November 2017

In a somehow typical fashion, I post last year’s November photos on the last day of this year’s. Just in time.

My ex liked calling things he did “just in time”, but that meant watering the plants on the brink of dying. Sometimes I felt like a plant. And now I’m doing it to my blog. But it will survive. After all, it’s still November. Just.

I’ve encountered two inspiring works of art recently: I’ve seen the first two parts of the HBO production of L’amica geniale/My Brilliant Friend, the Italian TV series after the acclaimed Elena Ferrante novel, first in the series of four, and I’m impressed how they managed to render the exact feelings I had while reading it, which doesn’t happen often. Plus there are the colours, faces, glances, action, accent, architecture, all working together to present the novel as it deserves. I don’t know how Italians, especially people of Naples, feel about it, since it portrays them as they are, including throwing people out of windows. Eh, as if I know, I haven’t been there yet. All in all, read the books, watch the series, either, both.

The second grande bellezza moment came from reading the novel Non-Oui by Lidija Dimkovska who writes in Macedonian. Its Slovenian translation is in the works. I’m sure it’s out in English too by now or will be soon. (Here is an excerpt in English.) It’s her third novel, after Hidden Camera and A Spare Life for which she received the European Union Prize for Literature in 2013. The way she dives into writing and shoots with words amazes me every time. In this most recent novel, which takes place in Croatia and Sicily, she explores the theme of moving out of your country for love, which she did (at least in part) and so did I, and how this makes you a ghost in your country of origin. And everybody is afraid of ghosts. I’m honoured to call her a friend.

I’ve not finished it yet. Right now I’m going through a haunting description of how it was in Split, Croatia, under the Italian occupation during WW2. Which reminds me: if you want to know how it feels when NATO drops bombs on your head, which you probably don’t know but should, read this blog. Bojana has lived through it to tell. In her home. In Europe. And boy, tell she does.

And now back to the promised November of last year when there was no war, only one one-day visitor, one visit to Rome, plenty of bestias around, and that’s about it. As I say every year, looking at the blue skies and green greenery: Not bad, as Novembers go.

This post is part of my Calendar 2017 for which I choose twenty photos of the same month last year. Only one month to go.

Contemplating dog passing.

Award for looking closely.

The man about the place.

That elusive great leading lines photo.

Thank you for the great weather, NATO! 😉

Capalbio and wine to be.

November country.

The train is off to Rome, that is to the left. Lake Burano behind.

November: Part of the setting to lure wildlife near photographers at the Lake Burano nature reserve.

Visitor having beach fun.

Another beach bunny.

November: Amputated aged Pinocchio. Well, what do you see? Capalbio beach.

She came running.

The four geese of the apocalypse.

Off to Rome. Do you know it’s close enough to the sea so that seagulls are regular? About 30 km. I didn’t know before my first visit.

A Roman hotel.

A Roman street number.

This one made it into my About me. On a Roman door.

I just had to go to the Tarot Garden again, and pretend my camera had a peek hole. It doesn’t.

Dog contemplated. Does not approve. (Not true, she is a sweetheart.)