Just me, relaxing in the garden, on a very warm day, listening to music and reminiscing… Songs: “De Roos”, Ann Christy and “Immortels”, Alain Bashung. Extra footage of me on a roadtrip in Normandy, Falaise, Autoroute A31.
Laïs Live ~ Bruidsnacht / Bridal Night
Ballad by Flemish folk band Laïs, lyrics by my father (with subtitles)
Motherland
For all who embrace freedom in a peaceful way.
On Suicide, Faith, Love & Hope
Over zelfdoding, geloof, hoop & liefde (with English subtitles)
Sun Meditation
Soul Healing Meditation: relax while the Sun is setting.
Allerzielenvuur All Saints Fire
Allerzielenvuur All Saints Fire (subtitled) Rond de vuurtafel herdachten Hugo De Deken en ik in woord en zang alle Zielen, in naam van onze geliefde UFSAL decaan en “Glimlachende God” Bernard-Frans van Vlierden (auteur Bernard Kemp), veel te vroeg van ons heengegaan op 2 november 1980.
Vienna

To live
between tomorrow
and today
a yesterday
upon our shoulders
as an ocean wave
we carry
always carry
future and
forget about
the wings that
brought us here
we live
we love
we dance under
a setting sun,
then walk
away,
leaving
the miracle
that only can be
seen with our eyes
closed,
while
Vienna
always will be
there
(Saturday October 22nd, Raversyde Beach, Belgium,
after a conversation with this Austrian couple)
Billy Joel: “Vienna” (1977)
Éternité
Pale Blue Dot
In his speech at Cornell University (October 13th, 1994) Carl Sagan (1934-1996) left us his immoral thoughts on looking at the picture of Earth “Voyager 1 Space Probe” sent back to us in 1990 at a distance of 6 billion kilometres. They are still so true today, almost 25 years later…
The picture became known as “The Pale Blue Dot“:
“From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of particular interest. But for us, it’s different. Consider again that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there–on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”
Adagio Sostenuto
#AdagioSostenu Op de bank van Fleur, herfst, rust, ademen, verlangen… er ‘gebeurt’ weinig, en toch méér dan voldoende (Adagio Sostenuto, Sergei Rachmaninoff, uit zijn 2de pianocnocerto, Eric Carmen in 1975 gebruikte een melodielijn voor zijn hit “All By Myself).
Beelden opgenomen op woensdag 24 oktober, Ymeriaplein, Wijgmaal.
Kortenbergse Liefde
Een liedje over een liefdesgeschiedenis bij de huwelijksceremonie van Auke Dekempeneer & Wide Vercnocke (in het zonnetje!), gezongen én gecomponeerd door Thomas Swerts, backing vocals door “De Jonkers” (Bert Vercnocke – broer, Nand Vercnocke – broer, Bart P Malfliet, Maarten Vanermen, Anselm Vereertbrugghen en Olivier Dekempeneer) #aukepluswide #schuurfuif
Kortenbergse Liefde
Zagen elkaar soms op de basketbal
Een lieve reus, een blonde stoot
Stiekem kijkend vanaf de zijlijn
De prille liefde, die was groot
Kortenbergse liefde
Hoeft niet kort te zijn
Kortenbergse liefde
Kan duren voor altijd
Twee pubers in het schrale jeugdhuis
Hormonen gierend door hun lijf
Een snelle kus wanneer niemand omkijkt
Wiegen op die Chet Baker-schijf
Kortenbergse liefde
Hoeft niet kort te zijn
Kortenbergse liefde
Kan duren voor altijd
Appartementje delen in de binnenstad
Brusselse jaren vlogen voorbij
Een thuis bij elkaar gevonden
De paardenfretters zijn nu blij
Kortenbergse liefde
Hoeft niet kort te zijn
Kortenbergse liefde
Kan duren voor altijd
Wanneer twee zielen overlappen
Samensmelten in één ring
De liefde van’ t papier doen spatten
Wil iedereen weten hoe ’t hen verging
Kortenbergse liefde
Hoeft niet kort te zijn
Kortenbergse liefde
Kan duren voor altijd