Now and then – Then and now
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.
― L.M. Montgomery
Amy is our host, and she says: ”For our challenge this week we’d like you to tell us about your perspective on now vs then – it could be before and after the pandemic or any other changes you have experienced.” See her perspective on what the current changes can bring to everyday life!
As I was contemplating what major differences there are in my own life now, compared to a few years ago, some things stand out very clearly to me. I will try letting the images tell most of the story, as you change between Then and now, Now and then in my series. ( A new possibility with the block editor – but you have to go to my site to see it. I found out it doesn’t show in the reader …) Somehow I wish it was just as easy to mend things that are broken…
Due to climate change, our winters here in Sweden are very different from those we had only a couple of years ago. These two images are from November 2017 and November 2020.
Two of my best loved hiking trails have been destroyed. The forest is down. Colourful grasses are now taking over, and soon the old stumps will be totally hidden in the new vegetation.
Traveling is no longer an option, due to Covid19 and the pandemic. But, also in order to save the world from more air pollution. Instead of exploring exciting new places abroad, this autumn we built my much longed for glasshouse, where we greatly enjoy a quiet lunch every day.
Ever since I was a child, the forest has been my second home. I usually walk for hours every day, often in the company of my mother and my dogs (in this photo, Mille and Totti). In Spring we always pick wood anemonies and have ”fika” with coffee and cakes in the warm sunshine. Mille left us 2014 and my mother, this unruly year, 2020.
And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees
and changing leaves.
― Virginia Woolf (To the Lighthouse)
Changes are obvious to us all this year… and now we are looking forward to seeing Your perspective! Don’t forget to include a link to Amy’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag so that everyone can find you in the WP Reader. Next week, Tina will be our host for Challenge #125 on November 28th. Be sure to visit her site.
Lastly – Thank you for sending us so many delightful walks through neighbourhoods all over the world! It has been an adventurous week, a glorious and expressive week. As always – We are grateful that you want to share your world so generously.
Thinking of you who are celebraing Thanksgiving, and to all of us – Take care, stay warm, loving and safe.
Leya 
Oh my, this post hits hard. ❤
♥
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Great photos. Love the slide feature. I’ll have to look for that, though I generally don’t care for Block Editor. I’m not sure I see the advantage of it, but what is worse is if I start in Classic Editor it doesn’t switch cleanly, if at all, to Block Editor. Oh well.
John, I just try to figure out something fun with the new editor… glad you could see some fun in it too!
Gorgeous images, AC and a beautiful post. I love the kaleidoscopic swirl in your header image so much! Lovely. The slider also works really well. I’ll have to experiment with it. The image of the rose is stunning, too. I am imagining your lunches in the glass house. Lovely! I’d love to sit in there with a cup of tea and a good book! I’m sure you do that, too. Change is a fact of life, isn’t it? We’re always hoping and wishing that things stay the same, but…. Take care and stay safe and warm.
Glad you liked the post, Patti! Change is always the constant in our lives – but some are harder to overcome. I often think of my working life, where flexibility was, and is, so important. Crucial. New things every day. But as I age, and do not participate in working life that much anymore…I prefer only small changes if I can… and a cup in the glass house.
I especially liked the almost mystical image of the sun peeking between the trees. A special photo.
Thank you – yes, I remember that day very well.
Thanks for the beautiful pictures and reminding me of Kierkegaards words.
You are welcome!
Your technique with the images was really inventive. I wish you well, too. Sorry about your favorite trails.
Thank you, Ruth. Well, there are new trees planted already…so in another 50 years they will be grand. And as we are being forced to use the block editor…we might as well explore its possibilities. I did not like it at all from the start – but as with everything else, you get used to it.
Stunning images bringing out the change
Glad you enjoyed them. I finally found some use for the block editor… Honestly, I thought this effect interesting and useful for themes like this. And so much has happened this year – not only Corona.
I am trying to figure out the block editor too. Going with change takes time
Agree completely…
Leya, your images are stunning. The treatment on your header made me gasp. Some of my favorites in the collection are the light between the two trees and the fast-flowing river.
Glad you enjoyed them, Frank. Simple but true.
🙂
Love the words and wonderful photos Ann-Christine 🙂
Thank you, Brian. Hope you are doing well in the summer!
Yesterday was 41C!! so only just 🙂
Phew! Just hearing it makes me sweat…
Excellent post and I love the way you have used the gallery block – very effective
Thank you! I just thought it would be nice for this challenge theme with the slider options. It worked rather well!
A lovely post Ann-Christine and a good use of the slider feature. Odd that WP didn’t test these features in the Reader / phone app. Many don’t work unless you visit the actual website. It’s sad about the trees, that is such a great image.
Jude, I thought it a bit odd too…But it works on my phone, not in the reader. A fun tool otherwise. Glad you liked my post – and today when I walked the trail again – they had planted new little trees!
Well that’s good news, but it’s going to be a long time before they grow!
It is…and 60-80 years before they look like the old forest. Not even my children will live to see that.
This post is very moving and your photos are marvelous 😀
Thank you, Cee – it was an interesting challenge!
I visited your site just to see the new effect in the block editor. Very nice. I’ll have to try that. Which tool creates that image overlay?
