This is my personal blog, I am totally unimportant in every way, so I feel free to post on my thoughts, musings and experiences, I draw ”Danish Cartoons”, I write up any stuff which pops up in my mind, I am rude if I feel like it, and I make fun of anything and anybody, including myself, just as I please. 
Take it or leave it.
I am Dutch, I am an artist and a saddle-maker. While being stuck at home with an injured ankle I got hooked on reading blogs. I thought it only polite to give in return. So, here’s my blog, for those who want to know who it is that’s been lurking on their blogs.
And forget about any exciting story’s: Although I’m an Artist, and Dutch; I’m really, really boring, I’m a Nerd, don’t drink, smoke, have boyfriends, do cannabis or other drugs.
I’m nuts about horses, so there will be a lot about horses. Every now and then I get really depressed, so beware.
Favorite anti-depressant: medicinal chocolate.
Update: Am now considering Hemlock instead.
Disclaimer: You visit Clouddragon at your own risk. If you have no sense of humour, serious braindamage may result.
All content, posts, and artwork, ©Aafke2016
Clouddragon 
I adore your blog and you placed the purrfect picture here in which to introduce yourself!
Welcome delhi4cats!
Glad you like the picture! Isn’t my horse adorable? And so inspirational!
Half of the blog will end up about him!
(but there will be cat-stories too)
Saddle-maker, wow! I love chocolate too! Thank you for sharing.
Welcome Aliyah!
Being from Texas, I have a true appreciation for a good saddle… and stand in awe of those who are talented and spirited (it takes both) to craft them.
And the photograph is absolutely brilliant. The eyes tell it all… wonder, contentment, and a deep-down knowledge that one is loved. Of course, your eyes are beautiful, too. :->
Welcome, my friend, and cheers from Texas!
Hi, Lofter, and welcome! Thanks! yes, the eyes tell it all. 🙂
You bet my horse is dearly loved!
And at least my horse loves me!
Oh, I’m certain you are dearly loved by many. One who gives love from the heart, always receives love back. :->
Duuhh, or a knife in the back.
But not from a dog or a horse.
LOL! True. But we do, indeed, reap what we sow. Perhaps not in the time frame we’d choose, and certainly not without our share of tribulation – but, it comes back to us just the same.
Don’t let the occasional knife in the back taint your outlook. That’s just part of life. You can’t enjoy the beauty of the rose without recognizing the thorns. :->
As for me, I only wish that I could be half the man my dog thought I was. That would be grand indeed.
No, that’s just it: you don’t reap what you sow, you sow and get crap back.
And surely you mean the occasional time you don’t get a knife in the back?
It makes me depressed: the undivided loyalty of my dog and horse: which I surely don’t deserve.
Patience… it does come back to you, but you must be patient. As I’m almost certainly twice your age, and have undoubtedly survived my share of knives in the back, I can testify to it. Even I, at this late stage of my life, am alone, but content. Content in the assurance that I give love freely – not speaking in physical terms, of course – and know that I am loved. While it may not be the tangible kind, at times, I yet know that it is there. And it is there for you, too, my friend.
And if we all could live and love with the unconditional loyalty and trust of our dogs, or our horses, what a wonderful world it would be! We can live in such a way… each of us, individually, can make that decision and forge our lives as such. Just don’t expect the rest of the world to follow, for such is simply not meant to be. I suppose what I’m saying is this: If you must choose to either (a)love like your horse, or (b)love like human beings… which would you choose? I know which, and so do you. So don’t let those who choose otherwise change the good that is in you. :->
Nice horse.
Since most people will probably be asking you a lot of questions about yourself on this blog, I sense your horse might be feeling a bit left out. Sooooo…. More info on your horse please.
Arabicarabic: Welcome!
Noope, everybody just asks about my horse! And quite right too!
Check Trouble with Tarq for his latest exploits! 🙂
PS your comment was under Spam!?!
I’m making a special page on the horses!
To whom it may concern: I’ve finished the page about my horses! Warning for those with slow internet connections: many, many photographs!
