…but only in my dreams. And that’s enough for me, as long as I am surrounded by colors.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge”
– Albert Einstein –
Tag: Macro
Fanny in Ta Qali Park..
Många olika fågelarter finns det i parken och här ser det ut att vara ett nybygge. Betydligt lättare att fotografera än fåglarna 🙂
Nej, några blåbär växer det inte här och jag vet inte vad dessa bär är.
Det finns många oliks slags träd i parken såsom Olivträd och Pinjé plus många som jag inte kan namnen på..
Väldigt gott om små gula blommor tittade fram efter de första regnen.
Efter några dagar med regn har det bildats som en sjö runt träden och det tog flera dagar innan det hade runnit undan. Titta noga så ser du att vattnet når upp till hälften av bänkar och bord där många brukar ha pick nick.
During the Second World War the Ta Qali National Park was used as an airfield. Today the park is very popular with Maltese people and a busy place on Saturday afternoons when many families gather for picnics.
There are many wild cats in the park and Fanny loves to chase them, luckily she never manage to catch any. They run too fast or climb on a tree. But when they lie down or humps, she’s scared of them.
Dogs are allowed to run freely in the late afternoons but must be kept on leash all other times. 
This image with the green grass was taken after the rain, compared to the one above which was taken before. Within a few months, the grass will be so high that Funny is not visible. Then we play hide and seek.
My lovely stubborn and curious Basenji 💕
Friday’s thoughts…
It’s hard to believe that this creature will transform into a colorful moth. I’ve never seen such a big caterpillar. It’s about 15 cm/6 inches. Could be an Elephant Hawk-moth, Deilephila elpenor but I’m not sure.
Now, that caterpillar was not yet colorful so here’s some sunshine from Ta Qali…
…where the grass was wet with dew.
A spider’s web along with dew create a nice pattern.
Nature is an amazing world to explore and we must all do what we can to preserve it. 
“We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet.”
—Stephen Hawking
Food for thought can be that earth is home to millions of species, but just one dominates it.
Wish you all a lovely weekend!
“If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth,
man would have no more than four years to live.”
—Albert Einstein
Autumn colors…
I’ve been to Sweden for a few days and the weather felt a bit gray and cold compared to Malta’s mild climate. 
On the first day I went for a walk in the surroundings of Älvsjö, a suburb of Stockholm, in search of colors.
Autumn colors.
The final countdown…
“And all at once summer collapsed into fall”
– Oscar Wilde –
A cute little house where birds can eat some seeds. I also saw lots of Snowberries, snöbär.
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower”.
-Albert Camus-
Taken by Surprise
Surely it’s surprising to discover what amazing bird species there are around the world. This one looks unique.
When I saw this “sculpture” at a distance in Siracusa, Sicily, I was absolutely sure it was real. 
Until I came close and my dog began to nose around his feet. Then he couldn’t sit still any longer without laughing and he began to talk. I’ve seen many kinds of these players before but nobody as real like this one.
A really fun and unexpected surprise.
Shooting with the macro lens often gives unexpected surprises.
It may be surprising to look at a fly with its amazing faceted eyes…
…or to see a hairy butterfly.
Monday’s Malta pics
Macro photography is always fun and I guess this is a hornet, Vespa crabro, or Bålgeting as we say in Swedish. I see many of them now among our hibiscus on the terrace. Sadly, with fewer plants the butterflies are gone.
The plant blooms but the leaves are more yellow than green. Perhaps more care and nutrition are needed. 
Finally, there are lots of spiders to find in Ta Qali National Park, this one is about two inches. More to come…
On the Way…
Here we are on the way along the Mediterranean Sea where the sculpture “White Shadow”stands. A marble cut-out of human figures walking together. Designed by Maltese Architect Richard England in Sliema 2002.
On the way by car to the countryside.
…where we meet these happy riders.
Suddenly the road ends. Which way I chose then I’ll let you know in a later post, without high heels.
This is my second post for Son of a Beach’s Which Way Photo Challenge
Lovely White…
…lovely thoughts.
In search of Autumn
When the prickly pear cactus fruit are ready to eat, it’s autumn. This delicious fruit has a sweet, melon-like aroma and grows wild throughout Malta and Gozo. Tasty and said to be healthy but with a prickly skin. 
This giant flower, like the other images in this post were chosen for their colors, to give a sense of autumn.
First of October and yet few signs of autumn while the temperature slowly drops, today we have 28 degrees. Did you know that Malta enjoy around 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, one of the highest rates in Europe!
