Freezing of Water Painted by…

 Hello to you, my Friends! I am happy to see you silently browsing my blog pages. Hope you have some fun. This week our Mother Nature was especially generous for lovely surprises. She met dear Madam Weather and they agreed to have a painting masterclass. Look, what they’ve made:    

anrostudio.com protected                                                   

We are very visual creatures.  Our love of images lies with our cognition and ability to pay attention. Images are able to grab our attention easily, we are immediately drawn to them. These are facts know to that two ladies whose pictures are just…help me with a proper adjective please? Comment, comment, comment…

Frozen Field

Don’t be greedy for compliments. These two artists were extremely successful today. Colors, shades, shapes are chosen so elegantly right. My eyes are beaming with pleasure, and yours? Not…hm…then one more image…

How odd is that the most beautiful things are most simple ones. They just wondered through that thick trees and enjoyed what they saw. Together with their simple equipment they managed to capture this innocent beauty and show to you. They felt themselves artists who can transform that live images into a picture that can hang on somebody’s wall or be presented as a greeting card. Do not know whether they were enough skillful, but their results are given here and available for download. In case some of you particularly like one of the image (or all of them) and would like to have then in original size or designed for special occasion as a greeting card, you may contact me via comment folder and I’ll provide you with all the required details ( I am their delegated agent). Everything is possible, art has no restrictions and borders. we can always spread it to be able to evaluate and treasure. A nice picture can always cheer you up in any season or weather, right, my Friends?

Have a sweet weekend! Enjoy the simplest!

Love you all,

Yours Ann

P.S. Who is curious about new episode of Fun Time with Ann?

 

 

 

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The Road Waits To Be Explored

My dear little Friends, I am happy to see you browsing through my blog in search of some interesting pictures or stories. It depends on what you are interested more. Hope all of you can find something for themselves. I love hearing your ideas, remarks, experience or wishes, which are always very wisdom and help me a lot. Thank you in advance for being attentive to my funny chatting with you! I appreciate it a lot! Hugely!

Recently I have seized an opportunity to visit one of the family businesses dealing with cheese production. A lovely experience worth of being shared with you, right? I confess I felt very curious about it and even more than it is allowed. It is a known fact that family businesses during good economic times don’t earn as much money as companies with a more dispersed ownership structure. But when the economy slumps, family firms far outshine their peers. While visiting this small cheese business I came almost to the same conclusion. This family has a good place to work and live. Just look at the surroundings shown in the pictures, isn’t it Heaven? Their house is located in the mountain region. It is calm and no fumes. Imagine how cows roam free in this fresh air and graze in lush pastures of tender grass. There is milk in fresh air and what amazing taste it should have. I tasted that cheese and YUM, it was delicious! I bet you would love it. Choice is big and for every caprice. For a short moment I caught myself of being envy of them. I realized that family business is the best venture where everybody works hard and doesn’t waste time for intrigues. Yeah, exactly, in huge corporate office people do only one thing well, they scheme against each other. They are waiting when you mess it up. Everyone tries to find out whether your salary is not bigger than his/her…and that’s only the tip of an iceberg! Family business concentrates mostly on their profits, thus they understand that team work is important. They are oriented at fulfilling their goals and helping each other. It feels good, isn’t it? I confess I would like the same and who won’t? Working hard in the circle of your family and friends seems ideal to me. And for you? Don’t be shy, tell me…please…please!

http://www.redbubble.com/people/anrostudio/works/22113807-the-road-waits-to-be-explored?p=greeting-card&card_size=postcard

I suppose I became so involved with this topic that forgot to introduce you my new idea or, better to say, project. My previous posts have been already devoted to postcards I designed, however, I had no idea what to do further with them. Accidentally I came across some website who offers photographers and designers to sell their creations through their internet shops, I did hesitate a lot before making a decision. I am still not sure whether it was a good idea, but I gave it a try. I place my first postcard and greeting designs officially here:http://www.redbubble.com/people/anrostudio/works/22058357-lake-mirroring

And now would like to present them to you!

Stunning designs and discounts of 20% on every order of 8+ cards. 300gsm card with a satin finish. 30% discount available on all cards when you purchase more than 16. Superior quality printing with a fine writing surface. All greeting cards supplied with craft envelopes. Prices are visible by clicking the links!

http://www.redbubble.com/people/anrostudio/works/22100199-3d-yard-at-the-mountains

 I kindly (very very) ask you to let me know whether you like them! My initial plan was to sell my postcards at Ebay and deal with shipping on my own, but I faced high shipping prices and thought that prices for postcards won’t be cheaper than those ones at this webshop. Perhaps you know some better, more personal, solution to this problem. I am grateful for any advice! It seems Redbubble starts printing and shipping in time and provides constant notification of your order.

http://www.redbubble.com/people/anrostudio/works/22068286-rabbits-happy-summer

You might ask why I decided to deal with such a competitive field where I have almost no chance, I will reply you that my postcards are yet different from usual ones. Bulk greeting cards business is aimed at earning money, while I almost earn no money since webshop does printing and shipping and takes money for it. My cards give me a possibility to release my creative energy and maybe showing you something what you have not seen yet. These cards are designed firstly in my head and only then typed on a screen. It is a long way to implementation of my dreams and projects intended to brighten every singly moment of life, yours and mine. That is my road to be explored and which is yours???

