Skywatch Friday

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I have never posted a photo of a sunrise here, in Skywatch Friday before. I have posted many sunsets but no sunrise. The reason is simple - when I go to work by the dawn, I usually have no camera with me (I forget it or I have no time to take pictures). And the other explanation is - I hate getting up early. When I have time to sleep late, I sleep late. I am quite a nightbird.

But today - SURPRISE! Here you are some beautiful sunrise. Photo taken by me. Yes, me. Really. And it is probably the only photo of a daybreak taken by me for a long time, I guess (even it was worth getting up so early and taking it).

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I bet there are many beautiful photos taken in various parts of a day here. So let´s have a look at them as they are all amazing and taken by even more amazing people.

Comics? Fantasy? Give Me More!

I have always thought that I am not very kinda" comics and fantasy" girl. I was writing about it earlier and mentioned it here and here mainly. But today I almost think something opposite.

I was browsing my old posts and I have realised how much time I was spending by writing about something connected with comics or fantasy. And perhaps it means something.

I was following the news about making a film called Zack and Miri Make a Porno directed by Kevin Smith (who can be connected with comics a lot) from the beggining to the releasing the movie.

I was writing about films based on comics as Wanted (2008) and Iron Man (2008), I found two great movie villains (Tilda Swinton in Constantin and Wes Bentley in Ghost Rider) and haven´t found anybody better yet. I was writing about Coraline based on Neil Gaiman´s gorgeous book, and I was also recommending Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. And if you check my profile, you could see that I also love Terry Pratchett´s and Philip Pullman´s books. And there are many others. Hm. So I think I AM kinda "comics and fantasy" girl.

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This doodle is made by Kendra Stout.

(I was posting it once some time ago, but I think it fits this post as well. And I love it and it´s my blog, so I can post it as many times as I want to:-)

Skywatch Friday

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These days the weather is very nice to us and the sun is showing us its face a lot. The only problem is that there are usually just a few clouds in the sky (if there are any). And it means that the sky is blue. Nothing but blue. And it means that it is a bit difficult to take a photo of something interesting in the sky. Except the diversity of blue. I am not complaining at all, just saying.

I took this picture today from the window in the school I teach. It must have been a great view of a teacher leaning out of the highest window in the whole building and trying to take a photo of the meadow far away.

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I am too tired to look at the other skywatchers´ photos today (and I am heading to the bed), but tomorrow I am going to do my best to comment as much of them as possible.

The 20th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution

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Yesterday the whole republic were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.

So we´ve had 20 years of democracy. And yesterday many people have realised that there are still many things to learn. But we after all we can learn them freely. No one would decide instead of us.

Last year I was also writing of this event which changed our lives and the whole country. You can read it here.

It was an amazing week in 1989. The whole nation came together and in that frozen week there were people in the streets and squares, and they were protesting, non-violently. There were usually about 500,000 people, sometimes even 1 million, on Prague´s main square (the Czech Republic has only about 10 millions people, so it was really a lot).

Because the television studios in capital city were occupied by the communist powers, and there were no chance how to get people in the other parts of the republic know what was happening, many people were crossing the whole country by their own cars and telling people that the history was going to change.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IYJJXTGpOk

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Also the people on the squares were there every single day to let people in passing cars (which were honking at them to support them) know the news. Literally all people came together and supported each other. That was the most amazing thing about this revolution.

The other amazing thing was that the whole revolution was started by students, artists, and the intelligentsia. So the whole revolution is an evidence that even art can make the difference. And when Václav Havel, the playwright, became a president (chosen by people), it was a pure happiness. And even nowadays all call him President Havel (although he is a president no more).

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Here are the news (from USA) describing what happened in the whole then communist Europe, but there is also a big part dedicating to our Velvet Revolution:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPyKuGXppsA

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And here is a slideshow of some photos from those days. The song accompanied the slideshow is sang by Karel Kryl, and it is his very famous song called Close the Gate, Little Brother. Karel Kryl was very popular Czech singer-songwriter and performer of many protest songs in which he strongly criticized and identified the shortcomings and inhumanity of the Communist regime.

His song were banned, of course. And I remember how I felt as a small girl, when my parents were listening to them, we sang them together, and even now I can sing these song by heart.

I have read an article in the newspaper where somebody had written: "to understand the Velvet Revolution is like to understand the Czech mentality". Well, maybe.

