Busy week at work...

... but relaxing evening at home, reading one of the books from my shelves. Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flag. Worth reading if you want to have a good laugh. Fall colors and fog. It is still quite warm during a day. I have never been fond of autumns, but this year I enjoy in every day it brings. At least I strive for that, having in mind that next year will be better than this one.

I like...

... the shoes on this photo: All of them. 89,99 EUR for a pair. Too expensive. By Art.

Ljubljana in autumn

There is a rhythm pumping through every vein of the universe. Call it Devine Spirit, call it God, call it the creative power of nature. The rhythm is taken up by the sun, the grass, the children at play. Eternal heartbeat.

~Shea Darian, Seven Times the Sun~

I took a walk through Ljubljana on Saturday, waiting for the painters to do their job in my home.

Now my walls are as white as they can be, shining and calling for some colors. Let's hope that my plans do come true soon, at least by the end of this year. But first we have to decide what we are going to do with the kitchen...

Verse

B brought Waldorf pedagogics and Anthroposophy into my life. Then I started to eat such food that I had always longed for. At home we had lots of potatoes and pork meat, while living with B changed that completely. I have been eating potatoes since then about three times a year, we ate only poultry, maybe once a month. We had all sorts of wheats and vegetables on our menu and soups as well. Sure we were eating too many sweets... It is interesting, that we both liked the same food. We both didn't like paprika and pears, our favorite juice was banana juice.Each day we lit a candle when having a meal, held our hands and said a verse to thank Earth and Sun for the food. We didn't read newspaper or books while eating. We were really enjoying each meal.

Today my life is quite different from that one with B. Usually I eat my meals alone and I've completely forgotten about such peaceful time. But I did remember and said that verse again last week, although I was eating from my lap, my house being in such a mess. So it goes:

Pozimi živijo semena v zemlji.

Spomladi in poleti rastejo listi in cvetovi.

Potem dozorijo plodovi.

Hvala Zemlji, ki nas hrani, hvala Soncu, ki življenje v zemlji drami.

This verse is in Slovenian and I will not translate it. English ones can be found on Waldorf mama blog. However, having my meal, made of vegetables from my own garden, looking at the flowers blooming in the backyard and enjoying warmth of the sun makes me feel content and at ease. No doubt that the Universe is unfolding as it should.

P.s.: That paper object on a photo is Flexagon (Kaleidocycle).

The Romans

About 2000 years ago there was a Roman settlement where Ljubljana is today, called Emona (Aemona in Latin). There are still some remnants of Emona that could be seen, like part of a Roman wall, stone coffins and tombstones. The settlement was completely destroyed in a year 452 by the Huns, led by Attila the Hun. Ljubljana has become construction place in the last few years and many Roman remnants have been revealed during this time. Here, where I work, archaeologists have lately discovered several Roman graves with urns and other pottery. They are removing all those founds, taking them to further analysis and museums. We discussed this yesterday at work - when is it ethical to destroy someone's grave? How old does it have to be?

I like the remnants of the past centuries and I don't agree with their destruction. I like touching those old stones that had been put there by people long time gone. Eventually, this is our history that has shaped us, so that today we are what we are.

Welcome autumn!

Yesterday at 23:18 autumn has started here. This is what's been hanging on my door for a week: The wire I used is not strong enough, so a circle has become an ellipse. It looks good anyway.

Back home

I will be able to move back home this afternoon. Oh, how happy I am! By Friday afternoon my walls will look as new, too. So, then it will really be time to go shopping again!

The last days of summer

I chose to be alone yesterday, in the mountains, on my favorite paths. It was foggy, but I felt great. Larches are starting to get their yellow color, rare Alpine flowers are still in bloom, humming and buzzing of insects are gone, peace and quiet have come to the mountains. Tomorrow in the evening autumn will start on calendar, but it can be felt in the air for some time already.

Hopefully I will be able to sleep in my house again tomorrow; I miss my home. My parents live totally different life from mine and their home is a bit murky and sad.