Love you all,

Yours Ann

Whity Wonders…

George Whitey is a serious young rabbit who would like to discover this world and understand how everything works. He is very curious (and not only  about some delicious vegetables served him as a daily meal) about almost everything around him. Ge Whitey is a rabbit whose long ears are able to catch the smallest world vibration, he is usually frustrated by his ability to catch those weird signals, nevertheless, he is intended to use it  for his own sake. That’s why he does not like sitting in his cage for a long time. He likes going out and wondering what’s going on?

Therefore, Ge Whitey wonders why people do eat meat and other strange food. Ge is completely satisfied with his daily menu which includes: a variety of greens such as cabbage/kale/broccoli/parsley/mint (keep in mind that it should be in small amounts to avoid stomach problems), 25g (an eggcup-full) of pellets, carrots and apples (hm, most delicious) and etc. In fact, Whitey believes that healthy green food might help many people loose their extra weight and feel much better.  Hey, fatties did you hear that? Some of you who are afraid to look at the mirrors can take good care of themselves by simply eating more greens. And that’s not too difficult.

Mr Whitey knows that a key to good spirit and happiness is a lovely partner. Whitey wonders why there are loners at this planet, it shouldn’t be, it’s not right. Recently, George met a sweet lady Martha who is the pretties female rabbit in his neighborhood. Unlike people (who think too much of that odd flirt and courtesy rules) Ge just ran to Martha as soon as he saw her and brought her the whole cabbage hidden under his straw bed for special occasions. Martha was so impressed with his gift that she immediately fell in love with him. As it is known the road to rabbit’s heart goes through the master’s garden with delicious cabbage, right, guys!

George Whitey and Martha Bell will go marriage soon as Martha is already in some “interesting state”…woooho, don’t worry, folks, this is the 21st century, let’s take it easier. A wedding ring or a stamp in the passport is not that important. Let’s be honest. Many of the brides wear white innocent dresses due to the fashion only, am I right? Most of them are not so innocent already…please no offense! It is life, Mr Whitey understands that soooo well!

In case Ge meets some life problems (there might be not enough carrot in his master’s garden) he tries to go out and even imagine (for a while) that he is a human. It’s quite a promising experiment that might provide you with unexpected results. Whitey thinks that such transplantation (excuse me, transformation) can let your relax and forget your problems. Additionally,  you will try to imagine what other much more serious problems exist in this world and then yours seem already not that serious as before. Do you have any doubts? Then try it…let me know!

Being angry is not the the best state, but Whitey suffers from it quite often.  He usually sits in the way shown in the picture and pretends that he ignores you by showing his little tail. Ge Whitey recommends you to stay away from him and let him cool down. I guess everybody can have such a mood at least once in their life, so don’t disturb each other and you may avoid some storm at a sunny day!

Sometimes Whitey finds difficult to cope with Martha’s caprices. Aw, that women. Who will ever understand them!  Very often Martha is a caring partner who makes their home so cozy. However, when she needs something extraordinary (like an apple juice in the middle of the night), oh my, Whitey pretends to be sleepy and does not respond to her bumps. Martha is also a bit crazy about cleaning, she claims that everything has its own place. Who can blame her for that? Ge although sometimes does not understand her rules of order, he likes to leave things somewhere closer to reach. Not to mention that ladies usually have periods of drastic mood changes, oops, better to be as far as possible and bring her something sweet in order to avoid the waves! No matter of anything, Whitey knows that life is happy only if Martha is somewhere close and chews her greens. He feels content and ready to face all the problems.

Ge Whitey is a smart guy, he is just a rabbit, but his thoughts and ideas sound not bad. I can learn from him a lot. I also like wondering and ask many questions, just sometimes I still get no answers to many of them. Rabbits or humans, we are very different, however, maybe similar at the same time. I am not going to go so deep as to compare our anatomical structures and so on, I prefer looking at Whitey and his family and get some positive energy from them. They seem so funny with their big ears, clumsy jumping and noses poking to everything which looks eatable. They discover this world and wonder why it works in such a complicated, most of the time, strange way. So I also wonder…

Wish you a wondrous day!

Ge Whitey, Martha Bell, and Ann 

 

 

 

How I Met a Puppy

“I’m convinced that petting a puppy is good luck.”
                                             Meg Donohue, Dog Crazy: A Novel of Love Lost and Found

I think I agree with you, Meg, at least I had such a feeling when I met Boni. The cutest Akita puppy ever. I spent with her a day full of lovely mischievous adventures. A two months puppy who is worse than a baby and even more demanding. She needs your 100% attention and does not get used to any restrictions. She disobeys all rules and puts her upper feet on your legs in an attempt to attract your attention while you are sitting at the table (as in the picture above). Moreover, she barks and shows her voice in case you still go on chewing without recognizing her. Boni looks innocently at you while climbing one of your leg or tasting one of your slippers, or one of your drawer’s handles. She is a sweet little imp energetic 24 hours without charging!

