We are living the season of Colors, I know. I am still waiting for the most colourful days to come. But the fall is also the season of black tones and dark evenings. This is fascinating and interesting, the dark comes fast and wipes away the bright tones.
We are doing some painting work at home this week and the black has been present also there in a form of dirt. I have been trying to get away the dark cover of street dust and other fetty oils from the ceiling, trying to get the surface ready for the new layer or bright white. Working on this, I have been thinking how much of this dirt and small particles are landing on top of the green nature outside. We do not necessarily see it, but the plants are also living with this black. The rain will give a cleaning shower every now and then, but how clean is the rain then in the end. The circle of our industrial world is giving also hard time to the nature. Sometimes we seem to forget we are part of this with our actions and short time planning, without seeing the long term effects. We are also victims : we and our children are breathing this air, playing in the water, drinking it and eating too much processed food.
I went to check the Air Quality Index(AQI) of Amsterdam from the website, which shows always the actual situation in real time all over the world. At the moment it is good here, but this is not the total truth.I found an article, which tells that in many bigger Dutch cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Maastricht, the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2)is often too high in some areas, going above the EU regulations and making the air unhealthy. This makes me worried and I start to think why on earth did we end into a bigger town and in this small crowded country. We feel the big difference on the air quality every time we visit Finlad, especially in North where I come from the air is very fresh. It is the most dominant thing that we notice after landing and stepping out from the aeroplane in my hometown. I love to live in Amsterdam, but it makes me scared to see all the information of this sometimes unhealthy situation: the quality of the air is the third biggest cause of Death in Holland after smoking and obesity. I did not know that!
It is good to be aware all of this and when writing the blog, I am talking with my son over this issue. He started to look over how the air quality is in China and other parts of world. I think it is important to talk about these things with the young generation. I want them to grow to respect the nature and live healthy.
I like to see the nature in all tones, but I also love how the black and white pictures are showing more the mystery of our living world, plants and landscapes. The structures of natural art highlighted with the sun and the shadows. If I would be walking inside these pictures, in the black world, I would miss the green and the whole palette of colours. We want to keep the green up and let it live long for the future generations.
Happy weekend from Amsterdam !!
