Poems, Pendants And Praise...

When I started to publicly express my thoughts online a few years back, I did not really know what to expect. The world of blogging was a completely unknown territory, and even though I enjoyed the idea of exploration, I also felt apprehensive and insecure.

What surprised me the most was the collective feeling of friendship, kindness, mutual respect and courteous conduct, that rules the blogging community. The genuine love and affection that all of you at all times express while you visit me - whether in your comments, your emails or just in the interest you take in reading what I have to say, sharing my pain and happiness.

I am way overdue acknowledging three ladies who have express their appreciation of my writing and our friendship.

The lovely Mimi whose giveaway I won - what feels like ages ago - and the book that was the prize has since become my most prized possession. The poems expressed within are as gentle as they are profound.
My absolutely first and oldest friend here, dearest Holly, a beautiful woman inside out, who send me a precious necklace with a plethora of symbolic pendants -  just like that, for no reason at all. Words fail me... so rarely do I get a gift out of the blue...
And last but not least -  the gorgeous Adrielle, a poet with a sensitive mind and soul, who honored me with a blog award - thank you so much.

I dedicate this post to all of you reading this, who have become my very dear friends and I would like to express my gratitude with help of Batcat below. He is my bellowed companion and best friend and a true symbol of unconditional love and devotion.

Winter In Summer - And - The Future.

I am combining a few challenges bestowed upon me by my blog friends, in this one post. I have been tagged in the past, but I have also inflicted the tags upon myself voluntarily, as they seem as inspiring as any theme posts can be. I actually enjoy doing tags and memes, in fact, I once wrote a post on the origins of tags, as I find the whole subject somewhat intriguing.

Enough of that, now let me offer an explanation as to the arctic winter pictures here to the left and below.
You see, my very good friend Kat at Kat's Corner posted a challenge about six month ago, as some of you might recall. She urged us to post our favorite summer pictures in mid winter. Obviously at that time everyone was longing and dreaming of summer and we all happily shared pictures captured during the warm time of the year, me included.
This time around, she did the reverse; cooling us down with some fairy-tale like snow pictures in the midst of this vibrant, hot and sunny season.

Now, I am not greatly fond of winter at all, but considering that the summer has been hot and sunny all across the whole Northern hemisphere this year, I decide to join in and share with you some pristine and chilly pictures from our past winter, which was the coldest one in 15 years.
Do you recall our Arctic Beach? Icy cold wind and subzero temperatures for weeks at a time caused our sea to freeze over, a very rare phenomenon. When I took these photographs here this past February, I felt that the winter would NEVER end. I stood on this deserted beach, completely alone, my fingers numb, as the summer felt distant and surreal. Yesterday, trying to take a picture of the same spot on my way home from work, I could barely get to the shore, as the beach even in the evening at eight was filled to the bursting point with people. Everyone kept staring at me as I looked somewhat silly (and suspicious) walking around fully clothed with a camera.

I was surprised at the outcome. In a certain way, the winter picture appears so much more enigmatic and enticing (please see images below). Thus, I felt that these pictures were worth sharing here again; stressing the point that summer, however lovely and beautiful, does not always produce better images.

As for the award here to the right; my thanks and appreciation goes to sprinkles at Wyldechylde, who passed it onto me recently. I am always flattered by this attention.
This wonderful prize comes with a question:

Where do you think you will be in 10 years?

That is an intriguing one to ponder. I truly do not know. If anyone asked me ten years ago where I will be today, I would have never given the answer of my current status. My life was heading in a completely different direction then and changed suddenly just a few years back. Thus, when that time comes, I am hoping I am in good health and that I will be with someone who I love and who loves me.
The rest truly doesn't matter and in a way; not knowing - and not pondering it - is the allure of living in the present.

Anyone who is up for any of these challenges, please feel free to be tagged.

Things That Make me Happy.

My blog friends are very kind to me and I simply keep getting these awards. This despite the fact that I am guilty of two major offenses:
1) I never pass them on myself
2) I take forever to acknowledge the award givers

Still, better late than never, it is time to thank those of you who gave me these beautiful tokens.

The first one, called Inspiring Blog Award is from Radka, an artist who writes a lovely blog about her little boy. It carries the name of her son, Matýsek. She is my only Czech reader and I appreciate her kind visits and this lovely attention.

Then there is my most avid and devoted reader sprinkles. I have gotten three awards from her recently. Well, one of them is actually meant for Batcat. Yes indeed, Batcat starts to be a popular blogger in his own right. Thank you so much dear sprinkles!

