Animula vagula blandula,hospes comesque corporis –quae nunc abibis in loca?Pallidula rigida nudula,nec, ut soles, dabis iocos!– Hadrian Imp. Standing on sacred ground, with thousands of years of history beneath our feet. A city abandoned and forgotten, yet still sacred: the sanctity of a place cannot be tampered with by humans, for it is not theirs … Read more
It needs some red.– Calvin After the beautiful insanity of Tunisia, we barely had time for laundry (as in clothes, not line laundry), and we were back on the road for yet another kite festival – one much nearer, shorter in time, but much, much bigger in space. I mean, just look at the map … Read more
Doch wir wollen ihn dir zeigen und du wirstmit Staunen sehn daß er dir sein Herz geweiht. A patio. The orange glow of the cigarette lights the night. There is sand in the air, carried by a westerly wind. There is an invitation to knock on a particular door. To the south, a strip of … Read more
When Zmajoljupci call, we ride. The summons arrived on Friday: Žuža and Žare, ever faithful disciples of those lying meteorologists, chose to believe the forecast – and by Saturday morning we were already in the car, reasonably well stocked with kites, pointing ourselves towards the Croatian capital. The day turned out splendidly. Spring at her … Read more
This is from Nomina Defunctorum, the Book of the Dead Benefactors who donated property to the Chapter of Aquileia (now in the Diocesan Archive of Udine): Nomina defunctorum is a simple list of the dates on which this or that benefactor died (so their souls could be duly prayed for on the correct day), and … Read more
There was nothing. There was no ‘there’ there. A hundred and fifty square kilometers of void. To be fair, only one species of animal thought that; millions of others were quite happily enjoying this purported “void,” thank you very much. And even the detractors once lived smack in the middle of it, back when it … Read more
No way! Yes, way … This year has been decidedly odd (and the weather has, for the most part, shown a marked aversion to kites). It’s March already, and we have managed exactly one (1) kite aerial photography session and this single, blissfully relaxed kite-flying outing – our grand total for the year so far. … Read more
The aromatic smoke of the last beedee rises and swirls, the first warm sunbeams playing with it like mischievous kittens. The dark, cold January is well behind us: the first flowers are just about to bloom, the birds are singing their hearts out … We try to look forward, to smell the spring on a … Read more
“I don’t know how to January!”– Marczin So … when it became clear that after so many years we’d have to spend the great holiday of Uttarayan not in India, but in Slovenia – and not just Uttarayan, the whole bloody January! – we promptly went through all six stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, … Read more
Beeches be trippin’ … Few people realize that among plants, beeches are the ultimate party animals. They’re cool, they drink a lot (of course), and they’re dressed to impress – those striking silver trunks and vibrant green leaves that sway seductively in the gentle breeze … When conditions are warm and wet, beeches truly thrive; … Read more