Another Beautiful Day

Colors and numbers

2012-01-30T10:21:00.004+01:00

I meant to spend a weekend away from home and yet, my wish came true, and I spent it at home. I wasn't doing exactly what I wished to but those two days were pleasant anyway. However, one more day off work would suit me well.At the end of last week I came home with lots of books from the library. Some cook books, some Slovenian literature, a comic book and Louise Hay's Colors and numbers. I liked the cover but when I looked inside I was slightly disappointed. Obviously the Slovenian publisher wanted to save money at printing. Black print on beige paper. Boring. But I liked the contents, it is full of positive thoughts. Well, the truth is that I like both, colors and numbers. Besides, I like playing with both.

The book says that I should work diligently this year. My color of this year is supposedly green, and of course, everything will end well. A nice prediction, right?

Feathers

2012-01-27T08:18:00.005+01:00

If someone asked me if I collect anything I would answer: books and feathers. I didn't collect feathers when I was a child, I started bringing them home later, when I moved away from my parents.

It is fun to browse through the books and try to determine who used to be an owner of the feather. I found out that I, shortsighted as I am, usually keep looking down on my paths, not up. No wonder that I find lots of feathers. Sometimes they come from the small birds but sometimes also from the big ones.

Two in this picture come from the Hooded Crow (Corvus corone cornix), one of the most hated birds in Slovenia. Crows are clever birds and actually they are showing us what we are doing with our environment. They are showing us that our lifestyle has changed a lot in recent years. But people are angry, they don't want to have them around. I wonder how the Crows would be accepted if their song was as nice as the Golden Oriole's?

The feathers I found were of a dead Crow. I left them there. Actually it is illegal to take any feathers from the nature to our homes. The law protects birds by this. Otherwise they would be shot even more often than they are. At least those six species that are allowed to be shot (in Slovenia).

2012-01-26T08:46:00.004+01:00

Big advertisement panels have become a real nuisance in Slovenia.

The other day another one appeared right in the middle of a pavement. I could hardly see the forthcoming cars across it. I wondered who had given permission for it.

When I was driving to my parents' last week I spotted a colorful picture on one of such panels (above is a part of it). In this winter dullness I could hardly miss it, I just loved the colors. Though, another ad for a web site which should give us answers how to live our lives. Blah...

Land

2012-01-25T11:11:00.005+01:00

This is where I live, in one of these houses in a picture:

I can say that the surrounding of my home is quite boring, especially in winter. Fields all around us. If I had more money I would rent some fields and wait until grasses and flowers would start to grow there.

I am longing for spring. You can't imagine how much!

Changes

2012-01-24T11:50:00.004+01:00

I was quite satisfied years ago to be alone for days. I didn't need people around me. I was happy with my flowers, cats and books. When I split up with B things changed. I wasn't running away from people anymore, I wasn't scared of talking with total strangers. I realized these days that today I am as lonely as I was years ago; with a little difference - I don't want to be that alone anymore.

So, like many, many years ago, I still talk to cats. They are the only company around, sometimes for whole days. Pikec is one of the oldest cats around my home. His parents and siblings, as well as his children, were poisoned, killed or taken away (probably one of my neighbors knows well where to). I think it was once in December when he disappeared for a few days. Then he returned with a top of his right ear missing. He became a girl! One of the neighbors obviously took him to the vet's to be castrated. Now he wants to cuddle all day long. I smile when I see him, he has changed a lot.

This is what we, human beings do. We change the worlds of others so that our egos can be fed. If the world doesn't turn around as we wish, we become depressed and discontented. It is not easy to step off such world but it is possible. With lots and lots of effort. But we are usually lazy, aren't we? At least I am.

Three nice things

2012-01-18T08:58:00.004+01:00

I asked Ž yesterday in the evening what were the three nice things that happened to him that day. Answers were simple as life can be if we don't complicate too much:
- the sun was shining,
- your freshly baked bread was delicious,
- lying in bed right now feels good.

Ž is a simple man, indeed.

Let's count the waterfowl, part 2

2012-01-17T07:46:00.006+01:00

My heart jumped with joy when I looked through a window early on Sunday morning and saw the stars up in the sky. A thin line of light was visible in a horizon. An hour later I was dressed in warm clothes, binoculars around my neck. I had warmer gloves on my hands this time but they didn’t help much. I hoped that I would be there before any dog lover who walks his dog on “my” path. No matter how slow or quietly they walk, they always scare the birds. It was still the hunting season this weekend, and ducks were scared of people. I spotted a dead Mallard, I haven’t checked if she died of a shot; it was too sad to see it lying there in the water. I also spotted a light bulb, quite unusual sight on a bank of the creek. It probably came there with the floods about a year ago. While I was pushing my way through the bushes I wondered how many birds I scared with this. But there’s no other way to count them. This year I was lucky because I had the chance to see a Kingfisher there. We still wonder if this bird is nesting in a bank of this creek. On my way back I saw this lovely picture: And the evening was as beautiful as the morning; this time Venus and Jupiter were pinned on the sky. Each year I walk the same path, and yet, each year I have a different story to tell.

Let's count the waterfowl

2012-01-16T09:26:00.004+01:00

It was -6 degrees C on Saturday morning when I parked my car in a village. When I stepped out the air was fresh and a clear blue sky greeted me. I could see the sunny slopes in a distance but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy much of its warmth because I would be walking along the river in a narrow valley. It was indeed freezing cold; whenever I looked through the binoculars my hands felt as frozen; and that was many, many times. In a distance I could hear the shots. I wished I wouldn’t meet the hunters. Later, after a few hours, the sun finally shined on my path. I stopped for a short lunch and to warm up my hands in the warmth of the sun. I thought of spring and summer many times. I rejoiced each time when I spotted another dipper; and there were many this year.

At the end of my waterfowl count I stopped in Bled to buy a cream cake, and in a town nearby met with colleagues to exchange the news and have a slice of pizza. It was a good day.

Knut

2012-01-13T08:33:00.003+01:00

It tipped the other day, a Christmas tree of ours. Usually I leave it standing until 2nd February. When I saw it lying on a floor, I remembered the IKEA's ads for Knut. So, Knut time has come into our home, too. Now we just have to fill the empty space with something new. Oh, IKEA, I wish you were closer to my home!When I was still living in a block of flats, on the fourth floor, I used to do throw our Christmas tree through a window, too, just like they do it in the ads. B was waiting downstairs, and shouted to me when the air was clear. And then it flew, the tree, and landed on a floor with a soft "bam", and its needles were spread around it in a circle. It was a tradition and at the same time the cleanest way to get rid of the Christmas tree.

I will miss the soft light coming from our (ex) Christmas tree. It made our living room much cozier. But, well, if it is Knut time, then let it be. :)

Matija

2012-01-12T10:40:00.005+01:00

When I was in a primary school I became a member of a library. Not any library. That library was actually founded by my grand-grandfather. His picture had been hanging on one of its walls for many years until the library was renovated.

Just before Christmas I visited my recent library, and searched for a book in its database. I still don't know why I typed my grand-grandfather's name into a search box because I know that the books with his stories (yes, he was a writer, too) are stored in other libraries and not "mine". An address of a miscellany was written in the results. I borrowed this book, and with this a new story of one of my ancestors has been revealed to me.

It is interesting that my mom was always telling me that he was a great man, not my dad who was his grandchild. Yesterday I received this miscellany as a gift from a librarian who wrote the chapters about Matija, my grand-granddad. She said: "It is a pity that none of his descendants was aware of how important he was." Though, I am aware of this. I've loved books for as long as I can remember.

Well. Matija was important for Slovenian nation, for the education of Slovenian people because he did everything that this library was opened every day for everybody, supplying it with more and more books. But on the other hand he completely neglected his family. He actually worked in a bank but he spent every afternoon in a library. How can you have time for four children if you come home when they are already asleep?

Matija didn't finish his law studies because his family was obviously poor but he later worked in an office of Ivan Tavčar, one of the Slovenian writers. He had contacts with the writers of that time, that's why I think he also knew Janko Kersnik, the writer I was writing about in one of my previous posts.

So, he did a great work for the Slovenian nation and I am proud of him. I am proud of him because he was well aware how important was the care for a Slovenian language in those times when we didn't have our own country. He was also well aware that the education was crucial for the nation in such times. I just wish that he loved his family more. Our lives would be much nicer if he did.

p.s.: A photo I am posting is published in the book I received yesterday. By comparing family photos to this one I found out that behind my grand-granddad in this picture stands my granddad (my dad later confirmed this).

Knitting

2012-01-11T08:09:00.006+01:00

It is one of those special days today that mark an event which happened once in the past. I wonder what kind of life I would have if I acted differently on the same day eight years ago. I was a firm believer then that life would be wonderful and much better than ever before. Yes, I am a big dreamer and my daydreams usually don't come true. Though, I should not complain about my life, I made it like it is. I had (and have) choices. I am still pondering whether to stay on this path I am on or not. Is it worth making steps on it or not?

The Universe is not giving me any answers; or is it just that I don't (want to) see them clearly enough? In some way we need a huge courage to step off one path and follow another. I don't have it. Lost it. Hopefully not forever.

So, it took me a few hours to knit a hat I gave Ž today as a gift. I was making it with quite big needles (no. 4), and when Ž tried it this morning we decided that it will need a few changes. I will have to make it a little bit smaller. Now I am thinking whether to make a completely new one or just unravel a few lines.

Let me end this post with some positive thoughts. My life is slowly getting better although I do cry sometimes and feel sorry for myself. Courage, yes, courage is what I need right now, and lots and lots and lots of positive thinking. It helps. Simple mantras do help when negative thoughts sneak into my head. And that blue sky and sunshine that we've been bathing in for some days add to this too. Life is beautiful, you know.

P.s.: The hat is made of pure wool, and its color is indeed green although it looks like it is gray or even blue. I found a pattern on DROPS's web site.

Reading

2012-01-10T08:18:00.004+01:00

I have become picky when choosing what to read. I find most modern novels boring and I feel like they would rob my precious time. So I don't read a lot lately. It looks like that people today have to tell what they think to the rest of the world. Including me, writing this blog, right? We had to memorize lot of data about Slovenian writers and poets when I was in a primary and a secondary school. Usually I had no problems with memorizing their birthdays but the rest... boring. The literature written by the Slovenian classics (as the writers from previous few centuries are called) makes you sad and bitter. Most of them write unhappy stories, and obviously in the opinion of teachers, full of metaphors. We had to learn about those, too. But to tell you the truth, I don't care if a woman was running after a cart, and actually her running metaphorically means something (usually how this life is hard and unhappy and unfair).

The other day I wanted to borrow a book by one of our poets that my granddad used to read a lot but came across a book by Janko Kersnik, a writer who was rich and lived in a castle. He was supposedly a beautiful man and people liked him because of his cheerfulness. Oh, yes, we needed such cheerful writers in those days, and we would need them now even more! I think that Slovenian nation needs comedies not dramas especially because we have one of the highest suicidal rate in the world!

