Drinking fountains are a great place for people-watching. I am always surprised how many people loiter around even after they have their bottles filled. Especially when there is a long queue behind them.
Day 168 – By a fountain
Category: 365 Project
Day 167 – Card tricks
When I was a teenager, I played a lot of cards. We played a lot with my family, but also with friends – someone always had a deck of cards in their backpack. Somehere along the way, I learned to shuffle cards in a ‘fancy’ way. After that, it really did not matter if I won or lost – I was always considered a great card player.
Day 166 – Big and small
Merlin is a very sociable little dog. Except when we meet big and excited dogs. They are scary… Merlin has a habit of inviting these big dogs to play – while standing between my legs (it is safer that way…). He is small enough to fit comfortably – but the other dogs are always not.
Today in the park we met a small and very bossy dog – Merlin again made a hasty retreat. Some friends are just not meant to be.
Day 165 – Waiting
I used to have a bad habit of being late. Luckily Stuart is (possibly) the world’s most patient person. When we started dating, he once waited for me for over an hour in a restaurant where we were supposed to meet. The waiter already gave him a sympathetic ‘I don’t think she is coming, mate’… But already then, Stuart knew me well. I did come.
In recent years, I have found myself to become more and more punctual (although Stuart might disagree). What makes this weird is that South Africa as a culture is highly un-punctual (depending, naturally, on the subculture) – I remember once arriving to a house party 45 min later than the invite indicated, just to surprise the host who had just gotten out of shower. Whereas in Finland, if you arrive 5 minutes late for a dinner, you are late. And should apologise.
I guess I just always have to be different.
Day 164 – Spring Day
There is something magical about Spring Day in South Africa. In Finland, Midsummer tends to have everything but summer weather. I even remember a year it was sleeting. The same happens elsewhere in Europe. Just ask the British what is the typical weather for the Spring bank holiday… But in South Africa Spring Day is typically glorious spring weather – warm, sunny and beautiful.
Having a business breakfast outside in the morning was a great decision. The only problem was to motivate oneself to get back to the office.
Day 163 – Roadtripping
Road trips are a travel of choice for Stuart and me – to my mother’s absolute surprise. When I was a child, I could not keep my eyes open for more than 3.5 min in a car – if I was lucky. I still get snoozy occasionally, but luckily Stuart really likes driving. I just try to keep my snoozing limited to the boring bits.
Road trip in Namibia is on our near-future to-do list. One needs a 4×4, but the scenery is sure to be worth it.
Day 162 – Baby Shower
We had a baby shower for a colleague this morning – a lovely breakfast with all the office ladies. An event made somewhat shorter by the fact that the mother-to-be – to whom this was a surprise – went to the wrong restaurant, got stuck in traffic, and appeared 40 min late. In the meantime, there was plenty of time to take photos of the restaurant fountains.
Day 161 – Narrow depth of field
I like shooting with very wide depth of field and push the boundaries on ‘almost HDR’ (with a single image, tho). But it is early summer and the little details are so much more beautiful than the whole.
Day 160 – Not again!
Merlin appears in a lot of my photos – in even more of them, he is hovering just outside the frame, wondering what is going on… Yet again! In fact, quite a few of my failed pictures have some part of Merlin in them. Typically the nose.
Although he is most often willing – even enthusiastic – model, this one was cutting it a little too close to the dinner time.
Day 159 – Colours
I am a huge fan of bright colours. Our house, for example, has a lot of dark red, including our couch. In fact, I was very excited to finally get a chance to paint a wall in our bedroom rich, brownish red. Luckily Stuart shares my taste – or is indifferent enough to tolerate it.
Blue Moment 