Pink gerbera dasies-macro photography

Pink gerbera flowers for Thanksgiving!

Gerbera daisies are one of my favorite flowers, though we have them only in the flower shop.
Gerbera flower is native to South Africa and it is member of Asteraceae family, just like sunflowers, daisies, chrysanthemums and asters.
I like the bold and striking appearance of these daisy-like flowers.
Here are a few gerbera macros, a Thanksgiving gift for everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

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Gazania, the treasure flower - macro photos

The gazania, or treasure flower is another amazing artwork of mother nature.
This vividly colored,exotic flower still holds strong these days, despite the short periods of freezing. Gazania is native of South Africa but it grows everywhere and provides great beauty with almost no care. The only thing they need is sunshine.

A typical characteristic of the Gazania flowers is that they close up on overcast days and in the evenings, just like tulips, dandelions and many other flowers do.
I took these photos some weeks ago when these beautiful, vividly colored, daisy-like flowers were still smiling.

Look at this unreal, wild color combination with splashy stripes or rings of contrasting colors.
The Gazania flowers bloom in many solid colors from bold, brilliant yellows to oranges, reds, pinks and more.

See some more gazania macros and their reflection in a raindrop.

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Notice the shadow - light is the reason!

Light and shadow; that is a fascinating subject.
Light is everything. Light means color and shadow.
I've just found this great meme called "Shadow Shot Sunday" at Hey Harriet blog, with stunning light/ shadow images.
Light and shadow make things come to life on a photo and they are on everything. Even though we don't notice them, subtle shadows help create a physical existence, bring substance to photos.
Without its shadow an object is not defined in space, it seams to float in thin air.
Light and shadow add visual interest and provide dimension, perspective.

The appearance of light and shadow tells us a lot about the surfaces and textures of the elements in a composition and also guide the eye to the focal point.
The softer the light, the softer the shadow. The stronger the light, the darker and sharper the shadow and these strong shadows create amazing forms.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for many beautiful light/shadow shots.

For beautiful scenery photos from all around the world visit Scenic Sunday.

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Afternoon walk-last colors of autumn

Some more autumn colors and sunny days before the colorless winter definitely takes them away from us.

Enjoying the last sunny days on the banks of the Somesul Mic river.

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Kürtöskalács - Barbecued chimney cake - recipe

The worldwide famous Kürtöskalács is a traditional Hungarian pastry originated from Transylvania. I have encountered a very funny renaming of the Kürtöskalács, on the web: the "Barbecued Chimney Cake".
Kürt is Hungarian for horn and kalács means milk bread.
These tasty Transylvanian treats are giant rolls made of dough covered with caramelized sugar and walnut, coconut and many other toppings. Kürtöskalács is made in smaller rolls too (the first two photos), so people can taste more flavors.
It is sold in specialized stands, at street corners, in open markets and occasional fairs, or you can make it yourself.

Kürtöskalács recipe:

1. Ingredients:

1,000g flour
500 ml lukewarm milk
50 g yeast
6 egg yolks
100-120 g butter
1/2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp.sugar
crushed nuts, coconut, almonds

2.Indications:

- Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk and let it raise.
- Beat the egg yolks and melted butter together, and add the salt and sugar.
- Add the egg mixture and the yeast to the flour and blend together thoroughly.
- Cover with a cloth and leave it in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume (about 30 minutes) .
- Remove the dough from the bowl to a flour-dusted board and divide it evenly into 4 parts. Round each into balls and place them back in a bowl for a second rise. Cover with a cloth, and let them rise in a warm place for an additional 20-25 minutes.
- When done, roll them out and cut into 2-3 cm wide, long strips.
- Wrap the strips one by one around a cylindrical mold brushed with oil, beginning from one end to the other. Each dough roll will make approximately 4 giant chimney cakes, in total, 4 x 4 = 16. The dowel pins seen in the pictures bellow are 40 cm (15.7 in) long.
- Push lightly and roll the spiral (dowel pins) to press the strips so that the edges nearly meet.
- Brush the dough spirals with oil or melted butter and roll in sugar.

