A fading Summer's Glory..

  The days are moving nicely from stifling heat into Indian Summer September ...... beautiful !!!!.
This selection is a montage of all that we have done in August , and I think it is a fitting bountiful harvest ..
Going up the mountains in a cable car was a brave thing to do; but well worth it  and the picture is my panic pose ...

 The view from the top is spectacular and worth doing again when the haze has retreated .

A house becomes a home when there is a 'house warming' and so we dutifully obliged- inviting the Neighbours with whom we have made connection.

 I am  enjoying being here so far ; and look forward to the Autumn getting to know everyone.

 To round off August we took a trip to our home across the border with Friends

 Here they are on top of the world !

 The view on a clear day is stunning

 Here is a Glorious / Glittery Albanian wedding in full swing , It is the second one we were privileged to attend, and everyone is one the dance floor ...

 The Bride ( I'm glad to say) was so into the party and not afraid to 'strut her stuff'

 It was a fantastic party atmosphere

 This couple loved being together and watching them was a joy

Our table with special friends .
This is the last of this Summer's wine
2012 was a good vintage ; September is wonderfully upon us ; I shall relish this Autumn and share it with you ....

A summer selection....

 Hope my followers!!! are having a wonderful summer...someone mentioned to me that I had not blogged for a while - true; moving cities and the flow of the summer were the culprits ...

 Now I am settled I am showing you - in these two pics , vibrancy and artistry in unexpected places .....

 Here is my wonderful Urban balcony - it's a jungle out there ...

 ...yet somehow calm and serene !!!

 I love antiques ; I love shabby chic ;  trying to combine the two in my new environ .

 Beautiful, beautiful ...gifts / treasures /vintage I have collected over the years

Special friends have given special gifts ...

 

 Who can spot the old among the new ???????

The sun goes down in the city , the world turns to gold , and the mystery of nightfall begins to reveal itself....

images of experience

It is the cherry picking season in Albania and I was invited out to the country to ...pick / eat cherries !!!!

Living in the family was an amazingly beautiful old woman who had spent her whole life in this one area living and working the land .She was 86 and still climbing trees to pick the juicy and biggest !!!

Duly inspired to capture images of experience , the next day I went around town and captured these images.

I caught this animated discussion ; everyone has time to stop and tell their story !!! even cars stop in the middle of the highway to talk , kiss relatives and exchange news .

 This woman , very Romany quite a distinctive attire and to me , appealing ....

 Sometimes I have to be very subtle , it's not easy encroaching on intimate moments , there are a range of responses .Some love it / others hide thru shyness or religious reasons .

 The old men here take such a pride in their appearance and I love this look , the blazer; the hat - very Italian and very classy !!!

Old /not so old faces that tell a story are fascinating to me ; the old men have a wonderful cragginess, that is very photogenic

 This precious old Lady took a long time to photo , she was ages in the shop , tiny and very distinct ....

 Methinks this guy doth protest too much ,, there was a lot of laughter and teasing from across the market ; but I captured his mischievious look , don't you agree ???

Needless to say ; I have been invited back to eat a meal and so I will , taking pics and showing you the lovely old lady !!!!

rambling rose

I really wanted to write down some thoughts that would be: poetic/thought provoking/deep, in a spiritual sense and all round meaningful ...!

It is risky not to sound sentimental, depressive or misunderstood when one commits pen to paper, but here goes and hopefully you can catch my drift.

I am being to true to my profile when I tell you that I am where I am in the Universe!!!! 

I can't be any younger and I can't undo the past. 

I just want to flow in the present - now - where I am, with what I know ...

Here are last night's musings in poetic form .....

"she was told to go sit on a rock...
the spirit led her out into the desert , and there she was 
then the desert became the wilderness 




she did not know how long she lay on the rock in the wilderness beyond the desert 
                               or why?








her heart remains open, but no-one peeps in


her ego is long dead or so she believes


but still she dreamt of revenge ; 
      still she cried out in anger , but who will listen when the silent scream roars in the void 




       Still .... the world will birth those with talent ; gifting ; opportunity ; purpose 

                     and others look on in awe and waiting envy" 

How many of us have projects incomplete, books they have yet to write. Adventures they are yet to  embark upon. 

I feel for you all, as I struggle with the same issues and if i am honest I don't know how to emerge unscathed from doing battle.

It's not as though we are ungrateful for the era we live in... potential and promises and opportunities are what we were weaned on...

but there is still 'us' who holds us back.

My point in all this is - if I don't accomplish 'it all'... be merciful to myself, live out my day in joy 

remain poetic and if I think no-one is hearing me, I still take comfort in the knowledge that the desert has heard me and the wilderness will answer me.

(Here are some beautiful images from a local albanian artist.)

Spring

 I may have been absent from Blogging recently ; please forgive me ...Life was on hold as I readjusted to the season...Now spring has sprung and I wanted to show you the beauty of my Albanian city garden....

 We took Oliver (my grandson) out to the market one saturday morning and treated ourselves to wonderful plants ; they were added to the roses that are now so prolific fragrant and colourful...

 A rose by any other name !!!

This jasmine is so beautiful / delicate and has the space to grow along the post which is holding up the vine ... there is space for all!!!!

Hope whatever space you have encircling your lives, is as colourful fragrant and enriching; we have a wonderful Creator, who gives us beauty in abundance... x