Saturday 8 October 2022

The end of an era

I am briefly reopening this blog to report the death of my father at the end of August 2022. He reached the grand age of 88, but had suffered rapidly declining health throughout this year. Due to the restrictions occasioned by Covid, I had not been able to visit since 2019, but did see him for the final time five days before he passed away. 

Between 2008 and 2019, I would always stay in my father's house when I came to visit; usually over Christmas and New Year. There were other visits through the year as well. Sometimes, I'd travel to see other relatives in the country, or join my dad for little holidays in his favourite holiday island, Vlieland. He managed, with assistance, to visit that little place again in July. Staying in his house was a reminder of my mother, who predeceased him in 2008. 

Now that my father has passed away, it really is the end of an era. He had lived in the same house for over 50 years, and it held many memories. Both he and my mother were keen gardeners in their day, but the front and back gardens were an arid wasteland due to a summer drought. There is now little if anything to go back to in the little village, apart from the grave where they now both rest. 

This is the Shell Gallery signing off.

Tuesday 2 October 2018

Closure

When this post is published, I shall be closing the Shell Gallery blog. It used to run in tandem with the Atlantic Lines blog, which will be closed at the same time (with a parallel post). My years of going back and forth between Scotland and Holland, the way I have done for the past ten years, are over.

It is 10 years and five months since I opened the Shell Gallery, following the death of my mother. With a degree of sadness, I am closing it this morning.

A new blog is now on-line on: https://cobbled-road.blogspot.com/

Thursday 3 May 2018

Skating - 3 March 2018

P3031318 P3031317 P3031316 P3031311 P3031307 P3031305 P3031301 P3031300

March 4th - 31st, 2018

P3311513 Woeste Hoeve - memorial for 117 executed
P3311509 Cerviduct, Terlet
P3301505
P3251481 Bridge, Westervoort
P3221450 Inspecting the nestbox
P3211446 Robin
P3121386 Airforce museum, Deelen
P3101371 Stork
P3101363 Crocus
P3061344 Zypenberg

April 1st - 14th, 2018

P4151702 River Rhine, Westervoort
P4141686 Migrating toads
P4131681 Fire watch tower
P4131674 Lower a man cannot sink (Teerose II)
P4121667 View from the Elsberg
P4111650 River Rhine between Driel and Praets
P4111639 River ferry, Driel / Oosterbeek
P4081606 Havikerwaard, Ellecom
P4081596 Friendly puss
P4071582 IJsselkop, Westervoort
P4051557 Flying tree
P4021535 Bridge, Doesburg

April 15 - May 2, 2018

P5021890 Railwaystation, Velp
P5021891 Bicycle factory, Dieren
P4271866 Flags out for King's Day, 27 April
P4211815 Giesbeek
P4211810 Doesburg
P4211804 Olburgen
P4201789 River ferry, Rheden
P4201768 Canal, Dieren
P4191749 Eerbeek
P4181736 Deelerwoud
P4151709 Duiven

Tuesday 1 May 2018

Ten years

Ten years ago today, my mother passed away. This blog is dedicated to her memory, as stated in the sidebar. I miss her every day, but would not have wanted her to have suffered any longer than she had to. This week, we shall visit her grave, leave some white roses there and reflect on the passing of the years. She shall remain there, in the sun-splashed corner of the village cemetery in the woods. We shall go on, because that's what she would have wanted us to do.