Sward of Damocles

 I'm so sorry for my long absence.

We experienced the sward of Damocles above our heads.

'Apartmentization' has been threatening our peace and quiet.

The past year I focused on objection and appeal,

thinking about arguments and relevant objections,

it was absorbing a lot of time and energy.

We expect there will be another building application soon...

but we did win the first battle.

So far so good ★

Vincent's Shoes

According to my dad my aunt painted 'Vincent's Shoes' for me ☺︎

Already the shoes seemed a bit too modern to me

when my aunt mentioned her inspiration came from minister Hugo de Jonge's shoes.

At that time he was ordained as minster of health, on the king's staircase platform.

She said his shoes were made by multiplied disabled people.

Due to the press he wore handmade Portugese shoes.

But What's in a Name?

Besides isn't that what art is all about?

Multiple interpretation possible, it's all in the eye of the beholder.

I just enjoy the 'skon skoen' ☺︎

(title credits: kelderman)

PAN Amsterdam November 2023

 

We visited PAN (Picture Antiquairs Nationale) Amsterdam 

My friend, art lover and 'partner in crime' X

I hope to be back in 2024 for our annual visit to PAN Amsterdam

Recovery Time

 

We love to comb the beach for treasures: fossils, shells, ray or shark eggs.

 Three weeks ago the weather forecast predicted 100% rain

but it turned out to be ideal circumstances for beach combing.

Strong but not too strong wind and (almost) no rain.

Due to strong winds the previous days a lot of junk washed up on the shore.

Rope, nets, shoes, wood and an awful lot of plastic.

 

 Suddenly something caught my eye....

At first sight it looked like a piece of rubber, care tyre or a piece of wood... 

but it appeared to be an upper jaw and part of a skull of some kind.....

So exciting! Fossil find? Doggerland? A great find, we were chuffed!

A couple of days later an expert said it's recent and from a cow.

We still have our doubts so we'll go for a second opinion ☺︎

The next morning... 

a beautiful sun rise... and the beach almost to myself... 

In the afternoon lots of activity at 'La baie de la slack' near Ambleteuse.

Get into the 'Groeve'

"Get into the Groeve" is what de kenderman said to me ☺︎

The Dutch word 'Groeve' almost sounds like groove but means 'quarry'.

Yesterday we visited the 'Groeve van Romont' in Eben-Emael.

As beginners we got a guided tour for a start

but we managed to find some broken sea urchins.

Cleaving a big chunk of marl can give you a beautiful imprint 

The original shell in the bucket of an expert, not ours.

Our 'guide' helping us to saw a small piece from a big chunk to take home...

Blue skies alternated with dark skies and some rain...

The kenders in action...

What a beautiful day, meeting geologists, amateurs and citizen scientists...

We brought some fragile and damaged fossil sea urchins home.

Ideal for practicing cleaning skills...

Wide Open Door

And then, after six years,  finally some action....

 Once there was a time we needed a cat flap for 'our' stray cat Mobli.

Our back yard was Mobli's territory.

He already lived here when we moved into the house in 2006.

Just now and then we spotted him because he was very shy.

He left the premises as soon as he spotted or heard us. 

Then one day I noticed he was wounded and lost weight quickly.

It was obvious he wasn't able to take care of himself,

or at least as good as he normally did, so we intervened.

We started to feed him, bond with him and 15 months later he was on my lap.

We couldn't invite him into the house itself because of our two indoor cats.

If you want to read all posts about Mobli, find it here

Mobli was such an adorable and cool cat! ★

Already it's been six years since we lost Mobli.... time for action.

Some adjustments before filling up the gaps...

Painting isn't the biggest amount of work but preparation is.

I'm really glad with the result. The colour is a blueish/lavender grey.

Dependig on the weather and light the colour varies.

I might change the colour in spring to a bit darker tone.

The door needs a second paint coat but if it will be done next spring... (smile)

BDM September 2023

Although the city isn't my place to live, I love to visit sometimes.

Brussels Design Market is a good occasion for me.

It looks like the collectable design era is moving to 60's, 70's and 80's,

colours are getting more vivid every other addition....

Is so different from our first visit in 2014?

Earlier editions: 2014, 2014, 2018, sept. 2018, 2019, 2020