Weekly Photo Challenge: Trio

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colours, nature, photography, photos, thistle, Trio, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Trio

I am always amazed at the beauty of nature and a while back I spotted this stunning thistle with a trio of buds. I love the richness of the greens and that burst of purple  – the perfect complementary colour to draw your eye.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Ephemeral

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Ephemeral, nature, photo challenge, photography, photos, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Ephemeral

Ephemeral is a beautiful word and originates from the Greek word ephemer meaning to last but only a day. In English we use it to describe fleeting moments, those transient instances that change  too quickly.

Nature uses those ephemeral times to recreate, to transition from life to rebirth, from full bloom to seed capsules that are filled with future promises.

autumn arriving

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Albert Camus, autumn, college, cosy clothes, leaves, nature, photography, quotes, seasons

As I cuddled down into bed with my book last night a switch was flipped and autumn arrived. Wind tousled with the leaves and the pitter-patter of rain on my wind sounded like tap-dancing birds.  And when my eyes flickered open late this morning the sky was grey, clouds tumbling into each other creating a drama.

With the temperatures dropping I didn’t want to get up but when I did I pulled socks on for the first time in months. With my toes snugly and warm I decided it was time to cover up with a cardigan and greet autumn with a cosy outfit.

So as I lounge around the house today, mug of tea in and and cuddly clothes keeping me warm I can’t help but feel excited about what this new season promises. I look forward to sitting in front of a crackling fire and evenings filled with candle light. I can’t wait to spend those wet Sunday afternoons watching a film or curling up with a book.

But it is also the beginning of  college, which means a lot of time spent teaching , grading, preparing classes and talking to students. So I will have to be more organised in my timekeeping, making sure I don’t forget what I want to do because of all the things I have to do.

However I look forward to blustery walks by the sea and trips to golden woods and hopefully my camera can capture some of the beauty of all that autumn holds.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. – Albert Camus

a day on the lake

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Berlin, eastern suburbs, mueggelsee, nature, photography, photos, travel

After cooking on cement on Monday I decided I needed a day out in nature, between trees.  So yesterday I packed my swim-suit, a  towel and some snacks and made my way down to the Mueggelsee.

The Mueggelsee is the largest lake in Berlin and is the eastern suburbs, right next to Koepenick, Rahnsdorf and Fiedrichshagen. It is surrounded by woods and has lots of little natural alcoves that make perfect bathing spots.

As I wandered through the woods, enjoying the shade and sounds I marveled how close this beautiful piece of nature is to Germany’s capital. Big and bustling Berlin is home to about four million but the Mueggelsee is quite and peaceful, a perfect get-a-way from big city life.

I sat and read, ate cherries and watched the birds. And when I went for a  dip I was amazed at how warm the water was. As I swam a swan passed by, giving me a disgusted look at my human inelegance.

window dressing

take a seat

spotty leaves

walk this way

hopping by

my bathing spot

a swan in the distance

a cabin in the woods

beautiful evening light

candy-stripes between trees

fencing in the birds

on the shore

snowball flowers

summer in the city

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dollymount strand, flowers, nature, outdoors, photography, photos, pink hearts, summer, summer day, summer warmth

A lot of people don’t realise that Dublin is a sea-side city. So when the weather gets hot everyone migrates to the Dublin beaches. The closest to me is Dollymount-Strand with its five kilometer long white beach, dunes and even a nature reserve for birds.

After a quick street clean-up and  a huge cup of hot black tea I decided to take my bike on a little spin and I cycled down the coast to the beach. It didn’t really surprise me when I saw the traffic jam and hoards of peoples crossing the tiny wooden bridge that links the beach to the mainland.

sun-worshipers

paddlers

a few brave swimmers

After a nosy peak at the sun-worshipers and brave swimmers I decide my skin had had enough of the sun and I cycled home, the wind in my back and smile on my face.

And because the day was so lovely I sat out in my tiny shaded yard, surprised by how well my plants are doing. As I read and enjoyed cold herbal tea and the summer warmth I couldn’t help but feel grateful for a perfect summery Sunday.

my first honeysuckle blossom

a Pansie close up

some dangling pink hearts

no idea what it’s called but love the colour

I think a fairy forgot her dress

some mint doing well

sping in cork

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cherry blossoms, cork, miscellaneous, nature, outdoors, photography, photos, plants, random, spring-time, UCC, University Cork

Since I’ve had a busy day today, my head is spinning and a stack of corrections is glaring accusingly at me, I decided to just share a few snaps I took on Saturday in Cork.

It was a sunny morning and as I strolled up to Cork University (UCC) I could help but enjoy the spring-time feeling around me. But what filled me with joy was the sight of the first few brave cherry blossoms.

bottled light

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a liter of life, Alfredo Moser, alternative energy, bottle bulbs, environment, nature, Philipines, quotes, Sao paulo, solar bulb, Solar power, water

Photo courtesy of ALiterofLight.org

Living in our westernised world we often forget how many luxuries we take for granted every single day. We turn on a tap and hot or clod water comes pouring out, clean and ready to be used. We open the fridge and our pint of milk is fresh and cool, waiting to enrich our cup of tea. We flick a switch and a light-bulb illuminates our home, light flooding through darkness, helping us see.

I was reminded of the these luxury yesterday evening when for a little while the power went out. Due to the winds or because of some fault, for one hour I sat in the flickering light of candles and the fire in the hearth.

