May your day be cheery and bright. May visions of sugar-plums dance in your head- if that’s your thing. May there be time for a winter’s nap; Watch out for the mice which might be running rampant elsewhere in the house while you doze. All in all a day to stop and smell the roses …
Author Archives: The Chronicler
Missed the Memo?
Across the water from my front door, the moorings of the quay are being repaired. The responsibility for this upkeep belongs to the City,. The work is anticipated to consume several months. The time for work chosen is the non-tourist seasons of course, but the water is cold. In preparation, all boat owners were instructed …
Sint
Sint lies-in-wait on board and somewhere on board there is also a horse.. His hiding place is opposite my front door. He will motor to the City’s main Dijk to surprise the waiting children and parents. The mask-less parents and mulit-generation-exposed public, anticipating the arrival of the Old Bishop. The traffic jam as a result …
Lost in Translation
An invitation to streaming appeared unexpectedly in an email offer. Leapt at the chance: a streaming of the Glass Menagerie* in only two hours time! Ordered ticket. How could it be other than wonderful: starring: Isabelle Huppert, directed by Ivo van Hove in a second directorial effort for Théâtre de l’Odéon in Paris. Full-disclosure: I …
Why Pigs Can’t Fly
They are needed on the ground…. “A group of animals has been drafted in to combat a hazard in the skies above the runway of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands aviation hub. A six-week pilot project is studying whether a small herd of pigs can deter flocks of geese and other birds attracted to discarded …
Driver’s License
No, one may not simply trade a US state-side driver’s license for a Dutch one. A two-test procedure has to be followed. First theory and then practical behind the wheel. The theory is like none other! The test is 64 questions from a 1485 question data base and you must within eight [8] seconds find …
Clipper Race- 46th annual
It is, as they say, a sight to behold. The ships start as they lie at anchor. At the gun, the anchors are hoisted and as sails unfurl, the ships race across the Ijsselmeer toward the buoys positioned at three small towns: Medemblik, Stavoren and Urk and back to the start, now the finish. They …
Art Imitates Life
Deciding to continue my art acquisitions have been weekly browsing the ‘art department’ of my favorite emporium. This department is a couple of vertical shelves stacked with empty frames and dusty prints. But you never know. This appeared: a water color, signed and dated ’05. Would you believe that when I hang my red dish …
End of the Line
Was returning to my City on what was the last train for the night. The next train leaving the station would be 5:09 the following morning. A school-aged-boy came and stood beside me waiting for the train to stop so we could open the doors. At the same moment a conductor also appeared. The school …
Hung out to Dry
Was sitting on the dock of the bay and this sight appeared