The Open Sky.

Recently, I went for a walk in my immediate surroundings. I live in a hilly area, in the outskirts of a major Danish city. My house is built on a hill and in my south, the hills stretch even higher, giving me wonderful south bound views out of my westerly windows, but shielding my late autumn and winter sunsets.

To my north and east, I have an unrestricted view of the city below, with a glimpse of the ocean from my kitchen window. The image above illustrates the position of my house, as it can be seen from the hills above it. The blue sea is clearly visible, lining the horizon above the red roofs.

Within just a few minutes of walking, views out of this world are presented to me. The area where I live is situated near a bronze age burial mound, dating some 1000 to 1800 years BC. The panoramic outlook from its top is at all times breath taking, as seen on the pictures below. The vistas expose magnificent landscape, outstretched in all directions. Layers of hills, fields and green woods intertwined with small villages lie to the south. To the north, the skyline of a bustling metropolis can be observed, a major port and a millennium old city, established by the Vikings.

All of this is lined by an incredible open sky, dramatic and wide, varying in colours during the seasons, but always instigating a sense of unrestricted freedom and grand beauty.

A Touch Of Frost.

At this point, most of the foliage is found on the ground, as it piles up in heaps everywhere, creating a colourful blanket for a short, brilliant while. Before long, it will start decaying, becoming a warm cover for the plant and animal life concealed beneath it, in search of the anticipated winter sleep.

The frequency of frosty nights is increasing and with it, a new kind of art is to be found in nature. A gentle, still only very delicate icing, defining the image of leaves, at times resembling sprinkled sugar coat.
Signaling in no uncertain terms that the arrival of winter is imminent.

Note: To those of you have some spare time and interest, I am a featured as a guest blogger today on my friends Laura's blog. She is a wonderful writer and genuinely kind woman and a true inspiration to me and I am deeply honored she asked me to contribute with a post this month.

Morning Glory.

Due to the company I used to keep, in the past I found myself being a creature of the night, often involuntarily. It did not bother me though and I enjoyed late morning sleep ins; however on regular bases they failed to make me feel refreshed and invigorated.

As much as the stillness of the night can be soothing and tranquil, it seems also to carry a certain feel of distress with it. A sensation of being late, or being behind. As if one is trying to catch up with the world that seems to move a few hours ahead of oneself. Besides, it has been suggested that sleep initiated on the other side of midnight never fully restores the body and mind.

Early morning however carries a different kind of tranquility. The one that instigates a feel of being ahead, being the first one to experience an enchanting moment, way before anyone even knows it is there. The privilege of facing a new day, with all its pristine glory and unblemished beauty, while the rest of the population is still sound asleep, unaware of the natural wonder that is taking place just outside their windows.

As of lately, my body naturally prefers rising early and I have never felt more energetic. This past weekend, as I was up just after the day break, watching a late autumn sunrise, offered views filled with colours and nuances that contrast the ones surrounding our sunsets. Gone is the saturated golden, red and orange. Instead, the air is light and misty, defined by transparent colours; pale yellow, turquoise and baby blue, with a touch of pink, which can turn violet as the winter nears ever so close.

There is a certain magic hidden within the morning glory, which carries with it hope and sense of renewal, as well as promises of fresh beginnings. Anything has the potential to yet occur. It is infused with a sensation of momentarily stillness, almost an anticipation of something grand - it is as if time lingers for an instant, belonging to no one else but me...

Watching the sun rise slowly, as its subtle rays embrace the landscape, melting gently away the frosty blanket while the golden disc barely leaves the horizon, is a source of endless enchantment. To relish in the gentle tranquility of a newborn day, as my house becomes saturated with the scent of fresh coffee and baked bread has become one of my new found simple pleasures.


(Below a selection of recent images, depicting late autumn - early mornings, as viewed from my grand windows; please click the images for a better view)

Fallen Foliage.

Translated from the Czech language, the name November means Leaf-fall. How true this description rings indeed, as it is in the eleventh month that our trees loose their precious leafy possessions.

Thus everywhere I look, beautifully dyed leaves lie in heaps, in a stunning contrast to the evergreen of the grass or the black of the asphalt, garnishing the ground. While I walk or take a drive, I love to watch the wind play with these copper and golden remains of foliage. Almost as unseen sweepers, the wind gusts pick the leafy leftovers off the ground in colourful whirlpools, like discarded remains of party confetti, long after the celebration has ended. Moving them across the sidewalks and roads, creating a feeling of enchantment, but simultaneously - a certain sense of sorrow. One that can be perceived upon a conclusion of something brilliant...

To me fallen leaves are stunningly beautiful. They continue to create abstract masterpieces of art, while - and long after - the painted landscape slowly turns foggy and grey.
Momentarily, there is nothing more alluring then the rustling of the foliage beneath my feet, as I take late autumn walks on misty days, while the air grows saturated with dampness and the scent of wood burning fires.

November Twilight.

November has arrived. A month disliked by many, none the least the Scandinavians, due to the dreary, drizzly weather, late autumn storms and most of all, darkness.
Our daylight is diminishing drastically. The sun moves lower and lower across the horizon and soon twilight will gain reign over our reality.

Thus this is - once again - the time of candle lights. It is the time of cozy evenings by the fire, the time of contemplation and remembrance. The time of long discussions with someone special while sharing a glass of wine, enjoying the time of tranquility and reflection.

