Lens-Artists Challenge # 396 – Pick a Favourite Quote and Illustrate it.

/ Leya / 56 kommentarer

This week I have chosen for us to illustrate favourite quotes. Personally, I love quotes, and I believe many of us do – some maybe even collect memorable quotes in a book or a file on the computer or phone. There is much to learn from old wisdom – and wit…that speaks to us.This week you can choose one quote accompanied with a maximum of five pictures or a maximum of five quotes illustrated with one picture each. Make us ”feel”your quote(s) in pictures!

These are my choices!

“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

— Walter Hagen

“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.”

– Hafez

“Each time you read a book, a tree smiles knowing there’s life after death”

– Unknown

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they make the best of everything.”

– Unknown

“Just living is not enough … one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

— Hans Christian Andersen

I am very much looking forward to seeing what you have chosen and how you have illustrated your quote(s)! Please use the Lens-Artists tag and link to my original post.

A huge thank you to Beth for last week’s looking back challenge. I was lucky to just have returned from mountains of water and I believe all of us really love water … the diversity and beauty of your posts gave us many tips for the future! Next week it is Annes turn to lead us, be sure to visit her beautiful site for inspiration. Until then, keep well, be nice and enjoy your days.

Thursday Thoughts – The Lions

/ Leya / 26 kommentarer

We had been waiting for the lions for several days-

– and finally, they unveiled themselves. The wheat coloured high grass offered a perfect place to hide.

They were resting together in a group of five, and we were allowed to see them close-up. Beautiful, majestic animals. They did not seem to notice us at all, only the male in the header – who leaned his head backwards to look at our jeep. A rare meeting for me.

There were two females and three males. They looked young all of them.

Lions don’t have many enemies, but they too are afflicted by ticks, and we were warned before we did the savanna walk. In Sweden many of us are vaccinated, as the TBE is a widely spread tick-borne disease and can severely afflict your brain. You can even die from it.

Lions are such beautiful big cats, our respect for them is great. They looked so calm and relaxed lying there together in the grass,

…but only some days before, this zebra must have had a narrow escape, maybe from a lion. I guess he had defended his heard. Successfully…I hope.

Living on the savanna is not easy. For us, short visitors, it is an adventure. Thank you for coming along today, meeting the big cats – and their prey. I find zebras mezmerisingly beautiful, like pieces of art, and I think scientists still don’t exactly know why they have their stripes or how they use them.The leading theory seems to be Biting Fly Repellent. Flies cannot easily land on striped things as the pattern disturbes their ability to navigate properly.

Next week I will tell you about the two cheetah brothers. We met them twice.

LAPC #395 – Looking Back to Challenge #155 – On the Water

/ Leya / 33 kommentarer

Beth is looking back this week. Originally it was John´s post, and now Beth hands it over to us – please take a look at both posts!

I am just back from a trip to Croatia, a trip I have wanted to make for some years now, but life got in between. I hope you will enjoy following me along to some of its highlights!

I have never seen so many waterfalls in one day, or even a year – or maybe in my whole life. And they were all different, and all magnificent. The Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest and the largest national park in Croatia, and a UNESCO World Heritage. It covers an area of just under 300 km2 and the lake system is comprised of 16 named and several smaller unnamed lakes, cascading one into the next. There are twelve lakes in the Upper system and four in the Lower system.

Walking through a forest where water surrounds you – and every tree – imagine the sound! The biggest waterfall, Veliki Slap, is a wonder where you walk across the lower part and can truly enjoy its beauty, all the way from the top and down. You also walk on boardwalks, to come closer to the falls in every lake. So much magic. The exceptional beauty of this park makes it outstanding and something to put on your bucket list – if it is not already there.

I hope the pictures speak for themselves. The walk took 7 hours with photo stops and food. So be sure to give it a whole day. And if you can – go in low season, we had read about the masses of tourists during the high season and did not want that stress.

As we were driving from Zagreb to Plitvice, we happened upon a village we had never heard of before, Rastoke, on the Korana River. On the water! The houses were literally situated on the water and the village is renowned for its mills and waterfalls. A wonderful surprise!

Thank you, Beth, for a wonderful challenge – just right for me this week! Show anything on the water. You can choose to show watercraft, things floating, closeups of water, scenic water landscapes, or anything else you can think of. Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to her original post.

Last week your responses to John’s “History Through the Lens” challenge were all inspiring. I enjoyed all of the images and learned a lot from your posts. Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge..

On Saturday, May 2 at noon eastern time it’s my turn to be your host – Ann-Christine/Leya.

Thursday Thoughts – Impala – The Most Beautiful Antelope?

/ Leya / 14 kommentarer

Impalas were a common sight, both in Zimbabwe and in South Africa, but I never got tired of watching them. Their gracious rushes and jumps, their colours and beautiful faces.

These are early morning shots, where they are mock fighting. Nature’s clever way to prepare them for the real fights.

Every day brought new adventures, new wonders to behold. The safari tours were at least twice a day and lasted for several hours. I wished they would go on forever. Africa, I am so grateful I finally got there. Unforgettable memories.

But, we were still waiting for the lions…so illusive.

Glimpses only …holding us in suspense.

Every day we were all on the lookout for them…