I had kind of hat you have on in the foto. We call it here “russian hat”. Just bcs usually russians use it. 😛
It is a real russian hat, from Russia! It is very warm, and I only wear it when the temperature is below -5 C.
If I pull all the flaps down I can’t see anything.
I am confused. Which one is you? :p
Left: The Tarq, Right: Aafke
Nice theme but I liked the black one too. Made you and the horses sexier 😉
I change the theme once a week, for a couple of hours, but then go back to my original choice! I just really like black 🙂
What? Sexier?
Back to black!!!
Yay!
See how sexy you look!
Haha, i came here and commented. But i didnt notice you changed your theme!! You were black always. Werent you?
See Achelois, i am more weird than you.. 😀
You just missed it, or you are even more weird than me, after all: as soon as Achelois changed her theme I’d completely forgotten what her original theme was!
And that for an artist!!!
The other theme was white, as I had written a looong post and I thought it might be easier to read in white.
Salaams Aafke,
Ma sha Allah! A beautiful blog. Insha Allah, I will be visiting again in the future.
Abdur Rahman
Welcome, Abdur Rahman, looking forward to your visits! I like your blog very much too. 🙂
The perfect anti-depressant should be the horses themselves. Although as an avid horseman myself, sometimes they can get you down as well.
Try spending all day working on flying changes. Not that I am a Dressage fan, but it helps in the jumping.
You are right: The Tarq is my anti-depressant! Nick name: Super-Prozac!
But sometimes even Super-Prozac isn’t enough 😦
nice blog!
Thank you Laila, and welcome here 🙂
Your blog is really interesting, I will be reading your posts one by one.. Nice to meet ya! 😉
Arabilluminist, Welcome to my blog! As you kow, I like your blog too. 🙂
First few mintues into your blog and I love it..Will be knocking your door frequently..
welcome to my blog hannah, excellent way to start commenting: with a compliment! 😀
WOOW cool , boring ?! hardly man , im gona start reading your blog , I love horses , I have always wanted to ride one . But living in london , hardly possible with all the cars 😛
As much as I tried to stop the chocolate thing , I just can nto succeed , instead im trying the new approach of eat less chocolate .
Amal: welcome to my blog, I have lowered my chocolate intake by switching to some very good quality chocolate! Green & Black’s organic! Very intense! Very expensive, and very satisfying! 😛
You can ride in Hyde park, but I’ve never tried that.
The main reason I live in the north of the Netherlands is that I can afford to keep a horse here 😀
I adore that pic, really artistic looking.
As you know artists do tend to get depressed, but interestingly enough, I was reading on depression from a ”spiritual” point of view. It means you’re ‘off track” in terms of completing your life path mission.
I have my lows as well, so have noted this. When I get off track or sidetracked on my goals is when the depression sets in. Like a ”thump” on the top of the head from fate.
The horse is a wonderful too.
Viking Daughter, I think you are right with the ‘off track’ idea. I was very offtrack, and am slowly getting back on track.
Not that I don’t need any chocolate anymore……
Tarq is supercallifragiousexpalidocious!
I feel so confused – Aafke, I thought you were a saddle-maker working in Saudi Arabia! Why did I think that?
Hi intlxpatr: welcome to my blog! Perhaps because when I started reading blogs it was with Saudi Jeans and American bedu? And then Shahrzad and Achelois, and after commenting on a few blogs I thought to be fair I should show something of myself in return, and now as far as blosphere is concerned I’m in this corner of the world?
I don’t really tell people in the real world that I have a secret blog-life!
Hi Aafke, my cousin sent me this ad for HEMA online shopping, and I thought of you.
What inventive people you are, this ad is superb and hilarious!
http://producten.hema.nl/
Kept me awake!
Woehaha! That was funny! Hema is one of my favorite stores! That kettle looked good, pity I just brought a new kettel (at the hema) last month!
Thanks for sharing the laugh 🙂
Aafke – my friends don’t know either! Only two – and they are the kind of women who might run across it by accident, and the kind of women who are paying attention. My other friends – totally oblivious! I like it that way.