Sprinkles awards came with a tag, to list ten things that make me happy. What a delightful tag this indeed is. An optimist and a very happy person by nature, I have no problem with naming ten things that bring smile to my face.
However, in order not to make this post extremely long, I decided to list only five and return with five more at another occasion.

Views Out Of My Windows.
They are endlessly enticing. In any season, at any time of the day - stunningly beautiful, pristine and tranquil. Images of nature, of the fascinating yearly cycle in the life of the trees and plants. The breathtaking sunsets, as the sun moves on its journey across the sky, painting the blue canvas in every imaginable colour. In snow, in bloom, after a summer rain, when the foliage is on fire in autumn - gazing out of my windows is a feast for my mind and soul.
Always.

My House And My Garden.
I love my house. I have dedicated numerous posts to my home, as the place where we lay our hat is one of the most important places in our life. I am happy being home, in fact so happy that I need not to leave it for days. Either being inside, or being outside on my two terraces, while hours pass away as I plant flowers or tend to bushes and herbs, feeling the soil between my fingers and the sun on my face. Gardening is very therapeutic and brings an infinite tranquility to me whole being.

The Sea.
The unforgettable moments in my memories includes time spend at the sea. Views of the ocean, sound of the waves. My favorite is the summer sea, when I can stretch out on the warm sand, feeling its soft and warm texture, while the soothing sound of the moving water plays a calming harmony in the background. Gazing at the endless body of water fills me with unrestricted freedom and happiness.

Batcat.
My devoted friend and companion. As cute, funny and hilarious, as he is calm, independent and elegant. A perfect pet, adding ambiance to my home, making it feel full of life at all times. Gifting me with unconditional love and relaxing me with his presence and his ways. Inspiring me and astounding me and making me smile on daily bases.

My Man.
Love needs no words and description and so I leave you only with the notion, that the feeling of loving someone and the feeling of being loved back is one of the greatest sources of happiness in my life.
It is that which makes it worth living.

Seven Wisdoms.

I would very much like to acknowledge a few awards I have received recently (and less recently). I am so flattered that you keep passing these onto me, even though I have stopped passing them on myself. I simply refuse to choose who gets one and who gets left out.

The first one was given to me by Queenmothermamaw and is called "Sisters In faith Award". It is given to the bloggers that have touched ones life and to a new acquaintance as well, which turned out to be me. Thank you so much, I am very honoured to have been chosen for this beautiful sentiment.

The second came from the lovely sprinkles and is entitled "Best Blog Comments Award". Honestly, it should be given back to her with the same token as it was given to me, considering she is one of my most dedicated and valued reader, stopping by every single day, commenting every single post I have ever written. Even the really bad ones. Thank you my dear friend, this means a lot to me.

The last one came from the beautiful Kat and is entitled "Kreativ Blogger Award". The spelling appears not English and I wonder so where it actually originated. Thank you so much dearest Kat and sorry it took me a while to acknowledge this.

This award came with a tag as well, to list seven things that people might not know about me. I have been listing similar tags so many times now, that there is nothing left of any interest to anyone anymore to reveal about me. Therefore I have decided to alter this tag slightly.
I am going to list seven most important things I have learned in life or wisdom that I found to be true:

1) You are capable of achieving more than you think; If you can dream it, you can do it.
2) You will always regret that which you did not do, not that which you did.
3) Happiness is a state of mind.
4) Seize the day. Always and every one.
5) Be curious.
6) Keep your feat warm, your stomach half full and your head cold.
7) The best is ALWAYS yet to come.

Two Awards And A Tag.

I must thank two lovely ladies that so kindly showed their appreciation of this place by granting me two lovely awards.

The first one I received from the very kind and gentle Sprinkles and it is just so cute. "You are so special" award seems to be as cute as it is colourful.

The second one came from my young and hip friend MelRoXx. Entitled "Bookworm Award", it seems to fit me well as I love books.

Thank you ladies. I find it always so surprising and equally exciting each time any of you think I deserve such an attention.

On the same note, I have also been tagged by the very talented gaelikaa with an interesting book tag. I am suppose to list the fifth sentence on page 161 of the the book that is nearest to me.

Lets see; I am sitting in my red sofa and the books that are nearest to me are right behind me on a book shelf. As they are all in the same proximity, I guess I will follow the numbering in the tag and chose the fifth book in first the row.

