With this Calendar post we begin the six months that were really nothing to brag about. I took less photos than usually. I saw fewer new things. I talked to so few people (in person). I was in the pandemic funk and it started in November.
First, before autumn is done: The most wonderful autumn photo I’ve seen comes from Bonnie Rae at In Search of the Very. She posted it in her lovely post A Way Forward and kindly allowed me to repost it. Click on it and be transported to Bonnie’s post.
So what was there in November last year? One trip to the Orbetello lagoon 15 minutes away where we buy groceries and look at birds – as long as we aren’t closed inside our municipality, which indeed happened later. The repeat of the lovely path across the fields – really pretty but a bit long for my aching feet. I was glad I took my hiking poles. Food. A new book! Bestia. Dying oleander. Did I mention birds?
And this year? The situation in Slovenia is terrible. Almost half of all tests end up positive. Wards are full. Doctors are burnt out. So what do you prefer, nothing or everything horrible at once?
Coincidentally, in my blogging memories there is only one entry for today. Since May 21st this year when I started to look back in this way in my daily blog posts, this has happened only once. There hasn’t been a single day without a single entry through my eight years of blogging yet but it’s coming up later in November.
Oh, another thing: If anybody can recommend an online tool for building my photo calendar (with five photos per month, one big, four smaller), I’m all ears. The end of year is coming.
Here are my twenty photos for last November and, unlike usually, the selection process was easy. But in December it will be even easier. And yet, and still, not bad as Novembers go.
Previous months of my Calendar 2020:
November in previous years:
This day in my blogging history
Beautiful landscapes, Bestia looks so very handsome in that first photo of him, and Nutella with Nigella! You know how to start a weekend, Manja!
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Haha, thanks, Lois. This was last year but now I’m giving myself ideas.
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Your pretty duck is a Eurasian Coot! 😍
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Ahh, great, thank you, Liz! Still waiting for you! 🙂
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The cloud reflections in the canal are gorgeous! The landscapes are beautiful. I was going to say we call that black duck with the white front bill a Coot. They’re very common here and not too skittish. I wish all ducks and birds took lessons from them we’d get more photo ops! 😂
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Thank you, Deborah. Good coots for not running away. 🙂 I was near the Lake Burano just now and saw many birds in the distance but since I still don’t have a zoom lens, I just greeted them and left. 😀
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😍
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Thank you, Manja. I love November. Not only is it gratitude month and full of colorful changes, it’s also my birthday month and this year is the big 6-0. I will celebrate every day. Love the photos !
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Thank you, Bonnie. 🙂 I didn’t know it was gratitude month. And look, another blogger said almost the same thing. It’s her birthday month as well. When your day comes, rock it and roll with it all you can!
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A wonderful month Manja. Birds, Bestia and cake…..what more would one need 🙂
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Quite right, Bushboy. The rest can wait. Thank you.
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Things are always darkest before the dawn, and let’s be honest, how can it be that bad when you have such a beautiful puppy.
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Haha, really, how? Thank you, Not Pam. He is a brightest light.
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😁
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Are the two dark birds on the water loons? And that Nutellla cake looks yummy!
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Thank you, Anne! Two others have confirmed them as Eurasian coots. I don’t know if loon is another word for it. Here, the cake recipe. 😉 https://www.nigella.com/recipes/nutella-cheesecake
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I’m not sure if loons are the same as coots. We have loons here and they look similar but may not be the same birds .Thanks for the link for that cake!
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Ohh, I realise now that I gave you the wrong recipe, sorry. I did try the Nigella one too and it was even better than the one in the picture which was this one: https://www.newidea.com.au/3-ingredient-nutella-fudge-cake Either way, you can’t do wrong. 🙂
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Thanks.
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That looks like a nice walk with Bestia, and a satisfying meal with pasta and dessert. Have a nice weekend Manja!
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Thank you, Natalie! I’m glad for your visit and that you liked the refreshments. 🙂
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The lagoon is beautiful–such blues!
You are vaccinated right? We seem to be getting better here, but other parts of the country with more unvaccinated not so much.
