1 dead 14 injured

A terrible accident on the A2 motorway heading north happened two days ago. A truck drove into a military troopers transport truck, whose driver was giving medical attention to an earlier accident. It happened some 200 meters ahead, and I stood in the traffic jam for some time. I saw dozens of ambulances and firetrucks speeding by. We found out later the driver was dead, 2 soldiers were critically wounded and another 12 injured.
After a while I managed to leave the motorway by crossing some lawns and I found my way through small roads to the next access ahead. Just when I entered the motorway again another accident happened in the other direction: a car hit the traffic jam (we call that kijkersfile), was launched and spun around in mid air. I stopped at the next gasstation and drew what I had seen; I can still recall the scene quite vividly.
Ongeluk op de A2, afgelopen dinsdag. Ik stond enige tijd in file, zo'n 200 meter van de plek waar een vrachtauto op een militair voertuig inreed. Een dode en 14 gewonden. Triest. Na wat omzwervingen kwam ik wat verderop weer op de autoweg, waar (in de andere richting) een veel te hard rijdende auto zich achterin de kijkersfile boorde. De auto werd gecatapulteerd. Ik maakte deze schets uit mijn herinnering, even later op een tankstation even verderop.

Ferry to Maasluis

A few days ago, a sketch of the ferry between Rozenburg and Maasluis. It crosses the "nieuwe waterweg", the main shipping canal towards the Rotterdam harbour. Een schets van de schepen en veerpont tussen Rozenburg en Maassluis.

oilpainting

My first attempt at oilpainting (alla prima), after an example in a book. I am used at painting with acrylic, and I made this to figure out how to paint with oil. Quite different.
Mijn eerste (niet erg gelukte) poging om met olieverf te schilderen. Alla prima techniek, met Talens Cobra olieverf. Schildert toch heel anders als met acrylverf.

Huisje in Brielle

Still one night per week in Brielle. Another romantic little house. Nog steeds overnachtingen in Brielle, en dus nog steeds schetsen van het stadje.

Fortifications

Fortifications of Brielle. Another few days of work in Rotterdam and a night in Brielle. I had already done the oil rig sketch that evening, so I made another sketch while waiting for dinner in restaurant Floor. The little house is the "kruithuis", located on the fortified walls, where the gunpowder was stored. Not within the citywalls, as you can understand. Vestingwerken van Brielle. Ik had eerder op de avond al de boorplatform schets gemaakt, en tekende dus maar de vestingwerken tijdens mijn diner in restaurant Floor.

GSF Magellan

Just a few blocks from the Rotterdam Tebodin office, in the harbour, there is the Verolme wharf where enormous oil drilling platforms are being built and restored. This is a sketch of one of them, the GSF Magellan. It's huge structure, and it was very difficult to convey its size in the sketch. I just found out that these legs are 150m high....
Een olieboorplatform in reparatie op de Verolme werf, vlakbij het Tebodin kantoor. Het is niet te zien op de schtes, maar deze poten zijn maar liefst 150m hoog....

Mart geslaagd

Mart, my son, received the message that he passed his exams for secondary school. Finally!
Mart kreeg bericht dat hij is geslaagd voor zijn Havo examen. Eindelijk.
Brenda, zijn vriendin, is gelukkig ook geslaagd. Felicitaties!

Grönemeyer in Köln

Das Herbert Grönemeyer konzert im Rhein Energie Stadion in Köln. Es war wieder Grossartig, die Deutsche Zuschauer lasten sich gerne durch ihm verführen. Dieser Skizze habe ich vor Anfang der Show gemacht, die Farben später am Abend.
Last monday evening (it looks like a century ago) we visited the Herbert Grönemeyer concert in the stadium in Cologne. A fantastic performance, like always. Most of you readers won´t know, but Herbert is the biggest German musician of popular music; his concerttour sells out dozens of stadiums in Germany, and attracts half a million enthousiastic fans. And a few Dutch.

Hans

Today we learned that yesterday evening one of my best friends Hans Scheepers unexpectedly passed away. We can only wish Jolanda, Iris and Ramon strength with this terrible loss.
Gisterenavond onverwacht overleden: Hans Scheepers. Jolanda, Iris en Ramon: alle sterke in deze moeilijke tijd.

Braderie Hoensbroek

Ascension day in Hoensbroek (posted a little late, I know), there is the yearly Braderie, a huge fair and outdoor market all over town. Impression on the Hoofdstraat.
Braderie in Hoensbroek, hemelvaartsdag. Schets gemaakt ter plekke, op de Hoofdstraat. Het was nog vroeg, voor de echte drukte losbarste .

Molen, Brielle

Drawn this morning, before driving to work, a little sketch of an ancient windmill standing on the walls of the fortifications of Brielle. Just after I finished it, they turned the mill 90 degrees, it was pointing the other way.
Vanmorgen geschilderd, voordat ik naar kantoor reed: de molen op de vestingwerken van Brielle.

By the way: I deleted the former post, I didn't like that drawing at all.

The city & the city

I read "the city and the city" by China Mieville (in english). An unbelievable good book; he describes a murder, in a city who is in fact two totally different cities sharing the same streets. Read it!
Ik las een boek van China Mieville: "the city and the city". Fantastisch. Ik weet niet of het is vertaald, zo ja: lees het.

Maarland Brielle

Last wednesday, another evening in Brielle, a sketch of one of the canals in this picturesque city. Pen and some colours on location, finished it while waiting for my dinner in a small restaurant. It started an amusing conversation with the other guests.
Een schets van de Julianabrug op Maarland, Brielle. Schets afgemaakt tijdens het eten in een klein restaurant in het centrum.

Stuurhut

Another leftover quick sketch, the steering cabin of the SS Rotterdam, the Holland-America cruise ship that is converted into a hotel.
Een overgebleven snelle schets van de stuurhut van de SS Rotterdam (zie enkele posts geleden).