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.

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 ...