A Change in Scenery

I haven’t posted for such a long time that I’ve been feeling guilty for not updating the photos – the snow and ice are gone and spring is finally here! (Although I think I should mention that we were back in winter wonderland this morning. It lasted just a few hours as the sun did its job, eventually…).

Fur coats can be hung in the wardrobes and hats and scarves can stay – the wind is still a bit chilly these days. But even though the dull and lifeless garden hasn't started waking up, it's time to sow seeds - tomatoes, paprikas, basil, stevia and loads of flowers. I'm afraid every year aesthetics wins over the practical and edible.

Sowing is one thing - just lay them out pretty and wait for the result, but when the seedlings start coming up I'm facing a bigger problem - they need to be put into separate pots. If you saw how many of my precious flowers have already appeared, you'd know why I am panicking... but this massive plant migration will certainly need a separate post!

Well, it seems that lots is happening at the moment: everything's going well at work (fingers crossed it stays that way or it can get even better, I won't mind), there have been many positive changes that are leading us closer and closer towards our dreams coming true, so it's not only my green fingers that have been busy - my mind has been engaged all this time too. That's why in my opinion I deserve a holiday or at least a few days of cat life...

When you think about it it's - have something nice to eat and then take a nap... another nap and some more tasty food... Although to tell the truth spring has changed their routines as well. They seem more eager to go outside and if you listened to some of the determined meows, you'd think they're stressed even more than we are!

Ah, everything's ok, so no more complaining. Just hope that spring can cheer us all up and remember - the more you sow, the prettier your garden (even if you are a vegetable and not a flower person).

Turning into Something

Slowly my love for photography is turning into something. It’s come a long way, especially if I consider my first childhood memories as a photographer - being about 9 or 10, I was saving money for the photo developing equipment (to tell the truth even now I’d love to have that, oh, and a secret dark room as well!). Later on I was taking lots of crap photos that would be interesting just for the family or the ones involved and, even though they aren’t of any significant artistic value, it’s always nice to hear my friends say that I’m the one with the best documented school life. Being at uni I got my first digital camera and that’s when it hit me – I can practice as much as I like, as everything I don’t like, can be easily deleted.

At the moment I got to the stage where I’m not embarrassed to show my photos – some are better, some are worse and several can be called interesting. To my mind “interesting” is good, as it means the photo evokes emotions or makes you notice something you wouldn’t have noticed unless pointed to you. I’m still documenting everything what catches my eye and avoiding taking photos of people (although nice portraits is something I’d like to be able to capture; I guess that’s my ultimate goal). This year I’ve managed to compile a calendar using my images and suddenly got a few requests – in May I’m going to be shooting my first ever wedding and in the middle of the summer my first ever christening! But this means taking photos of people, so I guess I’m a BIT worried…

I’m very flattered my friends and family trust me and are sure they will like the results (I’m keeping my fingers crossed). I’ve finally started feeling that my photos are worth something and I’m not talking about money here. For e.g. I was very glad I could help out my friend taking photos of an interior she has designed and created – professionals might do a better job, but I know a few years ago I wouldn’t have taken anything like that. So while my portfolio is growing it’s time to think of the next step… An exhibition? Prints for sale? Why not! The bigger the goals, the more can be achieved. Hey, but first of all concentrating on the two requests.

A very cosy bedroom:

An art lovers office:

P.S. I love the paiting on the desk. It's painted by my friend, the flat owner, who has never learnt how to do that, so I guess it proves that all you need is a bit of enthusiasm and you can perform wonders.

Birdie Matters

How much do you know about wild birds? Are you fond of their songs? Do you ever notice them on a busy street? Would you travel a long distance just to see a rare squeaker?

I must admit I could tell a sparrow from a stork, but I don’t consider this as a great achievement: the size difference is a pretty big giveaway. If asked to name some wild birds I’d probably manage about ten, but the problem is I wouldn’t know what all of them look like.


