NEVER TOO COLD

 A very cold day for me, but not for this pair of swans on a log on the Danube.

CHASING IN STYLE

 Stylish pup having a ball chasing birds along the Danube in Zemun, a adjacent community to Belgrade.

POSING PUP

 He was holding just as still  as the mannikins in the shopfront window.

CHEESEBOARDS!

 Seen at the recent Balkan Cheese Festival. I think these are gorgeous. I don't need such a huge one, but I did buy a 'home-size' dark one like the second from the right. Very happy.

GOT LUCKY!

 I won a selection of cheeses yesterday at the Balkan Cheese Festival here in Belrade. Over 200 locally-produced cheeses (France needn't be worried yet), 90% of which (my guess) were never around when I came here in 1977.

It's now Sunday morning and I still have some cheese left, haha.

THEME DAY--FIRE

 No good fire photos, so here's the flame on my dog's first birthday pâté. She will be 6 in August. 

March 1st...it seems to have come in 'like a lamb' not like a lion, so more winter lies ahead...but what is winter now anyway?

See more Fire Photos or at least Flames on CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY.

INTO THE SUN

 Dog's-eye view of our walk the other day along the river.

HEELS

 I'm afraid this shop is one of the last true shops of its kind.  I can't remember the last time I needed this type of heel for my shoes.

FOUR STOOLS

 Just what the title says, nothing more, nothing less....except maybe some leaves....

WHILE WAITING....

 While waiting for a friend, I sneaked photos. I am never bored with my camera...

STREET ACTION

 Got off the bus on BRANKO'S BRIDGE, looked over the railing, and with my camera I froze all the action below.

ANTIQUE SHOP

 I pass this antique shop quite often and have even sold a few things to them. To tell the truth, it isn't completely an antique shop anymore. It's been turned into a cozy cafe. Kind of an old-school feel....

SHARING

 I watched this couple for quite a while. Each was engrossed in their phones....but then suddenly they shared something. A text, a photo, who knows?  But it actually got them talking to each other....

PANORAMA FROM THE PARK

 

Weather permitting, I take my dog for a looong walk along the Danube in New Belgrade toward Old Belgrade. In this photo you can see, from left to right, Kalemegdan forteress, the steeple of the main church, the dome of the bishop's palace, waaay behind that the dome of St. Sava's  temple, an old high-rise landmark, and the the far right, newly- constructed apartment buildings in an area called Belgrade Waterfront. In the foreground is a monument called The Eternal Flame.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

 Dropped by my framer's the other day to pick up two photographs I had framed. While he was wrapping them, I took a few photos around his shop. Here is one.

HINT OF SPRING

 We're not that close to spring. Though it is just a month away, spring seems to take its good old time to really arrive.

Had some friends over last Saturday and one of them brought me these beautiful tulips. They were more attractive when fresh, but do quite nicely faded.

STARK

 Just what the title says. Cold here; not a bud in sight.

HOUSEWARMING

 Had a mini-housewarming yesterday. I asked for no gifts since I have already downsized.

But these tulips were beautiful!

SOME VALENTINES HAVE FOUR PAWS

 Yes, indeed some Valentines DO have four paws.  Case in point. Here I am with Madhu, not long after I adopted her five years ago.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL, including those with four paws.

A DIFFERENT VIIEW

 Last summer I moved from downtown Belgrade to New Belgrade, just across the river. Above was my view from my bedroom window before the move. I lived in a loft, and loved it. I  have a different view now, but the curtains are the same. And a terrace, which I like.

WAFFLES, BELGIAN ONES AND REAL ONES....

 

Digging back into my archives since I haven't been out shooting so very recently.  The sign on the waffle stand on the left reads "Belgian Waffles" and the sign on the stand on the right reads "Real Waffles."  I'll let you figure that out.

WOULDN'T CUT IT....

 I had a hankering for Serbian sauerkraut. It's different from the kind I grew up with, which was sauerkraut from a can warmed up. Here you can buy cabbages and let them ferment in a large barrel, then when they're ready, slice/chop them thin as you need them. Most people (yours truly included) don't have either the place for a large barrel or time to chop.  You can buy packages of already chopped saukerkraut in the store. I rinse that sauerkraut to remove a lot of the salt, squeeze it so all the water is removed. Then in a heavy cast iron pot I put a  little oil, a couple of bay leaves, peppercorns, and the sauerkraut. Stir and cook until it is a bit brown. Then I add meat of some sort:  chicken legs, pork pieces or chops, sausage, or smoked ribs like on the picture. I bury whatever it is in  the sauerkraut, cover, and bake until it appears nearly done. Then off comes the lid and I leave it brown a bit.