Interesting blog! I’ve added you to my ecclectic group.
S.Le, Welcome to my blog! Thanks for adding me to your blogroll! I’m tickled pink! 😀 😳
‘Am now considering Hemlock instead.’
Yeah, I heard that drinking that is great for the sinuses 🙂
Haven’t tried it yet! Welcome to my blog WM! 🙂
‘Haven’t tried it yet!’
Please let me know when you do 🙂
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://gandalwaven.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/socrates3_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://gandalwaven.typepad.com/intheroom/2006/12/avoiding_the_he.html&h=450&w=784&sz=151&hl=en&start=3&usg=__-7Ozh2xo5Ipk3OEdnrA4nKxbR2s=&tbnid=qRKiSdMOQgSbUM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhemlock%2Bsocrates%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff
Sorry, that link should be:
But I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m not in the mood right now, but you could try it yourself!
You are going to behave here I hope?
After all, this is my own blog and I’m not obliged to be véry diplomatic and polite here!
Great blog, have just started reading blogs (today in fact) loved what you
wrote on Adam & Eve. Boring you’re not! Hope to read more soon, a real saddle maker??? Are you serious. One profession I just never thought of, cool…..
AnnMarie: better watch yourself! You have no idea what you maybe getting into!
(probably still awake sitting behind your computer with red eyes 🙂
Welcome to my blog!
You’re a lot more important than you thought.The photos of horses are beautiful.
Is that a “black-veiled-hag”?
Brooke aka Ummbadier, welcome to my blog, according to my brother that description is far to lenient for me, The Representative of EVIL
Brooke – shame on you! Is it an islamic way to do tit-for-tat? Did you come to Aafke’s blog simply to find something to attack?
Aafke – bless you for your patience and forebearing.
Bedu, 🙂 come on, you know how dissappointed I always am that I never get any real nutters on my blog! Perhaps the tide will turn now!
No AB, that is a direct quote from Aafke regarding some Muslima (me, I dunno, doubtful, don’t care) she says; “one of the blogs by the black-veiled-hags” followed by this “I will never understand why people don’t care how they hurt others. ” Shame on you AB for doubting and suspecting me 😦 But thanks for pointing out her insult is meant to be hurtful–again her own words, that’s why it is in quotes-not mine.
~Brooke
Well BU, if you don’t care what are you doing on my blog making petty sneers? You know very well I’m talking about the blog where a little group of narrowminded persons was blackening ànd threatening one of my best friends, you know who. Because of writing a tongue-in-cheek post about you know what.
You know who upset, spoke evil, laughed at and threatened you know who, a very dear friend of mine.
And yes, in my dictionary You know who are nothing but a bunch of hags, full of misguided selfrightiousness, blinded by their empty, soulless adherence to words without trying to go into the message. People like these are responsible for the greatest evils in history.
Evil does not spawn from hollywood demons or mysterious forces. The evil on this planet comes from bigotted closed minds, from empty hearts without understanding and compassion. From humans.
Aafke I love your originality and beautiful heart.
Tee, Thank you. It is much better after all to have good people visiting, instead of creeps! ❤
thank you aafke, that would be lovely, dh has a conf so i’m footloose and free.first of all are you close by to either of these 2 places ? It’s sweet of you to offer especially since we’ve met on a blog for a few months only. I’m not sure of what is culturally acceptable, but like i said i can ditch dh. and i hope to god you’re not a georgeous 20 something who’ll die of boredom entertaining a 40+ indian . once everything is confirmed is it ok if i email you the ph no of the hotel where we’ll be? well my husband is a fan of your comments and will probably act the safety police( he claims it’s only because he’s terrified i’ll die and he’ll be stuck raising our hormonal teenager ) once again thank you, i don’t know anyone there . I’m still worried about leaving the kids with my visiting parents in the US. My son assures me he’s the most responsible kid there ever was:-) ( yeah right and i’m queen of england) .
pl let me know how convienient it is for you.
