'Havhingsten', The Sea Stallion.

In 1962, the remains of five Viking Ships were excavated over the span of 4 months, near the town of Skuldelev, close to Roskilde in east Denmark. These ships, named Skuldelev 1 through 5, are today displayed at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde.

Skuldelev 2 is an oak-built, sea-going warship, a longship, originally build in Dublin around the year 1042. Approximately 30 m long and 3.8 m wide it would have had a crew of 70-80 men. A reconstruction of this ship took place at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde and a replica was built, using original tools and ancient craftsmanship. The ship was to be called "The Sea Stallion from Glendalough" (in Danish: Havhingsten). It sailed successfully back to Dublin during the summer of 2007, through the rough conditions of the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The ship was displayed in Dublin until the summer of 2008, at which time it was sailed back to Roskilde again, where it remains as an exhibition at the Viking Ship Museum.

By a chance, yesterday I caught a glimpse of a television documentary about the outbound voyage of the longship to Dublin. I was utterly impressed by the achievement of the volunteers that manned the ship, thus incredibly in awe of the extraordinary longevity and determination, which the Vikings must have possessed. The modern journey was a culmination of almost 50 years of basic research in experimental archaeology, and remains a tribute to the history of the Vikings and to the ambitions of modern man in trying to retrace it.

End Of The Week.

Sunday means that the weekend is over and another week is about to begin. My Sunday is very uneventful. It is raining still, on and off, preventing me yet again from going outside. So far September weather has been very disappointing.
Below my update on the birch tree. I have to smile as it looks almost more green than last Sunday. Not much is happening and the pictures will most likely look alike for another few weeks. But the tree is so grand, that posting pictures of it can never be a waste of space or time.

Relaxing Autumn Saturday.

Autumn has arrived and there is no way back. It has been a very rainy, windy and cold first week of September. Although the 1st of this month has been written into history as the warmest September day ever, the first week of this month must certainly has a record of its own, but a less flattering one.

In some way, Saturdays like these are also very cosy. Sitting in front of the fire, with a hot cup of coffee, while looking through my old photographs, holds a certain magic, I admit.
Batcat of course enjoys these quiet afternoons. He certainly knows how to relax and it is always highly contagious. As soon as I light the fire, he makes himself comfortable in front of the fireplace, falling asleep on the sheep skin. That is of course after he has hunted enough raindrops on the window pane and observed the world outside for a while. A very exhausting task, if you are a cat.

We are wishing everyone a very relaxing Saturday afternoon.

Flashback Friday: "The Spirit Of The Hawk".

My music taste is very broad. I enjoy sound the way I enjoy life; I love to explore it using all my senses and I will never cease being curious. Therefore, I too will occasionally enjoy the escapist beat of house or techno-style, or even any good old fashioned dance music. In a certain way, it has a relaxing effect on me.

The below video from 2000 is an example of such a musical experience. One of the absolutely most stunning visual clips I have ever seen. I love everything about it; the sentiment, the colours, the setting, the images and of course, I completely love the song it accompanies.

Rednex is a Swedish manufactured techno-country band. To be honest, I am not very interested in much of the stuff they have produced over the years. Most of it sounds like rubbish to me. "The Spirit Of The Hawk" however is indeed an exception and I find it somewhat surreal that it was produced by this obscure musical group.

This piece indeed managed to appeal to all my senses the moment I watched it for the first time. I have just returned from almost a decade of living in the US. It was an unsettling time, as is common when any major changes take place in ones life. I was without a home and felt as if I had lost a part of my identity. Everything about the country I just left was still very vivid in my mind. Therefore, I also payed attention to images and sentiments that connected me to this far away land.

The relativity of time makes it all seem like yesterday, yet in some ways it feels like an eternity ago...

One Year Old.

I have a reason to be slightly contemplative on this day, as a year ago exactly today I sat down to write my very first post.

In March 2008, I was searching the web for information about a painting that has managed to entice me and captivate me, like no other artwork. Called "The Meeting On Turret Stairs", it was painted by Sir Fredrick William Burton in 1864. The search brought me to a wonderful blog, written by the lovely Blog Princess G. Upon her encouragement and suggestion, I took a decision to write my first post some months later.