Hen Party and St. Martin´s Wine

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I live in the area where there are hundreds of vineyards. The vine growing has a long tradition here (almost thousand years), and we know what good wine is and how to make it. People from other parts of Czech Republic go to visit our famous wine cellars, and I am proud to be a part of this cultural heritage (because even the wine can be a part of the culture).

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On 11th November we celebrate the name-day of Martin. There are two important things connected with this date. The first one is an old saying that: "St. Martin always comes riding a white horse". That means that usually the first snow of the year appears in this very day. And it is usully true.

And the second event (which is more important in my area) is that the very first wine of this year is revealed. After the grapes are harvested from September to October, they are processed and then the this-year-wine appears. The wine is bottled and from the November 11, you can see it in the shops, in the restaurants, you can taste it for the first time.

This young fresh wine is called St. Martin´s, and there is usually not so much alcohol in it.
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So on Friday evening me and my friends went to the restaurant to taste some St. Martin´s wine. We went there with a strong belief that we would taste all offered wine - white, red, and rosé. As the first one, we tasted rosé. And it was so amazing, that we stayed loyal to that colour for the rest of the evening.

On the left, there is my best friend Mája. She has three children (yes, she is so brave), a loving husband (although from time to time she says that being a lesbian wouldn´t be so bad, you know - men...*), and since July she has been running her own shop with dry goods and her own handmade things. She makes wonderful weave scarves, great wicker baskets, gorgeous small mosaic boxes, jewellery, and many other things. Sometimes I think she has to steal the energy somewhere, because nobody would stay sane with so much work around family, the business, and still be the nicest person in the world. She is a bit hyperactive. And she is awesome.

On the right, there is my other friend. She´s called Verunka. She is the kindest person in the world. She is so kind that we all have the tendencies to protect her somehow. Perhaps she doesn´t need any protection (she is a quite big girl), but she is so tender and sensitive that we have those tendencies anyway.
She also runs her own business - she has her own beauty parlour. Small, but very nice and cozy place. We all love to go there and let her take care about our bodies.

And this is Bára. I met her for the first time that Friday, but I had seen her work many times before. She is a dressmaker, and also runs her own business. She cooperates with Mája and supplies Mája´s shop with made-to-measure clothes (at the moment, a wonderful red winter coat is hanging in the shop window), and some other small things.
She is also a very nice person, and fits to our company perfectly. And I have realised that our mothers were co-workers for about ten years. The world is small.

And this is, of course, me. Photo taken by Mája.

And in this photo we are going home. It was late after midnight, and we were tired, but happy and we had a great time and laugh.

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We agreed that we should meet more often. So we have decide that every second Friday in the month, we will have a hen party. But maybe we will meet earlier, because since tomorrow there is going to be "Beaujolais Days". So another wine tasting is waiting for us.

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* just kidding, of course Mája loves her husband:-)

Skywatch Friday

The winter is here. With all its weird things as grey sky, rain with snow and snow with rain, just rain, just snow. But today the weather was quite nice, fortunately. The sun was shining, the sky was blue. And it all has lifted my mood.

I liked that tree top. I don´t know why some leaves are white. But I find it interesting. And nice.
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The sun was hiding behind the cloud and the light was wonderful. And I like that particular cloud so much, that here it is once more:

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There are some great and incredible and amazing skies from all over the world here. Do not miss them!

Turning to the Dark Side

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I was browsing through my latest posts and I was quite surprised how different they are from my older (or the oldest) posts. Was the last year really so different than this one?

Till June/July this year (and a part of the last year) was really tough one. Fortunately, from summer holiday the days have become bright again, and the old (although sometimes still quite tired) Me is back again. Or I think so.

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I am going to write today about something I have mentioned about a year ago.

I am Gemini. That means I have two sides - the good one, and "the other" one. I don´t believe much in telling something about people just according their zodiac sign, but all I have read about Gemini.. well, that me.

These days I have found something else. I don´t have two sides, I have got three. At least. The very good one, the ironical one, and "the Darth Vader" one.

And these days I am definitely in my "Vader" mood. I am sharp-tongued, rough and wry. Still, I am not cruel (am not eating small children or so), which is the only positive thing about this state of mind.

And sometimes I think that people around me are glad I am in this mood. Because if they didn´t, they wouldn´t do such stupid things as making me angry or almost furious. I just don´t like when dull and not competent people try to make me do something stupid.