So, I read a few of his novels and enjoyed the old language. Many words are not used anymore and some changed in a century. His stories are just what I need these days - plain and short love ones telling about life in 19th century.

And I believe that my grandgranddad knew Janko Kersnik in person. I will tell you why I think so in one of my future posts.

A market day

2012-01-09T08:48:00.005+01:00

We are lucky these days because sun has been shining from morning until dawn. We needed this blessing from the sky. I needed it. It was a peaceful weekend and I had no plans. On Saturday morning I decided to take a walk through the city center and visit a market. On my way to the marked I was thinking about my ancestors who were living in this city and walking through its streets every day. What were their days like? Today I even can't ask my grandparents about this anymore because they are both gone. When I was younger, still living in their house, we didn't really like each other. They didn't know how to treat kids. Yes, with beating and strict word, this was their way of raising children. Who knows what kind of person my dad would be if he had kind and loving parents? And what kind of person would I be?

I passed the bars (was this one here the last time I was walking down this street?):

I admired the colorful things hanging in front of the shops:

A woman asked her husband when Shrove Tuesday was this year and I answered for him because he had no idea. Across the street I stopped to take a picture of a sign which was telling me that waiters in that bar are smiling (and if I wasn't alone I would probably just walk in and try their apple strudel): I came home with some packages of cereal products (maize, barley and rye):

And finally, on a way back to my car I learned that a woman sharing my name was making curtains with lace:

I still have lots to learn about lace making. I am not able to make such lace yet, as it is in the picture. Though, it looks so simple.

It was a beautiful morning. Most of all, a peaceful one. My body, soul and mind were grateful for such a treat.

Home

2012-01-06T07:38:00.003+01:00

On one rare day when sun was shining also where I live, I took some photos of my home. To remember how it looked liked during the holidays. One day before Christmas we finally rolled up our sleeves and made our home a little more comfortable. This means that we stored some things in the attic, we disassembled an old round table that was traveling with me from one home to another and put away lots and lots of papers that we didn't really need. And it was like a miracle - our living room has become a spacious and pleasant place in just a couple of hours. Beside this, when little lights on our Christmas tree were lit, a place looked and felt like - a home.

I hope that we will carry on like this. I think that next step is hanging the pictures up on the walls. As the walls are made of concrete, I can't just hammer nails into them, all holes need to be drilled.

Until then I will enjoy looking at the little gifts that I received from a friend. All of them are good for a soul. They make me feel at peace when I look at them. Creative ideas came with them, too. :)

First day in 2012

2012-01-05T11:33:00.005+01:00

It would had been a shame to waste a wonderful day under the covers, so we took a walk above this never-ending fog in our city. We were discovering new paths in a bear country and tried to find interesting things in this winter dullness. It is quite warm these days. I heard from many people: "It smells of spring." And: "Oh, I hope spring will arrive soon." I don't think it will. Cats have thick fur this winter.

Browsing this wonderful world web I keep noticing that pages start to fill with all sorts of Valentine's day tutorials. But at this moment I have Carnival costumes on my mind not Valentine's hearts. It might be fun this year because my mom celebrates her birthday on Shrove Tuesday. Oh yes, we might have lots of fun that day!

Fishing

2012-01-04T10:38:00.006+01:00

A day after Christmas Ž and I drove to the seaside. Ž wanted to catch some fish. No catch this time, so we visited one of our colleagues and took a stroll on a beach. It was a nice, peaceful day. Especially I liked the view - far away in a distance I could see my beloved mountains covered by snow. Walking along the sea I admired stones and sponges, some solitary flowers and fruit. We visited "a graveyard of shells", a tiny strip of a beach covered only by shells. A treasure, slowly being destroyed by too many feet. Also ours. I wonder how it was there hundred years ago.

I am very grateful for such peaceful days. I need them right now. My body says so. My soul says so, too. I also noticed that I became quieter, not talking so much. I don't feel I have to, especially if others are quiet too. And I like it this way.

Knowledge is power

2012-01-03T11:24:00.006+01:00

It was creative, this year of 2011. In a way it was full of new things. I have learned how to play a few chords on a guitar and how to make lace. I planted seeds and brought in the harvest.

But also it was a restless and wild year. I was to places far away and also not so very far from where I live. I stood on top of many peaks and saw wonderful things on my paths. I was away from home too many times. I chose it so because in a long run this brought peace to my heart and soul. It was a good year although I know life can be much better (and much more pleasant) than it is. I never make any resolutions at this time of year. Why should I? I have no great expectations for 2012, only wishes.

We gathered together with closest neighbors at the beginning of this year, too. I wished them a year full of fairy-tales, a year in which pumpkins would turn into delicious food. It is funny that we all wished each other a good harvest. No wonder because our gardens connect us more than anything else.

I also received one strange wish from a friend - that this year would bring me only a little bit of misery and unhappiness. I think that we shouldn't wish something like this to each other. Bad times come anyway.

So, let a word for 2012 be colorful. I hope it will be like that, and also full of love and peace.

Let's make light

2011-12-23T09:03:00.004+01:00

It is hard to believe that somewhere up above the fog is a bright blue sky. I am very much looking forward to next week because I will be at home. Well, not necessarily at home; when this city will be in fog I will be somewhere above all this dull whiteness.

It is the beginning of the light's return. It feels good that it is so.

Happy holidays!

Hello winter

2011-12-22T13:13:00.003+01:00

It has arrived, this cold season of a year and we are again living under a foggy lid. Well, sometimes we do see a sunset. And stars, too.I finally finished making Christmas cards. They are not so important as getting together with those we love. Friends and family. They are important.

One may ask what does this pumpkin in a picture has in common with all this. For me this "warm" picture is a symbol of coziness, of these cold and yet warm days.

In bloom

2011-12-21T08:25:00.004+01:00

Our Christmas wheat has been growing very quickly and we will have a nice green "grass" in our home just on time. I also spotted small white flowers on my cactus. I used to collect them but spiky as they are and with special needs I decided to keep just one of them. It usually blooms all winter instead of having a little rest after the summer heat. My mom used to get plants for her birthday each year because everyone thought that this would be the best gift for her. At the end she didn't know where to put them all. This is how it goes with the gifts, doesn't it, we get what we don't need and sometimes we give what people don't need.

It has become crowded in the shops these days. I thought of buying myself a skirt but came home disappointed. Are we not women anymore that all we can buy are trousers? I hope that fashion trends will change because I am fed up seeing only those tight "carrot" trousers everywhere for the third year in a row. Why can't fashion designers realize that not all women have perfect legs? Oh, fashion, how much more boring can you be?

Demeter

2011-12-20T07:51:00.004+01:00

Biodynamic gardening has been part of my life for about 15 years. Not that I follow all those rules; it is too time consuming for someone with so many interests as I have. B and I were buying lots of Demeter food but today, as prices are getting higher every month and my wage has been almost the same for about eight years, I can't afford to buy such food on a daily basis. I wish I could but I can't. One reason more to grow vegetables in my own garden.

Some days ago I coincidentally walked into a market with ecological food. Of course I spent lots of time and lots of money there. This Demeter yogurt in a picture is rather sour but it is delicious with some maple syrup. I thought about our two blackcurrant bushes; we eat all fruit directly from the bushes.

So, I will indulge myself in some shopping like that from time to time. It is good for a soul although devastating for a valet. :)

Cookies

2011-12-19T08:22:00.004+01:00

I haven't met for a long time a person as grateful as my mom was on Saturday evening when five sorts of cookies were finally stored in boxes. It was a pleasant afternoon spent making different sorts of pastries on a wooden board. In the evening we started to bake cookies. Some were made quickly, some not. It just didn't go as quickly as I thought it would go. On average we spent about an hour for each sort. Then I tried another recipe yesterday but I am not quite happy with the result.

They look much better on a picture in my cookbook. There's more baking on a schedule in the next days and I am looking forward to this. And there will be some parties, too, where people will eat all these goods that will be baked.

P.s.: It is time of a bad light here and this can be clearly seen in the upper pictures.

Relaxing

2011-12-16T09:59:00.004+01:00

It feels good to do nothing at all. It feels good to be with people you love. We made plans yesterday for Christmas evening. My mom broke her arm about two weeks ago and had an operation last Friday. Of course her plan to bake about 20 different sorts of cookies fell to pieces. It's hard for her to do anything with just one (left) arm! So, I offered help. We'll bake just the best ones this weekend and maybe some more during next week. Not 20 sorts of them but maybe 5, maybe 10, who knows.

I've been flipping through the pages of cookbooks quite a lot these days. I think that I will stick with already tested recipes for cookies. Mmmmm...

Memories

2011-12-15T11:14:00.004+01:00

I found out when troubles with health have begun that I need to change my lifestyle. I've been nervous, sad, angry and worried for too long. After seven years or so I joined gym classes again. I might be walking ten hours straight or do more push-ups than other girls but my motor skills are at zero. I stopped drinking milk for a while and I keep trying to eat more fruit and vegetables. Actually I used to live on milk and sweets and cereals. I slowed down a bit, doing things I like to do. It was scary to find out that my life is too stressful and that my nervous system stopped functioning as it should. In a way this happened when I said: "I can't live like that anymore." And with these words my body gave up.When I was in mountains for the last time this year I realized that I wouldn't mind if snow fell there. I had to slow down, I had to solve the problems I had at home. Soon after that I found a book in my library, almost 80 years old, in which Josip Wester, a teacher, is describing his hikes in our mountains. I had tears in my eyes when I read some paragraphs. It is an amazing book, full of historical events and sometimes also names. I felt enormous peace when I was slowly turning the pages of this book. I didn't need to go up there to feel at peace.

So, this is just a beginning. If I won't listen to my body and soul I might get seriously ill. Hopefully my heartbeat will get normal soon. In fact all I need is lots of love and care at the moment. Then life won't look so dark and hopeless. Because I know that it is not.

Ideas

2011-12-14T07:08:00.004+01:00

When I was taking a course on graphic design our tutor said that there's actually nothing new in this world - today everyone copies previous ideas. I don't think this is true but in fact we do copy many ideas. Despite this, we are creative in a certain way.

I know exactly how my home should look like (or should I say will look like one day?). To make my dreams come true I need a few things, like money, my own energy to make this happen and a strong man's hand to help me with it.

From time to time I see some great new ideas at the places I go to. I spotted this wall in a picture one day while I was having lunch. Actually, it looked like a great idea for a corner in my home, yet I decided not to go for it. Though, who knows, I might change my mind one day.

Oh, yes, I love colors!

Shopping

2011-12-13T07:22:00.006+01:00

I like strolling through the city center at night, it is so peaceful there. I like stopping by the windows of the shops and sometimes wonder at the imagination of those who decorate them. It is tempting to buy things that I see but at that time shops are already closed. Besides, what would I do with so many things that I don't need?I watched a video of Chinese toy factories the other day, people working night and day for a salary that can hardly cover their cost of living. I stopped buying Chinese food long time ago. I think I don't need to explain why. Last year I almost didn't eat any garlic because everywhere only the Chinese one was sold. This year I planted my own. I found out that Chinese peanuts have been sold lately in our shops. Its price is almost the same as for the one produced in the USA. I always wonder what we really eat these days. Have you ever asked yourself why children have so many allergies today? Is it food, air or something else?

