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The other day I saw a pigeon drown. At first, I didn't know what it was - was that a duck bobbing up and then down again in the pond? No, this bird was smaller and grey. It must have misjudged the thickness of the layer of ice on the pond, mistaking it for solid ground. The ice had turned out to be much too thin to take the pigeon's weight and it had plunged into the water, close to the small island in the pond's middle but much too far to reach for a bird unused to swimming. It came up again but couldn't stay upright, its head landing in the water again. And then it stopped moving.
Boxing Day Walk.
Dec. 28th, 2018 07:08 pmWe decided to find a new destination for our traditional Boxing Day Walk, but we didn't want to drive too far. We usually end up somewhere in the Naturpark Schwalm-Nette and this time we started our walk in a tiny little village called Schwaam.
( Walking )
( Walking )
On the London underground.
Jun. 1st, 2018 07:01 pmHe was checking his selfie game on his phone, arranging his curls & his facial expression.
She was looking at her compact mirror, applying liquid make-up, putting on lipstick & her smile.
They sat only two seats apart but they were totally oblivious of each other and of the family of three sitting opposite them.
He was young and very pretty - alabaster skin, dark curls and a full lips. His long legs spread out, he leaned back into his seat. He hled his phone at the perfect angle, looking at himself full of concentration, his hand messing up his curls and then just for a second he became completely still, his eyes locked onto a spot in the distance, his sensuous lips pouting.
She was a little older, Asian and tired, but that's what the liquid make-up was for. With quick strokes she spread it across her face, taking care to fix the dark circles under her eyes and checking her progress in the small round mirror in her other hand. Sitting up straight, she replaced the make-up bottle with a lipstick and continued her transformation.
Such intimate moments shared with strangers.
She was looking at her compact mirror, applying liquid make-up, putting on lipstick & her smile.
They sat only two seats apart but they were totally oblivious of each other and of the family of three sitting opposite them.
He was young and very pretty - alabaster skin, dark curls and a full lips. His long legs spread out, he leaned back into his seat. He hled his phone at the perfect angle, looking at himself full of concentration, his hand messing up his curls and then just for a second he became completely still, his eyes locked onto a spot in the distance, his sensuous lips pouting.
She was a little older, Asian and tired, but that's what the liquid make-up was for. With quick strokes she spread it across her face, taking care to fix the dark circles under her eyes and checking her progress in the small round mirror in her other hand. Sitting up straight, she replaced the make-up bottle with a lipstick and continued her transformation.
Such intimate moments shared with strangers.
After walking half-way around Schalkenmehrener Maar, it was time to tackle the next maar which is called Weinfelder Maar after a small chapel plus cemetery left over from a village abandoned in the 16th century because of the plague. Alternatively, it is also known as Totenmaar or Maar of the Dead.
And right away, the atmosphere is different - it also didn't help that the blue skies had given way to grey clouds:
( Read more... )
And right away, the atmosphere is different - it also didn't help that the blue skies had given way to grey clouds:
( Read more... )
You may know the common German word for lake, which is der See. Yes, it looks a lot like sea, but that's more commonly known as das Meer unless you're being poetic and then you can call it die See. German is NOT straightforward - a claim I've heard recently and which I find a little naive.
To make it all the more complicated there is also das Maar, which is a special kind of lake (and even that is not always true).
The word derives from the dialect of the Eifel region for the lakes of the region and in its most scientific definition it pertains to a broad, low-relief volcanic crater caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption (an explosion which occurs when groundwater comes into contact with hot lava or magma). Thanks, wikipedia! Often, these craters fill with water and then you get a Maar lake, but they also dry out (on their own or through human intervention) and then they become known as dry maars or Trockenmaare.
Among the most famous Maare are three lakes situated in close proximity in the Eifel near Daun. Here is one of them, the Schalkenmehrener Maar named for the village of Schalkenmehren which you can see in the background.
( Read more... )
To make it all the more complicated there is also das Maar, which is a special kind of lake (and even that is not always true).
The word derives from the dialect of the Eifel region for the lakes of the region and in its most scientific definition it pertains to a broad, low-relief volcanic crater caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption (an explosion which occurs when groundwater comes into contact with hot lava or magma). Thanks, wikipedia! Often, these craters fill with water and then you get a Maar lake, but they also dry out (on their own or through human intervention) and then they become known as dry maars or Trockenmaare.
Among the most famous Maare are three lakes situated in close proximity in the Eifel near Daun. Here is one of them, the Schalkenmehrener Maar named for the village of Schalkenmehren which you can see in the background.
( Read more... )
Saturday a week ago.
Apr. 1st, 2017 05:12 pmA week ago on Saturday we took out the bikes for the first excursion of the year.
The weather was so beautiful and we didn't want to go on Sunday when everyone else was going to be outside.
We headed off in a different direction this time, because we were hoping the kid would be able to handle a longer trip. (He was great.)
( Pictures )
The weather was so beautiful and we didn't want to go on Sunday when everyone else was going to be outside.
We headed off in a different direction this time, because we were hoping the kid would be able to handle a longer trip. (He was great.)
( Pictures )