that very fine line...

...between humour and cheekiness.

of orange vests, leaves, rants and whoopee

In keeping with my (lately most irregularly posted) a-ranting + a-moaning series, I was about to moan about men in shiny orange vests cutting, clipping, trimming, pruning and basically getting the park tidy and ready for the winter.

It's not about them I want complain though, they tend to do a splendid job at cutting, clipping, trimming, pruning and getting the park ready for the winter. (See that first photo down there? That's a perfectly neat pile of... crap?) What really bugs me is that they are at it, with their heavy machinery and stuff, first thing in the morning making my cycle to work a perilous one again (ahem).

So anyway, instead of having a sulk (I'll rant soon about female joggers wearing the wrong undergarments, another interesting park feature), it got me thinking on how everyone's posting pics of red leaves and brown stuff, nature, parks, trees and the like. Exactly the same thing seems to happen every year. Spring and autumn.

It reminded me of this fab post by the hilarious and articulate Antonia at whoopee, which really sums up the subject in a way I never could.

Really, go and have a peek. She's fun.

Right, next entry will be on shiny orange vests or, indeed, joggers' too often too bouncy bosom.

I'm so b, let's move to denmark

I'd forgotten all about an article I read some time ago until today.

The clocks have gone back, it's already getting darker and the gloom of winter is upon us. Crap. Piles of. (Unlike here, it's just soil, MODgirl. Honestly. Sigh.)

Right, it's starting to get dark, dank and bleh so we should, at least, make life a bit easier for ourselves. Therefore, I recommend reading the article here and if, like me, you identify yourselves with the quote "I'm useless early in the morning. All I can do is drink coffee and stare into space." then, perhaps you could also start the revolution.

I know I won't. I am a stirrer rather than a doer so, please, go ahead, fight for me and let me know when you're done. When the EU has passed the bill proposal and made it law, at that stage, I'll totally be there backing you up. Only after 3pm though. Ta.

No seriously. It's a brilliant idea.

Oh yeah, and their official website is here.

you're welcome

Note: Donation of stabilising soil. layercakelab (in Dutch only)

a dreamy (?) corner view

I haven't been very dreamy as of lately. At all.

With more than plenty of practical stuff to organise and get done I find I tend to freeze and block at the sheer thought of it. Somehow I end up forgetting to do the stuff I enjoy doing (and that gives me mental energy, including this little virtual space here) because I tend to worry about the stuff I should be doing but I'm not. Does that make any sense? Brraaaarrgh aargh bah.

However, I don't want to moan or be too much of a pain (I reckon I can just hear you mumble "Too late, you bloody ninja whiner! That first paragraph was just a misery.") Instead, I will just post a couple of photographs.

I tried to capture this fantastic full moon a couple of weeks ago, but finding myself armed with just my little (if very trusty) mobile phone, quality leaves quite a lot to the imagination.

I have decided not to edit them in any way, either. What you see is what you see and what you see is what you get and what you get is what you see. You see?

So, trying to keep faithful to the corner view spirit, a dreamy evening at my neck of the woods.

To dreamy evenings, restful nights, contentment and the ability to appreciate all the good stuff.

There! I have a dream after all, nutter that I am. ¡Bieeeeen!

through another looking glass

The awe-inspiring effect the shadow of that tree has on you as you swim towards that end of the pool is pretty much lost in these (mobile) pictures, taken through a heavily finger-printed and thick glass wall.

From the water it is beautiful and soothing and there's a big chance yesterday was one of the last sunny (enough) afternoons of the season when one could still enjoy and appreciate the light, the blue water, the tree and even the lamp post. Everything was very illuminated.

a late corner view with a view

Hola, bit late showing my face (so to speak) round these parts this week.

Right, just like anywhere else, there are lots of typical souvenirs one can get in Amsterdam and, just like anywhere else, half of those are not even worth your time of day.

Here's a very brief glimpse at some that are not your stereotypical souvenir but that still are well kitsch (a souvenir must) without being totally tacky, if you know what I mean.

The above is a button I'm about to send a friend pinned to a b-day card.

