Back from Vacation!

We are back from vacation which was long and wonderful. We spent six weeks in a small village in the mountains, far from the city of Tashkent where we normally live, and it was really good for all of us, including the child and the dog.

We were walking for hours, exploring this very special place. It is called Bogiston village; it is very old, dating back to the 6th century, but very small nonetheless. People who live there are all Tajik, not Uzbek, and they speak Farsi (Persian) as a mother tongue. Fortunately for me, they speak Uzbek as well, or I would have difficulties communicating.

This is a very clean place, full of walnut trees, huge rocks, thyme and ice cold water. You can drink from any spring there, the water is delicious and definitely healthier than bottled one. At least I believe it is.

Before we left in the very end of August, the signs of autumn were already visible.

This was a small irrigation ditch, full of the same clear and cold water.



My Malinois Jager looking at the village from the hill.

Water in Uzbekistan is scarce; in the summer you can feel very clearly how special and valuable it is. After walking in the hot and dry mountains for hours, I am always very happy to find a lovely stream to drink from and wash my hands and face.

It is always difficult for me to resume my work after being away for weeks. I am bracing myself though. Took photos of a dozen of items today and will be listing them in my shop in the nearest days. Actually, I have already listed two beautiful vintage Russian shawls that you can see there. Moe to follow. 

Black Cherry is Here!

I am happy to announce that the season for black cherry is officially open! It is sweet and lovely, and when it is served on vintage Uzbek pottery, I like it even more!

On Cherry Blossom and Lost Wanderers

I spent twenty minutes under the Japanese cherry tree today, marvelling at its ethereal beauty. We have only had these trees for ten years or so, I think; they are not native to Uzbekistan. The one I was admiring today grows near the Navoi Opera Theatre which was built by the Japanese prisoners after WWII, and I believe the tree has a symbolic meaning - was planted there for a reason.

I must admit that the topic of Japanese prisoners never was of a great interest to me - you see, our life in USSR was infused by the war, we were eating and drinking war - no, breathing it... every family would have veterans, or someone who was killed, or both; there were all those countless books, films, memorials - what does a handful of prisoners mean compared to this huge array of memories, evidence, emotions? However, when you stand under this tree, next to the theatre build by the prisoners from a faraway country, you have to think about them. I read that there were almost 24 thousands Japanese PoW in Uzbekistan, and that most of them survived - only 817 died and were buried here. Local people are kind, and even in the hungry time after the war they would share food with the foreigners. As one article said, "If civilians treated German prisoners like enemies, the Japanese were looked upon as tired wanderers far from home".

I hope that most of those lost wanderers finally made it home.

No Regrets About Cherry Blossoms

We do not have many sakura trees in Tashkent, but I am fortunate to have one close to my house. Today I spent half an hour under the tree, marvelling at these blooms. They look like vintage lace to me, frayed edges and imperfections making it even more precious. It is a pity that these blooms do not last, but I remember their fleeting beauty throughout the year.

There was a haiku by Issa:

when cherry blossoms
scatter...
no regrets

Flowers Dreaming of the Sea

During our morning walk today, I paid close attention to the flowerbeds in the local park. Funnily, I have never thought before that these flowers look very much like sea plants. These silvery leaves covered with silky velvet - are not they just like corals?

And here we even have ray fish or manta. We cannot see them clearly as they float smoothly but fast and hide in the overgrowth.

I do not know what these would be called, either under the sea or here on the ground. But they are definitely very sea-like to me. I can see them swaying in the water, moving slowly with the tide.

This flower would be a precious creamy pearl, glowing softly and mysteriously.

And tagetes... the only flower I know here - shame on me... tagetes definitely looks like parrot fish to me. However, its astringent scent reminds me where I am. I know there are people who cannot stand the scent of tagetes, but I adore its autumnal bitterness. It is sobering and calming down; a very grounding scent. I touch the leaves briefly and tell Jager that it is time to move on.

Highlights of Our Morning Walk

Today, Jager and myself went to a large park situated quite far from our place. We walked past the empty streets - at 6 am there are no people around.

Here in Uzbekistan we have a lot of basil which is used both as an edible and a decorative plant. This one is part of a large flowerbed near a water supply enterprise office. I love the scent; it brings back so many childhood memories. To me, basil is closely associated with my land.

We came to the park and I was dismayed to see a lot of garbage around - plastic bottles, bags, various boxes... I do not understand how a person can come to a beautiful place - to enjoy the beauty - and then leave thrash after themselves. Eh well... I am not a fan of cleaning, especially after strangers, but I had had enough. Jager was thrilled, because I asked him to look for plastic bottles. This is just about one third of what we picked.

This is some unknown fruit falling from a tree,

Jager having rest after running up and down grassy slopes.

As we were going home, I spotted some roses, I love autumn roses in their mature beauty. The age marks which might seem imperfections to other people are somehow endearing to me, making the flowers look more real and vulnerable.

Roses and fat hen - the combination is unusual, but elegant. When I see fat hen, I always remember what my great grandmother told me: people ate it during the WWII in order not to starve to death. Now champions of healthy lifestyle say that fat hen is a very healthy food. Yes, I suppose so, especially when you are not confined to it only.

