Uploads from brightdawns

"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring."

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:32:53 -0700

~George Santayana

Guess who lives in a country that still has 56cm/22inches of snow even in its southernmost parts? Guess who kind of, um, yearns for spring?

I love the returning light, love the birds that sing in the morning, love the sound of dripping water. I love all these signs of another time approaching, but gosh I can't wait for it to be here already!
I have barely been taking pictures these last couple of months, no, instead I have been busy procratinating over my gear, selling, buying, having anxiety attacks and hot swells all over. Full frame for sure came in with a bang. Hah. Turned everything upsidedown, made me confused and robbed me of my identity.
I sold the 24 1.4G and the 85 1.8D, bought the 35 1.4G, 85 1.4G and the micro 60 2.8G. Have worked my ass off, getting as much overtime done as possible, to be able to pay the bills. Slowly, I think I have found myself again. Connected to the gear. Feel it's time to exhale and start taking pictures. Maybe. As soon as the world outside shows some more signs of life.

And, I know, I'm a complete ass for not being here... The mastress of absence. Ugh. It's been a tough winter, photography-wise. A very tough winter. But I hope to slowly become rejuvenated, integrated and once again burn with that photographic flame.
Sorry for being such a dick, a pig and a pompous rhino...
I hope you're all well? And I sure hope you're having more of spring than we up here. I at least hope you're having temperatures above 0'C.

Bitter much...?
Nah, just very impatient, :).

With that, I'll throw some serious spring at you, last years version, a New York cherry blossom-version. Oh, what a glorious day it was.... all those petals, all those glittery shadows... like being in a fairytale. A marshmallow coloured fairytale.

And with that nr 2, I also bid you goodnight. Tomorrow will be a grand day all in all, right. In fact, it's going to be splendid, just because I say so. Because tomorrow I will visit you all, see what you've been up to lately. Will I be surprised, perplexed, start giggling or just become happy? Let's hope it's all of the above, :).

“Keep your feet on the ground and your thoughts at lofty heights.”

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:15:23 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

~Peace Pilgrim
I obviously like to do it the other way around.

I know, this i very random, but, take a look up there where the camera info is. Now... what do you see? *sniggers*
This, my friends, is the very first photo taken with my new D700. High five!
And this is what happens when I'm let out on town all by myself in a slightly whimsical and irritated mood. I walk into a camera store to just check out something I see in the window and ten minutes later I walk out with a golden box containing a full frame camera. Oops... Do not ask me what happened inside that store, because I do not have any clear memories. Hence I believe I was drugged. There will be a police investigation of course.

Selling off all my DX-stuff, waving goodbye to dear friends and also, selling off a lot of everything else I own, to be able to pay that credit card bill when it arrives. I can already feel the cold sweat start to drizzle down my spine. Buh-bye shoes, buh-bye clothes, buh-bye books and dvd's.

The reason why I'm without socks and shoes are, that I have just packed away 27 pairs to sell at the fleemarket. But don't worry, I do still have about 34 pairs in my closet. Imelda Markos much?
And please, do not pay attention to my hairy legs, I mean, who's shaving during the winter? I need all the warmth I can get.

And that butterfly just won't leave me alone, I swear, it's stalking me in a major way. Next time I see it, I'll shoot. Just like that.

“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there within me lay an invincible summer.”

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 09:07:52 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

~Albert Camus

Hi everyone. It's been a while. A good while. A month and a half! Wow. Hope you all are enjoying the new year and making the most of it. How about all those new years resolutions? Already abandoned? ;)
I didn't make any. Per se. But I'm working on the same issues I had before the first day of January. Like getting my act together in terms of economy, food and excercise. It's a slow and winding road folks. Slow and winding. Baby steps. But I have decided on going to university again, next year. Abandoning my present job, do something completely different. Make a new beginning, shed away all the crap I've collected during the last almost ten years. Release myself from the economical prison and the squirrel wheel I've been living in for way too long. I shall unleash myself spiritually.

