Thursday 6 December 2018

Writing thoughts...

"Although a writer does not always know what he has written, he cannot write what he does not know."
Just read these words by Ian Watt when speaking of the English novelist Richardson.
Absolutely. That's why I need to sort through this Blog and give it some shape. Or maybe not...

Wednesday 5 December 2018

winter light in Amsterdam

Very busy these days. (It's Sint Nikolaas evening tonight ...)
The city is also preparing for Christmas. Fairy lights adorn the bare branches of the trees lining some canals :

These two pix of the fairy lights are not quite the same!
This is the canal at the end of my street.
I am continually aware of how lucky I am to live in this location. It is always alive, and happily I love talking to the tourists (wonderful excuse to practise my languages!).
Yesterday in the midst of many rainy days, we had a stretch of sunshine; so not only did I sit on a bench outside a small cafe and drink a cappuchino, I also walked along the Stadhouderskade near the Rijksmuseum, and took some photos.







Five minutes' walk from my house.



Almost rus in urbe... what the Romans longed for: the countryside plus the city, all combined.
But I do notice the air pollution.




















Happily, there are still cheerful water fowl; my friend Jenny thinks these are coots (as opposed to moorhens, which have red on their beaks):