I wanted this time to buy some ribs, as above. I would not need that many (just me, folks), but the farmer outside our market who comes in from a nearby village only wanted to sell the ribs in entirety....so no ribs for me. (Frown) I don't use meat or even smoked meat that much and would take forever to use it all. So I bought chicken legs and buried them.

IMAGINING A REPLY

 Another bus shot. This young woman had just read a text. It looks like she's trying to come up with a response.

LADY IN THE BUS

 Another pensive soul in the bus.

CAN'T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

 Grove in a nearby park. Not a real forest, but as close as I'll get within city limits.

NOT A SERBIAN CUSTOM

 Well....during COVID I stayed with an Irish friend in a suburban part of Belgrade. She has a lovely old house, and both our dogs appreciated the yard and each other's company. My friend, who was about 90 then, and I appreciated keeping each other company, too, and improved our Scrabble skills.

We took turns cooking. I had always noticed that she had a wash basin in her sink where she put her dishes before she washed them. I had never seen anybody do this before, but I have since learned that many cultures do this, and I have adopted the habit. I stack my dishes during the day, run hot water and add dishwashing liquid (which of course my friend called 'washing up liquid', washed them, returned them to the basin, then rinsed them under the faucet and stacked them in a rack. Above is my set-up.

I was pleased to notice that the hot water stays hot longer since the plastic of the bin doesn't absorb the heat as a metal sink would, and I actually end up using less water.

NEVER DO THIS...OR ALMOST NEVER

 It is not a good idea to leave a small dog, even safely fastened, alone in front of a store.

So I didn't. My dog was inside the entrance in plain sight of me when I dashed in to buy something close to the exit. We kept a close watch on each other!

COLD TOOTSIES?

 As temperatures drop, I am always curious about water birds' feet. I finally looked up the reason why they don't just get their feet frozen, if not very cold. You wouldn't catch me floating blissfully on the water in the winter. This pair though seems to have opted for a piece of driftwood.

Here' the reason: Birds in general  have specialized scales on their feet and legs that help minimize heat loss. Many ducks, geese, pelicans, gulls and swans further conserve body heat by standing on one leg or even sitting down.

ZEMUN FACADE

 

Another photo of a facade in Zemun (ZAY-moon), a close municipality of Belgrade, known for its cafes, late-night bars ,and fish restaurants along its riverside (Danube) promenade. Zemun once belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its arhitecture reflects the then-popular SECESSIONIST ART STYLE.

LOST, BUT 'TWAS FUN

 After a smashing lunch at my favorite Indian restaurant, son and family took me bowling, something we had not done since just before COVID, when I beat everyone. No luck this year, sadly, but it was fun. These are bowling shoes to rent, marked in European sizes.

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

 I love this photo and don't think I have posted it before. I ran a few search words on my blog and nothing came up, so here it is.

This is a phone (and not an iPhone) shot. Last April I was walking with my granddaughter and spotted these sheets. They called to me saying, "Take out photo!" so I did. I have recently had the photo enlarged and framed. Better yet, a local photo professor of mine a number of years back goes to the same framer. When I picked up the photo a few days ago, the framer told me that Prof X had come  in with some of his photos to  frame, and he admired my photo. Whee!

It's my birthday today and his compliment made my day, albeit a a few days early!

FEBRUARY THEME DAY: MOTORS

 Not the entire motor nor is this Belgrade!  Here is my favorite tuk-tuk driver in Delhi. I stepped out of my hotel one morning and was about to flag down a tuk-tuk, when Sonny zipped up and shouted, "Madame, you are back!" Hard to believe that in such a huge city he found me, but I knew he lived in the area near my hotel.

Sonny is hard-working and honest. Tuk-tuks are my favorite way to get around and if I had my way, I'd ship one back. I did learn however that they are not sold to anyone who is not a tuk-tuk driver, so I guess I may have to move and pass a driving test. Tuk-tuks have either a two-stroke or four-stroke engine, which is Greek to me. I just learned this through the Internet.

