Sunday 27 December 2015

Music on Sunday; top 2000

In the last week of the year we have something called the top 2000. Every year you can vote on the music you think needs to be in that list. I always voted on the music that was my favourite, but I saw some of my facebook friends made a different list every year, with a different theme even. So this year I made a list of music that made me happy.

A few songs on that list in today's music on Sunday; 

Most of the time it's on here but yesterday I wasn't listening and my name was mentioned son said. Funny that was the second time that happened, different song.

This time with a song I knew of course but never even considered if it wasn't for my 18 year old son pointing it out to me.





This band and it's leadsinger has been my favourite throughout my life, from my teens until now









I really think this should be in the list:



© KH

Monday 21 December 2015

The Silent Majority


In every country there is a silent majority. The loud minority speaks up more it seems or they get more attention. Maybe loudness sells more newspapers. You see it in America with Trump, or in our country with the refugees who are being placed in asylum centres too big for most towns.
There is a saying in Dutch 'Onbekend maakt onbemind' Unknown makes unloved. What we don't know scares us. The loud minority screams at the announcement of another asylum centre that the refugees are terrorists, that the men are going to rape all the women and more of these unfound accusations. People follow other people in fear not thinking straight anymore. Fear does strange things to people; they are throwing illegal firework bombs at the police to make their point across. Who's the terrorist now?

People protesting with violence against the police last week
 
If people are fleeing from their homes because they are not safe there, only to come in a country where all of a sudden 'normal' people who have everything their hearts desire, are screaming and fighting just to make their twisted point across, imagine how they must feel. We are supposed to be living in a civilised country.
I really feel ashamed sometimes when I see people reacting the way they do about refugees. No they are not here to take our jobs away. Yes of course they have a phone why shouldn't they have one? They came from a very rich country after all which they did not want to leave but where forced to! What would you take if you were forced to leave? You're phone for one thing right? I would!



Everytime those screaming, protesting people are in the news they say everyone is against refugees coming to live here. Everyone; so even the silent majority. They didn't ask me if I were against it.
They didn't ask the silent majority who thinks we should help them.
Maybe it is time to stop being silent. Maybe it is time we took a step forward and spoke up; You are not screaming for me, You are not speaking for me! Leave those people alone! They've been through enough! It's one world we all share, we should start to learn to live together and help whoever needs helping!

© KH

Sunday 20 December 2015

Music on Sunday; Serious Request


It's that time of year again that we as a country are supporting the Red Cross and a radio station that puts dj's in a glass house without eating to raise money for a good cause.
Every time we watch Serious Request the week before Christmas to see how the DJ's are doing and donate too.
Also listen to the music of course and the music that's what this blog is for; so here is some of the music that is being requested and being payed for of course all for a good cause; to help kids in countries where there is conflict for their future.

















© KH

Sunday 13 December 2015

Music on Sunday; December Songs

I love this time of year, but it's too early for Christmas songs. There are however songs about December as well so here are some; Enjoy.













© KH


Thursday 10 December 2015

Treasures of Britain; Knutsford, Cheshire







Knutsford is an attractive town, with a Georgian parish church and a nicely winding main street, whose most conspicuous building - looking like some kind of mad fugitive from Gaudi's Barcelona - is the King's Coffee House of 1907.




 Methodist church




The Ruskin Rooms building

Gaskell memorial tower 

Gaskell memorial tower and King's coffee house

© KH

Sunday 6 December 2015

Music on Sunday; Music from 40/50s musicals



I don't like musicals, I never did. In the Netherlands they translate the great musicals into Dutch and a lot of the original jokes and meaning gets lost. What I do love however are those 50's musicals with Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra... I can watch those for hours on end. So today some of my favourites; Enjoy!

One of my favourites if not the favourite; Brigadoon;









I'm a huge Danny Kaye fan as well!










there are simply too many to post here! :)

© KH


Thursday 3 December 2015

Treasures of Britain; Derwent Water Lake District



Derwent Water (or Derwentwater) is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria.
The lake occupies part of Borrowdale and lies immediately south of the town of Keswick. It is both fed and drained by the River Derwent. It measures approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) long by 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and is some 72 feet (22 m) deep. There are several islands within the lake, one of which is inhabited. Derwent Island House, an 18th-century residence, is a tenanted National Trust property open to the public on five days each year.



Derwentwater is a place of considerable scenic value. It is surrounded by hills (known locally as fells), and many of the slopes facing Derwentwater are extensively wooded. A regular passenger launch operates on the lake, taking passengers between various landing stages. There are seven lakeside marinas, the most popular stops being: Keswick, Portinscale and the Lodore Falls, from which boats may be hired. Recreational walking is a major tourist activity in the area and an extensive network of footpaths exists within the hills and woods surrounding the lake. 

The Keswick—Borrowdale road runs along the eastern shore of the lake and carries a regular bus service. There is a lesser, or unclassified, road along the western shore connecting the villages of Grange and Portinscale.
Derwentwater gave its name to the Earldom of Derwentwater.
The lake is believed to be the last remaining native habitat of the vendace (Coregonus vandesius) fish from the 4 originally known sites: Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwent Water in the Lake District and the Castle Loch & Mill Loch in Lochmaben.



 Derwent water dam

Derwent water millenium stones

© KH

Tuesday 1 December 2015

With a little help of your friend(s)


(Letter to Daan who has a tough time with something I've been through myself)
 
Dear Daan,

Thank you for your lovely letter/email. I thought it was a bit funny at first; an email on a blog but why not. Since we both are going through the same thing and I've been whining on my blog for ages about it... why the hell not!
I write my blog in English for a while now (most of my whining part was still in Dutch) so my answer is in English as well, hope you don't mind.
I remember the time my ex, who really wasn't my ex yet at the time, told me he was seeing other women, girls really. He was dating girls from around 27 and he was aproaching 50 pretty fast! Midlife crisis, I thought, but it didn't stop him from telling me everything about it! Yes, I wanted the divorce, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt, it also didn't mean he could tell me all about his sex life right? (something we had missed for years!) (okay, too much information ;) )

Still, I get it; a divorce is something weird. When you marry someone you expect to stay together for the rest of your life, you have all these (silly) expectations of each other and all those haven't been realised years later. You feel cheated, you are grieving. You have to say goodbye to someone who is still alive, you have to say goodbye to a life/an idea of a life that you had in your mind and didn't come true. Of course that hurts. It hurts even more when you see the one you wanted to share that life with is moving on quicker and with more ease (or so it seems) than you are. I know, I've been there.



But the good news is; it will get better. You will move on too! Just give it time. Perhaps you don't move on as quickly as he does but you will, only in your own time. Maybe you just need to distance yourself from him a bit more, so you can heal (I know I did).
But I'm not you, you're not me, you need to find you're own method to heal. Sure your friends can help you, but finding what helps you most, is something only you can do. But remember; I'm here for you, as a lot of your friends will be!

Love, Kati