I have also taken up the camera again. Yes, this month I have started doing some small camera walk-ish walks. And I have enjoyed it, a lot. As you see, it's not all bokeh anymore, no, I think I needed to re-invent myself, try out other things, broaden my horizon, in the field of photography I mean. I was becoming bored with doing only bokeh. So this is a try on some landscape. It was actually the first time in over a month I saw the sun and it was completely exhilarating. You feel like a caveman who sees the sun for the first time ever. It stings your eyes, making you raise your arms to protect them, it makes your heart beat faster, it makes all the little cells of your body try to reach out to the light and the warmth. It makes everything about you, your soul, your heart, your body, tremble and sing.
Living in the darkness we have here at this time of the year is a real pain, but when you then finally see the sun, boy, you understand the people who worship the big blazing ball of fire. Because there you are, worshipping it with your whole being.

And you know what... I sold a couple of my lenses. Yep. And I still grieve them, feel like I'm missing something, which is strange as shit. And of course I see and invent reasons for me to need just that one lens I do not have anymore. I guess it's because you have shared so many moments, seen so much through said lens, or something. So which lenses did I wave goodbye to? The Nikkor 16-85 and the Micro-Nikkor 105VR.

*sigh*

Why I did it? Well... I kind of... kind of bought a Nikkor 24mm f/1.4.... Yeah. I did. But you see, it was a used copy (used and used, this lens has been on the market for less than a year!) and thus I can some day sell it for exactly the same amount I paid for it. That's more than amazing!
Now I just need to make sure everything is working as it should. Could anyone of you tell me how to test the AF properly? I've been reading, and reading and reading online about test charts and all, but is there an easy way to do it?

Enough now Hannah.

(I'm already checking out different macro lenses to buy, I mean I NEED a macro, even if I have taken about 10 macro shots all in all during the two years I had the 105VR... Ain't it grand.)

So, hi, long time no see, :).

"Life is slippery. We all need a loving hand to hold onto."

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:42:43 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

~H.Jackson Brown Jr

What the heck, lets throw in another one as well, while I'm at it. This is moi, in my green winter coat, sliding and sluring around Tallinn.
There were barely any other people around the old town, only lots and lots of snow, and lots and lots of very icy cobblestones. What shoes did I have? A pair without any friction whatsoever. Bad choice? You bet. Especially if you're trying to get forward on anything at more than a 15 degree angle. Hanging onto railings and odd bits and pieces here and there became something cool. Or well, that's what I tried to tell myself it was.

Nevertheless, I was proud of myself. See, I was the only one from my entourage who actually got off the boat in the morning, and into Tallinn. And that was quite an achievement considering I had been partying until 5 o'clock in the morning. Being up and about at 9am was quite remarkable. Of course, it's possible I was still drunk... Indeed, that would explain things... Anyway, I dared the storm, got a couple of pictures and was back on the boat two hours later, limping and thoroughly soaked.

Great trip.

(As a sidenote, I'm very very rarely drunk, maybe twice a year, and that includes being tipsy. Just to make that clear.)

Front Page #8

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:18:04 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

I'm humbled. Truly humbled. I mean, here I am, away for practically a month and when I just make a short snibbety-peak into the flickr-world, my photo immediately gets front page-status. It's also slightly embarassing to be honest... And also, it's not fun being favoured by the donkey-code. Really, 'cause it is just a code, and it clearly needs some changing.

Nevertheless, this photo already, in two days time, has the second most views of all my photos. It has the most faves and is in the top five when it comes to comments. AND, Explore #1, my first one ever! Woot! There is no way I could not be pleased, or happy.
So yeah, I am thrilled, :). Thank you every, every, every one.

And, I dedicate this FP to Mr. Brisson. I really don't have a choice, do I... I mean, besides from him having set a price on my head and all, I kind of did diss him, didn't I. But do know, that out of love, the horse too kicks. Ey?
And besides, he's a doll. (Wearing sparkling heels.)