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Thank you, K. I am, but I’m in Italy. Here people are vaccinated more than 70% (and I don’t go anywhere anyway), while in Slovenia it’s about 50%. I know many who are not vaccinated and they are suffering more.
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I hope they will all pull through.
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Also, are you looking to print a calendar or post one? I print mine at collage.com, but I know nothing about posting them. (K)
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I’m not sure yet. I just know that I’d like to have a calendar with my photos, something I never did before. I have made my selection, five photos per month, and now am searching for the best template to do it. Your link looks promising, thanks.
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You’re welcome. I’ve tried other places, but this one is the simplest one for me to use.
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I enjoyed traveling along with you. November is my birthday month, everything November is special to me.
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Thank you, Claudia. When your day comes, knock its socks off. If you have a look through these comments, you’ll notice another one who said practically the same thing. 🙂
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This post was great fun! A real immersion experience into your world from the other side of the world. 🙂 The photos are so rich and detailed. Sorry to hear the covid positive numbers are high. Sometimes it feels like this will never end. Also – I’m not sure what kind of blogging tool (other than what WordPress has) you are looking for, otherwise I’d try to help.
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Thank you, Andrea, I’m glad you spent this time with me. I’m in Italy and here it’s better, but I’m sorry for my people in Slovenia. I know many unvaccinated ones and they suffer the most. I’m not searching for a blogging tool, but rather a template for a calendar which I could equip with my photos. I have never done that, and I know there are many online choices.
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You’re welcome. The unvaccinated are suffering here the most too. Very sad. I’ll let you know if I find out about a calendar template tool.
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I was going to tell you the ducks are coots but someone else got in first! However I can confirm that they AREN’T the same as loons! The coots are really common here, we see them on ponds and lakes in our parks as well as more natural waters.
I’m sorry things are going so badly right now. Here we have a levelling off of cases after a bad spell, but not so awful as yours. There is light at the end of the tunnel, I believe, but we may have to endure more darkness for a little while yet.
Oh, and recipe for the pasta shells dish please! Do you cook them first? Do you add a sauce or just the cheese and prosciutto? Please elaborate 😀
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Thank you, Sarah. I googled both birds and saw the differences. The situation in Slovenia is bad, yes, and I worry for my people, but I’m here in my corner of Italy where nothing can find me. You’re in luck, I have this recipe saved. 😉 I hope you can view this: https://www.facebook.com/ChefclubItalia/videos/1961864167423892/
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Thanks yes, I can view that 🙂 I understood all the Italian apart from the herb, prezzemolo, which I had to look up – parsley 🙂
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Brava! 🙂
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That pizza/cheesy bread looks delicious. What were the buildings that RAF hit? And what type of photo tool do you mean? Like a photo collage maker?
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Thank you, Amanda. It’s pasta, no bread or pizza involved. 🙂 Find the recipe in the comments, if interested. The RAF hit this area quite often in the WW2, not necessarily the houses in the picture. There is a palm shot through in the local botanical garden. Yes, a sort of calendar template where I could add my own photos and then either have it printed or simply share it with whomever wishes to print it out. I have never done anything of the sort.
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I will look for the recipe. Thanks Manja. I used Snapfish and Vistaprint in the past. Not sure if they still offer this kind of thing.
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Thank you!
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I can see the pasta shells now that I have looked at the pic on my large desktop pc screen!
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I love the trick in filling the pasta shells! Fabulous and looks so tasty. I see that Sarah also has her eye on that recipe.
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I remember that the first time amore made it, the pasta remained too hard to be folded this way! He had to fill them by spoon. Best to make it sure you can fold one before you stopped cooking it.
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Good tip
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Another great collection here. I was going to guess coots, so I’m glad that was the right guess. That abandoned factory looks sooooo interesting! Your perspective is what makes all these scenes remarkable. It’s fun to see the world through your eyes.
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Thank you, Crystal. This means a lot, practically the most one could hope for. It makes me happy that you enjoy sharing my views. Be well.
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