This book is entitled "The Celestine Prophecy" and is written by James Redfield. It is one of my favorite books and I am sure most of you are familiar with it, as it was a best seller in the mid 90's. When I read it in my mid twenties, it was full of revelations that clarified a deeper meaning of life for me.
The book is written as an adventure story, but describes the perception of a more spiritual world, forcing us to focus on the eluding question dealing with the meaning behind our existence, in an unusually optimistic way. One can take from it as much as one pleases, believing in the thoughts presented within the pages or dismissing them as New Age hype; still it is a well written book and the adventurous plot is very enjoyable.

The fifth sentence on page 161 reads:

"Anxious thoughts filled my mind."

Short, but a somewhat ominous sentence I must say.There you have it. Anyone who would like to do this tag, please as always, be my guests.

Connected To Fall And Awards.

I have been given two wonderful awards in the recent week and I would like very much to acknowledge the kind award givers, both beautiful and talented ladies. It never ceases to amaze me that people think I am worthy such an attention and I cherish each occasion, when I receive these.

The first was given to me by the hip and cool MelRoXx and is called "Your Blog Is So Swank". The other was bestowed upon me by the very lovely and talented gaelikaa, and has the very splashing title "Splash Award".

Thank you ladies, these deserved to be given back to you with the same token they were given to me.

On another note I made a visit to the lovely blogthings again and took a test, to see which season my soul is connected too. I was amazed by the outcome, as I definitely am a summer child.
But I guess, my soul thinks otherwise.

Your Soul Is Connected to the Fall

You are a somewhat sensitive soul with a tough exterior. You are street smart and wise about the world. You have the heart of a poet, but you're not too eager to let anyone else see it. You are very creative and deeply talented. You are still looking for the perfect outlet for your expression. You embrace change and think the cycles of life are beautiful. You don't shrink away from the darker elements of life.

What Season is Your Soul Connected To?

Honest Scrap And Two Awards.

All of you, my blog friends are so very kind to me and you keep passing onto me these lovely awards. I am really sorry that I never seem to get around to actually acknowledge you all and to tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you feel I deserve all this attention.
I think I would have to go back months and months now to thank you all and I seriously doubt any of you would even remember the occasion.

With that said, you should know that I display all the awards proudly on my sidebar, even though I do not always thank you officially.

I decided to pass on two awards and one award tag to only those who I never given awards to before; even though I wish I could pass on all the award to EVERYONE.


The first one, "One Lovely Bog Award" I received from the very lovely Shelly and I pass it over to Jeanne at Tales From A Cottage Garden, just for the simple reason that her blog is very lovely.

Most recently the very talented Kat awarded me a very beautiful award, called "I Love Your Blog Dahling!" I think that is such a fancy looking little thing, I immediately though of one person who should receive it. I am passing it on therefore to the very beautiful Evi from Absolutely Ladylike, as I really love her blog and she is a dahling.

Last week I was tagged with an "Honest Scrap" award by Sprinkles, (whose blog I hope to get to know better soon). This gift comes with a meme attached. And you know me, I love tags.
The tags prompts me to list 10 honest things about me and then pass this tag onto 5 people. I am often reluctant to actually tagg people as some of you might not like it so much, but I am taking a chance with this one, considering it comes with an award.

My choice are (I am choosing eight instead of five):

Jill
Stevie
Claus
Poetikat
Shelly
Reasons To Be Cheerful...
Sallymandy
Jacki

I hope you will accept.

It is completely fine with me if you only accept the award, without doing the tag.

Here are 10 absolutely true things about me:

1. I have been to the hair dresser about four times in my entire life and hated the outcome every time. I cut my hair very seldom, in fact the last time I had my hair cut must be over three years ago.

2. I live in one country, but I hold a passport from (and am a citizen of) another country, but that is not the country where I was born. Hehe, that is a bit of brain exercise for you.

3. I have a piece of glass embedded in my left knee. It has been there since my childhood when I fell on a broken glass while running.

4. I have participated, together with my cousin as an extra in a Czech movie as a child. The filming took a whole day and we made 50 Czech crowns (equals about $2 today), which was quiet a lot for a 11 year old at that time. However, my cousin told me later that the scene was cut out of the movie.

5. Before I got my driving license, well, before I even sat behind a wheel of a car, I knew how to drive a tractor. I kid you not. For two weeks one autumn I worked on a farm in Sweden. I was 14 and I drove a tractor across the fields with a trailer attached to it, complete with a conveyor belt, while the men from the farm were harvesting vegetables. I have a strong feeling that this was anything but legal.

