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Escape to the country

Escape to the Country is one of my favourite programs on the BBC channel. It shows 5 times a week, usually around three or four o’clock. Dutch time that is, in the UK it is on an hour earlier. I do admit people with a large budget, of more than £ 500.000 are my favourite. Larger gardens, larger houses, larger kitchens. I like that. My favourite presenter is Alistair Appleton. Yeah, i go for the pretty boy.

I sometimes dream away of my special house i would love to live in. An old industrial building? A large loft in New York? A house on the beach? All houses far away from my little apartment in the center of Rotterdam. Which i do love! It’s like, i hardly can imagine myself living anywhere else. I am living in this same house for the past 21 years, so yes, it is hard to really see myself living somewhere else. But dreaming does take me away sometimes.

To be honest, I don’t really see myself living in the countryside. Maybe when i’m older and live a more relaxed life. But i’d like to see myself living in cities, as i do now. Amongst the people.

Grand Designs
Grand Designs is another program i enjoy watching. It is not on that much now, and mostly on repeats.

First of all, I do love the presenter Kevin McCloud. Very sympathetic, knowledgable. A good face, pleasant voice. Seems to get along with most of the people participating.

When i did some searches i found this all time favourite episode with Ben Law and his woodland house. I even remembered his face. Not the house though.

There is one other episode which i do remember, the one with an old industrial building, no longer used. Completely redone by the people who bought it. At the end they drove a car into it and used it as furniture. I did do a search, twice. I went through all the listing hoping to see the episode quickly, but i missed it. Most likely it is no described the way i remember it.

inbetween

I do love both these shows. I don’t always watch it. But when i can, i enjoy it. A few shows i found on youtube. There are loads more on.

I don’t think much about alterior motives to make these shows. They could be good for houses retail. They could be good for showing the countryside. For showing landmarks. But i don’t think about that a lot. I prefer to sit on my couch with a cup of tea or some fruit and yoghurt. Dreaming away a bit.

A short selection. Feel free to either watch it on tv, or do a search yourself in youtube or vimeo. Or watch in live on the BBC or Channel 4.

Enjoy.

inbetween

Escape to the Country – Hampshire [16-68]

Escape to the Country – North Devon [16:59]

Escape to the Country – Dorset [15:36]

Ben Law’s Woodland House

Grand Designs | Season 16 Episode 4 | Worcestershire 2015

Popular Videos – Grand Designs

Published on August 10, 2016 at 6:00 by
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Honey Honey

I was watching Mamma Mia last week, and this song came up and yes! Honey Honey is one of the songs i really want to sing. One of my guilty pleasures.

Sex!

Well, sort of anyway.

I was ten years old, watching the Eurovision Songcontest and i fell for them. Agnetha with her tight blue satin pants and bright blonde hair. Anni-frid with her curls and red printed skirt. I didn’t notice the boys to be honest. I bought the single, Waterloo. Two years later i bought Dancing Queen. I know most of the ABBA songs. The Name Of The Game. Take A Chance On Me. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Take A Chance On Me. Money, Money, Money. Knowing Me, Knowing You.

Honey Honey is an early ABBA song. It is on the Best of ABBA album i actually do have on vinyl. Not sure who bought it. It could be my mom or any of my sisters. Or me!

I couldn’t get myself to do the heavy breathing after ‘I feel like I wanna sing when you do your thing’. But a slight little ‘oaahhh’ did come out.

Enjoy!

ABBA – Honey Honey
Honey honey, how you thrill me, ah-hah, honey honey
Honey honey, nearly kill me, ah-hah, honey honey
I’d heard about you before
I wanted to know some more
And now I know what they mean, you’re a love machine
Oh, you make me dizzy

Honey honey, let me feel it, ah-hah, honey honey
Honey honey, don’t conceal it, ah-hah, honey honey
The way that you kiss goodnight
(The way that you kiss me goodnight)
The way that you hold me tight
(The way that you’re holding me tight)
I feel like I wanna sing when you do your thing yeah

I don’t wanna hurt you, baby, I don’t wanna see you cry
So stay on the ground, girl, you better not get too high
But I’m gonna stick to you, boy, you’ll never get rid of me
There’s no other place in this world where I rather would be

Honey honey, touch me, baby, ah-hah, honey honey
Honey honey, hold me, baby, ah-hah, honey honey
You look like a movie star
(You look like a movie star)
But I know just who you are
(I know just who you are)
And, honey, to say the least, you’re a doggone beast

So stay on the ground, girl, you better not get too high
There’s no other place in this world where I rather would be

Honey honey, how you thrill me, ah-hah, honey honey
Honey honey, nearly kill me, ah-hah, honey honey
I heard about you before
I wanted to know some more
And now I know what they mean, you’re a love machine
Oh, you make me dizzy

Honey Honey

Star Parade 1974

And another version 🙂

Mamma Mia

Published on August 9, 2016 at 6:00 by
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Summer

Vacation time is over.