Radha, I liked your comments very much, so have the feeling we will get on very well. I am certainly gorgious but also 40, you will be very safe with me, even if I don’t bring clouddragon along.
It’s so nice to have responsible kids 😉
Next week is an especially good time as I don’t have many appointments, and If I get my commission finished this weekend I will be free except for wednesday.
please mail me so I can give you more details about myself, I tried your gmail which comes with the comments, but it couldn’t be delivered.
sent you email.
am writing back…
I wanna chime in too….I’m not in the netherlands but in the US at the moment…are you also in the US Radha? u can email me at admin@americanbedu.com
Aafke, where have you been? I miss you!
Hi, Aafke!
I don’t know if you know a certain fellow calling himself “Bob”, but I found a reference to you/your blog in one of his bizarre rants (as translated into ‘human’, at the link).
The original section: hear the word of the LOrd, this person will perish, weeping, hollie shows, subs, all around, u.s.a., thats, aafke, shes clouddragon, my God spoken name said, Jesus, theres vladimir prelovac, they are one and the same, she releases ministryofdreams.org to bob, hollie plays the music, said, hollie, you did not want no more visions, thats, what, you showed, us,
Anyway, since it’s clearly referencing you (“That’s Aafke, she’s clouddragon”), I added a link to your blog. I will gladly remove it if you wish.
Dreamer, The guy’s an idiot! He’s got some bot out on the internet scouting for the words ”ministry of dreams” and then harasses everybody who dares to use those words…
He’s really insane. Can’t even write proper English.
Considering your website I’d say you are into continuous harassment from this loon.
I’m not one to back down, Aafke!
But I’ll gladly remove the link to your site if you so desire.
Nice site you have, by the way!
Dreamer, thank you. Nah you don’t have to remove the link. But I’d not link to the weirdo, I think he could use this to get people to his website where he gets money out of the ads, lets not help him….
This post is absolutely amazing! Thank you for writing it.
We also need to take into consideration that life expectancies were much lower than they are today, and so being 13 then is not the same as being 13 today. Nevertheless, like you said, I doubt the Prophet (pbuh) would have married a child.
Hi sara, welcome to my blog! 🙂 I think this comment was for the Aischa one!
As one of the reasons of lower life expectancies was bad nutricion, maturity would also be delayed, even more reason not to burden small children with pregnancies.
May you and those of Epona’s children you care for have a blessed Yuletide.
Thank you 🙂 and happy solstice and yule to you too!
Aafke, I just emailed you about a couple of things you might want to check out while you’re in the Pasadena area if you have time. 🙂 Just didn’t want you to miss out!!
Oh, BTW, I really love your blog! ❤ 🙂
Love your blog! The saddles and horse outfits are gorgeous!
Thank you!
Hoi Aafke,
Leuke blog. Zit je nou in KSA of niet?
Groet,
Taco
Ik reis nogal wate rond, maar blijf wel in het meer beschaafde deel van de wereld.
I apologize, I should have said more. I read your piece were you had a love for the prehistoric world and was caught up with it’s mystique, to only be let down by a foolish and ignorant teacher. More often than not mankind adheres to the word of man over the word of God. The Bible supports your belief, not your mis-informed teacher.
The bible is an ancient document written by ignorant bronze age barbarians, who saw nothing bad in smashing little babies against walls to kill them, slicing open the bellies of pregnant women, who took away women’s rights and made them into chattel, and as such the bible is the word of men, with an imaginary invisible friend thrown in to make it look more authoritative.
I think I would be very concerned if the bible supported anything I say or do.
hi im from South Africa
…nice blog!
Hi. I found your blog while looking for pictures of pigs to make jigsaw puzzles on a site called jigidi. Dot-com, I think. My “handle” there is Glorianna, and I do mosaics, if you want to look at my distortions – I doubt they’ll end up looking much like your photos, but there are a couple of puzzle-makers on the site who love pigs.
Amen to your last response. You seem to be a kindred spirit, so I’m going to follow your posts!
Welcome to my blog!