And now you are looking at her dad, serious Mr Yuko Sun! Don’t you find that girls are always similar to their dads? They are, indeed!

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
                                                                                                                           Josh Billings

Making Yuko Sun’s picture was a real challenge. He doesn’t like posing at all. I was chasing after him. I guess I was pretty lucky when he sat in the bushes and even turned his head to look at me. Perhaps Yuko became rather curious at the lady with a camera pointing at him for so long. Or maybe he even felt pity and decided to give me a chance. His glance is very intense and suspicious a bit. As if asking me: “Lady, what do you want from me?.

“The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.”
                                                                                                                  Andy Rooney

Boni is a teddy bear especially when she sleeps, which happens very rear. This girl is a source of boundless energy. Take my word, until she is somewhere in a room and her eyes are open, you won’t be able to have your usual lunchtime nap. Forget it. This young lady will bring you something to play or will try to jump to you and start poking her tiny wet nose everywhere. Be aware that puppies after playing or being too active like drinking water and as well-mannered ladies will try to wipe their wet mouth with …not a napkin as everybody usually do, but your shirt’s sleeve. Adorable little lady!

“Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer.”
                                                                                        Dean Koontz, False Memory

Also Boni as her dad likes looking at the mirror. They are those dandies. They are very proud of being certified Akita. Yuko Sun is the champion of many dog’s competitions. He often goes abroad to show people how handsome and smart he is. Although, owners of Akita cannot boast about their being obedient. I heard that Akitas have their own character and may not follow your commands. They are incredibly intelligent and loyal dogs though, and are loving, devoted and gentle towards their master and family. The Akita is also known to be a good guard dog as it is very suspicious of any person or animal that it doesn’t know.Akitas consider making eye contact as a form of challenge for dominance.That’s I felt and you?

 The Akita  first bred in Japan in the 1600s. The Akita originates from the Akita Prefecture in the north-east of Japan, hence it’s name. During ancient times, mothers in Japan relied heavily on their pet Akitas to take care of their very young children. While mothers worked the fields, their pets played nanny to the children at home.

“Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. ”
Roger A. Caras

Yuko Sun’s and Boni’s masters seem to be the happiest people, at least, that’s what I saw while looking at them. A big family where dogs play even more important role.  I was lucky to meet the Akita puppy and her dad! Dogs are our best friends!

I was smiling while writing this post, hope you can join me and smile in reply!

Happy smiling day!

Yours Ann

Magyarorszag Mysteries (Back To History)

Charles Brown, an American detective writer, went through the airport doors and headed to the open taxi’s door. A man in an elegant dark suit was standing next to it and smiling at him. For a second Charles glanced at him and was bewildered with his attractive face of typical national features. He shacked his hand and sat to the car. That was not an easy trip for him, crossing the ocean, but, first of all, he was a real adventurer who was eager to write a new book and he has already found a perfect place for his crime scene- Castle of Diósgyőr located in Miskolc, Hungary.

The name “Hungary” (or Magyarorszag in Hungarian) may originate from the Medieval Latin Hungary, which is translated as the “Land of Huns”. Another source states that the name is derived from the Turkish words meaning “ten arrows” or “ten people”. I guess, it is pretty fair, as the population of the whole Hungary for today is circa 10 million people. Not much, I agree. Only in Kyiv, as I know, population is more than 5 million, you can compare! Hungary was part of the Celtic world, later the Roman Empire. Hungary is one of the oldest countries in Europe. It was founded in 896 before France and Germany became separate entities. How about that? In the picture above you can see the map dated 1301-1382 and you definitely pay attention that it is very different from nowadays. Hungary was a large country with a seaside and huge territory in the heart of Europe. What about now? Look at the map and compare, perhaps you will be disappointed as well as many Hungarian nationalists who still dream of seeing their country in its full-scale original size. Then they can enjoy lovely Adriatic seaside and many oxygen-rich forests of the Carpathian  mountain ridge.

When Charles came out of his car he was impressed with the majesty and beauty of the Castle of Diósgyőr. From the first breath he knew he chose a right place for his next book. He quickly asked his Hungarian assistance to let him in and feel this magnificent place from inside. In his mind he has already sat in his mental writer’s time machine and traveled back in time…

On the display of his time machine he saw the first number – 1241. This was the date when it was built and firstly destroyed by the Mongol invasion. “How much these walls have seen” he thought about the role of architecture, place and memory in re-constructing the sense of self-identity in a built environment. Charles slightly touched the wall and felt how his hand shivered from some electrical impulse. He felt so joyful as if he has got a taste of History…

The castle reached the peak of its importance during the reign of King Louis the Great. King Louis was famous for his campaigns in Naples, where with the help and leadership of God regained command of the Kingdom of Sicily, in Rome, where the Roman nobles greeted him with “Long Live the Hungarian King”. When he entered the city, people accompanied him to the stairs of St Peter’s Apostle Church…“What does Louis fell at that moment?” Charles thought again and tried to imagine…