I had to get used to relaxing. Only the final few days i took it easier. Thursday i spent at home watching a the Hills rerun on MTV. I loved it. Going to the garden as well and enjoyed spending time there.

I did get quite a few ideas for posts. Some for songs, some for cooking, some for video’s. I made drafts for them. Ready to fill up with content and make final. As i did with this post, with the photo’s i made during these past two weeks. Not too many though.

So yes, i do feel a lot more relaxed now. Also ready to work again.

Hugs 🙂

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Published on August 8, 2016 at 6:00 by
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The Peace Garden

Last week i got the idea of making a video of the Peace Garden. The garden i work at twice a week since this years April. I’ve made several posts about different aspects of this garden. The organic, permaculture aspect, the weeds, bad and good, the vegetables, the flowers. And the people of course. I had to get used to all the various people working at the garden.

So this is my last post for two weeks. I like it. Lots.

I love the music. Which i have known since it was released in 1981. Double 12″. Because that gave you more freedom in listening to the songs.

🙂

Anyways, i loved them. A couple of years later, when i think i went to my mum, i had bought the Face at the train station. In the train i read this article about a new artist and i sat up straight. Neneh Cherry. From Rip Rig & Panic. Yay! I did buy her album and the 12″ for Buffalo Stance. And her later albums. And she is only around two weeks younger than me.

Enjoy the video. Enjoy the summer! The hopefully warm weather! And if you live on the south side of the planet, enjoy the winter!

Hugs and kisses <3

Published on July 22, 2016 at 6:00 by
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Holiday

Today i thought of giving myself a vacation, a holiday. Two weeks of no work on this website. A time simply to enjoy the warm weather.

As it is the warmest day of the year right now, Wednesday, the day i’m writing this post, this feels very good. I’m not going anywhere, but still, some time off is a good thing. Time to let my blog go away for a bit, not need to think about what to post for a day.

My last post will be this Friday, the video i made for the Peace Garden. I need to work on it just a bit more. I like it! I hope others will do as well.

That is it for today. It is too warm to think of more things to write now!

A list of things to read and watch:
David Foster Wallace was right: Irony is ruining our culture
Youtube: How To Transform The Economy – Nerdwriter1
It’s all connected
John Lennon and Yoko Ono on Love | Blank on Blank | PBS Digital Studios

Published on July 21, 2016 at 6:00 by
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Doctor Wu

The title of this song always confused me. I bought this album around 1976, 1977. Only a few years after it was released. It always ment to me “The song of Katy’. Lied in Dutch means song. I’m pretty sure i knew it wasn’t right, but yeah, it was stuck in my mind.

A very different meaning from what it says: Katy Lied. Which is taken from this song Doctor Wu. But doesn’t appear in it literally, Katy lies is the line in the song.

Doctor Wu is another confusing title. Around that time Doctor Who was on Dutch television. The series with Tom Baker in it. With that one episode which really scared me, in which all the plants were growing endlessly to kill all the other living creatures. Or something like that.

So in my mind i had an album called Katy’s Song with this song on it called Doctor Who.

Completely wrong!

[Official Biography] Donald Fagen: ” “Doctor Wu” is about a triangle, kind of a love-dope triangle. I think usually when we do write songs of a romantic nature, one or more of the participants in the alliance will come under the influence of someone else or some other way of life and that will usually end up in either some sort of compromise or a split. Okay, in this song a girl meets somebody who leads another kind of life and she’s attracted to it. Then she comes under the domination of someone else and that results in the ending of the relationship or some amending of the relationship. When we start writing songs like that, that’s the way it usually goes. In “Doctor Wu” the “someone else” is a dope habit personified as Doctor Wu. In “Haitian Divorce” it’s a hotel gigolo. The details of “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” and “Through With Buzz” are vaguer but the pattern is the same.”