By the end of next week my home will look like new. And then comes shopping time again!

Superstitions

Let me tell you a true story.

A boy came to a room where two girls were playing. At that moment he spotted a chimney sweep on one of the roofs, sweeping a chimney. As it is considered good luck if you grab your button when you see a chimney sweep, he did right that. One girl did the same and the other one asked what they were doing.

»Come, look, there he is!« boy shouted. She came close to the window and spotted the man, too.

»Grab your button,« boy said nervously.
So she did, and asked: »What now?«

»Now your button won't fall off,« he replied and left the room.

This happened on Wednesday in my office. I laughed out loud when I remembered this in the evening lying in bed. And I admit, I always grab a button when I see a chimney sweep.

P.s.: I drew ladybug on a photo in 2007 for a wedding card. Ladybug is considered a symbol for happiness, fertility and good luck. A couple who received this card got married on 07.07.07 and they have two children now, one being born in August this year. Lucky people.

Empty home

Finally, after a year and a half, floor in my home will be renewed. We had to empty the ground floor completely. It was lots of work yesterday in the afternoon, I went up and down the stairs too many times. What I most fear is time when we will have to put everything back. This is how the mess looks like on the upper floor right now:I will stay at my parent's until Tuesday when I will be again able to sleep in my bed. After that the walls have to be mended and painted. I hope my house will soon become a home, like it should have years ago. Home, where it will be cozy and pleasant, where people will love to come to. Including me. And you.

P.s.: Today that dog was standing sadly on the other side of the road. I looked at it and it looked at me with big brown eyes...

Fruits of the nature

The other day I made one small jar of barberry jam. It took me two hours! But it is a delicacy, well worth a trouble.And it is raspberry season again! There have never been so many growing in my garden. Of course they are eaten straight from the bush. My grandmom used to make syrup out of them, but there are not enough of them growing in my garden for that. It is healthier if I eat them straight away. Well, I do share them with Ž ... sometimes. :)

My drive to work

Usually I am in my car by 6:45 at latest. Sometimes I have happy thoughts, sometimes I cry yet so early in the morning. It depends on a day how long I have to wait at the first traffic light; sometimes I wait in a queue for 15 minutes. I hope one day authorities will realize that it would be good to build a roundabout instead of existent crossing, especially if they keep giving permits for construction of new houses in area where I live.

I don't like people who drive close behind me because they've slept a bit too long and they are in a hurry. I don't drive fast, but accident may happen too quickly because of such reckless and nervous people. Well, this doesn't mean that I won't cause an accident once; who knows!

Lately I keep seeing a dog standing on a pavement; it looks quite sad and sometimes it wants to cross the street. I had to smile today, so miserable, lonely and sad it looked. Just like me.

I don't drive through red traffic light like many other people do. I wait and look around; sometimes I spot something interesting next by.

Have you noticed how serious and sad people look like when they are in their cars? Have you noticed that usually they don't talk to each other, but stare blankly through the windows? Rarely I spot husband and wife who kiss before one of them leaves a car. Do they really have nothing to talk about, can't they look each other in the eyes with love and affection? I have always striven for that, but it keeps slipping through my hands. There have to be two people wishing the same, doing the same. I guess I will perish before my wish is fulfilled... But hope is still left, forever.

I hope your last drive by car was pleasant, and hopefully full of laughter. Usually you will see me smiling behind the wheel or looking around when I queue at traffic light. I will wave back if you wave at me or smile at you just like that, to make your day. I like driving my car, especially now when I have new license plates on it. ;)

Helping hands

My dad knows that he won't be able to work much longer due to his illness, so he is trying to do something good every day and trying to follow well known proverb - seize the day. Sometimes this is a bit annoying for other people, who are not aware at this moment that they will not live forever either.