The experience to write a daily blog has turned out quiet differently from what I though it would be. I did not expect much, in fact, I expected nothing. Just a year ago I knew what a blog was, however I thought it would take a professional to write such a journal online. The few blogs I have read by then were either written by freelance journalists or novelists or other kind of professionals with a schooling in writing. I was neither. The idea or a notion of me writing down my ideas, my private thoughts and personal opinions and then sharing them with complete strangers appeared completely absurd to me then.

But I have been enjoying it incredibly.

A whole new world has emerged in front of my eyes, filled with talented people, from all across the world. Every day, they allow me the privilege to have an insight into their every day lives, sharing moments of happiness and sadness, trouble and joy.
At all times, the far corners of the globe lie at my finger tips and a few key strokes have taken me to places I could never have visited physically. It is an incredible experience to read about the reality of people, who live ordinary lives, yet make them seem so very extraordinary at all times, with eloquence of words and beauty of pictures.

I would very much like to thank ALL of you, too many to mention, who have found it worth your while to pay me your visits; whether it is once or regularly; they are all appreciated. Even if writing in itself is an absolute pleasure for me, no matter if my words are read by others or not, it makes it so much more rewarding having someone to take notice of the little things I have to say. I find incredible satisfaction in the feeling of having strung a chord with something that I have written or with the pictures that I have posted. Simply finding a kindred spirit once in while in opinions and in taste can make my day. If only one post has spoken to someone out there, even if for just a moment in time, then this year of writing has not been in vain.

Finally, I have decided to alter slightly the name of my blog. When I started, I had no idea what it would turn out to be. I gave it title without much contemplation and feel that now perhaps it is time for a change.

I write mainly about my life, and the way I see, perceive and experience it and have in the past, with all its magic, natural splendor and the beauty of simple pleasures.
I feel "Life Through Reflections" is a title better suited for this blog and what it has become over the year.

Welcome to another year with my "Life Through Reflections".

MYST.

Computers, particularly personal computers were not a common feature in a home when I was a teenager. In fact, my first real contact with a computer was with a PC operated by DOS, when I was studying at the university. And even then, I used it as a sort of a typewriter in the schools computer lab to write and print out a project.

It was first when I started to work at DUKE, that I was lucky enough to receive a computer of my very own. It was a small Macintosh Classic, black and white and I loved it. Ever since then I have been a Mac addict and have never used anything else but products from Apple.

In the nineties, Apple marked shares were low and software or computer games for Macs were hard to find. But there were a few.

I never liked action games with shooting, explosions and death. These kind of violent games did nothing for me. I have always enjoyed interactive games, with beautiful interface and puzzle solving steps, solutions to which would unravel an adventure. Such was the Myst. To this day I recall fondly every single second of playing this fantastic game, so very revolutionary in every way. The player find himself (or herself) as a hero on a mysterious island, in a enigmatic setting with beautiful images. Urged to solve an intriguing story, involving a feud between two brothers, while traveling to lost worlds through the pages of "linking" books.

The second game in the series was Riven. The improvement of computers and software technology, which constantly develops, was clearly visible in this sequel. Playing it felt at times as if being lost in a dream, with images and scenes so stunning, they provided an astonishing escape to the world of imagination and fantasy.

I did purchase the first four games in the series, each better and more developed than the last. However, I was also getting older and slowly my interest in the game playing was fading.

I have forgotten all about this enticing pastime activity, until very recently. I was looking for a book and stumbled upon the old guide books to these exhilarating interactive games of my past. Perhaps, as the days are getting shorter again and the autumn season, with its rainy and dark days is closing in, it might offer a perfect opportunity to become reacquainted with some of the old thrilling adventures.

Summerlike 1st Of September.

The 1st Of September was a special term in my childhood.
It meant a "back to school" day when I was a child in Czechoslovakia. It symbolized the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, when the swallows would gather and fill the skies, while preparing for their long relocation to Africa.

Today, the first autumn month has begun. But today feels anything but autumn-like. The summer seems to have returned, even for just one day. And indeed, what a difference 24 hours can make.
Yesterday, for the first time in months, I had to turn on the head lights of my car while driving home from work. This always signifies the onset of the fall season, when the light is disappearing with an increasing speed. Each day, multitude of minutes are removed from our days and added to our nights.

