Tag: Nature
Bee, Yellow, Blue & Jump to Pink…
The mimosa flowers shines like small suns.
A grasshopper rests on a blade of grass…
…while a bee searches for nectar among some flowers.
Spring is here after a winter that has been too long and too cold.
Another weekend is waiting, on Monday I fly to Spain. It feels like it’s time to move on…
Today’s Spring flowers
Malta 23 March 2019.
Tuesday’s photos
Wild growing grains, delicate,
fragile and for some,
essential.
Can be a bit challenging to capture, especially when the wind blows.
Hide & Seek
Don’t ask me why, but I prefer the last image, where she’s almost invisible.
My beloved Basenji Fanny, she loves to play hide-and-seek in the grass.
Spring is in the air…
Back home and back to my usual routines here in Malta.
Last Saturday we spent the whole day in Majjistral National Park.
It’s not often that I see mushrooms growing here in Malta, but here is one.
Snart blommar Mimosan / Soon the mimosa blooms.
The nature, the plants, everything are so different from what you find in the rainforest in Sarawak, Borneo. Very soon the mimosa blooms as seen in one of the image above.
The very best about coming home is to be close to Fanny again. Away is good but home is best.
Greetings from Sarawak!
Just some images from where I’m now…
…in Sarawak.
Sarawak is located in Borneo, Malaysia and we are now in Kuching. 
The playful children was taken in 2016 while the rest are all new.
The children may represent the joy and harmony found here in amazing Borneo.
I haven’t had much time left to create new posts or to visit You but next week I’m back to my everyday life in Malta and my lovely Basenji dog Fanny. Take care out there!!
Depth of Field
Some images from last weekend in Il-Bajja tal-Ġnejna, Gnejna Bay in Mgarr.
I hope the depth of field can be seen in some of these pictures.
Last but not least, my beloved Basenji Fanny, always by my side, a precious part of my life.
For Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week Challenge: Depth of Field
Some Fun Growths & Fanny
There is a lot of growth to be found in nature now here in Malta.
Here are some of more or less funny plants that I saw last weekend when we visited Il-Bajja tal-Ġnejna. Another exciting nature park we never visited before. But thanks to Fanny we still find new places to explore.
I’ve never seen anything like this. Looks edible! Wonder how this one will look when growth ends.
A cool growth hairstyle.
For me, the most precious growth, when Fanny became part of our family.
Spring Fever!
I felt so happy when I saw almond trees already blooming here on the island! But when I downloaded the images to my computer, I realized they weren’t that good. I used my macro lens and have taken better images. What did I do wrong?
Now I know what went wrong, and I learned something. An image doesn’t always have to be perfect for being good. Being happy is the greatest form of success. I’m very happy and my heartfelt wish is, that so are You.
A little bit closer…
Here we were last weekend, in Għajn Tuffieħa Bay, to explore the amazing scenery.
These images are from the same place as in my last post. Just a little bit closer.
Today I’ve made one thousand posts on this blog! But it’s from when I started, in
Today I have 1,823 amazing followers!
My new blog, where I participate in a Swedish photo challenge, has 9 equally amazing followers.
💕Thank you all for stopping by my little corner of the blogosphere.💕
Silent Sunday
27 January 2019 – Għajn Tuffieħa Bay, Malta.
Which Way…
Stairway to heaven…
Sometimes we may need to just relax and contemplate before making any decisions, which way…
Let the New Year Begin…
Yes, I know, we are all almost back to our everyday life again and it’s the third day of the New Year 2019. Some may have noticed that I let my blog rest during the festive season, that was without any special reason.
Above, two typical images of Malta. Greenery all over the island and yellow flowers, even though it’s winter. And when you see the different colored balconies in the cluttered but yet charming surroundings, it’s easy to guess where you are.
From yesterdays visit to Il-Gżira Manoel / Manoel Island in Gzira. I also noticed that the mimosa trees got buds and they will soon bloom, in February.
But, it feels colder than cold, especially when I walk with Fanny on the cliffs along the Mediterranean sea. Strong winds, 12 degrees but luckily the sun shines. The forecast says it will drop to 4 degrees at night!
The new year has just begun and we know nothing about the future but it looks bright with lots of love and joy. Take care out there!!!
Anita & Fanny
More from Majjistral National Park…
Colorful
A banana plant!
Some birds have eaten from a pomegranate
Evening twilight around 5pm.
These pictures are all from last Friday’s trip to Majjistral National Park.
The paths are narrow along the steep slopes of dried clay down to the sea. Not a place to walk after heavy rain.
But the scenery changes and Fanny is surrounded by greenery…
Very commmon throughout the year.
Not so common, a new plant for me, it’s acually a flower!
…while I photographing plants.
I was happy to find so many colorful flowers growing here on the island in late December.
Malta is a lovely little island to live on all year round, unless you long for snow and a white Christmas.
Majjistral National Park…
Last Friday we went to Majjistral National Park in Il-Mellieħa. We haven’t been there since spring. It was 18 degrees, and a bit windy but it was really nice to walk on the cliffs again along the Mediterranean Sea.
Fanny really enjoyed running around freely in the green countryside.
I came home with more than hundreds of images in my camera.
These were just a part of them, there will be more from the park in my next post.
Hope you enjoyed!
A New Friend…
Fanny has found a new friend and they really enjoy playing with each other. There are very few of the breed Basenji here in Malta so it was lucky they met, that we met the owners of this beautiful one year old male.