Of course the lights went out in the most inopportune moment, I was in the bathroom, doing what one does. I went downstairs to see if it was only a blown fuse, a candle stick in hand like Wee Willy Winkle, but it turned out to be the entire street.

I lit more candles and decided to make a cup of tea, but just as I was about to flick the switch I realised what a silly idea that was, after all my kettle is electric. Instead I poured myself a glass of wine and while I watched the flames dance in the fire place I remembered something I had heard about a little while ago.

In 2002 a mechanic in Sao Paulo came up with a brilliant idea, of how to light up a home without a light-bulb but by using the natural light from the sun. Alfredo Moser  took a one liter plastic bottle and filled it with a mixture of water and some bleach (to prevent algae from forming), sealed it and after cutting a hole into his tin-roof placed the bottle into the hole (cap up) and sealed the bottle in. As soon as the sunlight hit the water in the bottle it fractured and flooded his work-shop with light. And thus the solar bulb was invented.

These solar bottles give about the same amount of light as a 50-60 watt bulb but they don’t costa penny, only a bit of recycling and a dash of household cleaner. Student’s from M.I.T have now perfected the system and it has spread around the globe, bringing free light to the poor and changing peoples lives. Currently a tiny Filipino organisation, called My Shelter Foundation, is the poster child of the solar bottle as it has put bottle bulbs into tens of thousands of homes, aiming for a million. Their project is called Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light), a truly illuminating and brilliant cause.

As Ella Baker, the wonderful African-American human rights activist once said:

Give light and people will find their way

Watch this wonderful ad for The Liter For Life project:   Solar Power Philippines

delightful daffodils

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daffodils, flowers, mental-health, miscellaneous, nature, photography, random, thoughts, yellow daffodils

Over the last few weeks I have been watching the tips of my daffodils emerge from the earth in my planter and are growing steadily every day. There is something promising about the way spring slowly surfaces, fresh green peeking up from the dirt.

Due to our mild winter and wet weather it seems that spring will be arriving early this year, delightful daffodils leading the way into warmer (hopefully) sunnier weather. But because impatiences is my middle name, okay it’s Bethna, I went out and bought my self two bunches of budding daffodils.

Over night the buds have exploded into lovely yellow daffodils, making me smile this morning. It’s not really surprising that the little bouquet improved my mood, after all studies have proven that looking flowers at triggers happy emotions in our brains, natures antidote to depression and anxiety packed into brightly coloured, fragrant  blossoms.  But flowers do more than just make us feel better, they give us a positive outlook on life, leaving us with a more satisfied, content feeling about ourselves.

Basically flowers make us happy. Maybe that is why we bring them when visiting people in hospital or when we are invited to dinner. We want to share our happiness with others, make them feel better and lighten the atmosphere.

Flowers also have specific meanings, in the case of the humble daffodil they symbolise hopefulness, faith, honesty, truth and forgiveness. No matter how harsh and unforgiving a winter has been, the daffodil returns every yea, faithfully and full of promise.

My new morning delight, promising to make my day start with a smile

coming comet

Tags

Apophis, Armageddon, Astronomers, Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, miscellaneous, nature, random, science, thoughts

Ever seen “Armageddon“, that action si-fi staring Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. In it a team of big burly oil rig workers go up into space to drill through and blow up an asteroid crashing down towards earth. Of course Bruce saves the world in good old Willis style, a firework of meteoric rock filling the sky. Interestingly enough this scenario may not be too far off reality.

The other night I was flicking the channels and stumbled upon a science show talking about the asteroid Apophis. The first time I heard about this hunk of rock and gas was in 2004. Astronomers had calculated that this near earth asteroid could possible enter our atmosphere in 2029 and collide with earth, but luckily that has proved to be incorrect.

My not so scientific mind couldn’t follow the calculations and measurements but what I did understand was that when Apophis passes by earth in 2029 it will be closer to us then our communications satellites.  With only 30,000 km between us and this spinning rock we will be able to see the asteroid on Friday the 13th of April (weird coincidence) as a moving bright light in our sky.  But it will be our lucky day as Apophis will pass us by and not destroy earth after all.

However there is a tiny chance, 1-10,000 (larger than the possibility of winning the lottery),  that Apophis will change it’s mind and decide to demolish life as we know it in 2036. So lets hope that by then NASA will have trained Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck to be the hero’s we have seen them be on the silver screen. And if not maybe someone else will relish the chance!

But either way we will be hearing a lot more about Apophis in the years to come, some hot air and a hunk of rock spinning around in space keeping our eyes fixed on the nights sky.

rained in

Tags

Dublin, Howth, Ireland, miscellaneous, nature, photography, quote, random, sunset, walk, william faulkner

I should really know better than to plan, but since I have my friend’s car (yes the one I broke  two weeks ago) I wanted to drive out into the countryside and spend the day frolicking and taking photos.

Sadly the weather has decided that rain is the flavour of the day, so I am stuck indoors listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops playing drums on my window panes. But then maybe it’s a good thing that I get to stay home today, after all I’ve had a busy week and a bit of ‘staying-in-time”. Time to sit back, relax, watch a movie and just be.

But since I did go out for an evening stroll yesterday I think I will just share the photos in the fading daylight I took of Howth, my favorite place in Dublin, possibly the world. So while I put on the kettle I leave you with my photos and this beautiful quote by the great Pulitzer prize and Noble prize winner William Faulkner:

The scattered tea goes with the leaves and every day sunset dies

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