6. When I was thirteen years old, I piloted a large, commercial ferry. Well, for a minute at least. While emigrating to the west with my parents, I traveled for the duration of two days aboard a ferry between Germany and Finland. There was a tour of the boat and the bridge and the captain allowed me to steer the boat for a little while.

7. I have once skipped paying a bill at a restaurant. Terrible but true and I feel ashamed to admit this. I was young and dumb. I and about ten of my equally dumb friends did run away without paying. However, we were what you might call "stupid criminals", as we have booked the table in one of the friends name and left a telephone number as well. The restaurant called this friend the next day and asked kindly to have its money. Do'h.

8. I hate roller coasters. I have absolutely no idea why people find these amusing; to me they seem dangerous and quiet scary, to be frank.

9. I have had my ears pierced since I was about a month old. That was a normal tradition in my culture; all the newborn girls had their ears pierced and were given golden earrings as a gift.

10. I have walked down the Grand Canyon, all the way to the Colorado River and up again, in one day, in the winter time (I think it was late February). On the way back we walked by flash light. One of the more scarier of my experiences. But worth every minute.

Awards!

Long overdue it is award time. Many of my wonderful blog-friends have given me awards recently (and less recently, I am ashamed to say) and it is now my turn to pass these prizes on. I always procrastinate when it comes to this task, as I feel I want to award everything to everyone.;)

At this point there are three awards to be passed on and that makes me feel slightly better, as now I can be more generous. However, unfortunately, I still feel there is still not enough to go around.

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The first award was given to me in December by the very talented Michelle. She is an incredibly superb writer with an imagination out of this world and a visionary style, that will one day bring her fame. She is already on the way.
The award is called "Real Blogs, Real People" and I guess is given to bloggers who keep their posts real.

I am therefore passing it on to my blog-friends who definitely keep things real:

*Diane at Diane Addled Ramblings; her refreshing writing is very personal, and at times serious, yet always entertaining and very down to earth. She is my oldest blog-friend. I have enjoyed reading her blog from almost its very beginning and watching her following grow through the roof.;)

*Mel at her wonderful place! Her posts are always written with an incredible sense of humour, yet deal with real life, that we all can recognize and identify with. Her posts are a breath of fresh air!

*I would also like to give this award to Holly, she is incredibly talented artist and a devoted mom as well. Her blog is always full of wonderful ideas and the sincere warmth of a genuine, kind person. She is one in a million.

*I would very much like to pass this award to Betsy, as her blog is very genuine and very welcoming. I admire her greatly, as I know she has many struggles and obstacles to overcome in her daily life, yet her posts are always very uplifting and optimistic.

*Finally, no one keeps their blogs more real than Julie. She has the most positive outlook on life and her posts are always very upbeat and inspiring. Despite serious subjects, she always views life as "the glass that is half full." She has a genuine optimism that is so very appealing.

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Next is the "Premios Dardo Award", given to me by wonderful Diane. As she writes, "...this award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day".

I'm passing this one on to following bloggers:



*Keera, my fellow Scandinavian. Although actually American, she lives in Norway. Imagine, that she has been blogging since 2002; I do not think I even knew what a blog was at that time.;)

*Tom, who I found through Keera. A talented astronomer and a great photographer, he writes about his interesting life in Hawaii.

*Mahmud, who writes the most exotic blog I know! Reading his posts is like traveling to foreign places and I learn new things constantly. His blog describing the lovely Bintulu in Malaysia is by far the most fascinating to me and always will be.

*Valentine, who is so cool, fresh, sweet and so fashionable! Her style is so very unique, she an artist in more way than one. Her writing is spirited, but very mature and her photographs are very original. She is so very talented and I am so glad I found her; or rather, that she found me;)

*And finally, the lovely BPG. I have followed her blog for almost a year now, much longer than I have had mine. I remember clearly how impressed I was with her style, when I discovered her place. An artist in her own right, she takes the most incredible pictures of food and posts the most amazing recipes known to man.;))

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Valentine recently awarded me the "Your Blog Is Fabulous" award.

This newest award I would like to pass on to these blog friends:

*Michelle - as she has all the other awards. But eventually, I think this award is very appropriate for her. The description of her blog as "Fabulous" is so right on.

*Hillary, whose beautiful photographs are simply "Fabulous"! She too has already all the other awards and I am not surprised, her talent as an visual artist is appreciate by many, as is her genuine kindness and sincerity.

*My friend Hazel, who has wonderful talent in making gorgeous jewelry. I think in my next life I want to be a jewelry maker, no doubt. And I hope to be as talented as she is; absolutely Fabulous!