This is the time of November twilight and I am looking forward to relish in its gentle melancholy.

For The First Time...

Recently I experienced an enchanting occurrence - for the first time, ever. It was a moment that will forever stay etched in my perception, creating an unforgettable recollection to last a lifetime. And beyond.
I felt my body, heart and soul being consumed by this experience, which lingered within me, long after it was gone, to become an eternal, precious memory…

It made me realize how very few “first” we get the privilege to come across as we age and mature and it made me recall fondly all the pristine experiences we encounter as children, as we set upon the journey of life.

There are many memories in my recollection that make up for the very first steps into the unknown. The most vivid ones I can remember fully and completely. Their imprint has left behind a sensation of sounds, scents and sights.

Such as my very first day in school, walking with my parents up to the grand building, which still appears vivid in my memory. I recall the feeling of excitement as well as anxiety, feeling the onset of change, as if nothing was going to be the same ever again.

My first bike ride, the very first one when the safety was removed and I really controlled the bicycle on my own, without the supporting hands of my father or my own feet on the ground. That incredible feeling of achievement and victory.
A very similar sensation to the one I experienced when I learned to swim, in the pristine waters of the turquoise blue Mediterranean on a vacation with my family, when I was about ten. As my small body floated on the surface of the warm water, finally after I have conquered the fear of letting go of the sea bed, trusting my own capabilities and not giving into failures or giving up.

And later in life, the first time I sat behind the wheel of a car. My first flight. The first time I traveled on my own.  My first pay check. The first time I moved out on my own. My first published scientific paper. My first scientific discovery. The feeling of excitement when I signed the deed to my first house…
My first kiss of course, but that came when I was six years old actually, I admit. But the one that really meant something came much later in life and I still remember every single detail about it.

There are indeed many first in my recollection, either of personal, professional or intimate nature. My recent experience though made me realize that a first can occur at any time, at any age. And often when we least expect it. The promise of new wonderful encounters is made by each sunrise.
As after all, each new day we get a privilege to experience is the first one in the rest of our life.

Fall Flamboyance.

Looking out of my grand windows, I can see that my surroundings display the last of fall flamboyance. The landscape is painted in golden, red and copper hues, which shine in strong contrast to the alternate grey or deep blue skies.

This stunning display always occurs suddenly and is very short lived. Autumn has passed its mid reign, thus it's passion appears confined into only a few days of splendor, almost a showdown in colours of brilliance and beauty.
I relish in these last days of October, when I feel as if I have stepped into masterpieces of art, created by unseen artists, in lustrous nuances of earthy tones.

Before long, strong storms will rip through this dazzling, painted landscape, stripping trees and bushes of their ornate attire, leaving them standing bare, instigating a sense of late fall nostalgia...

The transition into the penultimate month of the year signifies a certain awareness of seasonal change ahead. Before we however move into the final part of the third season, October finale leaves us with a glorious, but soft daylight saturated by colours of mature autumn foliage and nights with lights of jack-o-lanterns, conveying the sensation of the mysterious and the esoteric.

(Please click the images to enlarge)

BON.

The French use this word (Bon) to describe something that is good or delicious. In fact, the French expression for sweets is bonbon.  We have adopted this word in the language of my roots and indeed call sweets bonbons in Czech.

However this post is not about bonbons or something delicious, but then again I would somehow like to think so, as in this case BON refers to Blogger Of Note and I have been chosen to be as such. Hosted by Sandy and Pam at Words Of Wisdom, a lovely place that aims to bring together people by highlighting a variety of blogs and making it easier to discover new, beautiful places. My thanks with a deep sense of privilege and appreciation goes to both these ladies, who suggest that I indeed fall into that category. Likewise I express the same sentiments to the kind and endlessly talented young woman and my friend Susan for nominating me for BON.

To those of you who stop by for the first time, I bid you the warmest welcome and I hope you will enjoy your stay.
My writing - as is stated by this blogs title and the short description of myself on the sidebar  - is focused on conveying my thoughts about the present, my recollections of the past and my hopes for the future ahead. In short, I write about life itself. Being an undying romantic, an optimist and a true fatalist, I view life as a grand adventure that I have been granted the privilege to experience. I marvel over each sunrise or sunset, I find comfort and endless enchantment in almost any natural wonder and in the beauty of simple pleasures.

To pick only three posts in order to highlight what this blog is about is difficult, but I decided for the following:

Unforgettable Moments

Ice Cream Memories

Unconditional Embrace

I also included below a collage of images, which have been featured on this blog over the years. The reason being that photography is my great passion, combined with the need to express my self through pictures, painting and writing.

Thank you again for this nomination, Sandy and Pam and thank you everyone for taking the time to stop by.

xoxo
Zuzana

Autumn Trees.

Gazing at photographs I took a year ago I can not help but to be endlessly taken back by the beautiful colour display. Unfortunately, this year our Autumn is nowhere as flamboyant. I am not sure why. As far as I am aware, the weather pattern has been very much the same as last fall; sunny days and cold nights. And this is apparently the recipe needed to produce all the bright reds, copper and golden tones that so many of you out there are experiencing right now.

Nevertheless, if one really looks, a few lonely trees indeed stand proud in all their autumn splendor. On my recent walks I tried to capture the infinite beauty that their foliage displays. To me those fiery shades are at all times a source of joy and marvel over the talented artist, which we call nature.