“Sometimes only one person is missing and the whole world seems depopulated.”

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:32:51 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

~Alphonse de Lamartine

There were raised concerns, a voice shouted in the desert. Where is Hannah? Is she well? Oh please, let her be alive! (Okay, so one person sent me an e-mail...)

So, folks, dear people and all the midgets of Neverland. I'm well, I'm alive (as of now at least).
It's just that the photography-bug has kind of left the building. Not entirely, but almost. I can't find the bokeh-fairy, nor the shallow dof-wizard, and people, those were the ones who inspired me.
So now I'm kind of out there, just.... out there. Taking some snaps, yes, but flickr-worthy? Nah.

It's okay though. Doing something else, taking a break. Maybe finding different areas of photography than just bokeh et al.

Flickr's not dead to me, and I'm sure I'll be back, sooner or later.
Until then, my dear friends, do take care of you, rejoice and recoup, fill the world with love and laughter. Keep flickring for me to, 'kay?

Love you all lots!

(and hey, I was laughing my ass off when I found that quote, please do not think I'm going all Brisson on you here ;) )

"Winter came down to our home one night. Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow, And we, we were children once again."

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:51:36 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

~Bill Morgan, Jr

I don't have a wintry-fence for today, so I went through my London-pictures and came up with this. It'll do.
I did some fancy stuff today, or let's just say, downright crazy stuff. Jumped over a busy road to photograph a frozen lake in high-heeled boots, walked INTO a freezing cold lake with my only tights on (as in no shoes). Everything for the shot, right...? I liked my shots of the lake, wasn't too keen on the one with me IN the lake (composition, posture etc.), but... I was too cold to wade in again. (Actually, my tights had frozen solid unto my thighs. Lovely.)
These are times when sitting under a blanket sipping on some hot tea feels just right.

I'll also show you two shots from today in the comments. As a proof. Not the road-lake though, I might do something with it some other time.

Have a beautiful weekend everyone! :)

"Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories"

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:30:07 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

Yes, winter came, early this morning. When I entered the outside world after a night at work the air was filled with snowflakes, the car buried deep under a blanket of snow. The wind howled and the traffic struggled.
It's funny to drive in the first snow each year, you're not used to the surface, to the small extra movements the car makes. Driving becomes just a tad bit more like gliding. And the steering wheel demands more subtlety, more controll. It's exciting really. Until the third kilometre when the novelty wears off and driving becomes just that again, driving.

It was already dark when I woke up so didn't get a chance to take any pictures today. Instead, I decided to go back to the summer, to a summer in full swing. Sunshine, sandy beach, friends and the sea. And all that light! Blinding really. I shall be basking in the warmth of this one for a while (and turn up the heat in my apartment).

Front Page #6

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:17:46 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

And again! Darn it, the donkey's gone insane! Did someone see him chew on a stash of pills by any chance?
Well, nevertheless, I am glad this one got a short time in the spotlight. It is one of my favourites.

Thank you everyone who made that bastard cousin-of-a-horse pimp it out for more people to see. I'll give you a virtual hug now: *hug*

Front Page #5

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:09:32 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

Just a short gracious bow of thank you's. I've been licked by the donkey, thanks to you all. Although... I'm not sure I should be too happy about that... the licking I mean...

“The family is one of nature's masterpieces.”

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 09:03:44 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

~George Santayana

Something different for a change. A portrait of one of my dear cousins. Taken at our summer house, right after she was done swimming.
I have five cousins on my mother's side, all girls, all younger then me. All precious and so beautiful.
It is a gift to have an extended family so close to you, to roam around, argue and laugh all at the same time. Being close-knit.
When we are all at our summer house, or spending Christmas together, or some other occasion, it's a zoo, it's chaos, it's heaven. It's over 10 people cramped into a couple of rooms, with beds everywhere, things everywhere. And, it's heaven. My mom has three sisters and they grew up in a one bedroom apartment, and with all those girls, well, it was chaotic. I think she and her sisters transplanted the need for said chaos unto their children, the need to be closer than close, to enjoy the at times nightmaric loudness and craziness. Because we all have that, the need for a couple of weekends during the year and a week or two in the summer to be so close, that you do not have any privacy, barely any room to breath. And yet, that's when you are fully alive, and breath more easily than when you're all alone.

