Animals

Lens-Artists Challenge #418 – Memories

/ Leya / 41 kommentarer

Tina makes Memories our challenge this week – and they are very much alive to me and my family in October every year. This year, two of my best friends, and my husband, turned 75 and one dear friend turned 70. My mother’s husband turned 93 and his younger brother turns 90 next Wednesday. So, a lot of celebrations – and many memories of days gone by.

I remember when I started blogging, and I was supposed to name my first blog in 2011. ( 15th anniversary this year!) Lagottocattleya is its full name because of my two great love affairs – the one with the Lagotto breed and the one with Cattleya orchids.

One of the first pictures I used on this blog, was the header one with my first two lovely lagottos, Mille and Totti. So much love and so much fun we had! I even had a weekly post with my dogs writing… I can still see how Totti trotted in Mille’s footsteps, trying to keep up. He wasn’t a grown lad there. Mille didn’t like Totti from the start…but they soon became best friends. My daughter also had a special bond to Mille – she even saved his life once. Searching her contacts for the right medicine – and she found it. In the gallery it’s Totti being cuddled.

Mille was a one of a kind dog – chasing the autumn leaves for hours, bubbles in the water the whole summer. Catching snow balls and pine cones…My husband used to say he had ADHD – never a dull moment and always full speed. In our summer house for the first time, he jumped into the fridge when I opened it for a bottle of milk. Dragged the bottle through the kitchen with the milk running. Then he pulled down a table cloth from a little table, smashing the vase, crushing the flowers and finished it off with tackling grandmothers walking stick. I can tell you I wasn’t happy that day…

He always got into trubble – drank water with algae and ended up in hospital, rolled in a hayfield and got bitten by a viper. He recovered much thanks to Emma and her medicine, but never became fully fit again.

Totti was a laid back lover of life. He always felt like a proper elderly gentleman in no hurry…Viveka (of Myguilty pleasures) loved him, and he loved her back. I have a wonderful series of 5-6 photos when he struggled to climb up in our hammock – and finally succeeded. You can see him smiling, I am sure!

And I have always loved orchids, and grown many of them. After some years, Cattleyas became my favourites – a perfect combination of grace and beauty. Not too rounded and soft, not too spiky. The first two here were my favourites for many years.

Iwanagaara, appleblossom

Cattleya hybrid, Little Prince

Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.

– L.M.Montgomery

All of these precious ones are gone since long, but the memories will last forever. I take care of flowers and animals the same way. With love. With people, I hope, the same.

I hope you enjoyed following my best friends over the years, even if you have seen them many times. We look forward to your sharing your own memories in response to 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.

Many warm thanks to Egidio for last week’s “Where Does It Lead” challenge, and to all of you who shared your paths with us. Hope you’ll join us next week when John leads us once again on his Journeys With Johnbo. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy every day.

Thursday Thoughts – Cats, Cats, Cats

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Athens, Corfu, Mykonos and Montenegro – everywhere in the arhipelago.. Kotor is the real cat paradise and there are many legends about why they revere cats so much. Some years ago when we were there, one popular story was that the city once had been invaded by rats and the incoming ships let out their cats to clear the streets. People still say that the cats saved their city.

They were quite well taken care of. Food provided and vets checking up on them. Big smiles from the tourists as well!

Thursday Thoughts – Willi, the Muskox

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In 1964, 17 muskox calves were transferred from east Greenland to west Greenland via Copenhagen zoo. One of them was Willi.

Willi got used to people at the zoo, and came to like people more than his fellow muskoxes. One day he decided to stay at the airport, and he became very popular with everyone there – except for the pilots of course.

They tried to scare him away from the airpost, but one American soldier had to be sent to hospital and the airport fire engine got some heavy dents on the car.

Dogs were brought in from Denmark, but they were too scared of the huge animal. Finally an American cowboy from the US Army caught Willi with lasso and transported him to Lake Ferguson, 5km away.

He is still there, at Lake Ferguson – but in stone. Unfortunately his ending was sad, because he returned to the airport, and there he attacked a transit passenger and her little child. By that incident, he signed his own death sentence.

He will be forever remembered though, as a much loved citizen. A country- and western singer, Al Perry, even wrote a ballad about him.

Lens-Artists Challenge #411- What is it?

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Lens-Artists Challenge #411 – What is it?

This truly is something we never had before … – and What is it? Sofia is the quiz leader, and now I try to jump in with more…

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

I know these are quite easy, but I hope you will have some fun with them anyway!

So, now it is your turn. Think of anything that looks ambiguous, difficult to understand or unusual, look for details instead of the whole thing, conceal what might give away what your subject is, but most of all, have fun! Please remember to link back to Sofia’s original post and to tag Lens-Artists so we can easily find you.

Last week Ritva was our host with a looking back challenge focusing on editing. It was a very interesting challenge with different ways of editing our shots and also to see the end results.

Next week is John’s turn to lead us, Saturday 5th September. Until then, take care and be kind.

Here is today’s facit:

  1. ICM at a pond with yellow lilies. Blekinge, Ronneby Brunn.
  2. A close-up of a big Allium ball from Keukenhof, Holland.
  3. My collection of foil balls, given to me by my daughter…A thing she had with that since she was very little. I took care of everything that should not be dropped on the ground. I still do.
  4. Hotel Hvide Falk, Ilulissat, Greenland. The evening lamp inside was reflected through the windows and moving outdoors!
  5. Close-up of a Van Gogh painting. Unfortunately I don’t remember the title.

The header? A male lion vanishing in the high grasses…

Lens-Artists Challenge #400 – The Rule of Three

/ Leya / 35 kommentarer

Tina reminds us this week of the rule of thirds, and points out another ”rule” to try, the rule of 3. Please visit her beautiful site for more inspiration! I decided to give my morning dogwalk the first try. And three beautiful birch trees were my choice – but, they were impossible to catch in only one photo! Here they are, three in two – top to bottom.

The magic number is three

At noon, we went for a visit to one of our nearby castles, Bosjökloster, where we found several exhibitions giving possibilities within the rule: here some beautiful straw vases and straw bags.

Straw craft reminds us that true beauty is grown from the earth and shaped by patient hands.

— Anonymous

Close to the playground, there were some colourful hens walking. I waited a while to see if they would come together for a photo, but this was the closest they got to each other. I could not resist a photo anyway.

We’re not just friends, we’re family

“Three things are needed
For humanity to co-exist:
Truth, peace and basic needs.
Everything else –
Is irrelevant.”

― Suzy Kassem

Another exhibition at the castle featuring Ukrainian artists’ quilting (Ukrainian Quilters Association) – was totally fascinating. Their skills, the motifs honouring damaged cities and villages – and some places that don’t even exist anymore.

They are a strong people, Ukrainians, and they will never be defeated. Even the war pieces breathed of hope and a peaceful future. They are also assembling quilt patches from more than 36 countries over the world, making a1.1 km long quilt to be rolled out on Kyivs main street, Khreshchatyk, when the war is over.

Thank you, Tina, for another interesting challenge! I hope you’ll join in exploring the concept of 3 in photography. If you cannot find examples in your own work, maybe head out like I did, to see how many 3’s you can find once you start looking! Please remember to use the Lens-Artists Tag in your response and to link to Tina’s original post to help us find you. Many thanks to Egidio and to his respondents for last week’s beautiful explorations of being “stuck in place”. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope you did too. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Patti leads us once again on her P.A. Moed site. Until then, please stay safe and be kind.