Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

Today´s flag (visiting country no 131) is Malawi. I must admit that I did not know anything about Malawi before getting this visitor. However, googling around I found that the Welsh-born reporter for the New York Herald, Henry Morton Stanley, went to Africa in search of missionary and explorer David Livingstone.

I often used the term "find Livingstone" during my period as a manager. Too often employees wanted detailed procedures to reach targets, asking me what to do. Instead of commanding them to do this and that, continuously asking me for directions, I gave them the freedom to make the path when walking as long as they did know that "Livingstone" was the goal.

Dr Livingstone was the first European to see Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya), to which he gave the English name in honour of his monarch,Queen Victoria. Malawi is a landlocked country (like Mongolia in northeast Asia) in southeastern Africa, bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique to the south, southwest and southeast, and was formerly known as Nyasaland.
Malawi is among the world's developing economies and densely populated in the Southern and Central Regions of the country. The economy is heavily based in agriculture, with a largely rural population.
The economy of Malawi has in the past been dependent on substantial economic aid from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and individual nations.
The Malawian flag is made up of three equal horizontal stripes of black, red and green with a red rising sun superimposed in the center of the black stripe. The black stripe represents the African people, the red represents the blood of martyrs for African freedom, green represents Malawi's ever-green nature and the rising sun represents the dawn of freedom and hope for Africa.

Welcome my digital new friend from Malawi.

J as in Jamon (Cured Ham in Spanish)

Petunia is hosting the Norwegian version of Mrs Nesbit´s ABC Wednesday. Petunia calls it "ABC i Ord og Bilder" (ABC in Words and Photos) and the meme is a weekend activity within the specific letter.
This weekend the letter is J as in Jamon (Spanish), Jambon (French) (or Ham in English).
Some of you may have seen this photos as part of my postings from Palma de Mallorca two weeks ago, but a good thing cannot be told too seldom. The Spanish Jamon Serrano is delicious for lunch or part of a Tapas Recipe. In Italy Prosciutto di Parma has the same value, but Pata negra is even better.
Have a nice weekend with your camera and creativity.

Side effects - House Renovation

Presently some specialists are taken action in our home to limit the damaging side effects of an accident performed by our neighbors during their renovation activity of own apartment. Very fine (micro) dust has been spread in all rooms, and walls, carpets, paintings, textiles and books are under treatment by competent resources. We expect the cleansing process to take some additional days in next week too.
Lucky us to be insured for such disaster.

The photo is from our glass cabinet in the dining room, and neither wine nor cognac will be served from these utensils in the coming weekend. We have others.

We were fortunate to have a "tight" door for the cabinet, thus reducing the wider spreading of the red sooting demon. I therefore add the "The Doors" logo to this post.

From Mongolia to Belize and Solvang

Tuesday this week I presented Mongolia and the Mongol Empire. Last night my first visitor from Belize (no.130 country) found my blog. Belize was called British Honduras from 1862 when Great Britain formally declared it a British Crown Colony, subordinate to Jamaica. Before the arrival of Europeans, The Mopan Maya were the original inhabitants of Belize. The Maya civilization spread itself over Belize beginning around 1500 BC and flourished until about AD 900. In the late classic period of Maya civilization (before A.D. 1000), as many as 400,000 people may have lived in the area that is now Belize.
The Classic Maya Collapse is one of the biggest mysteries in archaeology.
Welcome to my world my Belizean friend.

At present my world is more or less connected to our efforts to make the cottage ready for the summer season. Internal activities (painting and renewal of furniture) have to go hand in hand with gardening. The raspberries are made weedless while the Magnolia tree is blooming on naked branches.Paying tribute (not mobbing) to the Rusty Girls, Anne and GundaM my blog-reading better half have found some scrap (steel thread), but I think she prefer carrying her Sapphire (and in the summer season) her Black Opal pendants.

P for Painting in ABC Wednesday

A painter is a painter and painting is painting, or is a painter a painter?
A painter is a handyman painter when painting the floor at our summer cottage yesterday. I would call the color "the master of the house´s nightmare", where everything will become visible on the deep red floor, and washing is not my favorite.
The tool is also a little bigger than what I normally use, but I love paintings in large formats.
A painter is also a painter when making paintings in formats not suitable for every apartment and only for gallery or institution walls. This was 100 x 150cm (acrylic on canvas) but became overpainted later because another way of express the motive turned out more interesting. Maybe I will return to the original idea this summer. The colors used so far was not bad.A painter is a proud painter too, when discovering a good working result "hidden" in my daughter´s apartment from the day it was finished. Now the soon to come mother and father have moved to a new place, and suddenly I saw my work at the wall. Immediately I had to shoot an iPhone photo of it.
The Painting, called "the first day at school" (acrylic on paper, 36 x 40cm), I made some years ago, but have not had it in my gallery before today.
P is for the Painter´s Paintings presented in My Gallery on the ABC Wednesday = P.More P expressions can be found at ABC Wednesday Round 4

