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On a steep rocky cliffside off the Morayshire coast, clumps of moss and heather cling on finding a foothold in the most unlikely of places.
Cycling back down Glen Lui, these lone Scotch Pine trees stand sentinel by the side, their sparseness showing the harsh conditions in which they grow. But that's it for another trip, until the next time folks ..
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The color version of the photo above is here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO:
So far there's only been one photo in my gallery that hasn't been taken in my garden ('The Flame Rider', captured in the Maggia Valley: www.flickr.com/photos/191055893@N07/53563448847/in/datepo... ) - which makes the image above the second time I've "strayed from the path" (although not very far, since the photo was taken only approximately 500 meters from my house).
Overall, I'll stick to my "only-garden rule", but every once in a while I'll show you a little bit of the landscape around my village, because I think it will give you a better sense of just how fascinating this region is, and also of its history.
The title I chose for the photo may seem cheesy, and it's certainly not very original, but I couldn't think of another one, because it's an honest reflection of what I felt when I took it: a profound sense of peace - although if you make it to the end of this text you'll realize my relationship with that word is a bit more complicated.
I got up early that day; it was a beautiful spring morning, and there was still a bit of mist in the valley below my village which I hoped would make for a few nice mood shots, so I quickly grabbed my camera and went down there before the rising sun could dissolve the magical layer on the scenery.
Most human activity hadn't started yet, and I was engulfed in the sounds of the forest as I was walking the narrow trail along the horse pasture; it seemed every little creature around me wanted to make its presence known to potential mates (or rivals) in a myriad of sounds and voices and noises (in case you're interested, here's a taste of what I usually wake up to in spring, but you best use headphones: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfoCTqdAVCE )
Strolling through such an idyllic landscape next to grazing horses and surrounded by birdsong and beautiful trees, I guess it's kind of obvious one would feel the way I described above and choose the title I did, but as I looked at the old stone buildings - the cattle shelter you can see in the foreground and the stable further up ahead on the right - I also realized how fortunate I was.
It's hard to imagine now, because Switzerland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world today, but the men and women who had carried these stones and constructed the walls of these buildings were among the poorest in Europe. The hardships the people in some of the remote and little developed valleys in Ticino endured only a few generations ago are unimaginable to most folks living in my country today.
It wasn't uncommon that people had to sell their own kids as child slaves - the girls had to work in factories or in rice fields, the boys as "living chimney brushes" in northern Italy - just because there wasn't enough food to support the whole family through the harsh Ticino winters.
If you wonder why contemporary Swiss historians speak of "slaves" as opposed to child laborers, it's because that's what many of them actually were: auctioned off for a negotiable prize at the local market, once sold, these kids were not payed and in many cases not even fed by their masters (they had to beg for food in the streets or steal it).
Translated from German Wikipedia: ...The Piazza grande in Locarno, where the Locarno Film Festival is held today, was one of the places where orphans, foundlings and children from poor families were auctioned off. The boys were sold as chimney sweeps, the girls ended up in the textile industry, in tobacco processing in Brissago or in the rice fields of Novara, which was also extremely hard work: the girls had to stand bent over in the water for twelve to fourteen hours in all weathers. The last verse of the Italian folk song 'Amore mio non piangere' reads: “Mamma, papà, non piangere, se sono consumata, è stata la risaia che mi ha rovinata” (Mom, dad, don't cry when I'm used up, it was the rice field that destroyed me.)... de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaminfegerkinder
The conditions for the chimney sweeps - usually boys between the age of 8 and 12 (or younger, because they had to be small enough to be able to crawl into the chimneys) - were so catastrophic that many of them didn't survive; they died of starvation, cold or soot in their lungs - as well as of work-related accidents like breaking their necks when they fell, or suffocatig if they got stuck in inside a chimney. This practice of "child slavery" went on as late as the 1950s (there's a very short article in English on the topic here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spazzacamini and a more in depth account for German speakers in this brief clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gda8vZp_zsc ).
Now I don't know if the people who built the old stone houses along my path had to sell any of their kids, but looking at the remnants of their (not so distant) era I felt an immense sense of gratitude that I was born at a time of prosperity - and peace - in my region, my country and my home. Because none of it was my doing: it was simple luck that decided when and where I came into this world.
It also made me think of my own family. Both of my grandparents on my father's side grew up in Ticino (they were both born in 1900), but while they eventually left Switzerland's poorest region to live in its richest, the Kanton of Zurich, my grandfather's parents relocated to northern Italy in the 1920s and unfortunately were still there when WWII broke out.
They lost everything during the war, and it was their youngest daughter - whom I only knew as "Zia" which means "aunt" in Italian - who earned a little money to support herself and my great-grandparents by giving piano lessons to high-ranking Nazi officers and their kids (this was towards the end of the war when German forces had occupied Italy).
I never knew that about her; Zia only very rarely spoke of the war, but one time when I visited her when she was already over a 100 years old (she died at close to 104), I asked her how they had managed to survive, and she told me that she went to the local prefecture nearly every day to teach piano. "And on the way there would be the dangling ones" she said, with a shudder.
