Friday My Town: ♥ Hearts ♥

How can it be Friday again already? And what was the FMTSO theme of the week again? Something to do with Valentine’s day, wasn’t it… Ah, hearts. Hearts?! The only hearts that keep popping to mind are the old Valentines cards I already published on my TWO other blogs this week. I can’t use those cards AGAIN – or can I? Oops, I just did! One of those playing-around things that only works on black blog background… (A Picasa collage also using black background.)

However, on this blog that’s cheating (I’m rather strict with myself) because those cards were scanned, not photographed. So I had to come up with something else. Grabbed my camera when I went out to slip slide myself over to the grocery shop… hoping for a miracle…

Sorry to disappoint you. No miracle turned up. I had to create it myself, using my own two feet.

Later, at home, going into my study to do this blog post, and thinking that I don’t seem to have a single heart-shaped object in my home… my eyes fell on my desk:

Actually … (What is this, honesty week?!) … I confess to a bit of styling for the photo, though. Putting the pile of paperwork out of sight, removing a bunch of boring receipts collected in this thing, and putting in some nice postcards that I just bought yesterday instead…

♥ Cordial Greetings to you all! ♥

Monica

Please visit Friday My Town Shoot Out for more hearts!

Shadow Shot Sunday

Here’s a photo I first contemplated for the FMTSO scavenger hunt this week, until I decided to go with the graveyard theme there. So now presenting this one for Shadow Shot Sunday instead!

I’m afraid I have no idea what they intend to use the pipe for. To quote my blogging friend Sandra, a.k.a the Mad Snapper, this is a shot I took “just because I could”!

Winter Shadows

No use looking for water reflections today!
The river is hiding under a cover of ice and snow.
But hey - that’s my shadow out there!!!

Linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Mosaic Monday: Playground

Linking to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

Snowy Branches by the River (Watery Wednesday)

The branches of an alder tree stretching out over the water.

…

Linking to Watery Wednesday

Straight Out Of the Camera Sunday: Snow!

We had snow this weekend!

Linking to Straight Out Of the Camera Sunday

Ruby Tuesday: The Old Garden Shed

‘Everything passes, everything wears out, everything breaks.’
~ ’Tout passe, tout lasse, tout casse.’ ~ French Proverb

…

Linking to Ruby Tuesday 

Thursday Mystery

Why is there still snow on the tennis courts but not around them?

Shadow Shot Sunday: Tree

"I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through
the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree,
or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines."
~ Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) ~

Still waiting for spring here… It got delayed by another snowfall of 10 cm or so between Thursday and Friday this week! Which probably will have brought the lawn in this park back to just about the same state it was in a month ago, when I took this photo. Unlike Thoreau… I did not go back to check in person…

… … …

Shadow Shot Sunday

Shadow Shot Sunday: Do You See What I See?

Can you see the white stag?

The Celts saw white stags as messengers from the Otherworld.
In Arthurian legend, the pursuit of the white stag
represents mankind’s spiritual quest.

… … …

In ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis,
at the end of the book, it is a White Stag that guides the children
(then Kings and Queens of Narnia) back to their own world.

… … …

In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling,
when Harry learns how to perform a Patronus charm to guard him
from the evil dementors, it takes the form of a White Stag.

… … …

 

… … …

Corel Paint Shop Pro X
Geometric Effects: Pentagon
Reflection Effects: Kaleidoscope

Friday My Town–From the Hip

“Shooting from the hip” ?! What kind of a theme is that??
People will think I’m mad… They’ll be giving me LOOKS… I know it…

Better go somewhere empty and quiet to practice…
… just snow and shadows…

Okay, maybe ready to try a street… a quiet street…

 

Is it a good idea to cut trees in -10°C?
What do I know, I don’t have a garden!
(Was this really taken from the hip?
Or did I sneak a look?
Can’t remember!)

 

Another day, another part of town… Street going uphill…

To see what other people have made of this theme, go to Friday My Town.

Alien

It’s still a frozen white world out there. I managed a minor polar
expedition a few days ago to the little park that I prefer to think of
as “Butterfly Park” (it has another official boring name which you
don’t need to know). No butterflies now! But I found an “alien”…
hmm… Looks like it at a distance against the light, at least…
“E.T. phone home”…! Actually it’s a grill, I think.

