My winter moodiness lifted today
10 degrees below zero (C) – a frosty, crisp and clear day!
Hiking for some hours – breathing and staying outdoors as long as…
…the sun was up
By 3.pm it is time to go home
As we turn back, the sun is setting and the rays are orange warm
The leaves of 2017 lingering still, basking…
I turn around for a last shot – and the forest is glowing. Soon only the highest tree tops. I cannot say how grateful I am for this day. Not to talk about Totti – rocketing through the forest, rolling in the cool frostiness, barking with joy.
Where I live we got twice as much rain this autumn as usual. Everywhere the brooks, lakes and rivers are flooded. The farmers could not bring in their crops, and they have not been able to sow new ones. The farmland has been transformed into vast lakes. The ocean rises and takes down houses close to the water.
No sun. Only rain. And darkness. They say this is the way it will continue as climate changes increase. Nowadays spring arrives two – three weeks earlier than it did 50 years ago….so, migrating birds come too late to feed their young. I have seen it in my own garden. Our mountains will be covered in forests less than 100 years from now. For several years, the reindeer have had great trouble to reach their food through the icy snow. They starve through winter.
In Sweden, climate changes are here and now – there is no ”later”.
And still we are lucky here, up north. We will survive – many island peoples will not.
From Krista at WordPress-
Ascend –
There are many interpretations possible – as many as there are people in the world – that is the idea with this weekly challenge, and that is why I like it!
We went for the light – and a week of hiking joy. The Canary Islands still have a lot to offer even if you are not a beach person.
I have been to this volcano island once before, and fell in love with the Roque Nublo area in the middle of Gran Canaria. The highest peak is almost 2000 metres, and sometimes there is even snow here.
Driving through scorched areas on our way up, we wondered how much of the island had been taken by the big fires. Spain’s mainland was also much burnt this year. Much of this particular area was destroyed in September this autumn.
Those who never have experienced a Swedish November, cannot imagine the joy of this light and this blue sky!
I love the look of those distant mountains…
… and in the forest – some quiet companions don’t mind you coming close.
Because, we are all hiking here together, aren’t we?
The stone fence is as stone cold as it looks, dividing the larch fields that now have lost their soft needles.
But, it is not yet cold enough to stop the flowing water, and turning it into ice –
We are Waiting…
What if you found an old house, seemingly abandoned – but…
…how do you really know if it is? I walked in to this old farmyard, with houses built around it on every side. I remember the place from when I was young, it was really beautifully painted and the garden roses were well kept – I always admired it from the roadside. Unfortunately, nobody remembers the old owner’s name.
For many years it was the home of an artist, named Thomas, who worked pottery and was rather famous in the southern part of Sweden. I think I still have some of his cups and mugs at home. When he sold the house, nobody lived there for some years. We always thought it was a pity to let go of such a lovely place.
In later years it was used by a theater group for outdoor performances during summertime. The building to the left is only a backdrop, while the right one is a real house. As you can see…someone is still keeping the grass at bay, even mowing the lawns.
When is a house really abandoned? When nobody lives there, or when nobody even bothers to keep it ”alive”? Inside the yellow, main building, I could see (through the windows…) that there was a rather modern kitchen, carpets on the floor and even a bowl of walnuts on the table.
And, someone has stored a whole winter supply of firewood in the dilapidated shed.
So – somehow I do not think the house is totally abandoned, but I haven’t seen a living soul here for the last 15 years. Maybe I should keep an eye on it from now on – just because I am curious about its history. What do you think about abandoned houses?
Everything in life is temporary. I know. But sometimes, we would just give anything to keep that precious moment alive… and we know that we cannot… make it stay. No photos, no written words…nothing is in our power to hold on to it. In our hearts we can keep this moment, maybe, but soon time will change our memories of it… until we do not know what truly happened or what we truly felt.
Ben asks us for a photo that says temporary. Of course our children are the ones who make us feel this ”temporary” the hardest way. But also the seasons do. I go to the forest to make the best of my days, and yesterday, I went just before sunset. A beautiful autumn day had come to an end, and the leaves will all soon fall to the ground, adorning the forest floor. All the beauty made a sadness come over me, and I lay down beneath the thin canopy to think, and to take a photo – this photo. A futile try to make the moment stay, but I believe we both felt the same, my best friend, Totti, and I. Everything is temporary – enjoy every day if you can.
Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, with a population of about 342 000 inhabitants. Plovdiv has evidence of habitation since the 6th millennium BC, and is said to be one of the oldest cities in Europe.
The city of Plovdiv has a long history – and almost as many names as rulers – best known for Philippopolis, ”Philip’s Town”, as Philip II of Macedon conquered it in the 4th century BC and gave his name to it. The city was originally a Thracian settlement, later being invaded by Persians, Greeks, Celts, Romans, Goths, Huns, Bulgarians, Slav-Vikings, Crusaders and Turks. On 4 January 1878, Plovdiv was liberated from Ottoman rule by the Russian army. It remained within the borders of Bulgaria until July of the same year, when it became the capital of the autonomous Ottoman region of Eastern Rumelia. In 1885, Plovdiv and Eastern Rumelia joined Bulgaria.
Having read this…and more – we just had to go there. What would a city like this look like? So many conquerors and rulers, so many different ideas, art and architecture.
So, contemplating this on the bus, the beauty of the landscape and the snow capped mountains kept our eyes open.
The old town in Plovdiv is located on three of Plovdiv’s (originally seven) hills: Nebet Tepe, Dzhambaz Tepe and Taksim Tepe. Today there are only six hills left, because the seventh one was taken down to become cobble stones for the streets. The old town in Plovdiv is included in UNESCO World Heritage tentative list since 2004.
At first we could walk peacefully in the quiet streets…but then it seemed every school in the neighborhood flooded the alleyways.
Our main goal was the ancient theatre – with seats today for 3500 people. (Originally for 5000-7000 people).
The Roman theatre of Plovdiv is one of the world’s best-preserved ancient theatres. It was constructed during Roman Emperor Trajan (reigned 98–117 AD), and it is currently in use for operas, concerts, plays and more. The theatre was restored in the 1960’s, and is one of the most valuable monuments from the ancient city of Philippopolis.
The house of Argir Hristov Kuyumdzhioglu, a merchant from Plovdiv, was built in 1847, and has been described as a prime example of Plovdiv’s mid-19th century Baroque architecture. The house has a symmetric facade; it is two stories tall on its west side and four stories tall on its east side. The Kuyumdzhioglu House spreads over 570 square metres and has 12 rooms and airy salons (where each room has a carved wood ceiling)- and 130 windows. Both the house’s interior and exterior boast sophisticated floral motives. The municipality bought the house in 1838, carried out renovations, and organized it as an ethnographic museum.
Leya 
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