zondag 29 juni 2008
zaterdag 28 juni 2008
Chicken pox follow-up
The chicken pox episode turned out not to be so easy as I thought it would be. After travelling to Sweden, our son became quite sick and more and more (and more and more and more...) red dots appeared. On most of the holiday pictures he looks quite sad, pale and in a bad mood. Albeit we had a good time.
donderdag 19 juni 2008
Rzewski
In between the dishwasher and the half-packed suitcases I heard a very beautiful piece of Music on Radio Klara: Frederic Rzewski: 'The People United will never be defeated' (1975) (played by Ralph van Raat, piano). I'd never heard of this composer but apparently he's an American (°1938) based in Belgium. His piece 'The People United will never be defeated' consists of 36 virtuoso piano variations on the Sergio Ortega song 'El pueblo unido jamás será vencido'. It is conceived as a companion piece to Beethoven's 'Diabelli Variations'.
I certainly put this one on my wish list.
As well as the Swedish jazz musician Jan Johansson.
I certainly put this one on my wish list.
As well as the Swedish jazz musician Jan Johansson.
woensdag 18 juni 2008
Sweden
On Saturday we'll be leaving for a short break in Sweden. We're heading to the South Swedish province of Skane. Seemingly a very beautiful and rural area near the East Sea. This is what the holiday house looks like:
It's an old schoolhouse built in 1855. It was used as a school until 1902, when it became too small. It reminds me of both Strindberg and Bergman.
The picture comes from the web site I used to book the house: http://www.bureauscandinavia.be/
It's an old schoolhouse built in 1855. It was used as a school until 1902, when it became too small. It reminds me of both Strindberg and Bergman.
The picture comes from the web site I used to book the house: http://www.bureauscandinavia.be/
dinsdag 17 juni 2008
Chateau de Wolvendach, Brussegheme
The postcard story continues. Instead of receiving the two Gabrielle Petit postcards I bought on e-bay, I got one Gabrielle Petit postcard and one of the 'Monument de Mérode' in Brussels. Apparently the second Petit postcard became victim of an over-active toddler and a cup of coffee and the seller sent me the Mérode card instead. At first I was somewhat disappointed. But when I took a closer look a the postcard, I saw it was presumably sent on the 9th of January 1918. For a World War I adept, this is thrilling enough.
The card was sent to a Mademoiselle Lucie Nérenne by her friend Madame Marie Ost (?) of St. Gilles. (St. Gilles now happens to be the district where Petit was imprisoned before her execution.) But hat made me curious most was that Mademoiselle Nérenne lived at the Chateau de Wolvendach in the Belgian town of Brussegem (previously and in French called Brussegheme), part of Merchtem. I doubt she was a noblewoman; probablye she was a servant there (she is addressed as 'Mademoiselle', so she is unmarried + her first name 'Lucie' sounds rather common). The white pages learn that today there's no one with that name (Nérenne) in the whole of Belgium, so she probably wasn't a descendent from a noble family. I did some research on the 'Chateau de Wolvendach' in Brussegem. First, there only is the Castle in Ossel (a part of Brussegem), but exept for the presence of two huge and very old trees (called 'mamoetbomen') in its neighbourhood, it doesn't seem a major tourist attraction. So far I haven't found any more information about it. The name of 'Wolvendach' - which sounds very very German - doesn't ring a bell either. No hits when I google it. :-( If I link the name to the wartime period, I guess the castle (or manor) could have been temporarilly requested by the German army; and Mademoiselle Nérenne could have been a servant there, 'sous le joug allemand'. A young girl who left her home (in St. Gilles maybe) before the war to go and work for a well-to-do family outside the capital) Madame Marie Ost (?), the sender of the postcard lived in the Rue Neufchatels in St. Gilles. Today, a 'Rue de Neufchatel' exists in St. Gilles, not exactly the same name, but maybe just some minor spelling changes made of the years. It crosses de Chaussée de Charleroi. From the postal stamp, I deduct the postcard was stamped in the postal office of the Chaussée de Charleroi. It seems only logical that in the winter of 1917-1918- while Brussels was occupied by the Germans - a married woman would mail a postcard to a friend from the nearest post office or postal box.
Curiously - but not completely uncommon those days - there's no message on the postcard. Only the two addresses. What would to women - old friends maybe - write to each other in the midst of the war. While the youngest of the two (?) was working on a Chateau out of town? Surely the German censor would read along. On the front side of the postcard there's the statue of Frederic de Mérode on the 'Place des martyrs' in Brussels. It was made by sculptor Paul Dubois and erected in 1898. Now, Frederic de Mérode - Compte Louis-Frédéric-Ghislain de Merode - born in Maastricht in 1792, was deadly wounded in the city of Berchem on October 24th 1830, during the Belgian independence 'battle'. In 1830 the Belgians freed themselves from the Dutch occupier and became independent. So in fact, this is another postcard of a Belgian national martyr! I don't think it is too bold to suggest now that Marie Ost (?) sent a warm patriotic sign to her friend. Remember 1830: the Belgians have overcome foreign occupiers before!
