The other day I took Fanny with me and went to Victoria Lines for a long walk. The view from here is amazing and in the distance you can see the island of Gozo.
Here, in the scenic lush nature, you can walk for hours.
“Nature is the place where your soul go free”
Cape Sorrel A common yellow flower found all over the islands
“In nature you don’t get lost, you find yourself”
Arisarum vulgare Friar’s Cowl, Arison. Present on the Maltese islands before man
Ja, alla dessa vilda blommor vรคxer och frodas hรคr pรฅ รถn just nu. Som vanligt lรคgger jag upp lite fรถr mรฅnga bilder men det รคr sรฅ svรฅrt att vรคlja.
Dessutom รคr det av olika skรคl lite lรฅngt mellan inlรคggen just nu, tid har jag men kรคnner ofta att jag inte vet vad jag vill med mina bilder. Fotograferar mycket och kan sitta i timmar och sortera och redigera, men sen blir det oftast inget mer.
Min finaste lilla Felicia, hon fรฅr alltid vara med pรฅ ett hรถrn. Trots att hon inte รคr en blomma, รคr hon รคndรฅ en slags blomma, fรถr mig.
Liksom hennes mamma, ett riktig guldkorn i tillvaron. Pรฅ den hรคr pรฅ bilden รคr Fanny bara nรฅgot รคldre รคn vad Felicia รคr idag. Dรฅ, i november 2017 var hon drygt fyra mรฅnader gammal. Time flies..
That was yesterday, when we celebrated Christmas Eve at home. Today, we went to Ta Qali Nature Park.
A blue sky with few clouds, green grass and plenty of wildflowers. It felt like spring in the air.
While Fanny could run without a leash as usual, little Felicia jumped happily and curiously around in the green grass in her eight-meter-long leash. Within a very few days she will be three months old. Time flies…
Here are some images from ฤฆal Far Raceway which is the one and only place to watch the fastest cars around Malta. I’ve been there once, only once ever during my twenty years here on the island.
I found these images in my archive, never edited and never used. This was about five years ago, in the summer of 2015.
So I thought, why not. It will at least be a slightly different post unlike all flowers, plants and doggies and even though the pictures are not new, they are still up to date. And I rememberโฆ
It was in July, it was hot, very hot. And it was fun…
โฆit was fun to see all these cars and motorbikes and to feel the enthusiasm of those who were on the track.
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a wildflower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour.
And Robin Redbreast in a Cage Puts all Heaven in a Rage. A dove house filled with doves and pigeons Shudders Hell through all its regions.” – William Blake
That was then, last summer, when the bumblebees were playing hide and seek. โYesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us beginโ โ Mother Theresa”
This spring I saw lots of these, as well as during the summer and fall. Now that winter is here, they are still there. Unaware of seasons… โTime is an illusion.โ โ Albert Einstein
โIt’s being here now that’s important. There’s no past and there’s no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can’t relive it and we can hope for the future, but we don’t know if there is one.โ โ George Harrison
That was then, just a few weeks ago. Puppies, growing and exploring a new world. โTime you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.โ โ Marthe Troly-Curtin.
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 gorgeousโฃ๏ธ 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 comeโฆ
โค๏ธ In the meantime, here you can see my beautiful litter of puppies, already six weeks oldโค๏ธ
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 โค๏ธ
Hรคr รคr nรฅgra bilder frรฅn Ta’ Qali Nature Park dit jag รฅker med Fanny nรคstan varje dag nu nรคr hon sakta men sรคkert bรถrjar vรคnja sig vid att vara ifrรฅn valparna under lรคngre stunder.
Hรถstfรคrger.
Fรคrgstarkt och vitt, tvรฅ av en mรฅngfald av de blommor som vรคxer hรคr just nu.
Ett av mรฅnga smรฅ hus med dess invรฅnare som bor i parken.
Valparna รคr nu drygt fyra veckor gamla och stunderna i parken blir inte sรฅ mycket lรคngre รคn en timme. Sen vill Fanny hem fรถr att se รถver sina smรฅttingar. Hon รคr en helt fantastisk mamma.