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Now I am heading for getting control of some of the nearest galaxies. You know, sometimes it´s better to leave the line and rule your own world than to fawn over anybody pretending their opinion is the only right one. It´s not. Or it needen´t to be.

(This picture is called Point of View and it´s one of my favourite. But unfortunately, I don´t remember what artist it is made by. And I am quite sorry about it.)

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Skywatch Friday

These days the weather is quite playing jokes on us. A half of the week is so hot that we almost wear just T-shirts again. And the other half the temperatures are so low that there are snow calamities in the mountains in our country. I don´t remember such changing of almost summer temperatures and almost deep winter temperatures in my life. This year is weird in this way.

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So here are some photos taken in those warm days. Two different places, two sunsets.

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Don´t forget to check the skies from the other keen skywatchers!

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Smallone´s Birthday

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Smallone´s birthday is on 26th October. So since this Monday, she is three years old. A big girl. Time is running so quickly.

We baked her a cake and decorated it with small edible ladybugs and strawberry gumdrops.

Smallone was given a lot of presents, and all of them made her smile widely. And she also got a kind of princess set - the diadem, earings and a ring. And she truly looked like a small royalist:

So happy birthday again, my sweetheart.

A Wonderful Day With Smallone

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After three years of maternity leave, my sister has started to go to work again. She doesn´t like the work much, but she has had to start somewhere. And some job is better than no job.

As Smallone can´t go to the nursery school regularly until next week, me and the rest of the family have become babysitters for these days. And we are enjoying it a lot.

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Me and my mother have had a day off today so we took care of Smallone from the morning till about four o´clock in the afternoon when my sister came home from work. And you wouldn´t believe how many things you can do during one day. And I must say that to keep up with Smallone´s energy was the biggest problem for us.

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First of all, we decided to painted my study. Smallone got dressed her favourite apron and started to help me:

We blend the white paint with the colour one and stir the mixture:

And then we started to paint the walls:

It was such a fun. Smallone is a really good helper.

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There is nothing better after hard work than good lunch....

... and after good lunch, there is nothing better than playing. Smallone´s favourite plays these days are "at the shop assistant" and "at the doctor´s".

So Smallone sold us a lot of thing, e.g. some nice diadem, some food, some purse, some toys.

And when her doll was ill, she took care of her very well:

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And after a good play, there is nothing better than a nap for a while.

And then we played again and we did some exercises. That was quite a bad idea as me and my mother were tired, Smallone looked more relax than at the beginning of the exercising.
And then Smallone´s mother came and they went home. But it was a really wonderful day. Smallone is a precious.

My "Aunt"

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I haven´t been blogging for almost three weeks. Many things happened. Some bad, some good.

This blog entry is going to be about my aunt. Well, she wasn´t my real aunt. She was my father´s aunt (my grandmother´s sister), but we all call her Aunt of Hrádkov.

Hrádkov is a very small village in the middle of wonderful nature. Hrádkov is a magic land. Something unique and special with a flavor of past times. Something true. And so was she.

She died about a week ago and I have realised how much I value the time I could spend with her.

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My aunt was a very strong, but kind woman. She lived all her life in the house where she also had grown up. She had two daughters. When one of them was about two years old and the second one was an infant, her husband died, and she had to manage everything just by herself - two small children, a house with a big garden, the farm animals they kept. And she succeeded excellently.

She didn´t get married again, and stayed single for the rest of her life. I remember one of her talk with my mother, when she told her that she had never regretted this thing. She didn´t want to bring another father to her two daughters, and

"..you know, it was the life. Bad things happens all the time and there´s no other possibility that to cope with them. I have never regretted my decision. Nor my daughters. They were, and still are, my only love." - That was about six years ago.

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She was one of the strongest people I know. Strong-willed, steady, humble, very kind and caring. And her decease has hurt and striked us a lot. I always thought she would never pass away.

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Skywatch Friday

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While walking along the river yesterday I had noticed the perfect colours of autumn. The nature is so beautiful these days. The leaves have started to change their colours as well as the fields. And the cerulean sky is full of violet and grey clouds.

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I have also noticed that these days there are lots of clouds shaped like these:

It looks like they would be ripped up. Tens of greyish islands in the sky.

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Don´t miss the incredible skies from all over the world!

