Kite Festival

Bruges

Pictures

Got privileged access to Schiphol airport recently.

Up in the Mountains

Have been off in the Haute Savoie and Maastricht over the past week. Needed to get some elevation. Now I'm back on the (sea) level.

Down by the riverside

I spent some quality time with my macro lens this afternoon, and found that it is high season for damselflies.

Hot Yoga & Old ideas revisited

This morning I ache. This is thanks to a session of Bikram Yoga that I was invited to yesterday morning (that is the one conducted in 40 degree heat). In a room where blinking, breathing and slight movements to adjust clothing all cause cascades of sweat, you can imagine what 90 minutes of yoga poses cause. By the end, I looked like I had spent the lesson underwater and felt like I'd done a decent length run. I did feel good for it however.

After I'd recovered sufficiently, I then went out on the hunt for something I'd seen in my RPS journal and become mildly obsessed by - the Olympus E-P1. Olympus has revisited their concept form the 60s and 70s of shrinking down camera technology into the smallest parcel possible, resulting in a high-tech tiny parcel of photographic goodness - for example the 35RC, which contained more features than cameras twice its size; the E-P1 itself is based on the micro-SLR Olympus Pen. Happily, I got my hands on one to try it instead of rushing straight to Amazon to buy.



Next to an OM-1, which is not a large film camera

And next to the tiny Olympus e-450 DSLR

So, great idea revisited; fit a fully functioning SLR into a tiny body. It feels great in the hands, is small, lightweight, balanced and has a great shutter sound (never underestimate this!). The main draw for me was manual focusing; but I was sadly disappointed by the feature. It has been so clumsily executed, it stopped me in my tracks to the cash register. In full manual mode the LCD screen (no viewfinder) zooms in to aid focus, however the screen resolution is so low it's hard to see if you've been successful. In auto-assist manual, you half depress the shutter to get an autofocus lock, then repeat the manual process to adjust. However, the screen stays zoomed in, meaning you can't see the whole frame when you take the picture - anything could have changed outside the focusing area and you wouldn't know. The only way to get the whole screen again is to release the shutter, which causes the autofocus procedure to start again. Not good. (The autofocus itself is also quite poor, not so much for its low-ish speed, but for the fact it always locked on to the wrong target for me). Things that could be easily fixed, but weren't even thought through it seems. A great idea spoilt.

The idea is fantastic, and I'd love to buy one, but I'm going to wait for Olympus to sort this out before I part with any cash.

Energy

Beach & Birds

Readjusting

I've been back in the Netherlands for two weeks now, and what an amount of readjusting it is taking. Normally I come back from holidays full of vim and vigour, but this time my trip has had the opposite effect. Having a taste of my old life in HK and seeing my friends again has made me miss it more. Quite a lot of distracting thoughts going on - I hope I can get my focus back soon!

Last Sighted in Hong Kong

It may sound unusual, but I've really missed the heat and humidity and haven't realised it till I got back here. The instant warmth the moment you step out of the door, the hot sun, the feeling like you are walking around in an over-sized steam room - sadly conditions that Holland doesn't often offer.

It's good to be back in The Big Lychee. Let the holiday commence.

Plans

Looking back at this blog so far it seems all I've produced recently is churn out a few photographs and stories about rusty old bikes that, surprisingly, turn out to be rusty old bikes and break. My life is much richer and varied than this, but it seems I can't blog without the aid of a photograph or transport-related mishap. Can I manage to create a readable blog post without these crutches?

This week I will be going off on a long-overdue and badly needed holiday to visit my friends in Hong Kong, with a side-trip to Hanoi thrown in for good measure. I've not had a proper holiday since I moved here back in October (Christmas doesn't count, everyone knows that), and my brain would quite like some time to stop from and take a breather from all that's happened to me in the past year. I'm really hoping that this break will energise me again and bring me out of the routine trap I seem to be all-too-happily falling into (that's the trouble with comfortable places).

Gigs, old friends, nights out in SOHO (and, god forbid, Lan Kwai), beaches, more Indochine and most importantly sun and heat are the ingredients for the proposed pick-me-up. If I look in my copy of the Cultural Revolution rural medicine classic the Barefoot Doctor's Manual it suggests a remedy of 'Xiao yao wan' three times daily, three qian per dose. However, not knowing exactly what that is, and more worryingly the book not explaining it either, I think I'll stick with my own prescription.

