Greetings!

Greetings, planet Earth. We come in peace!

First, let me tell you I’m ok and Jimi is ok. I know it has been quiet on this blog, very quiet. There were some minor health issues and I got infected with Covid-19 early December. I lost my taste and smell for almost 6 weeks so I couldn’t enjoy my espressos and chocolate. What a bummer…
I’m glad we’re heading to spring and we can enjoy the days getting longer. So I won’t start complaining about the 2 days with snow so far… Knock on wood and keep fingers and paws crossed!

A few days ago Jimi received a surprise package from Christine, a dear friend living in Saint Paul, Minneapolis (US of A). Christine is a long time follower of the blog from the early days.

Immediately, Jimi picked the purple ball and it’s still his favourite toy. I loved the Kitty Stardust poster that Christine added to pay tribute to Mr. Bowie. Thank you so much, Christine.

There’s still a lot of misery in the world. And a lot of bad and dramatic things are happening everywhere. So please, try to make this world a better place. Enjoy the little things in your life if possible. Life is too short to be sad or angry.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Casino

Let’s talk about music. But first, let’s talk about something else. I had some busy weeks lately with lot’s of meetings, getting a COVID booster and flu shot, a medical check up, a minor medical issue with Jimi (no worries)… But we’re all doing well.

I had to join my best friend for a meeting with a notary. My friend who owned a publicity agency retired this month and decided to shut down his company. I’ve been a shareholder of the company for many years so I was needed to sign a lot of documents. Afterwards, we went to a local restaurant and had a celebration with delicious pancakes and wine. Later that evening while we were having coffee at his home, my friend showed up with a big box and he said ‘Take it… for services rendered.’ I immediately recognised my favourite dream guitar by the size of the box. What a big surprise!

I’ve been a Beatles fan as long as I can remember. My older sister and brother bought all their albums and I grew up with their music. Last year I watched the Peter Jackson documentary series The Beatles: Get Back 3 times. Get Back received critical acclaim for its coverage of the group’s creative process but I was intrigued by John Lennon’s Epiphone Casino guitar. I immediately started a search to find one but it was almost impossible because this guitar was suddenly hipper and more successful than ever before. After 6 months I gave up the search but my friend kept searching secretly and found one in mint condition on the second hand market. This is the most beautiful gift ever!

Maybe the most iconic image of Lennon’s Casino, and perhaps of Lennon himself, is from The Beatles’ legendary rooftop concert on their Apple Corps office building in London. This was also to be the last public performance of The Beatles.
Jimi took a look at the box but decided that the Casino guitar was more interesting.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Almost November

Where do I begin? Maybe I should start my twice a year rant about the DST (Daylight saving time)? We’re setting the clocks back by one hour next weekend. I can already feel my SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) waking up in my mind. I know people say each season has it charmes, and it might be true. But I wish summer lasted for 12 months. Okay, there would be no spring to look forward too…

You can also see in Jimi’s behaviour something is changing outside. He returns back inside to the sofa much earlier now the days are shorter and cooler. A few days ago he was caught in a rain shower and asked me gently for a towel.

The local internet provider offered me a 3 month free subscription for a ton of sport channels. So last week I was watching live the football match (soccer) Liverpool vs Manchester City in the Premier League. Jimi wasn’t interested and fell asleep after a few minutes…

Life can be full of surprises, like opening a little jar of coffee pudding and seeing this drawing on the inside. Does it mean I have to share this dessert with Jimi?

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Almost 3 Years

A special day. Tomorrow it’s 3 years ago when Jimi moved into my house. I enjoyed every day and I’m still surprised by the little changes in Jimi’s character, in a positive way. He also became more passionate about his job as a studio technician. And as you probably know, that’s a very heavy task.

I finally bought a Neumann microphone. I wanted one for years but for some reason I never got my hands on one. Accidentally, I found a TLM 103 mic in a shop a few minutes from my home.

As promised in my comments in the previous post, here’s an update on Jos. The little guy has recovered completely and enjoys his outdoor adventures again. Jos doesn’t seems to suffer from his tailless life, thank goodness.

Meanwhile the days are getting shorter. And colder. I’m not happy about this. Spring is my favourite season and I wish I could move to the other side of the globe for the next 6 months. I’m also still very concerned about the situation in Ukraine and that unpredictable irrational madman in Moscow. I’m afraid history doesn’t offer much hope for a happy ending.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

August 2022 Update

Time flies. I can’t believe we’re already at the end of August. Time flies so I guess I must be having fun… There were good things and there were bad things. The heat and drought in Europe could be the worst in 500 years. It almost makes me long for the winter. Jimi seems to enjoy these warm and hot days. He refused 3 times to come inside in the evening and spent the night outside, while I was laying awake worrying about him.