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Indian Summer All Around

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Today it has been one of the warmest days this autumn. Around noon it was about 28 degrees of Celsius. The perfect weather for a walk along the river.

My younger cousin is called Honza and he and Smallone are really good friends. Honza was so looking forward to our trip that he had cancelled his football training so he could go with us.

The sun was shining and me, my mother and my aunt (Honza´s mother) were chatting and enjoying the calm of the environment around us while Honza and Smallone were pretty far ahead discussing some important things as the ducks on the river.

We stopped at the dam, and we were watching some rowers for a while...

... and then we collected some chestnuts. We brought a few home, but most of them ended thrown in the river. It was fun.

The weather these days is really wonderful. The sun shines all day long, the temperatures are high. Extremely nice Indian summer.

Then we met my uncle (Honza´s Dad) and because we had needed some refreshment, we stopped in a restaurant for a drink. We sat in the restaurant´s garden and enjoyed the sun even more.

And then we had to set out home. So we said goodbye to the ducks:

... and then we accompanied Honza and his parents to their home, and we said goodbye to them as well:

(Smallone: "I´m not here!")

It was such a lovely day. We have agreed with Honza and his parents (and with Smallone, of course) on other trip next Wednesday. It´s gonna be fun again, there are no doubts.

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Filming Spot

There were two films I had wanted to see in the cinema in September - Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and The Boat That Rocked.

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The first film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, I saw at home on DVD, finally. And it was amazing and funny and clever and sweet and all those things I had been expecting from the flick directed and written by Kevin Smith. And I have fallen in love with Seth Rogen (who plays Zack). He and Elizabeth Banks (Miri) are really cute together. Cute and funny.

The only thing I haven´t been able to cope with is the fuss around this film. The director had to fight for the R-rating, the posters should have been changed because some people thought they were too erotic (which they were not - they were clever and amusing).

All I want to say is that I strongly don´t believe in censorship. At any level. And I don´t understand why the film with tuns of blood has lower rating than films with naked breasts in them. Or, for example, everyone of us has been told about Shakespeare once, have we. And if you read his plays, they are full of sex. And they are damn good plays.

By the way, have I said that Zack and Miri is a romantic comedy? Yes, it is. And very good one.

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Yesterday I went to the cinema to see The Boat That Rocked. Written and directed by Richard Curtis (Nothing Hill, Love Actually). And It was stunning! The storyline is quite simple, but the actors, the music, the jokes, and most of the scenes are unforgettable. I was laughing aloud and absolutely enjoyed it. The Boat That Rocked really rocks.
Today I was recommending this film to every single person I met. You should see it! I just love this kind of sarcastic British humour.
Here´s the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb0LX7BrbBQ

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(I´ve just read that: "In July 2009 it was reported that Curtis is planning to delete approximately twenty minutes of footage and re-cut the film for its American release in November, after many critics complained of the film's excessive running time. Reportedly the film's title has been changed to Pirate Radio for the U.S. release as well.)

Skywatch Friday

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This is a photo my sister took for me in our holiday. My last skywatch post was also from our holiday, but this is special, because my sister took it for me. She was thinking of me. She is my precious. She has always been. And I like the photo a lot - beautiful and unique clouds, don´t you think?

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Do not miss the amazing photos of the skies from all around the world. You should have a look at them, browse them and write some nice comments on them.

On the Board!

The new school year has begun. And lots of work has started to scare me at night. But it is a pleasure in some way. My adult students are very nice and smart, and my small students are bringing me to the planetarium next week which is also very very very nice. And I am looking forward to it a lot. I haven´t been there for quite a long time.

Now, I am sitting at the primary school, in our headmaster´s office. We are all here waiting for the first meeting with parents this school year. It is going to be about summing-up the last school year, what we did, where we were, what was bought, etc. And about what is going to happen this school year, about free time activities organised by our school, some important events, etc. It is going to be very boring. I have never said a word in this kind of meeting ever, our headmaster talks and explains. But I have to be here in case some parents will want to speak with me. I should hate it but it is quite fun to stay here and wait. The school is empty, no screaming or shouting children. And my colleagues and I are sitting with our coffees and it is nice to talk to each other without being interupted by some students all the time.

The New School Year And Things Needed

The New School Year has begun. I am still teaching at both schools. Still the small kids and the 20-somethings. At the primary school I have a new colleague at about my age. She seems to be a nice woman and I am curious if we will become friends or stay just colleagues. But I think things are getting brighter.