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
― –
A Sense of Blue
“If you’re feeling blue, try painting yourself a different color”
–Hanna Cheatem-
“Every drop in the ocean counts”
-Yoko Ono-
“The worst kind of sad is not being able to explain why“
“Color is to the eye what music is to the ear”
The importance of Insects
Insects, flowers and pollen. A fantastic combination for reproduction, created by nature.
“If we were to wipe out insects alone on this planet, the rest of life and humanity with it would mostly disappear from land. Within a few months”
-E.O. Wilson-
Autumn?
No autumn feelings so far here in Malta.
We have some flowers left on our roof terrace and have planted new ones on the lower one.
We are in the middle of September and it’s still warm but yet, not too hot. In the Mediterranean it’s 27 degrees.
No rain has fallen and what you see is not water from the sky.
No, I’ve no feelings of autumn, yet…
Remember in November the lovely September!
Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember, and if you remember,
Then follow…
Try to remember when life was so tender
That no one wept except the willow.
That dreams were kept beside your pillow.
That love was an ember about to billow.
Try to remember, and if you remember,
Then follow…
Deep in December, it’s nice to remember,
Although you know the snow will follow.
Without a hurt the heart is hollow.
The fire of September that made us mellow.
Deep in December, our hearts should remember
And follow…
– American original text: Harvey Schmidt 1960 –
Slightly shortened.
The Caterpillar Story…
Lovely butterflies! I’ve not seen so many of them this summer. I used to capture a lot among our plants on our roof terrace, which is now gone. These are from Sicily while those in the circles were taken in Malta.
Thank you! I’ll will reply and I’ll visit your site, as soon as I catch up with my time. You are all precious!! Take care out there. Love from Malta 💕
Colors & Flowers
That’s all from Malta this Wednesday in mid August 2018.
Away from it all…
We went to Sicily for a week, to get away from it all. Here we rented a villa, Villa Cristina, located in a rural area, but not too far from Siracusa. Simple yet cozy accommodation. The garden was huge and there were orange and olive trees, banana plants, grapes, tomatoes, chili peppers, herbs and much more. I love basil!
Sweet tomatoes! I can eat Cherry tomatoes like candies!
These bananas were not edible but the flowering herb was both decorative and exotic.
Did you know that banana plants are the world’s largest herb!
I have no idea what this may be.
Oranges, some were a bit too ripe.
Chili pepper
Could be a kind of herb??
Olives
Green sweet grapes
Grapes, grapes, there were lots of grapes.
Above you see some images from the garden where we could pick and eat whatever we liked. 
There’s more to find in the garden and we did some trips with our car to a few towns and secluded beaches. More to come from Sicily in Italy!
It was a long time since I felt as relaxed as during our stay in Sicily. Away from it all, away from the outside world. Perhaps something we all need from time to time, completely without any internet access.
Whatever will be, will be…
That’s all for now. No more posts until I have enough time to comment and to visit my valuable followers. Take care out there!
Photographing…
Today, photography is a great pleasure that people all over the world enjoy and share, thanks to the invention! But what is a photograph?! 
Beetle
This little cute beetle stayed on the flower for quite some time so I had time enough to photograph at least one of all insects I’ve tried to capture recently, without success.
When I take my camera with me I always have to choose between my macro or zoom lens depending on where and what I plan to photograph. I chose “wrong” lens this time but the pictures became pretty good anyway.
I was going to add at the end, “…as long as you do not enlarge them” but my mind said no. We all try to do as good as we can and must be proud of our efforts to learn, give and share. Gratitude is a valuable gift.
Winged & Colorful
Winged and colorful but so hard to capture with my camera.
Pride…
Tough and stubborn.
Looks like this one wants to say something, I’m colorful and I can fly.
Happy Midsummer!
In the midsummer’s eve, according to Swedish tradition, seven kinds of flowers should be picked and put under the pillow. If you like to know how to celebrate midsummer in Sweden Click here. 
Two very special flowers from a very special blog friend.
Thank you BP, they are still in my kitchen after four years.
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…
it’s about learning to dance in the rain”
Seventh Heaven On the 7th Floor
It was on our roof terrace I took my first macro images.
A few years ago we bought seeds in an attempt to grow rhubarb. But it didn’t succeed.
Spiders! Click on an image to enlarge.
It’s early in the spring and my dear man is cleaning while I take a selfie in the window of our office.
I’m not sure how many different kinds of flowers we have had but these are some of them.
One of my husband’s many fun experiments. Can you really fry an egg in the sun? Obviously!!
Our terrace as it once looked and below, what it looks like right now. Yes, added some color. 