I didn't get what she meant, so she explained. Visiting the city center where the high ranking military resided meant she had to walk underneath the executed men and women who were hanging from the lantern posts along the road (these executions - often of civilians - were the Germans' retaliations for attacks by the Italian partisans).
I never forgot her words - nor could I shake the look on her face as she re-lived this memory. And I still can't grasp it; my house in Ticino is only 60 meters from the Italian border, and the idea that there was a brutal war going on three houses down the road from where I live now in Zia's lifetime strikes me as completely surreal.
So, back to my title for the photo above. "Peace". It's such a simple, short word, isn't it? And we use it - or its cousin "peaceful" - quite often when we mean nice and quiet or stress-free. But if I'm honest I don't think I know what it means. My grandaunt Zia did, but I can't know. And I honestly hope I never will.
I'm sorry I led you down such a dark road; I usually intend to make people smile with the anecdotes that go with my photos, but this one demanded a different approach (I guess with this latest image I've strayed from the path in more than one sense, and I hope you'll forgive me).
Ticino today is the region with the second highest average life expectancy in Europe (85.2 years), and "The Human Development Index" of 0.961 in 2021 was one of the highest found anywhere in the world, and northern Italy isn't far behind. But my neighbors, many of whom are now in their 90s, remember well it wasn't always so.
That a region so poor it must have felt like purgatory to many of its inhabitants could turn into something as close to paradise on Earth as I can imagine in a person's lifetime should make us all very hopeful. But, and this is the sad part, it also works the other way 'round. And I believe we'd do well to remember that, too.
To all of you - with my usual tardiness but from the bottom of my heart - a happy, healthy, hopeful 2025 and beyond.
Dining at the Pyrofani Fish Taverna in Skiathos we couldn't decide what to have, so went for the mixed fish. Sea Bream, Mussels, squid & Sardines, what's not to like!!
It cannot be said often enough: do not eat yellow snow!
I took this photo at Mita Beach Ice, where I can go ice skating, drink mulled wine, and fool around during the winter months :)
My outfit is new. I found it at “V8 Underground” and it's called “Galdina X Christmas Style.”
Here is the link to Mita Beach Ice and the outfit:
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Maamagili%20Island/181/153...
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Valentine%20Heart%20Island...
A revisit to 2 of the themes this year, Candy and Foil. This Cadbury Hero chocolate mini Crunchie displayed among the foil in which it was wrapped.
This huge mushroom, some kind of Bolete I believe, was growing beneath a shrub. The cap is a foot across, I know this because I measured it with my foot!
After performing colourful rail topics ( flic.kr/p/2pDz1CE ), it is time for a never colourful flowershot of a bred tulip. To highlight its lovely patterns and harmonizing colours in high resolution in the poorly lit environment, the capabilities of the robust Tamron tele lens were required.
Nikon D5300 + Tamron SP 70-300mm Di VC USD
ISO-400; 1/400sec; F-stop f/7.1; EV:+0.3; 390mm (260mm)
After a few days of sub zero temperatures cause these hoar frost ice crystals to grow really long. Their structure as they slowly grow is so intricate and shows the beauty of nature even in the depths of winter.
It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hellscape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, a chicken soup. They help us remember that even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.
-Poe, Altered Carbon-
Keep the faith and stay safe! 😷
These large Tomte's (the largest stands at 18" tall) are Niqui's latest crafting creations. Traditional in Scandanavian folklore, I've always loved Tomte's and these are wonderful (in my humble opinion).
The detailing on the hat is all hand embroidered and the body is needle felted as is the little Christmas tree on the smaller one's hat.
this is my sisters dog tag(from the navy) infront of our christmas tree. her coming back was my christmas present this year!
i was trying to make a meaningful picture.. idk
also for the daily topic- a mystical figure
For the saturday challenge which is as follows
The topic for this week's challenge is to compose your image in a square format. You can use any subject and any processing technique as long as your image has been cropped square.
I always thought that the point of focus should be centred for a square cut, but the tutorials said different !!
These primroses were growing beside a grave in the Churchyard at Sheperdswell in Kent, and they do benefit from square cropping.
MY THANKS TO ALL WHO VISIT AND COMMENT IT IS APPRECIATED.
Getting nearer Troulos now but this old gate caught our attention as the skies slowly darken with the approaching storm.
Our West Highland White Terrier, born 23 August 2024, growing fast.
