and Colleen a wonderful and productive time together.

Andre

I'm stil alive ... hope you are too!

Dear reader,

Should you ave missed me the last 3 month then please accept my deepest apologies.
I've been busy with the rest of my life and didn't make any time for this blog.

That will change and I'll start updating this site at least 3 times a week now.... promise.


Thanks for staying with me....
Regards,
Andre

sunday garden special

And again it's sunday. Time for the second garden special.
The hot april summer weather has left us and temperatures have
dropped between 5-10 degrees Celsius and rain has come back to
(hopefully) make the garden grow even more.






Here the lates pictures:

Clematis variations


Anemone coronaria (poppy anemone, Spanish marigold)



Hemerocallis - daylily "Stella de Oro"



Cotton Lavender or Gray Santolina (Santolina chamaecyparissus)



Alchemilla mollis, Lady's Mantle,


Everything has been growing well and hopefully the current wet weather will make some of my beauties even grow more.

See you next sunday....

Andre