Love comes in all shapes and sizes 
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day
Reading Seneca’s Letters to Lucilius
I’ve started reading Seneca’s Letters to Lucilius, the complete collection translated by Richard M. Gummere; the dog-eared paperback edition I had read and re-read earlier was only a selection of forty letters out of the 124 he wrote.
Seneca has always fascinated me (and many others), writing so eloquently about how to live a good life, only concerned with your character, etc. – only to live his life quite differently. Many brand him a hypocrite, but I think he was merely human, struggling like all of us. I think he tried. Behind the scenes, he managed the empire during the first years of Nero‘s reign, an uninterested Nero happily leaving him to it, and he did a pretty good job together with Burrus. One wonders how things would have gone with him as a ruler. Would he have become a philosopher emperor or given in to his less, shall I say, flattering sides? We’ll never know.
It’s hard to imagine the insecurity of life at court, especially at Nero’s. Assassinations, even of close family members (Nero had his mother put to death, for example, and he’s also suspected of murdering his wife), executions or orders for suicide, and exile were an everyday business. Seneca could see Nero sinking into madness a little more every day, fearing he’d be next. He was almost ordered to commit suicide by Caligula and escaped it only because Caligula thought he was dying (of tuberculosis); later, he also spent eight years in exile in Corsica under Claudius. Maybe he thought power and riches would protect him from the whims of the capricious rulers. But those would only threaten or become the envy of an emperor.
He was forced to retire eventually, and curiously enough, Nero let him go after refusing him twice before. He left his riches to Nero, retired to the country, read philosophy, and wrote these letters, among other works. Unfortunately, it didn’t save him in the end. Accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate Nero, he was forced to take his own life.
The Letters may be his attempt to be stoic about his fate (pun intended). He had no riches or power anymore, but a Stoic wouldn’t need them. Or maybe the distance from the court provided the perspective he needed. It certainly made it easier for him to live a little closer to his Stoic ideals.
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Favorite Photos: January 2023
Since I was in Australia, my favorite photos are all from Australia this month. Starting with this mother-and-daughter pair of Kangaroo Island kangaroos.
The KI kangaroo is a sub-species of the Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus). They’re pretty different from the Western Grey kangaroos because of the long period of isolation from mainland Australia. They’re shorter and darker and much cuter if you ask me!
A closer look at the daughter. Isn’t she cute?
We’re in Australia, so there should be a koala, too. They are cute and fluffy, but wait until they hear what they sound like. Go ahead, search for koala sounds on YouTube!
Kangaroo Island kangaroo male (Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus). This one was quite tall and showed plenty of muscle, so I kept my distance 😉.
A portrait of the mother kangaroo from the first photo. They are way cuter than regular kangaroos, don’t they, these Kangaroo Island kangaroos?
So cute that I have hundreds, if not thousands, of photos featuring KI kangaroos: resting, watching, playing, nursing, jumping … I have to keep myself in check to only publish a few!
I hope you enjoyed these photos, and no worries, there will be more fluffy koalas and cute kangaroos featured here soon!
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Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day!
January 21st is Squirrel Appreciation Day – Celebrate it by learning more about squirrels and putting out some nuts for them (and maybe not only today 😉).
Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day!
Bonus: NASA engineer designed a squirrel-proof birdfeeder. Or so he thought.
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My 2022 Favorite Photos
As 2022 draws to an end, it’s only natural to review the past year. Let’s have a look then, shall we?
This couple of emerald damselflies is one of my absolute favorite photos because it was so challenging. They kept flying around, not settling anywhere, and I had almost given up hope when they landed on that flower. However, I kept my eyes on it as its stem and the tip of the flowers were purple; I knew they’d loan a pleasing color to the scene and match the background nicely.
An African daisy shot with my new macro lens. As much as I cherished my old one, I love this lens!
2022 hasn’t been a good swan year, at least not for me. Almost every time I set out to photograph swans, I couldn’t find any. I photographed this mute swan cygnet almost by accident. I was out in the woods, looking for squirrels, and passing by the beach when I saw the swan family swimming lazily around and cleaning their feathers.
I just love photographing cherry tree blossoms in the spring. It doesn’t feel like spring if I don’t! Not a masterpiece by any means, but I love the light and the spring feeling it evokes every time I look at it.
Obviously, I love pink.
I also love squirrels. So much that it’s a wonder that this post only contains ONE squirrel photo.
Wait, what! Only one squirrel photo? No, no, no! This has to be remediated immediately! Here you go! Cheers and Happy New Year!
OK, this won’t win any wildlife photography contest, but I love it! I had so much fun processing this! I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to fit the champagne glass between the claws perfectly.
This said, I wish you a very, very Happy New Year! Gott Nytt År as we say in Swedish.
Happy New Year 2023!
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
Benjamin Franklin
I wish you a very, very Happy New Year! May 2023 bring you and yours much joy and happiness!
Merry Christmas!
The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it always is young, the heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair, and its soul full of music breaks the air, when the song of angels is sung.
Phillips Brooks
Ho Ho Ho! I hope you’ve been good this year. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful day with family and friends!
Psssst! Do you like this card I made? There are more on my freebies page for various occasions. Feel free to look around and download FREE photos, greeting cards, and posters.
Did I mention this stuff is FREE? And it’s always being added to. Come back later for new stuff!
And if you liked what you found here, share it on your preferred social network or forward it to a friend.
Christmas Sale: All Prints Are 50% Off
Looking for a Christmas gift or just a present for you or someone you love? Photo prints make lovely gifts; right now, all my prints are 50% off in my online shop from December 15th to 30th.
Click here to go to my online store. Shop early and save 50%!
What Photography Is All About
Sometimes things happen the way you hope they’d happen 😉 Teddy shows up after only a few minutes of wait; he strikes a lovely pose where I want him to, and it even starts to snow! It doesn’t happen very often, but it is a pleasant change when it does.
Photography is preparation AND a little bit of luck, isn’t it?
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Happy First Advent!
Happy First Advent!
I’m so looking forward to Christmas, decorating the house and the Christmas tree, then sitting back by the fire and just enjoying this magical time of the year.
What about you, do you celebrate Christmas? If you do, are you going all in (as I do 😉) or are you a bit more laid back about the whole thing?
Pssst! Do you like this video I made? It’s available as a greeting card on my freebies page. Feel free to look around and download FREE photos, greeting cards, and posters.
Did I mention this stuff is FREE? And it’s always being added to. Come back later for new stuff!
And if you liked what you found here, share it on your preferred social network or forward it to a friend.