As years went by I noticed that birds can strongly influence my moods and even state of sanity. I like birds coming back home in spring as this cheers me up, but I’m afraid I’m ready to kill a few in the middle of the summer, when they constantly attack our cherry trees. Likewise in autumn, when they head for the sunny east, it makes me feel sad thinking that one more nature cycle is coming to an end. Up until recently winter was the only period when I didn’t think about birds - I’d have some sparse ideas on hanging some bird feeders, but they wouldn’t last long; and then spring would come…


I’m not sure what has changed, but at the moment I’m eagerly hanging apples, choosing the right birdseed and putting up fancy feeders, also trying to spot the little ones that have stayed here for the very cold and snowy winter. It looks like I’m developing a sense of compassion, well transferring it on the birds (just in case you thought I’ve never been a compassionate person), and turning into a bit of a birdwatcher*. The next stage might be birding, which “often involves a significant auditory component as many bird species are more readily detected and identified by ear than by eye” – for the moment it would be hard to practice this indoors, behind a closed window; and then – twitching, which, to be honest, scares me to death.

“The term twitcher is reserved for those who travel long distances to see a rare bird that would then be ticked, or checked off, on a list. The term originated in the 1950s, when it was used to describe the nervous behaviour of Howard Medhurst, a British birdwatcher. The main goal of twitching is often to accumulate species on one's lists. Some birders engage in competition to accumulate the longest species list.” I’m afraid all of this brings back memories of school competitions, where so much effort has to be put into staying at the top, being popular or in teenage terms – cool. I’m afraid there’s no competitive gene in my gene pool – so I will always stay just an amateur birdwatcher behind my Canon... All I need to do is to follow the code of conduct:

To promote the welfare of birds and their environment; to avoide stressing the birds by limiting use of photography (I’m trying to!); to keep back from nests and nesting colonies; and to respect private property (I haven’t moved anywhere beyond my garden yet!).

On the promoting bird welfare note: winter isn't over, so I hope you will find time to make a simple feeder and, after filling it with seeds or nuts, hang it somewhere for the birds to enjoy.

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*Birdwatching is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars, or by listening for bird calls.

Did you know that?

- There are about 10,000 species of bird and only a small number of people have seen more than 7000. (From 2008 the top life-list has been held by Tom Gullick, an Englishman who lives in Spain and who has logged over 8,800 species.)

- Although the study of birds and natural history became fashionable in Britain during the Victorian Era, it was mainly collection oriented with eggs and later skins being the artifacts of interest. Wealthy collectors made use of their contacts in the colonies to obtain specimens from around the world. It was only in the late 19th century that the call for bird protection began leading to the rising popularity of observations on living birds.

- The term birdwatching was first used in 1901. It appeared for the first time as the title of a book "Bird Watching" by Edmund Selous.

- Most birdwatchers pursue this activity mainly for recreational or social reasons.

- Networks of birdwatchers in the UK began to form in the late 1930s under the British Trust for Ornithology.

- Initially, birdwatching was a hobby practiced in developed countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, since the second half of the 20th century citizens from developing countries started engaging in this pastime due to influence of foreign cultures that already practice birding.

- Twitching is highly developed in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Finland and Sweden.

- The most popular twitches in the UK have drawn large crowds.

- Twitchers have developed their own vocabulary. For example, suppression is the act of concealing news of a rare bird from other twitchers.

- Ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen considers birdwatching to be an expression of the male hunting instinct while Simon Baron-Cohen links it with the male tendency for "systemizing”.

Here We Go Again

It seems that I haven’t even noticed how, but 12 precious days of this New Year have already gone. The holidays’ period must have been very stressful, as it has taken me longer than ever to get back to the normal life. We’ve been fighting with snow and ice (at the moment the temperature is above zero, so everything’s melting), working hard on new projects and finishing off old jobs. Everything’s slowly moving forward and it looks like we are making headway. I guess that’s what life should be about - a step at a time, but to the right direction.

The above image represents January in my 2011 calendar. Can you believe it, I’ve done it! I’ve been dreaming about this for so long… Well, too long. The printed versions haven’t reached me yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed I won’t be disappointed with the quality. I know it’s not a huge achievement as I haven’t sold any copies, but would you argue if I said that that’s one of the small steps to the right direction?

I haven’t set any enormous goals for 2011, although I could think of a few. I have mapped out a few destinations and if everything goes well I will add more and more. Meanwhile I’ll try to stay focused and live the rest of the 353 days to the full!

Lithuanian Village

I bet if I asked you to think of something exclusive the last thing that would come to your mind would be “village”. Can such word be used to describe a village? I think it can, especially if we talk about a REAL Lithuanian village.

When chicken and cows are kept in big farms and our vegetables are grown only in the huge fields, that go way beyond the horizon, it’s getting impossible to find a little family that would keep their own animals and grow their own crops on a small patch of land. Impossible to find people who would be proud of their hard work, who could lead a good life in a village and get enough income from their produce and wouldn’t need to drown their sorrows in alcohol. And so, something that used to be pretty standard is getting exclusive, rare.