Charles Arthur Brown regarded himself as a real warrior, leader, a strong personality who can conquer this world, digest  and split it out. He was a tough man. In his early thirties he has already seen and felt a lot. He was an orphan without not much information on his family. As he found out his mother died during his birth, she was on drugs, so having a healthy boy was a miracle for this butterfly. As Charles knew somewhere he has a sister, older one, who has been left alone in some other hospital. His grandparents died long before his birth. Chances to get some information on his dad were zero, since his mom’s reputation was “well-known” in certain circles. He can be anyone. He grew up completely alone, a very shy boy with so many complexes. He did not like socializing, instead he was always writing something. His small notebook accompanied him whenever he went. He managed to graduate from school with excellent grades almost at all subjects, but especially he liked literature and history. He entered faculty of History and was a good student until one day he met HER…a mysterious crazy girl who showed him a world from which he was hiding among his notes. He tried everything with her, including drugs…during one of the overdoses they had a car accident and girl died…she was behind the wheel, but Charles felt guilty. He was severely injured, physically and emotionally. He went to a hospital for mentally disabled people…his young student’s years were abruptly over, he had to learn how to be an adult with serious emotional problems. One of his doctors found his notebook and encouraged him to write more as well as to think about publishing a book. This doctor saw a real talent in him, talent for writing very weird stories that you cannot stop reading as they caught your attention to the full. Several years later Charles left hospital as a writer whose first two books became bestsellers…

Later this Castle was a wedding gift for the queens of Hungary, which it remained until the Ottoman invasion of Hungary in the 16th century. By the end of the 17th century it was already in ruins. Archaeological excavations started in the 1960s. In 2014 the castle was completely rebuilt, the reconstructed rooms are furnished with Medieval-style furniture.

“Mr Brown, hey…Mr Brown!” a young Hungarian assistant was desperately trying to bring Charles back from his traveling in the past. He even touched his elbow lightly. Charles slowly turned his head and blinked twice.

“What?” he said angrily.

“I am sorry, sir, but here is your personal guide as you asked – Ms Lokietek”, his assistant shyly replied  and showed towards a young lady who was standing a bit further. Charles again turned his head, this time in the other direction, and saw HER…and at this magical instant of time he gasped for air…

Hungarian King Charles had already buried two young wives, so it was not surprising that he wanted to forget it and find new love. A lot of fight tournaments and parades were held in the royal court of Timisoara. He was having a frivolous life and started to think about having a family again. Thus, he met Elizabeth Lokietek who was the daughter of Polish King Wladislaw the Short of Elbow-High. Because of his short height he was nicknamed ‘Łokietek’, a diminutive of the word ‘łokieć’. It translates as “ell” or “elbow”, a medieval measure of length, as in “elbow-high”. Elizabeth gave a birth to five children. From the five, Andrew became the heir to the Naples throne, and Louis later became Hungarian King.

“Mr Brown, please follow me, I will show you their bedroom,” said a very attractive lady wearing a specific medieval dress of that times at whom Charles was frankly staring. He does not for how long he was not able to say a word or even move as if he was struck by lightening. He almost does not feel anything except pure admiration of the natural woman’s beauty. He knew many woman, but he has never seen these big black as coal eyes who were looking at him so innocently and smiling. Yes, exactly “smiling eyes”!

“Their bedroom?” Charles asked abruptly. Ms Lokietek quickly turned her head and looked at him quizzically.

“Yes, sir, royal bedroom…” she replied and blinked with her long thick eyelashes.

It was quite odd for Charles to happen to be in the bedroom with a woman almost at once after several minutes after they met. It has never been so quick before. “What are you thinking about now?” thought Charles and tried to change his completely lost look to much serious one. He decided to leave his inappropriate feelings and thoughts for later. It was strictly unprofessional to do like that in a foreign country where he came for work.

Many Hungarian kings and queens slept in this bedroom. I believe you paid attention to the size of the bed, isn’t it too small? You are right, it is indeed. However, the most weird is that people who slept in it never do it in their full height, I mean they never stretch there fully according to their size. Usually they slept in a bended position, since sleeping straight was a bed sign associated with dead. It was accepted that only dead sleep straight in their tombs. Wow, what a logic?

At that times there was no usual bathroom. As I found out these things showed above were replaced to their room where king and queen took so-called bath. The question is whether they did it separately or not? Who knows, let each of your imagination decide!

Clothes always play an important role in our lives and it is still. Every epoch dictated its own trends. It is very pity that you cannot try on these fabulous dresses. I am certain we, dear dames, would look pretty in them!

And you too, dear cavaliers. Would not you like to try on one of these heavy things? I bet you would look so powerful and strong like real knights in armors who is ready for a battle. On Guard!

Charles listened to his guide very attentively. He regain control over his unexpected emotions and took everything with his writer’s curiosity and professionalism. He even started to made notes while walking with this young dame. She talked with passion about this castle, Charles admired her gestures and voice. Her delicate voice sounded like crystal. Moreover, her English was so well that it almost amazed Charles. She spoke clearly, slowly, but with a hidden delight that was visible only for him, who caught her every word, her every comma…

“Ms Lokietek, will you excuse my brevity, I have one question?” Charles stopped her with a little gesture. He came to her closer almost took her by her hand. They were standing on the top of the castle and looking at the beautiful, almost breathtaking view, of the surrounding city Miskolc.

