Wordless Wednesday #103

This Summer….

A part of me breathed a sigh of relief when June came to an end. Normally the most uplifting, positive, “anything’s-possible” time of year for me didn’t feel quite that way this summer. Melancholy replaced positivity and a strange sort of anxiety reared its ugly head instead of usual excitement.

Wordless Wednesday #102

Wordless Wednesday #101

Wordless Wednesday #100

Final Week of Magpies

 

No matter what plans we might have had for this spring, they have certainly gone awry. Lockdown as means of protection against the quickly spreading pandemic was not only unexpected and unplanned, but also something with which we had no experience. So we tried to make the best of it… or at least cope with it and preserve our physical, as well as our mental health. Perhaps we got some much needed rest… perhaps we learnt some new skills or improved the ones we had… perhaps we caught up on whatever we needed to catch up on.

Memories Within a Flower

In some biologically unexplainable fashion, my stomach suddenly took residence in my throat, chocking me. I wanted to cry, I wanted to run away. Instead, I smiled and put on a show…

Wordless Wednesday #99

Two More Weeks of Magpies

Sometimes, there’s nothing like knowing that something’s coming to an end to make us want to participate. No sooner did Tracy (from Reflections of an Untidy Mind) announce that this is the penultimate week of her Corvid-2020 challenge, that I realized I still have some cute magpie photos to share, some thoughts to go with those images, and I started thinking how to manage to squeeze in a post I wasn’t planning on writing.

Road or no Road… Congratulations, Lens-Artists!

One person’s smooth road, another person’s torment… Considering everything that’s been going on in the world recently, this may very well sum up the confluence of events, I believe. Knowing what awaits behind the corner is one thing, following the right path is another… and discerning that right path – any path –and transforming it into a traveled road is yet another.

Spring Into Summer With Magpie Cuteness

I was determined to end my magpie stalking habits once the spring was over. Easier said than done, especially when my neighbours, the Magpies, started showing up with their adorable young ones…

Wordless Wednesday #97

It’s Still Spring… Even at Home #16

Nothing says spring like fresh blossoms and tiny adorable bird chicks. While trying to be safe, keep those around me safe, but also enjoy what’s left of this completely unusual spring, I spent time outdoors this weekend too, delighting in some almost unpopulated corners of nature and rural areas.

It’s Still Spring… Even at Home #12

I’m a bit late to this week’s party

Wordless Wednesday #96

Wordless Wednesday #95

It’s Still Spring… Even at Home #2

From freezing days to balmy ones, from winter coats to T-shirts, from grey barren trees and gardens to blossoming trees, blooming flowers, green leaves and fields, spring has come and is now w about to start fading into early summer… And most of us feel like we’ve missed it, been robbed and in the transition process from one “normal” to another, we’ve lost not only a season, but a lifestyle, a familiar world.

It’s Still Spring… Even at Home

What’s the point in mincing words? I might as well admit it, the new normal has turned me into a voyeur… No bird outside my window is safe these days, their privacy – much like our freedom of movement – is a thing of the past. I’ve already given up on keeping up appearances, thus I no longer put away that telephoto lens; nor do I care what people from nearby buildings think if they see me… during a spying/photo session of their own.

Wordless Wednesday #94

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday #93

Almost a year ago, pleasantly surprised to find this empty street while I was away on a short trip, I thought to myself, “How wonderful…” It was so peaceful, so relaxing… I doubt I would feel the same, if I were to revisit the empty street today, under current circumstances. Careful what you wish for…

All Sorts of Distance and a Different Kind of Bucket List

I know, I’m a couple of weeks late for this party… but there’s a very simple reason for it – I wasn’t going to write this post. Yet here I am, taking it out of that mental bin of posts to never be written. I normally have this funny blog writing process. Something triggers an idea, then at some point of the day I have to drive from one place to another, and during that time my mind runs with that topic. By the time I get to my destination, I also decide whether I’m going to write about that “something” or I discard the idea, rarely going back to it. That’s not an option these days, so that percolating process is no longer in place, leaving me surprisingly uncertain about my writing decisions.

Wordless Wednesday #92

Wordless Wednesday #91

Wordless Wednesday #90

Calm Waters…

One final outing before lockdown… Much like the previous two weekends, this Saturday I got in my car and drove out of town to get a safe, healthy dose of nature and tranquillity. This time I chose a river bank, so you can imagine I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed Amy’s choice for this week (Lens Artists Weekly Challenge – A River Runs Through It).

Wordless Wdnesday #89

Strange Order in Chaos

One of the annoying things my grandmother used to do when I was a child was tidy up my desk. It was a mess, she would say, and few people who know me would now believe that… because I am a bit of a neat freak. In fact, it wasn’t as messy as she made it sound, it simply wasn’t her kind of order. I knew where everything was and I had a system. She had a system too, everything had to be put away. I completely agree with that now… as long as you have a place to store everything. But pilling everything in a heap behind the desk just so it could be out of sight didn’t help me much.

Wordless Wednesday #88

Wordless Wednesday #87

Wordless Wednesday #86

Wordless Wednesday #85

Wordless Wednesday #84

Wordless Wednesday #83

Wordless Wednesday #82

Seeing Red

I come from a line of women with strong feelings about red… for or against it. By comparison, I’m quite moderate. While I do love a splash of red here and there, I would certainly not paint a bedroom wall this colour, the way my mother did, nor would I wear red from head to toe.

Wordless Wednesday #81

Roadblocks and Leading Lines

This particular January turned out to supply a few more “roadblocks” than expected – literally and metaphorically. From what I’ve seen and heard, I’m certainly not the only one in this situation. No one enjoys being stuck, so we keep looking for detours and escapeways. Whether these paths turn out to be scenic routes or accidents waiting to happen is merely a matter of luck and perspective.

Wordless Wednesday #80

Wordless Wednesday #79

Wordless Wednesday #78

One of Those Places

I stopped the car by the lake and braved the cold wind in order to take a few more shots of the setting sun. We all have these places we frequent, special spots where the view, the context or the history speak louder to us than in many other similar corners. We unconsciously find our way there when we need them, perhaps we get out of our cars and take a few more shots, very similar to the selection those particular places have already offered us on so many other occasions.

Almost Wordless Wednesday #77

I’m cheating this week. On one hand I’m not exactly “wordless”, on the other, I’m also using these photos for the Lens Artists’ Weekly Challenge – On Display. But I’ll be brief, so I hope you’ll forgive me. Time is an issue, so I’ll leave you with this interpretation of a Christmas display I saw in Paris two years ago.

Wordless Wednesday #76

Abstract (or) Failure

There is no age limit when it comes to learning something new. In fact, it keeps the mind young and agile. Just like back in the day, the process implies mistakes; we stumble, we get frustrated, and eventually we experience that rush which comes with every sign of improvement. Hopefully we manage to persevere until those signs become obvious. Hopefully we don’t lose patience with ourselves. Hopefully we don’t let frustration, disappointment and criticism get the better of us. Hopefully… we have the time, strength and discipline to hope.

Wordless Wednesday #75

Wordless Wednesday #74

Wordless Wednesday #73

Wordless Wednesday #72

Wordless Wednesday #71

Wordless Wednesday #70