I guess the weather Gods must have taken pity on us and decided to bestow upon us one last summer day. The sky is blue and clear, the air is warm and the sun is shining. Its rays are milder and coming from a lower angle then in the midst of June, but it is there.

And my mood was improved even more when I opened my mailbox and discovered a surprise surface mail.
A postcard.
A beautiful, hand written art by - and from - steviewren, my very talented blog-friend. I have seen numerous of her pictures and drawings on her blog, but let me tell you, it is nothing like seeing one in reality. Her style is so very unique; I love the way she uses colours and how she captures the essence of the people she draws.

Thank you so much 'Stevie' for taking the time to write to me and for the privilege of receiving a hand made card. In the modern world, when technology is moving forward with light speed and electronic correspondence has taken over the way we communicate, it feels unique to receive a handwritten mail.
Reading it is so much more personal and candid in every way.

The Danish Wind.

I do not like the wind, in fact I dislike everything about it. The way it rips through my hair and face, it creates one of the most unpleasant weather types I know. And unfortunately, I live in one of the most windy parts of the world.

I have learned to accept the obvious fact; it is almost never wind still in Scandinavia. As with every rule, there are exceptions. A few days in the midst of the summer, noticeable for being unusually warm, the wind is absent. But, these days are few and far between.
The Danish wind is one of its kind. And the Danes have very early on realized that it holds power, which can be harboured and used to supply us with energy. A leading nation in both manufacturing and the use of wind mills, Denmark is world renowned for capturing the incredible power, which the moving air holds within.

But to live in a windy country is not at all pleasant. At least not unless one is born here. To the natives, the wind is good and welcomed. Often the Danes tell me how much they enjoy the way the wind moves the air around. They love the feeling of it against their face and skin when taking refreshing walks along the beach. When I then list all the things I hate about the wind, they will state the very obvious; there is no wrong weather, only wrong clothes.

I live on the east coast, facing across a narrow sound islands and land, which make up the eastern Scandinavia. Therefore, these parts are still relatively protected from the direct hits of autumn and winter storms. However, the west coast and the north of the peninsula I call home are exposed to the raging waters of the Atlantic. Those parts of Denmark experience strong hurricane force winds on regular bases.

There is however one advantage that the windy conditions provide at all times. The air quality. It is constantly superb and pristine. Anyone living in a large metropolis knows how the pollution can obscure the sun and the sky, giving rise to curfews and causing long term effects on the health of its population.
Such problem are unheard of here. We do not use any air quality indexes or codes as the air is always clean and clear, in cities or in the country side. This is a fact that I try very hard to remember every time I walk out of my door and feel my hair sticking to my lipstick, smearing my makeup and making me freeze as I yet again underestimated the Scandinavia weather and am wearing the wrong clothes.

The below is taken a couple of weeks ago. What some would consider being a storm in progress, is only an absolutely regular Sunday afternoon weather.

The Last Sunday Of Summer.

It has gone by so very fast. One minute the summer was about to begin, and suddenly August is leaving, taking the summer, or at least, the term of the summer with it.

I am a summer child and I love summers endlessly. Every time they are about to leave, I experience a wave of melancholy. Perhaps, a lot of it has to do with the fact that the summer months feel so short in my part of the world.

Changes are inevitable. Some are good, some are bad, but they are necessary. I know that the change of seasons is a vital progress, important for the well-being of the animals and the plants. As much as I dislike when the summer is about to leave, I do love the changes that the nature goes through during a year.

To summarize this years summer, I can only conclude that it was very ordinary. We had a few warm days, we had many rainy days and some sunny days as well. We had about five really hot days and unfortunately, the summer was nothing like the beautiful, sunny and warm spring, which proceeded it. Statistically, each year that the summer rains away, as it did this year, we are getting a better chance to have a really excellent summer the following year. Therefore, the hope is still alive.

Below an update on the progress of the changing of the foliage, which my beautiful birch tree undergoes. Nothing obvious has happened yet, although on closer inspection, a few more golden leaves are visible.

Good bye summer!