There is something really special about this chimney. Apparently the fire place just HAD to be on the outside wall. And thus required extensive provisions to ensure that the thing would not fall over; Especially close to the sea where it can blow hard. I am not sure: was the architect a particularly stubborn one… Continue reading Chimney design by stubborn architect
Old Dutch Painter’s Blog
Misplaced respect
No mistake: ‘Misplaced respect‘ does not refer to the Vietnamese buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc in the ‘featured image’.The video is about (Abrahamic) religions and changing views on the role of the US in history. A change that I welcome to a certain extent on the inevitable way to a more multipolar world, but that… Continue reading Misplaced respect
Dicentra Spectabilis
My previous appartment had a nice loggia too. Since a couple of years I live in this nice appartment with a smaller loggia and with no balcony. Now that I am retired I spend more time on this sun-drenched one. In both meanings of the word ‘on’. The offical name of this plant is Dicentra… Continue reading Dicentra Spectabilis
That iconic serviceman in India 2002
To me this is an absolutely iconic scene. It is based on a photo made in India in 2002. You had to combine that photo of US marines raising the American flag on that decisive moment in WW II in the battle of Iwo Jima with that photo featuring ‘Napalm girl’ Phan Thi Kim Phuc… Continue reading That iconic serviceman in India 2002
An insulting goodie bag
Ranting about an insulting goodie bag? Actually it is about that horrible combination of incompetence and arrogance. Sometimes I get this impression that in no country but mine it is such a widespread phenomenon. And it is not limited to ‘politicians’ and ‘journalists’. This combination is also self-evident for many civil servants. (I have made… Continue reading An insulting goodie bag
Churchill Boulevards and Orwell lanes
The city of Eindhoven is located in the south of the Netherlands. With almost a quarter of a million inhabitants Eindhoven is number five in size in the Netherlands. It had some fame as the hometown of the multinational company Philips and football club PSV.I was in this city for a four-day course of the… Continue reading Churchill Boulevards and Orwell lanes