Sรฅ fort hon kommer in i valparnas rum samlas de runt henne. Fรถr att dia mjรถlk och fรถr 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 discoverโฆ
Tรคnkte att jag skulle visa nรฅgra bilder frรฅn omrรฅdet dรคr jag bor, dรคr jag ofta gรฅr mina promenader utmed havet tillsammans med Fanny. Hรคr har vi gรฅtt otaliga gรฅnger och det รคr inte alltid som vรคdret รคr sรฅ hรคr fint.
Man kan gรฅ hela strรคckan pรฅ cirka tre km utmed havet frรฅn Tigne i Sliema till Spinola Bay i St. Julian’s men vi gรฅr sรคllan hela vรคgen utan vรคnder efter en halvtimme, speciellt nu nรคr Fanny har valpar som vรคntar dรคrhemma.
Gรฅr vi inte pรฅ klipporna sรฅ gรฅr vi pรฅ den breda strandpromenaden, hรคr sedd ur Fanny’s perpektiv.
Den hรคr skylten har sett sina bรคttre dagar och รคr knappast bildskรถn men dรฅ jag ser den sรฅ ofta nรคr jag รคr pรฅ vรคg hem fรฅr den ocksรฅ vara med.
Idag har det gรฅtt 18 dagar sen valparna fรถddes.
Fanny tar det med ro
Hon รคr en fantastisk mamma, inte alltid sรฅ lรคtt nรคr sex hungriga valpar skriker efter mat.
Avslutningsvis nรฅgra bilder pรฅ vovvarna. Valparna har precis รถppnat sina รถgon och snart รคr det slut med att bara รคta och sova. Nu รคr det lugnet fรถre stormen dรฅ de strax ska ut pรฅ upptรคcksfรคrd med allt vad det innebรคr. Ska bli jรคttekul och snart kan vi ocksรฅ ana var och ens unika utstrรฅlning och karisma.
Vill passa pรฅ att tacka Anki som varit behjรคlplig nรคr jag skulle fรถrsรถka lรคra mig den nya blockredigeraren. Tack vare henne lyckades jag bland annat att fรฅ in den vita texen i bilderna och gรถra dem klickbara. Haha.. det tog faktiskt flera timmar att skapa vad ni ser hรคr ovanfรถr.
“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. MeyerโColor is a power which directly influences the soul.โ
โ Wassily KandinskyโYouโre only here for a short visit. Donโt hurry, donโt worry.
And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.โ โย 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, โColor provokes a psychic vibration. Color hides a power still unknown but real, which acts on every part of the human body.โ ย Written by Renee Phillips
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 be๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
So if she’s not visiting your site very often right now, you know why.
ย โSunflowers end up facing the sun, but they go through a lot of dirt to find their way there.โ โย J.R. Rim.
โWherever life plants you, bloom with grace.โ
โย 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.โThere are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.โ โย Ansel AdamsโPhotographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.โ
– Sally Mann.โWhen people ask me what equipment I use โ I tell them my eyes.โ โย AnonymousโTo me, photography is an art of observation. Itโs about finding something interesting in an ordinary placeโฆ
Iโve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.โ โ 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.
Some images from yesterday’s visit to Ta Qali. Many of the trees have recently been pruned. I was fooled by the orange spot that from a distance looked like a flower and I even saw some faces. In this fenced area I’ve been walking with Fanny since she was a puppy. Among Olive trees, Mediterranean Cypress and Ancient Carob trees. When the rain comes, the grass turns green and is then covered with flowers.
Sticky resin is now visible on many of the trees.
But how’s Fanny? Now that she is close to the seventh week of her pregnancy her behavior has changed. She’s not as playful as before, a bit melancholic and the walks are getting shorter and shorter while running is out of the question. Here she seeks shade under our car while I try to ventilate away the heat and turn on air conditioning before it’s time to go back home, a ride of about 20 minutes. Home to eat and then go to sleep. I love her so much โค โค
This amazing animal knows nothing about zoos or fencing.
Orangutans are found only in Borneo and Sumatra, and Sarawak has the wild population of these intelligent ginger apes. I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to meet these wild animals in real life.
And I believe the quote below by Jane Goodall includes true facts. Semenggoh Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia, December 2019.
“Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans have been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I would say that they have been in a way more successful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment.”
– Jane Goodall.
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 Drรถmma 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.
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…
๐ 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.