I won't wrap many presents this year. It is more important that we get together on Christmas evening than to open many presents. We have almost anything we wish to have these days. It is not like it used to be when oranges at Christmas were a treat (we had to drive over the border to buy them).

I like this time of year although it is crowded everywhere. It is St. Lucy's day today. I won't bake Lussekatter but I will plant the seeds of wheat. To make these days a little bit more festive than they already are.

A helping hand

2011-12-12T08:38:00.005+01:00

It seems that in a world as we have it we need more and more people who are aware that we are destroying other living beings because of our own comfort and greed. What I experienced this Saturday was a destruction of trees because of a flower. So it goes these days, this is what we do. And I was there as a helping hand. We were creating a habitat for a rare orchid (I don't have its picture, these two on the photos are from the mountain areas). Owners of that land don't cut grass anymore because they don't have any benefit from that, so a meadow is slowly becoming a forest. It would be nothing wrong with that if someone didn't find the rare orchid there.

When we finished our work I asked people if they gave any offering to dwarfs who lived in those trees or at least said thank you but they stared at me numb and with open mouths. I might be weird but I do believe in what my ancestors believed in.

Sometimes I wonder why we do all this. Is it really worth it? Yesterday I spoke with Ž about the reserve we manage. We can't get EU or any other funds just to maintain it unless we do/build/make something for people too. Why can't we maintain it just for other living beings, for animals and plants, human beings excluded? Why do we have to destroy half of the habitat for the interest of people?

This morning when I drove through a village I live in, about 200 m from my home, still among the houses, I saw a fox. It didn't run away, so I slowed down. Then it slowly moved to the edge of the road and waited there. I think it won't live long if a hunter sees it. They like killing foxes as I heard. People in my village like killing cats as well. And I was present yesterday when a cat caught a sparrow. This is how it goes. I didn't intervene. Why would I? This is a natural selection. But what we, human beings do, is not a natural selection anymore. It is killing for our own interest and fun.

Stars

2011-12-09T07:10:00.005+01:00

Usually windows in my home were decorated with paper stars at this time of year. Not this year. Yesterday I had enough time to sit down and fold paper again. Funny, but each year I make new stars although I always keep the old ones stored in a drawer. There are many instructions for many different stars in my book but I can't get tired of the same design every year. It is my favorite, a bit rounded and almost always in two different colors.

It takes time to make a star like this, just like making lace. Unfortunately I can't show you what kind of lace I made yesterday. At least not before Christmas.

So, if you want to make your star, here are the instructions: part 1 and part 2. I still have two more to make. I can hardly wait! :)

P.s.: Talking about stars ... these days we can see both planets, Jupiter and Venus on the evening sky.

Festive time of year

2011-12-08T09:04:00.005+01:00

The lights are on! Ljubljana is lighted again, with galaxies and planets and many other unknown object upon our heads when we stroll through the city streets. My British friend still claims that Ljubljana is just a big village, and my reply is that it is one of the most beautiful villages I have ever been to. And it is so much more pleasant to be there if you are in a good company of a friend.

Until next September

2011-12-07T07:30:00.003+01:00

I had a chance to meet most unusual person yesterday when we said farewell to our lace making teacher with a promise to meet again in September 2012. Well, who knows how many of us will be there next year. At the end of our "party" a woman joined us. She looked and acted like a man but had a voice of a woman. She has four children. I smiled at this because it made me think. She must be a strong person, covering her grief behind a smile and jokes. She made me think about my own life. I may be looking like a woman but anyway, I will never have children. And I have not chosen it to be so.

We had an especially good time because of this woman, and I am glad I had a chance to meet her. With such meetings we grow and we become stronger. Actually, each of those women at the course gave me a little bit of themselves. I hope they felt the same when I told them my stories.

Look forward

2011-12-06T12:09:00.007+01:00

Before leaving home on Saturday I played with oracle cards. I was surprised when I pulled out this one: I smiled. Funny. The other card said: Examine the circumstances you face now and recognize which choices brought you where you are. Then say no to the negative and toxic ones.

So, I did think about what brought me here where I am at the moment. I came to one conclusion - it is about time that I start thinking positively. And yes, it is time to look forward. Although it helps a lot sometimes to look back at the happy moments in life. Sometimes, when you think that you won't be able to make another step on the path in front of you.

Into the fog

2011-12-05T10:07:00.006+01:00

Cookies are eaten. I said hello and also goodbye to friends. Instead of finally being in the sun, I drove into the fog on Saturday in the afternoon. We had such fog for almost a month in Ljubljana: Edible and not edible fruits in autumn: Beaver's tracks in mud: Stones smelling of rotten algae: Floki's farewell: I spent a day outside yesterday, at least it wasn't as chilly as other days in November. And in the evening we went fishing. While standing in a warm (yet chilly) breeze I made plans for the future days. It is a busy month, this December.

Butterfly

2011-12-02T11:00:00.003+01:00

It flew away, this butterfly that I had been making for so many hours. There's only one mistake I made but the lace itself is very far from perfect. No matter how I was twisting and turning five pairs of bobbins, threads never ran like they should have. I have a new pattern ready but I will start with my new project only after this weekend. These days I will be rather baking cookies because it is time to meet friends again. Holiday season is actually here. And in my home it looks like it is still early autumn. Let's move on, right?

Tomaž

2011-12-01T10:40:00.005+01:00

It was exactly 30 years ago when we heard a dreadful news. A plane, full of Slovenian citizens, crashed into a mountain in Corsica. One day later, a white rose was laying on one of the desks in my class. He was the cleverest guy in our class, always very quiet. His whole family went on a holiday that day, the first holiday in many, many years. They all died that day.

I don't remember if i was on his funeral but I remember visiting his grave once. And again this summer when I was coming from my hike in the mountains. It looked like as the gravestone was new but his birth year written on it was still wrong.

I wonder how many other schoolfriends ever remember him or am I the only one? After all, I drive to work almost every day through a street where he used to live. What would he be doing today if he lived?

30 years already... it's been a long time since he's gone. In my mind he is still a little boy at the age of 12, not more.

Curves

2011-11-30T09:17:00.004+01:00

I have never imagined that making lace can be such slow process. At least with this method of making lace that I use at the moment. I see the mistakes I make but don't know how to correct them. Our mentor and other women try to comfort me that perfect lace comes only with practice. I believe them because I saw their first lace.

At latest tomorrow I will finish another piece and then show you what I've made. Our course is at the end, so now I will be on my own for a little less than a year. Though, I found some good books on lace making which will help me to learn new techniques. I can hardly wait to start a new project!

Three times Vogel

2011-11-29T09:17:00.007+01:00

The other day we were invited to a late dinner with friends. We talked about mountains and mountain paths, I suggested them an easy trek up to one of the most beautiful spots in the Julian Alps, and heard from one of those, gathered behind our table that I started to exaggerate with my climbs/treks this year. I was unpleasantly surprised at this statement because mountains have become my refuge from an everyday life. Everybody knows that. It is not the peak itself that is important, it is more the view, the path, those things I can see while I am there. Of course I will try to go up to the peak itself if possible, I don't deny this.So, this statement made me sad and thinking if I would tell other people about my climbs/treks in a future at all. Or should I rather find other people who will listen and rejoice at what I do...As I told you I took a day off on Friday, and this time I went to one of the most solitary parts in the Julian Alps I've ever been to. I felt lonely, like being alone in this world, only chamois were running around playing or peacefully grazing dried and brown grass. It is written in my guide that this place is full of Alpine flowers in spring and summer. I believe that it must be beautiful there when the grass is green. There was lots of snow on all three peaks (Prvi Vogel-2181 m, Srednji Vogel-2226 m and Zadnji Vogel-2327 m), and a promise that it, like I wrote before, must be beautiful up there in summer. I will come back if possible. One day.

Light

2011-11-24T08:50:00.006+01:00

If the sun doesn't come to us then we try to find it where it is. These photos are from my Monday's walk above the foggy blanket. It is a short day and it is not easy to catch a glimpse of a blue sky after coming home from work. It was well worth it to drive that high.

Yesterday in the evening Ž and I went shopping. Not any kind of shopping, it was rather winter gear shopping. I bought my first Gore-Tex jacket 16 years ago in New Zealand, and have worn it since then to this day. Fairydown then, and obviously Macpac today. Things change. And I needed a new jacket. On our way to the store I noticed this light in one of the old houses: A shield was made of a piece of cloth lined with lace. It looked beautiful. Today I know that lots of work had to be put in making this lace.

Tomorrow I will be having a high dose of heliotherapy somewhere in the Julian Alps. And I will test my new jacket too. I can hardly wait.

Complaining about the weather

2011-11-23T08:07:00.008+01:00

The wind started to blow this morning, and in spite the temperature was the same as yesterday (-1 degrees C), the windshield on my car was not frozen. Hooray for the change of weather! I looked through the window this morning and realized that I haven't seen the stars for about two (or is it already three or even four?) weeks. Later, when I was drinking coffee with my colleagues, guys started to complain about the chilly and foggy weather we've been having for absolutely too long here in Ljubljana. Guys complaining over the weather? This doesn't happen often... They too are getting cold.

I left home on Thursday, and drove to the other part of Slovenia only to face another gray landscape and meet more people who complained about the fog. I had no other choice because I had to be there. I promised. I was cold most of the time, all four days in a row. The thought of going home on Sunday made me smile because I knew that it was warm there. It always is. Home sweet home, no matter how chaotic it looks like.

When we came back home Ž said that it was really nice to be in a warm and cozy place. It was good to hear that. And on Monday after work I drove up the nearby hill to see the sun after more than a week. I was getting crazy and depressed from this gray, piercing cold fog blanket over our heads.

I am glad that holidays are approaching. At least something that gives a little bit of light to everyday grayness. I don't like this time of a year, wet and damp and foggy and dark, leafless and soundless. Leafless? Well, not really. I was tripping over the rocks and roots covered by fallen leaves all the time these days...

P.s.: Those white storks on a picture above are made of socks; young girls and boys made them to raise money for their future projects.

I miss

2011-11-17T13:04:00.002+01:00

I haven't seen the sun since Sunday. It would be easier if it rained but it doesn't. There is a thick fog in Ljubljana for a long time now, and no time to go higher where sun shines. No time over the week, no time over the weekend. Oh, how I miss the sun!

Flower

2011-11-16T07:36:00.003+01:00

I thought that I would learn more at the lace making course. I know that we could learn more, that's why I am a bit disappointed. We are not able to make nothing else but the basic patterns which are obviously very rare. I asked our mentor to teach us another technique the next (last) time but she claimed that there wouldn't be enough time. I don't really believe her. I've been doing this lace flower for a long time and it will be finished today. At last. There are too many mistakes in it to give it away but it will be a nice reminder of my first attempt to make real lace.

