Spanje
A weekend in Spain. This is the view early in the morning with Benidorm in the far distance.
Canto 4
quelli è Omero poeta sovrano; l’altro è Orazio satiro che vene; Ovidio è ’l terzo, e l’ultimo Lucano. That shade is Homer, the consummate poet; the other one is Horace, satirist; the third is Ovid, and the last is Lucan. Je ziet Homerus, van de heldensagen Horatius die hekeldichten schreef Lucanus en Ovidius opdagen
Canto 3
Questi sciaurati, che mai non fur vivi, erano ignudi e stimolati molto da mosconi e da vespe ch’eran ivi. These wretched ones, who never were alive, went naked and were stung again, again by horseflies and by wasps that circled them. Zij die nooit waarlijk leefden moesten daar Spiernaakt en weerloos door het duister lopen, […]
Dr. No (1962)
Dr. No was the first James Bond film, starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress. The movie was based on a novel of the same name written by Ian Fleming, who created the fictional character in 1953. There appear to be 27 James Bond films in total, and if I can trace them all, I will […]
Canto 2
E venni a te così com’ ella volse; 119 d’inanzi a quella fiera ti levai 120 che del bel monte il corto andar ti tolse. And, just as she had wished, I came to you: I snatched you from the path of the fierce beast that barred the shortest way up the fair mountain. En […]
Canto 1
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura ché la diritta via era smarrita. When I had journeyed half of our life’s way, I found myself within a shadowed forest, for I had lost the path that does not stray. Op het midden van ons levenspad gekomen Kwam ik bij […]
Not a pencil but silverpoint drawing
The pencil was invented in France. More precisely, it was invented and patented in 1795 by Nicolas-Jacques Conté. This is fairly standard Wikipedia knowledge, but it raises an interesting follow-up question: what did people use before the pencil? The answer is that you can make a mark with almost anything. However, for precise drawing, artists […]
Our daily walk up the hill
There is a lot of hunting activity in the region, so Balthazar is wearing a light but highly fluorescent cover. This not only protects him from being mistaken for game but also makes him easy to spot among the bushes.
What?
So what’s the problem? I took a few pieces off the bed, but it’s my bed—I should be able to enjoy it however I want, right?
Jackdaw
Jackdaws aren’t endangered—at least not in my garden. They’ve claimed our oak tree as their hangout spot and start chattering at dawn, only quieting down when night falls. They’re remarkably clever and constantly find new ways to outsmart my efforts to feed the smaller birds. At this point, the garden has basically become their private […]