Here are some more pictures from Pembroke Heritage Trail. This time I show you some plants and a cute little lizard that I guess is a kind of chameleon.
These are some of the plants that are now found in the Pembroke area.
This is the same lizard as seen above.
A cute little creature!
Typically, my macro lens was at home but I think my small Panasonic Lumix did an excellent job.
Click on an image to enlarge.
Pembroke, Malta, November 2020
By the way…
This is the puppy that we are going to keep, she’s absolutely gorgeous❣️ The only thing I’ve not found out yet is her name. I’ve thought of too many and I feel confused. Honey is too close to Fanny but maybe Sapphire or Lady or Felicia. What do you think?
Mom often takes me to Pembroke, which is closer to where we live than Ta’ Qali Park. It’s a large barren natural area along the Mediterranean Sea. If you look closely you’ll see me in the image above.
Freedom and Joy!
The weather is still more than great here on the island. 20-23 degrees and no wind even though we are already in November. I have no idea from where the water comes in the images above, it hasn’t rained for a while now.
Our way up to the tower means good Exercise!
Now we are very close.
For those who are interested to read some history.
It’s a great view from here!
Feel free to click on an image to enlarge.
Back so sea level. Work is in progress, though not right now! There are more to find in this area and in my next post I will show some plants and a cute little creature I meet recently. So, more to come…
❤️ In the meantime, here you can see my beautiful litter of puppies, already six weeks old❤️
Here are some more images from Ta’ Qali Nature Park.
The weather here on the island is fantastic considering that we are already in November.
It’s the first time this year that I see a ladybug and the berries of the olive trees are ready to be harvested.
Now that the first rains have fallen after the summer drought, it’s easy to get a sense of spring.
I don’t feel I have succeeded so very well in photographing insects this year and now the dragonflies are fewer. There are many yellow butterflies in the park right now but they are not easily caught.
I end the post with Fanny, an amazing mother who will now slowly but surely spend less time with the puppies so that at the age of eight weeks they are no longer dependent on their mom.
Hello! I’m five weeks old now and still need my mom. I guess I’m the one who’s going to live with my mother while my five siblings move to their new homes. Although she who decides seems to have a hard time choosing ❤️
Här är några bilder från Ta’ Qali Nature Park dit jag åker med Fanny nästan varje dag nu när hon sakta men säkert börjar vänja sig vid att vara ifrån valparna under längre stunder.
Höstfärger.
Färgstarkt och vitt, två av en mångfald av de blommor som växer här just nu.
Ett av många små hus med dess invånare som bor i parken.
Valparna är nu drygt fyra veckor gamla och stunderna i parken blir inte så mycket längre än en timme. Sen vill Fanny hem för att se över sina småttingar. Hon är en helt fantastisk mamma.
Så fort hon kommer in i valparnas rum samlas de runt henne. För att dia mjölk och för att busa.
Hello from Malta! I’m one of six siblings born September 27, 2020, the one above who rests on me is my brother.
Mom thinks I’m cute, she thinks we’re all cute.
Now we are almost four weeks old and we can walk on our slightly unstable legs. We also tried to eat mashed chicken for the first time and it tasted good. What an exciting world, there seems to be a lot to discover…
Tänkte att jag skulle visa några bilder från området där jag bor, där jag ofta går mina promenader utmed havet tillsammans med Fanny. Här har vi gått otaliga gånger och det är inte alltid som vädret är så här fint.
Man kan gå hela sträckan på cirka tre km utmed havet från Tigne i Sliema till Spinola Bay i St. Julian’s men vi går sällan hela vägen utan vänder efter en halvtimme, speciellt nu när Fanny har valpar som väntar därhemma.
Går vi inte på klipporna så går vi på den breda strandpromenaden, här sedd ur Fanny’s perpektiv.
Den här skylten har sett sina bättre dagar och är knappast bildskön men då jag ser den så ofta när jag är på väg hem får den också vara med.
Idag har det gått 18 dagar sen valparna föddes.
Fanny tar det med ro
Hon är en fantastisk mamma, inte alltid så lätt när sex hungriga valpar skriker efter mat.
Avslutningsvis några bilder på vovvarna. Valparna har precis öppnat sina ögon och snart är det slut med att bara äta och sova. Nu är det lugnet före stormen då de strax ska ut på upptäcksfärd med allt vad det innebär. Ska bli jättekul och snart kan vi också ana var och ens unika utstrålning och karisma.
Vill passa på att tacka Anki som varit behjälplig när jag skulle försöka lära mig den nya blockredigeraren. Tack vare henne lyckades jag bland annat att få in den vita texen i bilderna och göra dem klickbara. Haha.. det tog faktiskt flera timmar att skapa vad ni ser här ovanför.