“Certainly, Mr Brown,” she shyly whispered and looked aside.

“What is your name?”

“Beth…Elizabeth!” she proudly pronounced and looked right at him. Her gaze was silently deep.

“Are you kidding me, you are Elizabeth Lokietek, and you work in this Castle as a guide, the castle where so many years ago lived another Elizabeth Lokietek, Hungarian Queen…Oh my, I came to the right place!” he loudly claimed and started to laugh. Elizabeth also smiled and caught his laughing tone.

“Yes, Sir, you really came to the right place, King Charles, your Majesty, if you excuse me!”she playfully admitted and joined laughing. Her playful tone immediately brought back all his sweet feelings and images in his head. His heart jumped wildly and he felt happy. As happy as a lark…

To be continued!

Dear little Friends, I attached this greeting card specially for you!

Designed by Ann!

Looking forward to your thoughts, ideas, remarks, comments!

Hope yor Queen or King is with you! If not, then I wish you to meet him/her as soon as possible! How about today?

Yours Ann

Mating Season

March is in our calendar and spring is in the air! Or better to say that romance is in the air. Beginning of a new season to bloom and not only for flowers. After being wrapped in many layers of winter clothes, women have already taken their sweet minis from their wardrobes. Ladies would like to inspire and be noticed, and it does work. Men are on alert. Air is a mixture of different aromas of flirt. Folks, do we miss it so much? I mean flirt.. oh, yes, who don’t like flirting? It arouses our curiosity, makes us feel attractive, and ready for challenges. As if we add some pepper to make our food spicier or some strawberries to make it sweeter. Both are good and damn seductive!

When my Nikki captures a picture like that…

Then I feel that nature does flirt with me, I am the first who is in love with her colors, shapes,  sounds, and flavors…Nature makes me want to be there without even my notice! Bravo, Mother Nature, you are the best at it!

As far as exotic birds are concerned, here some other rules of flirt are accepted. Guess which ones? Recently, I visited one of the gardens with exotic animals and look what I saw there. As soon as I entered a big room where temperature was higher than at summer I saw this couple in a quite delicate pose…my eyes went wide open, they were hardly ashamed…(they were doing “it” so intensively that even my photo lens were blurred)!

As I gave up trying to make a better picture of them, the other couple came to my horizon. Unfortunately, I did not recognize them in time, they were yet on the stage of sweet kissing, who knows where it could bring them some minutes later. I decided not to disturb their love games.

For some minutes I left my eyes drifting to the lonely big tortoise who looked more concentrated on food, other than some love affairs. She or he ( I did not check under the shell) was walking around and looking at me a bit angrily, as if she/he didn’t like me being here with that big photocamera. Yeah, I think I can feel the same if I were them. We are the invaders into their private life. Awful people!

Owners of tortoises claim that they believe that tortoises do have emotions. For example, one guy told me that he is sure they don’t have a “simple brain”. Because his turtle loves to look out the window while he’s on his basking platform. So, they do have emotions, you cannot deny it!

And how do they behave when the spring period comes? Courtship techniques vary from species to species, but the common denominating factor between the entire groups is aggression. Wow, I did not expect it? Ladies, keep in mind that when a man is capricious about your food  it means he is in mating period, he needs something special.

The male circles the female, often nodding his head and biting at her legs and the edges of her carapace. He rams into her, attempting to trap her, so she can be mounted. Their mating is a noisy affair, filled with the sounds of hissing and grunting. Eventually the female after enduring bites on all of her limbs, will stop attempting to escape and retract into her shell. This is the cue for the male to mount her. I think I have already seen something similar, LOL!

Wow, look at this guy, he became green from a desire…poor him! People, let us find him a girl or soon he will explode like a bomb.

Hey, dude, don’t be sad, miracles are happen and even for your not so handsome face we can find a good mate. Keep on dreaming and don’t change your color to red till next time!

As I see we have a good eye contact with you, dear, that’s I am about the photo above! Or maybe even with you…yep, you who is reading my post now. Do you know how to make eyes? The guy in the picture below wears his best outfit today just for me. He is one of the most handsome today! He knows that ladies prefer bright colors!

Crocodiles, for instance, during mating period like dancing…The mating dance involves almost all the senses. Males begin by bellowing above water, while producing low-frequency infra-sound, which humans cannot hear. Honestly, I did not hear any sound. Perhaps he was “not in his mood” or “had a headache”. Males may also slap their snouts on the water, blow water from their noses or perform certain arched postures. Though the male is leading the dance, the female is participating with her own set of auditory, visual and olfactory signals during this time. Once they meet up, they’ll tenderly rub each other’s snouts and backs, ride one another or blow bubbles. A well-known scene:

“Dear, will you rub my back?” he/she (depends what you like) says into your ear, and smiles playfully.

Ouch, I guess I opened the wrong door. Here is already a group banging (excuse my English). You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Frogs, frogs. Frenchmen like eating your legs not without purpose! On the contrary, frogs prefer making specific sound during the “right” period. Male frogs even compete with each other who can make stranger sounds. I suppose I caught them already when the mates are chosen. Shame on you!

