I have no siblings, but as a child and young woman, this didn’t bother me. I loved being on my own – whether it was reading, sketching, painting, writing, collecting stones or walking in the forest or in my grandmother’s garden. But as a grown up, and now aging – I would have loved to have a sister or brother to share memories with and consult about our old parents.
So, where am I going with this? Well…in South Africa we met two beautiful brothers, cheetas, where the first photo is from our first meeting, the day we arrived.
The second meeting was three days later, and luckily we found them resting in the same place again.
Our ranger, Charles, told us their story, how they had lost two partners and also their cubs, to lion attacks.
This led to them being monitored – and the pack of lions as well, in an attempt to protect them. I read that 90% of all newborn cheetas are killed by other predators, such as lions. If they survive the first critical months, they can reach 15 years of age.
I wondered if the reserve was going to find new mates for these two and give breeding another try. Charles had no answer to that, and stated that nature works things in its own way.
In my opinion these cats are one of the most beautiful creations in nature – their agility, their speed, their beauty. They hunt daytime and cheetas are the fastest, now living land mammals, with a short distance record of 104.4km/h in 200m.
Charles clearly spoke with affection when he told us their story, because he had been following them since their first day. And, it was not only Charles who had tears in his eyes when we left them resting in the evening sun. Their story touched my heart, and I felt some comfort in knowing they at least had each other. I wish them good luck in the future – may they be lucky in hunting and may they find new mates and be blessed with little ones.
Beth is looking back this week. Originally it was John´s post, and now Beth hands it over to us – please take a look at both posts!
I am just back from a trip to Croatia, a trip I have wanted to make for some years now, but life got in between. I hope you will enjoy following me along to some of its highlights!
I have never seen so many waterfalls in one day, or even a year – or maybe in my whole life. And they were all different, and all magnificent. The Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest and the largest national park in Croatia, and a UNESCO World Heritage. It covers an area of just under 300 km2 and the lake system is comprised of 16 named and several smaller unnamed lakes, cascading one into the next. There are twelve lakes in the Upper system and four in the Lower system.
Walking through a forest where water surrounds you – and every tree – imagine the sound! The biggest waterfall, Veliki Slap, is a wonder where you walk across the lower part and can truly enjoy its beauty, all the way from the top and down. You also walk on boardwalks, to come closer to the falls in every lake. So much magic. The exceptional beauty of this park makes it outstanding and something to put on your bucket list – if it is not already there.
I hope the pictures speak for themselves. The walk took 7 hours with photo stops and food. So be sure to give it a whole day. And if you can – go in low season, we had read about the masses of tourists during the high season and did not want that stress.
As we were driving from Zagreb to Plitvice, we happened upon a village we had never heard of before, Rastoke, on the Korana River. On the water! The houses were literally situated on the water and the village is renowned for its mills and waterfalls. A wonderful surprise!
Thank you, Beth, for a wonderful challenge – just right for me this week! Show anything on the water. You can choose to show watercraft, things floating, closeups of water, scenic water landscapes, or anything else you can think of. Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to her original post.
Last week your responses to John’s “History Through the Lens” challenge were all inspiring. I enjoyed all of the images and learned a lot from your posts. Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge..
On Saturday, May 2 at noon eastern time it’s my turn to be your host – Ann-Christine/Leya.
Egidio gives us something to think about this week – examples that come to mind showing the implied presence of color in a black-and-white photo. Please visit his site for excellent examples and inspiration! Sometimes, the color may not be obvious to a general worldwide audience. So, please explain your choices.
My first choice is a fire from Walpurgis night – it will soon be here now – and I am sure we all have vivid pictures of fire in our mind.
In the northern hemisphere we are all waiting for Spring – and cherry flowers are recognizable to most of us.
In my area of Sweden, the southernmost part, Spring and early summer is mostly yellow and blue – rapeseed and blue skies surround our houses and neighbourhoods. And our flag is yellow and blue too.
For my last example – something most of us will recognize – but, what colurs are involved? I am not really sure…are you?
Thank you, Egídio for this cool challenge, I had fun with it. You had such good examples that it brought back memories from our black and white tv days. Hope to see you this week, and please remember to link back to his original post and to tag Lens-Artists so we can easily find you.
Last week we relaxed with Anne’s beautiful challenge. It was great to see all sorts of relaxing places and people/animals relaxing. It’s amazing how we every week come up with different ideas for the same challenge.
Next week is Tina’s turn to lead us, Saturday 28th March. Until then, stay safe and take care.
If you want to know more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.
So, we have traveled by train through Zimbabwe and South Africa – I had only been to the northern parts, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco before. And, honestly, I never thought I would go on a trip like this one…to the heart of the continent. But, some of my L-A friends have truly inspired me to make this journey. And I don’t regret it. One of the novels that’s made the greatest impression on me, is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. (If you haven’t read this masterpiece, please give it a try – or see the prize winning movie with Marlon Brando.) It’s an intriguing continent, Africa.
These kind of varied trips are difficult to describe, and it can easily be a bit too much for both friends and readers. It might be a good idea to try a reasonably short version. What were the highlights, what are the memories that will stay with me forever? Maybe the big surprises? The animals, the people, the culture, the landscapes? This week it will be interesting to see how you choose to present a short or long trip (maximum 10 images), what will be your main points and why?
We flew from Copenhagen to the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe to start our main journey from there. This Colonial style hotel has a magical view towards the falls. Not to mention its Victorian atmosphere – down to the smallest detail with dress code and grand piano.