“It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life. ”

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 07:24:42 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

~P.D. James

Ugh... I've been sleeping all day long, gone through all sorts of amazing adventures. In my dreams. The sad thing is, I can't really remember those adventures anymore... only the faint hint of something awesome lingers within me. It's frustrating. Why hasn't anyone invented somekind of a dream recorder, hah?
Although... maybe it is for the better. Yes, maybe it is... *sigh*.

I should shake myself awake as of now, whiggle around like a wet dog and get my blood running. Work is a-calling me. A night filled with work. And here I am, yawning on my couch. Clearly a good sign. This is going to be hilarious. Not.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend, doing all sorts of wonderful little things. I'll be back online a little later on, when I have adjusted myself into work-mood and all. IF I manage to do that. Let's hope so, for my customers sake.... Hah.

Oki-day, I'm away.
(oh dear... I need help...)

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of..."

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 07:58:16 -0800

brightdawns posted a photo:

"....giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art."

~Freya Stark

When I got back home from London, the first thing on my mind was to get back on the road again. To New York. Shit.
I'm usually very content after having been on a trip, like feel good about being back home etc, for at least a month or two. Now, it wasn't even one day of said contentness. Probably because this trip was different, me not being alone et al. It wasn't bad in any way, just different, and maybe it didn't fulfill all the desires my travel head wanted to be fulfilled.

Either way, I'm going all New York-spirited at the moment. And in celebration of that, and of me finally finishing my trip report (the New York one), I decided to upload a New York-picture. So here, the Boathouse in Central Park, hovering behind some beautifully flowering azaleas.

By the way, I notice when I go through my pictures, from any trip, London, New York, Paris... that I don't have that many which would stand on their own. I mean, I love my photos as a whole, as a collection, but can't find that many that are great alone, or shots that I feel I could upload on flickr. They need to stick together somehow. Have some of you had the same feeling about your holiday-photos?

If you would like to take a look at my London photos, they can be found here:
www.pixbox.se/usr_show_id33718_page0_order1.html
(there are some I will eventually get up on flickr too, mostly the fence ones)

And also, if you're interested in reading my now finished New York-trip report, you could follow this link:
www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k3608532-Trip_rep...

I will be back online in a couple of hours and then start roaming around your streams, :).

“I'm learning English at the moment. I can say 'Big Ben', 'Hello Rodney', 'Tower Bridge' and 'Loo'.”

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 09:56:30 -0700

brightdawns posted a photo:

~Cher

London was fine. It felt so familiar and cosy. We spent five days walking, sitting in pubs, marvelling at swans and geese and riding the tube. It was sunny and warm, my brolly sat alone on the hotel room, crying. Poor little soul. Not.

I used only primes on this trip (well, besides two shots of the Westminster Abbey with the 10-20), mostly the 35mm f1.8, with a bit of 50mm f1.2 and 85mm f1.8 thrown in. I loved it, didn't feel a need to go wider, and could totally concentrate on getting my dof as shallow as possible, :). The weird thing is, that I have merely 400 shots from London, whereas I have 2000 from New York... But then again, I wasn't alone in London, and spent a lot of time running after my friend, who always had to wait for her hard-core photographing nightmare of a travelling companion. Bless her. My friend I mean.

~souvenirs~

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:41:21 -0700

brightdawns posted a photo:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends and foe. I have a fence to show. (Dang, that rhymed.)
I just got back from London and if there's something to be said of that city, it is that it's got a lot of lovely fences. A LOT.
So here's one for you, one with a lot of light.

