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Thursday Thoughts – The Lions

/ Leya / 14 kommentarer

We had been waiting for the lions for several days-

– and finally, they unveiled themselves. The wheat coloured high grass offered a perfect place to hide.

They were resting together in a group of five, and we were allowed to see them close-up. Beautiful, majestic animals. They did not seem to notice us at all, only the male in the header – who leaned his head backwards to look at our jeep. A rare meeting for me.

There were two females and three males. They looked young all of them.

Lions don’t have many enemies, but they too are afflicted by ticks, and we were warned before we did the savanna walk. In Sweden many of us are vaccinated, as the TBE is a widely spread tick-borne disease and can severely afflict your brain. You can even die from it.

Lions are such beautiful big cats, our respect for them is great. They looked so calm and relaxed lying there together in the grass,

…but only some days before, this zebra must have had a narrow escape, maybe from a lion. I guess he had defended his heard. Successfully…I hope.

Living on the savanna is not easy. For us, short visitors, it is an adventure. Thank you for coming along today, meeting the big cats – and their prey. I find zebras mezmerisingly beautiful, like pieces of art, and I think scientists still don’t exactly know why they have their stripes or how they use them.The leading theory seems to be Biting Fly Repellent. Flies cannot easily land on striped things as the pattern disturbes their ability to navigate properly.

Next week I will tell you about the two cheetah brothers. We met them twice.

LAPC #395 – Looking Back to Challenge #155 – On the Water

/ Leya / 30 kommentarer

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.

Thursday Thoughts – Impala – The Most Beautiful Antelope?

/ Leya / 14 kommentarer

Impalas were a common sight, both in Zimbabwe and in South Africa, but I never got tired of watching them. Their gracious rushes and jumps, their colours and beautiful faces.

These are early morning shots, where they are mock fighting. Nature’s clever way to prepare them for the real fights.

Every day brought new adventures, new wonders to behold. The safari tours were at least twice a day and lasted for several hours. I wished they would go on forever. Africa, I am so grateful I finally got there. Unforgettable memories.

But, we were still waiting for the lions…so illusive.

Glimpses only …holding us in suspense.

Every day we were all on the lookout for them…

Lens-Artists Challenge #394 – History Through the Lens

/ Leya / 23 kommentarer

History plays a big part in all our lives, and John urges us to post some interesting history this week. Please visit his site for wonderful stories and photos!

Some years ago we visited Tjolöholm Castle, which is not very old, but contains a great mix of old and new. In many respects it is a fairytale castle, built 1898-1904 by James Fredrik and Blanche Dickson. In fact it was Blanche who finished it, as her husband died shortly after the plans were ready.

The Dickson family had moved from England and bought Tjolöholm to build a new home. The style is Arts and Crafts, and the whole interior is intact – rather fantastic. The furniture, tapestery and almost everything indoors was bought from Liberty in London – a company that still exists.

The young architect, Lars Israel Wahlman, combined the Tudor style with modernities from the turn of the century such as showers with circularly flowing water, electricity, central heating, and a vaccuum cleaner (so big and heavy that it had to be drawn by horses). The intention was to create a home that was both comfortable and dignified.

Dresses? One made for side saddle and some showing what to make them all stand out – I can imagine how cumbersome it must have been for women to ride – and walk…

Some of the most impressive ideas and rooms were the bathrooms with the special showers. All ordered from Liberty in London – the worksmen as well! I loved the flower room and the children’s room, where the vases and the toys still stood waiting.

The player piano or pianola to the left, is one of the last existing, working pianolas. The many boxes on top of it contains pieces of music for the instrument. The last picture shows the quite elegant vaccuum cleaner…

At the back of the castle waited a wonderful garden, English style of course. Well worth a visit. And it contained one of my favourites – this white thistle – like beauty.

There is a famous history of these flowers as well, Eryngeum giganteum, often called ”Miss Wilmott’s Ghost”. Ellen Ann Willmott (1858-1934) was a trailblazer in the male dominated world of horticulture, she challenged the gender roles and redefined what women could achieve in science and art. She won the Royal Hoticultutral Society’s Victoria Medal of Honour for her work.

The flower then? Well, they say Miss Wilmott used to carry seeds from this plant in her pocket, scattering them secretly in gardens she visited.

Thank you to Sofia for last week’s wonderful Lucky Shots – many smiles and wows! Lucky shots certianly play a big role in what we catch with our lens. Next week, it’s Beth’s turn to host. Be sure to follow her [here] so you don’t miss her challenge that goes live on Saturday at noon Eastern Time.