Silent Sunday
Tankar
Thursday Thoughts – Colours of Spring, so far…
Lens-Artists Challenge #193 – Birthdays
For this week’s challenge, John wants us to show what is special to us about birthdays. This was a difficult one for me – because the happiest birthdays were of course the childhood ones. Today, as for many people here in Sweden, family birthday gatherings only include food and cake, maybe a small present.
Birthdays for me now, means meeting up with good friends for some nice food, a chat and a visit to some new exhibition. No celebrating really. Then I came to think of my 60th birthday, a birthday that I spent without my family (the only one so far!) – instead I went to Poland for The Light Move Festival with my blogging friend Viveka (My Guilty Pleasures). Of course that is one of my most special birthdays! I posted on it in 2017, and when I go back to read those posts again, I keep smiling at the joyful and relaxed time we spent in Łódź – a city unknown to me before, but a huge positive surprise! So much great art, architecture, friendly people, gorgeous food and of course – the best company – Viveka.
– I hope you will enjoy those days in Łódź too, through some of my shimmering memories in this gallery! You might even find Viveka there somewhere…
I had to finish with the beautiful Jewish graveyard, where we spent hours walking in silence, contemplating. Alone together. Both of us love walking in those abandoned graveyards – so much history, sadness, silence and beauty.
Yes, we had a great time, Vivi and I – and we often talk about those days when we meet up. A wonderful trip…that would be the kind of birthday to have more often …
Sincere thanks to John for the opportunity to reminisce about our special events. Whatever event you choose to feature, please remember to link your response to John’s original here, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag. Thanks also to Amy for last week’s Earth Story challenge. She is worth celebrating and taking extra care of – and you helped to show a marvelous display of Mother Earth’s many gifts – and her vulnerability.
As always, we thank you for joining us and hope you’ll be with us again next week, when Sofia leads our challenge. Until then, please stay safe and be kind.
Interested in joining Lens-Artists? Click here for more information
Silent Sunday
Thursday Thoughts – Magical Horses and Dragons
The visit to Gothenburg some weeks ago included ”Universeum”, a house for practical experiments and for animals and plants from all over the world.
Don’t we all love these little creatures? I remember from early childhood a series about the little seahorse. It was one of the first TV-animated series I really loved. I was glued to the screen.
According to Wikipedia, a seahorse is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus Hippocampus. Hippocampus comes from the Ancient Greek hippókampos, itself from híppos meaning ”horse” and kámpos meaning ”sea monster”.
Seahorses also feature segmented bony armour, an upright posture and a curled tail. Along with the pipefishes and seadragons (Phycodurus and Phyllopteryx) they form the family Syngnathidae. I am not that familiar with the names of sea creatures, but I do love these two. After some thinking, I remembered a visit to the Blue Planet in Denmark that Vivi and I did some years ago. I photographed a seadragon then, and – I found it after some searching. I hope you enjoy!
In the header – the cranes are here!
Lens-Artists Challenge #192 – Earth Story
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.
― Mahatma Gandhi
Earth Story. This week, we hope you will join us in sharing earth stories through your lens. As we share the natural world, we hope to share our understanding of planet Earth and the glory of her magic. Amy made me decide to celebrate Arbor Day, April 29, and in fact I think I celebrate it every day.
Let us start with an image of sky, mountains, water and trees – Earth seen from above.
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
― John Muir
And as we fly downwards, under the canopy, to the forest floor – we will find the tiniest creatures that need you to lie down on the ground to meet them. Their little world is filled with a special kind of magic.
It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.
― Rainer Maria Rilke
Trees bring us spring in soft showers…
― Khalil Gibran
Some trees are famous because of the way they grow, and because they have appeared in popular movies.
This old beech tree is one of my best friends. I talk to him every week and rest quietly in his shadow.
― David Brower
… and some live in them their whole lives. They eat, play, mate and raise their young.
― Henry David Thoreau
Finally, without trees the world would not exist. We are all dependent on them. Everywhere in art we find trees as well, and many of us have special ties to certain trees, or remember special trees from our childhood. So, treasure them and protect them, plant seedlings and make the forest and your garden grow!
The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.
― Pope John Paul II
Thank you for last week’s many curves from you! I must admit there were curves I had never even thought about – creative! Next week, John (Journeys with Johnbo) will host LAPC #193, and we should be thinking about what is special to us regarding birthdays or anniversaries… Be sure to visit John’s site for more!
Silent Sunday
Thursday Thoughts – Anemone hepatica
Little blue eyes among the winter leaves – not many yet, but still –
“Come with me into the woods where spring is
advancing, as it does, no matter what,
not being singular or particular, but one
of the forever gifts, and certainly visible.”
― Mary Oliver
Silent Sunday
Lens-Artists Challenge #191 – Curves
Magic lives in curves, not angles.– Mason Cooley
On a visit to Gothenburg last week, I was mesmerized by some intriguing curves, in nature and at a museum…so, this week, I thought we would find more examples of curves: funny, beautiful, unusual – roads, paths, art, architecture, animals, plants – anything that interests you. Because, curves are everywhere around us. In nature almost everything is – curves.
You will find them in small stones under your feet…
In water…
In trees…
Under and below the trees…
But mostly friendly…
Curves exist in every little creature on Earth…
In roads and manmade things too, like in this agricultural landscape.
Last weekend I found great curves in something called a Treillage – at Gunnebo there is a really big one – 7 meters high. There are three reconstructed ones in modern times (they were common in 1500-1800), and those are to be found at Hampton Court in England, Het Loo in Holland and Versailles in France. The trellis forms a kind of link between nature and architecture, and over time, the growing trees at its sides will form a bower.
Finally, in the opener is my favourite curve, a koru. And, I will close the circle of this ”curvy”post with an orb of a spider’s web in my garden.
In life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves. – Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
Many thanks to Patti for the great Close and Closer challenge that gave us such a variety of interesting entries – thank you all for the treats!
We are now looking forward to seeing YOUR curves… pun intended! Be sure to link your responses to my original post, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Next week, Amy will be our host – until then, please stay safe and be kind.
If you would like to participate in our weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, we have easy to follow instructions. Just click this link and join us: https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/about-lens-artists/
Leya 
Du måste vara inloggad för att kunna skicka en kommentar.