Thursday Thoughts

Thursday Thoughts – Ama la Vida!

/ Leya / 16 kommentarer

Ecuador Ama la Vida – and they do. And they make us, all visitors, do. And we love them, the Ecuadorians and their astonishing country and nature.

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I came back a couple of days ago, but in my heart I am still there – and I will never leave. On my first day in Sweden I immediately caught a severe cold, but still had to go to work. Yesterday was my last working day before Christmas.

So, where to begin, trying to explain that my childhood dream has come true? That this journey was the greatest adventure of my life? But we all have different dreams…

As a 7-year-old girl I first borrowed a book about the remote Galapagos Islands, and learned there was a place on earth where animals and humans lived in peace with each other. The animals were not afraid of humans, and you could sit right next to them and  we could talk to each other as true friends. The little girl marvelled and nourrished a dream in her heart, that someday and somehow she would travel to these enchanted islands…

After this day she devoured everything about the Galapagos Islands…and later, on TV, she listened to David Attenborough and …her heart and mind was set. About then, she also decided to one day walk in the jungle, listening to all the sounds in the dark night, in the REAL jungle, the Amazonas. I do not think she realized the possibility of these two dreams once coming true within the same country, within the same year and the same month.

To a little girl who loved animals more than people, and who, in fact, in many ways still prefers animals to people – such a journey was the ultimate dream.

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On this fantastic journey, I met some astonishing people as well…people I never will forget. They enriched my life and will hopefully continue to do so. The artist Jane Tomlinson and her photographing husband Moth Clark are two extraordinary gifted people. Their deep feelings for, and knowledge of, the natural world are genuine and vibrant. Moth’s photos are outstanding and Jane’s paintings as vibrant as life itself.

I received the permission from Jane herself to use one of her paintings in this post. I love starlings, so this was a natural choice. Now I am looking forward to seeing more of Moth’s photos from the Galapagos Islands and some lovely paintings by Jane. Ama la Vida – easily done when you see Jane’s artwork! The art of Jane Tomlinson.

Thank you so much for visiting, and waiting – I will be posting more when I am recovered!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ann-Christine

Thursday Thoughts – A Story of …Love

/ Leya / 12 kommentarer

In Vilnius I saw this young couple coming out of a church. They did not hold hands. The young lady was holding her dress instead. He was walking casually right behind her.

In one of the old city’s most famous spots, they were photographed.

They looked so young…yet I believe they had known each other for a while. No infatuation shining, no signs of being ”in love”. I watched them silently walking down the street – no sign of guests or friends. Still not holding hands. Half an hour later we saw them sitting on a bench in the square, munching some fast food and watching the air balloons sailing across the sky.

I wonder what they were thinking. I wonder about their lives and their future. I would have liked to listen to their story.

Thursday Thoughts

/ Leya / 21 kommentarer

Empty. Void. The last two days leaves many thoughts, but the feeling is emptiness.

Give me that bridge to walk safely across.

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Thursday Thoughts – Tiny Worlds

/ Leya / 18 kommentarer

Tiny, enigmatic worlds…

They fascinate and they haunt us…

Because they are still possible to fathom?

Because we realize that we cannot decide over or rule Nature?

Or is it because we deep inside know…that everything just might be too late…

Thursday Thoughts – From Totti

/ Leya / 34 kommentarer

So, I think it is time for me to take you on a guided tour …a typical day in the forest – for Me! Here we go…

…and if it is not, we will go for a walk anyway!
Scouting first!
This is one of my favourite sports…
…Don’t you agree – it is great fun!
A roll in the heather afterwards – always the little ”extra”! Can you see me?

Mmm, so what do you think? I doubt it that you are having just as much fun when you are out hiking! But I hope you enjoyed my little tour! OK, the shower next…

Thursday Thoughts

/ Leya / 24 kommentarer

I have been thinking…but I have also been away the whole day. Maybe this was the last fine day of autumn colours – rain and wind coming our way…So, I went on a photo tour. I hope you will enjoy a couple of the the photos! All of them are from the little village Vittsjö, about 45 minutes from my home.

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On the river

The leaves paint intricate patterns in the water

Thursday Thoughts

/ Leya / 9 kommentarer

Finally the colours are coming…but I guess they will not stay for long. Too much wind and rain – even hail. And two days ago I saw the lapwings like pearls thrown over the water, preparing to return south.

In the early morning light the heron was almost one with the sun.

And towards noon, the horses grazing in a complete painting.

A glorious day!

Thursday Thoughts – The Fairy – Castle

/ Leya / 20 kommentarer

We were driving along the road from Bilbao to visit Gernika this day, when suddenly, out of nowhere, without any road sign – we saw the pinnacles above the dense forest. A castle. This castle is located in Gatika, in the province of Biscay, in northern Spain

We turned left off the road and decided to have a closer look at it – and after some twists and turns of narrow roads – we found it.

The castle has a fairy-tale look about it, and as we started walking around it, we realised that the place was abandoned and nobody lived there. Further down the road we found pictures of knights and horses, together with a closed down, dilapidated café. The premises had probably been used for games or jousting.

A look at Wikipedia tells us that the present building was created as a hobby for its then owner and to create something visually spectacular rather than to produce something for people to live in. ” In fact it would be quite inconvenient as a home as the towers have little useful space and various parts of the castle have exterior connections which are not particularly apt for the wet Basque weather.”

The building is surrounded by an overgrown park which includes palms and exotic plants. We thought the forlorn castle must be totally unknown, but in fact it seems this is not the case…As any other little girl,  Kate Middleton’s dream once was to get married in this fairy tale castle. (Said in a BBC interview with David Ferald.)

Back in Bilbao again in the evening, we learned from our host that the castle is named Castillo de Butrón . (He even had a painting of Butrón on the wall.) It dates originally from the Middle Ages, although it owes its present appearance to an almost complete rebuilding, inspired by Bavarian castle models, begun by Francisco de Cubas (also known as Marqués de Cubas) in 1878.

The castle fell into disuse, was later renovated and opened again, but the building was finally closed to visitors although the grounds remained open.

In November 2005 the building was purchased by INBISA (Grupo Empresarial) for about 1,6 million euros, but it remains under the general protection of Spanish law in respect of historic buildings in Spain.

Thursday Thoughts – The Black Cat

/ Leya / 28 kommentarer

The gracious black cat immediately came up to me. And he would not leave me alone.

No, he did not want to…

In Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens and friends of witches. In Sweden, as in most of Europe, a black cat is considered a symbol of bad luck, especially if one crosses paths with a person, which is believed to be an omen of misfortune and death.

But the folklore surrounding black cats varies from culture to culture. According to Wikipedia, The Scots believe that a strange black cat’s arrival to the home signifies prosperity. In Celtic mythology,  a fairy known as the Cat Sìth takes the form of a black cat. Black cats are also considered good luck in the rest of Britain and Japan. A belief I would like to argue for, is that a lady who owns a black cat will have many suitors… 

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I find black cats extremely attractive to the eye…but sometimes they have a menacing look, don’t they? My students were always treated to Edgar Allan Poe’s short horror story The Black Cat. Read it if you haven’t already – it is a classic.

For more facts about folklore and superstition about black cats, click here.