Day 18 - Jasmine

We have a huge Jasmine bush in the corner of our garden, right by the patio. I just love it when it is in bloom. It smells so wonderful, just like the tea, only fresher and softer. It's a real pity it doesn't bloom for longer than it does, I would have loved to smell it all summer :)

/MrsHjort

17:13 - Friday Treat

I love Fridays, for obvious reasons. Each Friday I like to sit up late and tinker with stuff on my computer, whilst treating myself for having made it through the week. Ah, I love Fridays!

This is something that is very typical for Sweden - the "Semla". It's a bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream. You can find it in every bakery between November and March, it has even got a day of it's own called "Fettisdagen" which occurs the 9th of February this year - yey, an other excuse to get one, they're so yummy!


Happy Friday!

/MrsHjort

09:25 - Morning Fika

If you've ever been in Sweden, you know of our obsession with fika - sitting down together to eat sandwiches/baked goods while drinking tea/coffee. A work day simply isn't complete without it! It's part of the routine!

My workplace is no exception, and we're very fortunate! Our employer actually lets us buy the fika with company money. Fika has reached whole a new level at my office, advancing into full blown breakfast. Freshly baked brad, cheeses, salamis, and veggies are some of the standard features. Yum yum yum!

/MrsHjort

Day 16 - Scarf

It's sort of fitting that today's word is scarf... You see, I just got a cold and have been working from home all day. It's great having a job where you can actually do that! I've had a lot of soup, tea and have been dressing warmly in my comfy clothes (including a scarf).

Since I'm not exactly my usual energetic self today, this will be a bit shot, sorry about that! Now I'm gonna go huddle up under a blanket with the first cat I find, some more tea and a good book. If you're interested, it's "A Song of Swords - Steal and Snow", and yes, it rocks ;)

Catch you later

/MrsHjort

Day 12 - Tea

I'm one of those who people who really, really, really enjoys tea. So much so I even have whole kitchen drawer devoted to the noble drink. You're sure to find something to your liking there. I have everything from the boring fruit teas (Mr likes the stuff) to spicy cinnamon (my favorite! It smells like Christmas!), smoked tea or herbal blends. Yum yum yum! What's your favorite tea? I love tasting new flavors and I can always cram in more in there somehow :)

You'll get to see a "bonus shot" today. You see, this is one of those shots I spent more time editing than I did shooting. The shooting part was done in the time it took to pour two cups, but the editing took so long my tea got cold. I don't mind though, hot or cold, it's fine either way to me.

Anyway, as you can see, there's a load of stuff I fixed in port-ed. The big obvious stuff are the pesky shadows and irritating bluish color drift, but there are also some less apparent things like selective sharpening and blurring, selective color manipulation and loads of other small enhancements to make things more appealing. I was working with nine adjustment layers and eight ordinary ones before I was done. Phew!

So today was kind of the opposite of yesterday, which was all about the setup. Funny how photography can be so different day to day. The important thing is that I'm happy with the end result.

I hope you like it too :)

/MrsHjort

Winter Walks

The snow has come, the first real one that is - the kind that stays for more than a few hours. Last Friday the flakes were ginormous, and all of a sudden, the boring browns were covered by a blanket of white.

I love the idea of snow - it brightens everything up a bit, during this dark time of the year, and I love sitting inside with a hot cuppa by a window. I can't say that I'm overly exited about the days when I have to actually get out in it though; I hate when its slippery! My workplace is down hill from where I live, and you really have to watch your step, or you'll start sliding uncontrollably. Wouldn't that be a sight for my students? Their teacher skidding down hill, whilst wailing squeakily and flapping her arms, falling nose first into a snow covered bush. Maybe I should buy crampons for my boots, just in case haha.

Don't get me wrong though, there are instances when I really enjoy a walk in the snow. Like when I have a camera in my hands, or when we bring bread down to the stream and feed the ducks, or, even better, both!

I just found these pictures from two years ago hiding away in my computer, and thought to myself, it would be fun to compere my best shots from back then, to what I can come up with now, after two years of shooting and competing at W1K. So stay tuned for more winter bird shots. I don't have the time to go shooting today, but hopefully the snow will stay a while, and I'll try to manage a troll soon.

/MrsHjort

Day 2 - Dressing Warmly

Thank you all for your kind comments. I'm still feeling under the weather, but better than yesterday. I'm dressing warmly and drinking tea.

Autumn is in the air now, as we say here in Sweden. The sun is shining, but you can smell a certain aroma that gives the Autumn away. The air is cooler too, and a bit damp. The fact that Mr has finally put a blanket inside his duvet covers is also a clear indicator. Autumn has come...

I don't really have anything against Autumn, it's the cold of winter that I'm dreading, and the long dark nights (spare me!). Autumn is a prelude to that, but in itself, it's not that bad. At least not in sunny days like this, and it's very pretty when the leaves start to change color. I just have to let go of the fact that Winter's coming (Moaha, there! It took one day before I snuck that into here, I love Game of Thrones!) and enjoy those last days of warmth and color.

/MrsHjort

Day 1 - Hot Drink

I have never taken a sick day in my entire life, never! Therefore, it's quite ironic that today, the first day of my September 30-day challenge, is my first. I've been tossing and turning the whole night and feel like something the cat dragged in. Sniffle sniffle, let me score some sympathy points here ;).

I have decided on the theme for my 30-days, and this month is going to be all about Autumn. So, to start off, here's a shot of my favorite tea, to warm those cold fingers of mine. I love tea, but seldom drink it in the summer. Now, however, that Autumn is coming, my tea selection will face some serious pillaging.

What's your favorite tea?

/MrsHjort