B&W or color ?

I rarely use black and white in photography because I love colors so much. Sometimes though B&W has a way of emphasizing the contrasts in a picture. Like in this landscape where an early morning mist added some mystery or softness to the countryside. It even showed the glimmer of the railway line under a pale sun.An old iron bird’s cage in my neighbor’s garden. The little bird was lost somehow between  the colorful foliage of trees, vines and the rusty cage. When I looked at my picture in B&W, the decorative bird took a greater importance and it felt as it was set free at last!Two weeks ago as I woke up, the usual landscape around our house has changed colors. No need for a B&W treatment there : snow had fallen during the night, not much but enough to see the world in subdued shades, softer and relaxing in some way. Not quite black and white tones but definitely not colorful.

Since then, snow has receded to the mountains, faded autumnal colors are still covering the sides of the hills and I just love the blending of the different layers.Contrasts are what make our surroundings more alive, so fascinating to look at, Season after Season. Tomorrow snow should fall  again and not just in a light carpet. A lovely way to begin the Advent weeks before Christmas. Happy Advent time to you all.

Moments in the Fall

Trees have lost their greenness these days,  leaves fall each day, slowly but surely  the grass is all carpeted with warm colors. A rustling sound I love.In the Alps Fall gets cooler, the morning mist adds a softer hue to the landscape. It looks a bit surreal and sounds are muted.Flowers, here a hibiscus, have given  us their best colors and brightness all along  Summer. Now it is time for them to slow down, gently closing their petals, accepting the yellowing of their leaves and preparing for cooler days and a long Winter.What a long and warm Autumn we had !  Every day offered a new landscape of beauty. Here is the farmhouse where I get the vegetables for my family  each week. There has been plenty of them all along Summertime, an endless choice of fruits, berries, herbs, veges and flowers. Much gratitude for all the work being done over many months.Forests have been  just enchanting ! What a pleasure to walk every day on the forest paths and listen to the birds’ songs  or the loud noises of branches, to the wind gently moving  the high canopy of these families of trees.Now trees are getting more bare, still beautiful but preparing for the long dormancy of Winter. A few leaves called my attention on a dark tree trunk as if to say: We’ll be back next Spring !Above them a blue sky, as beautiful as ever, showing its own migration of fluffy clouds, like a flock of sheep running away from the cold… Isn’t Nature a marvel to observe and preserve ?

Images of here and there

July and August went by very quickly and were quite busy, it seems. Nicely though. When in the morning I opened the shutters and saw the top of a mountain under a blue sky, I knew the clouds would eventually disappear and leave room for another sunny and hot day.One day, as I went  to a small town down in the valley, I had the surprise of finding some marmots (groundhogs) very far away from their alpine territories. Mom and her girls. Those were local marble sculptures made by a great uncle of mine who passed away a long time ago. He had sculpted many  animals (foxes, squirrels, weasels, cats, owls, eagles and more) that were exhibited here and there in our area.  Often in parks, on fountains or bridges, in front of some schools too. What a happy and touching discovery!Up in the mountains wild flowers cover our pastures with varied and beautiful shades. This is just one of the many bouquets I picked during Summertime. Not two were alike and I just loved their delicate simplicity.A few minutes before a loud Summer storm, I spotted a complex agricultural machinery, a kind of rural art, don’t you think ? And a lovely splash of vibrant colors when the sky got real dark.Shopping one day in a dairy shop, I smiled as I read the wooden sign : “”Eggs from happy hens”. They must have tasted good because there were none left for sale. Too bad.At a multicultural family reunion around a little baby, Mady,  his Senegalese Dad had invited several members of his African family and friends and before long an exotic music was in the air for everyone’s pleasure.

Ninio loved our sunny Summer  but sometimes he enjoyed some shade too…going zebra- like !

I did not quilt much during these past months but just started an experiment with two or three plain materials that I cut  and assembled randomly. An improvisation without too much thinking or planning. The very hot days seemed to have slowed down my imagination… Let’s see where this will lead me to !I hope you will enjoy these few images taken during the last months. There was more to be thankful for or to feel sad about but we have to take days as they come and make the best of them, don’t we ?

Before long those little birds will stop their “chat on line” and leave for another Summer somewhere else while we will stay here with the happy memory of their cheerful singing.

Summer reading

Spring has come and gone bringing sun, rain and even frost that jeopardized, even destroyed many cultures (vineyards and fruits especially).  A great loss for farmers. June went by with temperatures that were as hot as in August (30-35°C – 90-100°F). Now here comes July, a time for holidays, rest or travel,  some walking and…reading. Let me share with you some of the books I chose to bring with me up in the alpine area where I am staying right now. Nature and Ecology have been very talked and written about all over the world recently. So I thought I might as well know more about it and read the followings books.“What a Plant knows”  (or How plants experience life) by Daniel Chamovitz

“The Hidden Life of TREES” by Peter Wohlleben

“The Four Elements”, Reflections on Nature, by John O’Donohue.