I'll be back with some more London later on.

Have a great day everyone! :)

“A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?”

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:29:04 -0700

brightdawns posted a photo:

~Albert Einstein

A new fence-angle for me here, I was literally lying on that fence, with my skirt up my ears. I wanted those bikes in the frame.

I had the chock of my life today... went through some physical tests today via work. We decided with some workmates to start working on our physics, get into those bikini's next summer et al. I knew I had let me go these past few years, but still, the result completely chocked me.... Seeing those numbers, all that information, as cold hard facts, was not fun. Oh no. In fact, I almost started crying on the spot.
Now I need to figure out how I'll get back to ideal...

Another thing I have been occupying myself with these past few days are my lenses. What to sell? What to buy?
I'm thinking about selling the 105VR, the 16-85 and the Tokina 50-135/2.8... Add to that the 50 1.8 I don't use at all. And instead buy... what?
Well.... I made the mistake of trying out the new Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 in a store the other day... Bad move. That is one amazing lens, really. Sharp as h*** even wide open!
But, something about the price makes me this time think twice... luckily one could say. Today I realised Sigma makes a 24mm f/1.8, and it's only 299€. Of course, not as good as the Nikkor version, but maybe good enough? Or should I just go for the Nikkor, sell those lenses I'm thinking about selling, think of it as an investment...? I just don't know right now...

But I do want a wider prime than my 35mm, and there aren't that many options...

Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts, and some burden. I feel heavy today, both physically as mentally. A busy week behind me, too little sleep, and I'm all ready for bed this early in the evening.

Party for me too, will ya?

Peace.

"And as the seasons come and go, here's something you might like to know. There are fairies everywhere: under bushes, in the air, playing games just like you play, singing through their busy day. So listen, touch, and look around -...."

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 04:43:24 -0700

brightdawns posted a photo:

"...in the air and on the ground."

~Author Unknown

Yesterday I took a walk right before sunset. Find myself lying under a tree all yellow, looking up at the blue blue sky. Feeling at complete peace.
I walked further, to the lake, sat myself down on the pebbled shore and watched the waves slowly roll in, one by one. The sun played on the surface, giving the water a last stroke of gentle warmth. And then suddenly I saw something at the corner of my eye. A beautiful little tune played in my ear. Slowly, I turned around.
Right there, on a stone at the edge of the water sat an elf. A tiny little creature, shimmering in the evening sun. One of the fairies. I could not believe my eyes. Carefully I brought out the camera, moving very slowly, so as to not scare her away. I got a couple of frames before she suddenly blurted away, dashed through the greenery like a smooth arrow. I sat at the shore for a while, contemplating on what I saw, the beauty of it, the grace. I had met one of the little people. What an honour.

(What I don’t tell you is, that the same fairy-girl also decided to jump into the water, off the pier, which in turn meant I had to go after her (she can’t swim you see). There I walked in the freezing water, over my knees and searched for a bloody little leprechaun, who had decided it was merry gay to play hide and seek in the water. I did find her, and I ended up loving the little adventure. Suddenly it felt like summer again as I stood there on the pier, feeling the wood beneath my bare feet, feeling the wind dry my legs and my arms. It wasn’t cold. I felt close to the elements, exposed, a part of the water, of the wind, of the earth. Serenity.)

I hope everyone will have a great new week, I know I will (optimism is the word…..), :).

“I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild; when it is quiet and serene; when it is dark and moody. And in all its moods, I see myself.”

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:06:07 -0700

brightdawns posted a photo:

~Martin Buxbaum

I'm moody today, so thought this moody fence was a good choice. Last night I slept for 15 hours, saw all kinds of dreams, vivid, fun, real. And then you wake up.
Outside yellow leafs fly all around, the sky is stormy, huge clouds rolling in and away. Rain and sunshine. Golden colours on a steel gray background. I wish I had time to take a stroll.

