Illustration Friday Instinct

Unlike birds we humans don't have an instinct for measuring heights in free air. That's why for instance paraglider- and hanggliderpilots use a so called variometer. With this device you can get a confirmation if your flying in a weak thermal or that you're sinking less faster then a few moments before.
Most important, of course, is that you try to look as less as possible to that little green screen and try to enjoy as much as you can your free flight. But that goes without saying.

Bald, again

About two weeks ago our kids said they didn't want to have a bald father anymore. So what do you do? You decide to let your hair grow.
But after two weeks it started to itch and some colleagues weren't very kind either. Mainly they told me that I did look a couple of years older than before. Ouch, that hurts!
So, what do you do? Yes, shave!
The kids weren't pleased, but my ego is. Sometimes a man got to do what a man got to do. And, after all, I do have to look like my self-portrait, don't I?

Ice-skating

At the beginning of this year we had some luck: we were having several days off from our work, the children had their schoolholiday and it was freezing. Time for ice-skating!
But first we had to buy ice-skates for our kids. We thought it would be best to buy one set of ice-skates with the possibility to adjust them in size. So one kid at the time could learn how to skate. But it turn out that the kids had more fun gliding with sledges on the ice than they were eager to learn how to skate!
Well, maybe next year, again on the frozen canals or in the ice-skating hall. After all, the skates are adjustable and it will take a few years before they outgrow the skates.

New Years Eve, part II

It is quite a challenge to have a big frying pan filled with oil and trying to heat it on a little camping heater. As you can imagine that isn't easy.
As I told before we celebrated New Years Eve at our friend's house and I was baking fritters in their garage. What I didn't tell you was that the garage door was slightly opened to let the smell of the baking fritters get out. But on the other hand the freezing cold came in and the garage wasn't heated. So, although I was facing a very hot frying pan, my fingers and toes were stone cold. Furthermore, boys from around the block already started early that evening to shoot of some heavy firework in front of the garage, with that door opened! That didn't work out very well for my nerves, I must admit. Luckily no fire-crackers or rockets have entered the building. But I was very relieved when I finished baking the fritters in that garage!

Illustration Friday Time

As a result of this week's topic on Illustration Friday, I drew my watch. It's a very nice watch to wear and to look at. There's only one thing about this watch: it seems that there's always less time left at the end of an hour than I've expected!
To make more time for myself, and my favourite hobby, I usually put it out of sight. So I don't have to look at it all the time and somehow this works out quite well. When I finished what I planned to do, for example this drawing, I've spend less time then expected. Lesson learned: draw without knowledge of time.

New Years Eve

We've spend New Years Eve with friends. I usually make the Dutch New Years Eve treat: the 'oliebol', in English I think you call them 'fritter'. Because you have to make them in boiling oil, your house will be smelling for a few days that typical New Years Eve smell. Including your clothes and coats. But this year we didn't want our friends to bother with that smell, so I suggested I'd bake the fritters in their garage. No problem, only they didn't have a stove in their garage. Who hasn't? So, with a little improvisation, I've baked them on their gasoline camping heater. Fortunately that worked out well. The friends and family said that the fritters tasted excellent. Maybe because I've put a whole bottle of beer in the dough?