See other MOTORS on THEME DAY.

THE MIMOSA SELLER

 There are apparently 600 kinds of mimosa ranging from trees to shrubs. Here in Serbia these yellow flowers, symbols of spring, are imported from the coast. They cheer people up with their bright yellow color.

It may not be so close to spring yet by the calendar, but our changing climate says differently.

LOST

 Lost among the  leaves...I looked around for a child nearby, but there was no one in sight at all.

DRAMATIC TREE

 "It was a dark and stormy..." morning. 

SNACK

 Reasonably warm weather due to climate change, so this couple opted for a snack in the park.

TEXTING

 Usce (OOOSH-chay) Park (meaning mouth, as for a river) is Belgrade's largest park, stretching along the Danube. You don't see it in this photo, but there are many trees, paths...

These two seem oblivious to nature today. I hope ony today.

FOGGY

 Woke up at 7 and opened my shutters to view thick fog. I kind of like fog; it's mysterious. Now it is gone...

OW.

 I am always surprised that succulents outside do so well in the window. While trying to move in closer, I got poked by one of the 'leaves'. Ow.

SITTING IN ZRENJANIN

 

From my archives. It's cold and icy outside and I am afraid of slipping and falling....

AN UNKNOWN SAMARITAN

 The sign on a sidewalk above an overpass reads "Careful!  Slippery!".  And it was. I gingerly ventured out, holding onto the orange railing and armed with my hiking stick. I took a mini-slip and cautiously turned around and went back.

Ever grateful to this kind but unknown samaritan.

SHALL WE DANCE?

 Went to get some photos framed the other day. I hadn't been to my framer in a long time, since I am running out of wall space....  This is a new building that had been under construction since my last visit to my framer and it is now finished, though not occupied yet. Its wavy lines recalled THE DANCING HOUSE in Prague. Perhaps a distant cousin (wink).

CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK....OF ICE

 Nippy this morning on my dog walk!  Our nearby park has several sources of water and are frozen solid. Except of course for one place. I imagine some kids broke the ice last night, scattering pieces everywhere like shattered glass.  I liked this chunk. It looks like a very large diamond....

HAPPINESS ON A GRAY WINTRY DAY

 Cold, gray, and almost gloomy. However my day is brightened by a humble and 'bien fait' Camembert. No doubt upcoming days will be cheerful too, since in addition to this particular cheese, my son brought me back three others from a ski trip to France. Et un saucisson. Quel bonheur!

P.S. Actually there are two local shops that import French cheese.

ACCIDENTAL CANINE ART

 It's been really cold, so haven't taken my camera out much, especially since I have two dogs in charge (returning my granddaughter's dog today) and it isn't easy to stop for a photo when I've got to keep one eye on the pups.

I decided to do some abstracts, and this  is one of them, created by my own dog, Madhu. It's what's left over from her rawhide chewie.

URBAN MUSHROOM

I brought this boy inside with some of its surrounding foliage....I found it around the corner but had neither camera nor phone with me. I'm going to replant it where it was growing. And of course I can't locate my mushroom book and chart, so if anyone can identify it, let me know.

ONCE AGAIN, WITH STYLE

 I posted this dashing guard at Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Fort a while back, and yesterday came upon another photo. He seems to be eyeing the lady on the phone....I am still loving his mustache. 

THREE PEARS

 I must admit that I do not eat enough fruit. My son went skiing with his family and left me three pears and some other perishables which might go bad if not eaten.  He said the pears were delicious.

Now there are just two left and they will be gone soon, as they really are delicious!

SKYWATCH --autumn colors in winter

 Taken around 7:30 a.m. from my terrace. I loved the lighting and the autumn colors, but now the lighting has changed and it all looks dreary!

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

CONFUCIUS SAID AND WE FORGOT

Confucius, 551 to 479 BC, is considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Here is his  state in front of the Chinese Cultural Center in New Belgrade. His teachings emphasized personal and governmental morality, harmonious social relationships, righteousness, kindness, sincerity, and a ruler's responsibility to lead by virtue.

Most of our world leaders would do well to heed to his teachings, especially the one now elected president along with his crones in my birth country.