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In the Namib Desert there is a very special plant, Welwitschia mirabilis. Its South African name is Tweeblaarkanniedood (two-leaved, cannot be killed). This living fossil is an ultimate survivor. It grows to only about one metre in height, although its root can extend up to 30 metres deep into the ground. The Welwitschia has only two leaves, but they are enormous. |
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The Welwitschia is dioecious and displays characteristics of both angiosperms (1) and gymnosperms (2). It is associated with the number two, with duality and the transformation of our time.
Summary
The plant Welwitschia mirabilis (Tweeblaarkanniedood) grows in the Namib Desert. It belongs to a unique order of plants, the Gnetales (Gnetophyta), a group that is both gymnosperm and angiosperm.
The homeopathic remedy is prepared from plant material of old female and male plants growing near a site where uranium is found.
During the Welwitschia provings many participants had dreams in which the number two appeared. That is the duality we humans face — the choice between good and evil. We feel divided, in some cases even split. We look for a partner to feel whole. This is reflected in dreams of the female-male duality (Yin-Yang), light and dark, up and down, old and young. Some subjects experienced this and expressed their feelings with words such as hate and love, Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve. Themes of foresight and clairvoyance emerged, both in dreams and in waking experiences. The physical complaints experienced during the provings were varied, for example stomach problems and chest tightness.
Welwitschia can assist in the transformation process within the dual field of life. The remedy suits very sensitive, intuitive and clairvoyant people. |
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Botanical classification
Some examples of local names for Welwitschia are Tweeblaarkanniedood (South Africa), Onyanka (Herero), Tumboa (Angola); Kharos (Nama), Khurub (Nama). Welwitschia belongs to the Gnetophytes, which contain the class Gnetopsida, to which three families are assigned: the Welwitschiaceae, the Ephedraceae and the Gnetaceae. Each of these three families consists of only one genus with only one species. Here: the Welwitschiaceae, with Welwitschia mirabilis as the sole species of this genus.
Gnetophyta share some features of gymnosperms with conifers such as pine and thuja, but also show some angiosperm traits — for example, vessel elements in the secondary xylem. Welwitschia is pollinated not only by wind (as gymnosperms are) but also by insects. Both the female and male flowers produce nectar; the male flowers also produce small amounts of pollen. For both types, insect pollination is typical (angiosperm-like). The male flowers resemble angiosperm flowers of some other plants.
Two subspecies occur, which differ in their male cones. The Swakopmund plant belongs to the subspecies Namibiana. |
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Botanical description
Welwitschia has a stem, two leaves and roots. The short woody stem is hard, hollow and shaped like an inverted cone. Welwitschia usually does not grow higher than 50–80 centimetres. Its two leaves are tough, leathery, strap-shaped, very long and form a tangle on the ground.
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With increasing age they split into strips that fray and wither at the tips. They grow from the base and can reach about 2 to 4 metres in length. At night dew and fog condense on the leaves and drip to the ground.
The many tiny roots lying just beneath the sandy surface absorb this moisture, while the leaves take up water through their stomata. The taproot goes down as far as 30 metres and can draw water up from that depth; the root also serves as an anchor, making the plant able to survive even the fiercest desert storm.
There are male and female plants (dioecious species). The male cones are pink-brown and smaller than the female cones, which are pink with some dark purple. The seeds are about 36 x 25 mm in size and have white, papery wings. They are dispersed by the wind in spring when the female cones fall (Lit. 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12).
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Distribution and ecology
Welwitschia occurs only in the Namib Desert, a narrow, arid strip stretching about 1,500 km along the northern coast of Namibia and southwestern Angola.
The region is extremely dry; average annual rainfall is less than 100 mm, and in some years there is no rainfall at all. Most plants are found in the fog zone, which extends up to 80 kilometres inland. This fog is an important moisture source. Temperatures vary considerably: daytime temperatures can reach up to 45°C, while winter nights can bring frost.
Radiocarbon dating has shown ages between 400 and 1,500 years for these plants, while some are thought to be up to 2,000 years old. (Lit. 5, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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The homeopathic remedy
The homeopathic remedy Welwitschia mirabilis is made from parts of female and male plants about 600 to 1,000 years old growing near Swakopmund beside the Namibian uranium mine. In addition, the remedy Radix Welwitschia mirabilis is produced. (Lit. 4)
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Uses
So far no medicinal use of this plant is known.
