SKYWATCH--in a reflection

 The real sky and the sky reflected in a newly-constructed hotel across the street from me.

See other skies and maybe some reflections on SKYWATCH.

HONEY FAIR AND EAR CANDLES

 It's time for Belgrade's annual Honey Fair. This year, like the past two, has shown a decline in the number of exhibitors and I can only imagine it's because of COVID.  I always enjoy looking through the many kinds of honey and honey-related creations.

I had to ask about the conical-shaped things on the photo above. They are called ear candles. You insert the smaller end in your eat and light the other....the smoke is supposed to melt ear wax, relieve pain. I looked up ear candles online and they are a definite NO-NO.

You may end up looking like the creature on  THIS MURAL I posted ages ago....

COLLECTING FOR FOOD

 

This kind of scene will never go away.  Sad, but (shame on me) one wonders how honest some street people are. But I often give something.

WHO'S LOOKING AT MY FOOD?

 This fellow is giving the evil eye to someone, or so it seems. Not willing to share!

MAGIC MUSHROOMS?

 Probably not the kind of magic mushrooms popular  in the Sixties, but these were all over the forest where I took the  picture of the sunbeams yesterday.  A little family of mushrooms, or toadstools, I bet, since I think one bite might be your last.

P.S.Mushrooms refer to a fungal growth which takes the form of a domed cap on a stalk with gills on the underside of the cap, while toadstools refer to the spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi in the form of a rounded cap on a stalk, especially believed to be inedible or poisonous. 

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY---NOBODY AROUND TO BEAM UP, SCOTTY!

 Ah, the things you learn while blogging. I googled "Beam me up, Scotty," that I knew was from Startrek, but wanted to know more about it. Well, believe it or not, these words are a misquote, though very close to the words words actually spoken.  

See other shadows and maybe catch some rays, too, on SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.

BUSY BUTTERFLIES

 Busy these two were, and I was quite surprised to see them at the end of September, and apparently mating. I googled to see if any species do mate in the fall, and lo and behold, some do, including the Monarch Butterfly.  These aren't Monarchs, but they don't seem to care.

SKYWATCH--NOBODY HOME

 

I am here in Devojački Bunar until Sunday. This area and far beyond was once part of the Panonian Sea. The immediate area here is called Deliblato Sands. The holes you see in the raised sandy soil are sand martin nests, but nobody's home now.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

DON'T MESS WITH ME

This cat belongs to the "Don't mess with me" kind of village cat. Bold, somewhat wild and fearless, but still likes its comfort.

 

PATTERNS

Before you read any further, take a guess what made this lovely pattern. Go on! No peeking yet.

Give up?

Found these patterns after a cloudburst in sandy soil in the area of Serbian where I came to spend a week. This area was once part of the Pannonian Sea, and the soil is sandy.

 

OSAGE ORANGES

 

I believe I've posted something about Osage Oranges before, but in a forest near where I am spending a few days, I came accross the group in various stages from freshly fallen to nearly disintegrated. As I was bending over to take the photo, another fell with a loud thud,  just missing me by a few inches. Each weighs about 2 pounds, so getting  one dropped on one'shead could knock one unconscious. Take the photo and run!

INTRUDER

 Just a small grasshopper on a rosebud.

A QUINCE

 

I have never cared for quinces, aside from their lovely scent and color. Tried many a recipe/product using quinces, but no go. Even the beloved French sweet pâte de coings does nothing for me. Here in Serbia they make quince brandy, but I don't like that either.  It's even a girl's name: Dunja (DOON-ya).

TAKE ME, PLEASE!

 

I am on my own personal writing retreat in a tiny place an hour from Belgrade. There are quite a few free-roaming dogs here. Perhaps some have owners, but if this one did not, I'd consider her as a playmate for Madhu.

IN THE COUNTRY

 

I am spending 10 days out of Belgrade on a personal writing retreat, i.e. just me....and my dog, of course.

Here's my French toast breakfast.

WHAT TIME IS IT?

 If I am  not mistaken, we set out clocks back here in Europe at the end of October. This clock is a little messed-up, but it's  not its fault, since it's a reflection in a window of a clock across the street.

KARL?

 While at my son's in New Belgrade, my dog was enjoying a romp in the spacious park below, and then dashed into some bushes against a building. She didn't responde to my call, so in I went after her.

I found this bust...  Karl Marx or?  I think it was stolen from somewhere, so I contacted the Cultural Heritage office and they're sending out a team to remove it. No clue where exactly they'll put it.

ICE CREAM 'SUNDAY'

 This couple have perhaps finished an ice cream sundae on this pleasant Sunday afternoon.

SERBIAN SPECIALTIES

 A visit to the local market led a guest and me to this lady's Serbian specialties stand.  Rakija (Serbian brandy made with many different fruits and nuts_, jam, and a roast pepper spread called ajvar (EYE-vahr).

BRIGHT PINK HAIR

 Bright pink hair with purse and bracelet to match.

SECURITY GUARD

 Security guard at the local market place...

STUDENTS' PARK, EARLY EVENING

 

Entrance/exit to Students' Park near part of the university. It is often dubbed The Dog Park, since lots of dogs off leash.

HAIR

 Three girls, three hair colors.  Have you ever done your hair in an unusual color?

FALL'S A-COMIN'

 

Fall is coming this month. Because of the long, hot, dry summer, trees have already started to shed their leaves.

TIME DAY SEPTEMBER 2022--MY SUPERPOWER--TIME TRAVEL

 Being endowed with several superpowers (wink), it took me some time to narrow them down and choose just one.

I chose TIME TRAVEL and honestly I think we all that power. As a child I watched Mr. Peabody and Sherman  travel backin their Wayback Machine to witness first-hand famous moments in history. Later on, I enjoyed sci-fi films that used this theme, along with the various Back to the Future films. I am also an Outlander fan, waiting impatiently for Season Six... and maybe more. Ray Bradbury, my favorite fantasy author, wrote The Sound of Thunder, alluding to possible catastrophic consequences of meddling in the past.

So I have chosen a safer route. I travel back through time through photo albums, be they the old-fashioned paper/leather albums or digital ones. I often 'return' to visit places I have lived or spent a lot of time in, for example France and India, and of course the US. Through photographs I relieve moments here in Serbia spent with my husband and children.  Sensory details from those photos spring to life: sounds, tastes, smells, the feel of wet grass or smooth silk, and the sight of someone or something I may have forgotten.

The above photo I cherish very much. It shows four generations of women on my mother's side of the family, and mini-me at the age of around 5 months. 

As far as I know, no one has come up with a true time machine like in H.G. Wells' novel, but no matter.  We all have our own through photographs.

See what other City Photo bloggers have shown as their superpower right here.