Ojstrica, 2350 m

2011-11-14T08:54:00.006+01:00

Today I don't wonder anymore why my granddad named his house after Korošica, a mountain pasture in the mountains. When you climb the mountains and hills around it a whole new (and beautiful) world unfolds in front of your eyes. I mentioned already that I wish to climb one more mountain this year, and my wish came true this Saturday. I had other plans. Guys had a plan to go to the mountains to photograph Rock Ptarmigans (Lagopus muta). Without girls, of course. On Thursday just before going to bed Ž told me that I could come along. He knew that I would go up alone anyway. He just felt it. Later, when we were walking on the path to the top of Ojstrica, I realized that he is afraid that something bad would happen to me on my treks. Though, he is aware that I can't stay at home.One of our colleagues came along with us (the one who's girlfriend died this spring), the other one stayed down at the hut. His photo gear was just too heavy for him to carry it to the top. He was sorry later because we saw two Rock Ptarmigans just before reaching the peak of the mountain. They were almost completely white and their legs were fully feathered. Such beautiful birds. Our trek was full of good vibrations; it is hard to describe happiness we all felt that day. And it seemed that our friendship got a little bit stronger. Ž said later that this was the most beautiful mountain he ever climbed, and I couldn't agree more. It wasn't really the beautiful view from the top that was worth climbing it, it was more the scenery on our path that was breathtaking. I hope to return one day. Not necessarily to go to the top but to return to those mountain pastures below the rocky peak itself. And hopefully then the wind won't be blowing so strongly and it won't be so cold. :)

Daydreaming

2011-11-09T08:00:00.003+01:00

Po prijetnem vzponu bomo morda zadovoljno obsedeli visoko nad nemirno dolino in se zazrli v razgibani svet okoli nas. Če bi nas takrat kdo hotel zmesti z vprašanjem, zakaj rinemo tja gor, bi mu lahko odgovorili tako enostavno, kot je dr. Frischaufu pred dobrim stoletjem odgovoril pastir na samotnem vrhu: »Tu je tako lepo, tako daleč se vidi.«
~ Andrej Stritar ~

I stayed at home past weekend, and surrounded myself with guidebooks and maps. Not any kind of guidebooks and maps. I feel like as I have missed so many wonderful hikes this summer, so I made plans which peaks and pastures I wish to visit next year. Or at least some day. It is hard to except the fact that my dad won't be able to climb one of the highest Slovenian mountains just because his illness has worsen. Hopefully I will stand on top of this mountain one day for him, although I have never thought of climbing it. With a company of a good guide I will make it, I am sure. I am not bold enough to go alone. I also did some planting beside flipping through the pages of the guidebooks. Again I spent too much money on bulbs but I really hope my garden will not look so chaotic next year as it was this one. Have I mentioned that this garden of mine is absolutely too small for all the wishes I have? :)

Yes, I was daydreaming about next year but at the same time I was enjoying now. It felt so good.

1917

2011-11-07T09:01:00.004+01:00

Today I received a Power Point presentation full of pictures of Ljubljana at the beginning of the 20th century. Immediately I thought of a photo of four women that I found in my grandmom's album. Nobody could tell me who they were.This photo was taken in 1917, and my grandmom was 11 years old then, so I wonder if these women were really her colleagues from work like my mom was guessing. A memory lost, and names too, because they were not written down.

I just love this picture. Have you noticed the dresses they were wearing, their hairdo? Look at the second woman from the left - she is holding a hand of her "friend" on the right. And the right woman is having her hands covered with a muff. An open book makes you think like the left woman is reading to the rest of them. And a rose? Of course both, the book and the rose were put there by a photographer but it looks like they were reading a romantic story and daydreamt about their future lives. I wonder what their lives really were like. What happened to them, how did they look like in 10, 20, 30 years from the day this picture was taken?

I found out that I write this blog also because I want to remember what I did. With so many events going on in my life, I can't keep them all in my memory. Maybe that's also why I take so many photos. Although I know that when I am gone there will be nobody browsing through my photos and asking the same questions as I keep asking today - who is this, where was this?

Velika planina

2011-11-03T11:29:00.009+01:00

I have not thought for a moment that I would stay at home on All Saint’s Day. I knew that sun wouldn’t shine in Ljubljana that day. It is one hour’s drive to get to the parking place, and another half an hour or so to get to the pastures by foot. If I can’t get on top of the mountains then I can get at least close to them, right?I enjoyed each and every minute above the foggy lowlands. My mom told me later that I had spent a day 41 years ago exactly on the same pastures. It was sunny and warm on that day too.When I got back home lunch was on a table, and in the evening I lit a candle for all those who are not with us anymore. It was a good day.

Don Quixote

2011-11-03T08:18:00.005+01:00

Ž and I decided to spend a day away from a foggy Ljubljana, and drove to a hill, a home of bears, wolves, lynxes, foxes and, of course, birds. Not any kind of birds. It is possible to see eagles there if you are lucky. An organization I work for fought a hard battle against building wind turbines in that area because it is a very special place for animals and plants. Those guys in suits from the company that sells electricity came to our office and offered us a bribery to withdrew from this "battle". Just like that. But we are a different bunch of people, we stand by what we believe is good for nature. Sorry guys, but we can't be bought. This time Ž and I were picking sweet berries of Whitebeam (Sorbus aria). At first we thought of making jam of them but at the moment the berries are spread out on trays and they will be dried for teas and compotes.Later we were wandering around the hills in search for eagle feathers but instead found animal tracks I wrote about in my previous post. We also found quite fresh bear's poo full of Whitebeam berries. Hmn. Though, there were no bears in sight. On our way back we drove by a lovely castle. Actually only ruins stayed of it. As I read in a book on Slovenian castles it started to decay after a group of villagers bought it at the beginning of 20th century. A pity. It stands on a wonderful spot among the meadows and pastures, and it would be a wonderful place for weddings as also small tree-lined road leads to it.I am glad we took this trip because dense fog kept lingering in the lowlands for whole day. I had a feeling that sunshine and blue skies were like a cure for my well-being that day. Well, it seems that they always are.

Animal tracks

2011-11-02T10:52:00.003+01:00

I had lots of work last week and we had two days off work due to holidays, that's why there has been no word from me for so long. Also for today I can't say I have lots of time, so just a few photos from our trip to the sunny part of Slovenia (yes, there's been fog for too many days here in Ljubljana). This time I am presenting you some animal tracks. Bear: Fox: Most probably lynx: Wolf or dog? More photos will follow soon.

Youth

2011-10-25T13:58:00.003+02:00

I laughed when I found this photo of us, my brother, my cousins and me. I didn't care about the future then, or the past, all that mattered was skiing and making igloos with other kids. Cold? We were wet and it was cold but the play was far more important than anything else. Oh, what has become of me!

And I keep laughing at my hat that I was wearing then. I just don't remember having a hat like that at all. One of my cousins is a ballet dancer, I don't know what happened to the other one as my uncle divorced and remarried. My brother - well, in a way he is so much like me, and yet we are so very different, like night and day. And his blondish hair is certainly almost black today. Err... gray, too. :)

Fine misty rain

2011-10-24T09:07:00.004+02:00

Clouds covered the blue skies on Saturday, and I realized that I took only seven photos over a weekend. As if there was nothing interesting to show. But the only cause for not taking my camera in the hands was bad light and cloudy skies with fine misty rain falling down from the sky. I spent those two days among people and in the woods. Another grape harvest was on my schedule, this time we were gathering healthy grapes. No pesticides & co. were used on them. Half of the grapes stayed on the vines, other half had been eaten by birds and other animals before we started to pick the rest. But they were, oh, so sweet!

Ž and I went into the woods yesterday to check for mushrooms but there were almost none. Also birds were almost quiet. Later we gathered some chestnuts and beechnuts. Leaves have started to change colors, and in three weeks dull and cold season of a year will start.

While we were driving through the villages I was thinking that lots of people were indoors this weekend, most probably in front of TV screens. In a way they haven't missed much but on the other hand I am not sorry for spending both days outside, although it was cold and dark and damp under the cloudy skies.

So far

2011-10-21T07:28:00.003+02:00

We have learned basic techniques so far at my lace making course. I am aware that lace can never be perfect if you don't practice a lot. And my lace will never be perfect if I keep making it with lenses in my eyes. This is so obviously seen on the second picture. One week passes so quickly and making lace takes time (I spent more than 10 hours making those strips on the pictures!). I thought of making another strip of the last pattern but weekend will be a busy one, so I will start making "real" lace with knowledge and practice I have right now.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Snowflakes

2011-10-20T13:03:00.004+02:00

Snow, snow, let it snow. - it started snowing today, quite early this season. Snowflakes melt almost immediately.

- it is time to be creative again, it is time to make something new (lace not included; I will be able to show you my first real lace next week).

- I keep noticing that shops are beginning to stack shelves with Christmas products.

- I make herbal teas with lemon juice and honey every evening.

- I use gloves in the mornings while driving to work. Sometimes also when I drive back home.

It is getting cold and dark outdoors, it is getting cozy and warm indoors. Though, life still hasn't slowed down. Not yet. There's still lots to be done before winter truly knocks on our doors.

Fruits of autumn

2011-10-18T08:40:00.005+02:00

I've been cutting rose hips for the second day in a row. It is a slow work, and a messy one too. I use plastic gloves because those little hair inside of the hips are rather stingy. What I do reminds me of those days spent at my grandparents' when we were all sitting behind a desk and doing similar work. Preparing and storing food for winter. I gathered a bucket of carrots and other goodies from the garden yesterday, I shared some with my colleague at work. This is how it is done - I get plums from her and she gets vegetables from me. A good barter indeed. It feels like in the old days when there were no shopping malls and computers and mobile phones. Days are passing by quickly at this time of year, there's lots to be done around the house at the moment. Like mowing grass for the last time this season, cleaning the mower and the tiles and the flower pots, wiping away spider's webs from the front of the house, cleaning windows, gathering and cleaning and storing vegetables from the garden. This all takes time, more time than one can imagine. I hardly wait to move inside; I have lots of plans for rainy and gloomy days.

Sunny weekend

2011-10-17T08:30:00.006+02:00

I spent these past two days mostly outside:- doing some voluntary work at the reserve that is managed by the society I work for. I found out that I've been doing quite a lot of such work since I'm together with Ž. Sometimes I would rather stay at home but for some unknown reason I keep doing it anyway. It is good to meet people from time to time, and make fire outside on a meadow and fry sausages over it. Or cheese if you don't fancy sausages. This time many children joined us and there was less chatting about birds than usual. And my eyes were focused on those mountains far away most of the time.

- making some more lace. Practice makes perfect but the truth is that my lace is far from perfect. I will show you some pictures of what I do in one of my future posts.

- driving all the way to the coast (well, it's only about an hour drive away from my home, so not really far) to deliver about 100 kg of spelt (Triticum spelta) to my colleague. He will sow it together with some weeds/flowers that used to grow among cereals in times before pesticides & co. I keep thinking of growing my own cereals too, but I don't have any land where I could sow the seeds. Though, one can never know what future holds for him/her.

