Thursday Thoughts – Indian Summer

11 oktober, 201810 oktober, 2018 / Leya / 22 kommentarer

Yesterday was the start of the Indian summer here in Skåne (Scania). We had 20 degrees C, sunny and no wind – a wonderful day.

The bees have had a tough summer this year, but now they seem to pop up from nowhere, buzzing gently to each other over my garden’s last flowers.

It is a joy watching them – more difficult to catch them on a photo though…

Later in the evening I went out again to enjoy the last of the autumn sun.

My lavender flowers are long since gone, but bowing their neat capsules in the fading light. I am grateful for a glorious Indian summer day – they say we will get at least another four of them this week.

Thursday Thoughts – Spot the Lagotto!

27 september, 201825 september, 2018 / Leya / 7 kommentarer

Thursday Thoughts – Shaun Tan and the Museum of Failures

20 september, 201820 september, 2018 / Leya / 11 kommentarer

A short trip this summer to Dunkers in Helsingborg – for Shaun Tan, our beloved, Australian illustrator of children’s books. On arrival, we found that the Museum of Failures also had an exhibition there.

My (and my children’s) greatest admiration is his book and movie on ”The Lost Thing”.

The exhibition of drawings and paintings from his books, also featured a reading room – all Shaun Tan – style.

A short trailer…

The whole movie was shown at the exhibition – had to see it again!

Corporate flops – as shown on the Museum of Failure was quite interesting, but I only photographed two things. This museum is a celebration of history’s failed products & services and the lessons learned from them.

I didn’t know Trump had launched a board game!

Wikipedia: Trump: The Game was launched in May 1989, with the tagline, ”It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s whether you win!” Trump appeared in a television commercial for the game. Trump and Milton Bradley hoped the game would sell two million copies, although the game ultimately sold poorly. By August 1990, Trump acknowledged that the game may have been too complicated. The rulebook was more than 12 pages long. Trump said the game had sold 800,000 units.

As of 19 September 2018, the game is considered a collector’s item.

Mmmmmmmmmmm…some of my favorites – not My mistake!

I think I will have to bike to our local shop and buy some for Saturday …

Thursday Thoughts – Quiet Moments

13 september, 201812 september, 2018 / Leya / 18 kommentarer

We did two walks last week, just Totti and me…

…and this is the second one – Both are old favorites – as I guess you recognize the paths…

In the middle of the week the forest rests in silence

And there are not many colours around

I guess that is the way we want it

Quiet

Thursday Thoughts – Quality Time

6 september, 2018 / Leya / 25 kommentarer

We have had some quality time, just Totti and me – and the camera.

Away from the energetic Milo and away from home

Heading for the forest in the early morning

A day of promise

A day of joy and happiness for the two of us

And the little things…

that really matters

Thursday Thoughts – The Lonely House

30 augusti, 201830 augusti, 2018 / Leya / 29 kommentarer

Lonely houses have always fascinated me, but maybe you too have noticed, that some people have a downright obsession with them…?

A lonely house can have a very picturesque location…

– maybe not that easily accessible…

And, at a closer look, you might find it is only an old boat shed…

…or maybe a lonely barn. On the other hand – I could live in one of those as well.

Some newer loners enjoy spectacular seascape views…

…while others stand dilapidated, slowly falling apart.

And then, there are the abandoned houses just looking – eerie…

…while others, at the end of the road, see new guests arriving every year.

Where do you stand in this? Do you believe they are lonely, desolate, forlorn, solitary – or what word would you use? Is a house ”alive” in some ways? Could they hide/have memories? Do you ask yourself questions like: I wonder who once lived here? And, what did their lives look like? Why did they leave?

Are you constantly photographing them…or would never dream of doing it?

I find them enigmatic.

Thursday Thoughts – Autumn Hints

23 augusti, 2018 / Leya / 29 kommentarer

Some cool autumn days at our summerhouse – Much is in progress…and nature is slowing down. Totti is adjusting to having Milo around, but as you can see he has also found out how to effectively get away from him…one of his favorite solutions is to jump into the car cage again. Milo cannot reach him there – yet.

Autumn is coming – the crispness of the air, the clear skies and the colours of the trees.

Our little fishing village is preparing for the next season – boats on shore and summer guests gone. Silent mornings, only the swallows’ swift wings dipping in the water.

He is growing so fast…too fast, just like little children do.

Thursday Thoughts – An Ordinary, Early Autumn Day

16 augusti, 201817 augusti, 2018 / Leya / 14 kommentarer

An early dog walk…in Autumn fogs, cool and soft.

There are occasional glimpses of sun – I brought my little point and shoot camera only…

It is difficult to walk two dogs and try to shoot with a heavy camera.

Resting after breakfast – Totti and Milo both love our summer house.

Mornings are the best time to enjoy the stillness – no summer guests anymore. Paths are empty, and the fields belong to geese and horses only. Milo found that dwarfed opening gate in the hedge…I always wonder who once lived there – given that Milo is about 30 cm high now…

Forest walk in the evening – some birds chirping low and softly muted. There is no wind so the flies are on the hunt.

This area, Lindö, is a nature reserve, so you have to be kind to those flies and mosquitoes as well…

Have you ever had a puppy? Sometimes my toes wish they hadn’t…

I know Milo is a good guy, and that Totti is slowly adjusting. But I can read Totti’s thoughts by the look of his eyes – just when is that ”thing” going home again...

Thursday Thoughts – On Beauty

9 augusti, 2018 / Leya / 42 kommentarer

According to Wikipedia, Beauty is ”a characteristic of an animal, idea, object, person or place that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure or satisfaction.”

The experience of ”beauty” is also connected to being in balance and harmony with nature, which may lead to feelings of attraction and emotional well-being.

Philosopher and novelist Umberto Eco wrote On Beauty: A history of a Western idea (2004) and On Ugliness (2007). A character in his novel The Name of the Rose declares: ”three things concur in creating beauty: first of all integrity or perfection, and for this reason we consider ugly all incomplete things; then proper proportion or consonance; and finally clarity and light”, before going on to say ”the sight of the beautiful implies peace”. (Wikipedia)

The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express

Francis Bacon

Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old

Franz Kafka

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Margaret Wolfe Hungerford

(The first person to use it in the form we know today.)

It is unknown exactly where or how this idiom originated but it has been used in different forms since 3rd century BC when it first appeared in Greek.

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it

Confucius

The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not

Ralph Waldo Emerson

All photos from Reine, Lofoten – by many considered to be maybe the most beautiful spot in the world.

Thursday Thoughts – From Narvik to Svolvær

2 augusti, 2018 / Leya / 23 kommentarer

Narvik was developed as an all-year ice free port for the Swedish Kiruna and Gällivare iron mines. In my youth I was here once, but did not go further out to Lofoten. This time we also took the train to Riksgränsen and back again. We got an interesting view of the new bridge connecting islands – not finished yet.

Riksgränsen (the border to Sweden) – and as you can see there is no activity during summer – it seems. Abandoned cafées and all lifts still waiting for passengers.

Back in Narvik again I marvelled at the abundance of red clover overlooking the harbour. Flowers everywhere along the roads in Sweden and Norway – a wonder for me used to the brownish yellow burnt landscape at home.