That was a nice walk, and lasted almost three hours. I am grateful to the dog for dragging me outside and making me move, breath fresh air and see things. Tomorrow we will choose another destination.

Tropical Butterflies Conservatory in Tashkent

There is a Tropical Butterflies Conservatory in our city now. I am not a fan of keeping anyone in captivity, but went anyway - I have little chance of seeing them otherwise. I was relieved to see that the pavillion was huge, with beautiful tropical plants, nice moist and warm air, and the butterflies did not seem to suffer. I am not an expert on them, of course... but there were many flowers and a bunch of these lovely creatures - not too many - fluttering around, and all that looked really nice. I regret not taking note of their names. I guess I will go there again, with my mother. In the meantime, I will just share the photos.

A Secret Park with Squirrels

We spent another month on improving our collective health; I went through an extensive anti-inflammation therapy which, as I already know, has been successful, and the dog was busy restoring his digestion. He has made progress, too, but I am yet unwilling to say that the battle is over. I still want to be sure before I start celebrating.

In the meantime, I have found a lovely little park in the very middle of our city, and it has squirrels! In order to understand my emotions, you should know that squirrels are very rare here. Moreover, these do not look like Central Asian squirrels to me; I strongly suspect that their ancestors were brought from Russia and then managed to escape and settle down here.

It took me about forty minutes to get closer to these cute creatures. I tried to be "calm as still water" and was moving ahead little by little. Finally, I guess they started seeing me as part of the landscape.

I like this very concentrated sniffing - just like a dog doing good quality nosework!

I have learned that squirrels eat grass, straw, dry leaves... their tastes are quite Spartan. I bring them some walnuts and just leave them under the trees; I hope they collect them later.

It is great fun to see wild animals in the city. I hope to see them again and to spend some enjoyable minutes in the atmosphere of almost-wild-nature, listening to the birds singing and breathing fresh air.

Decadent Beauty of Dry Roses

I am always sad when it is time to say good-bye to flowers. This time it was a beautiful bouquet of tiny pink roses. I had no heart to throw it away, so I let the flowers dry. But then, I do not like dry flowers just standing in a vase, because they get covered with dust and also start breaking and producing litter. So, I asked my daughter for help, and we made a very convenient dry bouquet by placing all flowers in the round glass vase. 

My mother gasped when she saw it today. I, too, find it very beautiful - in a quieter way. It also has a vintage feel.

I scented the contents with the Peace Blend by Edens Garden; it is a very nice soothing blend of Chamomile, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Lavandin, Petitgrain, Tagates and Vetiver essential oils. Now it stands on my dresser, slowly giving the scent away.

This is my first experience with dry roses. I now want some yellow ones, for a larger vase, to put in the living room. What do you think? Do you like these dry bouquets in containers?

Happy Easter!

I am wishing Happy Easter to all of you, my friends! May you enjoy love, peace, good health and prosperity, and feel safe and happy always! I also wish you time to look around and see the beauty of the world which can come in a form as simple as drops of dew on the blades of grass. Life is wonderful!

Coral Flowers of Japanese Quince

In the spring, Uzbekistan is full of flowers - whenever you look, you will see a tree in bloom. Cherry, apricot, almond, apple... All of these are lovely, and it is hard to choose a favorite, but Japanese quince certainly stands out. I adore these abundant coral flowers; it is a pity that they will disappear soon. I must enjoy their beauty while I can.

Our Walk in Botanical Gardens

We have had a wonderful walk in the Botanical Garden today. It is still almost bare, but beautiful nonetheless, with plenty of new fresh grass, violets and some trees in bloom. Those trees stand out against the dark brown and gray background and it is a lovely view.

Right after the entrance, we were greeted by the arrow-wood. I have never seen it in bloom before, because I do not go to the Garden that early in the spring. Next year I will. The arrow-wood has the most wonderful fragrance.

My daughter and sister skated around. Madina (daughter) is still getting used to these after the child's model she used before (with wheels in two rows) and falls from time to time. But overall she is doing well. Has not hurt herself, and enjoyed the ride.

I spent several minutes with the violets, still covered in raindrops after the night rain...



...and then ran to catch up with the others.



Then I was delayed by this lovely tree. I am not even sure what it is. Looks a bit like cherry tree...

This... I do not know what this is, either. The white ones are lady's purse, and what about the blue ones? We have a lot of these in the cemetery, they always seem gloomy to me, but here in the meadow they appeared more cheerful.

We played frisbee, and then I took a break to take a couple of photos.

Madina's emotions are priceless! She is 8 years old now.

Katherine is always cool, calm and collected. With her Black Belt in Taekwondo, she has stunning muscles. She was awarded the belt just recently. Katherine is 14 now.

...And after play the family decided to have a rest on the grass.





I think Madina does look quite like her Papa, especially with this grumpy look.

Why buy a pillow when the Papa is there?

...And then it was time to go home. These several hours were very well spent, and we agreed to visit the Gardens again in a couple of weeks to see new flowers that will be there by then.

Linked to http://www.internationalbloggersassociation.com/