In fact, I’ll keep it!

It was two years ago today that I posted my first Manja Mexi Movie blog post. I can’t believe it’s been two years already.

(I know this, even though WordPress has stopped informing me about the number of posts or anniversaries and things like that a while ago. I don’t know what happened. – ADD-IT: The notification came at 11pm. WordPress never forgets, thank you!)

To think that the main impulse for starting the blog was lack of feedback from my family and friends upon sending them heaps of emails with photos from my new life in the new country!

To keep us company in this post, here are some of my favourite already published photos:

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Obviously the world is indeed big enough to find a variety of people who are not too lazy to tell you when you make them smile, busy schedule notwithstanding. Thank you all so much for that! I know how precious this is: even I with all the time in the world have trouble following everybody I’d like to. There are just too many brilliant people around!

It’s not just laziness, some friends back home are saying they don’t understand my blog because it’s in English. Hmmm, as little as I write? Photos are in English as well, are they? Whining like some Italians! Aren’t Slovenians known to brag how good we are at English? Because, compatriots, no matter how much you whine, this blog is NOT turning Slovenian any time soon.

And lest we forget, at the beginning, for much of the first year really, there were just about 7 followers, all family and friends. Only after I started joining photo challenges, many more of you came over and some stayed. Among the challenges that have achieved this are (in each line three links lead to three posts for every challenge):

• Weekly Photo Challenge
• Norm’s Thursday Doors
• various Cee’s challenges
• Sylvain Landry’s SL-WEEK

and the latest I have joined:

• Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness.

Soon I will reach the upgrade limit for this one and will start another WordPress blog. Nothing much will change (other than the theme), I quite like it as it is. I hope – I always hope – to do more writing, but just like the rest of the world I’m getting lazier in this regard, posting more photos and less words. They are easier on the eye, it seems, or is it brain. It’s not that words are lacking, I always have a bunch, they are lurking JUST behind the corner. Beware.

Here is a recap of my writings that I posted last June. I find it very telling that only father, Snow Somewhere Else and Badfish commented. Well, I do say it’s for the organised and the mad ones. 😀 (Love you!)

What is alarming is that I’ve only added very few writings to Own Words category since.

Among them are:

• an amusing tale about peeing
• 100 words on why nobody is to trust
• a reason why sister’s mirror broke
• some musings on borders, limits and boundaries
• and a recent bunch of excuses as to why I am not a writer as such.

In short – nobody has a truly good excuse for not following me. But I cannot and don’t want to force anybody either. Everything I said on this day last year in my first anniversary post is still true: we have strawberries and if you don’t want them – your loss.

And as they say in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels: “It’s a deal, it’s a steal, in fact…

…I think I’ll keep it!” 😀

Truly, from the heart, thank you all for every minute spent in my virtual company.

≈ Manja Maksimovič ≈

Featured photo: The header of my upcoming blog: MLK in Ljubljana. 

Photo: a © signature mmm production

Mother’s Day

Today is Mother’s Day but only in Slovenia, if we believe Wikipedia. How lucky then that mom is Slovenian out of all nations. And how lucky that I was born near her.

Last year I wrote about how we found our first dog in the trash on this day. Talking about a present. Here he is, his name was Žak:

This year amore is cutting chocolate salami for you, mom, but you’ll have to fight bestia for it. 😀 (nahh, we don’t let him eat that! It’s got rum!)

And now let us sing all together with Slovenian vocal orchestra Perpetuum Jazzile (check out their youtube channel for more amazing a cappella singing) for my mom and all the mothers in the world:

LALA LALA LALA LALAAAA! ♫♪

Photo: a © signature mmm production

Wherever you are is called Here

For anybody who might be lost, a lovely poem for World Poetry Day. I have never been more found myself.

Lost
by David Wagoner

Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.

Photo: a © signature mmm production

“Pasqua is close.” This is what amore said when I told him about the many baby sheep I’d seen. Ever a romantic.

When driving in the countryside like this, we often encounter flocks of sheep.

They go well with the surroundings and remind me of all those National Geographic photos I marvelled at as a child and used for the protection of my notebooks until they faded. We become what we surround ourselves with when young. As for the coming Easter – love your neighbours so much you could eat them.

Photo: a © signature mmm production

Thursday Doors, March 17

Continuing the three-green-doors theme from last week. Italy must be sharing my favourite colour.

The first photo is terribly shot and cut, but at that time I was not taking photos of Thursday Doors yet, just of happy ones. It is a kindergarten in Porto Ercole and its happiness shines through.

The second door is green and not especially enlightening as such. Until you spot Giordano.

The third door was found in Roma’s Monteverde district too, just like Giordano’s, and was a case of “hold the dog, please, I wish to investigate that door over there”. Images here are lined up in reverse. Whereas the first image could make you believe all is well, sadly I saw the building in its entirety first.

Photo: a © signature mmm production

For Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors challenge.

WPC: St. Gregory’s One Love

In Slovenia, today is what the image of Mengeš pavement above proclaims, Gregorjevo, St. Gregory’s, Slovenian Valentine’s Day. According to the old calender, it was the first day of spring and the day when birds mate.

For WPC: One Love challenge I have gathered half a year’s worth of bird photos because the saying goes that the first bird you see today will resemble your future spouse.

