Glasshopper

This 'little' guy landed on our Office Windows™ today so that makes him a glass-hopper. The things insects do, just to get some attention on my blog! Anyways, I'll bet you've never seen a close-up of a grasshopper's belly before. Click on the pic if you really want to get up close and personal with this interesting insect.

Sweet Couple

Two 50 m tall concrete sugar silos from the former CSM factory in Halfweg (near Amsterdam) are converted into modern office buildings. I think they still look pretty sweet (even better than before!)

Still Beeing Busy

Click on the pic to get a better view...

Bee-ing Busy Too

Picture taken during my lunch break, just in front of my office in Amsterdam, believe it or not...

Non-Stop Bee-ing Busy

Replying to Nastaran's photo blog ;-)

My Best Shots

Have a look at my brand new photo blog at Aminus3. I intend to upload a new picture each day - only my best (lucky - ha, ha) shots, of course... You can also subscribe to a RSS-feed for this site! Do have a look and let me know what you think.

European Sand Sculpture Festival Noordwijk

CLICK PICS TO ENLARGE!

Sunflowers

Pictures taken in our own backyard!

Peering Over The Edge

Massey Harris Tractor

Don't know a thing about tractors. But I just love this one.

Daughters in the Dordogne

See-through Leaves 2

Black & White

Green Bugs

White Trumpets

Black & Blue

Black & White in Full Colour

Helianthus Annuus

Or as every normal person says - sunflower. Another pic from France? No, from the Netherlands. I've bought this flower in the local supermarket yesterday ;-)

Glorious Past

Souillac, France. Glorious villa in need of some minor renovation.

See-through Leaves 1

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres

These are the only two exterior night shoots that turned out reasonably well. The lights were projected on the façade of the church - and because these images were constantly moving and changing, I wasn't able to make a proper shot (see entry below about the former Post Office).

Evening in Chartres

Yes, this is the picture I've used in my photo blog header...

L'ancien Hôtel des Postes

This building used to be the Post Office in Chartres, but was changed into a 'Médiathèque' in 2006 (source). It's a beautiful building (click on pic right) and while we were in this old city they illuminated several buildings during the evening including the famous cathedral, but I wasn't able to make a decent photograph of the illuminations there (lack of technical skill, I am afraid). It was a beautiful sight to see; have a look at these pics to find out what I mean.
I will upload some interior pictures from Chartres' Notre-Dame cathedral soon - because some of them turned out really well in my humble opinion!

Fragaria Virginiana

Better known as.... strawberries!


It was not until the 18th century, when coincidence and the workings of Nature's mysteries coincided, that strawberries developed into the luscious fruit we know them to be and began to be more widely appreciated. In 1714, a French engineer sent to Chile and Peru to monitor Spanish activities in these countries "discovered" a strawberry native to this region that was much larger than those grown in Europe. He brought many samples back to France, which were subsequently planted. These plants did not originally flourish well until a natural crossbreeding occurred between this species and a neighboring North American strawberry variety that was planted nearby in the field. The result was a hybrid strawberry that was large, juicy and sweet, and one that quickly grew in popularity in Europe. Source

I bet you didn't know that, did you? Well, neither did I. And let's not forget strawberries are delicious for breakfast - especially with a little bit of sugar. And you need to add loads of vanilla ice and sweet cream to them to enjoy them for desert. Yes, I know some things about the good things in life.

Fountains of Joy

Chartres, France. Girl getting herself some fresh feet.

Just Caught a Cloud

Roses 2

Roses 1

Vintage

Brand new Fender guitar. No kidding. Artificial wear and tear, but I like it nonetheless. Rock on, baby, ha ha!

Rainy Rotterdam

Read this blog entry for the story behind this picture...

Hidden Treasure

Somebody has hidden his beautiful red 2CV (= deux chevaux, two horse power car) in a garage behind his barn. We nicknamed this classic Citroën 'ugly duck' in the Netherlands and in Belgium they call it a 'goat'. I found this hidden treasure and had to take this pic of course. More 2CV's pics are coming - stay tuned...

Forbidden Fruit

'Eve' (detail) sculpture by Karel Gomez. Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. Click pics to enlarge. This artist certainly knows how to give emotions to his sculptures. This sculpture is all about guilt and regret (the if only I hadn't feeling) and it's a true masterpiece, hidden in a corner of a large garden. How appropriate... I will show more pics of Gomez' stunning sculptures on this blog, stay with me!