“Life is a painting, and you are the artist. You have on your palette all the colors in the spectrum – the same ones available to Michaelangelo and Da Vinci”
– Paul J. Meyer“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”
― Wassily Kandinsky“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry.
And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” – Walter Hagen
The power of color is inescapable. Color affects your behavior, moods, and thoughts. Your reactions to colors are often deeply personal and rooted in your own experiences. A certain color has the ability to soothe your frazzled nerves, agitate a hostile adversary, motivate and empower you to take action, and also to bring healing energy when you need it. As Wassily Kandinsky proclaimed, “Color provokes a psychic vibration. Color hides a power still unknown but real, which acts on every part of the human body.” Written by Renee Phillips
“A good life is a collection of happy moments” -Denis Waitley“Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone. Don’t stress about the future, it hasn’t arrived.
Live in the present and make it beautiful” – Unknown Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
And for those who may be curious about Fanny’s pregnancy.
Fanny is always curious about what’s in the bag when dad comes home from the store.
She is curious about everything.
She gave birth to six puppies last Sunday night. Everyone’s fine, more to come…🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕
Hello from Malta. This is what it looks like where I am, or rather where I was this morning.Mum took me to the sea, only a short distance from where we live. I’m used to run every morning but not now.
It’s 30 degrees but with a nice breez.
It feels relaxing to just lie here and watch.
I can swim but will probably have to wait until next summer.
Since I’m pregnant and due very soon I prefer to just sit on the rocks, relax and look around.My mom goes swimming almost every day. No, she’s not sailing, she swims but there are no photos of her in the sea so this image is good enough as it shows that she only swims when the water is calm.
And I know she always thinks of me when she’s not at home. I honestly believe she can think of nothing but me right now, and of the puppies I will soon give birth to.
And she has no idea how many there will be🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕
So if she’s not visiting your site very often right now, you know why.
“Sunflowers end up facing the sun, but they go through a lot of dirt to find their way there.” ― J.R. Rim.
“Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.”
– Old French Proverb.“...and are we not all just wilting flowers in a crowded garden
waiting for someone who will appreciate the beauty of our petals
While it still exists”
– G.M
This week’s theme, Negative Space chosen by Amy feels both challenging and fun. Although at least one of the images I’ve chosen may not fit the theme completely, they all have something in common. The blue color.“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” — Ansel Adams“Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.”
– Sally Mann.“When people ask me what equipment I use – I tell them my eyes.” — Anonymous“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place…
I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt
During my walks in Ta Qali now in September I rarely see any butterflies while the shimmering dragonflies choose to fly high above my head. So I search for other creatures in nature, some barely visible to the eye.
And I found these empty shells.When I first saw them, my camera was at home, but when I came back the next day, they were still there. Luckily, given that they could easily have been blown away by the wind. I’m happy I had the opportunity to take some photos, although I have no idea what kind of insects once pupated from these very thin small shells.
After four long weeks of waiting, it’s finally confirmed that my beloved basenji dog Fanny is expecting puppies. In the picture above she is only five months old, in July this year she turned three years old.Her mother in Sweden is called Drömma which means Dreaming. Dogs are pregnant for about 63 days or nine weeks. Today it has been 37 days since the first mating.
Although there is now a lot to prepare, plan and think of, I feel pure joy that I would love to share.
“Every sunset is also a sunrise. It all depends on where you stand.” – Karl Schmidt
“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them.”
– John Ruskin“Life does not come with instructions on how to live,
but it does come with trees, sunsets, smiles and laughter,
so enjoy your day.” – Debbie Shapiro
Here I’m again, among the Salt Pans in Gozo. Now much later in the afternoon and it’s a bit cooler.
As you can see in the first picture, the dried salt has now been collected in white bags.I wonder how big these caves really are and what might be inside, I guess tools and more sacks.Needless to say, someone taking a bike ride just before dusk.Others choose to fish.I’m curious about the salt, it looks like it hasn’t dried properly yet.
It looks like snow, wet snow.But it’s not snow, it’s too hot for that on this small island in the Mediterranean.
Now the sunset awaits…
🐕 In case you missed part one, you’ll find it here
Looks like an exciting place, let’s go down and take a look.Like a moonscape in the middle of nowhere.
Where am I?I really enjoy to run freely along the cliffs, although it looks more like I jump on soft dunes.
It may not be easy to see me at first glance but look closely and you will find me.Now you probably think I’m curious about that cave but I actually need some shade, it’s very hot.Here I am, at Xwejni Salt Pans on Malta’s sister island Gozo, and yes, I’m in this picture too.
