Picking a topic to write about, and the Bijlmermonument


Link naar deze blogpost in het NEDERLANDS

Picking a topic and making a list

For me, it’s not so much a problem to think what to write about. Rather, to pick one of the many possibilities, and not trying to do them all at once. So as soon as I’ve done my two daily posts ( E and NL) , I will start making a list in Evernote with possible topics, so that I can keep track of all the ideas that come up. Or better, let me open Evernote right away, and jot ideas down as they pop into my head… 🙂

The Bijlmermonument

Yesterday October 4, it was the 22 anniversary remembrance day of the Bijlmer disaster, when an El Al plain crashed in two of the Bijlmer apartment buildings, and 43 people died, with many more injured and traumatized.

I couldn’t be there at the remembrance ceremony, but we’re living so close by the monument that we could hear the music in our living rooms, and I could see still some people around when I passed there later that evening.

22 years ago, and people still remember… This year, the ceremony had a special accent, in the light of the recent disaster with the MH17 in Ukraine, where 298 people died, among whom 196 Dutch. This recent disaster brought so many memories back for people in the Bijlmer, and they expressed their sympathy to the victims and their families and relatives now…

Advise from the Bijlmer to the family and relatives of MH17 victims: make sure there comes a monument, and often seek one another’s company and support – always remember! …

the Bijlmermonument
the Bijlmermonument, with the tree that saw everything, the remembrance wall and the mosaic tiles, photographed sept. 2012

Stepping up my game ?


Link naar parallel blog in het NEDERLANDS

Yes, I so would like to be able to post a little bit more regularly – let us say…. ehmmm… daily??? OMG – Why is it so hard to commit to that? Only a few sentences and maybe a photo every now and then would be enough, right?

My big difficulty is that I would like to do regular blogs as well on my English as on my Dutch blog. So indeed, that’s double work.  And I’m aware that I am so unreliable when it comes to keeping up with my ‘daily’ resolutions… But why not giving it a try anyway? Shall I start today?… I DID!!

Full moon, photographed on sept. 8, 2014
Full moon, photographed on sept. 8, 2014

Give me one too…


Family, mom dad and kids, with red bicycles eating salted chips - Amsterdam Street photography
Give me one too

‘Streets of Amsterdam’-series

Family, mom, dad and kids, with rented red Mac Bike bicycles, in the busy touristic centre of Amsterdam. The boy and girl in front of the carrier bicycle eating salted chips, and sharing some with dad – Amsterdam Street photography

Central Station selfie


Two ladies friends taking a selfie at Amsterdam Central Station Street Photography
‘We’ve been in Amsterdam’

‘Streets of Amsterdam’-series

Two lady friends in Amsterdam – just arrived at Central Station, so first things first: let the world know… “We’ve been in Amsterdam!” 🙂

Red Parrot, the Scarlet Macaw – portrait


Bekijk mijn parallel blog in het NEDERLANDS

 

Scarlet Macaw
Scarlet Macaw

Another beautiful bird, photographed in Pairi Daiza, a marvellous themed zoo in Brugelette, Belgium
This red, blue and yellow parrot, the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), is native to humid evergreen forests of tropical South America. It has suffered from local extinction through habitat destruction and capture for the parrot trade, but locally it remains fairly common. This colourful parrot is on the IUCN list of threatened species, status: Least concern (source: Wikipedia)

My new Greeting Cards store at GCU


Yesterday, July 23, I ‘celebrated’ that it was exactly 2 months ago that my first card was approved at GCU (Greeting Cards Universe). After two months of tedious work, I’m happy to see that, with 30 cards approved, and 108 more cards uploaded and still pending, my little card store there is getting some shape and volume. Now, I’m counting hours till the reviewers, within a few days hopefully, will reach my first cards in the waiting queue, which I submitted on a rate of 2 or 3 a day … So as from now, hopefully, a few new cards will be added to my store every day!
Time to start thinking about a surprise welcome action on the occasion of my “Official Opening” on Friday August 23 !! More news about that soon!
HINT!: One little hint already: If you go over to have a look at my store, be sure to leave a comment under “Testimonial” (scroll down to the bottom of the page) – All comments, suggestions and feed back are most welcome! Thank you for your visit!

Steppeland-GCU-Banner
Welcome to visit my store and shop my cards!

Please do leave a Testimonial message!

30 days ‘Shapes’ – week 1 ‘Rectangles’ – overview


At the moment, I am participating in a challenge at Worth1000 to make and upload 1 picture a day.

My theme is “Shapes”, and in week one, I was focussing on “Rectangles”

I tried to approach this theme in an eclectic way, and to find an as varied as possible collection of subjects, matching the ‘rectangles’ shape.

So here is my first week’s collection (+1 extra):

Time... The memorial gallery and the tree that saw everything Little bears exploring the desk drawers Grazing under the bridge

Early breakfast Let's unload and deliver this, mate Windows on the world "Tell me where you were born"

For week 2, the focus will be on “Squares and rhombuses”
You can follow my daily attempts to explore these shapes on my Dutch Blog or on Flickr :SHAPES ~Steppeland

The blogs or Flickr photo streams/sets of my fellow participants in this challenge, you can find here (hover over the names to see their themes):

celticfrogreviews , kimbomac , sgatanstu, akhenatenor, KatDanson , justjess1974 , CraigMc , Dimfja aka Bruce UC4SP , Secretatlantis , Ercolano , LunaStone , Lmorrow57 , meaghan900 , Kenght , darynthe , MadamMtnLion

30 days… 1 pic a day


At the moment, I am participating in a challenge at Worth1000 to make and upload 1 picture a day.

My theme is “Shapes”, and we’re in week one, where I am focussing on “Rectangles” – You can follow my attempts on my Dutch Blog or on Flickr :SHAPES ~Steppeland

The blogs or Flickr photostreams/sets of my fellow participants in this challenge, you can find here:

celticfrogreviews , kimbomac , sgatanstu, akhenatenorKatDanson , justjess1974 , CraigMc , Dimfja aka Bruce UC4SP , Secretatlantis , Ercolano , LunaStone , Lmorrow57 , meaghan900 , Kenghtdarynthe , MadamMtnLion

Tiny beauty


Tiny beauty

Last Saturday, we had our monthly workday with the Bijlmerweide volunteers. For me an occasion to, afterwards, still pass by the three little experimental grasslands, where we are making an inventory of the wildflowers growing there. Although from a distance, the grasslands still look very ‘barren’, there were already quite some early spring flowers to be found… Only, one has to bend deep to find them 😉 – This little beauty, klimopereprijs (Veronica hederifolia), was found and photographed on grassland 1 – and also found on grassland 2 and 3. March 17, 2012


Big Eyes…


Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) photographed in Artis Amsterdam Zoo today – Such a warm and soft plumage, and such big eyes…  – cute little thing 🙂

Of course I made a lot more photo’s but this was one of the first ones I edited, so, liked to share it here already..