Jimi’s birthday is coming up later this week. He turns 4! The next day he’s scheduled for the yearly checkup with his vet. I requested a home visit because Jimi doesn’t like the car rides and I’ll spare you from the nasty details.

But I’ve got also some sad news for you. Jos, the cat from my dear friends got wounded in a fight with another animal and needed surgery. Unfortunately they had to amputate his tail. Jos has recovered well and is doing okay right now.

My neighbours were away for 2 weeks and asked me to take care of a stray cat living in their garden. After a few days the cat was already waiting for me and we almost became friends.

So let’s enjoy this summer and don’t think too much about autumn or all the bad things in the world. And the bloodiness barbaric inhuman Russian army. Enjoy all the little things around you and cherish your family and close friends. Invite them over for a drink. And ice cream.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Summer of 2022 Update

It’s been a while. Europe is suffering from deadly heatwaves and intense wildfires. From India and Pakistan to Tunisia and the US of A, numerous countries have suffered heat waves this year. Sweltering temperatures hit much of Western Europe last week. We’ve recorded the second highest temperature ever. It’s hard to deny there’s something wrong.

Once a year I invite my close friends and family for a low profile garden party. Unfortunately, we had to stay inside because it was raining the whole day, (the only day with rain since months). Jimi was not amused because he thinks “two’s company, three’s a crowd”. Thank goodness the chocolate cakes, ice cream and fresh fruit was delicious!

The next day Jimi had a great time outside chasing butterflies and drinking rain water. But it’s always disappointing when you just have to deal with a setback: no leftovers from the chocolate cakes…

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Hottest Day

Hottest day of the year again for third day in a row. The hottest day of the year so far has been recorded, with temperatures exceeding 34º C (93,2º F). So we have to stay cool and hydrated. Water is essential for keeping you cool during hot weather. And ice cream.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

The Gentle Art

The gentle art of making music. My studio technician Jimi wanted a new computer because the current 8-year-old Intel iMac was too slow and couldn’t run the recent music apps and heavy sample libraries smoothly. So with some reluctance I went shopping at the Apple Store and bought a Mac Studio (Max) computer and a 27″ Studio Display. Getting everything back to work took a long time, almost 20 h. After using the Migration Assistant app, checking and updating a lot of stuff and solving some compatibility issues, I was back in business.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Jimi a few days ago. After ignoring Mr. Bowie’s cat bed for almost 3 years, he finally decided it was time to sleep in this comfortable king size luxurious bed. It seems everybody is very happy right now.

I’ve just started reading The Gentle Art of Tramping by Stephen Graham, originally published in 1926. Stephen Graham was a British journalist, travel-writer, essayist and novelist. The Gentle Art of Tramping is a guide for anyone who has dreamed of taking to the road with nothing more than a bag full of essentials and big ideas. It gives guidance on walking, being open to discovery and being kind – advice as relevant now as it was then. ‘The adventure is not the getting there, it is the on-the-way. It is not the expected; it is the surprise; not the fulfilment of prophecy but the providence of something better than prophesied.’ Tramping is a way of approach, to nature, to your fellow-man, to a nation, to beauty, to life itself.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Stratocaster

Keep on rockin’ in the free world. Despite living in a world of electronic music with synthesizers, samplers, computers, trying out new things, tweaking knobs and pushing buttons on vintage analog machinery and high-tech equipment, I have always dreamed of owning a real Fender Stratocaster guitar one day. Just bought an almost 50 year old vintage 70’s USA Mocha Brown Maple Fender Stratocaster! The guitar belonged to a good friend and member of the LNE collective, a group of musicians, singers, artists and one comeback electronic musician.

Jimi H (the cat) wonders if he can set the guitar on fire to honour the historic night when Jimi Hendrix sets his Fender Stratocaster guitar on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival (1967). The burned guitar would later sell for more than $380,000 at an auction. It was definitely time to show Jimi the way out to the garden. And let’s all unite to kick the barbaric and inhuman Russian army out of Ukraine.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

How to Enjoy Spring

Spring is finally here! The spring weather brings forth renewal and rebirth just as the promise of Easter brings you chocolate eggs. One more thing: don’t forget to brush and feed your cat.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Fixing a Hole

Wild is the wind. I just realised I didn’t write a post this month. Shame on me… So here’s a quick note. I’m ok, and Jimi’s ok. We’re both enjoying the first warm sunny days in spring. Unfortunately, snow is predicted for tomorrow and it’s no April Fool’s joke.