- picking fruits of Sorb Tree (Sorbus domestica); Google gives also names like Service Tree, Jerusalem Pear, Whitty Pear for this tree. Fruits are not ripe yet and they are still very bitter at the moment but when they become a bit soft and brown they will be eatable. I won't make jam out of the fruits although it is very tasty because we have to use all that jam from last year first.

- wondering how beautiful it must be in June at those places when all those Dog Roses (Rosa canina) are in bloom. We met many people who were, like us, picking rose hips. This year we will dry them for winter teas.

- gathering some Winter savory (Satureja montana) to dry too. I will grind it and use it to spice the food I cook. I use it a lot and this one smells nicer than that savory that I grow in my garden.

I had to wonder at this blooming shrub I came across. It should be blooming in spring and not now. And I smiled when I watched Ž among all those shrubs and trees. We were picking and gathering our own food for winter. It felt so good.

Percossa

2011-10-13T08:07:00.005+02:00

I saw an ad for yesterday's concert on a billboard while driving home. I like drums, not playing but listening to them. I mentioned this to Ž and he said he would go along. Great! So we went. I was a bit surprised because I expected different kind of a concert. I preferred the second part of it when lots of drums were played. And there was, as it is written on their web site, an unstoppable roller-coaster of hard hits. Amazing performance especially if you consider how much energy these four men had to put into it.

Cold

2011-10-12T13:24:00.005+02:00

I hoped that today would be a nice sunny day like yesterday's (when I had to stay in bed from morning to late afternoon because I felt so bad). But today skies are gray. I prefer staying indoors on such days although I know that it would be good to go out for a walk and see what nature hides behind its curtains. Frost caught me unprepared and I was bringing in on Monday afternoon lots of what was still not touched by frosty morning. I have no photos of paprikas, pumpkins and turnips (like SouleMama does), I felt too exhausted to do anything else than fall into bed after I had done what was most important to do. I covered with fleece some vegetables that will be able to survive more frosty mornings but still, they won't hold on much longer. Soon time of rest will come, for plants and earth, and hopefully for me too. I know that I will be resting this afternoon. And maybe doing some bobbin lace again. It is an addiction. And a nice Zen activity as well, good for mind and soul.

* Those words on the picture are written by Nicola Chester in Birds magazine (by The RSPB).

At home again

2011-10-10T07:54:00.007+02:00

Finally I spent a weekend at home. It felt so good although I was very tired at the end of each day. There was so much to do but not even half of it has been finished. I was:
- enjoying some time in my garden again, gathering some paprika, parsley and thyme. I cut paprikas into small pieces and froze them. They will be used in sauces later in winter. I also froze parsley while thyme was spread out to be dried on a baking tray.

- using the first Hokkaido pumpkin for our lunch. I just cut it into slices, sprinkled it with some salt and baked it in the oven at 180 degrees C. Simple as that and very delicious.

- spending lots of time in a kitchen yesterday, preparing an apple-plum-cranberries crumble. As Vlijtig said - sweet and simple although I found it quite time consuming. Especially cutting all those plums into small pieces. I will use more fruit and less crumble next time. And maybe less sugar too.

- a bit sad seeing mountains covered by snow. I don't think it will melt before next May or June. I will miss them, my refuge from an everyday life.

- gazing into the stars on Saturday between 7 and 8 p.m. hoping to see some of those promised 1000 shooting stars per hour. I saw only a few, far less than were promised. But the night was magnificent, quite warm and the skies cleared just in time. I have always loved stargazing. I thought of being an astronomer when I was still very young. Later I found out that you have to study physics to be that. A pity that we always had bad physics teachers. Though, I am not a night person, I go to bed early and prefer to wake up early.

This were the weekend happenings at home. I switched the heating on for the first time this season. And the warmth makes a home so much cozier than it is. I hope you had a nice weekend too.

Lace

2011-10-06T08:11:00.006+02:00

Not many people would know what I would write about if I showed them this photo: Some would guess seeing this one: Or this one: So it goes, very slowly, braiding and twisting the bobbins in a certain order: This is just a beginning. Making bobbin lace is not an easy process, it takes lots of time and practice. And a good mentor. In my opinion how to make Idrija bobbin lace is a bit of a secret here in my country. Books tell only half of what you should know to make one. It is also not easy to get free patterns (for Idrija lace) if you are not connected to certain circle of people (lace makers). Besides, if the pattern is not well drawn also lace won't look good. So, here is my first piece of lace: You can see yourselves that it is not made evenly. There are certain reasons for that.
1. I am a beginner in lace making.
2. My mentor has to provide help for too many other pupils as well.
3. The pattern is not thoroughly drawn.

I hope that I will be able to show you nicer lace at the end of my course. No doubt that I will spend lots of dark winter afternoons and evenings behind my lace pillow.

Debeli vrh, 2390 m

2011-10-05T08:58:00.005+02:00

Although that path was steep most of the time and in some parts also dangerous, I am not a bit sorry I took this adventure and went on this mountain. Probably the path is not officially marked and secured because top of the mountain is a rare solitary pasture (among rocks) for large number of chamois and ibex. I saw some, walking easily over the steep rocks. I stopped at a mountain pasture, empty at this time of year: My mountain: I thought at first I won't be able to stand on top because of one dangerous notch (there's precipice on both sides of it) but later I remembered I'd seen a sign made of rocks and followed it. This is a peak I stood on first, trying to find a way over the notch: And about an hour later - me, happy on top: Such beautiful view! Triglav on the right: Italian mountains in a distance: A peak I was standing on last year on a day when my granddad died:Not everyone can stand on Debeli vrh but those who do are rewarded with one of the most beautiful views in Julian Alps. I wanted to stay up longer but clock was ticking and sun was low, so it was time to go down, back to my car.

This was one of the most beautiful days I ever spent in the mountains. I am so grateful for this warm sunny autumn weather we have but I can't agree more with SouleMama who wrote in her last post: "Saying goodbye to my favorite time of year always carries a little bit of melancholy for me."

Sun clock

2011-10-04T11:46:00.004+02:00

I am dreaming of having a sun clock on my house or in my garden but as the corner of the house is facing south, I would need two of them. I could have one in the garden but more than half of it is in a shadow at least five months of a year. I am actually dreaming of having big garden one day but I am not sure that this will ever happen. So, with or without sun clock, I have realized that I keep taking photos of those old ones that I usually spot on churches, castles or old buildings. This past days I saw three, and they were all very beautiful, although plain. I found two of them in one of the most beautiful parts of Slovenia. I have never before seen so many old orchards, renovated old houses and beautiful meadows with magnificent views. I wonder who made all those sun clocks and if they were of any use. Today people don't care about them anymore, having mobile phones handy all the time. A pity. Maybe we should at least sometimes turn our clocks back to the past. Probably we would have more time if we did.

Prisank / Prisojnik

2011-09-29T10:54:00.005+02:00

So, finally after three years after Ž's promise to go up with me I was standing on top of Prisojnik, also called Prisank (2547 m), alone. This is one of those two mountains on my list that I still wanted to climb. "My" mountain: Still 2 hours and 15 minutes to go? It took me 4 hours to the top because we missed the easy path. Somewhere here we were looking away when passing the crossroad: It happens. Sometimes we find more beautiful paths, sometimes we turn back before reaching the top. Ž felt dizzy and his knee started to hurt, so he waited for me on 3/4 of the path. He knew that I wouldn't turn back. Not this time. I had done that two times already.He worried about me all three hours while I was gone because he saw that the path was dangerous, although easy. Ease your grip and you are several hundred meters below, and certainly not alive anymore. One part of the path goes from the bottom left corner to the top right corner on this picture:You can hardly imagine how my heart hurt at the top when I saw him with my binoculars sitting in a sheltered spot waiting for me. I thought we would be standing on this mountain together. He is a tiny spot in this picture: And me on Prisojnik. Actually - my backpack: Rare flowers on my way back: And a Pagan girl in rock when we were again back below: Oh, how I felt sorry for him when he walked in front of me back to the car! But I know that I couldn't have persuaded him to carry on walking from that spot where he stopped. He chose it so.

I am not sure if I will be able to climb another mountain this year. Well, one can never tell. But at least I am happy that Prisank is ticked on my list. Very happy indeed. Also because it was one of the scariest mountains to climb in my whole life.

Vintage

2011-09-26T10:32:00.005+02:00

This weekend many people spent in vineyards because it is vintage time! I was:

- spending time among ripe grapes too, helping colleagues and Ž's family to harvest sweet sweet grape berries.

- meeting lots of people and hearing the local news. Gossip here and there. I know that they talk about me too when I am not around but I got used to it.

- a little bit sad because I know that grapes will turn into wine, and this wine will cause lots of sorrow and suffering for many families in my country. I live in a country of drunkards but I am lucky that nobody in my family ever liked to drink any kind of alcohol.

- picking chestnuts (just two handfuls), and had them for supper last night.

- taking a trip to a lake where I watched the birds. With autumn came the fog too.

- wishing that I could be in the mountains. But a promise is a promise.

I hope that you had a good start into your autumn (or spring) too.

Honey for vegetarians

2011-09-23T09:19:00.005+02:00

I am not a vegetarian or vegan and at the moment I don't plan to be. At the same time I am not a fan of meat and I rarely eat it. But I admit that I could hardly live without diary products. I know many people who are vegetarians or vegans but they have never thoroughly researched what kind of food is actually good for them. I am also surprised that some of them still eat products which consist of (animal) gelatin and fruit yogurts which are colored by crimson.At the beekeeping course we watched a movie on extracting honey from the beehives in Hawaii which is later sold to customers in Los Angeles. We were astonished at the mass murdering of honey bees by those people (I don't think they can be called beekeepers). This is not how extracting honey is done in Slovenia. Slovenian beekeepers respect bees. Bees die like people (Slovenian: umrejo), not like animals (Slovenian: poginejo).

Well, my conclusion after watching that movie was that Hawaiian honey is not appropriate for vegetarians (vegans don't eat honey anyway) because juices of all those crashed bees that were killed at extracting honey could also be found in it. It is wise, if you are vegetarian and if you eat honey, that you know how bees make honey and especially who is a beekeeper of those bees (and most of all what he/she is doing during a year with his/her bees). Otherwise you just might eat some animal remains with your honey as well. Or should I add that bees eat other bees (which are still undeveloped in the cells) as well? :)

P.s.: Yesterday those beehives on a picture above were full of dead bees. They were robbed by other bees. At least 100.000 bees died. A sad day for a beekeeper.

Bird stamps

2011-09-21T09:28:00.004+02:00

I often wonder why I exist in this world at all. What is a real meaning of my existence? Since I don't/can't have any children of my own this is even harder to know and understand. From time to time I get a proof that my existence in this world is not quite in vain. On Friday four Slovenian bird stamps will be issued. They wouldn't be if I didn't exist. But at the same time I ask myself - would be there really any difference if they weren't issued at all?

Farewell summer

2011-09-19T11:21:00.007+02:00

I am very grateful that we were granted some more hot summer days in September. It was unusually hot for this time of year. Now these days are over; yesterday we had the last day of summer - that real, hot summer. I enjoyed myself a lot during my favorite season of a year.

