pink magic

In the last shivering hours of the first decade of the 21st century I did finish a pink project in magic yarn. So from glimpse, behold the magic tie.

As both 'pink' and 'magic' are two words, one notion and one colour, I treasure I will let this crocheted project be the guiding light and symbol for what I wish for me, myself and I in 2010 - I wish for this year to be flowing of colours and interesting details, I wish for it to be filled with lovable creativity and gentle eccentricity, mind-evolving positive challenges and pink wonders (big ones would be wonderful but I certainly won't say no to the smaller ones).

This is wish for own self and my world. For my wishes and hopes for well-deserving others, hoppeti-hop over to my guest post at the stockholm by pixels fellows...

With best wishes for a wonderful new year,
greetings gal with magical pink tie and dotty dress ~* ~

Water Week - South African Water Moments

One the beach, Kenton-on-Sea

Addo Elephant Park

Hanging out with penguins at Boulder's Beach

Tranquility

On Robben Island

A few treasured South African water moments. Oh, do I need a holiday...

water week is a theme shared by the following blogs:

stockholm by pixels - The World According to Pia - Ystad Daily Photo

Water Week - Hamburg Glimpses

Watery glimpses from another lovely European city built on water, a city of many faces - Hamburg. Like a lot do I.

Refreshing, reviving fruitful drinks on a warm summer day can be had by lake Alster too. Meet melon. Watermelon.

water week is a theme shared by the following blogs:

stockholm by pixels - The World According to Pia - Ystad Daily Photo

Water Week - First Bath of the Year

Someone much braver than me, challenging the still freezing water forces of nature at the nearby lake. Mr Once Again TooLongFur has an imminent Easter furcut on his agenda. Little does he know while contemplating life with (same) lake view ...

water week is a theme shared by the following blogs:

stockholm by pixels - The World According to Pia - Ystad Daily Photo

Water Week - Red Cottages by the River

Eskilstuna Old Town, Södermanland province

Sundborn, Dalarna (Dalecarlia) province

Arboga, Västmanland province

Sometimes there's something quite comforting with the ol' Swedish picturesque small town recognition factor.

water week is a theme shared by the following blogs:
stockholm by pixels - The World According to Pia - Ystad Daily Photo

Water Week - Loch Water

I'm sure that one of the reasons one finds Scotland's Skye so pleasantly relaxing and wonderfully picturesque is that most everywhere there is water present. And sheep. If not the Atlantic a loch, if not a sheep a cow. The stressful huffs and exhausted puffs of city life seems awfully far away on this magical island where the passing places are plenty and the pace may seem otherworldly its own ~

Evening by Loch Dunvegan

At Armadale pier

Portree harbour

Loch Dunvegan morning

Blue bottom sheep

When Skye meets the sea

Evening in Colbost

water week is a theme shared by the following blogs:
stockholm by pixels - The World According to Pia - Ystad Daily Photo

Water Week - The Gefion Fountain, Copenhagen

This fountain is one of my favourite single objects in one of my favourite cities on the other side of the Öresund Bridge - and this is me, the one who isn't very comfortable around statues and sculptures, but still, fascinating they are... - the bronze Gefion Fountain which depicts an old Nordic mythology story. The story about the Norwegian goddess of chastity (possibly fertility) Gefjun and how she turned her four sons into oxens so they could plow a substantial territory during one night only, a territory she was promised by the Swedish king Gylfi.

The territory she plowed was thrown into the water thus creating the island of Zealand on which Copenhagen is situated. The hole left behind is said to be the lake Mälaren, of which a substantial part can be found in and around Stockholm. (Some say it's not Mälaren but the lake Vänern that was formed from the hole left behind.)

This grand fountain (said to be the largest monument in Copenhagen) was inaugurated in 1908, underwent renovations during the years 1999-2004, thus re-opened in 2004. Located near the Citadel - which plays a big role in the John Irving book "Until I Find You" - and you can't miss neither the monument nor the sound of the roaring water it if you're heading to the famous (imho though in very less than charming and befitting surroundings, sadly enough) Little Mermaid statue at the Langelinie waterfront. Do visit if you happen to be in Copenhagen and ...

... don't forget to say hallo to my little favourite fountain detail

water week is a theme shared by the following blogs:

stockholm by pixels - The World According to Pia - Ystad Daily Photo

Water Week - The Stockholm Lock

Water never seize to fascinate, amaze and scare, the essential giver of life as well as treacherous bringer of death. It's beautiful, peaceful, calming, cleansing yet two-faced sinister, dark and threatening. This week will have a watery theme, but fear not there will only be the peaceful version of water moments in this blog, welcome to water week ~

This is Slussen (The Lock), a name that derives from the locks between lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea in Stockholm. It's also one of the city's major traffic junctions, many underground trains connect here, as well as boats, buses and of course there's room for other trains, cars, bicycles and pedestrians to connect if they like.

It may not be the prettiest of places and rather dilapidated these days, but it still for better and for worse serves its purposes as a junction rather well. There have been ongoing plans of renewing the area and its construction for quite some time now. That may be a good idea, though I do hope the renovation and renewal will be made with care, consideration for history as well as the future and soundness as that is far from always the case when builders are involved and city council get starry eyed wearing the spender pants.

water week is a theme shared by the following blogs:

stockholm by pixels - The World According to Pia - Ystad Daily Photo

January 1st at stockholm by pixels

Once again I've been flattered by an invitation to kick off the new year at stockholm by pixels - if you would like to know more about one of my most treasured Stockholm moments in the year that passed, I suggest you head over there right now. And you really shouldn't be a stranger as far as that one-Stockholm-photo-a-day-blog is concerned, it's quite lovely in a charming dippy quirky home away from home way.

* Paws up for a new year with new beginnings! I promise to work more with my (lack in) patience skills this year *

The Edinburgh Blend

Today I've once again had the great honour of being guest blogger at stockholm by pixels and their contribution to the Daily Photo Theme Day. Theme of the day being Sister City, and since Stockholm has no official twin city, but consider all capitals, especially those in northern Europe, to be twin cities I immediately knew I had to go either Edinburgh, Scotland or Copenhagen, Denmark. Two capitals in the northern part of Europe with which I do have semi-secret love affairs of the very serious kind. Sorry, Stockholm, but even if variety is the spice of life, you're still the love of mine.

Since daily photo means just one bitsie-witsie picture, and Edinburgh has so. Much. More. To offer, than that one glimpse, I thought I'd make the most of this day and do one of the things I like best, let the pictures do the talking rather than words and show a whole lot of glimpses of one grand, lovable, amazing city in one blog post. So here are a few more photos, a few more peeps from Edinburgh, taken this last summer on our latest visit there - Forth Railway Bridge has its own post already and More can be seen, as usual, at Flickr, in my Scotland set - enjoy ~

A PS On Smaller Things

I can't very well let January 1st, and Daily Photo Theme Day, pass by without making a note of the fact that me, myself and I was graciously invited by the CDPB blog stockholm by pixels to contribute with my own picture and words on this the first theme day of the year. The theme this time being "The Best Photo of the Year".

I was, am, completely honoured of course, and was unblushingly easy to talk into saying yes. But it was a tricky one, figuring out *the best* photo of the year, so instead I mused about one of the best things, moments of the year past. And of course our beloved and fair city of Stockholm!

If you'd like to have a look at my interpretation of the theme - and a whole lot of other pictures and views on Stockholm - feel free to head over there

Myself I think I'll munch tangerines and finally get on with finishing those what-should-have-been-Christmas-cards-then-New-Year's-cards-instead-and-now-Twelfth-Night-ones. Better late than never...