Tankar

Thursday Thoughts – The yearly visit to Wanås

/ Leya / 48 kommentarer

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!

Lens-Artists Challenge #257 – Simplicity

/ Leya / 78 kommentarer

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.

Thursday Thoughts – My Wild Garden

/ Leya / 23 kommentarer

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!

Lens-Artists Challenge #256… – Inspiration found in the Kitchen

/ Leya / 55 kommentarer

A big Thank You to Ritva for encouraging us to look for inspiration in the kitchen. Great fun! I have mostly chosen old and new utensils and kitchen herbs, but also good light in a kitchen is essential.

My grandmother’s old funnel is still in use…while her almond grinder is just there for memories. Flowers? I have flowers everywhere, and many in my kitchen windows as well. For inspiration! My favourite mug is from my daughter’s trip to Japan some years ago.

Finally…some sallad from my other kitchen in our summerhouse. A very old photo, but I loved that table cloth as well…

Thank you again, Ritva, this was a fun challenge with many possibilities! I look forward to seeing everyone’s kitchens, and coffee or tea cups. Remember to link to her post here and include the Lens-artists Tag so we can find you.

Thank you also to Patti for inspiration and encouragement to tell stories with our photography last week. I think we all agree that every photo has a story…to us.

July’s Guest Hosts and Challenges are:

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

Thursday Thoughts – Wild Orchids

/ Leya / 20 kommentarer

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.

Lens-Artists Challenge 255#- Telling a Story

/ Leya / 38 kommentarer

This week, we’re focusing on telling a story with photos. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, we can convey a story in one image; other times we need several. For this challenge, there is a limit of 5 photos per story.

My two stories are both from last weekend. Midsummer Eve and Midsummer Day.

I believe they speak for themselves – without pictures of the young couple. Of all the games we played that day, the most precious one is catching the bridal bouquet. I don’t know about the custom in other countries, but in Sweden, catching it means you are the next one to get married!

Dancing around the maypole and playing games is always a treat for both young and old.

These pictures show Björnen sover, a singing game, used both as a round dance and a children’s song. The tune is a simplified version of the one used for Gubben Noak, published by Carl Michael Bellman, published in Songs of Fredman in 1792. According to Wikipedia, still today research hasn’t proved if Bellman wrote the tune or not. Since it became famous, the tune has been used for several different lyrics in the centuries since Bellman, including many children’s songs.

The game

  1. One person is appointed bear, taking cover and pretending to sleep (in the middle).
  2. Other participants walk around the ”bear” in a ring, singing Björnen sover (”the bear is sleeping”).
  3. At the end of the song, the bear ”wakes up”, and begins to chase the other participants.
  4. When someone is caught, he or she will become the ”bear” the next time. (as you can understand, in the end they will all be bears)

Because Russia and the USSR sometimes have been called the Russian Bear the term björnen sover (”the bear sleeps”) has in Swedish sometimes referred to times in international politics when Russia has attracted less attention, but not everyone is trusting them.

So, now it is your turn to tell a story in 1 to 5 photos. The story you tell is totally up to you. Document for example an event you liked, a meal you enjoyed or a visit to a favorite place. Share a photo that conveys an emotion, and show us a memory of a place, time or person. In your post, be sure to include the Lens-Artists tag and a link to Patti’s original post.

Last week Tina invited us to share photos of Spiritual Places. A special thanks to Tina for her inspiring theme, which generated your marvelous posts. I was especially touched by the images that honored Bren, a wonderful creative artist who recently died from cancer.

Now, a special announcement. We’re very pleased to tell you that once again 5 very talented photographers have accepted our invitation to host our July “Month of Guest Hosts” here at Lens-Artists. Be sure to visit their unique sites each week as they explore the following topics:

In August, the Lens-Artists team will be back.  I, Ann-Christine, will be your host on Saturday, August 5. Look for my post on Leya at noon ET.  And by then, this hectic time will be over and I am free to do some inspired blogging again. In the meantime, I am hoping that your July is relaxing and filled with inspiration for the July topics!

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