This is how it was around my home yesterday in the afternoon:Farewell summer. Snow fell in the mountains and if it doesn't melt, I will be up there again next year, not sooner. But this is how it is here where I live. Autumn won't bring peace and rest, there's still so much growing in my garden. Vegetables will have to be stored and conserved, house cleaned before the cold finally embraces the land. And then, there will be time to create again. In the warmth of my home.

Beehives

2011-09-16T07:54:00.005+02:00

There's only about 2 million people living in Slovenia, and I can say that we are a bit special people. Despite living in our own independent country for only 20 years we managed to survive centuries speaking our own language (with many dialects), having our own alphabet with 25 letters and written books. We can be proud of many talented people, from sportsmen to scientists. Maybe this smallness makes us who we are. It seems as if we want to conquer the world. We are small, so we have to learn and share and show our knowledge, otherwise others will just step on us and we will be gone.It is also so with the beekeeping. More than 200 years ago lived a man, Anton Janša, who was supposedly a pioneer of a modern beekeeping. He was a good painter, so he painted pictures on the beehives. More than 2/3 of his knowledge is used in today's beekeeping in Slovenia. As people wanted to keep bees also through winter months and not destroy them (it was a common practice to destroy bees after "stealing" honey from them), beehives had to be changed. A man named Anton Žnideršič "invented" a beehive which is (still) used by about 90 % of Slovenian beekeepers (called AŽ beehive):Foreign people who come to our country admire those beehives (placed in bee houses), especially if they are painted like in the old times. Not many are, though. On a picture you can see how they look like placed in a bee house/apiary. This one is actually made to show to tourists, but in one of my posts you can see how a common one looks like.

I've been reading lots of books on beekeeping lately and it seems that modern beekeeping will force Slovenian beekeepers to start using Langstroth hives (in Slovenia called LR beehives) or similar ones. I thought of having those too, although my dad uses AŽ ones. But, as I wrote before, time will show if beekeeping is for me at all. My mom is allergic to bee stings (she can die of only one), hopefully I am more like my dad. :)

P.s.: On the first picture above are the hives for bumblebees. I liked those because Alpine flowers are painted on them.

Veliki vrh vs. Ledinski vrh

2011-09-15T08:11:00.011+02:00

This week I was standing on top of two (well, actually three) peaks. On Sunday I was on Veliki vrh (2110 m) with Ž. It was a nice trek up the mountain. When we came on top of it we were both surprised. The view was astonishing and the plain/meadow up there was very beautiful. It was a pleasant stay up there. If I was alone I would spend much more time wandering around but Ž was tired from the previous day and wanted to go home to rest. Hm. I also wanted to visit a little chapel and an old mountain hut, so my wish was granted. I am sure that my granddad visited those places many times. It was a beautiful day.

On Tuesday I went alone to the top of Ledinski vrh (2108 m). I woke up early but today I know that it would be better if I waited until 10 o'clock and started my trek then. I didn't like the rotten smell in a valley and there was dampness hanging in the air. The path was steep, not an easy one with wire ropes and wedges around every corner. I would like to know who wrote on a sign at the beginning of this path that it was an easy one. It is certainly not appropriate for dizzy people. Later I reached a hut which was closed. It was cold and clouds began to gather on top of the highest mountains. Not a good sign. A few minutes from the hut I came across the remnants of an ex-glacier. Climatic changes (caused by human) melted most of it. People used to ski there during summer months. Today mostly rocks can be seen there. And chamois. And remnants of the bullets with which hunters killed chamois. It was such vastness up there! Such loneliness! I reached the top and went down again to search for a sheltered spot to eat my lunch. In an early afternoon clouds started to disperse and wind calmed down. I found an old path (obviously these days used by hunters only) and followed it. And rested. I wondered at the solitude and beauty around me.
So, if I had to choose between these two treks, I would choose the first one. I could describe the first one as "joy" and the second one as "solitude". And for sure I prefer joy to solitude. :)

Beekeeping

2011-09-14T08:46:00.005+02:00

This summer lots of things connected with the bees happened to me. I took that as a sign and enrolled in a beekeeping course. It started this Monday and it will end by the end of this month. I like our lecturer, he is not just a beekeeper but also a person who takes care of the nature around him. I browsed a few beekeeping forums, and as far as I could read most of the beekeepers are thinking only of themselves and their profit. A pity. I thought of having my own bees just for learning something new and having some honey for myself (my dad is a beekeeper, so I don't think my family would need my honey) and friends, and certainly not for making any profit of this. Well, I will see how my life unfolds until spring when a new beekeeping season starts. The course is carried out in a beekeeping center, and next to it stands an old castle. Unfortunately it was burnt down by the partisans in WW2, and the owners were not allowed to rebuild it after the war. I also found a lovely sun clock on the wall of a church near by. There are so many treasures hidden around my country, and I am glad that I notice them at all. And yes, a blueberry strudel from the bakery in a village nearby is delicious! I think I will eat another piece of it when I am around there the next time.

Running

2011-09-12T07:54:00.004+02:00

I wasn't planning to run this Saturday but eventually I did. At least I wasn't the last crossing the finish line. It was hot and I wished so much that some wind would blow from somewhere. The winner was 30 years younger - this fact was some consolation for me in a certain way but I am fully aware that sooner or later I will have to do something about my health and good condition. I am not sorry that I took part in this race, also because I wished to encourage other women from Ž's village to take part in this run next year. I hope they will.

Oh, September!

2011-09-09T11:34:00.004+02:00

These days I keep noticing these pink flowers on the meadows. They are the heralds of an autumn. I am glad that days are still warm and sunny although that day, marked "Autumn 9:04" is approaching fast. I spent yesterday afternoon in my garden and kitchen, cooking and baking. There are so many vegetables that are ripe at the moment that we can't eat them all. When my hand gets a little bit better I will start conserving some of those. I have already stored some of the pumpkins, now red beets, parsley, mangold, eggplants and paprika are waiting to be frozen or canned. I can't say that I like this work but I enjoyed yesterday in stripping the tarragon leaves off the stems. It was such a peaceful day.

May your day be a peaceful one too.

Jumping

2011-09-07T09:37:00.003+02:00

Sometimes it is not very clever to jump over overgrown ditches when it's dark because you can miss the other side of a ditch. I did exactly that last week and twisted a little finger on my left hand. I put a bandage around my hand because I found out that the hand would never heal without it - I use the little finger too often. Also when typing. Pressing Shift and Ctrl buttons with it very often... I hope it heals soon, I need my whole hand for house- and garden work. For playing a guitar. For sewing. For reading. And for climbing the mountains too.

Kalški Greben

2011-09-05T13:57:00.006+02:00

Kalški Greben (2224 m) is not one of those two mountains that are still waiting for me to climb but going on top of this one is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful trek in the Kamnik Alps. Of course, it depends on the path you take. Besides, you have to be fit enough to walk at least three hours to the top. And then back too. Walking across the ski slopes didn't make me happy but when I finally came on the mountain path I almost felt joy in my heart. I passed a mountain pasture where four beautiful horses were grazing the grass. Up led my path, and when I caught a sight of the mountains that I climbed two weeks ago I stopped and held my breath. So beautiful! People were rushing by me to the top, I just enjoyed the view. All day long. I took another path on my way back but I wasn't aware that in one part it was pretty dangerous. The view was great, although this path is not appropriate for dizzy people - there's a precipice on both sides. When I was on the safe side I deserved a short break with a beautiful view. It was so funny when I saw this artificial lake on top of the ski slope; the water is used in winter to make snow. I wished I could jump into it after a whole day of walking.Later I stopped at a little chapel, and then returned home. I was happy.

Autumn on its way

2011-09-02T12:17:00.006+02:00

Farewell summer already? I hope not. I will miss it a lot. It was such a happy summer, although I can't really say why. Life slowed down a little bit, maybe that's why I felt so happy. I made a little vacation of my summer days by resting, reading, admiring the plants in my garden. And most of all, not doing much housework at all. Only that what was really necessary. I spent two days at the seaside this summer. I will have to do something about this next year. At least double the number of such days. :) Once I took my grandmom and mom there; grandmom hasn't seen the sea for more than 30 years because granddad didn't like it. In a way she was disappointed when we came to a beach because in her opinion the water was not warm enough (although one of its highest temperatures this year was measured that day). At least the food was good.

These days I help my colleague at bird ringing. Mostly our catch are the Barn Swallows. Yesterday we hit a record - more than 500 were lying in the nets. We ringed more than 300 of them, and another colleague ringed the rest. We went home at 1 a.m.

Just imagine how far these swallows will have to travel in the next few weeks to reach their winter habitats. And then they will have to fly all the way back from the south of Africa, over the deserts and the sea. It is estimated that of those 500 caught yesterday only 100 will return next spring. Happy journey, I say to each one I set free, and do come back next year.

But let me enjoy this summer now as long as it still lasts. Happy weekend!

Korošica

2011-09-01T07:26:00.006+02:00

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.
~ Rachel Carson (this quote is from the Soule Mama's book The Rhythm of Family)

I have already mentioned that my granddad (dad's father) loved going to the mountains. Two weeks ago I was wandering around the paths he liked most of all. I visited Korošica (a mountain pasture) for the first time a few years ago with Ž. I don't know why I felt so sad there that day. This time I had the best time in the mountains this year. I stayed up there two days, slept in a mountain hut where my granddad used to sleep, and wondered what was a reason that he named his house after this mountain pasture - Korošica. So, this is the mountain hut I found shelter in: It was cozy in my "apartment" on a first floor. Main purpose of my visit of Korošica was actually to climb another mountain - Planjava (2394 m) near by. I watch it from my bathroom window on every clear day. Last year snow fell too early, so it had to wait until this summer for me. It was steep at some places and in my opinion rather dangerous. I wished that I was not alone at those moments. I met six people on my way, and one of them was a man about my age who caught me taking photos of the Alpine flowers. We said hello (it is custom in the mountains to do so but I keep noticing that lots of foreigners don't greet you passing by) and when he thought that I was not watching him, he smiled at this. He was already on his way when he turned and asked me some more questions. One of them was if I was going his way. Then I had to smile. So, "my" mountain on this photo is on the left: And on top of it there was a big cloud. :(Next day I climbed another mountain called Lučki dedec: I obviously took the most dangerous path of them all. Oh, how I wished that Ž was with me then! In spite of fear I admired the Alpine flowers, my favorite ones, spotted the Rock Ptarmigan, a rare bird to see, and kept saying ah! and oh! all the time. Later on my way back I stopped at a jewel that not many people know of, I would say. A little lake with a hut on its shore. I was astonished at what I saw. It was so peaceful there. There are so many beautiful spots in our mountains that I still don't understand why people keep rushing to the top of Triglav. Is it really so important to be up there? I don't think so. Hopefully I will return to this lake and Korošica again, there's so much more to explore and see, and there are so many unknown paths to walk on. Even if they don't lead on top of any mountain.