Beach

I decided to make hay while the sun shone, and braved a trip to the seaside despite the fairly stiff North Sea breeze. Still - it was good weather for kite surfers!

Brake-ing News

More bike news today as am slightly anxious to report my rear brakes spontaneously, err, broke on the way home from work. The mistake I made was obviously applying the brake in the first place, too much for the brake line which split from the brake handle and started waving around like a snake on hot coals in my line of sight. Most frustrating, as I was counting on my bike to get about tomorrow as we've got a day off - Queen's day. So I will have to celebrate in an un-Dutch style, on foot not on bicycle.


Not my broken brake but one like it. I'd be embarrassed to have such a rusty classic Dutch bike

Extended Easter

I hardly feel like I've been at work this week, having had both Easter Monday and also an extra 1.5 days of leave off. This was for good reason, as I had a visitor come from Hong Kong to entertain! Highlights included cycling round Amsterdam in balmy 22 degree sunshine, stopping only for a refreshing beer or cake; and a trip to Haarlem to see a 5800-pipe organ that both Mozart and Handel had made pilgrimages to play. After all that sightseeing it was a relief to get back to work on Friday for a rest.

Sparta out, Union in

Rumours of my bicycle's demise have, in the past, been greatly exaggerated. Sadly, I must report and confirm its end. On Tuesday evening, following evasive manoeuvres to avoid a car interrupting the bicycle path and a subsequent collision with a bollard, I hurriedly wheeled the Sparta Windsor (Know among connoisseurs as the Aston Martin DB5 of Dutch classic Bikes) to a reputable bodyshop. The outlook was by no means dire - broken front brakes, bent handlebars - but its vintage was to be its downfall. No spare parts were to be found anywhere in Zuid Holland. In an irrepairable state, my trusty steed was written off.

Dispirited, but not broken, I trawled the classic bike dealers in the neighbourhood - What Classic Dutch Bike? in hand - looking for a new set of wheels; but could anything come close to the sleek lines and classic performance of the Windsor? After prolonged enquiries and searching, something glinting in the sunlight caught my eye: I couldn't believe it, and speedily flicked through my guide to check, but there was a near mint condition Union Extra standing in the forecourt.

A quick test-drive confirmed it would be the bike for me. The gear changes are far smoother than the Sparta's ever were, and its taller driving position thanks to the larger wheels mean it has a more commanding driving position. Much more of a cruiser than the nippy Windsor, it'll be faster off the mark too, but I'm not looking forward to encountering any of the notorious local crosswinds.

Extended road-tests to follow.


A Union Extra, lovingly photographed against a beautiful tarp by its owner (courtesy Dutch Classic Bike Concours Club)

Not Skiing

Last weekend I was not skiing in Geneva because of 80kph winds.

Some off-piste skiing I was not doing

Amsterdam

Fiat 500

Hurdy Gurdy

Bikes

Some shots from Amsterdam. My developing was sadly affected by black spots; thank heavens for photoshop...

Gentlemen's Day Out

Our day out clay pigeon shooting.

Radcliffe & Me

Two athletes both halted from running endeavours by a broken toe. A coincidence, or something that happens to all athletes of this calibre? I bet she didn't collide with a sofa though.

Toe with a Pearl Earring (Vermeer)

See what happens when I leave the country?

Scandalous.

Gentlemen's Day Out

Yesterday was a grand day out for our fine group of gentlemen. After lunching heartily, we spent the afternoon on the clay pigeon shooting range, where some peoples' hidden talents/murky pasts were revealed. Followed by the rugby and topped off by a fine meal, the day was most enjoyable. And it gave us an excuse to walk around in tweeds.

Political update from Terra Podiatra

Since their sudden dispute six weeks ago, it is reported that the factions of Posterior and Anterior Phalanges are resolving their differences and healing well. The two sides have been locked in tape (Surely talks? Ed.) since the 'incident with the sofa in the dark'. Initially thought just to have been dislocated, the extent of the damage was only revealed this morning after forensic examination. The fracture that caused the rift between the two sides had, surprisingly, gone unnoticed until this morning's official report, the result of government investigations.

Future prospects for the region depend on the amount of tranquillity it receives, and the lack of future disturbance.