Lonely snake, don’t look at me like that! Male snakes will try to attract a female by doing a type of ‘play fighting’ with other males who want her attention.  They do not try to kill each other…just win the fight! However, dude, with whom you are going to fight, you seem to be all alone!

No, you are not exactly alone, look who is here! He also needs an attention and a pair for this season. Life can a bit unfair!

My dear little Fellows, I do hope that this mating season you won’t be alone and have a person with whom you can mate. The season is open…

“What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Philosophers have pondered that question for centuries. I’m afraid the answer is disappointingly simple: Mating. That’s it.”
Oliver Markus, Why Men And Women Can’t Be Friends

Yours Ann

Nature Clothed To Its Very Hollows in Snow

I am so happy to see you, dear Friends, how are you there? Did you miss me? I missed you a lot. I apologize for my absence, however, you know very well that our life consists not only of pleasant moments, but also of hard work, which takes most of our lifetime. But being optimistic, I hope not for all of you! I should confess that I am curently working on my new project that I promised to present you, it also grabs my time and holds my breath, not sure I have time to breathe even. Untill it is not ready, I would like to chat with you a bit and present you some of my latest pictures and thoughts. How about that?

I am in a lyrical mood today…Maybe because it is sunny and a bit cold, and I am in my comfortable chair and with my notebook hiding in a warm place. And outside world is fragile, cold and beautiful as snowflakes. Snow brings us some winter joy of something uknown and magical, which is mysterious for us. We hardly know how it forms and from where its roots grow. You know me I am quite curious, so I want to know more. I switched on Global Web and clicked on several online resources. Would you like to hear something interesting?

Did you know that snow is actually clear and colorless? Then you are smarter than I thought!

In the early 1900s skiers created their own terminology to describe various types of snow. The crazy vocabulary includes funny terms such as “pow pow,” “mashed potatoes,” “champagne snow (powder),” “cauliflower,” “sticky snow,” “dust on crust” and many other descriptive terms. Did you know that “pow pow” or simply pow (from powder) is the fresh powder snow, which is actually a soft, fluffy type of snow?  “Champagne snow” has such an extremely low moisture content that you can’t even make a snowball with it. While “champagne powder” is great for skiing because it’s smooth and dry, “mashed potatoes” is an old, dense and heavy snow that is hard to turn skis in. Hm, so my first task for you is to guess which snow is in the picture below?

If you have a fear of snow, it is called chionophobia.  If you are crazy about snow, it is chionomainia.  (You decide, I know what I am!) I am made of snow, cannot imagine my life without it. Snow makes me happy when I do not need to clean my backyard.

In one study, men rated pictures of women’s breasts and bodies as more attractive in the winter months, while they rated pictures of women’s faces the same. Researchers believe men don’t see women’s bodies as much during the winter, so they’re more excited when they do. Hey, ladies, can you believe it? Now I understand why spring is the season of March Cats. WOW!

There is so much interesting yet to discover about snow that I am afraid you can be tired. I just feel that snow brings some magic to our world, which is so different and complicated. Snow symbolizes for me innocence and purity. It seems that Lord sends us snow to clean not only roads, but our souls, to make us more understanding and supportive, to look around and help others, to find happiness in everything. Certainly, snow covers nature to protect it from cold and help to survive, on the contrast, snow is a disaster for houses, electrcity roads and people as well as animals. And I do worry about poor animals who cannot find food under thick snow layes, that’s why I constantly try to help as much as I can and offer you to join me. This can be fun and brings positive energy to your life. I suppose snow is not only a winter wonder, but a challenge for this world, how to survive in colder periods and how not be depressive when you can not go out due to heavy snowfalls.

It is indeed. I may conclude that winter as any season has its beautiful periods (especailly for photographers) and difficult periods that can have even negative results. You know what we still should enjoy it and have fun! Who is going with me to play snowballs??? By the way did you hear that a snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship? I am throwing a snowball in your face…

You Know What I Like Most About People? Pets.

Just look at these cute creatures? Don’t they look so sweet and innocent as well as deadly serious and ready to protect you from this cruel world. Mr Cat and Mrs Dog are our most loyal friends who will never betray us and always support and understand. You do not need to explain them anything, they are nimble-minded and next to you every second. They will never let you down, they can easily save your life and make it brighter. They are just your best friends!

Mr Cat has its own character and personality. He likes to be in the center of attention and sitting in your hands or on your lap. He is a bit cunning and does not trust people whom he has never seen, but you can attract his attention with something delicious (doe example, fish). He curls up in your lap, rubs against your leg as he walks by, and purrs that lovable purr. Mr Cat guards his territory and fights for it like a wild tiger, he cannot stand being not the only one. You may even call him a “prince” because he likes putting on airs. He chooses his outfits in brand shops and pretends to be a fashionist. And if you give a pat behind his ear, everything seems to be all right again. However, Mr Cat can be moody from time to time and then his tail makes impulse moves almost electrical, then it is better hide somewhere under bed and let him deal with his problems alone. Better not touch him and give him some time to calm down. Mr Cat likes sleeping on your pillow, so you better move and get out of his way. He is a fan of the keyboard, somehow he feels comfortable lying on the buttons when you try to type something. Mr Cat is your best friend who supports you and shares with you everything even the time spent in toilet, since he comes there only if it is occupied by you! By the way, he does not like the sign “occupied” and closed doors, do not expect to have any privacy!

