Författare: Leya

Lens-Artists #317 – Walking the Neighbourhood

/ Leya / 36 kommentarer

Earth is a small town with many neighborhoods in a very big universe.

– Ronald J. Garan, Jr.

Tina challenges us to walk the neighbourhood, and I decided to take Milo for this warm Autumn day walk. On opening the front door, I caught sight of one of our neighbouring cats waiting for a meal – in the shape of an innocent bird…

I turn right out on the street, and pass my favourite car (belonging to one of our neighbours…) I love the colour and the shape, but don’t even know what brand it is. We’ve had some heavy morning dew for a couple of days, and it stays with us for almost half of the day.

My ordinary morning walk passes by these lovely stone fences – there is a road in between those two. And on that road is always an old, yellow cat lying – sun or rain. He is totally deaf, but somehow everyone knows about him and he survives every car and every new year.

And I love that old wooden gate.

Now the sun has burnt the mist away, and further down the street I find a bucket of sand toys resting from yesterday’s fun.

As we pass by some more houses and hedges along the road, we finally get to the horses’ play ground. Milo finds a friend and the heat takes its toll – my curly friend will not move another step until he’s got his bath and a cool drink!

Next day, we went to our summerhouse – and I hope Tina thinks it’s ok to take a walk there as well… after all, it is a lovely place by the sea!

When we walk from the house and turn left, we must pass the apple trees to get to the road leading to our hike. I am always happy to find the old oak is still standing! I have to check on him a couple of times a year. When we pass one of the parked cars, I find this pretty young ”butterflytobe”, a Cossus cossus (Swedish name: större träfjäril). We walk by the lama meadows too, and I get a loving look (?) from a really handsome guy.

The beautiful cranes are leaving for warmer places. I hear and see them every day, but the geese are still here. Sailing gracefully on the quiet waters. Unfortunately we missed out on the ferry to one of the islands, and were told that last week was the last time to catch it. And there were no canoes for hire anymore – they still looked colourful and inviting though. Maybe next year?

I think we all get to understand each other a little better by sharing our neighbourhoods for this week’s challenge! Be sure to link to Tina’s original post and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you.

Finally, big thanks to Egidio and all of those who responded to his Fun challenge last week. There were fun responses throughout the whole week! Finally we hope you’ll join us next week when Patti once again leads us on her beautiful Pilotfish site. Until then, stay safe, be kind and enjoy every day.

Macro Monday – Cone Orchid (according to the local people)

/ Leya / 15 kommentarer

We visited a vineyard in Kent, where I caught sight of this little beauty. The farmer simply called it Cone Orchid because of its shape.

Anacamptis pyramidalis? After googling – maybe. A very compact, coneshaped orchid that I had never seen before. The field had maybe 20-30 of them, all of them fading.

Thursday Thoughts – Inside and Outside

/ Leya / 24 kommentarer

Arundel castle again – still in use by the Dukes of Norfolk – interesting! But after so many castles, maybe you too need a rest?

I really loved that dog…I should take out my sewing machine.

Time for a rest again, before entering the Castle itself.

A truly impressive castle that didn’t disappoint inside either. I would have loved a sleigh ride with that beauty…I guess it’s on wheels as England doesn’t get much snow?

Thank you for good company. Now there is only one castle left…Leeds Castle. Maybe next Thursday. Have to rest again!

Lens-Artists Challenge #316 – Destination: Fun

/ Leya / 47 kommentarer

Egidio has for this week chosen our destination: Fun! In fact I just returned from one of those – namely fantastic gardens. Please go to his beautiful site for more inspiration.

He asks ”What is your fun destination? What are some fun things you do? Some prefer seeing action and crowds, such as sporting events or concerts. Others prefer quiet moments with a book in hand.” I guess my answer could be: Travel and quiet moments alone. Those two can be opposites, but maybe not always…With a camera in hand, I can lose myself in photographing and shut out the world. I do need them both to feel good.

I love watching my dogs having fun – what could be better than that? And, when the children were small, we had entertainment all day from the whole family.

This is an old favourite photo of Mille and Totti, my first lagottos. They brought so much warmth, laughter, tears and joy. Talking about destination Fun! I still miss them, both had their own charming peculiarities, just like children have.

A great joy has always been hiking beautiful landscapes, especially in the delicateness of Spring and the colours of October. I am always excited to head out there for new adventures. Open landscapes and forests – they let my heart and soul breathe and my spirit soar.

Nothing beats the art of Mother Nature – but much fun is to be had at museums and exhibitions as well. I don’t have to go far away for interesting art…there is a great exhibition site just 10 kilometers away.

Being a teacher for many years, I have a natural interest in young people, their education and upbringing. I still have some students that stay in contact with me. In fact yesterday one of my students had his dissertation and is today a professor in mathematics. He contacted me, so I could follow it on zoom.

Many of our castles have jousting games with knights and horses. During my last years before retirement, I had a student who now is so skilled he won the Swedish championship several times in these games.

I often go to the nearest castle, Hovdala, that hosts these games – not just to see my old students but also to see the youngsters having fun. This sweet young man with shining eyes……might one day grow into a handsome and chevaleresque knight!

My most frequented destination is my garden – and it is always fun to see things grow, be it children or plants. Right now the grapes are ripening and soon the glass house will leave its last cucumbers and tomatoes, chili, paprika and physalis for letting my Mediterranean plants glow. I am immensely grateful for being able to enjoy the beauty and scent of acacia, jasmin, bottlebrush and camellias – despite our cold climate.

Travel, yes, that has been my way since I was 16. Destinations chosen because of architectural marvels in beautiful cities like Prague…

…for natural wonders as Catedrales in Spain

…for hiking among the glaciers in Greenland,

Iceland and Norway … and the majestic mountains of middle Europe.

But also for the opportunity to meet people of different origin and with different customs.

Back home again, there is another spot I always return to – for continuing the fun – my computer. All those photos have to be taken care of. Blogging, writing messages, making cards for birthdays, Christmas and other festivities.

To sum up my fun destinations, they are: hiking in gorgeous nature at home or abroad, visiting cities with great art and architecture, spending time with my family, working and enjoying my garden – and photographing it all. Finally – it is fun to upload and try to make the best out of my photos at the computer…

We look forward to seeing your responses and having us all share in the fun. Don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag when responding to Egidio, so we can easily find it in the Reader. Egidio is happy to say that pingbacks are finally working on his site too.

Last week, Ritva had us working on common objects. The response was terrific, and your posts were great. Creativity shines!

Tina will host a new challenge next Saturday at noon EDT in the USA. Stay tuned. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.

Thursday Thoughts – Arundel Castle

/ Leya / 26 kommentarer

Arundel Castle was built in the 11th Century by Roger de Montgomery. With its pinnacles and towers, it looks more or less out of a fairy tale. In many ways it was a different castle than the first three we visited. I want to take you to some of its most interesting features.

Arundel Castle is perhaps most famous for its Stumpery – a garden made out of old tree stumps and ferns. I immediately fell in love with it, and got some ideas for my own garden too. (Where I already have some fallen trees with planted climbers.)

Another wonderful scenery was the wild flower garden, which reminded me of our wild flower fields up north, close to the mountains. I wish I could have a garden like that!

If you look closely, you can even find a young moor hen with its extremely big feet and toes. It was busy pruning itself and staring down into the water. They are such funny creatures, and this one seemed not at all afraid of people.

I think I will save some pictures from the gardens as well as inside the castle for another post. Hopefully you enjoyed the tour – thank you for walking with me!