For my recent birthday I received a very pretty and detailed guide, with beautiful drawings and  texts about a “Nature Guide to the Mountains”. It has been written and drawn by a group of passionate people who, after having published for years a magazine about nature for young people, decided to go a step forward and publish this precious little book which is both helpful and very informative.

Last but not least, I got for myself another great guide to learn how to draw  animals, flowers and plants in 135 ways ! Imagine that. Drawing is something I really never did since  my children and I sat around the kitchen  table and started drawing something that one of us had proposed to do. And… I was not really the best one of the three although it was great fun. So, I thought it was  high time to try doing better, right ?

In the first book I already read, “What a Plant Knows” by D. Chamovitz, the author does not define  ” a vegetal intelligence”  about plants. His question is rather :

“Are plants aware ?” and in fact he writes that they are. “They are actually aware of the world around them and of their visual environment, aware of aromas, aware of being touched, aware of their past”.Next time you walk through a park or to the woods, ask yourself: “What does this yellow flower see ?  Or what does this grass smell ? “Touch the branches of a beech, knowing that the tree will remember it was touched”. I found this book by Daniel Chamovits fascinating and really enlightening. It definitely brings a new light on my daily walks, makes me slow down and look more closely at plants, flowers, Nature and its wonders. And feel grateful for all our planet offers to us.

Wishing you a beautiful Summer, wherever you are.

Walking along a green path

A path that goes almost unnoticed, deep in the woods, looking like a narrow trail  from ancient times. And yet when you walk slowly and consciously along this uneven track, your imagination can see things…

 like the Green Peeks’ Grotto

the White Elves Mounta sculpture of Life Lines Memoriesa Trunk Garden in the Springtimea mossy and welcoming Natural Sofa

the soft  Archway leading you back  to the Forest main trail

Trees in their Spring Glory

What a delightful and inspiring walk in the Spring !

Happy joyful, colourful Easter time to all !

Correspondances and inspiration (2)

Following my previous post, off we go further across South-East Asia,  thanks to the pictures sent by JB&FL. They have been flying over the Indian Ocean to one of the most interesting  and picturesque island to visit : Sri Lanka. Layers of sand, waves and water as far as the horizon. Are you ready to follow them ?

Let’s start with a cool drink on a guesthouse balcony. Lush greenness all around. I imagine the birds singing joyfully, peoples’ voices coming up from the gardens and houses nearby. Sweet flowers scents and maybe just a light breeze. Inviting, isn’t it ?

These wooden decorations and paintings made me immediately think of fabrics. Yes, you know my passion for quilting and materials. I searched in my various boxes of materials  for inspiration. I found some exotic pieces that somehow I think are related to these patterns.Here they are : who knows what these fabrics will inspire me someday ?…

What a majestic alley of tall, imposing trees that reminded me of a poem by Charles Baudelaire.

“Nature is a temple where live pillars, Sometimes whisper confused words, Man walks across it through forests of symbols, Which observe him with familiar looks.”

Excerpt of the poem “Correspondances”. Underneath is  a view of a small part of the Toolangi Forest Center, Victoria, Australia. A wilder kind of temple of eucalypts.

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What a beautiful  and colorful sight ! So many spices and Ceylan teas  and oils and pretty looking wooden spoons and so much more from this faraway island. It  makes you dream and wish you were there. I can just smell it all ! Quick, let’s  prepare a meal I love for  its taste and all the scents that will be wafting  from the kitchen. Traveling can happen over short distances too;)

Here is a favorite recipe of mine : sweet potatoes and  zucchinis sautés with some olive oil in a delicious blending of spices : shallots, garlic, ginger, curcuma, coriander, cumin. I added a tomato to get more juice.  Mix it all and… Bon appétit !  Tasty as can be.

Traffic in town, pretty looking taxis, special architectural style in the buildings: by foot or in those sometimes overcrowded   buses, there are surely many interesting places and sites to visit.

And when you are tired of the heat and pavement,  why not  enjoy some cooler moments in the magnificent Botanical Garden of Kandy, together with many schoolchildren and their teachers ? Who  do you think are the noisiest ones ? Birds or kids ? Joy is in the air for all, certainly.

I was fascinated by these pictures of trees. Their strength, the soft look of their leaves, their intricate branches reaching far out, twisted and so artistic at the same time.Let’s share these peaceful images to end this present travel that I hope you enjoyed as much as I did. Our next destination will be quite different. I look forward to show you some more pictures that JB&FL will generously and thoughtfully share with us. Thanks a lot to both of them and good luck for your next journey.