The cones of the female plants have been eaten by people. They were baked in hot ash. The Herero name Onyanga, meaning something like desert onion, arose from this use. Larger animals such as antelope and rhinoceros eat the leaves. (Lit. 11)
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Symbolism
The ecology of the plant and the Afrikaans name Tweeblaarkanniedood suggest that Welwitschia is a master of survival. In the literature it is described as a living fossil from the Jurassic era, when gymnosperms and dinosaurs populated the Earth.
Welwitschia grows in a region inhabited by the San (Bushmen). It has been shown that they possess the oldest DNA of all humans; they are an ancient people who have survived everything.
During my journey through Namibia I often had the feeling of entering the land of creation, of being near the origin of humankind. Against this background one can imagine the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise after the Fall and the dualism between good and evil; the human choice between good and evil that followed: an ambiguous world. The number two and transformation are clearly expressed in the structure of the plant: it has two leaves, is dioecious and stands between gymnosperms and angiosperms. Therefore material from female and male plants was used.
Welwitschia was named after its discoverer 'Welwitsch', which allows a wordplay with the words 'well' and 'witch'; 'mirabilis' means 'wonderful', which produces a pleasing sound.
Tweeblaarkanniedood is Namibia's national plant; Namibian coins show a coat of arms depicting this plant and an eagle. (Lit. 7, 10) |
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Astrology
My visit to Welwitschia to collect material coincided with an astrologically significant time. At the Midheaven(3) Mercury, Venus and the Part of Fortune were grouped in Virgo; nearby were the Sun, Saturn and Mars. Pluto stood on the Ascendant. At that time Pluto played an important role as a driving force for the change from darkness to light and love. Pluto also stands out particularly in the remedy Diospyros kaki Creveld (the plutonium bomb; at the time of the bomb explosion Pluto and the Sun were together in Leo). In the Welwitschia horoscope Uranus is at the IC(4) in Pisces (near Uranus), Neptune together with the North Node (indicating the karmic life task) in Aquarius (the Age of Aquarius) on the cusp of the third house.
The horoscope confirms what I suspected: this plant can help us survive in this plutonian age of transformation. The plant offers a transforming force for the new Age of Aquarius, in which, with the help of our great intuitive powers, we can live from a place of light and love. |
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Proving
In early November 2008 a double-blind provings trial with Welwitschia was carried out. Thirty participants slept for the same three consecutive nights with the remedy (in potency 200K). Some of them sniffed the vial on the last night. Two took the remedy during the trial. Two weeks later one subject slept with the remedy for three nights. There were 21 women and ten men, aged between 30 and 71. Their dreams were clear and profound. Some dreamers felt somewhat uncertain and doubted whether they were dreaming or merely thinking. Some participants also had daytime thoughts matching the theme.
DREAMS - CLEAR
DREAMS - PROFOUND
DREAMS - INCOHERENT
DREAMS – MIND AND EMOTIONS, confused - upon waking from a dream |
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Theme analysis
In the dream analysis I found several themes, partly general themes I had encountered in provings of other plants, e.g. top and bottom, cleaning and repairing. Some of the themes of Welwitschia dreams also occurred during the Diospyros kaki Creveld provings (Lit. 1,2) and Pinus longaeva (Lit. 3). These included light and dark, survival, safety, struggle, danger and death.
I consider only the themes that appeared in the dreams of several participants. I list some repertory rubrics and some dream aspects in italics.
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The number two
The number two, the number of duality and the number related to the form of this plant and its Afrikaans name, appears in many dreams.
- With two other women
- These windows consist of two parts
- We share everything fairly, my half pear
- It was always about a contrast, like poverty and wealth
DREAMS - NUMBERS, of - number two
DREAMS – DIVIDED, into two parts
DREAMS - DUALITY; feeling of |
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Female-Male
Some dreams deal with the female and male duality, or the unity or conversion of masculine and feminine.
- See full dreams: 1
- The woman undressed and it turned out she was a man. He had a penis! A handsome man, but he shouldn't be in our room, as that was reserved for women only.
- He will suddenly become a 'she', and she laughs.
- S. is there too; she looks beautiful. She wears black clothing and ivory turtle-shaped earrings. I wanted to come too. (Dreamer's comment: I feel that the two colleagues look rather masculine, not as graceful as these turtle earrings usually are. The sturdy masculine parts should harmonise better with the feminine. At work I want to be more feminine, softer and purer.)
- The women and men sit separately. There are many women and five men. We are really separated. That impresses me.
- She cared for me, although I am dirty (masculine).
