This is the time of year that I frantically try and complete a calendar for 2015. Here is the short list of my photos. It has been a strange photographic year really. Some memorable shots but maybe not as many as in past years so it has been relatively easy to get down to a final set of 22. all help appreciated in helping me choose the final 12.
Occasionally one travels to a country and finds immediately it takes your soul. This is Slovenia. The people are pleasant, helpful and vibrant. They smile and do not complain. The mountains with snow on top look beautiful. The city is a place to walk and look, eat ice cream at cafes ( hazelnut and raspberry are recommended) and drink coffee. The bard look enticing and the prices most definitely not european. This is a good place to come to. The contrast cannot be more stark. Heathrow airport is a vile place, full of heaving, pushing people, expensive drinks and little to do or see. There is no customer satisfaction. These views were not made better by arriving back at Terminal 1 friday evening around 11pm to find that security staff for BAA had kindly locked one of the corridors stopping any passenger either to get to or from their gate. Thanks. And of course gone home. I only had 2 days in Slovenia and the lectures I gave were recieved with interest and politeness, and humour. A quick trip to Lake Bled allowed me to see the castle perched on a cliff. Whoever you are, you should go there.
Lake Bled in March
Castle overlooking Lake bled
Someone's Back Garden
For some unfathomable reason I have done little travelling this year such that this mornings early morning visitation to Heathrow reminded me what a shocking place it is. Crowded, with people pushing aimlessly, expensive and generally not a good place. However thanks to Lufthansa and Adria Airways I reached Slovenia mid-afternoon and on time.
I was taken to Lake Bled for lunch which is potentially a tourist spot about 45 km from Ljubjana and had a nice large schnitzel by the lake. The thing that strikes one immediately about Slovenia is that it is calm and the people seem happy. They also seem remarkably young compared with New Malden.
This evening however is work as I set about distilling 110 slides into a sensible 45 minute talk on Adult ADHD for tomorrow.
The river that runs through Ljubjana
a busy week. Got back from slovenia saturday afternoon and was straight off to take Elena to her birthday party. A trip to see Johnny English at the cinema with 3 friends, a curry afterwards and then the dreaded sleepover! they went to sleep 1.30 am and was up 7 am………needless to say they are tired today. Photographs will follow in due course. Hedgepig decided to be extra social today and came out happily in the daytime sitting on folks laps. The film was actually very funny. Rowan Atkinson doing a sort of tuned down Mr Bean character. Greyhounds all walked today with Elena accompanied by her current best friend Caitlin, who could not be more different to Elena if she tried.
Happily, I missed a 0-0 Brentford v Scunthorpe game which sounds as exciting as the scorelines suggests.
slovenia though was amazing. A special place. Green country with snowy mountains, happy smiling people and lovely city centre with river walks, cafes, bars, music everywhere. I was however the oldest person there! My talks went well so a good choice that I will be invited back to slovenia and Croatia!
Weather here is starting to turn autumnal, leaves are all off the trees, cold in the evening and heating has been turned on for the first time. Not bad I suppose, the middle of October!
chris1957
Arcticterntalk.org 