Wim Harwig

Requiem “The Flood”

January 27, Marjan sang the requiem “The Flood” written by Douwe Eisinga in the Zeeuws Concertkoor in the Vlissingen St. Jacobskerk.

As an amateur I took some pictures, doing my best to be as inconspicuous as possible, not to get in anyone’s way, not to make a sound and not to disturb the requiem…

So with the 100-400mm zoom lens and a monopod tripod I was able to photograph the large choir from the back of the church, even in ever changing low available-light.

mezzo-soprano was Helena van Heel

All entrance tickets were sold out

some photos

The few seconds just before the requiem are the only seconds the conductor (Pim Overduin) shows his face…

And even though it seems like we’re doing our very best for it… let’s hope there’s never another flood

A winter walk on the island of Neeltje Jans

Despite the fact that it is midwinter in the Netherlands, it was 13 degrees Celsius with a warm sun in the province of Zeeland.
Everything was covered with a green layer of moss and many of the blackberry bushes had been mowed away by “Natuurmonumenten” with large heavy machines.
Way too much nitrogen…

Purslane grows very well in nitrogen-rich soil … and that’s why we saw the bright green leaves of purslane everywhere on the island! You can now pick it to your heart’s content … that is then a temporary “advantage” of the nitrogen problem.

Of course I took some pictures … Due to back pain I only had one camera with me.

I wish everyone a healthy and peaceful 2023 .

#regel17 or #rule17 in Zeeland.

There is a long list of ethical rules that define etiquette for cyclists.
There is also a list that recumbent riders must adhere to and one of those rules is number 17.
To comply with rule 17, it is useful to have a smartphone with you …
But the other rules are also very useful to adhere to!

Long ago when my grandfather had a kind of velomobile made by the local bicycle repair shop (Kuypers in Vorden) there was no #rule17

And even longer ago (around 1917) it was already an exception that photos were taken during a bike ride at all, as my father has been captured here by an unknown photographer.

67

I mounted my camera on a tripod and waited to see what happened.

Just a beautiful version of Leonard Cohen’s “famous blue raincoat”

EEF

Last weekend there was a festival at NoordBeveland near Kortgene. It’s the “Endless Island Festival” 2022. We have experienced two days of this fun relaxed celebration. There was a lot of music, food, art, culture and … nice people!

I made some photos …

have to wait till next year …

Zephyr and Bob-yak

I gave my Zephyr recumbent some good maintenance and plucked the old Bob-yak from the ceiling of our shed, where it hanged for 20 years.

Some black paint, new bearings, grease and a bit oil after a good cleaning was all it took to be ready to roll.

It’s funny that Strava asked if I was using an E-bike.

Our roof needs maintenance

Our roof needs maintenance because the PVC foil that has been under the green roof for 24 years has become unreliable. Especially along the exposed edges, the plasticizers have disappeared from the PVC due to the UV light. Now I am replacing it with 1.52 mm thick EPDM foil.
It is a lot of work to first put away all sedum, stonecrop and other plants and put them back after replacing the foil. And I’m only halfway there because the other half I have yet to start…

I’ve never done anything like this before, so it’s quite an adventure for me…and I’m sure I’m doing things wrong…that’s life!

I think it’s fine as long as the roof doesn’t leak and the plants stay alive!

International Women’s day 2022

For me there’s no escaping it with so many female close relatives… today is International Women’s Day!

Listen to Coco !

Every year on March 8, this music is played by my wife…..

and this old LP is played …

A new offspring is born!

She was born at the time of the year 2022 when the blossom in the almond tree is blooming as a sign that spring has begun… 03-03-2022 . Her name is Coco.

In a time of viruses, wars, climate disasters and economic crises, her birth is a bright spot in our family. Let the world get better and healthier and live in peace.

I didn’t buy and sang along just about all the protest songs and peace songs that were out in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 00’s and 10’s for nothing?

Okay, I admit I mostly stuck with the 70’s and 80’s…. but for now:

Welcome to this world!

lullaby

Headwindcycling, the Dutch Championships 2022

It was pouring rain when I arrived this morning. Within half an hour I was cold and wet to my skin, despite the (not waterproof) rain gear.

I’ll show you the photos that I took anyway.

Fortunately, my photo equipment withstood the rain well, thanks to the good protection that has been carried along in my camera bag for years and which I have now gratefully used for the first time.

There were a number of familiar faces among the cyclists. It is a fantastic event every time it is organized. It is a pity that only a few days before the race it is announced that it will actually take place, but that cannot be done otherwise due to the uncertainty of the weather forecast …

Last time I had planned to take some more pictures of the many photographers who come to this event, but that turns out to be more difficult than I thought, because I often look for quiet places with good backgrounds. Most other photographers are standing next to each other in almost the same place…

Worth repeating … and hopefully next time I’ve come up with something to be able to shoot longer in the rain.

Dutch Championships Headwindcycling 2022

Tomorrow will be the 2022-edition of the Dutch Championships Headwindcycling! The last edition was in December 2018, which seems a long time ago …

I’ll be there … with my camera!

A couple of photos I made in 2018, as a reminder …

The weather forecast is bad for photographers … lots of rain!

L’EROICA

In the country with a lot of cycling, the Netherlands, a l’eroica has never been organized … Why not? How did that happen ? Isn’t it time to start next year ?

Just seeing these videos already makes me happy … I can’t wait to cycle along with such an event myself …

Only happy faces …

L’EROICA (english version) from Edouard Sepulchre on Vimeo.

L’Eroica Brittania ‘Official’ Film from // Hound Video Marketing // on Vimeo.

Docufilm – L’Eroica | Gaiole 2019 from Aldo Ricci on Vimeo.

L’Eroica 2019 from Joe St Leger on Vimeo.

L’Eroica: Eroica Hispania 2016 from Blanco en Botella on Vimeo.

Zeeland nature in January

It has not frozen much in Zeeland this winter. The little nature that is left is claimed by “natuurmonumenten” and treated and maintained as a garden with native plants. The rivers are heavily polluted with polycyclic hydrocarbons, poly- and perfluoroalkyls and other pollution. It doesn’t matter for landscape photography, because it’s pollution that isn’t visible on the surface.

The more I become aware of the pollution, the harder it becomes not to see it and to avoid it in the photos.

The weather forecast was correct; rain showers !

Especially with this type of weather it is great fun to take beautiful pictures. Although it is important to protect the expensive equipment against too much moisture. But … if you are too protective, you will miss the most beautiful moments again.