Can this way of relaxing really be comfortable?
Yes, and here’s the proof, Fanny often sleeps like this after a long walk, lying on our shoes.
Spiny Caper – Wildflowers in Malta
I have shown this flower before, its very common here in Malta and I like it a lot because it’s so special.
The plant is actually a bush and each flower lasts only for one day and one night which means you can see a lot of flowers in different stages on the same plant. The flowers bloom from April to mid July. 
Spiny Caper or Kappar tax-xewk as it’s called in Maltese, grows abundantly here in our Mediterranean climate and even in arid deserts. For me it is a beauty at all stages and it has a lovely scent.
I have many favorites when it comes to flowers here in Malta and this is undoubtedly one of them.
And yes, the flower buds, capers, can be used as a taste in different dishes and sauces.
Click on an image if you like to see them enlarged.
Susan’s Flower on Fridays (a day late)
Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
Dragonflies
Often when I’m lucky enough to find a dragonfly that doesn’t fly, I have noticed that they put their wings forward towards the head, as if they were trying to protect themselves, or maybe they sleep.
Regardless, it is an amazing insect that is usually seen flying by very quickly. Some are really big and shine in different shades of color. Maybe, I’ll succeed to capture at least one of them this summer. Never give up!
Hide and Seek with a Bumblebee
Don’t ask me why but I really love bumblebees and there are many to be found now among the flowers.
Bumblebees are not as aggressive. Males cannot sting, and females only do so when they feel threatened.
Bumblebees are excellent pollinators, they are in fact much more efficient pollinators than honeybees
But they are not always so easy to capture as they usually hide half of themselves deep into a flower.
Thanks for not hiding. Sometimes you’re lucky!
Pomegranate – From Bud to Edible
3. Now things are starting to happen and it continues to grow.
2. Here it has opened up a little more.
1. The bud slowly starts to open.
The healthy and tasty Pomegranate are not yet ripe here in Malta and, like all other fruits, it has to go through different stages before it is ready to pick and eat, as shown above. Click on an image to enlarge.
In full bloom.
Here the fruit is ripe and ready to harvest. But in Malta we have to wait another few months. This is an image from my archive.
Ready to eat!
Anyone who wants to eat pomegranates year-round can buy imported ones.
Although I prefer those who grow here on the island.
Macro Monday
Most of you probably recognize this little insect. Graphosoma lineatum, Strimlus in Swedish, which is part of the family stink bugs, även kallad bärfis. Thanks to Google and Wikipedia for the information.
They are often seen in pairs, especially on this kind of plant.
A pretty special plant itself of the family Umbelliferae which looks completely different when it blooms.
Here it almost looks like it’s full of lice but I might show some flowering images in another post.
Flower of The Day
Now the cactus is blooming and within a few months we can pick tasty and sweet Prickly pears for free. 
When you see them like this it feels hard to believe that they will be edible.
Macro photography A Colorful Insect
Photographing different kinds of insects is a fun and exciting challenge. Apart from butterflies and dragonflies which are not always easy to capture I’ve realized that there are a lot more in nature to discover.
I don’t know what kind of beetle this is, there are too many species to choose from. I had some trouble getting sharpness on its head but it shines beautifully in blue-green and has colorful covered wings.
An interesting little creature on its way through life.
Cropping & Mixed Thoughts
We all know that sometimes cropping is a must when you want to highlight the main subject of your image.
Not cropped at all
Cropped to just over half
Very cropped
Other images may look better if not cropped too much or not at all if it reveals a poorer image quality.
Feel free to click on an image above to enlarge and compare them to each other.
This one couldn’t be cropped because I was so close but in this case there was no need to crop either. 
I’ve too many images in my archive that easily could have been thrown away but for some reason they are still there. Some images evoke memories even though they can be seen as meaningless to others. 
Note to self; crop when you think it improves, throw away when you are not happy and sort out your archive when you have time. Enjoy life, and never give up! The key to learning more about the noble art of photography is curiosity and a sense of joy in what you create.