On Saturday we were helping him to cover the roof on a weekend house that he built mostly by his own hands. We spent almost, really almost every weekend there up to my 17th year of age when we moved to our new home. It was actually our second home, to where my parents escaped from my grandparents and some other relatives. We used to live in a cellar of my grandparents' house, in one room with a kitchen and bathroom. So, when coming to my parents' weekend house, it was like coming to a castle. It was spacious, bright and warm. Older we got, less willingly my brother and I were coming up there to the woods.

Today my brother lives there. I enjoy my stay up there whenever I visit him or my parents in that rather charming house. Nice memories bind us to that place.

We did a good job on Saturday. My brother baked vegetarian pizza and made delicious lemonade. We had a chat with local farmer and were working diligently from morning to late afternoon. It was nice day indeed.

Yesterday Ž and I drove to Slivje, a place where dogwood grows. Instead of picking its berries (not ripe and too dry), we came home with barberries. I will use them for jam. Well, at least that's a plan...

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Friends forever

It is good to meet with a friend from time to time and have a chat about this and that. It is quite different to sit somewhere next to each other, having a delicious rice ice-cream and discussing life issues, than just writing e-mails every day.We were colleagues at the University, but she had never finished it. She got married, had children, had a life. I met her a few years ago in a venue where we held one of our events. I guess that then our real friendship has begun. Today she is my best friend and I am hers. We have so much in common, but live totally different lives. I am often alone, she always has a company. She won't judge me, but rather offer me a helping hand, a good advice and a shoulder to cry on. Not everyone I call a friend can do this, not everyone is always there for me. I understand that her family is first, because if I had one, I would think the same. In these hard times she is the only person I can spend time with, being totally relaxed and enjoying her company. Always.Older we get, more precious old friends are. Those who were with us once upon a time. Today we can laugh at those events that we used to cry over when we were young. We keep finding out that we have become more at ease at our age, caring less for the things that were important to our parents. We are trying to find our own way in this life, realizing that it is a good one. We are on the right path. At least it seems so at this very moment.

Life is good. In spite of these turbulent and painful times. Because of the people who are there for me. Always.

Mushrooms

I love to pick them, but usually I don't eat them. Most of those on the photos are not edible, or even all of them, I don't know. I haven't checked the books and I only pick those that I know. Which are rare, because people pick them in such large quantities that soon they will be gone or protected completely like they are in some other countries around Europe. I don't understand people, carrying 10 kg or more mushrooms in the baskets, although they know that it is forbidden to pick so many at once. And then they will complain that mushrooms don't grow anymore because of other people or climate change or who knows what reason they will find.I enjoy in their beauty, but it is so difficult to take pictures of them, because of the darkness in the woods. Maybe I will learn how to make a good photo of mushrooms some day, who knows...

Windy

It was very windy up there on a mountain yesterday. I wanted to go up another peak, but there are three reasons, I rather spent rest of that day below in a valley: it was too windy, part of the path was obviously swept away and I was sooo tired.I met two Australians up there and they wanted to return to their car, taking another, quite steep path. They didn't believe me at first when I told them that the path is too steep for descent, but fortunately there were other people telling them the same.I found another treasure just below the peak, nicely hidden among the rocks. I couldn't resist not to visit the remnants of the I. World War. Road up the pass was built by Russian prisoners and nobody actually knows how many are buried next to it. A bit scary, if you know this, driving there. There are only rare Alpine flowers still in bloom, autumn is almost here, and nature is preparing itself for winter. Snow that has fallen on Saturday still lies around.I ate delicious apple strudel in a hut on Vršič Pass and enjoyed the rest of this day walking around the little lakes. I spotted one from the peak. Actually this lake is a wetland which disappears in dry season. In spring it becomes one huge blue spot, when blooming Irises cover the area. It was so peaceful there. I stopped in Kranjska Gora as well, by the lake below the house where I used to live. In 2003 I swam in that lake, so hot it was. There is one more mountain waiting for me, one more peak to go up to. I wish to go up there with Ž. One day perhaps. This year we were only one hour away from the peak. But there was snow still lying on a path in spring... Maybe one day, but who knows.