Mrs Dog is a charming young lady, very playful and energetic. She likes greeting you and bringing slippers every time you come back home. If you are under stress, these sweet innocent eyes will just look at you and you feel relaxed at once. She comes to you when you need her and she helps to deal with your problems. But do not be lazy after work, Mrs Dog needs a walk twice a day as minimum and be ready to play with her, give her commands and training. She likes when the owner shows her dominance, she feels confused when the owner does not know what to do. In case something goes wrong, she will be the first to alarm. She has a great danger sensing capacity, she will rescue you in any situation without thinking about her life. You will never feel lonely with her by your side. Although sometimes she likes jumping and spoiling some of your furniture or pressing buttons on your remote control. She may find chewing your socks or other clothes rather exciting, distracting her will take lot of efforts. She might even break something, so be ready to say goodbye to some of your vases. Nevertheless, Mrs Dog is your best company ever, she will make your life warmer, kinder and more exciting, you will never feel lonely, angry or sad! She will make it special!

Moreover, better than Mr Cat and Mrs Dog can be only a mixture of them, when you have both or even a couple of them. As in the picture above, a sweet company who will bring additional sense to your routine life. As it is said “animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms”, isn’t it true?

If you have a pet, tell us something about him or her (or them)! Looking forward to hearing your amazing stories!

Enjoy the company of your lovely pets at weekend and woof…meow!

Yours Ann

 

New Year Special with Eros, Rose and Lily

Dear Friends, I guess you go on celebrating Christmas and visiting all your relatives, aren’t you tired yet? Honestly, you are a bit. And how about your stomach, after having eaten so many different delicious food don’t you feel uneasy? Hope not…How about to relax and read my Christmas Special about my sweet trio who is ready to come back to stage, they missed you a lot and you? Action…

A blue-eyed god of love, Eros, is a frequent guest in Crown’s House since he bravely opened their doors with injured Lily in his hands this Fall.  Yes, sweet little Lily experienced a real fall this season and she was forced to stay in bed for a while. And guess who did visit her? Surely, her real knight-in-arms who rescued her…not from a tower…but from a tree’s branch over which she fell. Yep, I agree that we have not a classical Princess and brave Prince episode, but let’s face the truth we live in the 21st century and everything changed a lot since that time. We have Internet, mobile phones and spaceships, who can imagine Prince driving a very modern BMW car, latest model, instead of riding a horse…oh, I bet riding a horse still sounds more romantic, ain’t I right? I am too old-fashioned though. Sorry, I went too far and lost my trail… Thus, Eros became Lily’s superhero, a very handsome man whom everybody liked immediately, especially her mom, Marina. If she had had her way she would like to have such a son-in-law for her daughter. She has already drawn a picture in her head, but rules of decorum did not let her act too quickly. She was not a bad mother, however, she wanted to see her daughter happy and considering her unlucky fate – Lily needs to have a strong and supportive shoulder by her side. Who wouldn’t like? It is a huge dream of all girls! Marina Crown, a decisive lady and serious council, wanted only the best for her daughter and she thought that Lily found a good pair for herself. Certainly poor little girl did not realize it yet, she is too inexperienced in affaire d’amour, that’s why her mom’s role was as important and obligatory as never. She encouraged Eros to visit her and made everything (and even more) to attract his attention. And she did it pretty well because somehow Eros and Lily came to an understanding. Eros found Lily pretty funny and clever. Firstly, he came because he felt that he should inquire about her health and his visit was not too long due to Lily sharp tongue, she went on telling some jokes about his pity towards her state and etc. Secondly, Lily’s mom Marina asked him in office to bring some documents to Lily to deal with, you might guess that it was made on purpose. This second meeting was a good game, Lily did her work well and treated it with respect. Eros saw her seriousness and even businesslike approach towards tasks, at that moment they found something common. Surprisingly, Lily saw in him not only a playboy, but a man who likes his job. She started to respect him, although that kiss in Lviv did not come out of her head…

Anyway, Lily recovered and came back to office. From time to time they meet in the office and chatted during lunch breaks. Time flied away very quickly, Christmas and New Year holidays have come. Rose decided to invite her colleagues for New Year market in the city center to celebrate. This year was quite unpredictable for her, she got her first job at the Embassy, she met Eros who gave her a perfect kiss in a nice place. However, she felt that it was right to stay only friends and colleagues. She cannot let herself any romantic affairs, too risky and not in time. Rose Spice is a very ambitious woman who needs to establish her career life and proves everybody that she suits to this diplomatic world. She cannot believe how lucky she is to come back to Ukraine and celebrate these nice family holidays in her big Ukrainian circle. First time in her life she was where she belonged – in an amazing, colorful, sometimes difficult and yet unknown city – Kyiv. Place where her mom was born, place where her grandparents live, place that makes her heart sing. Now she was walking along this long market between two cathedrals that was a kind of bridge between her past and present, she looked at Ukrainian faces and pictured them in her head…

This exact day Lily also was there, among people, she planned to do some Christmas photos. She asked permission to leave her office sooner and headed straight to the market. She was fully equipped with her camera and tripod. Every second minute she stopped and pressed her magical button. She admired its Christmas atmosphere. Beautiful Christmas tree, which was specially brought from Western Ukraine, decorated with hand-made Ukrainian toys, sparkling scene where children were practicing before New Year show: children who were excited and full of energy, they were eager to go everywhere and watch everything, they were so curious, loads of candies, presents, attractions and different food. A well-known picture drawn by Charles Dickens ” Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!” Lily felt how her heart jumped in delight, pure childish delight!  

