[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 17 May 2024].
jesus and jules
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 14 May 2024].
leo/poldo ii
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 19 April 2024].
I captured these photographs of the equestrian statue of Leopold II in Place du Trône in Brussels during my visit to Belgium with my parents and then-partner, Kyle, in September 2014.
According to Wikipedia, Leopold II was the second King of the Belgians. Although he still holds the title of the longest-reigning Belgian monarch, by all accounts, Leopold II was a nasty piece of work.
See, in particular, his reign over the Congo Free State (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
I won't use the words 'founder' and 'owner', as we know there were already people there when he claimed those titles who had more right to claim ownership than he did.
I usually avoid capturing people in my photographs of monuments, architecture, street scenes, etc., but I quite like the moment I captured with these particular folks in the second image.
shot through the heart
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 27 October 2023].
scherpstellen, kleffe vingers
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 4 January 2023].
lamb's tongue (one o'clock gun)
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 4 November 2022].
basic (baby, you can drive my car)
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 4 November 2022].
rue des mineurs
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 26 October 2022].
full of goodness
[I originally posted this image as early access for my Patreon patrons on 19 June 2022].
The inscription on the headstone of this grave reads Eenvoudig en oprecht vol goedheid was uw leven, uw edel hart heeft ons zoveel gegeven.
According to Google Translate, it means Your life was simple and sincere, full of goodness, your noble heart has given us so much.
The other photograph I took of this grave showed the other two items holding more cobweb hens and chicks - or sempervivum - and the inscription, but it wasn't sharp and worthy of sharing. However, I decided to take the title for this image from the inscription.
I took this after the rain in the churchyard of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Wulveringem.
The church is opposite Kasteel Beauvoorde. We visited the castle (it was the reason we were in the town), but I've yet to edit most of the photos from there. Another task on my to-do list...
a korean rose in brussels
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 17 June 2022].
I'm a little hesitant about the identification of these flowers. My plant identifying app said it was a Korean rose for every photo I checked, though, so I'll go with it.
And they seem to match - to my untrained eye - photos in the Wikipedia entry for the Hibiscus syriacus.
I find flowers past their prime or weather-worn as beautiful as the most perfect specimen, just in a different way.
Having said that, when I photographed these, it did strike me as odd that the flowers in the front garden of the Palais Royal de Bruxelles should look so unkempt... I might have been quietly judgmental.
yer takin’ the pis
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 16 June 2022].
The Manneken Pis, of course...
Congratulations to whoever managed to get that Space Invaders paste-up there. Apparently, it's been there since around March 2012. I took these photos in September 2014, and the paste-up looked relatively new.
I don't know the symbolism of this particular costume, but apparently, he has many costume changes.
s.p.q.b.
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 22 April 2022].
'Senatus Populus Que Brugensis' means 'the Senate and the people of Bruges'.
It can be found on the Bruges coat of arms and an ornate water pump featuring a swan in Bruges, as I found in 2014 during my time there.
reflecting upon a subject deer to my heart
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 3 March 2022].
keeping my hand above water
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 22 February 2022].
I looked online, but I can't find which artist created this sculpture I photographed at the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Zonnebeke in 2014.
I will look again, but if you know/can point me in the right direction, I'll be happy to credit them.
pink petunias
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 28 January 2022].
From Wikipedia: The Maya and Inca believed that the scent of petunias had the power to ward off underworld monsters and spirits. Their flower-buds were bunched together for magical drinks. According to New Age folklore, Petunias will only thrive where there is "positive energy" and will not grow in places where there is "negativity".
When given as a gift, Petunias have (in the language of flowers) two mutually exclusive meanings, symbolising on the one hand being comfortable with someone, and on the other anger and resentment.
A somewhat clichéd image, the interpretation of petunias in the language of flowers feels appropriate right now.
It's a tribute to how comfortable I felt with my friend Anthony at all times. And the anger and resentment I feel in waves (mingled with melancholy and intense, overwhelming sadness) for the fact that his life was cut short.
And so many of the comments and posts I've seen about him since he passed highlight his gentle nature, positivity and enthusiasm.
frahan from afar
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 25 January 2022].
Frahan, Belgium.
the headless horseman
[I originally posted this image as early access for my Patreon patrons on 12 December 2021].
4012_2 gandhi
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 23 November 2021].
hotel ^^^^
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 24 August 2021].
boys in bubbles in brussels
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 28 July 2021].
Everything's all been a bit serious for the past two weeks, so I needed something a little irreverent to share today.
So what better than the kitsch goodness of Mannequin Pis snow domes in a souvenir shop window in Brussels?
Serving double-duty as a virtual window to a world outside my flat to which I'm somewhat bound at the moment.
Things are going better. I managed to keep myself vertical long enough today to get my dishes done. Over the past few days, I've washed all clothing and linen that I wore or had contact with while I was sick. I've also managed to complete some of the life admin required around a flatmate moving out.
My body now firmly disputes my long-held belief that one meal a day as late in the day as possible is sufficient. It likes to convey its newfound belief - and the conviction I've been vertical too long at a stretch - with non-verbal cues like "Can I lie down now, please?"
I'm still napping at least once a day, despite sleeping relatively well through the night. The coughing has mostly subsided.
I'm contemplating a stroll to Boots tomorrow to get saline for my contact lenses as a test of my returning endurance.
On Friday, one of my lovely neighbours will take me to an Apple store to get my iPhone screen replaced. I'm impressed it took me until my third iPhone, and over eleven years, for me to damage a phone screen for the first time. I'm highly unimpressed I did something so incredibly stupid to cause additional unnecessary expense, especially at this time.
Hopefully, by the weekend, I'll feel up to cleaning the flat top-to-bottom, now that my flatmate has moved out. Even if it's one room at a time.
In the meantime, I'm also working on getting back to sharing photographs and other art with you daily. There's nothing more frustrating than having a finite amount of energy per day and life admin and chores needing to be prioritised over art.