๐ 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
Nรฅgra bilder frรฅn en av mรฅnga promenader i “skogen” tillsammans med fina Fanny.Menar du att vi ska gรฅ hela den dรคr lรฅnga vรคgen tillbaka till bilen? Det รคr faktiskt 30+!Ja, men vi gรฅr i skuggan, mellan trรคden sรฅ kรคnns det inte sรฅ varmt. Fast den dรคr bilden รคr ju faktiskt frรฅn en annan skog.…och vi kan ta en och annan paus, ser kanske lite snรฅrigt ut.Titta, matte lyckades fotografera en fรฅgel!
(S)kottรฅr.Kanske inte den bรคsta skogen om man vill hugga sig en gran till Julhelgen.Nu รคr vi framme, nรคstan, tror jag. รntligen! Vi har ju gรฅtt i flera timmar, nu vill jag hem.. …fast det verkar som att vi gรฅtt lite vilse. Ser du var bilen รคr?ร hh nej!!Kanske ska vi prova att gรฅ รฅt det dรคr hรฅllet istรคllet. รntligen hemma!
Tror matte blev lite snurrig, kanske fick hon en slรคng av vรคrmeslag. Det hรคr inlรคgget passar ju jรคttebra till Susan’s Trees on Tuesdays
…fast att tisdagen redan passerat verkar hon inte ha insett รคnnu.
An image from my valuable memory archive. When I look at the picture today, I clearly remember the moment when I took it. I was in the restroom at a simple restaurant where the food was spicy and absolutely delicious. The little boy knew he was not tall enough to wash his hands with his feet on the floor. Thailand, Koh Lanta 2014
“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.”
–ย 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.
๐Den 13:e juli 2020 fyllde min fina Fanny tre รฅr!!๐ Fick dessvรคrre inte ihop nรฅgot inlรคgg igรฅr och gรถr dรคrfรถr ett nytt fรถrsรถk.Bilden ovanfรถr har varit med fรถrr men jag valde den fรถr att den kรคnns som en av de bรคsta bilderna jag tagit pรฅ henne, och jag har tagit vรคldigt mรฅnga bilder sedan vi hรคmtade hem henne frรฅn Sverige oktober 2017.
Christina Acar mรฅlade av fotografiet pรฅ en mugg som jag idag anvรคnder som pennstรคll pรฅ mitt skrivbord.Basenji’s รคr inte sรฅ vanliga hรคr pรฅย Malta och jag fรฅr ofta frรฅgan vad det รคr fรถr ras. Basenji รคr en av vรคrldens รคldsta raser och hรคrstammar frรฅn Afrika. Karaktรคristiskt รคr rynkorna i pannan och den hรฅrt rullade svansen. De har ett kattlikt beteende och tvรคttar sig sjรคlva. Deras frรคmsta sรคrdrag รคr ofรถrmรฅgan att skรคlla vilket beror pรฅ att deras struphuvud รคr annorlunda konstruerat. Varfรถr vet man inte men vargen, som ju รคr hundens urfader, skรคller inte heller. Fast tysta รคr de inte utan har sitt eget speciella sรคtt att utrycka sig pรฅ. Igรฅr kvรคll hade vi pick nick i Ta Qali park dรคr hon sprungit nรคstan varje dag sedan hon var valp.
Det var ocksรฅ dรคr hon fรถr fรถrsta gรฅngen fick prova att springa utan koppel.
Liten och vilsen.
Nyss hemkommen till Malta i november 2017
Pรฅ trappan till hennes fรถrsta hem i Tibro hos Marianne Gustavsson.
Att titta pรฅ gamla bilder frรฅn nรคr Fanny var valp รคr det nog bara jag sjรคlv som tycker รคr kul. Roligare kanske รคr att Fanny nu blivit sรฅ pass gammal att vi planerar valpar. โคโคย Basenji’s lรถper bara en gรฅng per รฅr och en basenji kavaljer har vi redan hittat. Om allt gรฅr som jag hoppas pรฅ fรฅr hon mรถta Ricky till hรถsten.
โTo plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.โ
โ Audrey Hepburnโ โGreat photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.โ
โย Peter Adams โWhen words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.โ
โ Ansel AdamsโI donโt trust words. I trust pictures.โ
โย 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. Ceeโs 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. Ceeโs Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
