Sunday 16 December 2018

20) A Wistful Wish

A Wistful Wish (mp3) (pdf) (tab)

This tune may sound very mournful and that's not a surprise. I can be very sentimenal in the month of december. Although the tune is very suitable for the mandolin you can hear my sister Grethe play the violin in the second part. Angie Devlin from the mandolingroup on facebook listened to the tune and came up with this very suitable name. Thanks Angie!

Thursday 10 May 2018

19) A Rainy Day


A Rainy Day (mp3) (pdf) (tab)

After a couple of days with very warm weather it seems the nice weather has ended. It's raining for a couple of hours now. Rain can make people a bit sad, but I must say I'm glad to smell the recognisable odor of rain on our lawn. I started writing this tune also on a very wet day a couple of weeks ago.  My friends Johanna and Wopke (Duo Banwo) helped me to complete this beautiful arrangement. Wopke played percussion and Johanna did the banjo part.

Friday 9 March 2018

18) Whirling Snowflakes


Whirling Snowflakes (mp3) (pdf) (tab)

We've hardly seen any snow this winter. Should there be snow in the Netherlands every winter? I don't think so, but what I remembered from childhood winters were always white and we could skate everywhere. As most kids do I loved playing in the snow. Now I'm an adult I still love tho watch those whirling snowflakes and experience the strange atmosphere with al the sounds dampened due to the thick layer of snow. When I searched in the my photoalbums I realised I should take more pictures on snowy days. One of the last snowy pictures was taken in 2005 with our old Ford Escort on the driveway. It's nice to watch those photo's again, but I'm glad spring is in the air.

Friday 19 January 2018

17) Sparrow on the Fence


Sparrow on the Fence (mp3) (pdf) (tab)

The most common bird on our planet is the sparrow. I think everyone likes them and we love to see those birds in our gardens. Where are those lovely animals nowadays? In Holland we don't see much of them lately. Some say sparrows are in danger of extinction, but I don't know if that's true. Are our dutch gardens too neat and tidy? Should we put privet hedges in our gardens like we did in the 70's? I don't know, but I would like to see them more often.

Tuesday 16 January 2018

16) Northsea Shuffle


Northsea Shuffle (mp3) (pdf) (tab)

Sailing on the Northsea can be very relaxing, but when a storm is coming up things can change quickly. The photo is taken from the Ferry to Vlieland on a nice spot between the Dutch Isles Vlieland and Terschelling.
The Estuary between these Isles is called "The Stortemelk". In stormy weather it can be very dangerous to sail here because of the groundswells. The grounds of stortemelk are notorious because of the many shipwrecks. The most striking case was the downfall of the English Ship de Lutine, in October 1799.What particularly appealed to the imagination was the enormous load of gold and silver, but no-one ever found a trace of it ...