A Better Year to Come

31 december, 20151 januari, 2016 / Leya / 15 kommentarer

I hope the world will see a better year, 2016, with peace and love in heart and mind. And I hope for a joyous, Happy New Year to you and yours!

My last post this year, is from my walk in the forest today. Contemplating 2015 and what will come with the new year. The sun spilled its glory from an almost clear sky – so – what better to do than spending the whole New Year’s Eve outdoors, hiking?

Freezing cold from the start…

…with the sun trying to reach over the tree tops.

Succeeding now and then – here from the south.

We had not walked here since the last great gale, and several times the path was totally covered in fallen trees.

The untouched parts were shimmering in the low, golden sun.

Some parts remained white and slippery, and my boys had to walk slowly not to fall into the mud.

Some of my favourite ice – in Sweden we call it håris (hair ice) – and if you look closely, you will understand why. (The header picture)

Heading home again, the sun setting and the real cold returning.

2016, we do not know what lies ahead of us, we can only hope, and work each one of us to make a better world for ourselves and for our fellow passengers on this planet.

The road may be uneven, slippery, narrow, filled with obstacles…but I want to believe there is a light shining us through. Safe travels!

2015 is Soon Coming To an End…

27 december, 201528 december, 2015 / Leya / 22 kommentarer

First of all, my deepest gratitude to all of you, followers, readers and commenters during 2015, and many of you for some years back too! I have got to know some of you rather well, and I have even met three of you ”in the real world”. I love that feeling…So, if you are coming to the southern part of Sweden, I hope you will mail me or give me a call. As you know – I have taken a year off. You are so very welcome for a chat, a cup of tea or coffee. Maybe an outing together! If I am home of course, and not on a trip somewhere in the world…

What did you like most on Leya during this year? I took a closer look at the statistics to find out the top 10 posts. Would they be my top 10 as well? I’m giving you one picture from each of these ten posts, and the link to the full post. Only five at a time, so you will not get too tired…

Analysis? Out of these first five posts, four are WordPress Challenges, which of course tells us what we already know – the importance of challenges and the importance of our host! But, the fourth most liked post made my heart jump with an extra beat. About Mille. In this post I have put some of my favourite photos of my ”Iron Man” and I have tried to describe his wonderful character.

I will post the top 6-10 before New Year’s Eve. It would be very interesting to know which is Your special favourite – and why? Let me know in the comment box! Maybe it’s not even one of these posts? And, what would you like to see more of in 2016?

WPC: Change

From Bellinzona in Switzerland. This post was featured in ”Photos We Loved” by WPC

WPC: Happy Place

My most happy places – many positive comments on the golden forest

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WPC: Victory

This post is about my decision to take a year off.

About Mille

How happy you made me by liking and commenting on my lovely Mille! He will never die!

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WPC: Inspiration

The Swiss Alps – a place for meditation.

CFFC: Doors and Windows

15 december, 2015 / Leya / 2 kommentarer

Doors and windows for Cee – here are two examples showing windows as doors and doors as windows. I hope that counts!

– The doors are windows in the Danish trains, and the header showing the same phenomenon in China. In a Chinese garden you will find many of these round doors, looking like and working as windows as well.

SL-WEEK 24: Machine

15 december, 2015 / Leya / 8 kommentarer

Machines I’m impressed by are the mountain trains – here in Switzerland. They climb, sometimes very steep, several thousands of metres and they go down the same way. Seemingly undisturbed, effortless. And they are comfortable as well.

For Sylvain Landry. What machines are you impressed by? Join in and let us know!

WPC: Oops!

13 december, 201514 december, 2015 / Leya / 27 kommentarer

Well…this is by far my most oopsy picture ever – me doing food photography outdoors, suddenly finding a cat literally IN my lens. I was so shocked, nearly dropped the camera, and the shot went off. Salmon must have been one of his favourites…

Looking for more oopsy pictures? – click here or join in yourself!

Travel theme: Self

5 december, 2015 / Leya / 28 kommentarer

Ailsa’s theme this week gives you another chance to reflect on who you really are. What is the very essence of you? Not easily done in only one picture…so I had to choose two.

The loner, hiking in nature – but I am also the photographer and the lover of my job and my students. The results are one picture from a hike at Svartisen, Norway, and the other taken by a student at the final dinner for my class, leaving school, heading out in Life.

Why not take the chance to figure out the very essence of You? Click here for more inspiration.

WPC: Eye Spy

4 december, 201511 december, 2015 / Leya / 24 kommentarer

Eye spy…well, I know I did not feel very comfortable with these two window blinds spying on me every night when I returned to my hotel in a rather worn down area of Riga, Latvia.

For more inspirational eyes…click here to go to WordPress challenges!

Thursday Thoughts

3 december, 20153 december, 2015 / Leya / 15 kommentarer

I went to my school tonight, to visit the yearly Open House event. I do not know what I had expected, I guess I did not want to expect anything… did not want to get disappointed.

But they were there, my dear collegues and my sweet students. Many hugs and many of the students expressing how I was greatly missed. Wondering how and what I was doing now, when I would come back and …me wondering about them. Just before the Christmas vacation it’s usually rather tough – especially the second year. And those who will be flying next spring…I promised to come and see them take off, they are already fully fledged.

Old students who left our school last spring and some who left us several years ago – they come back, visiting. Surely this is the very best school to study at…because, why else would so many students return this day – and even other days during the year?

We are a big family. So, how can I leave? On a day like this I just feel all that Love rushing through my veins…I do love them all. All of them.