Thursday Thoughts – An Ordinary, Early Autumn Day

16 augusti, 201817 augusti, 2018 / Leya / 14 kommentarer

An early dog walk…in Autumn fogs, cool and soft.

There are occasional glimpses of sun – I brought my little point and shoot camera only…

It is difficult to walk two dogs and try to shoot with a heavy camera.

Resting after breakfast – Totti and Milo both love our summer house.

Mornings are the best time to enjoy the stillness – no summer guests anymore. Paths are empty, and the fields belong to geese and horses only. Milo found that dwarfed opening gate in the hedge…I always wonder who once lived there – given that Milo is about 30 cm high now…

Forest walk in the evening – some birds chirping low and softly muted. There is no wind so the flies are on the hunt.

This area, Lindö, is a nature reserve, so you have to be kind to those flies and mosquitoes as well…

Have you ever had a puppy? Sometimes my toes wish they hadn’t…

I know Milo is a good guy, and that Totti is slowly adjusting. But I can read Totti’s thoughts by the look of his eyes – just when is that ”thing” going home again...

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Patterns

11 augusti, 201814 augusti, 2018 / Leya / 196 kommentarer

This spring, I visited Bhutan, and met so many fantastic people and a landscape so different from ours in Scandinavia. Harmony – this is the word describing it best.

I eagerly noticed all the patterns in people’s lives – in clothes, buildings, decorations, religious paintings and habits…as well as patterns in Nature herself. Like the pattern in the header – the mules and horses trotting in a row – while the lines of the landscape, the roads, paths and fences, create natural frames.

I often try to find and capture the less obvious patterns, noticing that colours are not that important to make you see the pattern or structure itself.

But in most cases colours make an obvious difference, natural colours as well as man made ones.

Either you can find patterns in a sweeping landscape or cityscape or you can look at the little details. Any way, you will find that almost everything consists of just – patterns. Moreover, in our human society, they often have a ritual or symbolic meaning.

Among the most interesting patterns must be languages. When a language is written in beautiful pictures or letters – their special patterns will give them yet another meaning. Magical, isn’t it?

Life is beautiful in so many ways – and patterns are a big part of it. So, for this week’s challenge, share your interpretation of patterns— open your eyes and find new ones! In you own home, outdoors, man made or natural… Use your curiosity and creativity!

In your post, include a link to this challenge.
Use the tag “Lens-Artists” in your post. If you use a different tag, other bloggers won’t find your post in the Reader! Also keep in mind that you should use fewer than 15 tags for your post to appear in the Reader. For more information on how to tag, click here.
Amy will post the next challenge on Saturday, August 18th.
Missed our initial Lens-Artists challenge announcement? Click here for details.

Have you seen these?

Great diversity, from Abrie Joubert of Abrie Dink Hardop

Henry Lee of Fotoeins Fotografie

Storm coming in from the sea, from Suzanne of Being in Nature

Thank you for joining the challenge and have an inspiring week!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Time to Relax

26 juli, 201826 juli, 2018 / Leya / 33 kommentarer

This week’s host for the photo challenge is Amy : ”Show us your favorite ‘time to relax’ activity, place, or moment. It can be in any season, month, week, or day. :)”

Relax is something we all try to do – and need to do. Sometimes they are hard to get by, those moments…but sooner or later you will learn what works for just you.

I find it very relaxing to walk along the paths of graveyards – especially really old ones. Père Lachaise in Paris, Highgate cemetery in London and the old Jewish burial places in Poland are my favorites.

At home, this place is an unmistakable relaxing spot – with or without Totti!

Summertime, I love to walk out here in the evenings to enjoy the sunset.

My flowers, pot plants, orchids – all of them need their daily attendance. They give me a very relaxing hour every morning.

No shop can compete with bookshops for my attention as well as relaxation. Libraries also offer instant harmony.

But lastly – my infallible remedy against stress and pro relaxation of mind and body – is a walk in the lush green of the forest.

If you missed Amy’s challenge for this week, click here. For more information on how to participate in the Lens-Artists photo challenge, click here. And last but not least, remember to tune in to Tina of Travelsandtrifles next week for our next photo challenge!

CFFC: Octopus and Whale – Airborne

17 juli, 2018 / Leya / 36 kommentarer

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Week 2 Photo – truck, mural, octopus, whale, blue, etc.

In June I visited the kite flying festival at Fanö, Denmark. A spectacular event! Here are some whales and octopuses for Cee’s challenge!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Wonder

8 juli, 20188 juli, 2018 / Leya / 55 kommentarer

A wonder – everything in creation is. And, in December 2016, I was fortunate enough to enjoy this tiny Wonder (it is the smallest seabird in the world) with my own eyes, swirling around our sailing ship in the Galápagos’ waters. It is an Elliot’s Storm-Petrel. I took hundreds of pictures of these birds…but only a few show clearly enough the bird’s amazing abilities – it walks, runs and stands on water while feeding. I could watch them for hours –

There are two subspecies, and this one is an endemic galapagoensis; ”Elliot” after the man who discovered the bird and “Petrel” refers to Saint Peter walking on water. ”Storm” was the part given to it by the sailors, who believed the birds were warning them about a storm coming their way.

