Photo (and Poetry) Blog
Day 152 of 365
Day 152 of my "365 Days" project. Akademibokhandeln, Stockholm.
Akademibokhandeln on Master Samuel Street in Stockholm was once the largest bookstore in Scandinavia. With the increased online sales and the growing e-books business, the Akademibokhandel group doesn't do very well and the store has shrinked considerably since its golden years. This is my second home more or less, even if I rarely buy books there anymore. But I love being surrounded by books, browse through books I had no idea I was interested in and have a cup of coffee while reading the latest magazines for free in the café.
And, as the book nerd I am, I just love this wallpaper in the media corner 😃. Not that I'm in need of one, my house IS wallpapered with real books, from floor to ceiling.
Day 151 of 365
Day 151 of my "365 Days" project. The outdoor gym.
We found these gym machines in a park, and they work incredibily well. Perfect on a sunny day, I always hated training indoors when the sun is shining.
Note: no flowers today :-).
Day 150 of 365
Day 150 of my "365 Days" project. African Daisy (Osteospermum), stjärnöga in Swedish.
This is another daisy, a lighter pink than the one yesterday. From the ones we recently bought from the plant nursery.
Day 149 of 365
Day 149 of my "365 Days" project. African Daisy (Osteospermum), stjärnöga in Swedish.
We bought a few yesterday for the terrace, so you'll see more of them in this blog. I love them, they worship the sun and close their petals when the sun disappears.
Their scientific name, Osteospermum, is derived from the Greek osteon ("bone") and Latin spermum ("seed"). They belong tot he daisy family (Compositae / Asteraceae), hence their common names such as African (or South African) Daisy, Blue-eyed Daisy or Cape Daisy. They are half-hardy perennials therefore they don't survive outdoor wintry conditions. I always buy a few every year, they come in many colours, and flower until the frost kills them. By then they've grown to a small bush. I think one can take cuttings, but I've never tried.
Day 148 of 365
Day 148 of my "365 Days" project. At the gates of the plant nursery 10:59.
We went to the nursery this morning to look for some flowers for the terrace. A line was already formed when we got there. Luckily we knew exactly what we're looking for, so we were in and out in twenty minues. To plant the new acquisitions took a bit longer than twenty minutes though, on a very hot day.
Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) last night in Baku with Loreen performing "Euphoria". Party, party!
Now the headache: Sweden will now be hosting the 2013 ESC (as the winning country this year) to be hold mid-May 2013, at the same time as the hockey world championships. The Globe arena in Stockholm cannot accomodate both events, and the discussions have already started what should take place where. I know, luxury problems. It's fun to follow though.
Day 146 of 365
Day 146 of my "365 Days" project. Hot air balloon.
Now it's officially summer: we have spotted the first hot air balloons! And, did you notice? No flowers today :-)?
Day 145 of 365
Day 145 of my "365 Days" project. Tulips are beautiful even when dying.
Now that the gardening season has started, there will be PLENTY of garden and flower shots (you couldn't guess, now, could you?). I WILL try to post other types of photos as well, but until September you can count on lots of flowers.
Haiku Tuesday
First day of spring -
I keep thinking about
the end of the autumn.
By Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). Basho is the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan.
Photo: by me in the Peony Garden in the Ueno Park, Tokyo.
Day 143 of 365
Day 143 of my "365 Days" project. Spring time!
I used my lunch break to go for a walk - everything is blooming now, and walking around is such a joy!
Day 140 of 365
Day 140 of my "365 Days" project. Spring in my garden.
You noticed probably that there's no much text lately. Well, it IS a photo blog :-). Seriously, I don't have that much time now that the gardening season has started. I spend a lot of time outdoors, gardening, taking photographs in the garden, or reading - in the garden, of course. While I still take a lot pf photos, I don't have much time left in the evening to process them and write the blog. Right now I have three thousands of photos to process from the Japan trip, and write some content for the Japan photos on this blog. I managed at least to publish some photos every day, but I'd like to add some information about the photos. Just bear with me for a while - thank you!
Day 138 of 365
Day 135 of my "365 Days" project. Western bleeding-heart (Dicentra formosa). Fänrikshjärta in Swedish.
I featured an earlier development stage in one of my April entries.
Day 131 of 365
Day 131 of my "365 Days" project. Ueno.
Benten-Do was construted by Mizunoya Katsutaka in the early 17th century. It was destroyed by an US air raid in 1945 and rebuilt in 1958.
Ueno Zoo. Picknick Japanese style.
The Flame of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Ueno Park
Ueno Toshogu Peony Garden
Day 130 of 365
Day 130 of my "365 Days" project. Mount Fuji.
Mount Fuji fifth station Kawaguchiko at 2.400m and zero degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit).
Mount Fuji fifth station Kawaguchiko gift shop.
The hot springs of Owakudani (which means "great boiling hell").
Day 128 of 365
Day 128 of my "365 Days" project. Hibiya Garden, Tokyo.
Hibiya Garden was once the parade ground for the Japanese army. The 16 ha (41 acre) garden was restyled in 1903 as Japan's first Western-style park, including a rose garden, an open-air theatre and a bandstand. The park also has a Japanese garden hidden in the southwest corner, complete with stone lanterns and a pond.
Senjo-ji Temple, Asakusa. The Kaminari-mon or Thunder Gate.
Senjo-ji Temple, Asakusa.
Hama Riky Garden.
Haiku Tuesday
The summer grasses:
of mighty warlords's visions
all that they have left.
by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), translated by Bernard Lionel Einbond.
May Snow
A transparent shroud lies
On the fresh sod and imperceptibly melts.
The cruel, chilling spring
Is killing the swelling buds.
And the sight of this early death is so frightful,
That I can't bear to look at God's world.
I feel the sorrow that King David bequeathed,
The kingly, thousand-year grief.
by Anna Akhmatova, translated by Judith Hemschemeyer.
Anna Akhmatova (1889 - 1966) is recognized as one of the greatest twentieth-century Russian poets.
Day 126 of 365
Day 126 of my "365 Days" project. Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera).
My Christmas Cactus is blooming again!
End of Summer
An agitation of the air,
A perturbation of the light
Admonished me the unloved year
Would turn on its hinge that night.
I stood in the disenchanted field
Amid the stubble and the stones,
Amazed, while a small worm lisped to me
The song of my marrow-bones.
Blue poured into summer blue,
A hawk broke from his cloudless tower,
The roof of the silo blazed, and I knew
That part of my life was over.
Already the iron door of the north
Clangs open: birds, leaves, snows
Order their populations forth,
And a cruel wind blows.
by Stanley Kunitz, from "The Collected Poems of Stanley Kunitz". Stanley Kunitz (1905-2006) was an American poet, appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress twice, first in 1974 and then again in 2000.
Day 123 of 365
Day 123 of "365 Days" project. Apple tree.
Today's shot was easy: walk a few meters across the street and take a few photos of my neighbour's apple tree.
Day 122 of 365
Day 122 of my "365 Days" project. Mr. Ducky sun-bathing.
One can really tell it's spring - Mr. Ducky is up and about. He takes the garden rounds very seriously and checks for snails, especially early mornings and nights. And in between the rounds - sun-baths and rest.
Haiku Tuesday
"Ah!" I sad, "Ah!"
it was all that I could say -
the cherry flowers of Mt Yoshino!
by Teishitsu. Translated by R. H. Blyth.
Day 121 of 365
Day 121 of my "365 Days" project. Drumstick primula (Primula denticulata) and aubretia (Aubretia cultorum).
Wonderful spring day - such a bliss to be outdoors and garden!