DREAMS - MAN - transformed into a woman
DREAMS – SEXUAL IDENTITY, unclear in relation to one's own
DREAMS - WOMAN - transforms into a man
DREAMS - WOMAN - separated from the man
DREAMS - WOMAN - merges with the man
DREAMS - WOMAN - embraces a man |
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Transformation
There are dreams clearly related to transformation/mirroring in various areas, such as women - men, light - dark, old - young, up - down; cleaning. Then there are dreams in which the word transformation appears, or which the dreamer experiences as transformation. A clairvoyant among the provers saw the Tarot card Art, which stands for transformation, union of opposites and creative power.
- At first I hid on the roof. Later I lay in a meadow in a very clean, tidy environment. I was smeared with earth or mud (the dreamer experiences this as transformation).
- Renovation of a building.
- I completely forgot what I dreamed, but I know it had something to do with transformation/change.
- A cathedral that Hitler had lined on the inside with bricks; there were now three such layers and I decided that all should be removed again.
DREAMS - Transformation |
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Clarity
There were striking dreams about foresight, clairvoyance and clear understanding.
- He can see what everyone in the house is doing.
- I was at a conference on 'Nonviolent Communication'. I suddenly understood the structure (which I had not grasped at the real meetings).
- D. was a seer.
- The root system/mycelium in the ground under the leaves had become visible.
- There was no more aim for him. Strangely, everyone already knew in advance whether it would be a hit or a miss.
DREAMS - SENSITIVITY
DREAMS - CLAIRVOYANCE
DREAMS - CLARITY OF MIND
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Old and young, past and present
There were dreams in which old/past and young/present confronted each other.
Interpretation: this stands for the duality of the fourth dimension.
- The child turns into my aunt, my mother's sister. She is old.
- Her father was again a young man.
- Two eras, past and present, occurred simultaneously.
- How it was before and how it is now.
DREAMS - CHILD - becomes an old woman
DREAMS – mental confusion – from time to time
DREAMS - old man - becomes young man
DREAMS - TIMES, two - yesterday and today |
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Embrace, comfort
Dreams occurred of embracing, caring, being seen and comforted.
- I hug him to show that a deep connection ultimately never disappears.
- She was very sad; she missed her husband and cried. I hugged and comforted her.
DREAMS - CARING
DREAMS - COMFORT
DREAMS - EMBRACING
DREAMS – NEGLECTED – no longer
DREAMS - GRIEF – comfort |
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Light/white and dark/black.
In many dreams white and light occurred side by side with dark and black. Interpretation: this relates to the duality of good and evil.
- The ceiling was of gentle yellow and showed the inscription 'Ilulia' in large black letters. (Dreamer's comment: Ilulia reminded me of Lucia, which means 'light').
- The house was very bright and spacious.
- The stone is very large and glows from within.
- Her clothing is black and she wears ivory turtle-shaped earrings.
DREAMS - COLOUR - white
DREAMS - COLOUR - light; of
DREAMS - COLOUR - black - white; and
DREAMS - LIGHT; of
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Survival, safety, struggle, danger, death.
Many dreams concern danger, (in)security and survival.
Interpretation: Welwitschia is a plant that can help us cope with such fears and traumas.
- The atmosphere was tense; you could practically feel the tension.
- I didn't feel free with him. I felt trapped in the house.
- A man took me hostage. We move underground because he has just blown something up above. To survive, I pretend to be his girlfriend. He is very dangerous. He causes explosions, and this gives him a kick. He always carries explosives with him... otherwise he would be killed by that lunatic.
DREAMS - COFFIN
DREAMS - DANGER
DREAMS - DEAD; of the
DREAMS - EXPLOSION
DREAMS - MURDER - threat
DREAMS - SAFETY
DREAMS - SURVIVAL
DREAMS - INSECURITY |
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Nudity, sexuality.
Dreams with (partially) naked people. Sexually oriented dreams that are not always a pleasant experience for the dreamer. These dreams often involve sex between people of different ages, where the woman is the older.
Interpretation: with Welwitschia this is probably related to the female and male duality. Female wisdom gains importance. This may also relate to the duality of time.
- The mother kisses her son, who sits beside her with a bare torso, very intensely. The son clearly does not like it. It does not seem to be an act of love, but looks rather gloomy. The son remains silent. Another person says: "Not everything is always as it seems."
- My coat is blown away and my bottom is visible; the others make a remark about it, even if they say it quietly.
DREAMS – SEXUALLY ABUSED
DREAMS - INCEST
DREAMS - NAKED people
DREAMS - SEX, oral
DREAMS - SEXUALITY - same sex, with the
DREAMS - SEXUALITY - sexual activity
DREAMS - SEXUALITY - sexual activity between people of different ages
DREAMS - WOMEN - naked |
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Up and down.