“I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in. And stops my mind from wandering. Where it will go…” – The Beatles

In February two storms passed over Europe, Eunice and Franklin. I had some minor damage on the roof and a few weeks ago a team of experienced roofers came to fix the problem. Thank goodness we had a devoted supervisor on the site.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Spring-cleaning

Why I should stop recycling. So glad to enjoy this sunny Sunday right now. Just had my first espresso outside in the garden. Ok, I was wearing  a coat and my roof needs some minor repairs after the 2 storms from last weekend. But I can feel spring is near. And it makes me happy.

I started the spring-cleaning and decided to recycle some of the big boxes a kept aside. It was clear from the start this was not going to be easy…

One more thing: I’m always trying to avoid talking about awkward political situations or controversial topics on my blog. But this week a lot of us woke up in shock after a barbaric dictator launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine. Figuratively speaking this is happening in my backyard. This action is definitely a war crime. Can’t stop wondering what’s next… Invasion of Poland? Finland? Lithuania? Latvia? Estonia?

Poisoning opposition leaders, murdering journalists, suppress populations, invading Ukraine, violently breaking up peaceful demonstrations… Welcome to the world of a pathological liar, dictator and war criminal.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

It’s There!

No Jimi, I’m afraid I can’t believe you… Spring isn’t just around the corner. It’s still far, far away, to my great regret. Dark and cold days lie still ahead of us. The weather forecast predicts snow. Yes, snow! The horror… the horror!

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Run for Your Life

Lighting up your life. As the end of the year is coming closer, we’d like to say thank you for your trust in our blog. We look forward to many interesting posts in 2022. We wish you a happy end of the year.
To be honest, I didn’t liked this year. I didn’t liked previous year either. I can sum up various reasons but I’m not going to bother you. And I realise a lot of us are going through troubled times in multiple ways.

There’s plenty of good in the world, we just have to look for it. Putting up Christmas lights is probably a good way to bring more joy in your life. It’s a difficult task but it’s a lot easier with the help of a furry friend.

I bought some extra lights after decorating the studio. Jimi wanted a Christmas tree in his room. But I think he preferred a bigger tree…

Last week, a funny but scary thing happened to me while I was walking in the nature. I’m always staying on the trails because every hiker has a responsibility to preserve nature while hiking. And I’m keeping my distance when I’m encountering forest critters. But this time I had to run for my life after an encounter with some polar bears. We’re all beginning to suffer the consequences of climate change.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Light Up My Life

You light up my life like an espresso in the morning. Turning the synth corner of the studio in to a cosy place. Keep in mind, the sun is on its way back, and the days will officially start getting longer soon. Well, more or less…

Meanwhile we are enjoying the wonderful documentary The Beatles: Get Back, directed and produced by Peter Jackson.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Sunday Evening Somewhere in Outer Space

Slow Sunday. As the search for alien life heats up, Jimi’s still looking for signals from alien cats in outer space. Unfortunately with no luck. Maybe alien cats are taking a break from their everyday life and folding space during the week.

Meanwhile I’m waiting to get my Star Trek transporter device back from the repair shop. I bought it some time ago on eBay, but it never worked. It looks like they conned me or is this a conspiracy from the alien cats?

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding. 

Hail to the Sleeper!

What an unparalleled viewing experience! I love to watch movies. I love to watch movies in the best possible circumstances. That’s why I stopped going to the theatres and installed a very good home cinema system. So goodbye to the distracting noises of nasty people around me.

Last night I watched ‘Black Hawk Down’, a 2001 war film directed by Ridley Scott, in UHD 4K Dolby Atmos. What a superior way to watch a movie. I was very impressed and didn’t lose focus for a second. But cats look at this in a completely different way…

Mr. Bowie didn’t like watching movies with me. He always disappeared after a few minutes and went to the studio or bedroom upstairs. Jimi prefers to keep me company and sit out the movie. Well, kinda…

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding. 

A Reason to Be Cheerful Today

Happy Gotcha Day, Jimi! Today we need to celebrate Jimi’s Gotcha Day. Two years ago he decided to move in. But I also feel the loss of Mr. Bowie very deeply on this day. He will be missed for ever.

Jimi got 2 plates of his favourite food, shrimps. But he was wondering if there was also dessert… Well, the human had a celebration with chocolates.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Once a Year

This is not my beautiful house! (Reprise) Jimi was due for his second annual checkup today. Just like last year, all went well and Jimi’s in top condition. But unfortunately, Jimi was so, so stressed… I have mentioned before how Mr. Bowie enjoyed the car rides. What a contrast compared with Jimi, he’s so scared inside the car. Glad we’re back home and enjoying our treats in the garden on this warm summer day.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Three Years Ago Today, Approximately

Happy Birthday! It’s Jimi’s birthday today, well kinda. He turns 3 years old in human years. We don’t know the exact date of birth. Jimi arrived sans papiers in the shelter and the local vet estimated Jimi was born early September and wrote down ‘2018, September 1’ on the registration papers.