These salt pans have been in this region since Phoenician and Roman times,
and the tradition actually continues to be used even today.
Click here and you will learn more about salt harvesting in Gozo, it’s quite interesting. Many people probably think of salt as simply that white granular seasoning found in saltshakers on virtually every dining table.
But it’s far more than that..No, I’m not in this picture but you can see a black dot far away, it’s the car that took me here.
It feels like a long walk back in the heat, but it was well worth the experience.
🐕 More to come from my short vacation in Gozo.
“I wish I could fly,
Sprinkle happy dust from the sky,
take away peoples pain,
by making it rain”
-Toni Payne”Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back and reasons to stay” -Dalai LamaFly me to the moon Let me play among the stars
Let me see what Spring is like On a-Jupiter and Mars…”
– Bart Howard
Några bilder från en av många promenader i “skogen” tillsammans med fina Fanny.Menar du att vi ska gå hela den där långa vägen tillbaka till bilen? Det är faktiskt 30+!Ja, men vi går i skuggan, mellan träden så känns det inte så varmt. Fast den där bilden är ju faktiskt från en annan skog.…och vi kan ta en och annan paus, ser kanske lite snårigt ut.Titta, matte lyckades fotografera en fågel!
(S)kottår.Kanske inte den bästa skogen om man vill hugga sig en gran till Julhelgen.Nu är vi framme, nästan, tror jag. Äntligen! Vi har ju gått i flera timmar, nu vill jag hem.. …fast det verkar som att vi gått lite vilse. Ser du var bilen är?Åhh nej!!Kanske ska vi prova att gå åt det där hållet istället. Äntligen hemma!
Tror matte blev lite snurrig, kanske fick hon en släng av värmeslag. Det här inlägget passar ju jättebra till Susan’s Trees on Tuesdays
…fast att tisdagen redan passerat verkar hon inte ha insett ännu.
“Green is a label for a certain attitude to life, a certain kind of respect
that one might have for the very source of things that we take for granted.”
– Annie LennoxVespa crabro, a Hornet attracted by some green leafs on our Hibiscus.
“Greenery is the best scenery”
– Arti Sharma“For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider,
every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.”
–Martin Luther
The lines seen in the last image are the human impact on nature, but it’s usually worse than that.
It’s a sad fact that more than half of Earth’s rainforests have already been destroyed.
The photo was taken in Sarawak, last year, where there’s still plenty of greenery.
This week’s CFFC topic is “Anything to do with boats” and since I’ve been to Marsaxlokk recently I show some pictures from this small, traditional fishing village located in the South Eastern Region of Malta.For the sake of the colors and for Horus’ eye which is said to protect the fishermen when they are at sea.
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.“There are a lot of mysterious things about boats, such as why anyone would get on one voluntarily.”
–P. J. O’Rourke“The sea is the same as it has been since before men ever went on it in boats.”
– Ernest Hemingway.
💖Den 13:e juli 2020 fyllde min fina Fanny tre år!!💖 Fick dessvärre inte ihop något inlägg igår och gör därför ett nytt försök.Bilden ovanför har varit med förr men jag valde den för att den känns som en av de bästa bilderna jag tagit på henne, och jag har tagit väldigt många bilder sedan vi hämtade hem henne från Sverige oktober 2017.
Christina Acar målade av fotografiet på en mugg som jag idag använder som pennställ på mitt skrivbord.Basenji’s är inte så vanliga här på Malta och jag får ofta frågan vad det är för ras. Basenji är en av världens äldsta raser och härstammar från Afrika. Karaktäristiskt är rynkorna i pannan och den hårt rullade svansen. De har ett kattlikt beteende och tvättar sig själva. Deras främsta särdrag är oförmågan att skälla vilket beror på att deras struphuvud är annorlunda konstruerat. Varför vet man inte men vargen, som ju är hundens urfader, skäller inte heller. Fast tysta är de inte utan har sitt eget speciella sätt att utrycka sig på. Igår kväll hade vi pick nick i Ta Qali park där hon sprungit nästan varje dag sedan hon var valp.
Det var också där hon för första gången fick prova att springa utan koppel.
Nyss hemkommen till Malta i november 2017
På trappan till hennes första hem i Tibro hos Marianne Gustavsson.
Liten och vilsen.
Att titta på gamla bilder från när Fanny var valp är det nog bara jag själv som tycker är kul. Roligare kanske är att Fanny nu blivit så pass gammal att vi planerar valpar. ❤❤ Basenji’s löper bara en gång per år och en basenji kavaljer har vi redan hittat. Om allt går som jag hoppas på får hon möta Ricky till hösten.
