True Colours Thursday - Scarlet. And would you say the world is a big place?

This first picture has a bit of scarlet but also a large amount of beige in it. I included this one because I missed last Thursday's post and because I promised a certain bear that I would include a Blenheim Palace or a Woodstock photo in a post. As promised... Phoebe enjoys her scarlet doggybed.

This is our beautiful scarlet Kosta Boda vase that doesn't normally stand on the edge of our dining table but occupies a safer place in a glass cabinet, together with some other precious, not terribly cat-proof items.

So very British (somewhere in Oxford).

Mevrouw (or Mrs.) Bezema, and she's not only in this post because she's wearing a scarlet coat. There is a story attached to this photo:

And this is the story: As you may well know by now, a couple of years ago I followed a short course in Art History in Oxford. I stayed in a room in Trinity College, where the lectures were given. There were quite a lot of other Dutch people who were following that course. Not everybody stayed in college, some of them stayed in hotels nearby. The people who had a room in Trinity College had their breakfast in the beautiful College dining room. One morning at breakfast I sat opposite a very nice lady and we came to talk about why we were there and where we came from, that sort of thing. The lady told me she used to be a geography teacher in Amsterdam. 'Oh', I said, 'I was born in Amsterdam and lived there for 15 years.' 'Which school did you go to', she asked. 'Cartesiuslyceum', I said. 'That's where I taught! What was the name of your Geography teacher?' My brain was creaking but I couldn't for the life of me remember what the lady who taught us Geography was called. I could remember that she was a very sweet lady though, but what the hell was her name? 'I am mevrouw Bezema', she said. MEVROUW BEZEMA! That was it! My Geography teacher of 25 years ago was sitting there, in Oxford, directly opposite me, having her breakfast. And I did not recognize her. But she did not recognize me either. I was in her class for about two years or so and neither of us left a lasting impression.

It's a very, very small world.

(The eagle-eyed reader has spotted mevrouw Bezema at the breakfast table, but since I am taking the picture, it is not me that is sitting opposite her. And I didn't have my breakfast yet, just woken up, a bit wonky on the old legs, so the photo might just be a little bit crooked and unclear. Or we could say that it is an artistic photo.)

True Colours Thursday is hosted by our bloggerfriend Poopsie a.k.a. Blue.

True Colours Thursday - Green

Today's colour, green, wasn't to difficult to knit a post around. Since I'm suffering from a cold, fortunately not so humongous as it was last week anymore, I'm coughing up lots of interesting green stuff. I threatened to post about that, but lots of people asked me to please NOT publish photos of that. So...okay then. There is plenty other interesting green stuff in and around our house: (you can't click on a picture to enlarge it, sorry) a Helleborus foetidus in our garden a green playball for the horses some mosses................in her lap a green waterbucket for the horses some people are colourblind silly sweet presents from a friendand a beautiful green glass apple from other dear friends True Colours Thursday is hosted by the lovely Blue over at Poopsiestruecolours. You can check out her blog for other green entries or join in the fun and post your own.

True Colours Thursday - Violet

This was the only 'thing' in the colour violet or as close to violet as possible, that I could find. Lilac or purple wouldn't have been a problem, but Violet! (thanks Aileni). As I'm suffering from a humongous cold, next week's Green won't be a problem either. Totally ignoring the fact that our hostess was in Las Vegas last week, I've posted Yellow last thursday (you'll have to scroll down for that) although this one has some yellow in it too.

It is part of a painting by Arie Zuidersma (1925), a Dutch painter who is a member of 'De Ploeg'.

The artists' association 'De Ploeg' was founded in 1918 in reaction to the artistic climate in Groningen. A number of young artists felt they did not have enough opportunity to develop themselves and exhibit their work. They hoped that as a group they would be able to exhibit their work and also organize exhibitions and lectures through which artists and the general public could learn about recent developments in art, architecture and literature. Among the initiators were Jan Wiegers, Johan Dijkstra, George Martens and Jan Altink. The name for the association was Altink’s idea. He felt that a lot of ground had to be broken with regard to modern art in Groningen and suggested that 'De Ploeg', Dutch for 'the plough', should be their name.

This is the complete picture. We bought it at an auction in Groningen where a lot of work from members of 'De Ploeg' was being sold. On the viewing day, I noticed this painting. It was hanging in a very dark corner, but for some reason I really liked it. Hubs didn't think much of it. We went to the auction, because we had seen some other things we really liked, and when this painting came under the hammer, they put it on an painter's easel with a spotlight on it and the colours really came to life. 'Wow!', hubs said. 'I see what you mean.' And the rest is history. True Colours Thursday is hosted by Poopsie.

True Colours Thursday - Yellow

Did this picture give you a headache or make you pucker too?

True Colours Thursday is hosted by the lovely Blue. She isn't there this week, but in her sidebar are lots of participants.

True Colours Thursday - Brown

Today is a Brown Thursday.

From left to right: the New College dining room, Oxford - the most wonderful horse in the world, Naloma - Birdapartment for rent, needs some TLC.

True Colour Thursday is hosted by Blue.

Click the link for more Brown Thursdays or join in the fun and post your own.

BLUES

A couple of years ago I did a summer course in art history at the University of Oxford. Trinity College to be specific. Had a really nice time there. Thinking back, I get a little bit of the BLUES.

As you may well know, rowing is an important sport at Oxford University.

A Bumps Race is a rowing race taking place over several days in which crews start lined up along the river at set intervals, and all start at the same time. The aim is to catch up with the boat in front, and avoid being caught by the boat behind. If a crew overtakes or makes physical contact with the crew ahead, a bump is awarded.

The starting order of each day's competition is based on the previous day's results. Any boat that has been bumped starts behind the boat or boats that caught it, whereas a boat which reaches the finish line without either bumping or being bumped is said to have 'rowed over' and stays in the same position.

The objective is to gradually progress up the start order day by day by bumping. Typically the first day's starting position is based on the final positions from the previous year, though in lower divisions the boats may be placed according to qualifying races held a few days before the event. (This allows colleges to introduce new crews, hoping that they will move up into the fixed divisions.)

The ultimate achievement in these competitions is to bump up a place (or more) on each of the four days; a crew achieving this is said to have won its 'blades'. Traditionally members of such a crew purchase a rowing oar in the crew colours and inscribed with the crew names to hang on their wall, though today some purchase a miniature replica for reasons of practicality. 'Blades' are also awarded to the crew that finishes first in the overall order; such a crew is said to be 'Head of the River'. Crews that go down four places are awarded the wooden spoon, and the bottom crew at the end of the competition is known as the 'Tail of the River'. See for more information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumps_race

Trinity College crews proudly display their blades by painting them on the college walls. The paintings fade over the years until they disappear.

True Colors Thursday's meme is hosted at Poopsie's place.

Today's color is BLUE.