Jimi gave himself a little present, namely a mouse… I’m always trying to save the life of a caught mouse and set it free again. But this time I was too late. But hey, it’s Jimi’s birthday!

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Daytime Job of a Cat

More rainy days. The summer of 2021 is already the wettest summer ever recorded in this part of the world. And it looks like it’s also one of the coolest. It makes me think about all the heatwaves in the previous summers and the ice cream we enjoyed in the garden. What is going wrong with the weather lately? All these extreme changes in weather conditions…

I’m spending more time in the studio because of all the heavy rainfall. Sir Jimi, the studio technician, keeps me company but always falls asleep on the job, just like my previous technician, Mr. Bowie. But there’s one big difference; Jimi stays in the studio while Mr. Bowie always left the building due to his ear problems and the effect of very high-frequency sounds of synths. Or maybe he just didn’t like my music.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Fallen Astronaut

Man in Space. Once a famous FBI agent, Dale Cooper, told me following wise words, “I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it, don’t wait for it, just let it happen. It could be a new shirt in a men’s store, a cat nap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee.” I love getting advice from a spiritual seeker, an amateur philosopher, a loyal friend and a lover of coffee. So every day I’m giving myself a present, like an extra espresso or a chocolate cookie. Last week I was lucky to find and buy a beautiful numbered sculpture inside a blue acrylic block called ‘Fallen Astronaut’. Do I have to tell you I’m very happy with this gift? Jimi was more interested in the box but finally disappointed to find no ‘Cat in Space’ sculpture…

Fallen Astronaut is a 8.9 cm aluminium sculpture created by the Belgian painter and printmaker Paul Van Hoeydonck. It is a small stylised figure, meant to depict an astronaut in a spacesuit, intended to commemorate the astronauts and cosmonauts who have died in the advancement of space exploration. It was commissioned and placed on the Moon by the crew of Apollo 15 at Hadley Rille on August 1, 1971, next to a plaque listing the 14 men known who died. The statue lies horizontal on the ground among several footprints. The crew kept the memorial’s existence a secret until after completion of their mission. 

In January 2019, Van Hoeydonck and Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot Al Worden announced the sale of a limited edition replica inside a blue acrylic block, as Van Hoeydonck originally intended, which would have allowed the statue to be placed upright on the Moon to “symbolize humanity rising” via space travel. NASA had rejected the acrylic enclosure’s inclusion on the flight as a fire hazard. A smaller number of enlarged sculptures are also to be sold. (From Wikipedia)

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

I’m Still Here

Missing us? I just noticed I didn’t post something on the blog in July. Shame on me! So here’s a quick update…

Well, there was a lot happening, I had good days, I had bad days. There were some unexpected issues concerning the inheritance from my father and the real estate sales. And summer doesn’t seem to start overhere.

Two weeks ago we were all shocked by the disaster floods. It was one of the greatest natural disasters Belgium has ever known. It cost the lives of many people. I’m lucky to live in an area that was spared.

Last week I invited a few friends to celebrate a special day. All of my friends and family are vaccinated but we still follow the Covid-19 rules, just to be safe and sure. We had delicious desserts, wine and coffee outside in the garden. Jimi seemed to enjoy the people hanging around and had some treats too.

Jimi loves my garden and is always trying to catch some butterflies in the large bushes of lavender. He also tries to catch mice in the stone walls and waits patiently for hours…

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding. 

June 10, 2021 Partial Solar Eclipse

The Beginning

……….

Hey Jimi, there’s a partial solar eclipse in a clear blue sky…

……….

The Observation

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Conclusion: I don’t care…

……….

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

The Missing

Summer’s here! Late spring/summer finally arrived in this part of the world, after weeks/months of rainy and cold days. Temperatures are above 20° Celsius and everybody is so happy, especially from a mental point of view. Sunlight is often perceived as a cure to your health, however, because of risks of sunburn and skin cancer, we need to be careful how much sun we get. But it feels so good to have breakfast outside in the morning sun…

Unfortunately, there’s someone who’s going to miss the daily rainfall. Jimi went outside between the rain showers to drink fresh rainwater almost every day. Mr. Bowie also loved to do this, probably as most cats. 

Jimi stays outside the whole day and is still discovering all the special places in the garden. Some of his favourite spots were also the spots Mr. Bowie liked to stay for hours. I noticed he prefers to stay in the shadow from noon. One of my previous cats, Mrs. Jones, was a sun cat. She stayed in the sunshine, even on the hottest days during a heatwave. Jimi loves to disappear under the numerous bushes.

Finally, I just got the message I’m getting my Covid-19 vaccine next week. I should had it weeks ago but due to a human error or computer failure, my name was removed from the list in the local vaccination center. 

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.