This is 2014. When will they ever learn?

BBC News – Korea: rare family reunions take place.

Today it was on TV. North and South Koreans meet after many  years apart. These meetings are so restricted and often cancelled, which means that many (most) of the 70 000 on the waiting list will never get the chance. Many of them are more than 80 years old.

My husband visited North Korea in 2012 on the 100 years’ jubileé of Kim Il Sung. The man they treat as their God. Ordinary people live in hell here. They starve and infiltrate and are sent to death or to camps never to return. A devastating experience, from which he was glad to escape in one piece. He and his company where never allowed to meet ordinary people, never allowed to walk unguarded, and only allowed to take photos when they were permitted.

At the border the guards confiscated memory cards or emptied them. My husband managed to hide one in his clothes, so the pictures are here…showing parades and city buildings. Everything is grey. I’m glad I didn’t join him on this trip.

Travel theme: Romance

I searched my house for Romance – I didn’t have to travel far away…

And here it is…

…the road to my Heart

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Large Subjects

This ”eye” in the clouds opened up somewhere over Europe on our flight to Spain. For more of Large Subjects – click here.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Small Subjects

These are silk worm cocoons made into little owls. Small subjects. A present from my children bought on their trip to Japan. They always give me owl – things, knowing I love owls. Somehow it was difficult to photograph them, not only because they are about the size of a bumble bee.

Travel theme – Wood

Träd, trä och skog – vi människor kan inte överleva på Jorden utan dem. Vi har alltid tagit tillvara och använt vår skog och det material vi får av den på ett klokt sätt, men nu är det också hög tid att sluta massförstöra denna fantastiska levande organism vi alla är beroende av – växter, djur och människor.

Mitt bidrag den här gången är ett galleri, en livscykel från liten planta till fullvuxen skog, till…ja, kanske ska den ses baklänges. Förhoppningsvis kommer denna cirkel att fortsätta som den alltid har gjort. Det är vårt ansvar.

Wood – a living organism sharing our lives. We have always made use of it, and it has always been a great source of life, and of well being for mankind and our fellow travellers on this Planet Earth.

My contribution is a little gallery, a circle of life with wood. Start at the end…Let’s hope we will preserve this valuable source of life, our forests and woods – because without them, mankind will be wiped out – and with us, every living being on this planet.

Thank you, Ailsa, for another great theme!

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Man-Made-Items

Well, in this world of gadgets and trinkets and whatever they are called  – but man made they all are and we are fascinated…

Weekly Travel Theme: Silver

NZ – Silver fern!

For more of Silver, go to Ailsa on Where’s My Backpack? – just click the link above – or why not join in yourself!

Travel theme: Possibility

There’s always a possibility that we finally will have some snow this winter…

It would slow Totti down a bit…

…so I can outrun him!

For more and other possibilities, go to Ailsa’s place!

Weekly Travel theme: Birds

Birds are magnificent creatures – and who would not want to be able to fly? Birds are generally difficult to catch on a photo, but sometimes I’m lucky. Some of my best opportunities for photography was at Walsrode this summer, where I had a wonderful day together with my dear old friend, Anita, at the worlds’ biggest bird park in Germany.

So, Birds is the travel theme, and I will mix Walsrode with my own garden and Scarborough.

And I can assure you… Håkan sounds exactly like a duck…Totti loves him. When Totti was newly arrived 5 years ago he had a ”Håkan” in his mouth – a toy rabbit. Unfortunatley Mille got hold of Håkan several times and there wasn’t much left of him after some weeks. Finally Santa brought Totti a new Håkan this Christmas! What joy!

If you want to know more about the kite, see my entry:

https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/gladan-the-kite/