This weekend I went to see some friends of ours, who have kept their roots on an old estate. I took some photos as I want to “freeze” in time a real Lithuanian village that sadly is dying off: giving in to the globalization, cracking at the threshold of the economic crisis, witnessing so many broken lives.

(Surnames on the old post box - only one of the four is still alive. Parents die and their children run away, flood the big cities looking for a better life.)

Everything’s run by a 75 year old lady. She gets some help by one of her daughters, who comes to visit every weekend and other relatives, who give a hand mainly in the summer.

We sat at a table covered in a white table cloth, had massive portions of potato pie, cooked on a real fire stove, and felt very welcome, probably just like the local priest, who comes for a special meal several times a year. The yard might not look very tidy, but everything’s done with care and love. That’s what Lithuanian village used to be like, that’s how we should strive to keep it.

I’m not afraid of hard work and keep dreaming that one day I will join some small community, where we can share our goods: swap eggs for fresh milk, give advice on growing carrots and beet root and always be there for each other in case something bad happens. I still believe it’s possible! To prove it I would gladly get rid of my city life and stay closer to nature and warmer people, who saying “Good Morning” actually mean it.

Hope you enjoy the photos and realise that sometimes even the dirty and smelly, old fashioned and ordinary can at the same time be very beautiful and dare.

Neglected

Is it really nearly the end of October? Is it really time to change our clocks and finally properly step into winter and its dark evenings!? I must have relaxed too much taking in the bright colours in the parks and haven’t noticed that lots of bloggers have already been talking about Christmas for a while! What does it make me: someone who’s behind or someone who’s just not in a hurry?

To be honest I’d like to stop the time and make the days at least a bit longer. I don’t understand people who get bored if there’s nothing decent on the television. I might get depressed thinking that there’s so much more I want to do and not the other way round. I certainly wouldn’t need anyone to entertain me… or to keep reminding me that it's "nearly" something. That's when I get stressed and, instead of doing something quicker, I stop completely.

I haven’t been stressed (not yet; wait till it really is nearly Christmas and I start panicking I haven’t got all of the presents), so I haven’t stopped. On the contrary, my blog has been neglected just because I’ve been trying to do too much: preserving autumn in between an old book’s leaves, knitting long warm scarves, painting pomegranates and still getting the garden ready for the immobilizing cold.

Well, looking on the bright side, tonight I'll get an extra hour. Will that help to fit everything in? This remains to be seen...

Black/White

Although the summer has just begun and everything’s in colour, my mood is pretty grim. (Been thinking about life in general a lot and felt so small after realizing that nothing changes after someone’s gone – the sun still rises, the birds sing their songs and the whole world keeps moving forward...) I love colours, but influenced by the recent atmosphere I decided to apply the black and white test to my photos.

Black and white photography has always seemed very sophisticated to me. You need such photos to carry so much more feeling within them in order to portray the mood or emotion, to capture one’s eye.

I guess I’d be the one who’d say that there’s never only black and white – there’re so many shades of grey; still sometimes it feels as if the darker side is stronger...

Maybe that’s why it is important to hang on and to put as much effort as you can so that the light and the good would prevail?

Happy New Year!

As the year has come to an end I decided to remember some of the new things I learnt in 2009 while browsing other blogs and writing my own – things I liked a lot and made a big impression on me. So let’s announce the awards!

Painter of the year – Alfred Wallis: http://www.alfred-wallis.co.uk/

Alfred Wallis (18 August 1855 – 29 August 1942) was a Cornish fisherman and artist, who started painting when he was over seventy, as he said "for company" because his wife had died and he did not care for the rest of the company in St. Ives, where he lived for the last fifty years of his life. The paintings might seem childlike, but I love the colours and perspective. Well, look where they ended up – even the Tate gallery! So, next year, when you decide that you’re too old to start doing something, please remember Alfred.

Writer of the year – Jodi Picoult: http://www.jodipicoult.com/

Jodi Lynn Picoult (born May 19, 1966) is an American author, who has an amazing ability to talk about the things that we usually avoid to talk about – feelings. If you haven’t read any of her books (pretty unlikely) – try them, I can guarantee it will be hard to put them down. And in the coming year start to express your feelings, life should become easier.

