Reciprocity

A week ago, an article appeared in a local newspaper, the theme being about me, a long-term expat in Belgrade. One of the consequences of that article (aside from being stopped by lots of people at my local green market and receiving many phone calls!) was a phone call from a TV station reporter who wanted to feature me today (7:30 p.m. local time, 'Pink' TV!) on the same topic.

We met on Friday in a park not far from where I work, and did the usual bla, bla. At one point, the cameraman wanted me to 'pretend' I was taking some photos (I always have my camera with me, and they knew I have this blog), so I obliged him...and also got him for today's post.

Fair's fair!

A bouquet you do not want to get.

Not a happy photo today. I took this one from my car, while deadlocked in a line of cars to cross a bridge I go over every day. Some sort of student protest caused a major jam.

It's the custom here to put flowers and even sometimes a little plaque or small monument where someone was killed on the highway. Unfortunately, you see these quite often.

Serbia has a high rate of car accidents relative to the overall European average, and anyone who has driven here will tell you that's for sure true. Authorities cite poor road conditions, lack of signals, poor vehicle maintence, speeding, and drunk driving. Roads are often poorly maintained, especially in rural areas. During winter months, fog can obscure visibility while driving and fog can be extremely heavy. The use of seat belts is mandatory, but not many use them, and the kids I see standing up in the rear between the two front seats make me shudder. A driver with a blood alcohol level higher than 0.05% is considered intoxicated.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY--Moon over urban landscape

Fiddling with a fish-eye attachment (not sure I want to splurge on a real lens) yielded this Skywatch Friday shot from a friend's balcony during the last full moon. There are no stars visible here; all washed out by the lights on the ground. It's at times like this when I recall the NATO bombing blackouts....lots of stars visible then!

Why don't you join SKYWATCH FRIDAY?

Happy Thanksgiving

No turkey for me today, since I am working and can't possibly celebrate in style, so I am doing Thanksgiving this Saturday! But I am thankful today for many things: my wonderful children, friends I've known for many years, new friends I've made through blogging and in recent years, my so-far good health, and for my husband, now gone, but who remains with me every day.

I'm also thankful right now that the little dog, Jackson, that I took in off the street has found a home. A colleague of mine adopted him, and in this photo you see him playing in his new home with her dog, Borko. The two are perfectly suited; it's a perpetual game to see who runs out of energy first. By the way, that's a happy show of teeth on Jackson's part.

Are you counting your blessings today?

ABC Wednesday--"S" is for "Sonorous Saturday"

It's that time of year again....the season of 'slavas,' which are Orthodox Serbs' saints' days. I've explained last year. Some of the local Roma or gypsy population here wander through neighborhoods trying to earn some money by playing music. One definition of 'sonorous' is
"full and loud, deep, heavy sounds," and these two guys played true to form last Saturday afternoon, the day of the Saint Archangel slava. Like others in my building, I clipped some money with a clothespin and tossed it down to them. You can see that the drummer spotted me and my camera...!

Post your entry for ABC WEDNESDAY!

Feeling lucky?

The girl on the ball behind the car is saying, "I'm telling you, if you don't play, you won't win." That's true. I'm not a gambler, but I do keep saying, "Ah, when I win the lottery..."

I think I should choose a set of numbers and always play them... I'll let you know what happens.

Do you play Lotto or any 'big money' games?

The Potato Seller

This is a dedication to my favorite artist, Vincent van Gogh, who painted The Potato Eaters. This is The Potato Seller, sitting and smoking on sacks of spuds (how's that for alliteration?) You'll see he has a sack of onions thrown in for good measure.

This fellow is a regular seller beside an open market near where I live. You can also see that automobiles park all over the sidewalks, if they can get away with it. That is not the fellow's car you see behind him.