Spring!
New Life!
Need more optimistic thoughts? Click here.
Thoughts
Thursday Thoughts
I have been helping an old friend moving to a home for elderly and disabled people. Yesterday I helped her packing up the last things and putting everything into place. We went through all her paintings as well, to see how many she could use on the new walls and where to put them up. And the rest…I do not know…
She has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. Once she was so smart, sharp tounge and vivid mind and memory. She was even a candidate for a TV prize contest. These last three years…she has been losing everything…and now she can no longer manage on her own. She was also a famous dog breeder for 30 years and won international as well as national fame. Her last dog she could no longer take enough care of, so two weeks ago we went together to the veterinary to put him to sleep. Tough on her and tough on me.
This is so sad, the whole situation. So many people suffer from this disastrous disease. And my old friend has no family, no children – only a half brother. And they have not got along the last 20 years.
She has nobody – but me. Luckily, the last two years she has found a good friend in a new neighbour coming over with some food and cookies – and sometimes some company. I am so glad she is there, as I live 60 kilometres away and cannot visit every day.
When I came up the stairs, she met me with a weak smile – ”I don’t like it here, they are all numb and dumb…cannot speak or understand what I’m saying”. She moved in two weeks ago, after we had been working hard to get her this apartment as she was so alone and needed company in order to eat properly and function socially. She had help four times a day and got food and cleaning as well.
”They are not kind to me here”, she says. ”I want to move.”
We have known each other for 40 years. Now I am searching for my old friend behind those gentle eyes…but I’m afraid she might no longer be there.
CFFC: Blue or Purple Flowers
Who does not love blue or purple flowers? Join in with Cee’s challenge this week!
Click here for more beauties.
SL-WEEK 29: Snow
The challenge this week at Sylvain Landry, is Snow. Just returned from Iceland, naturally my entry will be some sturdy, Icelandic horses. 15 degrees below zero – they stand close together against the strong wind, awaiting the night fall.
Heading for South Iceland
As we only had a few days in Iceland, we wanted to show our friends a piece of Route No 1. Luckily we were blessed with a sunny day, even though the sun this time of the year only is up between 11 a.m and 4 p.m.
We started off around 10 a.m to be on the road for the sunrise.
And soon, the sky turned yellow and orange, revealing the hot springs steaming.
On our right side, the sun was awakening, and I waited for the first rays to hit the mountains on our left side. A creamy lilac across the snowy white.
Soon Hekla, the most famous volcano – and one of the most active ones (last eruption 2000) – crowned the wheaten landscape in all her glory. The farms still there below her snowcapped face.
Faraway at sea – a glimpse of Västmannaeyar with Heimey. We wanted to go there with our friends, but unfortunately the ferries took a longer route this time of the year. And I can still, vividly, remember how heavy the sea was last time we went. And, how sick I got from it…
These islands are otherwise well worth visiting. Maybe best in summer though. Puffins and other birds nesting, and you can still see the lava stream from the latest eruption burying houses and almost the harbour as well.
Along the south coast, the road is straight and easy to drive. The beautiful low, golden light followed us throughout the journey.
For today, we finish at Eyafjallajökull. Further along the road we will visit Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss – and of course Vik, with its black beach and roaring waves.
A Taste of Reykjavik
My greatest love in this beautiful city is of course the symbol of Reykjavik, Hallgrimskirkja (1937, 74,5 metres, and named after the Icelandic priest and writer Hallgrímur Pétursson.) by architect Guðjón Samúelsson. The church is spectacular in many ways – not only from the outside, but also the inside is serene and breathtakingly beautiful.
We arrived late in the evening this time, and walked slowly up to her in the freezing cold, Icelandic darkness.
In front of the church stands the Leif Eriksson statue. A gift from the US 1930 when the Icelandic Parliament, AllÞingi, celebrated its 1000 year jubilée. The Viking Leif Eriksson was the son of Erik Röde, who settled in Greenland. Leif himself was the first white man to discover America.
Let us go inside. My greatest love here is the magnificent organ.
Houses in Reykjavik have to be strongly built for the rough climate. Some old wooden houses are being restored to show the old architecture – on which of course the new one is built. But I doubt any new house here has a wooden structure.
Restored old architecture
Not wood – but still beautiful
New materials – being repainted
The Concert Hall
Parliament and the Cathedral
What is difficult to see in these snowy pictures, is the typical Icelandic colourful houses. In my summer memories, Reykjavik looks like this:
Tjörnin is the lake in the middle of the city. There are always people here, playing, feeding the birds, or just walking and chatting.
The main shopping street ends with Hallgrimskirkja. And that is where we too end our snowy, first walk in Iceland and Reykjavik.
WPC: Alphabet
Alphabet – our communication depends on it. Printing depended on these…no longer in use, but made into beautiful art – of another kind. For more inspirational alphabets, click here.
Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Lights
Evening lights along the road. For more lights – click here.
Thursday Thoughts
I’m back home again…from another journey to another country; meeting its nature, architechture and people. I feel I grow with every meeting and every opportunity I get to learn something new. On thinking back, all my life has been dedicated to learning – and sometimes teaching…
Travelling offers a great way to understand other people and other cultures, that we all know. But, do you often reflect on the ”getting to know yourself” more? Do you prepare your journey thoroughly and do you write down what you see, who you meet and what you learn from them? Maybe you are like me: Always preparing everything, sometimes in detail, and then you do not always keep a diary when reality comes along? Does the new knowledge just stay there without you documenting it?
We are all travellers, and we all travel in our own way. I used to be a writer, now I have become more of a memory photographer. Maybe a futile search for the precious moments to stay…a bit longer.
The abilty to reflect and learn is a great gift.
In fact, it is essential.
FIVE YEARS…
I just opened my computer (having returned from Iceland two hours ago ) – and was met by WordPress reminding me I started this blog 5 years ago today. Where did they go, these five years? So much joy and laughter, so much inspiration, good advice… and so many wonderful friends I have found here in the blogosphere. Unbelievable, I could never have guessed…and yet – this is the truth.
I am very grateful to WordPress for hosting this big family of bloggers around the world. Helping us stay in contact, exchanging opinons, and maybe developing our interests and thoughts in directions we did not know possible – however small or big, we keep climbing new mountains!
I want to say Thank You, to all my readers, commenters and followers for walking this path in my company. Without You, I would not be here. Even if I sometimes think about retiring, when I believe I have nothing more to say or post about, I cannot…will not…stop blogging. You, my friends, are all a very important part of my world!
Leya 
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