With it we are covering: tulips (check!), Dutch traditional dress including funny cap and clogs (check!)

Speaking of clogs... I had visitors of the parental kind recently so it's pretty good timing Epe chose this theme now (as I had never in my life seen someone make a clog until two weeks ago.) So, without further ado, I give you a clog-making boy and bird-house-clogs (which I find particularly hilarious but then again sometimes I'm very easily amused). Clogs ahoy (check!):

And, last but not least, le souvenir des souvenirs: the postcard (I like this one so much I still don't know whether to send to a friend or pin it to the wall). It's a sunny day this must be Amsterdam (not!)

Here we revisit the traditional Dutch dress arena (including clogs and funny caps, check! check!) but this time we are also introducing the very typical Dutch windmill (check!) and throwing some extra geese in for good measure.

I was about to show you some bicycles, cheese and whores but, you know, I sort of gathered everyone's seen enough bicycles, cheese and whores (not necessarily in that order) in their lives by now, so hey.

Oh and I nearly forgot. By popular demand, a pic of the new place.

All right, I just made that up (the popular demand bit), but instead of doing some paperwork or sorting stuff out (which is what I really should be doing as I've taken the day off to do just that), let me indulge in some procrastination.

This was the view from my new place a couple of weeks ago (one evening while I was hanging out of the window waiting for some bastard delayed handymen).

More corner views for one and all to be found here.

through the looking glass

(and what ninja found there)

I hate...

...it when I'm crap at tech stuff!

does anyone know how I can properly publish an old post

retrieved from the drafts so that it shows on the reader?

my previous post (c.k. watt) did not appear in google reader.

I think I messed up the date/time and cannot find solutions online.

much appreciated. tech (not!) ninja

a-ranting & a-moaning
-an increasingly random series that will captivate the hearts of young and old alike-

c.k. watt?

As far as I'm concerned the below is one of the best comedic dialogues ever. I'm a bit of a language buff so, obviously, I love this sort of Babel-like misunderstanding nonsense.
Fawlty Towers still makes me giggle every time I watch it. I got my dad the whole series last Xmas and I think I can still hear his belly laugh when we watched this bit together. He's a great fan. It must run in the family.

Mrs Richards: Is there anyone else in attendance here? Really, this is the most appalling service I've ever h...
Polly: Good idea! Manuel, could you lend Mrs Richards your assistance in connection with her reservation?
Manuel looks puzzled
Mrs Richards: Now, I've reserved a very quiet room, with a bath and a sea view. I specifically asked for a sea view in my written confirmation, so please make sure I have it.
Manuel: Qué?
Mrs. Richards: What?
Manuel: Qué?
Mrs. Richards: K?
Manuel: Sí.
Mrs. Richards: C? K.C.? K.C.? What are you trying to say?
Manuel: No, no, no, no. Qué, "what."
Mrs. Richards: K. Watt?
Manuel: Sí, qué, "what."
Mrs. Richards: C. K. Watt?
Manuel: Yes!
Mrs. Richards: Who is C. K. Watt?
Manuel: Qué?
Mrs. Richards: Is he the manager, Mr. Watt?
Manuel: Oh! Manajer!
Mrs. Richards: He is?
Manuel: Ah! Mr. Fawlty!
Mrs. Richards: What?
Manuel: Fawlty!
Mrs. Richards: What are you talking about, you silly little man? (to Polly) What is going on here? I ask him for my room and he tells me the manager is a Mr. Watt, aged forty.
Manuel: No, no, no, Fawlty.
Mrs. Richards: Faulty? What's wrong with him?

Should you have some time to spare, here's just an excerpt of the hilarious Communication Problems episode (one including the above conversation as well as another precious disagreement regarding Mrs. Richards room with a view.)

c.k. watt is one of the labels I've been using on this blog when c.k. watt-sort-sitos arise. I love to say it out loud. We often do in the house now. It definitely applies when people of different nationalities get/live together. Defo.

Oh yeah, not sure whether the actual experience was any good, but when I read this article back in August, the idea really made me smile.