I am not using the new block editor to any potential yet, preferring at this point to just use the ”Classic” block as it’s most like what I was used to… Another example of Then and Now, I guess.
John – click for new block and search all blocks, it is called something like ”compare photos”. I hated the block editor at firs, but is getting used to it…maybe.Thank you for the Then and Now!
Thanks 4 the tip. Maybe I should try it with my challenge response.
I hope you will try it out!
I noticed in your post that the compared images appear to be centered on the page. In my experiments, they are all appearing left-justified. I can’t find a ”center” or ”right” option. Am I missing it? My images are all about 1024×768 pixels, give or take. I’m not sure if I can center the images.
Do you have any thoughts on this question?
I don’t know, John. I have just changed themes on the blog and taken away the side options, so I guess that is why mine are centered?
I will drop WordPress Support an email! Stay safe, my friend.
OK, let me know their answer!
Will do!
There is no way to center the images, but the tech suggested to create a 3-column block, adjust sizes f the columns and put the images in the center block. I now know how to create and manipulate column size and placement, but even with the left and right columns set to 1% each, and the center set to 98 percent, the image size is small, and the image isn’t centered. I could adjust the left column to move the center to the right, but that would make the images smaller still. I asked for an enhancement to the compare function to allow centering.
Ok. Let’s see what they will do! Thank you for the info.
I am loving your take on the topic. Your images are amazing too, Ann-Christine!
Thank you, Teresa! At first I hated the block editor…but if you dig a bit down…there are treasures to be found!
Oh, I haven’t really tried it that much because I use my ipad and I always revert it to Classic Editor. Maybe I should give it a go one time. But taking that aside…your photos are really amazing.
Thank you,Teresa.
I really love your photos and take on this challenge, Ann-Christine. I hope you will have a new forest one day.
Thank you – and in fact I walked there today, and found new plants were set!
Good news, Ann Christine. 🙂
😀 Every piece of good news is good enough for me.
A beautiful post! I really liked how you presented the images, they accompany your words very well. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it, Ana! I had fun when I found that possibilty.
This is a beautiful post Ann-Christine; poignant and still uplifting.
Thank you – I wanted it to be uplifting as well. There is a future somewhere.
Its wonderful to see that so much of the world is responding very similarly in this crisis.
I was thinking of using this same technique for my post; but you’ve it so well I’ll have to think of a new angle on it.
Beautiful post Ann Christine. I’ve never seen anything like your slider! It worked great. I’m sorry your favorite walking trail was destroyed. I hope after the pandemic you discover another beautiful trail. Take Care.
Thank you, Anne! Today I discovered there were new trees planted on that part of the trail – happy!
The slider works beautifully here, Ann Christine. I especially love the sunlight streaming through the woods, and that swirly Header is fabulous. 🙂 🙂 Sighs deeply! Yes, a year of changes.
Good – and yes, what a year, 2020. And it is not over yet. Stay safe!
beautiful images, Ann-Christine. for sure we are treading on different times, often strange, uncertain and even painful times.
We are – but I do believe we will see a light in the tunnel before long. Glad you liked the post.
Love this post because it affords me the opportunity to see your environment. The forest is intriguing to me since I’ve only lived in subdivisions with lawns and controlled flowerbeds. Your world is changing, but often for the better. Excellent post.
Thank you, Rusha. Our world is truly changing – and I hope we will learn from this.
a great idea leya, i really like the pictures and the contrast.
many greetings robert
So glad you like them, Robert! Thank you.
PS. forgot to say I really love your header!
♥
Beautiful post as always Ann-Christine. The 2-in-one works perfectly at your site and it so wonderful, what a shame it doesn’t show in the reader. Do you know if it works on a mobile phone? Whether it works or not doesn’t detract from your always-beautiful images and your heartfelt text. I especially loved the forest shots – your catching the sun between the trees was marvelous! And of course we love your glasshouse – what a wonderful spot for you to dine or just relax and enjoy nature’s beauty. Hoping all is well on your side of the world.
Thank you, Tina. I loved trying the experiment on this challenge – I thought it would fit well. It works on my phone, but strange that the team didn’t make it work in the reader…Do you know, today I walked that trail again – and new plants were everywhere. A lovely surprise.
Wow, perhaps no one has told them they’re supposed to hibernate in the winter!
;-D
It’s heart broken to your best loved hiking trails being destroyed. It is difficult to watch the before and after images…
How wonderful to have lunch everyday in your beautiful glasshouse. I love it!
Thank you for sharing the precious photo of your mother and Mille/Totti. Take care, stay warm, Ann-Christine. 🙂 ❤
Thank you, Amy! Glad you enjoyed my different take on. I imagined you would have so many covid posts, that I decided for another angle. ♥
Oops, to ”see” your best loved…
A heartfelt post, Ann Christine, with some great images. We are all having to adapt to an uncertain and changing world
We do, thank you, Sue. Did it work with the dragging of images so as to see them in whole?
No, I just saw single images on my iPad…..I’ll have a look on the computer tomorrow…..
They should be two in one and able to draw back the middle line to visit each one as a whole! I found out it does not show in the reader – you have to go to my post!
Ah, OK, I’ll take a look
Ah, yes, just seen…ver y good, I can’t recall how to do that!!
Just find the block…
Hmm, might be difficult!
You will manage!
Oh?