UKATANI

Another local tradition.....mid winter horn blowing..... Check out the video https://youtu.be/esYrrW9X84w Titbits... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwinter_horn http://www.units.miamioh.edu/ath175/student/cusserrp/ See post from Dec 11 2018, about a year ago.

Achterhoek  tradition......Carbide cannons made from milk cans and carbide rocks + water = acetylene gas and soccer balls. It's -2°C and foggy, air is thick with fog, smog, smoke, acetylene gas... From about 1000 on New Years eve till, 0200, on New Years day, the Cloggies in the Achterhoek around Heelweg shoot off Carbide cannons made from milk cans.....one hell of an explosion that rattles windows, shakes the ground and will blow out Yer eardrums Doesn't seem to bother the sheep, but all the dogs are hiding. Check out the video, they serious ! Some blokes go overboard. https://youtu.be/lJ3N-UsidFE    Free Grolsch.....big beugle bottles....with the stopper top.  Achterhoek  flag on wooden clogs  This is how i dress to ride when it is -2°C, many layers for warmth. The bits on the end get cold, fingers, toes, eyeballs, ears and the end of me dick.  Am solving the problems, one at a time.....the snowboard goggles are great...

A long read..... https://paulhardingadventuretravel.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-storm-of-century-hurricane-dorian.html

https://time.com/5675918/florida-search-and-rescue-team-hurricane-dorian/ https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/great-abaco-island-struggles-months-after-hurricane-dorian-75560517849

Have a look at the video https://youtu.be/UO-ocWRq2Ps Now the former grain and seed oil  mill is producing electricity for the restuarant and local homes. The restaurant has been renamed GULLIE SMID, see M's blog for more pics and history http://abacoartist.blogspot.com/ https://youtu.be/UO-ocWRq2Ps

I missed so much the first time.  It was BIL Wray birthday, thought he would enjoy it. Spent more time studying da Vinci art and paintings, a remarkable visionary. See previous post below for more pics

They are huge, apple/pear like and weigh about a half a kilo These two old trees I found in Varsseveld, in a front yard and are about 7 metres high I picked them off the ground on the street side.  Offered to buy them but no one at home, put a couple of € in the mail slot. Ya can't eat 'em raw, really astringent, like an unripe persimmon, but when simmered down turn pink, have a wonderful unforgettable flavour, or and texture. I remember the smell from when a kid in Oz, 70 years or so ago, but I don't remember seeing or recognizing the fruit. No locals here knew what it was either.......

Warning sign, really dangerous, mate... Then these little blokes hopping around Cute little buggers,  rock Wallabies about 1/2 metre tall Even some white boys...

Experimenting with a couple of systems to produce nutritional microgreens indoors Testing several systems, tray and jar sprouting for micro greens, plus the self contained hydroponics and aeroponics systems for seeds, cuttings and clones. Started with a small hydroponics system with built in adjustable grow light. 18/6 8 lights =€ 35 at Aldi supermarket. These are tray sprouted and just utilizing the light while my seeds  germinate and propagate. About a week later, the basils are transplanted cuttings, sprouts are popping and new seeds sprouting.  Will stagger plantings to produce continuous micro greens. This is a passive system, planted in Rockwool or Jiffy seed started pellets.  The roots dangle in water and nutrients solution and the light is moved up as the plants grow  This is an 'AEROPONICS' System that uses a pond fogger to produce mist that circulates around the roots and diffuses through the coarse clay pebble medium, vapor israpped...

https://youtu.be/2j_8NDx1Ab0 Click the video link above. There are no big yellow diesel powered school busses in NL. And parents do not DRIVE their kids to school in the family car. Kids learn to ride bikes as soon as they can walk and you see the little flippers starting off with a walking bicyle ( with no pedals) Usually start them off 2~3 years old. They may start off going to school like this Most  daycare, nursery,  primary and middle are local, in the neighborhood. Within a mile or so. Some typical bicycle school busses. Special bike paths, road lanes and fast speed bike highways between towns all work to keep bikers and auto traffic separated. CHECK THIS OUT https://www.youtube.com/user/markenlei

 About a  10 km bike ride down the road is a wonderful exposition of Leonardo da Vinci, in an old industrial foundry area of a beautiful old town of Ulft Art, drawings and scale working models of some of his inventions, ideas and machines. I found it fascinating and I'm sure some of me mates would like to see it also. Originally made cast iron and porcelain enamel here, bathtubs, stoves, cookware How did the ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians erect those massive stone columns? Lookout over the 'Old Issjel' river that runs through Ulft. Electric tour boats operate here....we are gunna haul the tin Canadian Canoe, with electric trolling motor down here and make a trip. The canoe fits on top of the Fiat Panda. Could not get M to the top of the lookout....it was only about 6 metres high. She tried but found not get up to the top.