THEME DAY--WAITING...for Godot?

Here we are nearly at the end of the year. These two chaps, whom I photographed eleven months ago are still around, waiting under a tree in front of the newspaper Politika's building, just down the street from their usual location. Like this, they remind me of Vladimir and Estragon in Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

On second thought, maybe they aren't really waiting. Here's what one reader commented under my last year's photo:

"These guys "live" just up the road from me and despite their ragged appearance they seem to have food, booze and plenty of company. I suspect they are members of the voluntary street people, the type who run away from hostels and government accommodation because they prefer the streets. In London it is because the hostels are so often violent and otherwise dangerous places. One of these guys has the most incredible gravelly voice, it really is a marvel to hear. Every now and again I see that they get a new mattress, I suspect they are donated by neighbours.. .."



Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The Druid Photographer

Yesterday I showed you a photo of a camera man with a state-of-the art tripod. Today I am presenting you with a 'druid' photographer, or so I have named the chap I 'shot' yesterday in Kalemegdan park. I have no idea why he was dressed like this. If you enlarge the photo, you'll see he has a little video camera perched on top of his 'tripod,' which is really an old-fashioned plant stand. I took this photo from a distance, and the 'druid' had a lady with him, who dashed behind him when she saw me. I watched for a while....he started the camera, then walked in front of it down the path, accompanied by the lady, also cloaked in black. Then he ran back, started it again, and they moved toward the camera. The lady glanced nervously at me from time to time, though I had holstered my camera.

And why the lab coat underneath? I would have asked, except I didn't think she'd like it...

Any guesses?

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 maintenance, speeding, and drunk driving. Roads are often poorly maintained, especially in rural areas. During winter months, fog can obscure visibility while driving. 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.

Roast lamb

I try not to think of little white wooly creatures when I devour, on a rare occasion, I must admit, roast lamb. My son took me out to dinner about a week ago at a new ethno restaurant called Pahuljica or "Snowflake." Ethno restaurants, serving home-cooked, 'like Grandma used to make' dishes, are the in thing now among Belgraders and tourists flock to them. This roast lamb was served over potatoes that had been roasted below the entire lamb, absorbing its juices. Added were a red roast pepper below, and a fresh green one on top. Sorry the photo is a little blurry....my hands wanted to hold the knife and fork, not the camera.....


If you read Serbian, check out the restaurant at this link. If you don't, have a look at the photos right here, but you won't see any food....I'll go back...

Have you hugged a turtle today?

Forget those warm, fuzzy teddy bears--turtles are the ones to hug, or so it seems from this photo. I took this photo with my zoom while enjoying an afternoon of reasonably and unseasonably warm weather at an outdoor cafe. I was too lazy to get up and see what was written on the turtle's shell when he ambled off in the other direction...out of zoom range.