The card was sent to a Mademoiselle Lucie Nérenne by her friend Madame Marie Ost (?) of St. Gilles. (St. Gilles now happens to be the district where Petit was imprisoned before her execution.) But hat made me curious most was that Mademoiselle Nérenne lived at the Chateau de Wolvendach in the Belgian town of Brussegem (previously and in French called Brussegheme), part of Merchtem. I doubt she was a noblewoman; probablye she was a servant there (she is addressed as 'Mademoiselle', so she is unmarried + her first name 'Lucie' sounds rather common). The white pages learn that today there's no one with that name (Nérenne) in the whole of Belgium, so she probably wasn't a descendent from a noble family. I did some research on the 'Chateau de Wolvendach' in Brussegem. First, there only is the Castle in Ossel (a part of Brussegem), but exept for the presence of two huge and very old trees (called 'mamoetbomen') in its neighbourhood, it doesn't seem a major tourist attraction. So far I haven't found any more information about it. The name of 'Wolvendach' - which sounds very very German - doesn't ring a bell either. No hits when I google it. :-( If I link the name to the wartime period, I guess the castle (or manor) could have been temporarilly requested by the German army; and Mademoiselle Nérenne could have been a servant there, 'sous le joug allemand'. A young girl who left her home (in St. Gilles maybe) before the war to go and work for a well-to-do family outside the capital) Madame Marie Ost (?), the sender of the postcard lived in the Rue Neufchatels in St. Gilles. Today, a 'Rue de Neufchatel' exists in St. Gilles, not exactly the same name, but maybe just some minor spelling changes made of the years. It crosses de Chaussée de Charleroi. From the postal stamp, I deduct the postcard was stamped in the postal office of the Chaussée de Charleroi. It seems only logical that in the winter of 1917-1918- while Brussels was occupied by the Germans - a married woman would mail a postcard to a friend from the nearest post office or postal box.
Curiously - but not completely uncommon those days - there's no message on the postcard. Only the two addresses. What would to women - old friends maybe - write to each other in the midst of the war. While the youngest of the two (?) was working on a Chateau out of town? Surely the German censor would read along. On the front side of the postcard there's the statue of Frederic de Mérode on the 'Place des martyrs' in Brussels. It was made by sculptor Paul Dubois and erected in 1898. Now, Frederic de Mérode - Compte Louis-Frédéric-Ghislain de Merode - born in Maastricht in 1792, was deadly wounded in the city of Berchem on October 24th 1830, during the Belgian independence 'battle'. In 1830 the Belgians freed themselves from the Dutch occupier and became independent. So in fact, this is another postcard of a Belgian national martyr! I don't think it is too bold to suggest now that Marie Ost (?) sent a warm patriotic sign to her friend. Remember 1830: the Belgians have overcome foreign occupiers before!
Moving hands
My friend 'Memento' is trying to capture movement in her picures. (Reconstructingmymemories.blogspot.com)
This is how far I got:
Hand movement related to a sock throwing contest
< this picture has been removed >
Clapping hands in an old aluminum box
< this picture has been removed >
This reminds me I have to ask Memento once again how to include internet links in the text.
This is how far I got:
Hand movement related to a sock throwing contest
< this picture has been removed >
Clapping hands in an old aluminum box
< this picture has been removed >
This reminds me I have to ask Memento once again how to include internet links in the text.
maandag 9 juni 2008
More Gabrielle Petit
I finished the book by David Van Reybrouck I mentioned earlier: Slagschaduw. It's been a long time since I finished a book in less than three days. It was really catching. When I said it's a historical novel, I wasn't really right. It's a contemporary love story about a young journalist trying to overcome his love sickness over a girl who was the model in the sculpture classes he took. They had a relationship for 18 months. Struggling to get over her (and over de death of a friend a few years earlier) he decides to investigate the life the woman who modelled for the Gabrielle Petit sculpture in Brussels in the early 1920s. To save her (and himself) from oblivion. Interesting historical details are interwoven with suspenseful love scenes and sad reminiscences about his deceased friend (a press photographer). The book seems autobiographical. But maybe that's only what the reader's supposed to think.
The sculpture on the place St. Jean is made by Egide Rombaux (1865-1942). He also made the statues for Edith Cavell and Cardinal Mercier, both World War One heroes, in Brussels.
The sculpture on the place St. Jean is made by Egide Rombaux (1865-1942). He also made the statues for Edith Cavell and Cardinal Mercier, both World War One heroes, in Brussels.