Nature’s Work of Art
“The beauty of the Natural world lies in the details”
– Natalie Angier-
“If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere”
– Vincent van Gogh –
“There is no better designer than Nature”
– Alexander MacQueen –
Flower on Fridays
This flower has a red-colored visitor with eight legs. It’s almost invisible but you’ll see it if you look closely.
This visitor isn’t at all invisible and may take up more space than the flower itself.
But you cannot miss these flowers different shades of the vibrant and lovely purple color.
Susan’s Flower on Fridays
Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
The Year’s first..
This is the year’s first dragonfly that I managed to capture with my camera a couple of days ago.
It sat on the stick only for a few seconds before it flew away and disappeared. Bye, bye..
I also managed to photograph a few butterflies. This is quite common but rarely sits still.
Could it be an Green-veined White butterfly? It has green eyes.
This is a colorful beauty and surely it gives you a sense of joy that at least now and then succeed in capture these unique little insects that are such an important part of our nature.
Tired of running very fast in search of rabbits in Majjstral Park.
Always waiting for me while I shoot.
Fanny is always my companion. She’s the best, she’s curious, awake and very funny. We have a heat wave here on the island, almost 30 degrees so now we are heading to Il-Majjistral Park where we can take a dip in the sea. Take care! ❤
Wild White Beauty
This is one of all the wild flowers found here on the island right now.
Soon the summer heat will come and most plants will dry out while the Mediterranean will be warmer and maybe, wishful thinking, our everyday life will return to being the way it once was, and we’re back to normal. Non-essential shops have opened again this week and cafes and restaurants may open at the end of May. Perhaps…
Wishing you a great weekend from sunny Malta!!
Susan’s Flower on Fridays
Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
Hidden In a Shell
“It seems to me that the Natural World is the greatest source of Excitement; …
…the greatest source of Natural Beauty;…
…the greatest source of Intellectual Interest. 
It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living”
– Sir David Attenborough –
Flowers on Fridays
“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do”
– Rumi –
“Remember to look up at the stars, not down at your feet.
Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist.
Be curious.”
– Stephen Hawking –
Simplicity
Flower of the Day
Me and my dog
In this post I show some images from my recent walks with my dog in various Nature parks here in Malta. 
Thanks to Fanny, I’ve discovered amazing sceneries on this tiny island in the Mediterranean.
The greenery, the narrow paths and the deep slopes of Victoria Lines.
The barren landscape along the sea in Pembroke.
The steep clay slopes in Ghajn Tuffieha.
Together we have made adventurous climbs in Il-Majjistral Nature Park.
Besides Fanny, I also photograph the variety of wild plants and insects found in our nature, more of that will come in a later post. And don’t worry, Fanny is visible also in the first image, but you have to look closely.
Friday’s flower
I’m not very good at wild flowers and tried to find the name of this colorful one via Google “Search by image”. I got the suggestion Carpobrotus rossii, also known as Karkalla. Then I read that that’s a plant native to Australia which is quite far from Malta. Regardless of it’s name, it’s a real splash of color in nature.
Susan’s Flower on Fridays
Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
Just a Small Difference
There’s only a slight difference between these two pictures.
I prefer the last one. The flower itself is very small.
“Small Differences can lead to Big Changes.”
As Time Goes By
Life is good…
Life goes on as usual, I can still go out while my husband since three weeks now has to stay indoors. I go to the supermarket when needed and I take long walks with Fanny twice a day, otherwise I stay home as advised. 
I’m grateful to have my beloved dog as a companion when walking in nature.
Now in the spring you will find different flowers everywhere and thus a variety of colors while bees are looking for nectar.
This flower is as small as my thumb nail.
Despite prevailing circumstances, life is good…
Flower on Fridays – Mimosa
Wish you a lovely weekend from Sunny Malta!
Susan’s Flower on Fridays
Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of The Day
A trip to Għajn Tuffieħa
Għajn Tuffieħa / Riviera Bay is located on the north-west coast of Malta. Here you’ll find clay slopes and high cliffs on either side of the bay, red sand, crystal clear water and lots of narrow footpaths to hike on.
