Nimavenl - Nicole's Random Ramblings

Mind Body Green shared thirteen inspirational JFK quotes in honour of John F. Kennedy's birthday. The 35th President of the United States would have been 98 today, the article states. "Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly." "...we can have faith in the future only if we have faith in ourselves."   "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."  "If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live." "The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask 'why not?'." Happy Birthday, JFK! 13 Of His Greatest Quotes To Inspire You Today | Mind Body Green

The Tunnel of Change | Nimavenl This photo of a wall, some grass and a few trees was taken coming out of a tunnel. It's a tunnel I walk or bike through several times a week, a tunnel that always makes me smile as coming out of it (on either side) provides one with an amazing view of the world. On one side is a very Dutch polderscape - water, a bridge, a mill and a beautiful view of nature. On the other side is city life - a train station, buses and cars, flats and houses and people rushing around living their lives. For me, going through this tunnel signifies change, which is probably why the setting inspired me to write the following words: It may be dark, you may be going through a tunnel or a valley. Your life may be changing in ways you can't imagine and never thought possible. Whatever you're going through, whatever's happening in your life, whatever changes you're facing - Remember to stop every once in a while, to smile and cherish the journey life is t...

Ladybug on a Leaf by Nimavenl Photography The world is changing once more as it does every year. Green leaves are slowly starting to turn yellow, orange, red and brown. The flowers, sunshine and blue skies of summer give way to the grey skies and golden colours of autumn. Not long now before we turn the heating back on and get our winter coats out from storage. Yellow Sprig by Nimavenl Photography I love the cold purity of winter snow, the new beginnings of spring and the warm weather of summer. However what I love even more are the amazing colours of autumn and the way the world seems to farewell summer and the warm weather in slow stages of colourful changes. If only winter didn't follow autumn, it would be my favourite season! ;-)

In a few days, my country will have a King instead of a Queen. For 33 years we've had a Queen at the head of our nation. Her son will now take over and become the King. Our Crown Prince Willem Alexander is a smart, charming and intelligent man who in my opinion will make a very good future king. He has had the time to become his own person, form his own opinions and really understand his future role. A husband and father, advocate for sports and the environment and a well-spoken and funny man; I believe Willem Alexander is a King of the current age and one who will put his own stamp on our country and on his new office.  While I am certain that Willem Alexander will be an amazing new head of our country, there is the little girl in me that is much more impressed by our new Queen to be. It is Willem Alexander's wife Princess Máxima who has left no-one in doubt that she will be an amazing future Queen. She is intelligent and charming and has the makings, bearing and of c...

Ice on a Table | Nimavenl Today is the second day of November which makes yesterday the first day of November. Yesterday was also the first time this autumn that it hailed. When it starts hailing it means it's cold enough outside to get my coat, gloves, beanie and scarf out. It means summer is gone, autumn is ON and winter really is on its way. Do I make a bad Game of Thrones joke now and add that yesterday's hail definitely shows that Winter is Coming ? Maybe not... Winter in The Netherlands is nowhere near as cold as in other parts of the world, however we do often get snow and ice. Not enough of it that we're snowed in or forced to stay home -- or able to hold the Elfstedentocht , most years -- however definitely enough to turn roads into slippery slides. Hail | Nimavenl Biking isn't always smart in winter, which means I get to look forward to the warmth of public transport and crunching through the snow on foot, enjoying the winter weather with my came...

Autumn is here! As the seasons change, the natural world changes with them. Leaves change colours and start falling off trees. The wind busily blows everything around. It rains almost daily and there's a definite chill in the air. Autumn is here and it is amazingly beautiful once again! Autumn is by far my favourite time of year as far as photography goes. The wind, the rain and the changing colours provide an amazing array of interesting subjects to photograph, each tree or dark cloud more beautiful than the next. As fond as I am of the amazing variety of photography subjects autumn provides, I really don't like having to go places in autumn. While the half hour daily bike ride to work is relaxing and fun in summer, it has become a real struggle these past few weeks. I've stopped brushing my hair in the morning simply because it's a messy disaster by the time I get to work. No matter how tight the knot I tie it in, the wind always seems to catch some strands ...