Unknown soldiers
Today I got another World War One postcard in the mail. This time, no bold heroines but real soldiers. Fascination again.
Seeing old pictures wakes up the historian in me : who are these soldiers? Some research suggests they're French (I knew this) and that the picture is probably made in 1916 (or possibly later). The helmet they wear - the so-called 'casque Adrian' - was only introduced in the French Army in September 1915. Looking at the picture with a looking glass you can see the 'infantry' emblem (a grenade with flames) on the front. Good headwear was particularly important in a war that was fought semi-underground. (http://www.world-war-helmets.com/fiches/Casque-Adrian-Mle-15.php)
The uniforms they wear also date from 1915. They're 'feldgrau', while the uniforms of 1914 campaign were still napoleontic red (trousers!) and blue (jackets). Although it's not a luxury when you fight a trench war in the rainy and foggy North of France region, few of the soldiers wear boots. As of 1915, The Belgian army suffered from a chronic shortage of boots at the Yser front. Maybe in France they had the same problem. I don't know. From the number on the collar of their overcoats, you can tell they're from the 154th Line Infantry Regiment. In 1916 this regiment was fighting in Verdun, one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War (163.000 death in the French Army alone). There's a group of 23 men on the pictures. This suggests it's a half-section. In 1915 a half-section counted 25 men; in 1916 a half section was reduced to a number between 15 and 25 men. So this again situates the picture in 1915 or early 1916. Two of the soldiers are wearing a black ribbons around their arm. Is this a sign of mourning and remembrance?
The postcard was sent to me from Charleville Mézières in the North of France. There's nothing written on the back.
Seeing old pictures wakes up the historian in me : who are these soldiers? Some research suggests they're French (I knew this) and that the picture is probably made in 1916 (or possibly later). The helmet they wear - the so-called 'casque Adrian' - was only introduced in the French Army in September 1915. Looking at the picture with a looking glass you can see the 'infantry' emblem (a grenade with flames) on the front. Good headwear was particularly important in a war that was fought semi-underground. (http://www.world-war-helmets.com/fiches/Casque-Adrian-Mle-15.php)
The uniforms they wear also date from 1915. They're 'feldgrau', while the uniforms of 1914 campaign were still napoleontic red (trousers!) and blue (jackets). Although it's not a luxury when you fight a trench war in the rainy and foggy North of France region, few of the soldiers wear boots. As of 1915, The Belgian army suffered from a chronic shortage of boots at the Yser front. Maybe in France they had the same problem. I don't know. From the number on the collar of their overcoats, you can tell they're from the 154th Line Infantry Regiment. In 1916 this regiment was fighting in Verdun, one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War (163.000 death in the French Army alone). There's a group of 23 men on the pictures. This suggests it's a half-section. In 1915 a half-section counted 25 men; in 1916 a half section was reduced to a number between 15 and 25 men. So this again situates the picture in 1915 or early 1916. Two of the soldiers are wearing a black ribbons around their arm. Is this a sign of mourning and remembrance?
The postcard was sent to me from Charleville Mézières in the North of France. There's nothing written on the back.
donderdag 5 juni 2008
Gabrielle Petit
Yes! Someone made a nice bid for the marble fireplace I put on e-bay the other day. This is quite exciting, two more days to go. I also bid on some objects myself. I placed a bid on several postcards related to the First World War, a subject I am interested in professionally. My favourite war heroine, Gabrielle Petit (1893-1916), is on three of the cards. (http://www.ww1-propaganda-cards.com/gabrielle_petit.html).
She has a statue on the Place St. Jean in Brussels. The statue was erected in 1923. A friend / art historian who specialises in female sculptors, told me lately that Petit was probably the first contemporary woman to get a statue in Belgium. Only in 1923!! Imagine that! She's not a queen, nor a noblewoman.. just a poor shop assistant who happened to be shot by the Germans for alleged espionage! There's something curious about the postcards that were made of her statue in the 1920s. Several versions exists. Of course the picture is taken from more or less the same vantage point (people buying the postcards want to see her face, right - moreover, the buildings in the background ask for symmetry), but the background/foreground is different. Different people are standing around the statue to look at it - or to not look at it (in one postcard, there are no people in the picture). In one of the cards there's even some policemen safeguarding the statue. Some people are touching the statue, others are looking at it from a distance. On some postcards there's a flower piece at the foot (what may suggest the picture was taken at the inauguration or a special commemoration), in others there isn't. There's no objectivity here, the pictures always seem to tell more than they intend to. This is something I really want to look into. At first I thought statues could only be photographed in very similar ways, but thanks to my friend-art historian I'm starting to see the nuances.
