No such thing as bad weather

Because my promise to publish five easy-to-digest light topic blogs is proving to be a bigger challenge than I thought, I have resorted to Daily Prompts to find inspiration.

I agree, it’s kind of worrisome that I have very little trouble thinking of half a dozen topics to write about when it comes to my personal annoyances, petty opinions and the state of the world but go completely blank when requested to write about something optimistic.

So, like many people who don’t know what to say, I am going to be talking about the weather.

Soooo, the winter is crazy warm on this side of the globe….. El niño sure was strong this year, huh?!

My dad is actually a big fan of the weather. He would always whisper to me as a kid to be silent for a minute and listen to his friend….

*dramatic pause*

…. the wind, whistling past our house. And the rain; oh how he loves the rain! The rain is a blessing that we must be thankful for. Also, it’s the perfect time for a walk, provided that you have the right coat / a change of clothing with you. Feel its rhythm, smell its earthiness and see how nature reacts to its arrival; you are alive!

It sounds quite romantic and idyllic now but you can imagine I wasn’t quite as charmed by his eccentric ideas as a teenager. Imagine being dragged away from your favorite TV show to go walk around in the mud during an autumn storm… Not so amusing, daddyo.

But yah, I actually love it nowadays, all though I still get a little cranky when the cold gets into my bones and the skies are grey for weeks on end.

When I hear people complain about the weather though, I usually can’t help but remind them that there is no such thing as “bad” or “ugly” weather. All you need is the right clothing and a bright attitude.

Oh and maybe some hot chocolate.

And a fireplace

Oh yeah.

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The world through my brother’s eyes

You know those people who can pick up any random instrument and just instinctively know how to work the thing? They just hoot, whistle, strum, tap or pluck a bit and then… there you have it: beauty!

My eldest brother is like that, but not with music (even though he did play the trumpet for a while, in his teenage years). He has the eye. He looks at completely mundane situations and suddenly feels the urge to get on his knees and take a few shots from a funny angle. Yes, he is a passionate photographer and a bloody good one, if you ask me.

Of course I am biased. He’s my big brother. I grew up looking up to him (in the most literal sense as well as figuratively speaking). He never does anything without at least one honest attempt at becoming really good at it and often succeeds. He has top sport mentality that he applies in every aspect of his life and I have nothing but respect for him for that.

But enough talk, let me show you his stuff!

There’s the beautifully cliche…

…the awe-inspiring…,

…and the artsy fartsy:

I know he loves the artistic experimental stuff most of all, but he’s done some wonderful wedding and commercial photography as well.

Check more of his pics out on Flickr, drop him a message on his Facebook or give him a friendly tweet, if you like what you’ve seen! Also, let me know what you think in the comment section, so I can pass it on.

His own website, Photgraphie TB, is in French, but it’s all pretty self explanatory and totally worth a visit.

A good weekend to all of you!

November rain

The time of the year has come that Guns n Roses legendary song is played on the radio more frequently. It killed me when I heard some channels choose to stop the song before its climactic second part (let’s call it the funeral part). That’s usually the part where I crank up the volume just a tad more, for that final climax!

Anyhow, I realized that this is a song that is very rarely covered, even in these cover-crazy times… I looked it up to see if perhaps I had missed some talented garage band giving it an honest try, but there was really nothing noteworthy. I did see a bossa nova re-do which should never have happened and some guitarists giving it their all, but with no vocals.

I know this song may be most loved for its guitar solos but come on! The background vocals in the beginning, the heart wrenching guitar-vocal team up at the end. Isn’t there anyone who dares give it a go? Is it that holy? Or is it that hard? Or has it become that uninteresting….?

I guess I’m just as melancholic as the weather and want me some weeping guitars…

A storm is brewing

It’s been a pretty warm day, for Dutch standards. I’d say it was somewhere around 30 degrees celsius.

The image you see on the left here is of an impressive weatherfront, holding some intense rain and thunder heading slowly up north. I’m in the midwestern part of the country now and expect it to break loose any minute now.

Excited as I am about the flashing and rumbling, it does mean I won’t be able to see the Perseids meteor shower, which is really a pity… But oh how I love a good summer thunderstorm!