The subway...

It's been raining for a couple of days, so instead of walking the streets, I've been riding the subway around town. With my brand new camera that keeps asking to be used. So I do. Use it. In the subway.






I could probably have used a bit less wide angle. The lady on the right does not have a deformed head. Only a slightly excess use of makeup. The man on the left and his two bags are the main motiv of the picture. Even if I'm in New York, its still the US, so of course, we started talking because I clicked a photo. They contain his work for the weekend. Because of Memorial Day, this is a long weekend, so apparently a lot needed to be done while the office were closed for three days. His son is apparently also a keen photographer...

Location:New York subway

Street art

On a wall including pop corn box.


Believe


Don't litter


Papaya king

Location:Manhattan

Hey lady, smile!

A guy yelled after me in the street today: "hey lady, smile!".

And since it wasn't really on purpose I wasn't smiling, I was just trying to figure out, where I was and hence very focused. Therefore, I turned around a sent him a big fat one of them. Smiles. He hadn't expected that from the rather busy looking lady, so he smiled back: "thank you, mam!"

I kept going, now wearing my smile.

Location:Spring Street, New York

Wild and wonderful spring

Tuesday is family dinner night. Family being my Dad, brother, sister-in-law, nephew and me. Ferdinand (my nephew) is the natural centre of attention. A fact he's completely unimpressed by.

7 years ago, my father had a very severe stroke that paralyzed one side of his body (apoplexia), which means he's in a wheel chair and needs help to move around. My brother and his family lives half an hours walk from my Dad.

Therefore, we have our Tuesday routine. I pick up my Dad and we walk together through a hospital and a park to my brother's place. It's a fabulous walk every time. We get to talk about this and that. What happened since last time, about politics (not least the hopelessness of most of the Danish politicians), about how nice it is to get around.

When you are walking the same route regularly, you really get to see the changes of the seasons. This spring has been absolutely incredible because of the late departure of winter.

A week ago, it was just absolutely amazing, when we walked around for half an hour there just taking spring in and reassuring each other of how wonderful it was. Wonderful!




Wonderful!

Cycling

You're driving on the outside of the dikes on the Western side of Amager. That gives you about 10 kilometers of infinity. Just you, the sea and the wind.

I'm not always good at thinking or staying focused when sitting with the laptop. Then there's an email to write. Some dishes to wash. A facebook to check - just one more time. 

On the other hand, I'm really good at thinking while walking or cycling or swimming or kayaking. In other words while excercising. Yesterday, I needed to think. I've decided to try rewrite my past year's experiences and blog posts mixed with my own reflexions into a book. So I needed to think to get started. And the sun was shining beautifully so I decided to cycle around a minor island at the east of Sealand, Amager. The drive is about 50 km and completely flat. Parts of Amager are actually below sea-level, why there are dikes on the Eastern side of the island. It took me a couple of hours to get all the way around. I managed to get my thinking done. And felt the wind in my face. And regretted, I hadn't brought my SLR, hence the pics are shot with my phone - they had to be clicked. And I'll probably go back with the proper camera on another sunny day.

Avedøre Power Station and Sorterende High Way Bridge

Where did the lifebuoy come from? A ship wreck? A man over board managed to get into the shore?

Amager is indeed very very flat. On the inside of the dikes.

Træerne er  helt selvlysende i deres udspringskådhed

Man kører på ydersiden af diget på vestsiden af Amager. Så får man 5-10 km uendelighed at køre i. Bare én selv, havet og blæsten.

Det er ikke altid, at jeg får tænkt så meget eller fokuseret, hvis jeg bare sætter mig ned med computeren. Så er der lige en mail, der skal skrives. En opvask der kan tages. Et facebook, man liiige kan tjekke endnu engang. 

Jeg tænker til gengæld rigtig godt, når jeg går eller cykler eller svømmer eller sejler kajak. Altså når jeg laver et eller andet fysisk. I går havde jeg brug for at tænke. Jeg er gået i gang med at prøve at skrive det seneste års oplevelser og blogindlæg om til en bog, hvor jeg blander de historier, jeg har fortalt med lidt flere og smårefleksioner over rejsen og dem, jeg har mødt undervejs. Og nu havde jeg lige brug for at tænke, så jeg kunne komme i gang. Og solen skinnede og vejret var så dejligt, at jeg cyklede en tur rundt om Amager. Hele vejen. Der er ca. 50 km. Det tog et par timer. Jeg fik tænkt. Og mærket vinden i ansigtet. Og fortrudt, at jeg ikke havde taget mit gode kamera med. Så billederne er taget med min telefon, for de skulle jo tages. Jeg  kan jo altid tage tilbage med det gode kamera en anden solskinsdag.

Avedøreværket og Sorterendebroen

Hvor mon redningskransen kommer fra. Et sunket skib? En skibbruden, de har reddet sig i land?

Amager er i sandhed fladt. Helt helt fladt. En sø ved Kongelunden

The trees are gloating. Waiting and pushing to shoot forth.

Spring cleaning

I've spent the weekend at my mother's place in the middle of nowhere (and Zealand). It's a rather big house. A former farm, which means - lots of space. And since Im from a family of gatherers, hardly anything ever gets thrown out.

Occasionally, we do bring out some of the stocked up boxes and try to sort the stuff again. Somethings get thrown out (basically only stuff which is broken). Some is passed on to the local thrift shop (where it probably will be thrown out as nobody wants to have it). Somethings are put back into boxes and storaged once again. And then finally some of the stuff makes you go "ahh" and realize that you just got to use that again.

This time, we sorted out childhood. All the old toys had been packed and put away. 15 years ago. At least. And as a grandson has entered the family, my mother figured that some of the toys might be useful again.

My huge fan collection of Guns N'Roses items is substantially reduced. The football with the autographs of the Danish Natioanl Team (printed not original) has been passed on to my nephew. I found my grand parents old drawers for sewing threats and buttons from their tricotage store, which Im going to use for pens, keys and thingys that need a place to be.

And then finally, I've found the old frames. The empty ones, which have just waited to be reused. And then this one. With my great grand mother dressed for a party. The picture is 40 x 30 cm. Clicked in her living room in her villa in fashionable Rungsted, by her lodger. Looking strong, cool and beautiful. She'll be moving in to the walls in my living room now.

Such a fine sky

Friday night at Sabotøren (my favourite bar in Copenhagen) with pink bubbles, cheese platter and a good read... i'll tell more about Sabotøren soon - just need to get up get out and go swimming first. So... see you after 2000 m...