Here comes the interesting part: bake over open coals (if possible), or in an infrared oven.
Turn the spirals constantly so that each part gets evenly browned. When they are perfectly caramelized, they are taken off the coals and rolled in crushed nuts, cinnamon, coconut or simply, in more sugar.
This last additional topping is not really necessary, they taste great with just the plain caramelized sugar glaze.

Watch a video with step by step instructions about making kurtos kalacs, in my next post.

Here is a short video captured at the annual autumn fair of craftsmen in my town.

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Pink Dahlia close-up macro

Pink Saturday.

Dahlia, with it's perfect geometry of overlapping flower petals, is another spectacular artwork of Mother Nature.
No wonder, the flower symbolism associated with the dahlia is dignity, elegance.
Here are a few close-up photos of a soft pink Dahlia.



This is the first time I participate in Beverly's Pink Saturday, a lovely place to see many pink ideas and beautiful photos.

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Raindrops - macro

My favorite season is sunshine but we don't have part of it these last days.
Dark gray clouds cover the sky and it is raining all the time.
No landscape shooting in this weather, but still raindrops can be a beautiful photo subject.
Here is one of my raindrop macro.

And here is a last wet autumn rose:

And as you are here, you might also like to see some more beautiful roses with raindrops.

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Cats, kittens - posing for the camera

These friendly cats are not street cats; there is an old lady living in one of these houses and these sweet cats are in good care. This is the old part of the town with almost no traffic, so there is no danger for the cats to socialize on the street.
This cute kitty with big green cat-eyes is a little bit afraid as I approach and hides under a car but still doesn't run away.
The older cats are more used to strangers. This one is trying to tell me something with a short, soft-spoken "mew".
What's with this look; is he claiming the parking place or just asks me to open that door for him?
Anyway, he definitely likes to pose for the camera.
Another cat who likes to pose is my friens' cat in an earlier post.

For more lovely animal photos visit

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Sea buckthorn-healthy fruits for winter

The sea buckthorns (Hippophae rhamnoides) are attractive small shrubs. In autumn the sea buckthorn plant bears clusters of golden-orange fruits, juicy berries which provide vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids, oils rich in essential fatty acids, and other healthful components.
Sea buckthorn has been used for centuries in both Europe and Asia for food; in Europe, the sour, flavorful fruit is sweetened and its orange-passion-fruit-like flavor makes fine sauces, jellies and a base for liqueurs. Blended with other fruits, it makes a delicious juice.
It is likely the most widely grown, northern hardy, fruiting plant in the world, but most Americans have never heard of it.

Sea buckthorn oil

is produced from the fruits and seeds and is incorporated into cosmetic products, drugs and skin lotions.
The essential oil extracts from the so called "super fruit" berries are used in alternative medicine, dietary supplements and anti-aging products.

Sea buckthorn tea

is recommended in cases of diarrhea, rheumatism, skin diseases, and nettle rash.
It is obtained by putting two spoons of mashed fruits into 500ml boiled water. After leaving the pot covered for about 30 minutes its content is passed through a sieve.
Tea can be made from leaves too.

Here by us sea buckthorn grows wild. The berries can be harvested by hand but I am happy with just taking the photos. The fruit are strongly attached, and are not easily stripped from the branches and the thorns are really sharp.

Today's photo session being over
"Country road take me home"~♫

This will be a long walk.

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All Saints' Day - Day of the Dead

In my part of world, we don't celebrate Halloween, there is no trick or treating but getting ready for the "Day of the Dead", a holiday of ancestor appreciation.
Like in most European countries, we celebrate All Saints' Day on November 1st and All Souls' Day on November 2nd.
On the 1st of November most families visit cemeteries to remember deceased loved ones.
We decorate the family grave and relatives' gravestones with flowers and light candles.The Chrysanthemum is the flower of this day. There are fields of Chrysanthemum everywhere on the streets. Traffic is paralyzed but there is no financial crises on this day. It's the biggest day of the year for florists.
The graveyards look wonderful with all those candle lights on.

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