When the sun is setting, between dusk and darkness, there is a moment when the light turns blue. And the world stops for a heartbeat.
Rome is city with over 900 churhes, 200 flavors of gelato and 3000 years of art. It’s a city where a city gate designed by Bernini isn’t necessarily even mentioned in the guidebook. It is hot, crowded, expensive and chaotic. It is breathtaking.
In winter it does not rain for 6 months in Johannesburg (Or at least it shouldn’t…). This means that by mid-winter, it is dry. And dryness inevitably means grass fires – some natural, but most of them not.
I continue to be puzzled on how casually South Africans treat these small fires. As long as they are under control, they are left to burn. For example, there was a small tuft burning in the neighbourhood park. The first time I saw it, there was a park maintenance team standing next to it, but after careful consideration they left it to burn. It was still smouldering the next day (unless somehow there was a second, unrelated fire at the exact same spot.
The Hadida found it quite worrying, tho. Although a little less worrying than a little puppy charging him from behind.
Unlike Venice or even Paris, Rome has the feel of everyday life everywhere. Even in the most touristy center, tucked in the narrow lane between two monuments is someone’s laundry drying from the window, and someone’s grandmother keeping a careful eye of the comings and goings on her street. The pulse of real Rome.
Note the grandmother of the street on the right…
I love plants and flowers, but I have no green thumb. I have managed to kill a cactus. Twice. (and one of those times I over-watered it) Luckily the previous owners of our house created a garden that is full of blooms year round – and seems to require very little beyond basic maintenance. And Stuarts helps to solve the rest of the problem by buying me cut flowers often. They are expected to last only a limited time.
Having a puppy means you spend a lot of time in parks. A lot of time. But when the sun is shining and the sky is blue, there are not many nicer places to be.
I’ve moved ~13 times in the last 12 years -to 9 different countries and 4 different continents. The more times I move, the more important for me is that I take the time (and effort) to build a real home. Home makes me feel at home. Even when I’m still unsure where to buy my lightbulbs.
Thus the topic of my new fooling-around-in-Photoshop-project is quite appropriate. My ‘home’ world.
I love taking photos of silhouettes. Every time the sun is setting (or rising) and I see an interesting outline against it, my fingers itch for the camera. So I could not resist this one – the leaves are so delicate in the intense light of the evening, they are practically translucent.
Poetry of light.
Photoshop is still something I need to put more effort in to learn. I started an online course, but I’m not finding enough time to practise. Somehow life gets in the way – work, family, friend and this little project called 365. But I’ll keep taking baby steps…
So, today I made this ‘classic’ play with shadows.
Braai is probably the best ‘South African’ word there is. It just sounds so much better than BBQ. Even my Finnish family has adopted the word to their speech. And luckily, spit braai does not actually require you to spit.
People of Mpumalanga don’t suffer from undue modesty – or how else do you explain a place called ‘God’s Window’. But I have to admit, the views are phenomenal. Along the winding mountain roads are little villages with crafts, great restaurant, whisky and – naturally – curios to all tastes.
One of the places we visited was Pilgrim’s Rest – a little village with number of houses restored to their ‘previous glory’. My favourite spot is the old BP Garage and it’s famous car that has been left to ‘Rust in Peace’.
Blue Moment 