It is striking how many dreams centre on this distinction. In Welwitschia dreams the concepts up and down are often mixed.
Interpretation: this reflects the plant's connection with earth and cosmos/spirituality. Welwitschia brings cosmos and earth closer together.
- I had the feeling that I should go downwards rather than upwards, but the escalator that was supposed to go down went up.
- I wanted to look down.
- I use the lift to go down.
- I had to climb up to get in.
DREAMS - DOWNWARDS; walking
DREAMS - LIFT - going down
DREAMS - LOOKING - downwards
DREAMS – UPWARDS; walking
DREAMS – UPWARDS; walking - and then down again
DREAMS – UPWARDS; walking - or downwards - confusion about it |
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Cleaning and repairing.
Many dreams deal with themes such as cleaning, dirt and repairs. Interpretation: this refers to the remedy helping to let go of old and dark themes; to effect a transformation.
- A woman I knew started cleaning the window panes. They hadn't been cleaned for ages. I had the impression that she did this to finish the changes before she started cleaning.
- There is a lot of rubbish in the garden: leaves and paper. I want to tidy it up.
- An old hotel, but it had been restored.
DREAMS - CLEANING
DREAMS - DIRT - windows
DREAMS - HOTEL - old and restored |
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Spirituality
Several provers had spiritual dreams.
- See full dreams 1 and 2.
- We sit on the floor of a very tall tower. It reaches to the sky.
- I saw an army with many golden shields. The sun reflected in them, giving everything a special shine. Then I saw a few golden branches intertwined. In the same colour, and again the sun shone on them.
- I found a devil's egg, an earth-star and a kind of toadstool skull. A small wooden cross lay near the fungi.
- We arrive in Glastonbury in England, and I place the largest crystal I have at home on a kind of wall. |
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Flying.
Several provers dreamed that they could fly or rise up.
Interpretation: this means daring to leave one's body; the spiritual world.
DREAMS - FLYING
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Huge.
These mainly concern large buildings.
- I am in a large house.
- Several large tents.
- A large shed where we (I and two others) slept.
- We are at the bottom of a very large tower.
DREAMS - BUILDINGS, large
DREAMS - ROOMS, large
DREAMS - CAR, large
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Physical complaints in the dreams
Relatively few physical complaints occurred in the dreams. The word "disabled" is mentioned by three dreamers. Some dreamers felt very cold during the day, others very hot. These phenomena appeared more than once in the dreams.
- We look at someone, a disabled person?
- A disabled woman lies in bed.
- I was covered with something against the cold.
- The sun is so hot.
DREAMS - DISABLED
DREAMS – COLD, it is
DREAMS - HOT, the sun is |
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Physical symptoms during the proving
Some provers experienced physical, psychological and mental symptoms. Some had stomach problems or sleep disturbances, there were a few chest problems often related to stress, and some temperature fluctuations. Some provers reported especially clear thinking and even clairvoyance.
Several participants had thoughts of duality and the number two. Some felt they were exploring a deeper layer and finding more inner balance. A sense of freedom and compassion emerged. Two participants thought of Cain and Abel:
- Also Adam and Eve were a couple; didn't they have the two sons Cain and Abel? (these are thoughts, not dreams).
- This morning upon waking I think about the second part of my dreams. For a moment I feel my angry ego, and in recent days I have been working on not judging everything. I strive for inner contact with my brother, with whom in daily life I sometimes stand like Cain and Abel. Hate and love. I seek forgiveness and connection (in thought).