Peace Talks over the shattered region have been fruitful

CRIMEWATCH UPDATE:

REPORT: FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT LAST NIGHT, THE PLAINTIFF'S BICYCLE WAS FOUND THIS MORNING STILL CHAINED TO THE LAMPPOST. HIS NEIGHBOUR'S BIKE, HOWEVER, WAS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN.

CRIMEWATCH

THEFT REPORT: AT APPROXIMATELY 19.23 HOURS P.M. IN THE EVENING OF TUESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2009 (MARDI GRAS), A PERSON OR PERSONS UNKNOWN HEADED RENT ASUNDER THE LOCK CHAINING A CLASSIC 'SPARTA WINDSOR' BICYCLE TO THE LAMPPOST OUTSIDE THE PLAINTIFF'S HOUSE, ALERTING THE PLAINTIFF TO THEIR ACTIVITY BY CLANGING THE CHAIN AGAINST THE POST DURING THE THEFT. THE PERSON(S) THEN ABSCONDED WITH SAID VINTAGE VEHICLE AND HAD DISAPPEARED BEFORE THE PLAINTIFF COULD GET TO THE WINDOW. SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY ON THE ROAD THAT EVENING HAD INCLUDED THE SETTING-OFF OF FIREWORKS SHORTLY BEFOREHAND.

LOOK OUT FOR: PERSON(S) COMPLAINING OF HAVING STOLEN A BIKE WITH FLAT TYRES AND THE PAIN IT HAS CAUSED THEIR REAR IN PEDLING AT GETAWAY-SPEED OVER COBBLES. PERSON(S) TRYING TO SELL A BICYCLE FOR PANCAKES TO CELEBRATE MARDI GRAS.


Missing: Like this, but green

Mardi Mince

I forgot it was pancake day.

Sunday night fatigue

Another busy weekend, not skiing, but showing my parents round the sights and highlights of the town. This seemed to involve doing lots of walking (along the beach, through the centre...), shopping for and looking at the 'European' things in the shops and being thankful that the weather forecast was wrong and we were not rained on.

We saw that the good citizens of Delft were also glad that this was the case, as this weekend is the start of Carnival. Even here in the dour, Calvinist North, people need to let their hair down and drink away the store-cupboard before lent. For those who feel it's too restrained here they head to the Catholic South, where joie-de-vivre is the order of the day, the celebrations are much wilder.


Carnival in Delft

Carnival in Maastricht

All this tourism has worn me out; I'd better get back on the slopes for a rest.

Alpine Adventures and Savoyard Savouries

Last Known Whereabouts - The Alps

This weekend I left the low countries for the dizzying altitude of Geneva and the French Alps. Thanks to the good snowfall this year, there were excellent conditions on and off piste. My off piste exploring did not stop at whizzing through thick powder either; I also pushed the bounds of my regional food knowledge. Having been to the Haute Savoie a fair few times, I thought I had experienced a lot of the local fare - ham, cheese, bread in any order you wish. Imagine my surprise when I found two new dishes in one lunchtime! These being Tartiflette pizza, and Raclette-in-a-bun. Well, it would have been rude not to try them, having climbed so high and skied so far to discover them, so in spite of skiing for hour upon hour, I am sure I descended the mountain a few kilos heavier than when I went up.

Letters to the Editor

Lookalike

Atlas
Sisyphus

Sir,

In an 'engagement session' at work yesterday, someone mentioned (in a positive way, mark) a task that his team had to perform as being 'Like Atlas with that boulder on his back, heaving it upwards'.

Are the supporter of the starry firmament and the performer of the painfully never-ending task related? I think we should be told.

Classics Geek,
The Netherlands

Secret Message

As any true Brit will observe, there's something quite queer in this picture. No, not him, look harder. That's right, the flag's been inverted! The press are abound with stories of incompetent 'foreign workers' in No. 10 being unable to identify the correct way up for the Union Flag - obviously another attempt to stir up the foreign v. British energy workers issue.



I think there is something far more sinister afoot; I believe that the flag was deliberately installed this way and placed in the full beam of the media spotlight by a person with full knowledge of what it means. Someone at that table is sending out a distress signal, trying to indicate that all is not well, possibly calling for reinforcements, and that this person has no other way of doing it without fear of reprisals! Now we just have to deduce who it is, and, more importantly, if we actually want to be helping them.