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Smallone is going to start to attend the nursery school on Monday. Today we (me, my sister, Smallone and our mother) went shopping for things needed to the nursery school as the toothbrush, sweatpants, etc. And our little precious was driving us mad as for some mysterious reason she wanted everything in green colour.

My sister: "Sweet, look at these shoes. Come on, let´s choose which pair you want."

Smallone: "Huh... the green one."

My sister: "Well, are you sure?" (Smallone nods) "Ok, try them on."

So we bought dark green shoes.

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My sister: (showing Smallone two pairs of sweatpants - orange and red) "Ok, which of these would you like to buy?"

Smallone: "The green one."

My sister: "But there is no green pair of sweatpants. Look, these two pairs are so nice, choose one of them."

Smallone: (looking behind my sister and pointing to the shelf) "But here are some green ones. I neeed green one."

My sister: (sigh) "Gosh, I thought I could hide them from her. Ok, we´re buying the green sweatpants."

And it went on and on the same way. Smallone is definitely a person with an attitude. But I must confess we cheated on her a bit, because when she wasn´t looking we changed the whole green sweatsuit she had chosen for the white and green one. She will be satisfied with the green colour and we are satisfied with the white colour and the fact that she is not going to coincide with the grass easily or not going to look like a soldier on his mission with all that protective colouring.

Skywatch Friday

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It´s been quite a long time, but I am back and I am happy to contribute again.

This is today-morning sky when we were leaving for home from our holiday. It looks cloudy a lot, but it wasn´t so bad. The sun was shining through the clouds and the temperature was (and still is) summery.

It´s not the best picture I have ever taken, but the week off was so nice and groovy, that it has some personal value for me.

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Don´t miss the most amazing skies taken by the nicest people from all over the world here!!

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Vacation With Only Two Books

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I am packing my bags and in about two hours I am leaving for one-week holiday. I hate packing (I always forget something), but I am looking forward to spending one week with Smallone, my sister, my mother, and my grandparents. And for few days even with my cousin. A huge family holiday.

The funniest thing I´ve realised today about my packing is that the biggest problem was to choose right books to bring with me. Do I have enough socks? Do I have enough warm clothes as the nights are cold there? I don´t care. But it took me about half an hour to choose the proper books. Maybe I should think about myself a bit....

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I´ll be back on Saturday and the first thing I am going to do is a post for Skywatch Friday. I haven´t been contributing for so long time and I quite miss the nice people there. It´s nice to be a part of such a wonderful idea and community.

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What Makes You Get Up at Night?

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Again the 2-week break from blogging. Damn. I really wanted to post something, anything, more often after my almost 3-month break. And there was no time. Again. Sometimes I think that the more free time I have (or I should have as I am in the middle of my summer holiday right now), the more things I would like to manage. Does it make any sense?

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As I´ve mentioned I am in the middle of my summer holiday. I love summer holidays mainly because I have more time to read. To read during the night. And not to be worried about getting up early.

There is something special about reading at night. It´s just you, the book and the space you´re in is determined by the light of the table lamp. And thanks to this, there´s more space for imagination. So you´re like in the bubble of light and the heroes and heroines start to live their lives around this bubble. And because there is no sounds but the sounds of the night, you can hear them talking.

These days I usually start to read books at about 9p.m. and I read it till their ends. That means I go to bed very late, but I am enjoying it a lot. Who would be able to stop them talking? I am not. I like the feeling of falling asleep knowing how the book ends. I´ve realised that I can read a-300-page book in about 6 hours and that´s the power of the reading at night.

So nothing makes me get up in the middle of the night, because I am totally awake till the morning hours these days.

There´s only one thing I lack after night reading - the forenoons. As I need to catch some sleep at least, the forenoons have become my sleeping times. But I don´t care at all as far as I have my night reading. The problem would appear when my summer holiday was over. But it is still too far...

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Vacation - Castle Lipnice and The Old Cemetery

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Lipnice is a a village in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants.
It is where at The Czech Crown Inn, Czech author Jaroslav Hašek wrote a substantial part (books Two, Three, and Four) of The Good Soldier Švejk.

(A number of literary critics consider The Good Soldier Švejk to be one of the first anti-war novels, predating Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. Furthermore, Joseph Heller said that if he had not read The Good Soldier Švejk, he would never have written his novel Catch-22.)