Our office, my dear husbands atelier and our dining room that we use every summer are gone after twelve years. Of our flowers and plants there are only a very few left and so are the butterflies and other insects. Looking at the stars in the sky and the moon that shine but this is not my Seventh heaven anymore.
Fanny, Yeah, come on!!! Rock ‘n’ roll!!!
All images in this post have I taken on our roof terrace over the years gone by…
…apart from the last one.
Shades of Blue
Not much blue here but a Satisfied Flower fly!! 
“The Sky is Not the Limit – It’s Just the View”
Blue Feeling / Feeling blue…
Alone…
Shades of Red
Today I just want to spread some color! My favorite flower and color, the Bougainvillea on top.
A Flower fly is looking for nectar in the flowers of Ta Qali National Park.
Color & flower.
Happy Weekend!!
💗With Love from Malta – Anita & Fanny.💗
Butterflies that Surprise
Macro photography are challenging and exciting. This butterfly was hidden behind tall grass a windy day in Ta Qali Park and rarely stopped for more than a few seconds. I suppose this is a Wood White (Leptidea sinapis).
I didn’t notice that it actually were two butterflies until I came home and downloaded the images to my computer. A happy surprise that often happens when shooting with macro. If these really are Wood White, I can always ask Brian. He knows a lot about different butterfly species and his blog is well worth visiting.
Happy Macro Friday!
If all insects on Earth disappeared, within 50 years all life on Earth would end.
If all human beings disappeared from the Earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish. 
Quote by Jonas Salk
A glimpse of Malta
I haven’t had time enough lately to create new posts or visit my valuable followers. Time flies and life goes on but I definitely want to keep my blog alive and stay in touch with you out there in this amazing blogosphere.
Looking back… 
Flowers almost everywhere and it’s a wonderful time right now.
Trying to live in the present while the summer is waiting around the corner.
This must be a tasteful thistle. If you look closely, you’ll see three small visitors.
It’s now 18 degrees in the Mediterranean. As usual, I wait until it’s at least 25 before I take a swim.
The water around Malta is crystal clear and there are also a lot of jellyfishes right now.
Hopefully gone when the water gets warmer.
I continue to feed our plants on the terrace. Do not ask me why, because soon we have no plants left to feed. That’s life, a part of my life here in Malta and I must learn how to change my way of thoughts…
Fanny, my lovely Basenji, always by my side, my inspiration.
Cliffs haven
When exploring the nature in Malta you often see cliffs, cliffs, I see cliffs everywhere. And a clear blue sky.
It makes me dizzy and instead of looking up, I take a look down, to find a busy bee.
When I look up again, I see someone sitting on top of one of the high cliffs.
Must be a great view up there while I got an amazing view from down here.
Finally, for those who wondered if there aren’t any restrictions in Majjistral Nature Park. Here you are…
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night is the last day of April and a traditional non-religious holiday in Sweden. Especially in the City of Uppsala where there are huge student gatherings to celebrate the arrival of the spring.
The Mediterranean around Malta has crystal clear water. It is now 18 degrees. within a couple of months 28 degrees.
Some prefer to take a jeep to the edge of the steep cliffs while others prefer to walk.
Walking on water.
From the plateau in Majjistral park
Sailboats on the Mediterranean Sea.
Here in Malta April 30th is an ordinary day and my images have no connection with Walpurgis Night, or Valborgsmässoafton, as this evening is called in Swedish.
But I like to wish you all a wonderful evening wherever you are on this planet, no matter if you celebrate or not. Remember, even a small fly is part of our nature. Take care out there and enjoy every moment!!
Nature’s art
Tuesday’s mix from Malta
Nature’s miracle, an amazing world to explore.
Everything happens for a reason, take care out there…
Hiking in Majjistral Nature Park– Part 2
Last time, we went along the narrow path to the small buildings that you can see in distance at above image. From there we continued our walk in search for the staircase up to the plateau, where we got lost.
Here we are still on our way to the buildings by the sea and the path is easy to follow. My dear man carries my pink bag with water, my macro lens and some snacks. Fanny is the leader while I, as usually, walk behind.
Surrounded by huge cliffs…
…and the Mediterranean Sea below.
Always curious about what’s waiting around the corner.
This wooden bridge was not entirely safe to walk on.
Suddenly we are surrounded by high grass..
Don’t look up, don’t look down look where you put your feet, it´s quite deep down to the sea..
I could follow the path for hours. Hear are lots of beautiful and small flowers.
A steep slope of dry mud. A place I’d not choose to walk on after a rainy day.
The scenery varies quite a lot but we just have to follow the narrow path and there’s no risk of getting lost.