 

Something else that looks a bit out of place this time of year is
the sign telling people to be extra careful of the croquet lawn.

 

This must be another alien. Or perhaps it’s me that’s the alien.
I had enough trouble even walking. This one was running!

My Calendar 2011 *December*

The December picture in my calendar: Christmas Market
in the Town Square, with fires to warm yourself by.

 
I think they need to get those fires out again!! It has been a ‘strange’ winter (and it’s not over yet). December 2010 broke cold records. So does February. In between, January was periodically mild and slushy, but did not properly get rid of the snow, just made a mess of it.

Just now, in spite of the days inevitably getting longer, and the sun shining from a blue sky, we’re having another cold spell. Far up North it’s been below –40°C. Here in the South West, -15°C in the night/early morning is more than enough, ‘thank-you-very-much’…

My Calendar 2011 *February* + Ruby Tuesday

‘Falun red’ (in Swedish ‘Falu rödfärg’) is the name of a Swedish, deep red paint well known for its use on wooden cottages and barns. The paint originated from the copper mine at Falun in Dalarna, Sweden. The earliest evidence of its use dates from the 16th century. It remains popular even today due to its effectiveness in preserving wood.
(Wikipedia)

See more Red at Ruby Tuesday

Shadow Shot Sunday: Wavy Snow Shadows

Today we got blue skies and a glimpse of the sun again.
So I went out in search of Sunday Shadow Shots.

 

 

You’ll find more shadows at Hey Harriet’s
Shadow Shot Sunday # 141

Watery Wednesday: Frozen Fog

 

  

At the beginning of this week I found my world covered by a layer of white which I was not sure whether to call snow or frost. When I posted some macro shots at my other blog Beyond the Lone Islands, one blogging friend remarked in a comment that “frozen fog looks like this”. I think she may be right, because the days we could enjoy these icy snow crystals were also quite foggy!

The photos chosen for today’s post were all taken down by the river. Not too obvious perhaps, but it is there in the background! In case someone should not find the frozen fog quite “watery” enough for…

Watery Wednesday # 124

 

 

Ruby Tuesday: The Red Thread

Except for the occasional red building, there is not a whole lot of red to be found outside this time of year. But on one of my walks recently my eyes fell on this colourful sign. GARN is the Swedish word for YARN, and the arrows are pointing towards a yarn shop.

♥ ♥ ♥

In Greek mythology, Theseus rescued himself out of the labyrinth of Minotaur by following a red thread, given to him by Ariadne.

In an East Asian myth, the gods tie an invisible red thread around the ankles of men and women who are destined to be soul mates and will one day marry each other. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place or circumstances.

Source: Wikipedia

♥ ♥ ♥

For Ruby Tuesday

Friday My Town–Black And White

▲ Along one of my walks there are some rather modern houses surrounded by a fence that I think might be older than the buildings. Some of the trees in the garden definitely must be. And with snow on top they make an even better picture! ▼

All of the photos in this post were taken last week, just after we had had a fresh snow-fall making the world all shiny white and pretty again. Since then we have had thaw, and rain, and the remaining snow going all dirty, and then all freezing to ice again…! Ah well… With the camera, we can freeze the moment!!!

 

This abandoned old brick building is another place I pass on this walk. Now in the winter it’s more apparent than ever that it is not used for anything, since a mountain of snow from the road has been allowed to grow in front of the door.

 

This photo is actually NOT black-and-white. It’s just black and white! Can you tell? ;)

 

See more black-and-white at Friday My Town

Watery Wednesday: Four Days of Thaw

▲ Friday  14  January

▼ Tuesday 18 January
 

It may look like spring is on its way; but we probably have
two months or so of “ups and downs” to get through yet…

For Watery Wednesday # 123

Mosaic Monday: Linden Seed

I wasn’t sure what kind of tree it was in the middle photo,
but a bit of ‘internet research’ convinced me that it must be linden…

…   …   …

See more Monday Mosaics at Mary’s Little Red House.