nesting. and collecting

this little bird nest fell from our date palm tree the other day. luckily it was no longer in use. it always amazes me how ingeniously simple and yet complex bird nests are. it looked so empty, so i filled it. i guess i am still bringing beauty home .

so come on and dance with me

i cannot figure out whether i like this video by girls. the song itself, hellhole ratrace, is so so good. i'm completely hooked (yes, i know, it's not exactly new, but new to me ). i am right now working myself through some of their other tracks. but this video... sweet, tragic, cool, sad were words that all crossed my mind as i watched and listened. and i'm still not sure. maybe all at once. but i like it.

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bonus info: girls is a duo consisting of christopher owens and chet ’jr’ white. they met as christoffer owens was living the streets after he fled the californian cult children of god at the age of 16 (known because they supposedly encouraged sex between children and adults). at some point he met white, a music producer, and girls came to be. this little piece of bonus info is not just to feed my inner sensationalist, but it just makes this peculiar mix of young tragedy and innocent happiness, that are mixed up so strangely here, even stronger. i would love to hear what you think...

ida's eye

ida is an amazing photographer. her photos have this dreamy flair to them, like old, faded memories, with a touch of mystery. first i admired her eye for the little things, light and colors in her regular blog posts, but then she introduced yashica thursday. and i have been hooked ever since. i love how she sees things. so i was thrilled when she recently announced that she had opened a shop. and so, i ordered a few. i even told myself it had a greater purpose. that it would be a perfect way to encourage myself to write good old handwritten cards to friends and family (which is one of my goals for the new year. the jewish new year, that is, which begins so perfectly as fall sets in).

last week i received my little package from ida. it was one if these hectic days, so i only sneak peaked into it, and then put it aside until i would have that special moment where i could fully enjoy the ever important moment of unwrapping. and when that moment arrived i had all the time in the world to admire the yellow ribbon, the gray wrapping paper, the little camera print. and of course, the postcards.

i had ordered three of my favorites, withered chamomile, pretty in pink and walking girl. but more than that, there were two extra postcards. not listed in the shop. very exclusive :)

the postcards are still here with me. not one has left the building so far. i am not sure my theory of a gentle, beautiful push towards handwritten cards to family and friends, is working, because i cannot really part from them. not yet at least. i even decided to take one for me already. i needed something really pretty to be the first thing to be put on my new boards.


so these feet of a running girl, that have been a favorite for such a long time, are now running on my wall.

bringing beauty home

i have this texas sage bush right outside my door. and i have occasionally brougt a few branches indoor for the last month. they look pretty.

a long while back someone wrote on a blog (and i cannot remember which, sorry), that bringing home flowers, as much as it gave her pleasure, it was also like watching slow death as the beautiful, colorful flowers would fade, wrinkle and ultimately die.

the thought has stayed with me. that it is somehow selfish and cruel to cut them and take them home, just for my own pleasure. but i still do it.

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i am a collector of beautiful objects found in nature. shells, stones, bird nests, seeds, pieces of wood, branches, leaves... you name it, and it probably made its way to my home or garden. some things i keep, put on display or turn into little pieces of art. like mobiles or collages. others i just bring home, place somewhere in the garden to look at for a while, and let nature or coincidence decide what to do.

this beautiful post by janis, and the comments that followed, made me think about this urge to bring the beauty home, to make it mine. i don't think i will stop collecting, but i might be more careful in the future. the flowers, though, will still make their way to my living room table. they look pretty.

the zoo in the zoo

we went to the zoo in copenhagen. it's a sure winner, the kids love it. this was in the beginning of the vacation, though, and they were all recovering from or just about to get sick. N was with a cold, J would get a high fever that same evening (and begin antibiotics. again). and little D woke up the next day with a serious cold.

those of you who read my blog back in july will maybe remember that we had an awful month of sickness, throat infections and antibiotics. it was really one of those month that you think back and wish you won't have to try again. and it continued into our vacation in denmark. J ended up with three (3!) rounds of antibiotics within two months! not sure if i ever told you, but the whole disaster was because of mononucleosis. and this mono thing... it's a real pain in the ass. he's immune system was really bad. anyone with a bug would just have to look at him and bam! 2 minutes later he'd have a full blown throat infection. he's been ok for more than a month now, so we hope it has passed. the doctors told us he could be weak and tired and easily get sick up to 2-4 month after a mono infection.

anyway, back to the zoo. i love the tropical house with giant butterflies flying freely around. the penguins are so sweet too. and then, last photo, me and the boys. they look calm and quiet, right? but don't be fooled. i think i would like to call this afternoon trip 'the zoo in the zoo' (whereas my life in general is just 'the zoo')

furr

i think i love everything about this video. and i mean everything. the music, the words, the drawings (oh, those animal drawings...), the storytelling, the photos, the colors, the collage art clipping, the low-budget creativity.... everything!

via lizzie of the inspiring and beautiful, the lulu bird.

