IWC 2016

Also this January I was present at the International Waterfowl Count, as always. I started to count the birds already on Friday because I was busy on Saturday morning and that afternoon I had to show how we do it to two other girls.

The Sava Bohinjka river

I wouldn't mind living in a house like this.

I am always happy when I drive to the Gorenjska region in the NW of the country, and so it was also this time. I chose to go there on Sunday, when a nice weather was promised, and indeed we had clear sky and sun shining bright on us. But … it was very cold. -7 °C might not be cold for someone from Finland where it’s around -30 at the moment but it is for us after such a mild autumn and beginning of the winter. No snow – happy me! It is much easier to walk those 4 km one way through the woods along the river if there’s no snow. I counted no less than 15 dippers this year, almost half of them were singing. Great! I have never heard anything like this before. And again, happy me! 

In ice

It is amazing that a simple icy rain can cause a national catastrophe. One day after Slovenia was covered with ice still quarter of its inhabitants was without electricity. We, modern people are not adjusted to such catastrophies. I can’t even make a meal without the electricity and my house would be cold without it. We can heat the house with gas, too but the gas stove needs electricity to work. The only thing working in case of a power breakdown is a house alarm … I keep thinking of having a proper closed fireplace in a living room but it costs lots of money and a good part of my house should be demolished. Anyway, I can’t afford it at the moment, no matter how much I wish to have it.

This catastrophe brought more joy to birdwatchers because birds couldn’t feed on trees and shrubs as the branches and trunks were totally covered with ice. This meant that some interesting birds came closer to our homes. I did a yearly Birdwatch count and put some more “new” species on my yearly list.

I was lucky that my home was still warm because I caught cold again. Ž’s viruses are strong and I had never been able to avoid them. Teas of all sorts, C vitamin, Iceland lichen pastiles, sage, apples were my diet in those days. It might be a long winter; this year the Carnival days are as late as March …

EuroBasket 2013

This September Ljubljana hosts EuroBasket 2013 and I think that there are not many Slovenians who don’t support our team. I got a ticket for a basketball game between Slovenia and Italy by pure coincidence.

It is hard to describe the feeling that was present during the game; as I could see only the VIP gallery was almost empty and mostly quiet. We won. Of course we keep fingers crossed for our team, and we all hope to get one of the medals. Though, guys will have to play hard to get one, although they are very good players.

Dejmo Slovenci!

Anka

She was born as Ana Mayer and she went to study at the University although her father had promised his mother to prevent this. She payed the study with her own money (actually her dad helped her to raise it). She cut her hair when all women were wearing long hair. She was sociable woman, and as different sources tell, she was also happily married and was after marriage known as Ana Kansky. Supposedly she was the 78th woman in the world to receive the title of doctor (she was a chemist).

Yesterday Ž and I went to visit her family's holiday house on a hill near Ljubljana. When we were finally there we didn't dare to go close to the building because it is a private property (as it was written on the board, and a dog was barking in front of the house). A local man was complaining about the man who rents the house. We walked on to the old castle which has been presumably standing there since 1015. It seems to be falling apart very quickly. Unfortunately we missed the millstone quarry on our path. We also visited the place where two (three) Slovenian rivers meet. Before the regulation four of them joined at that place. It is interesting that I spotted this place when I was driving by on train. I didn't know about Ana Kansky then. While trying to find some more information about my ancestors this weekend I also visited a cemetery. Accidentally I found Ana's grave.

In my opinion she was a woman with vision, and ahead of time. Thanks to her I learned something new and visited a place I most probably never would have. Because it is not, at least not for me, very appealing place.

This crossed my mind today

Random thoughts:

- last Friday a friend asked me where my colleague is getting his life's energy from. She received an answer when she saw him surrounded by his five kids and wife. Last year at the same occasion I was watching his pregnant wife surrounded by her four children. They were like little angels guarding their pregnant mother. It is hard to accept that I will never be a Mama but eventually I will have to get over this.

- I dreamed about the dolphins two days ago. I hope this dream has a good meaning.

- yesterday I saw the Long-eared Owl flying over our garden again. Hopefully we will have young owls in the neighborhood in spring. I will check this in May when youngsters squeak each night, pleading for food.

- it is interesting to read old newspapers. Today I will check some articles about the International Women's Day in 1911 and Slovenia's first independence in 1918 (women helped a lot that this happened).

So, enjoy "your" day if you are a woman!

Frančišek Lampe

Rajska spomlad.
Sapice z juga pihljajo,
Zimo se snegom končajo;
Solnce gorkejše poljublja
Goro in plan. Poizgublja
Led si in čmernati hlad.
Tla se vzbudé:
Dviga zelenje se živo,
Cvetke rastó ljubeznivo;
Bilkica drobna vspne se,
Više in širje sproste se:
Tukaj se čuda godé.
~ Frančišek Lampe

I had never heard of this man before until I visited an exhibition about women in the 20th century with my mom. On one of the walls were gathered photos of men who supported women in that time and thought that they were equal to men (there were not many). One of them was also Frančišek Lampe, a priest. He died at the age of 41 because of an exhaustion. He worked too much, slept too little. I read one of his books that was available in my library and his short biography. He was an exceptional man. Everyone said that he was kind, but what was most important is that he cared a lot for the Slovenian nation (and Slovenian language as well).

He was an editor of Dom in svet, a catholic publication with which he wanted to educate Slovenian pupils and plain people of that time. He also liked bees. :)

One of the liberal newspapers, at which my grand-granddad was co-editor a few years later, published a short news about his death, and what I was amazed at was the frank statement telling to their readers that they didn't agree with his religious views.

I admire people like Frančišek Lampe was, more so because I know that I am not as capable as they were (or are) and I never will be. Yesterday was his birthday; he was born 153 ago.

Rich Slovenian language

While cooking dinner I took a cookbook that I received as a gift from one of my bookshelves. It is a reprinted original of Valentin Vodnik's cookbook. Printed in Slovenian language.

In the foreword to this book the author explains why such book is needed - because many Slovenian women don't understand foreign languages. I was surprised when reading this because I always believed that most people could speak German in that time.

While browsing through the recipes I found one in which the Capercaillie is used. This bird is slowly disappearing from our woods, although it is fully protected by law. Hunters liked to shoot it. Today it is disappearing because too many people visit the woods (we especially like those with unleashed dogs and those walking off the beaten tracks), too many roads are being built in the protected areas, and who knows if hunters really don't kill them for a trophy anymore. The other day police found 100 kg of frozen birds which are protected in Slovenia. They were on their way to Italy. We will never know how many protected birds Italians really eat. The recipe for those dead and frozen birds could also be found in a book I am presenting to you today.

The other day we discussed how much Slovenian language had changed at some point in time. Texts written in 1870's differ from those written 30 years later. What happened that this change had come so quickly? But indeed, why steal foreign words if Slovenian language is so rich with them?

Anyway, I will (for now) keep writing this blog of mine in English (which is far from perfect, of course) although I just love my mother language.

Advertisements

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...

Don Quixote

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.

Sun clock

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.

Beehives

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.

Beekeeping

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.

Korošica

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

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.

It feels like autumn

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!