Self Portrait

I'm made of blue and mountains;
Of salty taste and summers,
Long silences and echoes,
Snow, clouds and stormy waters.

I'm made in equal parts
Of sunrises and darkness
tied up with shiny moon beams
And windy whispers through quiet blades of grass,
Of solitary trees that shelter all their birds,
Rivers gone dry and icy streams.

I'm made of hopes and tales untold 
Of amber skies and loosing without trying,
Of drops of rains and rainbows raising high above,
Horse riding in the sunsets bright as gold,
I'm made of rocky seas and winning without gaining
I'm made of love.

#Winter Wonderland in THAT Special Place

 

 

 This fence is the imaginary line I draw between the real world and my special, happy place.

 

A place that changes from one hour to another; let alone days or seasons. My Grasslands have me spellbound – I always return for more of its peaceful scenery.

 

I haven’t been out and about in a while so this morning it felt so good to return. Although a tad chilly.

Armed with my very basic camera and with a very vivid imagination, I entered through the thick fog enveloping the grounds. And what a sight this crisp Winter morning was. If I closed my eyes, I could even pretend it’s really like the winters I used to know. The fog and frost made it possible for me to pretend that everything was covered in snow. For a few minutes, Winter Wonderland had moved in my backyard – as I liberally call the grasslands – and Christmas in July really is knocking at the door.

I love my early morning walks – today it seemed to be too early and too cold for anyone else to be out. Alone with my thoughts, I loved taking in the sounds, the smells and the colours.

One would never imagine how colours really pop on a foggy background.

But on the other hand, for me - the fog is still one of the hardest things to master when it comes to photography.  I didn’t take brilliant shots today and they needed an occasional tweak; nevertheless I had a great time seeing the place come to life.

It's always busy in the grasslands – this morning lots of birds, kangaroos and hares saluted me hurriedly.  

I am not sure whether the mist is making the animals more alert to the small noises or whether the kangaroos aren’t used to me anymore, since I haven’t been able to follow them for a while.

One thing is sure, they were very wary of me this morning. Usually, I was able to go quite close to them. Today however, they ran as soon as they saw me.

There are a few foxes too but I have never been lucky enough to photograph them. I have quite a long list of “missed opportunities” - things that I would have liked to photograph but wasn’t fast enough or didn’t have my camera at the right time. Until I get lucky, enjoy my imperfect frozen beauties, from the comfort of your warm toasty house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A World Made of Happy Moments

One lightless morning, when the sun didn't seem to ever consider coming out from the clouds.
One drab, colourless day -  bitter cold, tired and sore, when sleep was still beckoning me, I chose to go dreaming.
One day when I was crazy enough to think that in a world supersaturated with perfectly post processed photos, there will be space for dim, dark and lightless photos from the Grasslands. Little did I know about the magic that was going to unfold quietly, just for me.
I ventured out of my circle of warmth and comfort on this cold, dreary morning, not really expecting anything. I could already tell that it wasn't going to be a spectacular sunrise yet something called out to me.
The kangaroos were already out, waiting for the sun. Like me. They scattered away quickly, startled by my quick pace. A mother with her joey lingered around and we studied each other for a while. Then they took shelter under a tree waiting for that sunrise that wasn't rushing at all.
The world was asleep. The sun as well; and I was starting to ask myself whether I should go back to bed instead of chasing Morganas. But then it hit me: I was out there because I like to dream. I dream of a world where everything doesn't have to be perfect, where we should make happy memories, rather than aim for fame. I have nothing to show for fame, but the memories of this Saturday will always be with me. For a few brief moments, I have enjoyed magic, all by myself. I had the sunrise on my left and a beautiful, big rainbow on my right, arching high above my house. The other end was stretching lazily over the hills. And then the Sun did come out. For just a brief moment; it smiled shyly through the trees and chose to go back in the clouds for the entire day.