The whole story of this Storm-Petrel is enigmatic…not only is it pelagic (lives at sea only), but despite a population estimated at many thousands – a nest has yet to be found.

The theme for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is Wonder. We invite you to create a post that captures a moment, a feeling, a place, a person—which filled you with wonder.

For more information about Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – click the link!

Cee’s B&W Photo Challenge: Birds

2 juli, 20182 juli, 2018 / Leya / 15 kommentarer

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Birds

This week I thought I had nothing to enter – until I remembered the kite flyers of Fanö, and one of their funny inventions. Here we go – unfortunately there is no wind, but just use your inner eye and imagine the wind catching their bodies, making all the birds swing to and fro in a delightful dance.

Kites – A Marvelous Day On the Beach

25 juni, 201826 juni, 2018 / Leya / 22 kommentarer

From all over the world they gathered here on Fanö for a fortnight – just to enjoy…

Relaxing over a beer and a barbecue, and

…releasing their new kites for others to marvel at

Or, gliding down the beach in good winds –

In the afternoon, the sky seemed totally filled up – no more room for new kites…

But in this glorious weather, we kept strolling along, getting even more favorites!

But in the end – believe it or not – our own shining sails were filled as well –

and…

We flew up, up and away…

Leaving solid ground, rolling with the colourful wheels…

Realizing that we just could not take any more kites – at least for the rest of the… week…?

Even the dogs wanted to go home for a good night’s sleep…

and the small children got tired of playing along…

So…some people took their bikes and rode to town, while others walked the lonely beach ahead, contemplating –

It had been a marvelous day – Good Night for now, and thank you for tagging along!

Botanizing Again – BioBlitz

11 juni, 2018 / Leya / 21 kommentarer

June 9 we had the annual BioBlitz, according to Wikipedia: ”… an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers conduct an intensive field study over a continuous time period (e.g., usually 24 hours). There is a public component to many BioBlitzes, with the goal of getting the public interested in biodiversity. ^”

In the header, the most spectacular find according to me: the Buff-tip, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buff-tip, an extraordinary moth looking exactly like a twig when resting. Very exciting this day out with the group again!

We met this sunny morning – tolerably hot before noon – with loaded cameras and water bottles. Our leaders always on the alert – and all the others learning and marveling at their profound knowledge. There are really no questions they cannot answer. Invited specialists were also here, but the poor mushroom man did not have much to do. The dry spring and summer hasn’t left many detectable species.

Recording. After giving their consent to use forests and farmland, the land owners were also invited to join us this day. They were very helpful in showing special habitats.

fox-and-cubs, orange hawk bit, devil’s paintbrush, grim-the-collier

Once again – this nature’s wonder! The end of an interesting day – I guess we all returned home with happy hearts and a package of new knowledge.

Before Sunset

8 juni, 20188 juni, 2018 / Leya / 13 kommentarer

Just before sunset, they walk out in the open – the forest animals. This hot and dry May and beginning of June – I am glad to follow their example…

Driving to the forest I pass many fields, and all of them are being heavily irrigated… We all want new potatoes this summer of course! Soon watering will be restricted – in many parts of Sweden it already is.

Most summer flowers come and go fast. When I visited here a week ago – the flora was totally different.

Being a wild animal is never easy, not even in the summer. I do hope there will be rain soon – all brooks and puddles are dried out.

Two hours’ walk, then time to return. Birds are still singing, but I guess in a couple of weeks the forest will be more quiet as feeding the little ones now comes first.

On driving back, this gentleman was sitting in the field, just keeping an eye on me. I stopped the car to see his ears move around – they are quite lovely – his ears.

Behind me, about the first clouds seen in a month, are elegantly sailing over the fields.

And the farmers are still working – or their machines are – to give us food on the table.

Nature First – Outing With Experts

3 juni, 2018 / Leya / 18 kommentarer

I was fortunate enough to join an excursion with the local biologists here in town (I am a member of the organization too). By bus we went to the east coast and to the south of Skane: Haväng, Stenshuvud, Fyledalen. We had a great day, despite the heat, and the interesting finds were numerous. I did not bring my heavy camera though – 30 degrees C is too much already. No more extra weight, it was enough with the bottles of water.

Where is the lark…?

So today, water and the pair of binoculars was my best equipment.

Among others, we spotted three Golden Eagles, a very rare species of lark – the tawny pipit (Anthus campestris) and Dianthus arenarius – sandnejlika – a species that can only be found here in Skane.

A pasque flower overlooking the dunes – and the group members…

Lathyrus japonicus (common names sea pea, beach pea…)

Anthericum liliago (St Bernard’s lily)

Dianthus arenarius

We were not allowed to enter the orchid fields, but could admire them from a distance.

I love orchids, and wild orchids in Sweden are very beautiful too. However, when the Pasque Flowers are over…their beauty is perhaps even more enhanced. I could not resist a minor collage…