My dear friend Viveka (of Myguiltypleasures) and I went to Wanås Castle – we usually do once a year. And we enjoy the art and our delicious meal, chatting along together.
If you like outdoor exhibitions – and surpises – let’s go!
Carola Grahn is the new artist this year, and she deals with Sami art and beliefs.
The giant boxes with logs at the entrance were impressive, but then the glassed wall was our first stop – at the sight of the blue mountain.
This is a rather impressive size of art work for the little pond, but we liked it. You can read about the artist’s idea below in the gallery.
The natural theme as well as the Sami connections were ever present. The ”building” made of birches shows a free interpretation of a sign on a Sami sacred drum.
Thank you for being our lovely company here at Wanås, and hopefully you want a new tour next year!
Mr Philo of Philosophy Through Photography is our most welcome guest host this week, and he calls for Simplicity:
”I considered selecting simplicity since the modern world is so stressful and chaotic that we are losing the fundamental clarity and simplicity that allow us to concentrate on what is really important.” Please visit his site for more inspiration!
Hopefully this post will tell you why I too believe we need more simplicity.
As I grew older, I realized that it was much better to insist on the genuine forms of nature, for simplicity is the greatest adornment of art.
— Albrecht Durer
Simplicity can be reflected in so many ways…here are a few:
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.
— Lao Tzu
Nature is pleased with simplicity.
— Isaac Newton
Enjoy the little things,
– for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
— Robert Brault
Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.
– Plato
Everything is both simpler than we can imagine, and more complicated that we can conceive.
– Goethe
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
– Confucius
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
— Leonardo da Vinci
We are looking forward to seeing your Simplicity posts, and remember to link to Philo’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.
Sincere thanks to Ritva Sillanmäki for hosting last week’s Inspiration Found In The Kitchen, a challenge with immensely creative answers! Thank you for sharing your talent and passion with us.
Next week, Dawn Miller of The Day After will be hosting LAPC # – 258 Fences. And, if you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists challenge, click here for more information.
A pause in the welcome rain…and I could take a stroll in my summer garden. You probably know that I strive to make it bee and insect friendly. And some things are coming along nicely, at least my old apple tree. Let’s go and see!
The old apple tree gave in some years ago, but I decided to make it come alive again – with the help of clematis and honeysuckle. I tried several clematis, and finally this one was the winner. In the pot, an orange Clarkia.
As you can see, the wild flowers are growing after the long draught. Everything withered and yellow – but wild flowers are hardy and made to live here. Species of Scabious are popular among bees, beetles and butterflies.
The old tree is filled with various insects, sometimes so small that I can hardly see them.
Honeysuckle is now an established climber – but it took some years. Summernights are filled with their lovely scent.
One of my insect hotels found its place here too.
Two bird baths by this tree, one on the ground for the big birds and one hanging for the smaller ones. Keeping them filled is essential to the birds. I have a third one on the ground for the hedgehogs.
Clarkia was a new acquaintance to me, but I like its soft colours accompanying the old trunk.
Agapanthus is a sweet friend of mine, and this year it has developed 17 stems. I got the plant from a dear friend who passed away some years ago. I am very grateful for this gift, and I think of him every time I admire it and water it.
The tour ends in my glasshouse, where there are only edible plants during summer – and some cacti. This big lady is flowering now, having 8 buds. A joy!
Thank you so much for visiting and walking with me in my favourite place!
So, I went down there again for the lesser butterfly-orchid, and there it was, in full bloom. But, I could of course not resist all the others… A few weeks every year they are there for us to admire and marvel. So, here we go again. The orchid I came for this evening was the two white ones in the middle section.
To get the most out of a visit to the lesser butterfly- orchid, you should come late in the evening. The otherworldly scent can not be felt in sunshine.
We have reached the longest day this year – already. So fast the days , hours and minutes flow. Time is Unstoppable. The flowers are just beginning their parade and the birds have released their first fledglings. From now on, it will get darker for every day we open in our calender. But, for all of you down under – summer is returning!
I hope you will enjoy a walk with me to some of the wild flowers and orchids of June in Skåne. Most of them are different Dactylorhiza. Wishing a Happy Midsummer to you who celebrate, and a lovely weekend to all of you!
To see a world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour.
William Blake
Tina‘s challenge this week is Spiritual Sites. ”While many associate spirituality with religion, the Oxford dictionary defines it as “relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things”, a much wider interpretation.”
Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.