Correspondances here and there

Hello Friends,

Since I did not post nor took many pictures for a while, I thought of asking dear “Jb&Fl” whether they would mind sharing with me some of their  travel pictures. They agreed happily. Both are traveling in South-East Asia. The correspondances  and contrasts between here and there  are just amazing and so interesting. Beautiful too. Then I dug into my archives and found some images that would in some way correspond to theirs but in my part of the world (Switzerland). Here is the result, I hope you will enjoy the trip as much as I did looking at these images from far away.As a bright parasol  opened under the warm sun of Myanmar (Burma),snow had been falling all day long in the Swiss Alps.

Red: such a warm color under any sky ! Here is a typical wooden house at the edge of the  Inle  Lake (Myanmar).On my way home on a rather dull day, I was attracted by this red barn which added some warmth to the Winter landscape.

Bowls and pots,  almost similar shapes but different uses according to the places and the Seasons. Teatime in South-East Asia and flower pots in standby in Switzerland.

Dogs… don’t they all sometimes have the same worried look wherever they live ?A puppy in a street somewhere in Asia. “Will you adopt me ?”Ninio at home : “Where is JB ? The only one in the family who runs almost… as fast as I do. I miss him and our games”.

Slow ways of transportA “taxi” in Laos and a funicular in Switzerland. Two ways of traveling slowly but surely.

Cool food for hot days. A tasty looking salad  in Thailandand another one here at home.

Would you care for some sweets ? How about a mango and rice dessert to end your meal ? or  would you prefer a choco-pistachio  dome in Switzerland ?

Are you ready for more visits after a pause ?  Like cruising slowly along  rice fieldswhereas our own fields over here are barely out of dormancy.

Let’s  walk uphill to the mountains of  North  Myanmar or walk on a mountain path facing some of the Swiss Alps ?

It has been a long day of walking and visiting ,  admiring the golden domes of  the many magnificent ancient temples in South-East Asia. Let’s walk into the old Gothic church (St-Michel) of Fribourg and have a rest while listening to classical music.

The sun is setting down now, warm colors over the horizon, several dark silhouettes of  temples   in the Far-Eastand, on a misty day,  an unusual pink shade  at sunset over a farm in my village.Thanks a lot “Jb&Fl” for sharing your beautiful pictures with me and the visitors of my blog. It was a real pleasure to bring our worlds together and to see through your eyes. How difficult to choose pictures amongst all of them ! Maybe there will be another post about your future travels and visits in Asia ? Take care and all the best. Love.

2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and best wishes for this coming year.

Here are my new calendars for 2017 and some of my little and bigger friends who will accompany me each month. Aren’t they cute, beautiful ? These calendars were sent to me by a few rescue centers for animals. It makes me happy that they found good care and a shelter.

Still no snow in the Alps but frosty, misty mornings that are so cold my wind chime keeps silent. Their sweet voices too frozen to sing. No swinging either.

And when Winter rhymes with frost, colors and blue sky..this Season looks and feels just wonderful for your eyes and  heart. How can one not feel good when such a landscape welcomes you in the morning ?

Front cover of my tiny 2017 calendar

Because love, love is never finished,

It circles and circles

The memories out of order

And not always complete.

(Sara Zarr)

On their way …

The Wise Men are on their way to Bethlehem…Will their wisdom touch some men and women during their long travel ?

Maybe they will talk together about  Peace, show love,  bring much needed food and presents ? Give protection ?

Looking at the bright sky above, they might see Stars of Hope for the coming year ?

May the Light enveloping them all bring a feeling of comfort  and understanding.

And the war roar be replaced by the angels’ singing.

Sometimes I like to dream and imagine how different things could be. Unrealistic, I know but then at this particular time, I like to make a pause, think of others and wish everyone moments of peace, togetherness, love, health, understanding, joy.

 WISHING YOU ALL  A BLESSED CHRISTMAS, HERE AND THERE !

We shall find peace

We shall hear angels

We shall see the sky

Sparkling with diamonds (like stars).

Anton Chekhov

Advent

What a change of weather and temperatures in those first two weeks of Advent !

Snow fell – a little –  and left.

It was followed by rather dull and foggy days . Then we got rain, lots of it, although the mood of the Season is here : red colors.  Crisp, cold days, trees decorated in  red  or were they goblins’ tall hats ?  A lot of  red also in the window shops, fa sho’ !Red but frozen, a  forgotten heart in a pot on the  terrace. Forgotten but not broken !Outside the air is cold, a few leaves are still blooming in the late afternoon sun.But inside, a  hot and spiced Christmas pot of tea awaits you for a quiet moment in the warm shades of candlelight. And… a cake too, if you feel like it. A lemon scented cake.Happy Advent’s time to you all, Friends, wherever you are.