Lake Jezero

2011-08-31T07:50:00.005+02:00

A few kilometers from my home there is a little lake. On Sunday Ž and I thought of having a pizza for lunch, so we drove all the way to this lake. I have always thought that it is crowded but funny enough, there were about ten people on a beach that day. The water was warm enough for a swim but nobody was swimming. As the temperatures are still high I thought of going swimming once in the next days. There's a feeling of autumn in the air despite the weather forecast telling us that we can expect some more hot days for another week. A week of thunderstorms. I wouldn't mind a day or two of cloudless skies because a mountain or two are still waiting for me. Hopefully I will stand on top of both this year.

Medieval Sunday

2011-08-29T14:31:00.008+02:00

On Sunday I visited the medieval fair in the old part of Ljubljana. I expected it too be a little bit more "medieval" and not so commercial. Although, I did not visit the booths in vain - I had a chance to flip through a book which was printed in 1587 (so, as you can see on the picture written in Latin: MDLXXXVII). The text was printed but the pictures were drawn by hand.I asked the "pharmacist" if he was not afraid that someone would damage that precious book but he said: "No, because nobody knows it is so old." Hmmm...I bought some biscuits made of honey, watched the funny medieval Romeo & Juliet show and caressed a poor little skunk that was breathing heavily lying in the sun. I found out that The Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation is issuing the permits, so that people can treat wild animals so badly. What I also liked were the panels on which some historical facts about the medieval times were written in Slovenian and English, and I am glad that the fair took place in front of those four medieval houses that still stand in the old part of Ljubljana. Hopefully there won't be any stronger earthquake in this area - otherwise most of the houses in the old city center will collapse. Some of them are in a pretty bad shape. It is easy for me to imagine life in medieval Ljubljana but I don't think that it was very pleasant, though. :)

Flamenco

2011-08-29T07:59:00.005+02:00

I read in a newspaper that my aunt would be dancing too. Then I read a few more pages of Kate Mosse's Tomb, and a few minutes before noon drove to the city center. I was surprised because it was so alive there. Lots of booths with all sorts of things, and lots of people. And music! I didn't see her dance, this aunt of mine, but I felt the passion of the music when other girls were dancing. I just wonder: where were all the men? Then I noticed her. One of the women was especially beautiful, so natural, so true. And she was dancing most passionately of them all, like if telling others: just relax, steps don't matter so much. She was the only one wearing yellow rope shoes and wearing light summer dress. Real passion, I tell you.

2864 m

2011-08-25T13:47:00.006+02:00

When I talk to people and tell them that I like climbing mountains they always ask me if I was on the top of Triglav, Slovenian highest mountain. Today I can tell them that I was. I have never understood why it was so important to stand on top of Triglav. There are so many more beautiful mountains to climb, so many beautiful spots in our country to visit. While walking on the path to the top of this famous Slovenian mountain this Tuesday I realized that most people who had asked me this question never climb the mountains. The only mountain they climbed (or wished to climb) was Triglav. Today I know that almost everybody can stand on top of our highest mountain if one goes slowly and is not afraid of heights. The path is very steep but well secured. All you need is a firm grip and a secure step. I saw fear in people’s eyes, I heard them talking about falling down the steep cliffs but all of them safely arrived back to the hut. At least this Tuesday they did. I have no wish to go up this mountain anymore. This doesn’t mean that I won’t go there again. The path is absolutely too crowded, rocks are too slippery and there’s not much fun hanging on the wires all the time. Hopefully I will visit friendlier and not so crowded places next time. Although those girls in the hut made me feel like being their childhood friend. It felt good, it felt like being home.
Today I am tired but happy. I came home safely, and Ž was so proud of me being on Triglav all by myself. This is what counts, making other people happy. I forgot my mobile phone at home, so I couldn't call anybody I know for two days. These were two days of a solitude in certain way. A time for myself. Fear and happiness at the same time.

Garden season

2011-08-16T10:38:00.008+02:00

During the summer season we eat lots of vegetables. Because there is plenty of them in our garden. The vegetable beds look rather crowded and chaotic compared to my neighbors' but I found out that I grow more varieties of vegetables than other people. This is one third of the whole vegetable garden: Different sorts of cabbage and kale: Mangold: Chinese cabbage (at least I think it is): Leek: Our first eggplant this season. I planted them (too) late: Two sorts of basil and kohlrabi: Parsley (I need to freeze some for winter): Paprikas: Turnip and black radish (I don't know if this is correct translation but this is how we call it here): Chicory (Ž will have to eat it, I don't like its bitterness): Dill (bees love it): Pumpkin (I forgot what sort):There's much more to show; but maybe some other time. I visit the garden very often to admire the results of my hard work in spring. It was worth it.

So, after three days at home admiring the garden and resting on a shore of a creek (counting dragonflies, fish and birds), I decided to go on a short vacation. A few days in the mountains and a day or two at the beach. I am looking forward to these free days before the rains cool our land again. It usually does in the last week of August. And you know, it is fig time! Yum!

Have a good time while I am away! :)

Vajnež

2011-08-12T09:20:00.006+02:00

I took a day of from work, and it felt like a holiday. I was:

:: planing to go to the Kamnik Alps but woke up too late and drove to some place else. I found out that I love the Julian Alps and the Karavanke but I can't grow fond of the Kamnik Alps. My granddad loved them, though.

:: admiring the magnificent views on my path. Of course I needed more time to get to the top of my chosen destination because of all the beauties that crossed my step.

:: wondering if all the Alpine flowers have already withered away. There were only few far and between, the most interesting of all was an Alpine Sea Holly (Eryngium alpinum), a rare flower in Slovenia.

:: walking up the mountain followed by black and white sheep. I have never seen so many black sheep in one spot.

:: looking down to the Austrian part of the mountains. Very steep. It used to be a guarded border there and too many people died because of idea(l)s of a few men. Movement was limited in that area or not allowed at all. I know how precious freedom is; I lived in those times and I live now. I prefer now.

:: struggling with the strong wind on my way back.

:: happy for meeting only 6 people from morning to late afternoon. It is tiring to keep saying hello all day long and I don't like being interrupted in daydreaming over and over again.

:: thinking happy thoughts all the way up and down. This happens very rarely.

I bet I will be choosing the Julian Alps for my next walking destination. I can't wait.

Food

2011-08-10T14:32:00.004+02:00

Summer days are rushing by too quickly, and I feel that I need some rest from work. I also call this kind of laziness lack of ideas, or maybe I am just not talking enough to other people to share the thoughts. I know I should be making plans for the colder months of the year or even for the next spring but I just can't force my brain to think so far ahead. It is interesting that I have quite many ideas what to do and make at home, but I just don't find enough time for everything that's on my mind. Because, it it too tempting to go outside and enjoy another sunny and beautiful day.

This is what I eat these days as a salad - red beets and carrots, both grated and seasoned with pumpkin oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, spices and blossoms. Yum!

Harvest

2011-08-09T12:26:00.004+02:00

Over the weekend I gathered some plants/herbs in the garden, and placed them on a baking tray covered by baking paper to dry. When they are dry I will remove the stems, crush or grind them, and place each one into a small jar. I use lots of spices, though I rarely use pepper or chilli. I like it mild. I will use Calendula blossoms in teas. Oh, what a happy summer it is!

It feels like autumn

2011-08-08T11:55:00.006+02:00

These days I've been:

:: admiring a sunflower in my garden. One and only this summer. The sunflowers used to be my favorite flowers 15 years ago, and I had a wedding bouquet made of them.

:: discovering the cultural legacy of my country. Lots of castles in Slovenia had been burned during the WW2, and lots of furniture and other treasures had been stolen and never given back. I still wonder what kind of people those men were. Like sheep following the shepherd.

:: walking in the woods, searching for mushrooms. I usually don't eat them but it is fun picking them. There was no real luck this time, only poisonous ones were on my path. A dying mole and an empty cocoon, too.

I wish we had some more hot summer days this year. It feels like the summer is over, and this makes me sad. Although there are more interesting news that are waiting to be written down and shared. Just wait until the autumn!

Date with a Roman

2011-08-04T11:36:00.005+02:00

Every first Wednesday in month (during the warmer months of a year) the City Museum of Ljubljana organizes guided tours around Emona, the Roman settlement which was standing in the area where a part of the Ljubljana's city center is today. There were more than 50 people waiting in front of the museum when arrived there. A lovely young lady was our tour guide, and I have to say that I was amazed at her knowledge. She was talking fast and without any interruptions for two hours. We walked from one site to another. Most of the ruins are buried below the buildings or they were even destroyed, mostly after the WW2. A pity. Although Romans are not our ancestors (so the scientists say) I admire them for their knowledge. They had central heating (floor and walls were hot):They were exceptionally clean (they bathed almost every day and had the sewerage system in the whole settlement which is, after 2000 years, in some places still used today for different kinds of installations and wiring) :They had sense for beautiful things and good food: Next time I will borrow the audio guide around ancient Emona, and go on a tour by myself. It will probably take me more than just two hours. :)

Life is good

2011-08-03T09:04:00.005+02:00

These days I've been:

:: tasting the tomatoes which are ripening at great speed these days, and of course, rejoicing at the abundance of vegetables our garden provides for us at the moment.

:: riding my mountain bike a lot, whether it is a longer ride to the top of the nearest hill or just a quick ride around the house.

:: playing the guitar whenever I can. My fingers are toughening and the tunes I play are beginning to sound nice. Though, I still have so much to learn...

:: listening to Jack Johnson's songs, being inspired by his singing and playing.

:: looking at the blue sky and fluffy cumulus clouds on (lately) rare sunny days of this summer. It is a joy to put on my summer dresses whenever it is warm enough.

:: learning about the dragonflies by visiting a creek nearby and flipping through the pages of a book on dragonflies.

:: helping a colleague to ring hundreds of barn swallows. It is amazing to see huge flocks of swallows gathering in the evening above their roosting place.

:: reading Soule Mama’s blog over and over again, finding comfort in her words when I am lonely and despaired.

And of course I still spend 8 hours at work from Monday to Friday.

* This post was inspired by Soule Mama blog.

New books

2011-08-01T10:59:00.003+02:00

I don't have enough bookshelves in my home, so I wonder why do I buy all these books at all? Because it is a temptation hard to resist. A few days ago these books found home at my place: I might make cheeses some day, and I might even have a hive of bees one day, too. Though I will rather ask my dad for help regarding the later as the book describes the American way of keeping bees (though Ashley English in her book mentions Carniolan honey bee which is native to Slovenia).

I take lots of photos of the orchids that's why I bought the book on these interesting flowers. And the one about Crazy Horse? I have almost all the books about him that are available at the moment. I don't think there's something new about his life published in this one but it might be interesting to read the writer's view on the killing of this exceptional man.

I bought these books at The Book Depository. They have free delivery worldwide on all their books, so that the final cost of purchased books for the buyers from Slovenia is in most cases lower than the one at the Amazon. Besides, the last time I bought books from the Amazon some of them were damaged.

