Lens-Artists Challenge #301 – Books

1 juni, 2025 / Leya / 30 kommentarer

Ritva has chosen books as her brilliant topic – and who doesn’t love books? My children used to call me the saint of all books…

Partly because – my life has revolved around books. Reading and writing, learning, practising and teaching.

Being a teacher I had this sign on one of my book shelves at school, saying: Literature helps us understand ourselves and the world and contributes to build an identity of our own. So true.

The Long Room at Trinity College, Dublin – a marvelous library. MANY books. Beautiful books in a beautiful room.

In our old churches, the biblical stories were painted on the walls for the illiterate – and on this Swiss house we found Adam and Eve. I don’t think they are illiterate though…

My heart jumps with joy when I see a youngster with a book instead of a phone. Maybe we are not lost yet…

In this library in Prague they certainly knew how to make the kids interested.

An abandoned book in an old shut down factory. I went exploring there with my son and found many interesting things to photograph.

They say books open up new worlds…and so they do. Yacek Yerka illustrates this so well.

My daughter once gave me this piece of an Encyclopedia Britannica. She had folded every page herself.

Well, it all started long before she could read…and long before she became a dentist. Her favourite thing still is – pulling out teeth…

Luckily, she is still an avid reader – and now that she is married, she also begins a new chapter in her own Book of Life.

I’ll finish off with this happy double exposure of a bookstore My daughter often visited during her years in Umeå.

In the header, Codex Gigas from the 13th century.

In conclusion, zooming last week with Anne was fun and, to many of us, a new experience. Her challenge was an excellent reminder of the joy of learning something new. I hope you have fun joining us again this week. Remember to tag Lens-Artists; also, please link back to Ritva’s original post.

Next week is Sofia’s turn to host, Saturday 7^th June. Until then, be good and keep smiling!

If you want to know more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.

CFFC: Books and Paper

13 september, 201913 september, 2019 / Leya / 32 kommentarer

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Books and Paper

Wordless Wednesday

10 oktober, 20189 oktober, 2018 / Leya / 17 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 …

CFFC: Books or Paper

22 maj, 2018 / Leya / 17 kommentarer

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Books or Paper

Paper is made from Daphne – this plant. We have Daphne in Sweden as well (tibast)

Two or three people work in this little factory in Thimpu

We bought decorative paper

and books!

Cultural Café

5 november, 20175 november, 2017 / Leya / 18 kommentarer

We wanted to visit the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, but it was closed and a veritable construction site. I was dying for a nice cup of coffee along with some cultural events…but the building seemed totally abandoned.

Nothing wrong with a construction site…if you can find a place like this when you step down into the underground..

A slight drizzle, and my stomach was making sounds…but when we had totally given up on this place and walked down some steps to get to the street again – suddenly there emerged a big window with BOOKS. From nowhere. Nothing with books can go wrong, so we opened the door and stepped inside…

…a café! A place reminding me of my university years with not too expensive coffee’s, nice company and working in two’s or more. My eyes and spirits went up and I just took it in…..feeling the coziness and the warmth instead of the by now rather chilly, hostile weather outdoors.

We stayed for an hour at least and left with big smiles on our faces ;-D

It went on drizzling – but we felt good all the way home! Keep reading! And…some tea is OK as well…

What is Your Story?

3 september, 20173 september, 2017 / Leya / 21 kommentarer

This is still one of my my favourite stories – (and favourite characters…) and so it was for my children as well. I guess most of you know them…? How do you remember their impact if you read them as a child?

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!

More about Arthur? Read this blogpost at barefootandrunningblind.wordpress.com. Impressive photogallery and more about their life and adventures!

On Exhibition: Carl Larsson, Our National Painter

25 mars, 201725 mars, 2017 / Leya / 10 kommentarer

Our little town is right now the lucky host of the only exhibition of Carl Larsson’s art outside Dalarna and Sundborn. A visit to this tiny, but exquisite, exhibition was on the menue today. Our 39th wedding anniversary.

Carl Larsson (28 May 1853 – 22 January 1919) was a Swedish painter representative of the Arts and Crafts Movement. His many paintings include oils, watercolours, and frescoes. But, when we think of Carl Larsson – we first of all think of his watercolours of his wife, children and home at Little Hyttnäs, Dalarna.

He considered his finest work to be Midvinterblot (Midwinter Sacrifice), a large (6-by-14-metre oil painting completed in 1915) painting now displayed inside the Swedish National Museum of Fine Arts.However, this great work was at first rejected by the board of the museum, and later sold to Japan. The fresco depicts the blót of King Domalde at the Temple of Uppsala. Decades later, the painting was purchased and placed in the National Museum, on the wall it once was intended for.

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Carl Larsson was born on 28 May 1853 in the old town of Stockholm, at 78 Prästgatan. His parents were extremely poor, and his childhood was not happy. His father told the young boy that he ”cursed the day he was born”. A younger brother of Carls´ was the much loved son, but he died at an early age. Throughout his life, CL could never forget his father’s words…and…

…with him was forever the wish for being loved. Much loved.

For some years he and Strinberg were great friends…

…but Strindberg misunderstood the painters wish for love and recognition..

…and terribly let him down

And he found his great love in another young artist, Karin Bergöö, whom he soon married. Together they worked in perfect harmony – he painting and she designing and working mostly with textiles. She bore him 8 children.

Carl and Karin

Self portraits…

…were popular with CL

A beautifully written Love for Japan and Japanese Art

My favourite CL painting. This window is what I dreamt of having in my own home when I grew up!

Through their paintings and books, Little Hyttnäs has become one of the most famous artist’s homes in the world. The artistic taste and harmony of its creators made it a major line in Swedish interior design. Despite its controversialness to the style of the time. The descendants of Carl and Karin Larsson now keep the house open for tourists each summer from May until October.

WPC: The Road Taken

1 mars, 20171 mars, 2017 / Leya / 18 kommentarer

For this week’s challenge, Krista asks us to show something that surprised us on “the road taken.” Many roads taken…but this road over the moors up to Heathcliff’s and Cathy’s Wuthering Heights really surprised me. We walked for hours, and the landscape was just as beautiful and haunting as in the novel…one of the world’s greatest love stories. I almost felt them whispering in the wind, laughing and running, hand in hand.