“Sing hey! Sing hey!
For Christmas Day;
Twine mistletoe and holly.
For a friendship glows
In winter snows,
And so let’s all be jolly!” sang Eros in his head and smiled because this is the first time when he does not celebrate it at home in UK. “How odd it is” he did not stop repeating in his head. His mom, Dolly, made it almost obligatory to spend Christmas only at home and within UK territory whenever he was on a mission. That’s always a rule to come back to their old cottage on N street and celebrate it in traditional British manner. And this year everything has changed. Dolly was so involved in her new atmosphere and new friends that she forgot about it. Eros’s mom met wonderful people in Kyiv, she also decided to join local culinary club where she got acquainted with many charming ladies of her age. All of them were foreigners and had a lot in common: they were in a strange country with an unknown language and culture, however, here they almost felt like at home. Eros saw his mom happy every time she came back from this course.

 This 2015 was a really fantastic year for him. He met Rose…oh, a beautiful flower who made such a mess and then left him so confused. He did not know what to think, he thought that he was in love, but her friendly behavior and kind words made him changed his mind. He definitely found her very attractive, but she clearly let him know that she prefer to leave it as it is. They were colleagues and she was his boss! While thinking Eros did not notice how he occurred to be next to Santa Claus House, so it was time to make a wish!

 “What a long queue?” said Lily and stopped here for a second. Among many adults with children she recognized a tall blue-eyed man.

“What does he do here?” wondered Lily and turned her head to the scene. And what she saw was not less surprising…Rose Spice in her nice white coat was elegantly walking in the direction of the same Santa Claus House. Lily almost froze at her place, she did not move and almost did not breath, Rose was coming to her and Eros was turning his head in her direction. At this awkward funny and fatal minute all three gazes are met…three very different personages were looking directly at each other…Rose also stopped and put her eyes on Eros while he hold his gaze on Lily…and their minds started spinning and time stopped…

” Who wants something sweet?”

My dear Fellows, I can see your angry or puzzled faces now and I know the reason – I finished my story at the most exciting part and put “awful” three dots. How can I dare to do it? Probably I agree with you, at the same time, cannot do much since I have no idea what is going to be further. My three funny personages joined in a conspiracy and went silent. I am not able to read their thoughts and see their moves. They closed the curtain and switched off the light. Thus, I am sitting now in a cafe and tasting this dessert, wouldn’t you like to join me?

Now that’s all I have! Delicious chocolate mousse that will wash  your tears away.

“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.”I am happy to share this chocolate glass with you, my sweet and kind Friends, and wish you happy 2016! I want it to be as sweet as this mousse and so good-looking as well. Every year is a challenge for us, it is a countdown, which nobody can stop, therefore let us live it to the full and never give up! Always dream and transfer our dreams to reality, even the craziest and most impossible! I make a serious prediction – 2016 is going to be the most challenging and most fabulous year in your life, each of you, but only if you come and read my posts…ha-ha-ha…kidding! My warmest wishes and strong hugs!

Love you,

Ann

P.S. Do not eat a lot during last year night or you can be the next Winnie the Pooh who was not able to leave Rabbit’s house after too many meals!

Friday Evening Before Christmas

Dear Friends, I suppose your last working week before Christmas holidays was extremely busy. Christmas shopping that drives you crazy because lady in a blue hat took the last porcelain set of cups what you have already thought of to buy for your mom or because another lady in big glasses and pink shoes took the last toy railroad or Barbie, which your son  or daughter dreamt of. Your gifts list is still too long, Christmas tree is standing naked without any lights and decoration, you feel a bit guilty since Christmas green-ladies cannot be left without diamonds…Beth Taylor always thought that “Big girls need big diamonds”and you absolutely agree with her.

Moreover, you do not have all ingredients for Christmas dinner, your hubby did not do shopping today – he went for Christmas party with colleagues and drank more then his body can survive…

So how about Friday going out?  Leave everybody and everything as it is and relax, you definitely deserved it. I guess a comedy play in one of local theaters can be a good choice?

Let us relax today and enjoy Friday evening several days before Christmas! Do you feel excited? I do…every time I am in the Holy Place of Art…

The third bell rang and spectators took their seats…although some of them are chewing their sandwich in the buffet… Hey, dude, actors are already behind the curtain and wait for you. A reminder that Mobile phones should also be turned of has already been pronounced…show time!!!

Yours Ann