Anyway, I will let you know if I make any cheeses or if dad brings me a hive of bees. :)

Exactly at seven

2011-07-29T08:45:00.005+02:00

The trumpets started to play, and Martin Krpan and his mare came out of the boxes up on The Puppet Theater exactly at 7 pm. They were placed up there in 1987 and they come out accompanied by the trumpet music every third hour.
Evening was lovely. I ate delicious sweets. And the chatting with a friend was pleasant. The stroll through the city center, too. Ljubljana is vibrant in the evenings; of all the cities I have seen in the world, really the most beautiful one. There's music around every corner, people sitting and chatting in the cafes and restaurants, mighty old buildings all around, lazy river running through the city. There are many new bridges across the Ljubljanica river that bring new things to us. Like the lovers' locks locked on the fence of one of them. Could you wish for more?

Traveling

2011-07-28T09:06:00.005+02:00

Lately I've been traveling a lot. By help of the Google Earth. :) I visited some places that I would love to visit again. One of them is Fort Laramie, a small town in Wyoming. When I planned the travel route back in 2001, I never thought of staying so much time in Wyoming, USA. Well, after all, Crazy Horse never knew borders and boundaries. I followed his path then. Though, these days there are so many fences and the land is a private property, which is a bit sad. It feels like there is no more freedom in the world. I'm seeing more and more fences in Slovenia, too.

So, this is the map of Fort Laramie: It doesn't look very attractive. But when you take that little man in the upper right corner for a walk, you see this: And a little bit closer:A store with treasures in it. Fort Laramie Frontier Trading Post. I haven't seen any other stores like this one before or after. It was like being back in the 19th century when I was browsing through all those wonderful things in it. Only those beautiful people with long black hair were missing...

Some of you can see your own homes in 3-D using Google Earth (I admit, I was standing in front of some of them, too). Though, you won't be able to see mine because Slovenians still love freedom and privacy. Sometimes even our officials are doing their work properly.

Enjoy your travels!

Apart from that

2011-07-27T10:12:00.004+02:00

It's been cold lately, and it's been quite peaceful here in "my" world. It is pleasant to read other blogs but I can't share much here on mine. My life seems so void compared to others'. Though, I do find comfort in some of your blogs when life becomes rather boring. How boring can the family reunions be? This weekend I met Ž's relatives. Usually I meet so many people at once that I forget their names and who belongs to who. They know my name and who I am but I can hardly remember when and where I had met them before. This time there were mostly older people present, and it was interesting to observe what they achieved in their lives, and how they live from day to day. I spoke to Ž's aunt who has paralysis but is still very creative. I forgot to take a photo of her present but she made a lace silhouette of a hunter, and framed it. Wonderful! Though, most people there didn't notice this masterpiece. They are either too plain to cherish such things or they have other interests that fulfill them.

Well then, it might be so, that rainy days are good for meeting people. :) And I haven't baked those cookies in the photo, I just ate some of them. Delicious, and a masterpiece of its own!

Lunch in the park

2011-07-21T13:19:00.008+02:00

If I knew that weather forecast was this good I would take a day off. But I didn't know. It is hard to resist not to go out when the blue sky is calling me to come and play. I watched and admired new color of the water in the pond in Ljubljana's city park. It looks good and clear, and also the Mallards seem to like it. There were all sorts of patterns in the park (do you find a heart in the picture below?). So lovely, so peaceful. I just wish the time for lunch lasted more than just half an hour.

Lots of paper

2011-07-21T08:36:00.004+02:00

Three new things found home at my place. Lila Prap's notebook in which I am "supposed" to write ornithological observations, black Moleskine's planner 2011/2012 and a guitar manual. Well, the later looks pretty complicated for a beginner but maybe through time I will start using it. It seems that there is no progress in my guitar playing, but eventually I will have to move on to more difficult chords. My fingers still hurt; but it is hard not to play guitar for a few minutes every day. I realized that people like its sound. It doesn't really matter if I don't play well known songs, it matters only that I play chords that sound nice. I still wonder why my parents never asked my uncle, a violin player, to teach me and my brother to play a violin. Maybe because he was beating his own children?

The Day

2011-07-20T09:46:00.003+02:00

Yesterday was such an ordinary day. I stayed at home. Well, at least near home. I drove for a walk to a gorge nearby but the clouds looked threatening and it got pretty cold, so I went back home. I receive about 5 kg of blueberries every year (they are pretty expensive even if you pick them by yourself), so part of them ended in the blueberry pie that I baked again after many, many years. Mmm, delicious even if it doesn't look so! I also went for a walk later in the afternoon but was chased by so many horseflies that I literally ran to the main road. Ahhhh, sometimes I wish I lived somewhere else where such pests don't exist!There were only two guests at my party in the evening - mom and dad. :) I played them some chords on the guitar and we spend some nice hours together chatting, and of course - eating! 42 is a big number, although I can say that I feel like being only 24. That is, if I don't think about my painful back. :)

Ranch

2011-07-18T11:38:00.005+02:00

When my friends don't have time for me, when my loved one is not at home, when my parents are running the errands at home, and when I need some company then I sit behind the wheel of my car and drive to my grandmom's ranch. She spends summer days there. Since my granddad is not with us anymore she's been lonely, and lost the will to live. Now she thinks she's old. She lost the reason to live.It was a pleasant day yesterday, it was time to rest and talk. About what there is and about what there was. We stored the onions, cleaned the shelves in the cellar and went for a walk. We made plans for the near future - hopefully one day we will drive to the seaside; she hasn't seen the sea for more than 15 years because my granddad didn't like it.

It always amazes me how we are sometimes setting the unnecessary limits to ourselves because of other people. Often people ask me when I am in the mountains why I am alone. Oh, people, I can't wait for others to take their time for going somewhere, life is just too short! And I prefer walking alone anyway. People often hurry to get to the top, and then they rush down home. What is chasing them?

Tomorrow is another special day in my life. I won't spend it behind the screen. I never do. I hope it will be a good one for you, too.

At home

2011-07-15T09:10:00.003+02:00

The sky is dark today and it got a lot colder. I already miss the heat of the previous days. I love summer. People are whining over the heat but I enjoy in each hot day that there is. I hope there will be some more soon. Summer is so short, too short in my opinion. I try to spend some afternoon hours in my garden but this seems to be an impossible mission since there are so many mosquitoes and horseflies living in our "moorland". As the wind was blowing yesterday in the afternoon, it obviously blew away those little stingy animals, so that I could cut some echinacea blossoms. This is the essential plant for my winter herbal teas. They are hanging upside down to dry, then I will cut them into small pieces and store them for winter. The tomatoes that I grow in the pots are ripening, and I see my neighbors checking on them regularly. I wonder what's so special about them. So, lots is happening around the house these days, without much help from me. And I like it this way.

Babies

2011-07-14T10:47:00.004+02:00

Three new babies have arrived to this world in the past week: Ian, Tisa and Tinkara. Boy was born to Ž's colleague, one of the girls to my colleague at work and the other yesterday to my cousin. Lucky guys, indeed. I wonder what their lives will be like. Being born into different families, having different parents, coming from different parts of Slovenia. But they do have something in common - they are all loved by their parents.

Down the Mura river

2011-07-11T14:46:00.007+02:00

It felt like a short holiday, being four days away from home. I spent three of them in a boat on the Mura river. More than 130 km of rowing, 31 hours on the water. Amazing! From Austria down to Croatia through Hungary led our path on the water. Swimming, laughing, being just silent... these were my days in a company of colleagues and friends. So, we started our trip in Austria: Closed, so we had to move on to get our cup of coffee. Invasive plants, though very beautiful: The most popular water mill in Slovenia: 61 more kilometers to go until we reach river Drava: Another team joined us on Saturday: Hungarians catching fish: I wish there were more days like these. Oh, sweet summer, I love you!

City bicycles

2011-07-05T12:48:00.003+02:00

Not such news anymore but a welcome novelty in our city - for some weeks we can ride around the capital using bicycles from Bicikelj, a self-service rent-a-bike system. I had to pay only 3 euro fee for one year. I pay extra money if I use the bicycle for more than one hour. There's a station near where I work, so I don't need to use buses anymore if the weather is fine. I like the idea of Bicikelj system, as it it called. Well, I have to admit that Ljubljana is indeed becoming the most beautiful city in the world. :)

Clouds

2011-07-04T12:38:00.006+02:00

People will only protect what they love, they will only love what they understand, and they will only understand what they are taught. ~ Steve Robertson

I was told that my granddad loved watching clouds. I love watching them, too. The other day there was a big "cloud show" on the evening sky. I stood there on the balcony and admired the clouds for a long time. How could I resist?

Mountain pastures

2011-07-01T07:45:00.005+02:00

I keep coming to these mountain meadows every year. My grandmom used to spend her holidays on this mountain pasture when she was young. The other day I found one of her photos with a goat in her lap that was taken on this pasture: It was a pleasant day on Wednesday, I was almost alone up there. I couldn't wish for more. Alpine flowers are beginning to bloom and I had to stop so many times to touch, smell, admire them. Of course I needed more time to get up that mountain than it is written on a sign but who cares! There's so much to see on the path, and I had to look down on neighbors' (Austrian) side, too: For the end I ate (too) large bowl of sour milk. Delicious! There are plans to stand up on some more mountains this summer, mountains that have been waiting for me for years. Of course they are steeper than these pleasant meadows but I am sure there are plenty alpine flowers among the rocks, so there's no time to wait much longer, is it? :)

Have a nice weekend!

Summertime

2011-06-27T08:54:00.009+02:00

I know, I haven't been around for quite some time. I took a week off, and I have to say that it was a pleasant one. :) It started with helping my colleague to cover the roof of his weekend house. Ž and I had a special apartment, sleeping up in a hayrack. :)After a day of hard work we took a bath in a natural warm pool nearby. I enjoyed myself a lot, it felt more like a holiday than real work.

I spent the first day of summer in the mountains. The season has started, at least for me. My favorite time of a year is finally here! :) In the evening I visited an observatory located on one of the Ljubljana's hills. I had a chance to observe Saturn, galaxy and star mist with a professional telescope. I have realized that I know much more about the sky than an average Slovenian citizen. This probably comes from watching the stars every clear evening when I was a little girl. :)

I visited my grandmom this past week, too. She's been lonely and has become rather melancholic since she's alone. Most of the time we chatted, but in between I gathered some herbs for winter teas. These days chamomile smells nicely in my home. And in the garden waited so many raspberries for me that I couldn't eat them at once. Yum! Oh, summertime, what a joy you bring! Enjoy yours!

Lunar eclipse

2011-06-15T09:56:00.004+02:00

Today we will be able to watch one of the longest total Lunar eclipses in Slovenia. I will be staring up into the sky tonight as the weather will be crystal clear. And who knows what else I will be able to see and hear while I will be waiting in the dark for the moon to shine again.

Girls with mirrors

2011-06-09T09:21:00.007+02:00

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

I indulged myself. I bought three little mirrors, one of them will be mine, two will be given away to the girls. If you want your own you can order them in Vila Darila on-line shop. Obviously they sell out quickly.

Karma for today: Enjoy something when it presents itself, but don't crave it when it is not there.