Animals

Thursday Thoughts – Levada do Norte

/ Leya / 20 kommentarer

A levada is an irrigation channel or aqueduct specific to the Portuguese Atlantic region of Madeira. In the 16th century the Portuguese started building levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions in the south. Over 2,170 km (1,350 mi) of levadas were built and later provided a network of walking paths.

Due to the dangerously mountainous landscape, building levadas was often tasked to criminals and convicts from continental Portugal. Today levadas supply water and also provide hydro-electric power.

These are some scenes from a lovely levada along the south coast of Madeira. We walked this city border levada first, and later in the week returned to our favourite mountain levada. They are totally different. Ready? Let’s go!

We jumped off the local bus at Estreito de Camara de Lobos. The walk starts in a vineyard. We were grateful for the shadow!

The whole walk presented splendid views over the landscapes and the ocean.

Every now and then we met a local farmer on the path.

And – curious little friends peeping out for a closer look at us.

This is a very mountainous landscape, and the levada was sometimes redirected to another path because of overhanging cliffs and stones.

Workers in the heat of the day, a singing levada, fruits and berries among the flowers. And…lizards en masse!

Paths can provide easy and relaxing walks through the countryside, while others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in injury or death. We walked the most dangerous ones in the 1980’s – today we would not take the risk.

Children played with the water of course – this little guy had built a boat for the levada – and as we passed him, we found his shoes too.

Animals are kept in little sheds – palheiros – I feel so sorry for them. Living in the mountains means not many places for grazing, and they could also slip and fall. I was so happy to find this beautiful goat in a massive field of lush grass! But, look closely at his horns – they are tied together.

Lens-Artists Challenge #343 – Seen on my Last Outing

/ Leya / 152 kommentarer

Every outing is a learning experience.

– Drew Pomeranz

What happened on Your last outing? Did you meet a friend or did you go shopping? Or maybe you just took a walk in the beautiful weather? What made you take out your camera? We’d love to know!

For a couple of days now, Spring has taken giant steps forward, and we see cranes and starlings – even the little wagtail is here. She used to come punctually on the 4th of April – but nature runs faster and faster… and well – she is already here. And she’s welcome.

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.

– Rainer Maria Rilke

Spring is of course the main inspirer to take out my camera these days, but little outings can bring new and different things to tempt your lens – even things you did not expect when you left home!

The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.

– Gertrude S. Wister

This time I was looking for the little anemone hepatica – and I know where to find her. These anemonies are the harbingers of Spring, and their colours vary from indigo over light purple to very light blue. I love taking photos of them as they are reaching for the sunlight. In fact I almost take the same photos every year… maybe you recognise doing something like that too?

I feel a physical happiness when spring is coming. – Halldor Laxness

Milo is not that intrigued when I bring my camera, and he is not interested in either posing or the flowers. Rather a roll or two in the leaves – Not on the anemonies, Milo!!!

I also visited a newly found friend. I met her through an old friend of mine, and we have spent a couple of hours painting together. Now we were invited to her home, and the location of her house turned out to be a dream surprise.

If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.

– Loren Eiseley

As a child I always dreamt of having water running through my garden. It doesn’t have to be a river, a brook or creek would have been perfect. The pure harmony of the sound is soothing to every human ear – and I guess to nature itself.

Cats rule the world. – Jim Davis

Yes – I fell in love with her cat, Morris.

A real beauty – but a fast and cunning hunter as well, I learned. Cats are, of course, but he must have held some kind of record…

When my friend told me that Morris had caught five squirrels in a few days, and killed her garden robin and a wren… I was happy to have taken my photos before I knew about that. He was good at posing though –

Talking about posing nicely – the hectic love affairs going on in the pond made me sit down for a while to watch the multitude of frogs – I guess there where more than a hundred in that single spot. I caught this one smiling, while guarding its offspring… Who knows, one of them might be a prince? I can easily resort to fairy tales these days to forget about the craziness of this world.

So, what did I learn from my outing then? Good friends are priceless, Spring glory makes me happy and alive, I still love cats – and I agree with Cameron Diaz:

I’d kiss a frog even if there was no promise of a Prince Charming popping out of it. I love frogs.

Last week we had Egidio guiding us through Wild Life – thank you for all your exciting wild wonders, a treat every one of them!

Now I am looking forward to seeing your outings and what they brought! Link to my post and don’t forget the Lens-Artists tag. Next week Anne will be your host – please go to her site and get inspired!

Lens-Artists Challenge# 334 – Cats and Dogs

/ Leya / 41 kommentarer

Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.

– Anatole France

Tina has chosen a theme close to my heart – and I guess to many of us this will be a feast of memories!

In the first gallery you will find my own dogs, (I just had to…) the Lagotto Romagnolos. Originally waterdogs, but as Romagna (Italy) lost many of its water- and marsh lands, these dogs were taught to find truffles instead. The breed is known to be very harmonious and friendly, and these dogs never shed any hair.

Next gallery shows some of the unforgettable dogs I have met on my travels. Often it is the eyes that does it, but they all have their own stories.

The first one was a cosy dog we met on a hike in the Pyrenees. He was chained to his little house, which is forbidden in Sweden. So we stayed some time to talk and pat. In the middle are two ”mustcuddle” dogs from Scotland belonging to a blogger friend of mine. Before our Lagottos, we had a Bearded Collie in excactly the same colours. Then, there is a shop assistant in Bhutan…

The blue-eyes was a stunner in Lodz – never seen anything like those eyes. I know I have posted this several times – but how could I not? In Georgia we met many dogs, but this was the sweetest, most harmonious picture of a young boy and a stray dog, relaxing together in the sun. I saw a lovely story in this one…the two of them seeking each others’ company, maybe after school? Even if the boy is on his phone, his hand is resting quietly on the dog. And they breathe together. In silence.

The last gallery is for the cats! We always had cats when I grew up, so there is a special bond…even if I nowadays prefer dogs. (Or my husband does…)

Cats and dogs generally go well together- if they grow up together – but if not…well, in this meeting the dog turned stiff as a statue and the cat froze with lowered ears. Again we visit Tblisi, but also Norway, Iceland, the Amsterdam Catmuseum and lastly, Sweden.

The two siamese cats belong to a very good friend of mine. (Borrowed photos!) They are a Siamese and an Oriental Shorthair. Those two finally became good friends ( after half a year or more… ) and are now inseparable. Just for fun, my friend used one of her apps for deciding animal species – and the Oriental Shorthair is…according to AI… a bat! True enough by his looks! But he is very social and sweet, and ”talks” very much to us all.

Be sure to visit Tina’s inspirational site for beautiful wild cats as well – I cannot provide you with any (except Aslan in the header) and link to her post including the Lens-Artists Tag. We thank Egidio for last week’s Complementary Colors challenge, and all of you who responded with your beautiful images. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Patti leads us once again on her terrific Pilotfish blog. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and true to yourself.