125 pictures in 2025/12 Centred
11/365
7/100x 2025 theme Challenge topics
Buildings- Topic of Monday, July 27, 2020- Daily topics
La plaza toma su nombre de la majestuosa y hermosa basílica de S. Giovanni in Laterano ubicada en la plaza de Porta S. Giovanni . Algunas excavaciones realizadas debajo de la basílica entre 1934 y 1938 identificaron los restos de un gran edificio de la época julio-claudiana, completamente reconstruido en el siglo II. Bajo Septimio Severo, las paredes de esta casa fueron cortadas a media altura y sobre ellas se construyó el nuevo cuartel de los " Equites Singulares".", la guardia de caballos del emperador. El área y la basílica deben su nombre a la familia de Letrán rica y noble que tenía sus propiedades aquí, luego confiscada, a principios del siglo IV, por el emperador Constantino, quien Se estableció con su esposa Fausta después de la victoria sobre Majencio. En 313 el Papa Milcíades (311-314) convocó un sínodo dirigido a la organización de la iglesia romana tras el reconocimiento del cristianismo de Constantino: la reunión tuvo lugar en una " domus ecclesiae " en interior de la casa de la emperatriz Fausta y por lo tanto llamada " domus Faustae". En el mismo año, el Papa Miltiades se instaló en el palacio imperial junto con su Curia y en la práctica fue la primera residencia solemne del Obispo de Roma, destinada a convertirse en la sede de los pontífices romanos, o el Patriarcado, durante toda la Edad Media.
en 1735 la fachada de la basílica fue construida por Alessandro Galilei, encargada por el papa Clemente XII (1730-1740), con dos órdenes y cinco arcos, marcados por pilastras y medias columnas. Entre las dos órdenes, una inscripción recuerda que la basílica de Letrán es la "Madre y Cabeza de todas las iglesias de Roma y del mundo", mientras que una segunda inscripción, colocada en el entablamento, recuerda los trabajos realizados por Clemente XII.
El tímpano, con la antigua imagen de Cristo en su interior, concluye la fachada, coronada por una balaustrada con las 15 gigantescas estatuas de Cristo, de los santos Giovanni Battista y S. Giovanni Evangelista y de los apóstoles .
TRACES OF TIME is the topic for 23th - 29th March 2024, Group Our Daily Challenge
The Roman Tower is a Roman watchtower that was part of the ancient city wall in Cologne's old town north.
Built around 50 AD, the Roman tower is around 5.50 meters high. His elaborate natural stone mosaics probably date from the 3rd century. The tower was part of the almost four kilometer long city wall that enclosed the Roman colony Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (CCAA).
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Der Römerturm ist ein römischer Wachturm, der Teil der antiken Stadtmauer in der Kölner Altstadt-Nord war.
Erbaut um 50 n. Chr., ist der Römerturm etwa 5,50 Meter hoch. Seine aufwendigen Natursteinmosaike stammen wahrscheinlich aus dem 3. Jahrhundert. Der Turm war Teil der fast vier Kilometer langen Stadtmauer, die die römische Kolonie Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (CCAA) umschloss
IN THE MORNING AROUND MY HOUSE is the topic for Saturday, November 14, 2020, Group Our Daily Challenge
As we descend, we pass the Ptarmigan Restaurant, which is the highest in the UK, situated as it is on the upper slops the Cairn Gorm Mountain, among the ski runs of the area. The funicular railway to used to run from the base station but this has fallen into bad repair over recent times and is currently closed which is a shame as the restaurant wasn't open for a refreshing cuppa. So on we go and continue our descent from the mountains.
Cairn Gorm, the mountain from which the Cairngorm mountain range gets its name, stands at 1245 meters (4085 feet) and is my 4th Munro of the season, my 27th in total. The hike (no bike this time) sees me covering a circuit of just over 7 miles and making an elevation gain of around 762 meters (2500 feet).
A road junction on the way to the Panagia Iconistria Monastery is festooned with signs. Fortunately we're walking so have time to take them all in!!
In the old abandoned tunnels of Moorgate station this staircase leads down to the lower levels, which hold their own mystery.
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After all that climbing of Beinn Mheadhoin, it's time to partake of lunch with this amazing view across the Glen of Cairn Gorm, the mountain that gives the entire Cairngorm range its name. With very little wind, it's a marvelous place to spend some time and get ones breath back.
Beinn Mheadhoin (pronounced Bane Vee-arrn) meaning 'The Middle Hill' stands at 1182 meters (3878 feet) and is my 14th Munro. The summit plateau is strewn with some spectacular granite rocky tors and lies at the remote heart of the Cairngorms. The cycle in up Glen Derry was 6.7 miles, with a further 3.7 hike to reach the summit. With the return, the days sees me covering 21 miles Bike & Hike.
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Find me uncensored on:
Follow Me on Medium For articles on various topics:
Writing a book here: open.spotify.com/show/3mMrq70ofFvPputOjQIiGU?si=kwclM6f8Q...
www.google.com/search?q=brecht+corbeel
Free images:
Follow me on:
www.instagram.com/brechtcorbeel/
www.artstation.com/brechtcorbeel
www.flickr.com/photos/brechtcorbeel/
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#visionary #illustration #2danimation #digitalpainting #conceptart #characterdesign #visualdevelopment #conceptdesign #characterartist #photoshop #environmentdesign #story #storytelling #movie #gaming #industry #Photo #Photography #work #talk #3d #cg #blender #brechtcorbeel #psyberspace #psyberverse #Xrystal #Aescermonium #rapthraeXeum #Xomplex #Xaethreal #Xrapthreum #AESTHETIOPIUM