MIND AND EMOTIONS - MENTAL LABILITY
MIND AND EMOTIONS - ANGER
MIND AND EMOTIONS - CLAIRVOYANCE
MIND AND EMOTIONS - CLARITY of mind
MIND AND EMOTIONS – CONFUSION; mental – identity, about one's – duality, feeling MIND AND EMOTIONS - DELUSION - separated
MIND AND EMOTIONS - DELUSION - sure, she is not
MIND AND EMOTIONS - DELUSION - survive, she must
MIND AND EMOTIONS - DRIVEN
MIND AND EMOTIONS - INDEPENDENT
MIND AND EMOTIONS - IRRITABLE
MIND AND EMOTIONS – SUCKED TO BE - Desire
MIND AND EMOTIONS - OPTIMISTIC
MIND AND EMOTIONS - SADNESS
MIND AND EMOTIONS - SENSATIONS - acute
MIND AND EMOTIONS - THOUGHTS - numbers, of - number two
MIND AND EMOTIONS - INSECURITY – feeling of
HEADACHES - on waking in the morning
FACE - RASH - lower lip
THROAT - DRYNESS
THROAT - DRYNESS - on waking
CHEST - PAIN - pressing pain
CHEST - PALPITATION
CHEST – PRESSURE - cardiac pressure
CHEST – SWEATING, on waking in the morning
STOMACH - BELCHING, sour
STOMACH - NAUSEA
STOMACH - THIRST
STOMACH - LACK OF THIRST
STOMACH - VOMITING, sour
STOMACH - VOMITING, burning
ABDOMEN - PAIN
ABDOMEN - PAIN - cramps
BLADDER - URINATION - dysuria
BLADDER - URINARY RETENTION
SLEEP - DEEP
SLEEP - RESTLESS
SLEEP - WAKING – in the middle of the night - after 4 h
SLEEP - WAKING - frequent
SLEEP - WAKING - frequent – starts up as if from fear
GENERAL - COLDNESS - lack of life warmth
GENERAL - HEAT - on waking in the morning
GENERAL - TENSION |
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Two complete dreams
1. The monastery stood open, and when I entered it seemed I went back to another time. Two ages existed side by side. Inside the monastery was a modern desk behind which two women stood. In a bottle lay a completely mouldy piece of soft cheese. A dead white mouse with a blue eyelid lay nearby. It wore a small triangular black hat and had a little red scarf around its neck, but there was scarcely any life left in it. It lay on its back with its snout upwards. Next to it was a black mole, whose snout pointed to the ground. It had a white patch of mouldy cheese on its face (Yin and Yang).
Interpretation - in this dream the number two appears again, the duality between old and new, white and black, up and down, Yin and Yang (male and female).
2. We went down into a village we could see in the distance: Sandrana. We descended a path and then took a chairlift. The path was narrow and the gorges deep but not very wide. One could jump across them. I told a boy to be careful not to fall into the gorge. For — I thought — he would fall to the deepest depths of the earth. Once you fall down there you have to climb up again.
Interpretation - The woman who had this dream said Sandrana reminded her of 'Shangri-la', paradise on earth. The time before the Fall, the time before duality between good and evil, between man and woman; when there was still unity and wholeness. The theme up/down also comes into play in this dream. |
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References
1. Creveld, M. Diospyros kaki, Tree for the world. Homoeopathic Links 2002; 15: 177-182
2. Creveld, M. Diospyros kaki Creveld: A remedy that helps us survive many traumas of our time: radioactivity, chemical substances, war, disasters and fire. Marijke Creveld Publishers. 2001-2006
3. Creveld, M. The Methuselah tree, Pinus longaeva. Homoeopathic Links 2007; 20: 47–50, Sonntag Verlag Stuttgart
4. Creveld, M. The healing power of tree roots, ground with silica. Homoeopathic Links 2008; 21: 96–99, Sonntag Verlag Stuttgart
5. Lewington, A. de E. Parker, Eeuwenoude bomen. Bomen die duizend jaar Leven (Ancient trees. Trees that live a thousand years). Elmar B.V., Rijswijk 2000
6. www.conifers.org / wir / index.htm
7. www.namibweb.com / welwitschia.htm
8. www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/earle/we/welwitschiaceae.htm
9. www.wikipedia.org
10. www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2285/we/welwitschiaceae. Edited by Christopher J. Earle
11. www.plantzafrica.com / plantwxyz / welwitschia.htm
12. Meyden, R. van der, Heukels 'Flora van Nederland, 23rd edition, Wolters - Noordhoff BV, Groningen / Houten 2005 |
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The remedies Welwitschia mirabilis and Radix Welwitschia mirabilis in 12K, 30K, 200K, MK and 10MK (Korsakov potencies) can be ordered from Denys Apotheke in Belgium; Tel. 0032 92252069, Fax: 0032 92338608, e-mail: @ pascale.glasmacher apodenys.be or Helios 0044 1892 546850 or www.helios.co.uk
Information: Marijke Creveld Ph.D.; m.creveld @ planet.nl; www.creveld.nl; 0031 38 454 2687
The complete provings of Welwitschia mirabilis, Diospyros kaki Creveld, Radix Diospyros kaki Creveld, Pinus longaeva and the proving (incomplete) of Radix Welwitschia mirabilis are published in the following book: Three Trees, Survivors on this Earth
Orders from Rene Otter: Tel. 0031 140 252 1311 or rcotter@planet.nl or from Marijke Creveld. |