I still like my version though 🙂

Steely Dan – Doctor Wu
Katy tried
I was halfway crucified
I was on the other side
Of no tomorrow
You walked in
And my life began again
Just when I’d spent the last piaster
I could borrow
All night long
We would sing that stupid song
And every word we sang
I knew was true
Are you with me Doctor Wu
Are you really just a shadow
Of the man that I once knew
Are you crazy are you high
Or just an ordinary guy
Have you done all you can do
Are you with me Doctor

Don’t seem right
I’ve been strung out here all night
I’ve been waiting for the taste
You said you’d bring to me
Biscayne Bay
Where the Cuban gentlemen sleep all day
I went searching for the song
You used to sing to me
Katy lies
You could see it in her eyes
But imagine my surprise
When I saw you

Are you with me Doctor Wu
Are you really just a shadow
Of the man that I once knew
She is lovely yes she’s sly
And you’re an ordinary guy
Has she finally got to you
Can you hear me Doctor

The original Doctor Wu

Published on July 20, 2016 at 6:00 by
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Alone

I am alone.

It is different now. Different from a few years back. I felt unhappy a few years back. But these days, this past year and a half, i felt happy. Truly happy.

But yes, i am still alone.

Lives of my old friends has moved on. They moved away. They got children. All very understandable.

Looking back at my old life, i see now i always felt a need to adjust myself. To change how i respond. There was always tension. There still is. I still feel it. It is very hard for me to relax and be myself, completely, with other people. To be honest, i will rather be by myself. It is easier for me.

Working in the garden has added some difficulty these past months. All different sorts of people, with whom it is hard to find the right note. Who say things i don’t understand. I need to deal with that, by myself.

They do not know me. I tell myself that that is fine with me. But some of the things they say are hurtful.

And, as it turns out, some of the things i say are hurtful too. I learned this this week. Strange.

Right now, i feel happiest when i’m alone watching at the world. Reading articles, thinking my thoughts all by myself. Trying to find a place from where i can speak, think.

It is still a bit muddled. A bit unclear.

I hope i am growing up steady.

It is hard for me to talk about with a clear mind.

I am trying.

So please, do what ever you want. You may read the articles i posted at the end of this one. Or not. You can read the quote. Or not. You can watch what Simon Vinkenoog is saying, in Dutch. Or not.

Whatever you want.

There is a gentrification that is happening to cities, and there is a gentrification that is happening to the emotions too, with a similarly homogenising, whitening, deadening effect. Amidst the glossiness of late capitalism, we are fed the notion that all difficult feelings — depression, anxiety, loneliness, rage — are simply a consequence of unsettled chemistry, a problem to be fixed, rather than a response to structural injustice or, on the other hand, to the native texture of embodiment, of doing time, as David Wojnarowicz memorably put it, in a rented body, with all the attendant grief and frustration that entails.

I don’t believe the cure for loneliness is meeting someone, not necessarily. I think it’s about two things: learning how to befriend yourself and understanding that many of the things that seem to afflict us as individuals are in fact a result of larger forces of stigma and exclusion, which can and should be resisted.

Loneliness is personal, and it is also political. Loneliness is collective; it is a city. As to how to inhabit it, there are no rules and nor is there any need to feel shame, only to remember that the pursuit of individual happiness does not trump or excuse our obligations to each another. We are in this together, this accumulation of scars, this world of objects, this physical and temporary heaven that so often takes on the countenance of hell. What matters is kindness; what matters is solidarity. What matters is staying alert, staying open, because if we know anything from what has gone before us, it is that the time for feeling will not last. (Source: The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone)

Simon Vinkenoog – Je bent nooit alleen

inbetween

Casual Sex: Everyone Is Doing It

Animals think, therefore…

The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone

How technology disrupted the truth

Adventures in the Trump Twittersphere

Only the lonely

Published on July 15, 2016 at 6:00 by
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Video clips

Today, Wednesday, i got a new idea for a video. Strange it didn’t come up before. I will make a video in the garden. Already searching for the right music. Not sure how i will do it. People or no people? The garden from a distance, for an overview. The garden up close, the flowers, the insects, butterflies, worms. The plants, the fruits, the vegetables.

I will start this Friday. Looking forward to it.

As a reminder, a repeat of the video’s i made sofar.

Enjoy!

Ads

The stairs

Life

Searching for Mr. Right

Selfie

Rotterdam – The people

Rotterdam – Bridges and buildings

The beach

My house

Rotterdam – Het Kralingse Bos

Rotterdam – Around the house

Published on July 14, 2016 at 6:00 by
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