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thank you so much for your beautiful comments to my white corner view. they made me happy.

wishing you a very happy weekend!

yom kippur

this sunday evening through monday we had our first yom kippur in the countryside. and to be honest it was not as special as it is in tel aviv. (yeah, those photos are not our village, but from last year's yom kippur in tel aviv).

if you are not familiar with yom kippur you might wonder how this specific holiday is different from other days, but trust me, it's different. not just because it is the most important jewish holiday, the one holiday that is observed by so many secular jews, who otherwise never really pay much attention to religious laws. it is also special because of the sanctity it holds in the israeli community, even among those who do not keep the fast. which is basically what yom kippur is all about: a day of atonement through 25 hours of fast, from sunset to sunset, no food, no water, no nothing.

rosh hashana, the jewish new year, falls 10 days prior to yom kippur. according to jewish religious tradition, god decides your fate for the coming year on new year's day based on your actions in the year that just passed. but the "deal" is not signed before yom kippur sets in, so you have 10 days to get a better score, so to speak. did you do wrong towards god? if yes, then you better be remorseful. and mean it, cause he'll know if you're cheating. did you wrong anyone? family, friends, strangers? now is the time to ask for forgiveness. which means there's a lot of making up, explaining and forgiving going on in these 10 days. also by secular jews. it's just the time, it's in the air.

as yom kippur sets in, it's done. your fate for the coming year has been signed. alas, the way to wish people a "happy" yom kippur is to say chatima tova, meaning something like 'good signature', as in 'hopefully you managed to get yourself a good deal for the coming year'.

funny enough the deal is settled before yom kippur. maybe because this is the day where you really should mean it, think about how to become a better person and live a better life. so a religious person will spend the day fasting, praying and exactly that.

if you're not religious, this is a day to see your city and your community from another angle. the experience in tel aviv is amazing. seriously no one is driving. nothing is open, even the television channels are black. kids on their first bike rides, teenagers on skateboards, young couples walking hands in hand and groups of friends and families take over the streets. the city becomes full with laughter, voices, talking. no cars, no music, no television, no radio to blur the sound of real people.

these photos are from yom kippur last year while we still lived in the center of the center of tel aviv. we're walking on ben yehuda street, one of the most packed streets in tel aviv. we lived not far and usually the kids were held in hands and often told to 'get back', 'come here', 'stop' or 'watch out'. but not this day. this day the street was their. and as you see it got to them, the feeling. in fact they had to lie down and feel it. they were taken with a mobile and the focus was on the kids, not so much the yom kippur experience itself. if you want to get more of a feel, check out this photo or this one. many people make this a day of adventure, making bike trips on the high ways, between cities. imagine that: turning into the highway on your bike. no cars, just other bikers and quiet. stunning!

and for those secular jews who actually don't do much thinking, but anyway try to keep the fast, because that might be the one thing that they feel define them as jews, as cultural jews, they either sleep as much as possible to make it pass easier. or they read. or watch movies. some cut down the fast to only the day, some decide that they can drink water. they find a way for it to make sense for them.

if you're curious by now: nope, i don't. at first i thought i should try, living here in this culture, but things like pregnancy and breastfeeding always seemed to come in the way. and, to be honest, i have never been much of a religious person, so it kind of feels weird to me with all this "form" around the spiritual content. or maybe i'm just not that into it, you know, the not eating and drinking for 25 hours.

that said, i absolutely respect the day, and even love the feel and atmosphere. it rubs off. i would never eat or drink in public. or drive, obviously. and i share that with all the others that are not observing. it really is a holy day. for all jews, but here in israel you feel it, you see it as your ordinary world is transformed into something so different, so unique and beautiful, simply because it is quiet and calm.