APRIL BAR

 Photo of a texter at April Bar here in Belgrade. April seems far away....

ANOTHER TRIP AROUND THE SUN

Today's my birthday, and I share it and my native state with PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL, the Pennsylvania groundhog who according to legend and a bit of kindly forceful extraction, I imagine, emerges from his hibernation to see or not to see his shadow. If he sees it, six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see it, spring is on the way sooner than later. Not sure if that's valid for just Punxsutawney or elsewhere, but today here in Belgrade it's raining...and cloudy...no shadow!  Woo! 

THEME DAY FOR FEBRUARY--VIRTUE

 I believe I took this photo in Sarnath, India, but honestly I am not sure. In any case, it gives the Buddha's advice, and he was indeed virtuous.

See other interpretations of Virtue on THEME DAY.

DELIVERY BOY

 Here home delivery of food and other necessities really took off when COVID hit. COVID is still around, but quite a number of people still use home delivery service. This fellow literally cuts corners across an intersection to reach his destination. Some ride their bikes on sidewalks, which is really dangerous. One side-step or a quick change of direction from a pedestrian could leave the unfortunate walker flattened. I've seen it happen.

NEW FAMILY IN THE 'HOOD

 A new family in the neighborhood....they may not be around long though...

MASHA AND THE BEAR

 When my granddaughter was not much bigger than the balloon you see here, she adored MASHA AND THE BEAR, and so did I. You can find Masha's cartoons on YOUTUBE.  Beautiful graphics and animation.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS-CHESS ANYONE?

 I don't play chess often, but I have often wanted an ISLE OF LEWIS CHESS SET. You can find reproductions at rather reasonable prices.  I purchased one figure years ago and a whopping 13 years ago, I posted it for you RIGHT HERE.

In any case, while downtown I stumbled across this Slavic Mythological figures chess set. Huge. It was beyond my budget, i.e. around 350 euros....

See other reflections on WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH--HOTEL MOSKVA

 I've posted a number of photos of this classic hotel before. Recently, now in the dead of winter, the skies are often gloomy, but the sign for the hotel stands out.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

TOO COLD FOR FLOWERS

 I have shown this park many time and usually there are roses, lavender, pansies growing here and there. It''s too cold now, so they've gone. Most of the time now it's dog walkers, but this fellow is alone.

ZOOMING IN

 In addition to my DSLR that I use pretty much on a daily basis, I have a Nikon bridge camera (Coolpix P510) that I bought quite some time ago for its tremendous zoom capabilities (approx up to 1000 mm). The quality is very, very good, and from time to time I take it for a walk.

In this photo, the subjects were at least 50 yards from me, perhaps more.  The windows you see in the background and the bust on the lower right were way far across the rest of the park from the woman and her dogs, and across another small park.

Downside of the Coolpix P510 is its relatively short battery life, but I carry a spare....

FROMAGES FRANCAIS...."Made in Serbia"

 This fellow has had a French cheese shop in Belgrade already for a number of years. I've tried quite a few of them, and they are truly top-notch. Having lived quite a while in France, I think I'm a pretty good judge. Superb. And all made here from Serbian cows, sheep.... Yummy. He is French, by the way, so has cheese in his genes.

In this photo he is selling his cheeses on Belgrade's pedestrian street where he has set up a stand for the holidays.