Recently a Belgian writer, David Van Reybrouck, wrote a historical novel about the women who modelled for this statue. (as Gabrielle Petit was shot by the Germans in 1916, she couldn't model herself). The book is titled 'Slagschaduw'. I bought the book only last week, and I still have to read it. It promises to be another fascinating thing since the author mixes fact and fiction. Another issue I'm particularly interested in.
She has a statue on the Place St. Jean in Brussels. The statue was erected in 1923. A friend / art historian who specialises in female sculptors, told me lately that Petit was probably the first contemporary woman to get a statue in Belgium. Only in 1923!! Imagine that! She's not a queen, nor a noblewoman.. just a poor shop assistant who happened to be shot by the Germans for alleged espionage! There's something curious about the postcards that were made of her statue in the 1920s. Several versions exists. Of course the picture is taken from more or less the same vantage point (people buying the postcards want to see her face, right - moreover, the buildings in the background ask for symmetry), but the background/foreground is different. Different people are standing around the statue to look at it - or to not look at it (in one postcard, there are no people in the picture). In one of the cards there's even some policemen safeguarding the statue. Some people are touching the statue, others are looking at it from a distance. On some postcards there's a flower piece at the foot (what may suggest the picture was taken at the inauguration or a special commemoration), in others there isn't. There's no objectivity here, the pictures always seem to tell more than they intend to. This is something I really want to look into. At first I thought statues could only be photographed in very similar ways, but thanks to my friend-art historian I'm starting to see the nuances.
Recently a Belgian writer, David Van Reybrouck, wrote a historical novel about the women who modelled for this statue. (as Gabrielle Petit was shot by the Germans in 1916, she couldn't model herself). The book is titled 'Slagschaduw'. I bought the book only last week, and I still have to read it. It promises to be another fascinating thing since the author mixes fact and fiction. Another issue I'm particularly interested in.
dinsdag 3 juni 2008
Swedish
Our house project is becoming more and more real. Today I went kitchen shopping with my mother. In this stage it was more like window shopping since we merely wanted some advice and an idea about the costs we could expect. Last week we'd already gone to Ikea. I saw one kitchen I kind of liked and decided to settle for an Ikea kitchen (instead of spending a fortune). But afterward my mom suggested we'd go to a fancier kitchen story nearby, just to have a look. Of course, I saw a kitchen I liked much better. So today we went back to the latter store to discuss the possibilities. After a two hour talk - in which we discussed ovens, micro waves, drawers, kitchen hoods, colours, marble... - we all agreed on a certain design. The shop assistant will now further develop the plan and get back to us in a couple of weeks. I was quite happy with it ... until she made (at the very end of the talk) a quick calculation and told us the kitchen would cost at least 3 times as much as the Ikea one. What a disappointment! (although this is what I could have expected) It was much too expensive for us. I was quite sarcastic about it all for a while and then decided to call a friend who'd recently renovated her house. She said something really helpful. The disappointment goes away once you've decided (even on the cheaper option) because you stop comparing. It's only at the moment of the decision that you can be quite dissatisfied with your options. I thought that really made sense. Ikea here I come!
zondag 1 juni 2008
E-bay
I've been quite lazy as far as blogging is concerned. Now my son is taking his nap and my husband is at work, I have no more excuse.
As I mentioned before, we are renovating a house. Before we can add all the new things to the house (kitchen, bathroom, living room extension...) some old things have to go. One of them is an antique marble fire place. Because I don't want to throw it on a container, I decided to try to sell it on e-bay. I am very proud now because I just managed to get the ad online. I know their interface is very (extremely) user-friendly, but I'm usually not good at these things. You can have a look at the ad through this link:
http://cgi.benl.ebay.be/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320258659392
I sell it very cheap (compared to similar objects on e-bay that are being (unsuccesfully) sold for 10 to 20x the price). This is quite exciting, although chances to sell it are rather limited.
I'm also planning to sell our old kitchen (1950s style in mint green). I love this kitchen so I hope someone else will like it too. I don't want much money for it, I just don't want to throw it away. That would feel awful.
As I mentioned before, we are renovating a house. Before we can add all the new things to the house (kitchen, bathroom, living room extension...) some old things have to go. One of them is an antique marble fire place. Because I don't want to throw it on a container, I decided to try to sell it on e-bay. I am very proud now because I just managed to get the ad online. I know their interface is very (extremely) user-friendly, but I'm usually not good at these things. You can have a look at the ad through this link:
http://cgi.benl.ebay.be/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320258659392
I sell it very cheap (compared to similar objects on e-bay that are being (unsuccesfully) sold for 10 to 20x the price). This is quite exciting, although chances to sell it are rather limited.
I'm also planning to sell our old kitchen (1950s style in mint green). I love this kitchen so I hope someone else will like it too. I don't want much money for it, I just don't want to throw it away. That would feel awful.
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