Thursday Thoughts – A Goodbye

29 juni, 201729 juni, 2017 / Leya / 10 kommentarer

Summer it is, and I just have to visit The Garden of My Dreams – maybe for the last time. The old couple owning it, will sell it this summer. If it is not already sold… To sneak in is maybe wrong, but somehow I just have to… say goodbye.

Every year I have talked to the little man and his beautiful wife, about all their travels throughout this world to collect plants, and about the birds he kept ringing every spring.

Some of my favourites are still in flower, and if you follow me through the garden, I will show you some of them. My absolute favourites are the thistles, so they will need a picture of their own. I hope you will enjoy the flowers just as much as I do.

Thursday Thoughts – Cheers!

22 juni, 201722 juni, 2017 / Leya / 8 kommentarer

When in Ireland, you just have to visit the Guinness Storehouse – Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction. And, if you do not like beer, there are so many other things to lay your eyes on…A highly recommended visit.

Old machinery

On top – Gravity Bar

Cheers from people all around the world!

My favourite thing here was this giant pillar, a 1-2 ton dream, picturing the brewery’s history throughout the world. Impressive.

Thursday Thoughts – Bunratty?

8 juni, 20179 juni, 2017 / Leya / 2 kommentarer

The name Bunratty, Bun Raite (or possibly, Bun na Raite) in Irish, means ”river basin” of the ‘Ratty’ river. This river, alongside the Bunratty Castle, flows into the nearby Shannon Estuary. We visited for some hours and really enjoyed its genuin feel.

Bunratty Castle Plaque in Irish and in English

The first recorded settlement at the site may have been a Norsemen settlement/trading camp reported in the Annals of the Four Masters. in 977. But several castles were built – and lost – here.

The fourth castle, the present structure, was built around 1425. In 1956, the castle was purchased and restored by the 7th Viscount Gort, with assistance from the Office of Public Works. He reroofed the castle and saved it from ruin. The castle was opened to the public in 1960, and with its genuin 16th-17th century furniture, tapestries and works of art it has become a great tourist attraction.

The Great Hall

In a tiny room upstairs – a grand lit!

Surely they did not bring it up the narrow stairs…

Intricate and detailed woven structures

Interesting clockworks(?)

…flying over the spectacular tables

Thursday Thoughts – Through the Car Window

1 juni, 20171 juni, 2017 / Leya / Lämna en kommentar

A fine day – through the window. Windy and cold, but strawberry fields are here…

So…summer it is!

Thursday Thoughts – Waterford Crystal

25 maj, 201725 maj, 2017 / Leya / 7 kommentarer

Waterford, Ireland, has a long tradition of crystal making, in fact since the 18th century, and is well worth a visit.

If my cupboards were not already full of things…but, no, I did not buy anything. The temptation was not a little one though…What do you think about these?

Thursday Thoughts – A Kindred Soul

18 maj, 201718 maj, 2017 / Leya / 8 kommentarer

In Dublin there are many capturing buildings, but never did I imagine myself trying to photograph shopping centres…and with such relish.

St Stephen’s Green felt like a rather newly built, modern place, with all the light and all the windows I could dream of.

So, we went inside to explore. And I truly found a dream of white and green – the same fresh green colour dominating many of the interior decorations we saw in Ireland.

Quite the cake! We walked through the whole building and found the architecture fresh and matching in every detail.

Then we walked up to one of Dublin’s oldest shopping centres, Powerscourt. I wanted to see the old mahogany staircase – original from the 18th century.

Live piano music filled the air with dreams from another century…

…and the open court was an old style dream – filled with lovely tea drinkers chatting away…

But nowhere was the mahogany staircase to be found. We marvelled at old hat shops and new hat shops, colourful furniture, jewellery stores and old, wooden floors. Where was the staircase? When we had given up trying – we finally found it on our way out, at the back of the store.

