Complaining about the weather

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.

Rain

Cold days are coming into our land, mountains are already covered by snow. Finally I mowed grass, probably the last time in this season. When it stops raining, I will clean all that rotten vegetables away from the garden beds. We won't use them for compost next year, they are too filthy from the floods. Pots have to be cleaned and stored in the attic, some shrubs planted in the garden. Ž placed bird house on the fence and first black tits have already found the seeds in it. In 14 days trees will be leafless. No colors from November until April... boring. But, there are other things that we will be doing during this time. I suppose it is time to be a bit creative and hopefully my home will become home until spring. Weekend was kind of boring, although I spent Saturday in arboretum collecting seeds and on Sunday I went up one of the hills near my home. Though, colors were magnificent. And I came home with pockets full of seeds and leaves. Seeds were for Ž's collection and leaves were for me.

Karma for today: One thing completed is worth ten things on hold.

Spring time

Last week I spotted first two swallows flying near my home, and on Saturday I saw first stork, also very near where I live. So, two more messengers of spring are yet to be found - a cuckoo and a swift. Swifts don't live in Ljubljana, which is very uncommon.

Yesterday I visited my brother, he celebrated birthday few days ago. We also went for a walk, all the way to the meadow where I used to dream my dreams when I was in my teens. I have always liked open spaces.My brother cooked breakfast and lunch for us, and we chatted whole afternoon. A break for me. :)

On Saturday evening I joined a group of volunteers who were transferring the frogs from one side of the road to another. Another good job is done. I had lots of fun. There were only two kinds of frogs to be found - the common toad (Bufo bufo) and the common frog (Rana temporaria). Those two on a photo are from a ditch near my home. I enjoy in spring - every day there is something new outside.

Karma for today: Notice the world outside your window.

Weekend goodness

No time for chat, I've got so much work to do...

To make the long story short, this is what I did this weekend:

Saturday... removing the spider webs from the front of the house, cleaning the terrace, moving flower pots to the attic, wrapping the present for my grandmom, taking a short walk and enjoying the sun, the blue sky, the warm wind, joined a workshop with my neighbour - we were painting the candlesticks (or however they are called) which will be sold next week at the bazaar (I like such workshops when I don't have to take anything home) ...Sunday... time for a trek to the nearest Alpine meadows, visiting my grandparents as my grandmom celebrated her birthday... time to get together with relatives... chatting with Ž until late in the evening, as we haven't seen each other for almost a week...Have a great Monday!

Among the butterflies

My computer needed a checkup, and I couldn't post the photos on my blog. So, I also didn't post any words. Words of joy and happiness, and words of sadness and confusion. It's been a hard year for me and I guess this turmoil won't be over so soon as I'd expected. Maybe I will have to make the final cut and let it all go. Soon. To set me free for a new period in my life.

I spent the days running around catching the butterflies, having a good time driving around the flatlands and hills in the NE part of Slovenia. It felt like a holiday again. Though events happened that never should have. I wish all was over already, life has become too difficult to bear. Don't get me wrong - I will survive, but the burden is just too heavy.

I hope that your days were nice and pleasant. Oh, yes, and the weather next week might permit me to go to the mountains again. I can hardly wait! :) It feels like being in the tropics these last few weeks...

By train

I spent the weekend away from home, again in the NE part of Slovenia. As it was mostly raining all the time, I had lots of time to rest and just do nothing. At my age I could say that it was a day lost, but at the same time nothing could be more pleasant than being with a loved person all day through.Birds were hiding, rain was pouring down. In spite of being in a lazy mood, I did something useful. Walking around we noticed a beetle for which the data has been collected by one of the organizations here in Slovenia. Today I sent a photo and information to them about the sighting of this beetle. It is funny how sometimes such little deeds mean a lot to us.

I hope your weekend was nice and pleasant, too.

Among the fields

It was another pleasant weekend, full of hopes for the better future. There's a strong wish that this sad story is coming to an end, that better times are ahead of me. I haven't given up, but I think I will have to put a lot of effort into the next few days in order to start living happier and more fulfilling life. Who knows what will happen... Keep fingers crossed for me.

Again the train I was on passed the place where our story had begun on 4 December 2003. It was my name day that day. I always look at this church whenever I drive by. I always smile, when I remember. His sweater smelled of spruce.
We visited our friends, we had a bonfire, we smelled the freshly cut grass. In the eastern part of Slovenia spring starts a week earlier and also grass is cut earlier. I loved the smell spreading over the land, the smell of dried grass. In the most fields barley was growing, for me one of the most beautiful wheats.We woke up early yesterday, went counting the birds again. I saw my favorite bird, the Golden Oriole. I am always happy when I hear it sing. It makes me smile, always. It is almost impossible to see it, so yesterday when I spotted it flying over the fields, I was one of the happiest people around.

It is another beautiful day today. Another day full of hope.

Pink in my garden

I forgot to take my camera with me yesterday when I went around with my bike, so all I can share with you today are some "pink" photos from my garden. With some orange to go with them. :)I wish you a lovely weekend. I will spend it among children and friends, and under the stars with the loved one. I hope the next two days will bring me some peace, some peace of mind and soul. Because I know that the next week it won't be easy for me. I wish it was June already, when the air smells of freshly cut grass and when I can finally wear shorts and tees and flip flops. When the mountain season starts. :) But you know, also today is beautiful; it is another beautiful day.

Enjoy yourselves!

The remnants of the war

It was in September 2006 when I first visited this hill and I keep coming back each year. I thought of hiking to some higher mountain yesterday but the weather was too bad in the morning and I simply stayed at home. Until 2 pm when I was fed up with cooking and home errands. In 10 minutes I was ready to go and just some minutes before 4 I was below the most wonderful grassland I have ever seen. Možic. Again. Either it is the view, or maybe that grassland, or just the memory of that beautiful day two years ago, I don't know, it might be the mixture of all three that is drawing me to those places. The landscape is covered by bunkers/shelters from the 1. WW. How many young guys have to die up there for some stupid reason? I don't go into those long tunnels alone, it is too scary even with the torch. I was in there once, with Ž, he is braver than me. It was a beautiful afternoon, I waited up there on the hill until the sunset and was the last one to come down to the parking place.
Saturday was a busy one this time. I cooked some apple juice and put sweet peppers into jars. I tried that potimaron pumpkin and it is very delicious. I cooked štruklji which is actually cooked strudel (wrapped in tin foil and cooked in salted water). They didn't look good but they were sooo delicous! Yum!

East

This weekend Mr Ž and I headed east. To the eastern border of Slovenia. To the border with Hungary and Croatia. To the woods. We walked a lot this weekend around the woods. What I am most scared of in our woods are not bears, wild boars, wolves or lynx but the ticks.

We stayed in a house that used to be occupied by a forester and his family. Now it is owned by one of Mr Ž's friends and it is being renovated. The roof is new but the rest of it is still halfway finished. It smelled terribly in the house (of mildew and smoke) and also water was far from drinkable as it smelled of rotten eggs. However, it was very beautiful outside, in front of the house. The batteries of my camera went dead, so I managed to take only a few photos of that place. I enjoy being outside in this season, it is warm, not too hot and the weather is usually beautiful. If I had to describe the smell of green color I would describe it like the trees and the shrubs smelled those past two days.

I feel a bit better now although I am still very tired. This morning I wished I could stay at home instead of going to work. It is a beautiful warm day today with cloudless blue sky. What more could I ask for? For some silence in my home? :)