Jaroslav Hašek is buried at the Lipnice Old Cemetery.

And there is a notable 14th century castle at Lipnice nad Sázavou:

The castle is partly roofed, partly there are just remains of the castle towers, now it is an excellent view.

the courtyard (with the stairs to the chapel)
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Me and Smallone

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basement (long-ago it was a hall where the feast were held)

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An old Gothic chapel with amazing Christian pictures on its walls. They almost cannot be seen, but the restorers did a good job.

My father and Smallone

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The Old Cemetery

I had never visited so small cemetery before. The graves were very old, and it was obvious that there is nobody (alive) to take care of them - only grass among them was cut. The half of the gravestones was so old that the names on them cannot be read. But I loved this cemetery a lot. The atmosphere was so touching and free in some way. I cannot describe it. But once I would be more than happy to rest on such a place once. Perhaps I won´t be, but it would be nice...

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Vacation in the Highland Region - Picking Mushrooms

In our family it is a tradition to spend some weeks (or at least one) somewhere else than at home during summer holidays. To discover new areas, new landmarks and historical sights, different landscapes and sceneries.
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The vacation in the Highland region was very relaxing and I enjoyed it even the house we stayed in was very close to the river and because there were lots of horrible floods in our country, the river was quite dirty, very fast and the level of its surface was quite high.

The cottage was in the middle of the woods, so we picked many mushrooms.

Picking mushrooms is something like a national sport in my country. It is one of the most relaxing things I know - walking through the wood and looking for mushrooms. And then enjoying the joy of cooking them, or make them desiccated/dried, store and use them later in the year.

It was a premiere for Smallone, her first mushroom-picking:

"Little mushroom, where are you?"

"Oh, there you are!"
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This is Smallone´s first mushroom ever. And it was a gift for her mother of course. The plant/leaf included.
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The mushroom-picking can be also very dramatic. For example, when you almost lose your father/Smallone´s grandad in the middle of the thick trees:

... or when Smallone also needed a stick as her grandad had...

...and the stick was too long. Then it was ok, but in Smallone´s hands it became almost a lethal weapon:

My sister: "Oh, look Smallone, on this mushroom there is also a little slug. Isn´t it cute?"

Smallone: (with a frown) "No, Mummy, put it down!"

My sister: "Ok, never mind." (and puts it to the grass)

(Smallone starts to hit the ground and the poor slug with her stick)

My sister: "Don´t..! Ok, it´s late.."

Me: (looking closer and pointing to the grass) "Look Smallone! It´s still alive! Look, it is not threating you. It´s just a very little animal. It does nothing at all! You liked the frog over there, so you shouldn´t mind the slug either."

Smallone: (protecting me with her hand) "No, don´t touch it!" (and starts to hit the ground again)

So we let her believe that she saved us from the little devilish killer slug. Later I came back to realize that the slug survived. It was a very brave and lucky slug.

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We picked many mushrooms - some Summer Ceps, hundreds of the Day Boletes and The Red Cracking Boletes.

My step-mother made some meals from them, as typical Czech fry-up dish Smaženice - you cut the mushrooms and some onion to small pieces. First fry the onion pieces, than add the mushroom ones. Add some saraway seeds and you can also add some garlic or water if it is needed. Than steam the whole mixture for a while. At the end add some whisked eggs with salt. Serve the hot dish with a slice of bread. It is very easy and very tasty. But don´t try it with pickled mushrooms, they won´t work.
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But I saved some mushrooms to dry them. I cut the mushrooms to thin slices, put them on the paper, and to the dry and warm place, sometimes turned them over and waited...

...till they dried up and could be stored:

Just Heard Something I Should Remember...

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"Do you know the most magical word ever?"

"Of course, I do. It´s me, me, me."

"I know better one - you, you, you."

"Well, and that´s me again..."

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House-and-Cats-Sitting

I´ve just come back home. As I wrote yesterday I looked after my friend´s house and two cats for two days. And flowers and plants of course. It was a pleasure to did it as my friend is very nice and caring and filled her fridge with food and drinks for me. I lived as a queen for two days. My only duties were to water the plants and feed the cats. Easy job.

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The two tigers I was looking after are Snuggles (female, found at the airdrome):

... and Mikeš (male, called after famous Czech fairytale tomcat):

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And as I also wrote before, my friend is a keen gardener and grows different (and weird, but nice) plants and flowers.

