Fail in an instant, no man did

Poisonberry

Rowan

In 2014 I have published 535 postings here; in 2013 there were 537 postings. I'm not sure whether any of them are worthwhile in retrospect, but at least I have had a place where to go through the photographs taken during each year.

Even though the act of taking a photograph is for me the most important thing - the act of seeing - there is also something rewarding in going through the photographs, thinking about them, learning from them.

These photographs were taken on December 24th.

(Posting title is from the poem Crumbling is not an instant's Act by Emily Dickinson.)

What’s unseen may not exist

Ditch 1

Ditch 2

Ditch 3

Last night was probably the worst since I got sick with the flu, all kinds of pains, fever, coughing, runny nose, etc. But perhaps this was the worst and now it will be getting better.

These photographs were taken on December 24th, walking in the nearby forests.

(Posting title is from the poem Nightwatchman's Song by W. D. Snodgrass.)

We all behold with envious eyes

Ducks 1

Ducks 2

Ducks 3

Ducks 4

These photographs were taken on December 22nd, during snowfall. Today we have so far got about 5 cm of new snow, and the temperature has risen to +1 °C. Some rain is promised, and tomorrow the temperature will be at +3 °C, so it will be quite wet outside. Flu is such a bother, it would be great to go out and take photographs in the snowy landscape as long it lasts.

(Posting title is from the poem Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift, D.S.P.D. by Jonathan Swift.)

They melt

Snow 1

Snow 2

Snow 3

Yesterday morning the temperature was -17 °C, today it is -1 °C. We are getting some more snow, but for the next night the forecast promises rain, which means that some or most of the snow will be melting away.

These photographs were taken on December 22nd, when we got some snow.

(Posting title is from the poem The Months by Linda Pastan.)

He always got the pieces back in place

Dark 1

Dark 2

Dark 3

Today was a quiet day, as I didn't have stamina for anything more strenuous. But I have been reading a lot of books, two dozen on them during the last week. And there is plenty of reading to be done until the flu lets go.

The photographs were taken in Luukki on December 21st.

(Posting title is from the poem Elegy by Anne Stevenson.)

I was of three minds

Lake 1

Lake 2

Lake 3

These photographs were taken after sunset in Luukki on December 21st. Luckily I have a lot of photographs waiting for postings, as for several days I haven't been able to take any. Last night was especially bad with the flu, I couldn't sleep because of various aches and coughing.

(Posting title is from the poem Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens.)

The fringe of the curtain

Lake 1

Lake 2

On December 21st I walked with my daughter in Luukki, around lake Hauklampi. There was some snow on the ground, and a little bit of ice on the lake.

I have taken it easy today, hoping that the flu would be passing soon. But I'm not feeling any better, quite the opposite.

(Posting title is from the poem Openin’ Night by Shel Silverstein.)

I hold you like a hole holds light

Station 1

Station 2

The flu is bothering a lot, especially the coughing, and the fever. But I guess this will take a couple of days, and then I'll be feeling better once again.

These photographs were taken on December 16th and 17th.

(Posting title is from the poem Station by Maria Hummel.)

A craving too frightening to name, or too tender

Lake

Water

Clouds

Field

I managed to do a little shopping today to fill the fridge, but otherwise I'm not feeling good at all, the flu is bothering more and more. Thus, no walking outside is in the schedule today. But here are photographs taken on December 20th in Meiko, the darkness fits the current mood.

(Posting title is from the poem Breughel by Michael Collier.)

No single parts unequally surprise

Water 1

Water 2

Water 3

Water 4

Water 5

On December 25th I took photographs at a little stream that runs into lake Mustjärvi. The water was dark, and the newly fallen snow was white, and the photographs appear somewhat strange, abstract, but maybe it is just that I haven't got used to the snow yet.

By the way, if you want to check how this stream looks when there is no snow, the last photograph above shows the same part of the stream as the last photograph in the posting from yesterday.

The flu bothers quite a lot, all the children have fever, and I'm not feeling too good. I hope to be able to do some shopping, as there isn't much to eat in the fridge. Not that eating feels especially tempting either.

(Posting title is from the poem An Essay on Criticism: Part 2 by Alexander Pope.)

I wish I knew a way of looking at the world

Snow 1

Snow 2

Snow 3

Snow 4

Snow 5

Snow changes the landscape completely. In the previous posting the photographs were taken at lake Mustjärvi on December 20th, when there was no snow, and the lake was flooded because of the rain. These photographs were taken there on December 25th, after snowfall, when the sun was shining, and quite a change it was.

I'm not feeling too well. The flu has been going around in the family for some time, and it seems that it is now my turn. I did go outside for a little while, but I'm tired, I have a headache, and the throat is sore.

(Posting title is from the poem Falling Water by John Koethe.)

Me no urgings and no theme

Water 1

Water 2

Water 3

Water 4

We are having quite a nice time of snowy winter, and even the sun has been visible. But a week ago it was quite different, there were floods because of the rainy weather, and the sky seemed to be overcast all the time. These photographs were taken at lake Mustjärvi on December 20th.

(Posting title is from the poem Down Stream by Louise Imogen Guiney.)

Somewhere in great nature, hidden

Tränuhals

The Panasonic LX100 has a sweep panorama function, in which you move the camera across the view and the camera takes a succession of photographs and generates a panorama out of the individual frames. Today I tested it out, and at first the results were disappointing, because for some reason the exposure changed in the middle of the series, and thus the resulting photographs were vertically striped.

Then I tried setting the initial exposure in the bright part of the view half-pressing the shutter button, moving the camera to the end of the panorama sequence, and then starting the exposure. This worked much better, and here you see the best of the resulting panoramas. The place is lake Tränuhals, in Meiko, and the view is about 180°.

Nothing to brag about, but reasonably good nevertheless. The size of the photograph is 8176 x 1920 pixels, plenty of details to look in the original file at Flickr.

(Posting title is from the poem Music by Juhan Liiv, translated by H.L. Hix and Jüri Talvet.)

We quiver inside our shocked fur

Lake 1

Lake 2

Lake 3

This morning I walked for over 2 1/2 hours, taking photographs of the snowy landscape until the camera battery run out of power. There was 10-20 cm of snow on the ground, and not yet many tracks, except for some deer that had been active after the snowfall.

These photographs were taken on December 14th in Luukki, at lake Väärälampi.

(Posting title is from the poem I Know, I Remember, But How Can I Help You by Hayden Carruth.)

Only by turning into itself

Snow 1

Snow 2

Snow 3

I got plenty of exercise today, two hours walking in the morning, and 45 minutes shoveling snow in the afternoon. The depth of snow is now 11 12 cm, and a little bit more is promised in the forecast. But I think I got more calories than I consumed today, at least it feels that way.

The photographs were taken this morning while walking.

(Posting title is from the poem Dare by Nate Klug.)

And that you’ve left no footprints, not a single one

Platform

Pier

This morning I walked for two hours, starting before sunrise, not that the sun is visible, as the cloud cover is dense and a little bit of snow is falling.

These photographs were taken in Luukki on December 14th, and they fit the mood.

(Posting title is from the poem Calligraphy Accompanied by the Mood of a Calm but Definitive Sauce by Dick Allen.)

What kinds of things, feelings, or ideas inspire you

Sunset

I didn't manage to go for a walk today during daylight hours. Maybe in the evening, though. This photograph was taken on December 14th in Luukki, using the 16:9 aspect ratio, which I have used very rarely, but here it suits the subject.

(Posting title is from the poem Beautiful Poetry by Camille Guthrie.)