I first saw it in the mirror, and was so taken in by it, that I found myself in the mirror as well…

In the 18th century…the wood carvers were very skilled. The smooth feeling of the wood, the beauty of colour and shine, the intricate patterns… I wonder how long it took them to finish this magnificent staircase.

I guess I loved both shopping centres – but only in one of them had a kindred soul.

Thursday Thoughts – An Eternal Love Affair

11 maj, 2017 / Leya / 24 kommentarer

My lifelong relationship with books and literature makes me visit every library I come across. Going to Dublin meant I would be able to visit one of the most fantastic libraries I know of –

Trinity College, Dublin – I had seen the Long Room in some photos before – and of course the Book of Kells. This old library makes a perfect Harry Potter setting….and already walking through the gates, into campus, sent pleasant electrical shocks along my spine… Soon I would enter the magic…

The long Room is the main chamber of the Old Library, and is nearly 65 metres in length, housing around 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books. It also contains the oldest surviving harp in Ireland.

Just to the left of the Shakespeare bust, is the magnificent spiral staircase. And then –

So many great men and women have walked this wooden ground…

…and forever left their footprints in our world…

All books are handled with the utmost care

And the marble busts in each row – are all famous men (yes…men, of course…..)

This is indeed a remarkable Old Library – The Long Room

Thursday Thoughts – Easter Art

20 april, 201720 april, 2017 / Leya / 19 kommentarer

This time every year there are many art exhibitions in Skane, the south part of Sweden. I visited some of them, and also had some photographs of mine hanging…

The gallery in Isgrannatorp had several artists on exhibition, and Annika Ekholm’s gallery showed her own paintings as well as her son’s ceramics. Enjoy some of the art from the two galleries!

Isgrannatorp with Anders Bratt, Helen Andersson and Magnus Åkesson.

Magnus Åkesson

Magnus Åkesson, aquarelle

M.Å.

Helen Andersson

Anders Bratt

Björnekulla with Annika Ekholm. The exhibition is in the old stable.

”Happiness is colour”

Thursday Thoughts – Easter Rain

13 april, 201713 april, 2017 / Leya / 16 kommentarer

Rain, rain…Easter Rain. But inside, indoors – there is much to be seen and contemplated this week of exhibitions and art work. And good food, and good thoughts. I will be spending this week with my children and plan to visit some nice exhibitions as well. In fact, some of my photos will be up too. Exciting…

More reportings from the exhibitions later…

Wishing you all a Happy Easter!

Thursday Thoughts – Today I Finally Met Arthur!

6 april, 201721 december, 2017 / Leya / 16 kommentarer

Maybe you have heard of him…Arthur, the dog who crossed the jungle to find a home.

I have followed his adventures ever since I first heard of him a couple of years ago. The Swedish multi sport team in Ecuador, trying to win the world championships. Instead the team leader, Mikael Lindnord, found that in the middle of the jungle, his team of four had got a fifth member…Arthur. Mikael had never had a dog of his own and never thought of getting one – he was a tough athlete and a determined leader for his team.

But this street dog caught his heart…and from one meat ball, given to a starving dog – they became friends forever. Finally, after many hardships and paperwork and stubborn authorities…Arthur arrived in Sweden and was taken care of by Mikael and his family.

Tonight I met him. And I totally understand why he is King Arthur. He owned the place from the first second he entered through the door. I do not have one single, proper picture…but I loved every minute of being close to him and listening to their story. Seeing the very special bond between Mikael and Arthur.

Mikael himself says that Arthur stands for Hope. The Lindnord family have also started a fund for homeless dogs in Ecuador – there are many ill treated and abused dogs in the world… Maybe there is hope for them with people like Mikael, who was prepared to even let go of his team’s victory to save this dog’s life. Mikael says he recognized himself in Arthur that very first day…they both stand tall, and never give up. So, how could he let Arthur down, when the dog put all his trust in him ?

If you love animals, and dogs in particular, and believe there is still love and compassion on Earth – Read the book!