One of them is a funny plant called Mimosa, or Touch-me-not. It has got also many others names, but all of them mean that this plant is very very shy.

Its curiosity value is that the compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched, re-opening within minutes.

She has also many plants outside the house, especially on the terrace. She grows Daylilies - their buds come into blossom usually just for one day:

There are many types of Gentians and my friend grows one of them on her terrace:

She has also some Solanum trees:

I don´t know what kind is that, but it has small white flowers. Those flowers than turn to small green berries which become orange soon. And they are not edible:

The terrace is really calming and relaxing place. On the one side there are all of those above mentioned plants (and some more)...:

... and on the other side there is a nice place for having a cup of coffee in the morning or reading a book in the evening. And the relieving shadow is also provided by some plant, of course:

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I always admire my friend´s plants. Inside her home it looks the same as on her terrace - plenty of flowers everywhere. And she really amuse herself with taking care of them all. The flowerpots are put in some fancy shelves, they have their places on the ground. And not just the flowers, but also the flowerpods are special in my friend´s house:

Long Time, No Blogging... Lots of Thoughs

Ok, I´m back.

At first, I thought: "Oh, I really need a break from blogging, from thinking, from everything. Let´s focus on my work and family matters. Let´s have about two-week holiday from blogging." But then I looked at the calendar and it´s been about three-month holiday from blogging at last. A long time. Lots of things happened. Smallone has grown up a lot. She´s also learned a lot of new words and  she can´t be stopped from talking now and therefore her mother´s head is going to explode soon. By the way, my sister is quite happy now. Things have calmed down a bit. And I am happy for her. 

Me, my sister and Smallone, spent one week holiday with my father and step-mother in the Highlands region. I took lots of pictures, and am going to post them here soon. 

Smallone was bought a first real bike! Also lots of pictures of her riding it and people jumping aside not to be run over. 

The school year ended and I had to say good-bye to many of my students. With the small ones it was easier, even there were some moving moments. As this one - one of my ten-year old student knocked on my door and said: "I just want to thank you for everything and to say good-bye as I am not going to be here next school year..." and he started to cry. So I gave him a hug, said thank you and "be brave, everything is gonna be fine". And was moved a lot. 

With my older students it was quite tough for me. They were amazing class and we spent lots of funny moments together. They were clever and quick-minded and it was one the best classes I have ever teached. So I gave them their certificates and we went to the pub and spent there almost three hours chatting. I miss them already. I am also going to write about them in some other post as they made me think about me, about teaching, and about how some people influence your live. 

Now I am sitting in my friend´s house. She´s gone for holiday and I  promised to take care of her two cats and thousands of marvelous flowers and plants. She is the most keen and capable gardener I know. Also lots of photos. 

It is getting dark and I have to water some plants outside. And I have to see them. Or their flowerpots or, at least, watering can. And then a bit of reading in the bed. 

Skywatch Friday - Finally the Clouds

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Last few days were not very good for skywatching. The sky was grey and it was drizzling. Usually for the whole days. It is a sign that the winter is coming to its end. Also the temperatures are higher and the air smells differently. Almost like a spring.
The clouds have appeared and it´s been an amazing parade of beautiful views.

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There are many amazing photos of the sky from all over the world here, so don´t miss them!

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Short Animation Movies

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You can find almost everything on youtube. Something is boring, something is good. And some things are precious. Youtube is a well of priceless short movies you cannot see anywhere else. Well, not for free.

I post some of them before. As a tale by Jean Giono called The Man Who Planted Trees, or a very good short animation video written and directed by Tim Burton called Vincent (in the same post there can be found also my favourite short story Angst, do not miss it.)

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I´ve found some more today. The first one is called Father and Daughter, written and directed by Michael Dudok de Wit. It is about a father who says goodbye to his young daughter. This short film won Oscar.

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The other one I´ve decided to mention here is Kiwi!. I found this short movie many weeks ago. And it is still one of those movies which I cannot get out of my mind. It is always very nice and satisfying to see a plot which is so simple, but absolutely new and very good one.

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And now, we cannot forget the Pixar movies! Both of the short films above are quite sad, so here are some really funny (and still the best) movies made by Pixar artists.

