Lens-Artists Challenge #28 – Curves

Curves –

”In life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves.”

Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

Thank you Tina, for this week’s opportunity to admire natural as well as man made curves. They are everywhere – if you just let your eyes find them… Sometimes you have to look up though – like in Trinity College, Dublin, and The Long Room.

Antoni Gaudí – a master of curves

Rila Monastery, Bulgaria –

– glorious curves

In my forest – colourful, natural curves

Lava, and life returning – in curves

But no curves are as beautiful and complete as those of the koru –

A short Wikipedia explanation: Koru (Māori for ”loop”) is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattooing, where it symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace. Its shape ”conveys the idea of perpetual movement,” while the inner coil ”suggests returning to the point of origin”.

 

 

Thursday Thoughts – Season’s Greetings

Thank You for keeping me lovely company, sharing and exchanging thoughts and feelings throughout 2018 – Hope to see you in 2019 as well! Let us make it a year of joy and peace, of good hopes and work for a better world. Our way.

Chinese (Cantonese) – 祝聖誕節快樂

Chinese (Mandarin) – 祝圣诞节快乐

Danish – Glædelig Jul og Godt Nytår

Dutch – Prettige feestdagen

Fijian – Bula Vinaka

Finnish – Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta

French – Joyeuses fêtes

German – Frohe Feiertage!

Hindi – uoo”kZ dh ‘kqÒdkeuk;sa

Icelandic – Gleðilega hátíð

Italian – Buone Feste

Japanese – メリー クリスマス

Korean – 즐거운 연휴 되시길 바랍니다.

Lithuanian – Linksmų švenčių!

Norwegian – God Jul og Godt Nytt År

Persian (Farsi) تبریکات فصلی

Portuguese – Boas Festas

Romanian – Crăciun fericit

Spanish – Felices fiestas

Swati – Tilokotfo taKhisimisi

…and the same message in the 6787 other languages in the world!

 

Thursday Thoughts – The Forest is Down

Today was going to be a lovely hiking day – sun promised and no wind. I decided for the Bockeboda forest – looking forward to a bright winter’s day. I told Totti and Milo where we were heading, and they knew what to expect already in the early morning.

10 minutes into our walk, we found these tracks…and soon, the sound of forest machines reached our ears. Then we heard a huge tree falling. Some minutes later, I realized the forest ahead was gone.

We had great difficulties in finding the track – if you ever have walked in familiar forests, you follow the paths and know exactly what trees will be standing where. I guess it is the same in cities – if they tear down your familiar buildings and streets, you are lost.

This photo was taken some weeks ago – who would have guessed it was to be the last one from this beautiful forest?

Milo is standing in exactly the same place as in the previous photo – maybe thinking…Where did my forest go? My playground, my hiking favorite? Well, today every tree was down, piled up, waiting to be transported away from where they were raised for as long as I have lived – around 60-65 years.

The path back home again seemed a bit bleak, or maybe it was because of my tears.

On Closing the Door – A New One Opens

Hiking with my dogs yesterday, the change in Nature, from just one day back, was very obvious –

Yesterday was a short ”between time” in the forest, where some parts still were extremely colourful, even if the colours had turned more harmoniously yellow/brown.

No wind and a clear, chilly day, we all enjoyed what we understood from the weather reports, would be the last remaining bright day this autumn.

Inside the dense pine forest, I could still find some yellow beeches, shining beacons in the darkness. But out in the open – the misty light had closed the golden door behind us.

Thursday Thoughts – What Really Matters

These last few days of autumn, I have found out what really matters… besides food, mum, running free and playing in the forest…

You know…

Sharing all this with someone…

maybe is the most important thing…

Someone who understands exactly how things work – how I work…

Being an invincible team…

 

Love from me, Milo, and Totti ♥♥

Thursday Thoughts – Following a Country Road

I knew this would be the last day of the Indian summer this year. So, I decided to drive through the colourful October landscape over to a neighbouring hiking area.

I did not take the fastest road, but followed the old country roads through the rural landscape in its late evening glory.

Piled trunks, waiting to be chipped, creates another kind of rural harmony in the landscape. Just like the animals, they are essential for the farmers to make a living.

Then the hard road surface softly turns into gravel…

…and just around the corner, new views are awaiting.

Cattle silently munching, not knowing that soon they will have to return to the stable – or…maybe not…

Number 1!

The evening is warm and hazy, colourful and still. I stand in the middle of the road, just to hear the silence and feel the sunshine. There is a certain sadness…coming over me.

Soon we will be there. Ready for the evening walk. Milo and me.

 

 

 

 

Thursday Thoughts – Quiet Moments

We did two walks last week, just Totti and me…

…and this is the second one – Both are old favorites – as I guess you recognize the paths…

In the middle of the week the forest rests in silence

And there are not many colours around

I guess that is the way we want it

Quiet

 

 

 

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #10: Fences

The wide world is all about you, you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.     

J R R Tolkien

Where I grew up there were stone fences everywhere – even our garden had one, and we loved to climb and to play there. That stone fence was meticulously put together by my great grandfather and his family.

For centuries stones have been gathered from the ground to open up for grazing cattle or growing crops, and then laboriously made into beautiful stone fences stretching miles and miles over the landscape…

I guess this is the reason to why my favorite fences are made of stone. But there is a great variety of other fences in the world, both beautiful and practical.

If we travel up north in Sweden – these leaning beauties are frequent.

In Poland I found this perfect fence – creating total harmony with the surrounding nature.

In the Azores, especially in Faial, they use hydrangea to make natural fences for the cattle. The hedges can grow 3-5 meters high.

Which is quite different from Bhutan, where we encountered this most unnatural fence…But, in the rural areas they have to use whatever is at hand – and in the vicinity there was a working sawmill.

Don’t ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.

Robert Frost

The marble fences in the Forbidden City, Beijing, create mazes between the buildings.

Fences and walls can be effective and even soothing, at least for those who build them.

Richard Engel

Somewhere in the Canary Islands I found this modern, somewhat sprawling fence. Only because of the palm tree, it still managed to create a certain harmony.

But, real craft work is making the harmony in this elaborate iron fence, in Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Spain.

 

 If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need.

William L. McKnight

At the great Carnival in Lund, people gather in thousands – and for students, there are no fences unclimbable… they believe, like Locke, that

The only fence against the world is a thorough knowledge of it.

John Locke

 

This week, the Lens-Artists challenge is to show us your favorite fence. Or, maybe you prefer fencelessness? Looking forward to your ideas and posts!

 

Have you seen these – from last week’s Action challenge?

Sue of WordsVisual plays with shutter speed for action feeling

Su Leslie of Zimmerbitch caught a precious moment

Ron Mayhew’s Blog with, to me as a Scandinavian, a very American action gallery

 

Here are a few reminders about the Lens-Artist Photo Challenges:

  • Welcome to join the challenge this week.
  • Use the tag “Lens-Artists” in your post.
  • Create a link to this post.
  • Amy will post the next challenge (#11) on Saturday, September 15th.

 

As always, thanks for joining the challenge and have an inspiring week!