Kimbo
Fanny
Fun in the sun as they run around in the green grass in Ta Qali park.
I feel warm in my heart when I see them so happy together…
…and now we are planning to buy another Basenji! It’s an amazing breed with a lovely personality!
Silent Sunday
As time goes by…
“As times goes on, you’ll understand…
What lasts, lasts;…
What doesn’t, doesn’t…
Time solves most things…
And what time can’t solve, you have to solve yourself”
Quote by – Haruki Murakami –
Spring is here…
…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 –
A Photo a Week Challenge – Blue
This is my first entry for Nancy Merrill’s photo challenge, where the theme for the week is Blue.
Where the first picture of the boy in blue jeans was taken, I will show in a later post.
Blue color in two different pools, or maybe the same pool but from different angles in different light.
Old and new surrounded by blue…
Back to the pool for a dip in the blue…
…before embarking on this sailboat for a trip on the Mediterranean blue sea.
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-
Ta’ Qali Park – After the rain
A few weeks ago there was no greenery at all in Ta Qali National Park. After the summer heat it was very dry. Then the rainy season began and nature woke up again. 
Although it’s October and the winter season awaits, it feels almost like spring is here. Fanny can merrily run around in the high grass again, surrounded by yellow flowers.
In Malta you will not find colorful autumn leaves, but cones may also have autumn colors.
I haven’t seen these beautiful flowers since last spring.
This is Malta in October.
In January it becomes colder before the real spring begins in February when the almond tree blossoms.
A pretty pleasant winter awaits.
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
Roses…
I just couldn’t resist buying these roses, for no special reason at all. Three pink and two white. It doesn’t show but they are twice as big as usual and they still last after five days. I love the soft colors, I love pink…
It’s told that pink is not just a color, it’s an attitude. Either you love it or hate it, but there must also be something in between depending on the shades and where the color is seen. Who doesn’t like flamingos… 
Clouds in the sky…
A barefoot man looks at the wakes on the sea after the stormy weather.
Sailing in the Mediterranean Sea when the weather is clear in October.
The vision of the little man shows the simplicity of humanity on earth.
We have variable weather now here in Malta with sun and blue sky and gray days with rain, while the first stormy weather has passed. (Please click on a circle to enlarge, each image has a short text.)
…and when it’s gray and rainy, there are always colors to find that can brighten our days.
Autumn is here to stay but we have varannandagsväder as we call it in Swedish. Yesterday I had to bring my umbrella while walking with Fanny, today it’s clear sky and 27 degrees. Wish you all a wonderful weekend!
Lovely White…
…lovely thoughts.
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-
Genuine Joy!
Can you see her? For me this is pure joy. To see when Fanny with great delight runs freely on the rocks. She loves to run and she loves to run fast. This is a huge area along the Mediterranean, near Marsalforn in Gozo.
Here you also find the Salt pans. The production of sea salt has a long tradition in Gozo and the Salt pans found near Marsalforn are still used today. Click on the link and read more if you are interested.
The salt is stored in caves carved into the coastal rock and I see a happy face!
It’s amazing how nature has been shaped through the years! Some rocks looks more like soft sand dunes.
Here someone has created a cute snail in the soft stone.
Like sand dunes.
Fanny resting in the shade
The only plant I found.
Obviously, this is not the place to visit in search of plant or insects…
…but you can run, you can bike and if you’re brave, take a dip in the sea from the high cliffs.
Notice the ladder and don’t forget to click on an image to enlarge.
With love from Anita & Fanny, my beloved Basenji! 💕
Away for a while…
I’ve been away for a while, away from it all, again. This time we went to Gozo, Malta’s sister island which is completely different from the main island. Gozo is known as a tranquil haven for a tempo and scene change.
This little island has its own special charm. It’s greener, more rural and with life’s rhythms dictated by the seasons, fishing and agriculture. I love this little island in the middle of the Mediterranean. 
These images may represent tranquility and life’s rhythm, at the sunset of Dwejra.
I’d like to thank Ben Humberman at WordPress.com who once again highlighted my blog in the Reader under Discover. Thank You so much Ben and thanks to all of my new and old followers!!
You are my inspiration. ❤
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 💕
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!
Green sweet grapes
Chili pepper
Grapes, grapes, there were lots of grapes.
I have no idea what this may be.
Oranges, some were a bit too ripe.
Olives
Could be a kind of herb??
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?! 
More from Selmun Bay
The images speak for themselves but the young girl seemed to enjoy being on the beach full of black sea weed.
Selmun Bay
Last weekend we went to Selmun Bay after we heard that there should be a nice dog-friendly sandy beach. Getting there was quite challenging, this is NOT a one way road! Fortunately, we didn’t meet any cars.
Here we are! Looks nice and very dry up here, but we have to climb down a steep slope to reach the beach.
We soon realize that the water and the sandy beach is black! Black and full of seaweed! And where the water is clear it’s very rocky and slippery which makes it difficult to walk, especially when holding Fanny in my arms.
But we manage to take a quick dip and a few meters from the shore the bottom consists of soft sand.
Back from the water and Fanny has decided that it’s enough for today. No more swimming, now I just want to relax and observe what others are doing on the beach and in that black muddy water.
Fanny is obviously not the only one who prefers to stay on dry land.
All pictures in this post were taken with my digital camera Panasonic Lumix TZ100 that I rarely use for the reason that I still haven’t learned how to use it. I used only P-mode but I’m pleased with the quality and will try to use it more. The weight is only 300 gram compared to my Canon 1,5 kilo.