*Tina at Gal Friday.;) She is my newest friend, but I am already hooked on her blog, and Fabulous it is! I find myself always looking forward to my visits there, as her posts are light, yet the subject always significant.

*And last, but not least, Noelle, at Noelle Chantal. Just the name has a Fabulous cling to it. Living in exotic Manila, the pictures on her blog are dreamy and allow me to escape my very cold winter reality.;)

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Thank you again, all of you, the kind award givers.
I hope the awards that I pass on will be accepted and passed on to other talented writers.

Long Overdue...

My very, very, VERY talented friend Diane is extremely popular. Yes she is.:) And that is not surprising. Her blog following is considerable and I have indeed enjoyed seeing it grow. She keeps receiving these wonderful awards from other talented writers and she deserves them all. However, she seems to think I do to, as she passes them on to me and I feel so very honoured by this.

Long overdue, it is now my turn to give out these awards to others, who, as I said before, deserve them more than I ever will and I hope they will kindly accept them. I hope in the future to be able to give these to new friends and talented writers, whose blogs I am to stumble upon or who will with interest visit mine.


I will start with the latest award I received called “Proximidade Award”. It is suppose to be given to people who have become your blog friends. Diane explains it very well here.


Well, without question, I have to award the first award back to Diane.;) I wish we would not live so far apart as we have so much in common and I would love to spend some time with her in real life.

Second, I will give this award to Holly, even though she already has one, I have noticed. However, she is really my pal and if we ever met in reality, I know we would get along so well. By my standards, she is leading the life of my dreams.

I would also like to give this award to Hilary. It is funny how quickly one can feel to know someone well. I feel she is so genuine and I have a longing wish to speak to her in person. I would love to accompany her on those long, tranquil walks when she takes all those beautiful photographs.

Now to the “Superior Scribbler Award”.

Again, this one is going back to Diane, no doubt. I do not even have to even explain why.

I would also like to give this prominent award to Diane’s friend Mel, who’s wonderful blog I so enjoy reading. It is humours, but with a serious undertone, and this combination makes it very genuine. You deserve this one Mel.
Remember to add your name to the list.:)

Please feel free to pass these awards onto others.;)
Thank you again Diane.

Passing On An Award.

Recently, my talented friend Diane granted me an award, which I am to pass on.
This award, if accepted, urges you to list 6 things you love and should be passed on to 6 others.
I am going to pass it over to some people that I feel deserve this award more than me, as I admire their blogs, their creativity, the way they write or their sense of style.

With that said, as I do not want to offend anyone, I want to stress the fact that no one has to feel obliged to accept it, or can accept it with no strings attached, meaning not to have to list 6 things they love, nor needing to pass it on to anyone.
I guess I am bending the rules a bit.;)

1) I am sending this award back to Diane, as she is one of the most talented writers I have ever met, the eloquence and the sincerity in her contemplative posts are so touching, and she has the biggest heart.:)
2) The next one goes without question to Holly, she so incredibly sensitive, stylish and so creative, this award must have been made for people like her
3) The third one goes to Hazel, for creating a blog site that appeals to the romantic me, I love the jewelry pictures and the way she has designed the site
4) The fourth one goes to Stevyn, I have visited his blog for only a short time, but am already hooked on the unique, unpretentious way he describes his thoughts and experiences
5) The fifth ones goes to Donna, and her wonderfully artistic blog full of breathtaking pictures and designs and her writing which always strikes me as very kind and thoughtful
6) The sixth one goes to Blog Princess G, whose distinctive writing, style and over all wonderful, vivacious blog is the reason and inspiration to why I have started writing mine

I also give an un-official award to Hilary, I simply love the design of her site, the incredibly evocative pictures she takes and her perceptive writing. Please feel free to ignore this award Hilary, as I respect your feelings about this kind of "tagging", and accept it simply as my admiration and acknowledgment of your talent.;)

My First Award.

My dear friend Diane, a wonderful and gifted writer, thinks I deserve an award.:) Thank you Diane so much.
I am sending her one right back.
Ok, I have to list 6 things that I love, so here they are:

1) I love to sleep.
2) I love the sun and the sea and to experience both at the same time makes me happy.
3) I love to watch sunsets.
4) I love my work.
5) I love chocolate and my fireplace.
6) And last, but not least: I love my family and my two room mates, I feel blessed and lucky to have them in my life.


I will try to pass this on to a few people in a little while, as I need to give them all a rest after they have been tagged by me recently.;)