Singer of the year – Duffy: http://www.iamduffy.com/

Aimée Ann Duffy (born 23 June 1984), better known by her stage name Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. This is the woman, who was asked to leave her school choir because her voice was "too big" and she "didn't fit in”! She’s good and hmm… different. Well, even if you don’t like her songs, next year don’t believe in everything people say – simply know that you can do it!

Happy 2010!

May it bring you lots of nice expierences xxx

And the last award goes to Anne, my blog reader of the year ;) - http://nikkipolani.wordpress.com/

Thank you for your kind comments and would like to wish you all the best for the year ahead!

Straw Decorations

Christmas must be the nicest holiday of the year as it‘s the time when everything seems so mysterious and special. We remember the old traditions and try to do things as they‘ve been done many years ago by our ancestors. We follow certain rituals and know that they have great meaning – for e.g. here in Lithuania on Christmas Eve on a white table cloth we put twelve dishes (as there were 12 disciples) and under the table cloth we put some straw (as Jesus was born in a stable). Although this holiday has been changed a lot by keen businessmen it’s nice to know that we haven’t forgotten what it’s all about.

I’d use every opportunity to learn something new about old ways and traditions, so last Wednesday I attended a lesson for everyone who wanted to try and make straw Christmas tree decorations, which have been very popular before the glittery bauble times.

It wasn’t very difficult and I enjoyed it a lot, but there’s a problem – these days it’s a big dilemma where to get straw. It has to be gathered in the summer: end of July, beginning of August; and if you don’t know any farmers… hmm… you’d need to pick some from someone’s fields. But if the idea of “scrumpping” doesn’t appeal I suppose you could use reeds instead.

Symmetry is very important, so all of the straws you will use have to be the same length, width and preferably colour (colour differs depending on the type of the straw (rye or wheat) and the are ways how to make it brighter – you have to boil your straw in water with baking soda).

You have to use a needle that would be longer than your straws, so that you could take it out at the other end. And the thread has to be similar colour to your straw, so that it wouldn’t be noticeable. (We as beginners got a bright orange one, so that it would be easier to untangle it if need be.)

The outcome: a rather complex symmetrical shape that, after decorating it with dried flowers, doesn’t look too bad.

On the other hand you’ve probably never seen traditional Lithuanian carcass shapes that are called "gardens". They are very complex and ornate, decorated with straw birds, garlands, dried flowers and berries. These are given as presents for newlyweds as a symbol of rich life (sorry I haven't got any photos, but if you are interested here's an example:
http://savaskampas.blogas.lt/uploads/r/Rutela/113928.jpg).

It is said that these “gardens” contain the idea of creating a perfect world, where “grapes are falling down”, in the middle “there flows a river” and in the trees “the birds are talking” (words from national songs). That’s why these straw “gardens" used to be a nice present – not only for decorating your home, but also for bringing you happiness.

The Crafty Mess

Just the other day I read Kel's (a friend from the Independent New Zeeland!) post about how he is working on his book and what things help him to concentrate and generate original thoughts.

(This post can be found here: http://www.lunch.lt/the-writing-of-the-ziploc-bag.html)

I realised that indeed there has to be a special media where you'd feel good and inspired. (I haven't got a room that would be dedicated for my 'projects', so arty things happen all over the house... but I'd like to have one. And meanwhile I have just a special box that is kept for inspiration: there's lots of magazine and newspaper clippings with photos or stories that attracted my attention.)

Anyway, yesterday I dropped by a family's friend, who makes jewellery and realised that her source of inspiration can be found in her kitchen!

That's the kitchen window with lots of angels and stones, and a very nice view into her private garden.

I was allowed to take some photos - to tell the truth I've been willing to do that for ages, but never was brave enough to ask if I could... (What was wrong with me that day???).

Handmade pots and an old hmm... thing for dusting your carpets. Do people still use them?

For someone who likes modern things this room would look like a complete mess, but I think it's simply brilliant!

Wooden boards and a salt-cellar with a lazy cat.

Bright yellow walls, colourful kettles, tiny details and a real stove that produces lots of heat in the winter! (Sorry I didn't get the stove, but I had some camera problems that day.)

This kitchen might not be suitable for a gourmet chef (there aren't any fancy pots, cookers or food processors), but it's perfect for a busy artist, who's experiencing her angel period at the moment.

The cluttered work table with lots of metal things on it.

And here's one of the silver angels with golden halo and heart. Still not finished, but getting there...