LACP#208 – Summer Vibes – It’s always summer somewhere!

Andre’ of Solander is our guest host, and wants us to show our favorite activity (yes, chilling is also accepted as an activity in this context) in summer. Please visit his blog for more inspiration!

Summer vibes starts in my own garden – where the little yellow flowers make a golden carpet to the tunes of humming bees. We never cut the grass until the flowers are ready to go.

The vacation we often need is freedom from our own mind.
– Jack Adam Weber

And they stay for weeks, I am sure it’s just to make my heart jump with joy!

Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
– William Shakespeare

Early mornings and late evenings are alive with summer vibes – the backlit geraniums’ gracefully dance for my camera eye. Flower photography is a passion with me.

It’s summer and time for wandering…
– Kellie Elmore

June is a lovely month for hiking…another favourite activity. (And I chose this walk by the sea, because we never go to the sea during the dark time of the year.)

I always make sure to choose good company. If I feel I need any company at all…

Swedish ”fika” is a must. And outdoors a summer privilege. My mother and I always had one on our long walks. And the children loved it.

By 4pm, the dark clouds are marching in – but most of us are prepared for a heavy shower.
Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.
– Van Morrison

Spending a quiet moment at the beach when the rain has passed. Silent and refreshing.

But tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun.
– The Beatles

The lady flowers unfold and shine again with the warming sun…

And the sea – knows how to rest.

Summer vibes in short would be, flowers, photography, hiking, fika – and spending time by the sea.

Many thanks to Andre for guest hosting this week and for giving us the opportunity to share some “summer vibes”. Please link your response to his original here and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to Jez for last week’s Seeing Double challenge. Your responses included wonderful moments captured forever. We hope you’ll join us again next week when Tracy challenges us with “Surrealism” on “Reflections of an Untidy Mind”. She’ll be followed by the last of our July Guest Hosts, Sarah of “Travel With Me” who will invite us to share three favorite images. Finally, the Lens-Artists team will return in August, when Anne will lead us with her “What’s Your Photography Groove” challenge. Until then, as always please stay safe and be kind.

Interested in joining the Lens-Artists challenge? Click here for more information.

Thursday Thoughts – Morning Fields

My grandmother would have been 111 years old today. She loved morning fields just as much as I do.

Driving through the misty morning of Wordless Wednesday to reach these dewy fields. What compares to a summer morning?

– Nothing

Sunday morning will see the last photo of this tour in search of summer silence. I finally reached the river.

Thursday Thoughts – Summer Mornings

Some mornings are made for wandering

Contemplation

And Wonder

Walking through the forest

And out in the sunshine

I wonder at the glorious gifts we have been given on this earth. We should treasure it to the full and keep it safe…for coming generations.

LAPC #201 – Three of a Kind

Maybe you too have experienced that one single image sometimes doesn’t convey what you wanted to say with it? This week, I thought we all would have the possibility to show more than one side of the coin. With Three of a Kind, I want you to think about things related to your main photo – maybe a book, a flower, a room, a piece of art… Almost anything will fit in here – you could make your three images tell a story too! Simply put: Your post should have three separate images that are somehow related. (Another option is splitting one photo into three parts.)

There is a special word for this art of three – triptych. The shape may be seen in Christian Iconography and became a common conventional style for altar artworks in the Middle Ages, from the Gothic era forward, both in Europe and overseas.

Ever since I visited Museo del Prado in Madrid and saw Hieronymus Bosch’s triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights, I was hooked. Even if this technique works best for painting, the triptych has provided a new layer to visual art. Let’s give it a try in photography! And let’s make it simple – the images can stand like always, below one another. The Wish Tree images below do, but you can also use, for example, the WP gallery tool.

Yoko Ono’s Wish Trees at Wanås were flowering beautifully last Sunday

Most wishes dancing in the wind these unruly days, were for peace in Ukraine
and for peace on Earth –

Plato once said that human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. But, it is a quote from Leonardo da Vinci that comes to mind when I walk among these beautiful wish trees…
There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see.

I wish those who do not see, were given the ability to see.

One evening last week I went to the little pond where the fiddlehead ferns grow. For contemplation and some peace of mind. Soon I was lost in a magical walk, to the tunes of the nightingale. I hope you can hear him sing, despite the soundless images! Just like the ferns, he was playing hide and seek with me behind the trees. I never wanted this moment to end.

The Pond

I tried to stay with the shape of a real triptych, but found the mosaic gallery to be the best tool for my images. I kept my main image to the left in each set.

As I was cleaning these old vases, memories of grandmother made me think of using them too for this theme. All we have is our memories, and many times it is the little things that trigger us to remember…Thank you again, Amy.

Grandmother’s Chinese vases

Finally, a Wanås visit would not be complete without the indoor art gallery. The main artist, Peter Linde Busk, used a multitude of techniques and materials, (reuse is his driving force) which made for an interesting triptych story.

The Generous Gambler

Special thanks to Amy for her Little Things theme, that brought much joy and a treasure of posts reminding us that the little things are the most important in life. When everything is swaying around us, we can rest our mind and senses – in them.

We are so looking forward to seeing your Three of a Kind posts, how you chose to display your images, and their different stories! Remember to have fun with this theme, and please add the Lens-Artists tag and a link to my post.

Next week, Sofia will be hosting, and her theme is Minimalism/Maximalism–Single or Flamboyant, Plain or ”More Is More”? Please visit her inspirational site! Until then, stay calm and kind, making the world a better place.

Thursday Thoughts – Hiking Stenshuvud

A spring hike is never wrong. Here I am sending some highlights from one of the most beautiful protected areas in Skåne, where I live. It is known for its biodiversity and its many pasqueflowers. My Silent Sunday was photographed there too.

The area is 300 hectares large, and consists of forest, meadows, marshland, beaches and sea.

In May it is of course a dream to walk here, but Autumn too is very beautiful. We usually visit twice a year. Milo loves it.

The paths are mostly easily walked, but maybe not for everyone.

The marshland is fascinating and can not be reached all days of the year. Spring is often OK, if the rains are moderate.

Orchids are frequent, as are all spring flowers – gently nodding to you from both sides of the path.

Some of them are secret charmers…

About three hours later, we are back at the gate. This part of the hike goes through an area with foreign trees brought here from all over the world.

So, hope you enjoyed the tour, thank you for walking with me! These few images hopefully show some of the National Park’s great diversity.