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
– Audrey Hepburn” “Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.”
—Peter Adams “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”
— Ansel Adams“I don’t trust words. I trust pictures.”
— Gilles Peress
That I like quotes is obviously no secret. I often use them when I myself cannot find the words. I don’t want to be anonymous but my blog isn’t intended as a diary, although I sometimes create posts about my everyday life. Still, publishing pictures without a single word reveals a certain personality of the person who took them. Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
It’s true, the last image is not a flower but for me Fanny is constantly blooming and fills my life with joy.
I have a lot of newly taken pics to sort, although today I choose two images from my archive.
These are among the very first macro images I’ve taken since I started shooting in 2011.
This “little beetle” sat on my deck chair when I was in Thailand on vacation in 2013…
This may not be a flower but definitely some kind of plant that over time has become fragile and elusive.Whatever it is, these are abundantly seen in nature now here in Malta.It’s not visible in my images here but these grow on large bushes where the “flower” is light as a feather. The one seen here has loosened from its plant and been stuck in a spider’s web while others fly freely in the wind. Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
This is just another attempt to capture one of all amazing and valuable insects found in nature. Some appreciate them while others ignore or see them as a matter of course, they just exist. I myself am no exception, it was not until I started photographing that I realized the value of our nature and its inhabitants.
An ordinary tree full of cones. It is obvious from where the wind usually blows.A tree seen from Victoria Lines where the views of Malta are amazing, especially when the weather is clear.
Some dry leaves and a very thorny tree trunk.Last week, I showed a similar home-made wood construction and there are many of these in nature, too many. Can you guess what they are used for?Compare with this little wooden house that I would love to see more of and it does more benefit than harm.
“White has it all, its beauty is absolute, it’s the perfect harmony”
– Coco Chanel“For those colours you which to be beautiful, always first prepare a pure white ground” -Leonardo da Vinci“If peace of mind considered as pure as white colour then I know why it’s my favorite color”
– Rubeena Khan.“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do”
– Rumi
It’s getting hot here in Malta now and most flowers fades away and thus all its colors, except this one.
The mimosa trees bloomed here in Malta in April and these really look like mimosa but…
…I really can’t recognize their long sharp thorns.Whatever it is, they give a lovely splash of color in nature, but you have to watch out for the razor-sharp thorns.
The tree on the top is from San Anton Gardens in Attard while the one above was taken when I was walking with Fanny in Victoria Lines And yes, if you look closely you can see my dog sniffing on the ground.
Cones are an important part of many trees.
Figs on the fig tree are soon ready to be picked.
It will take a while but in a few years, an almond tree will grow here.
Here someone planted a tree in Ta Qali in 2007.
Here you can see Figs on fig tree, a tree planted in 2007 and an indication of an upcoming almond tree. Click on an image to enlarge.I love trees and the wood from which you can create so much. In Sweden, wooden houses are common but here in Malta it seems like they have not realized how useful the material actually is.
But as seen here, we are well on our way.
Last Sunday we went to the small and picturesque fishing village of Marsaxlokk. The village is famous for its Sunday fish market and its many decorative painted boats.The traditional Maltese fishing boat, luzzu, is usually painted in bright colors, while the bow has a pair of eyes. The eyes are referred to as the Eye of Horus or of Osiris and said to protect the fishermen while at sea.
If you are hungry and like seafood, this is the place to go. Here you’ll find a selection of the finest fish restaurants on the island. Or just sit down and relax with a cold drink after a peaceful stroll in the area.
It’s well worth spending a few hours in this colorful charming village. More to come… Marsaxlokk, Malta 21 June 2020
Welcome to the one and only forest. There are very few forests here in Malta but one that I often visit is il-Miżieb. It takes about 20 minutes by car via the coast road and of course, Fanny always comes alongThe woodland was planted in the early 1970’s and stretches for some two km between Xemxija and Manikata. Here you will find Aleppo pines and a generous sprinkling of the slower growing carob and olive trees.
There are plenty of walkways and narrow paths to choose from and the scenery often changes. Fanny and I usually try to explore new trails and there is no risk of getting lost as we are on a high ridge.
Blue markings like these arrows are often seen but I have no idea where we would end up if we followed them. But, when we see this magical being, we know that we are close to where we started.
When I look at above images, I realize that they would probably fit better in a theme called “Today’s insect”.
So here I show some wildflowers that are found here in Malta, without any visible insect.Finally, Fanny, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a stunningly flourishing scenery.