Walking the whole stretch of the majestic falls made us both filled with awe – and soaking wet! ”Mosi-oa-Tunya” – means ”the smoke that thunders.” And the sound was indeed deafening.
As this was a once in a lifetime experience… we decided to do the helicopter flight over the falls. We were visiting during the high water season, when this is the world’s largest curtain of falling water. 1700m wide and 108m deep. ”Discovered” and named by David Livingstone in 1855.
The Zambezi River, above the falls, made for a sundown trip with crocodiles (look closely and there are two of them in the picture), hippos and bee-eaters among other things. In the background you see the Victoria Falls sending up steam and clouds.
After some astonishing days, it was time to board the famous Rovos Rail train – a new adventure! A South African man, named Rohan Vos, buys old trains, wagons and engines and restores them to their former glory. It felt like treading into an Agatha Christie movie. Dress code here too, and the local food served was extremely delicious. Breakfast and 5 courses twice a day. My sincere compliments to the chef (we saw the incredibly tiny kitchen they had to work in…).
The Diner cars were gorgeous, old time beauties. After three days on the train, stuffed and without the Milo excercise I am used to do every day, we finally reached the end station in Pretoria. (I promise – I rolled off that train…) From there, we went by bus and jeep to a private game reserve.
The wild life was wonderful of course. One of my favourites (from Tina’s treasures) is the Lilac breasted Roller. What a joy to see it with my own eyes!
One of the main highlights was the opportunity to see the big cats. On our first day at the camp, we came across two relaxing Cheetahs. I was overwhelmed, realising this was what I had been waiting for all along. Our camp was not fenced in, so the animals could walk freely through it – and they did every night. We saw footprints of antelopes, lions, monkeys and more every morning. After dark we had to rely on a ranger following us to our tent. He told us they see lions there at least twice a week .
Then, after some days with antelopes, ”Pumbas”, giraffes, zebras and birds, we met five beautiful, peacefully relaxing lions. I love this picture of one of the males who heard us coming and slowly turned his head to take a look at us.
Big cats are very special, and I chose to close with these wonderful creatures. So powerful, but somehow still looking gentle. I always had cats when I grew up, and there are many similarities between big and small. You never really know when, or if, they will strike…
There are many more stories to tell, but that will have to wait for another day. I haven’t even looked at all the pictures yet…
Thank you, John, for a lovely challenge, and thank you all for the great variety of answers! If you participate, please remember to use the Lens-Artists tag and link to my original post.
Next week, Anne will be our host – be sure to visit her beautiful site for more inspiration. Until then, stay safe and enjoy your precious time.
I hope you all had some Happy Holidays and are now ready for posting your favourites of 2025! As has become our custom, we are asking our followers to select their favorite images of the last year – whether they’ve been included in previous posts or not. This week, no single host will present the challenge. The entire team will share the challenge topic.
Here are mine – difficult to choose, and, of course I could have chosen other ones. But, with some for the beauty, some for the fun, some for the surprise and some for Love – I hope you will find something for yourself too!
This picture is my absolute favourite of the year – an endemic chaffinch sitting in a young girl’s hand in the forest in Madeira. A moment of peace and total connection with Nature. It fills my heart with gratefulness just looking at it.
I think I wrote in another post, that this year I didn’t do much photography – because I have started painting again. That is why one of my paintings is here in the gallery too.
Spring is the starter of Life – and everything…also my joy in photography. But it must be Spring at home, in Sweden.
In June we returned to Madeira, our hiking paradise for many years in the 70’s and 80’s. It was a joy to come back to the lush and beautiful nature there, but in the city so much had changed that I hardly recognized it. Despite the changes of time though, the country feeling remains – suddenly close-up cows in the middle of the road. Loved it!
Back home to Autumn, Winter and bird feeding in the moonlight. I do love my sweet sheep meetings every day on my dog walks – Milo believes they are his cousins.
Finally, a trip to the ice festival in Midieval Poznan, Poland. This is Restaurant Ratuszova with its amazing paintings in the cellar vaults.
We thank all of our followers for continued support and look forward to seeing the images you choose as YOUR favorites of 2025. Please remember to link your post to any or all of the Lens-Artists team members. Also, remember to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you.
We offer our best wishes for a New Year filled with peace, happiness, love and friendship. Anne will lead us next week on her lovely Slow Shutter Speed blog. Until then, stay safe, be kind and and find joy in the simple things.
I love these end of the year opportunities to post some pictures that didn’t quite make the cut or didn’t quite fit in to our challenges. This year was no photography year for me – not much traveling either – rather a painting year. But here they are, my last chances!
The opener/header shows a Madeira interior from one of our hikes in June. There were fewer traveling days than usual this year, let’s see what the new year has in store for us.
Little ones – Vedema frog and babies. A favourite day out in April.
My garden in flower. A moss lover I am, a tiny worlds lover. I found these photos in a folder from August 2025. They were untouched – so, a perfect fit!
I will end with a frosty Autumn picture from the lake and the last one from my forest, when the beeches were already fading. I love that colour though, and miss it now when all leaves are gone and everything is grey and dull.
We want to announce that this is our last post of the year as Lens-Artists will be taking the final 2 weeks of December off and will return on January 3.
THANK YOU for all your Holiday Fun posts! Now it is time for the 2025 fun too! Thank you all for making this year, 2025, brighter and more hopeful – I believe that is one of the best reasons to keep a blog, to connect and communicate. For me, it’s a vital source to constantly revive faith in mankind. So, until we see you again – stay safe, be kind and enjoy the Holiday Season.
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and may the New Year be Happy and Healthy for us all!
Leya 
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