Winter of 2003
Rising temperature worldwide, holes in the ozon layer, despite all we are having an oldfashioned frosty winter.
Snow and a few weeks with subzero temperatures, for long enough to allow for skating in parts of the country.
And more than enough reason to take my new toy (digital camera) with me on my customervisits through the country
to try and shoot some nice pictures. The water on the ice is not caused by melting but by the rising waterlevel in the IJssel river. Near Brummen if you must know.
The sun setting over the frozen Veluwemeer, and this is my golfing friend Hans on a bitter cold day fishing for cod at Hoek van Holland on a pier.
Not a fish to be seen of course, typical.
The appearance of the street I live in is also transformed in winter. This picture shows that building activity in the area is not over yet.
The church in the distance is in Nootdorp and if building continues it will soon disappear from the view. The 'garden' under a white cloak. The neighbourhood is still
quite barren but the cold has brought in red robins, blue tits and a host of other small birds for shelter. Just a few day later frost and
snow have disappeared again, that's winter in Holland.
Still, winters seemed to be colder in the seventies. I spent a lot more time skating for sure. Here's a few pics to prove that
lots of kids were on the ice having a ball whenever the occasion was there. The picture on the left shows the canal at the Barnsteenhorst
where I lived as a kid. And the one on the right is me with a homemade icehockeystick. Not very professional but heaps of fun.
These pics are on request by Russell. Allthough he might regret asking for them when he sees them. The kid on the left of me with the crash
helmet on is Russell. He doesn't see much ice nowadays as he's in sunny California now. His older brother Stuart is the other
kid in these photo's. These must date back to I guess about 1976 or 1997.