My world Tuesday - Mongolia

Getting new visitors to my blog and knowing from where in the world they come from, is one of the reason why I use the Flag Counter. In less than a year persons from 128 countries in one way or another have found my world through my blog and hopefully read my posts with interest.
My newest flag on the list is Mongolia
During the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Mongolia declared independence, but had to struggle until 1921 to firmly establish de-facto independence, and until 1945 to gain international recognition.
Mongolia was a strong force and great Empire in the late twelfth century.
The largest contiguous empire in world history, The Mongol Empire, was formed by Gengis Khan and his successor Kublai Khan.
If you follow the links above you will learn more of this interesting country and its people´s heroic history.
Welcome to my world you visitor from your country far east, and if you and all other visitors want more presentations of blogger´s worlds, please go HERE.

Odd Shots on Monday

I present two odd shots from my photo file shot during my Malorca stay two weeks ago.
The first I found rather strange in a mountain town shop on this summer island (Valldemossa), and the "sculpture"? or climbing stand below found in one of Palma de Mallorca´s playground for children, was really odd.
I have always believed that the church spire was directed towards higher forces, but here I have to reevaluate where heaven is.

More Odd shots can be forund HERE

Karl III (the third), Terje and Tullen

One of my favorite painters, the Ålesund born autodidact artist Terje Fagermo, played a part in the TV2 show "Karl III" last week. The portrait of the new rich leading figure Karl the third did not end up in an expected way, but the painter used the artistic freedom like any painter, and made the portrait the way he saw Karl.
It could have been interesting to let Terje make a portrait of Tullen too. Perhaps some other works by Terje Fagermo will give you a more sophisticated view of his normal artistic style:

Palma de Mallorca - hasta luego

During this week I have taken you on a journey to the streets in Palma de Mallorca and what we experienced during our stay in the capital of the Baleares.
You may have been tired of all these photos, but at least have I had a great time going through my memories and recalled this stay which I highly recommend for people not only going to Mallorca for the beaches, sun and wine.

This last painting can be found at the modern Palma de Mallorca Airport approaching the international departure gates. Hasta luego.

Palma de Mallorca - Valldemossa

Staying a city for more than a weekend gives you more possibilities to take out of town trips.We went to the northwestern coastline. There are eight return trip busses going from Plaza Espana to Valldemossa and four that continue to Deia and Soller.
In Valldemossa you should visit the Charterhouse (paintiing above) where Frederich Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838.In the Carthusian monastry - La Cartoixa - the beautiful roof over the altar can give you a moment of peace and reflection, and the pharmacy and library are intriguing rooms:
Outside every cell there is a garden terrace and Chopin´s cell is set up with copies of his music sheets and furniture as it almost was when he stayed and worked here. The air in the Tramuntana Mountains is different from Palma.
If you are lucky, you can join a concert (20 min) where Chopin´s Preludes are played, but do not miss the buss departure by entering too many tourist shops. Rather look at the painted tiles beside the front door of the houses where Mallorca´s patron saint, St Catalina Tomas is meant to give protection.
The bus stop gives you another possibility to relax and enjoy the sunbeams.before you continue the journey (on very scary roads) via Deia to Soller for a tram trip to Port de Soller
and return to Palma with the 10 euros hard seat train

Palma de Mallorca - Art and Paintings

As always when visiting cities around the world I search around for interesting paintings and other works by artists, famous and unknown. Painters are usually located in plazas and pedestrian streets where some are working on spot, and others are only selling own and others works. (Click on photos to se them in larger size)
This artist was at her corner every morning around 9 am and we had a short discussion about her "kind" / "photolike" on canvas her neighbor artist more expressionistic acrylic on paper.
The third painter presented his version of the tram in traffic between Port de Soller and Soller train station
At our lunch restaurant in Soller the walls was covered with paintings for sale. This bull became my choice for blog presentation.
Juan Miro and Majorca are intertwined. Miro's mother was from the island. His mother, Dolors Ferra i Oromi was the daughter of a cabinet-maker in Palma, Majorca. Joan Miro lived and worked here in Majorca for 40 years.
Palma´s newest museum and gallery has works vy Picasso and Miro, but contemporary art by many artists are well worth a visit.
The painting below by Max Neuman is presently for sale at 35.000 euros.
This painting decorating the reception at our Hotel is a great expression og the narrow street in old Palma, and the model is easy to find in my previous posts.
At last I give you a sculpture by George Sugarman placed below the old city wall.
Have a nice art journey to Palma de Mallorca.