― Herman Hesse
I will post some of the most spiritual places I have visited. Starting with New Zealand and Tane Mahuta, the biggest Kauri tree left in the world. His name means ”Lord of the Forest”, and he is indeed impressive. The forest around him whispers his name.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without
― Siddhārtha Gautama
Lhasa, Tibet, and the Pothala Palace. Walking in silence up to the palace on those massive, worn stones, in the thin air, was overwhelming. The palace lies on a cliff, 3700 m above sea level, so you have to walk slowly. And that is the true way to register all impressions with all of your senses.
Pilgrimage is a powerful metaphor for any journey with the purpose of finding something that matters deeply to the traveler.
– Phil Cousineau
Bhutan talks to you as soon as you arrive – the Himalayas and the Dzongs, the monks, the prayer flags and the people. A pilgrimage to the Tiger’s Nest monastery is a must.
It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up.
– Eckhart Tolle
To see the sunset over the Amazon from a Kapok tree – was one of the most spiritual things that has ever happened in my life. The Amazon, the lungs of the world, and the sounds of the jungle and its inhabitants…is an unforgettable experience. We don’t know for how long we will have the Amazon with us, but I am sure that when we do everything we can to make it survive – then the Earth and our world will survive too.
In my country, the forests are, for many of us, the most spiritual places, and the churches of course. But for our Sámi people, there are also mountains, cliffs, caves and open land. Our most renowned landmark up north is Cuonjávaggi/Lapporten (the gate to Lapland). Here the Paddus nature trail leads to an old sacred Sámi area and the cliff Baddusdievva in Abisko national park. But you don’t really need to know that – you will feel the prescence of the old spirits in your body and soul when you walk.
Finally, I will echo Tina’s words:
”…remember to pay attention to your spiritual side. It will remind you of the positivity in the world when its chaos seems overwhelming.”
Welcome to join us this week and share your thoughts on spirituality and the places where it can be found. Be sure to link to Tina’s post and to use the Lens-Artists Tag for reader. Sincere thanks to Brian of Bushboy’s World for last week’s wonderful Fragments, and to you for all your creative and beautiful responses. Patti will lead next week on her lovely Pilotfish blog so be sure to check her out next Saturday. Until then, stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Fragments...yes, our lives are, the world is. Brian of Bushboy is our guest host this week, and he says: ”What has been happening recently is a bit of fragmentation around the world, a disconnect. But we always have been made up of pieces. What I would like to see is some of your fragments.”
I am late to the party, because my life right now is more than fragmentary, sometimes I feel I am dissolving totally. But once again I will try to scramble up the pieces of my self and act like a whole person.
Some thoughts of fragments from me on a warm summer’s day, sitting in my garden.
Fragments of lives lost, going down with the Titanic.
I love using fragments in my photography, it makes us look at the image with open senses, using our fantasy. Drawing our own conclusions, making pictures in our minds.
Not showing the whole picture, the whole background or the whole subject is beautiful and suggestive. I wish that would be used in clothing and model photography as well.
Fragments…can make poetry
Fragments talk to our senses. Early summer of wild orchids in evening light make my heart sing. What fragments make your heart sing?
Fragments put together make a clearer picture of what is happening. Like the words and chapters of a book. Or the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
A fragment of the facade is gone…but a butterfly made it ”whole” again – gave it a new meaning. One of life’s little wonders.
Fragments of beauty is still there while we are ageing…
Fragments of Love. A great deal of my time now goes to fitting together the fragments of my father’s life. Through photos, letters and talks with his only remaining sister. I kept some of his things to feel closer to him. Photos, his accordion, a shirt, his books, paintings… What are we humans – only fragments of life on earth, life in space, life in the universe.
But it is a good thing to think of our lives as tiny and insignificant. We tend to take ourselves too seriously.
Many thanks to Brian for this thoughtful challenge, and to Donna and her lovely “Bugs” challenge last week. Next week Tina will be hosting LAPC. So, look out for her exciting challenge!
This hike we do every spring or summer – and it is always a treat. It takes about three, four hours, walking among old and strange trees planted here from all over the world … and it is close to the sea.
This place is home to numerous orchids (a meadow of them in the header) and Pasque flowers – just as beautiful when they are over!
The last flower blooming could also be the last hideaway for a little bug…
This hike is a perfect outing for schoolchildren – but, today we had to step away from the path for several hundreds of kids. Smiling and cheery ones though.
Blindworm or slowworm – I see them quite often. In fact this is a lizard, but legless. This guy was a beauty, about 30 cm long, slim and well fed.
Driving home on old roads to enjoy the flat and open views of the southern part of Skane. A good day we had. And the light lasts far into the night.
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