But, I'm off to work now, as in two minutes, will come back later on and pay attention to your streams (have been slightly non-communicating for some days now....).

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:39:40 -0700

brightdawns posted a photo:

~George Eliot

Stop, really, there's no need to search which area is in focus, because there isn't one. It was getting dark and I was shooting upwards and those berries were DAAARK. I did not nail it, but hey, so what, I still liked the swirly autumn colours, :). End of explanation.

Today I got myself bangs. Yeah. It's over ten years since the last time so I decided to jump on it, be brave, get a change. And I like it! Although... I suddenly look younger... I think. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but I just got myself out of the "always the youngest of the bunch"-mentality, so this feels akward. (I'm a Christmas baby, so have always been the youngest among my piers, and when I started working, I was the youngest of my trade in the whole country (!), so that's a lot of baggage).
I'm at a perfect age right now, I think. I do not want to be younger, but not much older either...

But then again, age is just a number, right? And if it weren't for a ticking biological clock, I wouldn't care at all, I think. The clock isn't very loud just yet, but it is ticking. I have about ten years, during which I would have to find a decent guy and start a family. Ten years. Oh dear.

So, yeah, I got bangs.

What else? Nikon is driving me crazy, putting out one perfect lens after another on the market, and I can't afford any of them.... The 24mm f/1.4, the new 85mm f/1.4 and now the 35mm f/1.4!! And then, today, they introduced the D7000, which will have a 100% viewfinder, Ai/Ais-compatibility, AF fine tuning, magnesium alloy body, 1/8000 max shutter speed (hello f1.2 in sunshine!), not to mention amazing High ISO-performance. Just to mention some of the specs which make me go bananas. I was sure I wanted the D700, go FF, but... this body is certainly tempting.... Hah, on the camera forums Canon and Oly users are already saying they are changing to Nikon because of this camera, :). It has everything a prosumer camera could need.
Now where's that wallet of mine.

“This melancholy London- I sometimes imagine that the souls of the lost are compelled to walk through its streets perpetually. One feels them passing like a whiff of air.”

nobody@flickr.com (brightdawns) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:46:56 -0700

brightdawns posted a photo:

~William Butler Yeats

This ain't London, but Helsinki in June. I played the tourist for a day, followed the tour buses and hoards of Indians, Germans, Italians, Americans, Japanese... cameras ready, firing away, doing the group shots. I had a blast, and a giggle. Felt like a spy in disguise as I walked along with my own camera.

Speaking of London, that's where I'll be at the end of October. A couple of days, together with my second cousin. I guess I'll need to find an umbrella before that, a coulourful one. Then I'm ready for the wet autumn streets of Londinium.

Today then? I feel like a complete pig. Slept 'til 6pm after my night at work, have now eaten two pieces of apple pie (nothing else) and it's almost 10pm. What a fruitful day.

But let's make it a grand new week, shall we! :)

Uploads from brightdawns

"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring."

“Keep your feet on the ground and your thoughts at lofty heights.”

“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there within me lay an invincible summer.”

"Life is slippery. We all need a loving hand to hold onto."

Front Page #8

“Sometimes only one person is missing and the whole world seems depopulated.”

"Winter came down to our home one night. Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow, And we, we were children once again."

"Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories"

Front Page #6

Front Page #5

“The family is one of nature's masterpieces.”

“It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life. ”

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of..."

“I'm learning English at the moment. I can say 'Big Ben', 'Hello Rodney', 'Tower Bridge' and 'Loo'.”

~*souvenirs*~

“A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?”

"And as the seasons come and go, here's something you might like to know. There are fairies everywhere: under bushes, in the air, playing games just like you play, singing through their busy day. So listen, touch, and look around -...."

“I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild; when it is quiet and serene; when it is dark and moody. And in all its moods, I see myself.”

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

“This melancholy London- I sometimes imagine that the souls of the lost are compelled to walk through its streets perpetually. One feels them passing like a whiff of air.”

~souvenirs~