Finally, by the sea to rest for a while. I dip my feet in the water before continuing our walk around the corner.
Water and some chicken for Fanny…
…while I take a look at some of the pictures I have in my camera that I’ve taken along the way. 
Now I realize that even this post will be too long so I finish as last time with a picture of my beloved and brave Basenji Fanny. Part 3 will come later but to give you a clue, there were no easy paths around the corner…
WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge – Prolific
This week, Krista asks us what “Prolific” makes us think about. The most prolific must be the earth itself as home of all known life. Water, microorganisms, oxygen, mammals, dinosaurs, flowers, insects, humans…
A never ending process, of which these images are just a tiny fraction from my little corner of the earth.
The nature, not always easy for humans to explore, but we are attracted and we are curious about it. 
…and we are part of an amazing landscape and scenery. 
In search for life and color.
We all know that behind the clouds the sky is always blue but rarely think of the valuable air we breathe.
And when the sun sets, another day is gone and life on earth continues in an eternal circle, constantly prolific. With or without homo sapiens…
All images are from Majjistral National Park here in Malta April 2018.
Soft Sunday…
Instead of Silent Sunday. But the pictures may speak for themselves anyway.
Today we spent another day at Majjistral National Park in search for the way around, more to come…
WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge – Awakening
This week, Jen asks us to show an image/s of awakening or some kind of renewal.
While enjoying the awakening of nature after winter…
…seeing a butterfly is an obvious proof of that spring is has arrived…
…and when you see these you know that even this summer, you can enjoy eating fresh figs…
…while a wild cat yawning, renewed with energy after a few hours sleep in Independence gardens.
Poppies
Poppies, or Vallmo as we say in Swedish, are one of the most beautiful wild flowers I know and very common during spring here in Malta. 
Looks like this one is dancing, despite some lost petals.
I always think about Princess Cakes when I see the pistil of these flowers.
Stamens and pistils along with amazing colors create a beautiful flower. Nature is a wonderful world.
Hiking in Majjistral Nature Park– Part 1
In my last post, I mentioned that we went hiking in Majjistral Nature Park last Saturday. We walked for about three hours and we got lost. These are just a very few of all the pictures I took, just to give an impression of how it looks in the park. You can choose between walking at the flat plateau which we did the first time… 
…for more adventure you can choose to walk along the slopes on narrow winding paths, and that’s what we did this time. Me, my husband and our brave Basenji Fanny. Here at the beginning the walkway is quite wide.
Our first stop will be at the small buildings by the water. When we were here last time we thought this was a dead end but on our way back we meet a couple who said that you can continue around the corner and further up there are a stairway where you can get up to the plateau. No need to go back and just a few hours walk.
This trip can easily be a very long trip since I stop all the time to take pictures. Here´s the second butterfly I seen so far this year. Sadly, my macro lens was in my bag, but I managed to take some close ups anyway.
Now the paths have become more narrow and the slopes down towards the sea are steeper.
We will soon arrive at the small buildings where we will rest before moving on to see what’s waiting around the corner. It became quite exciting, but I’ll leave that until part two. 
Before I finish, I have to mention my beloved four-legged friend. She’s soon nine months old, still a puppy but very clever and so brave. She proved that on several occasions during the next part of our adventure.💖💖
I think this post may fit well with the theme of breathe with its breathtaking views, the breathtaking adventures, and our deep breaths when we were exhausted after climbing and when we realized we were lost. If that’s not enough then it’s obvious above how Fanny breathes.
Photo Challenge by Frank / Dutch Goes the Photo’s / Theme: Breathe
Future
This week, Frank invites us to share one or more photos that makes us think about the future.
Yesterday, we were hiking for three hours in the Majjistral National Park where nature is stunning. The sea, the huge rocks in different shapes, all wild flowers and the swirling footpaths gives a feeling of being truly in the middle of nature. That we totally went lost is another story…
Nature is both delicate and strong. As long as we let nature take care of itself, it will also survive…
One of many threats to the future of our nature is plastic. In the deep oceans, as well as on land.
What every generation teaches to the next…
…will be the result of our future. And I strongly believe in the future.
Photo Challenge by Frank / Dutch Goes the Photo’s / Theme: Future
Macro time
I think this is a Vinbärssnäcka. That´s what it called in Swedish but I´m not sure about the English name.
Here I let the pictures speak for themselves.
This is the first butterfly I managed to capture so far this year. It flew among the flowers in Majjistral National Park. This one was not easy to catch with the camera, but I’m very happy that I found it.
Flowers…
…without the sun there are no flowers and without flowers there’s no sun.