Here I go with Fanny as it’s one of the few places where she can run freely. Ta Qali Park which is closer and where we normally go is completely closed and on the rocks along the sea at home dogs must be leashed.
This man has chosen a clever way to keep the social distance imposed by the authorities.
The scenery here is barren but offers several beautiful views. 
Singita Miracle Beach – Mgarr Għajn Tuffieħa – Malta / April 2020
Joy in Today’s Reality
These pictures are from the Carnival that went on in Valletta at the end of February.
My images of this cheerful young lady may not be photographically perfect
but as long as they can spread some joy into your heart I do not care about the quality. 
That was then, when our daily lives went on as normal while we, as we always are, were unaware of our future. Today, the world looks different. Malta is a small island with less than half a million inhabitants.
So far there are 350 confirmed cases and two deaths…
I believe in the future and I know that hope is stronger than fear.
❤ Take care!! ❤
Wind gusts are blowing…
Wind gusts are blowing today here in Malta and the rain is pouring.
Some stay fragile, some remain strong.
The farmers are grateful as are all the inhabitants of nature. 
My funny Fanny doesn’t want to go out and I’m happy to be alive, while life goes on…
Take care 💗
Understandably, the pictures above are selected from my huge archive.
Behind bars
Flower on Fridays
The Course of Nature
“We are Living on This Planet…
I’d be lying if I said I’m not worried.
The worlds ecosystem is at risk over a timescale of no more than a few decades.
“We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to”
– Terri Swearingen –
The Amazon rainforest is nearing a threshold and the Caribbean coral reefs are threatened to die off within a very few years while the world’s warming climate has resulted in sustained glacial mass loss.
“We can help the world live without fear. It is our only hope and without hope we are lost”
– Michael Jackson –
Humanity is affected by COVID-19. WHO has declared the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, acknowledging — the virus will likely spread to all countries on the globe.
I trust humanity’s willingness to cooperate, what else can we do…
In the Middle of Nowhere
Here we are again, in the middle of nowhere, where the deserted beach stretches for several miles. 
At low tide you can walk hundreds of meters straight into the sea without getting more than wet feet.
The only sign that indicates that there is plenty of life here are all the patterns in the sand created by thousands of small crabs. I saw lots of them but they are extremely quick to crawl back into their holes to hide.
This is an untouched little gem with very few tourists and most of those who come here are locals.
I know there are plans to build huge hotels and expensive resorts which will soon ruin this place.
I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be here before all this happens.
Sematan Beach, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia.
No more No less
It Grows…
Malta Carnival 2020 – Part 2
Here are some more images from last weekend’s Colorful Carnival in Valletta.
Same same but… A smile makes it all!
Feel free to click on an image to enlarge. 
Hope you enjoyed these amazing creations made by enthusiasts as much as I did since…
…more to come!
Hello!
💖 My lovely, curious and playful basenji dog Fanny!
Thank you for being a part of my life.💖
“All animals are born with innocence, curiosity and love”
– A.D. Williams –
Colorful Joy
Here are a few images from this weekend’s Colorful Carnival in Valletta.
The participants wore amazing creations and colorful costumes.
It was a lovely atmosphere filled with fun and joy in the city of Valletta.
More to come…
Today’s Plant
I have no idea what kind of plant this is. It can be quite large and it is growing wild now here in Malta.
I tried to search the images through google but got some strange suggestions. I know it’s not a broccoli and for sure it’s not a kind of fowl! For me it’s not a beauty but an interesting common plant. Maybe it’s eatable.
“Plants are like people:
they’re all different…
…and a little strange”
– John Kehoe –
Flowers on Fridays
“Love is our true destiny. We don’t find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another”
– Thomas Merton –
Susan’s Flowers on Fridays
Cee’s Photo Challenge Flower of the day
The Chair…
Today’s Close-Up
