Emil in Skansen

Skansen, the world's oldest open-air museum showing the rural life of the different parts of Sweden, had a great program for kids on the weekend ending 25 May 2014. Emil i Skansen!

There was no lack of the characters from the Astrid Lindgren's novels.

A very patient horse, and so nice to kids!

These two ladies look as if they have just come from the book.

There were home-made Emils...

And even home-made Zlatans! Well, to be fair Sweden loves both Zlatan and Emil, so that is justified.

Emil is an active boy full of curiosity and childish games. Means a lot of it should be present on his day! So what was offered?

What about to paint the faces?

Angry? Break some dishes!

Walk like Emil!

How far can you jump in this?

 Hay fun for the whole family.

 Oh, and this is my favourite. These two young ladies seem to feel comfortable surrounded by hay.

And even a tot can find what to do!

The little train.

 Signs of Emil are everywhere. Here is his hat forgotten on some equipment.

Emil could be seen everywhere, even in the remote spots of Skansen.

Persistency

Persistency

The Best Christmas Gift Ever

Just after I have started posting on the regular path, the big distraction came, but what an excuse! After successful negotiations with his loving dad not to wait too long, he came to say hi to the world on the Boxing Day eve, all cute, determined, awaited, and stole our hearts immediately.

What better gift for the New Year can one ever dream of?

Camera: Canon 6D, Lens: Canon 50mm f1.8 L

Outdoor photoshoot with Alexandra ‹ Fotoble

A few photos from a great outdoor photoshoot with cute little Alexandra. Great job, Alexandra and Markus!

Outdoor photoshoot with Alexandra ‹ Fotoble

Little Natalie

A few shots from a friendly visit to Alain and Dania. Baby Natalie is only two months old here. But so charming!

It's so nice to sleep a lot when you are so little...

Especially when your big brother loves you so much!

Back to 2012

As the New 2013 Year is quickly approaching, it may be nice to look back at some moments left in the year 2012. Somewhere in the second middle of 2012 I have started this blog. Not that much of experience yet and not really promoting, only shared with my family and friends. But even to make this possible, greatest thank you to someone who made one of the best Birthday gifts ever, my lovely Canon, and who inspired me for everything created, and is inspiring even more ;)

A lot of good material is still not added, as so much to learn yet, and swept-out me is still trying to battle with some oceanic size waves of the photo material. Nevertheless, was so nice to discover that it is a hard job to choose twelve posts of the leaving year.

The blog start has happened just before the Olympic 2012 started in London. So, obviously being in Olympic London was a good opportunity to share the spirit of the world's most awaited  sport competition. I was lucky enough to have the Olympic Torch Relay passing by my offices before the Games.

And the Team GB full of medals parading on 21 floats afterwards.

   

Both the Olympics and Paralympics were not missed either. Not only I followed the Paralympics tightly and even tried myself in the sport journalism with conducting the interviews with Paralympic athletes and coaches, but also was cheering for the athletes at the Olympic events such as thriathlon, cycling, female football, foil fencing finalle:

and archery. Here, btw, the only one qualified Iraqi (and female!) athlete of the Games 2012, Al-Mashhadani Rand  as participated. And despite the results was maybe the most cheered and warmly supported athlete of the Games by the visitors:

My personal warmest memories were filled with some really sweet people (is that is why the country called Sweden?) including one little but incredibly cute, smart and independent creature...

If not the Battle of Hastings of 1066 and dedicated to it scenes from the Saxon rural life of those times, I would not know how many people like history and reading... If not the love to the cute babies in general and Alexandra in particular, this article would be the most read for the entire time of my blog.

Another thing mastered in the past year was the night photography. I even entered some dodgy photocompetition with a bit crazy London Eye. With more lights, less light, shining in blue, white, red and yellow, now, I love the nights in my camera!

It was also fun to have a different experience of the urban photography.

What is good about London - there is always something on, and often in your area and unexpected, like ice-cream festival at King's Cross St. Pancras, or a Christmas Market in Jamie's Oliver restaurant Fifteen. The most surprise for me was probably the feather snow just at the end of Paralympic: never before have I seen so many adults with absolutely marvellous childish happiness!

After several years living in London, I finally managed going to musicals. The unforgettable experience has started with brilliant Chicago. Well done was the timing - it appeared to be the last day of the performance of 25 years of the Chicago on London stage.

The second part of the 2012 was also the the good time to travel around England. Never before have I seen so much of English countryside. There are collections of English beauty on the way but one of the interesting events attended and published was the Fish Festival held on the last summer day in the small Cornwall fishing village Newlyn.

Sometimes while travelling I saw really funny things:

And I hope to find even more, and to share them... as I see them through my lens ;)

Happy New Year to my friends!

Christmas Lights vs. Corn Cob

Someone is really fascinated about the lights...

But not less does she love the corn straight from the cob. Oh, c'mon, everyone can make it with just a couple of teeth!

So, what to choose then? Well, not a dilemma for Alexandra! Why not to have both at a time?

You don't mind, ma?

Liten. Part 1. London

In a very ordinary apartment building, on a very ordinary street in Stockholm lives an un-ordinary girl named Alexandra with everyone calling her Liten. Well, Liten she is! Cute and smart with not less smart mom, Alexandra uses her time in the very right way and travels around the world as much as she can fly for baby's price: no price for baby but extra luggage and extra exercises for mom!

Last summer Alexandra has travelled to London for her first birthday. She brought back to Stockholm some true English experience, and enriched her 5-word Swedish with English 'bye-bye!' To start in an old-fashioned way, she attended her first afternoon tea ceremony.

Liten is a well independent person with a strong will to do everything herself. So she does. Do you doubt?

As a must for the properly curios girl there is the National History Museum. After checking the radioactivity level and testing the earthquakes - to investigate the shark fangs. Not scary at all!

Apparently, they have brought some fresh nice sand to one of the Thames banks. Need to check that!

It is so interesting to be the little Liten in this big World! Especially when you are confident that mom is near.

Vad är det?

Alexandra is a happy and curious girl. She wants to see everything and to do everything. Hence she moves a lot. To say better, there is almost no moment when she doesn't move. So, the vast majority of her photos look exactly this way:

But sometimes she can stop and give you some philosophical look...

Alexandra likes to supervise her papa playing and to review some magazines meanwhile.

It is so easy to make friends when you are little. Everyone loves you!

Alexandra is very grown up now - almost 1.5 times. That is 50% more. And now she is paying her Christmas visit to London - there is so much yet to see!