The birds on the first three photos are Slovenian. The next three photos were taken at Miramare castle near Trieste. Those resting on the Tevere river are in Roma. The rest are local, geese included. For these I’m especially glad they survived Christmas. We shall see about Easter. The one through the window was taken without standing up from my computer. I swear. Talking about comfy. When I went out to take some more, only those four remained online.

And the last one is mine. I shall make good wife.

Be like birds, fly single or in flock – in fact, the fiercer the bird, less need of a flock – mate or not, sing or clack or chirp or perch totally silent. Just be sure to bring on One Love. Even if St. Gregory in question is House M.D. 😀

Lucija, Slovenia

Lucija, Slovenia

Ankaran, Slovenia

Miramare, Italy

Trieste

Roma

Photo: a © signature mmm production

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: One Love

MM 2-48: Monochrome Madness on the beach

This week witnessed a Monochrome Madness landmark: for the first time my contribution below was actually shot in black and white, rather than made to appear this way. Can’t see much difference, frankly speaking.

Ever since I first heard of it, I wished to visit it: Cala Violina, a hidden beach in Maremma, named after a sound effect that makes sand sound like violins (if you believe it – strangely enough, the sound of the video shot by my sister has all kinds of instruments in it, produced by waves hitting the surf, as for the violins, it’s a stretch).

But even bigger surprise was approximately 2.5 km it took to reach the beach from the parking which in the summer is payable. Last summer when we passed by it, we saw a heap of cars and the price and promptly turned back again. Even though the road to the parking led strangely uphill, I had a feeling the beach was just over a little hill.

Now we walked and walked and the sea refused to meet us half way. We had to go all the way down to it. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t imagine the horde of Italian beach-goers walking this stretch in the scorching heat, especially up upon return. Italians and walking do not go hand in hand. A transportation of some kind must be provided, or nobody would pay that much surely after driving a few km on the dirt road, only to walk.

As it is, I cannot promise to return in the summer and report on it. It was perfect now, with no heat, no people, no wild boar and no rain.

A quick pit stop before reaching parking

Dirt road that leads to the parking

Parking area

Here we go go go

Picnic area above the beach.

Cala violina

She found us! The littlest is bestia.

That’s some valley

Photo: a © signature mmm production

For Leanne Cole’s MM 2-48: Monochrome Madness

Thursday Doors, March 10

This week I was sorely tempted to use a door photo for ANOTHER challenge. I know!!

But I saved it, no matter how harmonious the first image might be and would suit my WPC: Har-money can’t buy post. This is a kind of photo that I’d swoon over if it was taken by somebody else, wish to live there or at least visit, and generally just feel thrilled to be able to view it. And now it’s mine.

The second photo is mom getting the feel of the doorspotting sport. Both were taken right here in Capalbio. As was the third, just on the sea side of it.

My three green doors for this week. Many many more taken. It was a busy week, not just door-wise.

Photo: a © signature mmm production

For Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors challenge.

When happy 8th goes Marching in

Now is the time to Mother a new story into the world.
—Cathy Pagano

Mother a new story, heal the mother wound, fill the mother gap, and sister a new mister? 😀 Happy March 8th and solar eclipse to all concerned.

Photo: a © signature mmm production

WPC: Har-money can’t buy

Harmony that money can’t buy.

Landscape, visitors and weather cooperating. View from Capalbio. Footwear from Peru. Last image taken inside Niki’s statue in her Tarot garden.

Photo: a © signature mmm production

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: Harmony

One of these days

One of these days was yesterday and this is how it ended. Via Lake Bolsena to Orvieto.

Photo: a © signature mmm production

Darling Nicky, cin cin!

Today celebrates my oldest (that is, earliest) friend.

First her father and my father met in their Maribor, went to school and played basketball together for team Branik. Below is a photo from 1963. (I’ll let you guess who the fathers are. :D) (ADD-IT: I removed the fresh re-enactment of this photo because it will be published in a book soon.)

 

Then they married (one woman each) and moved to Ljubljana. First her father, then mine. Then we were born in the same year, first her, then me. Then came the year when she got a brother, and me a sister. Then they got a dog.

Thank you for hosting us at your beautiful summer camp on the island of Krk last summer (more photos from there here). Who would say that you’d find a place that can rival Duba.

I hope we can one day have some fun together over here – possibly with the third gracia – and talk about the times when we were crazy and young. Welcome! (Captions available by clicking on each photo)

Duba, Pelješac peninsula, Croatia

Camp Škrila, island Krk, Croatia

Blue and yellow

Green summer kitchen

Oldest friends (one younger than the other)

You are the younger one 😀

We need one more…

…to make three gracias

Photo: MM & MC (Oldest friends) & MB (Three gracias) & archive MB (basketball team)

Tanti auguuuuuuuuuuuri per te
tanti auguuuuuri per te
tanti auguri, cara Nika
tanti auguri per te!

You may have the Universe if I may have Italy.
—Giuseppe Verdi
(Quote reblogged from Italophilia. Grazie!)

The Italy of my amore, taken by him with his phone at two different times of day: early in the morning as he was waiting for his daily train to take him to work…

…and in Ostia with the setting sun. I love it how despite working so hard he still has eyes for beauty around him. Photo: MC