My favourite (and also Smallone´s favourite) For the Birds and Scrat´s movie (Do you remember the squirrel from the Ice Age movies? Do you want to know how continents were parted?)

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Now I am too tired to do anything but going to bed. Tomorrow is another Skywatch Friday and I do not have any suitable photo of the sky. That means I am going to bring my camera anywhere I go tomorrow and I am going to search the sky from the morning to the evening. I wish something interesting will happen in the sky. Well, you (and me) will see tomorrow. I hope so.

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Darwin´s Process of Evolution

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According to the research by Gallup agency, only 40 percent of the Americans belives in evolution, the 200 years old theory by Charles Darwin.

This research also says that belief in this theory relates to the level of education and, of course, the religion. It means that people with tertiary education deny evolution more than people with secondary education. And that people who often visit church don´t support this theory.

Interesting, is it?

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I must confess I don´t believe in God. Not in the way the most (or all) religions do. In a nutshell - I believe in me and my family and friends, in goodness, politeness, knowledge and never-ending learning, enlightenment, outspokenness and equality. The list of my believes would be much longer, but enough is enough.

All these make me believe in the Darwin´s theory of evolution. I do believe we were originated from monkeys. And I am constantly fascinated by all aspects of the evolution. And that evolution never ends.

So I am atheist, but still interested in all religions (I am saying that with all humbleness and without taunting) and I have many friends who believe in God and visit the church often. And all of them believe in the evolution. Or they say so. They are all well educated, they are all pious. And they believe in Darwin´s theory.

Does it mean they lie to the outer world to be seen as more "normal", or do they lie to themselves? Is it possible to believe in evolution and God at the same time?

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Interesting. I must talk about it with a friend of mine soon. She´s a precious - we can talk about things connected with religion (well, her religion) for hours. She knows she cannot win me over, and I don´t try to persuade her at all. We just chat and respect each other. A true friendship.
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Skywatch Friday

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Last days were quite nice - lots of snow, lots of sun. I took the following photos in one day.

In the morning the sky was a bit cloudy, but the sun was battling with the clouds bravely.

So the sun won:

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Don´t forget to visit the others and their skies here!

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I Was Doing Thousands Things But Blogging

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Last two weeks there were many things in my mind. Blogging was one of them, but my priorities were the others.

Maybe you remember that I teach at two schools. And at one of them, the windows were changed last week. So all things which were close to those windows had to be moved somewhere else. Imagine a school. Imagine where there are windows (everywhere). Imagine what things are close to those windows.

Now imagine a very small school (thank God) where there are windows everywhere, where all empoyees are women, and where there should be something moved. Yes, we are very strong women....

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At weekend we were celebrating two birthdays - my uncle´s and my mother´s. Many of my friends joke that our family (including my grandparents, uncle, aunt, cousins) does nothing but celebrating. Well, it´s true that the only months when there´s nobody´s birthday are July and August. And we still come together reguralry.
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After the birthday party, my sister and Smallone stayed overnight with us. I was truly enjoying it. But you know - if there´s a cute small child in the house, there´s no other space for anything.

"Oh, hello Blue Mirror." "Hi, Red Clock. What´s up?"

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Last week a lot of snow fell. And so did this week. It is not so usual here, in the south, to have snowdrifts at the end of the February so we seized the opportunity and walk outside a lot. The weather was quite nice since today (today it was raining in the evening), the sun was shining, there was a lot of powder snow, the trees looked like from the fairytale. What else we could wish for?

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On Monday and Tuesday the water pipes were changed in our house. Just part of them, but it was still quite uncomfortable.

The other days I read three books. I slept just a little (as I was reading those books and couldn´t stop in the middle of them). I visited a friend of mine (long pleasant chat). I worked.

And I realised how much our sight can deceive us. I visited my sister and Smallone last two weeks a lot (support is support, and once you decide to be the buttress you should hold on). Once I went there in the morning. The day was grey, no sun. And there were lots of new snow on the ground. One thick unbroken layer, no footmarks, no sidewalks. So I was walking through the white flat land and I started to feel a bit dizzy - I had to stop focusing on the ground.

There were no shapes (remember no sunshine or any other light), everything was white (I was going a bit up the hill so the white colour was really everywhere in front of my eyes), there were no trees or any other significant point I could focus on, and I realised how difficult was to persuade my mind that the ground was not going upside down. Quite a weird experience.

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