Wuthering Heights

             As it often happens I saw the movie before I read the book. And I think that they both are excellent. Later I had to read "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë for my literature classes, and I think that it is one of the best books I have ever read :)

It is a love story and a hate story all at the same time. Lives of the characters are so mixed up that sometimes it is impossible to imagine that the story could go any other way. 

Catherine and Heathcliff love each other and seem to be one person, but somehow they decide that they are not to be together. Catherine is too proud to be with a poor man, and Heathcliff overhears a wrong conversation. They fell apart but when Heathcliff comes back, althout married, Catherine behaves like she still loves him. That changes everything and everyone's lives.

The story is grasping from the beginning till the end. It is complicated, raw, full of emotions and secrets. I don't know what makes the story so great, but is sure stays with you for a long time.

P.S. And watch the movie!!!

Parents

      My friend's father died a few days ago. My friend is devastated. I don't know what to say or do for my friend, how to console him in his grief.

      I think about my parents now. About the two people whose presents I always take for granted. The two people on who I count to be here forever, whenever I need them. 

      There is still so many things to do with them and for them. There is still so many things to learn from them and many things where I would like to show them so they can be proud of me.

      Sure we have some differences (not many luckily) but there are one stable thing in my life.

     What will I do when they are no more with me.

The happy family

Orchis

        A little, strange flower I got for my birthday. My orchis grows slowly but surely. Cannot wait for it to have flowers again :)

after morning bath

Forgiveness

             They left in the morning. The road wasn't long, about 5 hours . They did not exchange a single word, but Annie did not mind. She sat and admired the world through the window. She wondered why there were going and why now . She thought about Carol what they will there . She did not know too many members of her husband's family, noone ever visited . John secretly watched her . They sat facing each other, and she still looked somewhere far away not paying attention to him. He was jealous of these thoughts . He wanted her to think about him . He wanted his person to occupy all her thoughts. Just as she was in his all the time. He thought of her constantly . Sometimes he could not concentrate on anything else. He liked to wake up next to her and watch her sleep. Sometimes he felt that maybe this was how he would spend the rest of his life - just watching her. She did not even have to know that he was near. He likes to know that she is in his house, that when he returns after a hard day work, he will at least see the shadow of her dress or her hand. It's strange that you can be so close to someone, and yet so far.

....................................................................................................................................................

John sat on the porch and watched Anna. She laughed and hugged little Jacob. She looked really happy. He did not even notice when Carol joined him .

- Anna is a great girl . You are really lucky.

- Yes, I know - he said it, still looking at her, but without enthusiasm .

They sat there for a moment in silence. Carol felt that there is something wrong between them, but waited for the right moment to ask him about it .

- Jacob adores her. Since you came here he doesn't not leave her side.

- Yes - he answered.

- She takes good care of him. Don't you think?

- Yes, she does.

- Maybe it's time for you to think about your own children .

He looked at her, and then quickly away .

- I do not think it's possible now.

- Why ?

- It's complicated.

- That's what I was thinking - she sighed and looked at Anne. - You want to talk about it?

- No. Actually, there is nothing to talk about. That's the way it is. Don't even know how to explain it.

- Try.

- I don't know. She didn't want to marry me.

- Why do you say that?

- I knew about this before the wedding. We didn't know each other well. I thought that everything will work out when we move in together. I deluded myself that when she learns that I love her... that she will know.

- But you love her. Why do you think you cannot be happy together?

- I didn't say .

- But it looks like you did. In haven't seen you talk to each other since you came here . Anna does not want to talk about you, and you avoid answer . I can see that something is wrong .

He did not answer right away. And when he spoke his voice was quiet and sad.

- She's not happy with me.

- Why do you say that?

- Come on. Look at her. Since the wedding I didn't hear her laugh. I don't even know if I've ever seen her smile. I know she would rather be married to someone else. Someone who gave her happiness. She deserves the best. I cannot give her that.

Carol saw his suffering. She didn't know why he and blamed himself.

- I'm sure you're wrong. She loves you.

- How do you know ?

- Well. Forgive me, but as a woman I know more about love and I know she loves you.

He shifted uneasily in his chair .

- That's impossible. I've done things .... I did things that hurt her very much . I did this knowing that it would hurt her. I do not know whether I would be able to forgive them myself.

- Women are very strange. They can handle anything as long as they hope they will be happy. They can handle and survive many things. Trust me. It's not too late, but you have to hurry . Even the woman's patience may be over, and then there is no turning back, no hope for you. Now, however, you have to fight .

- I don't know if this is still possible.

- If you love her it is. Trust me. I survived and I saw many things. You are young, and there are many good moments ahead of you.

She stood up and patted him on the shoulder. He was still looking at Anna. Carol did not know whether she reached him or not, but she hoped she helped. She went back to the house and left him alone.

John sat and stared Annie. She was playing with Jacob, they were running together around the tree. She was laughing. He listened to the laughter and dreamed that one day she would laugh like that for him. That she would be happy.

Gerbera

           Once I bought a small gerbera in a small pot. I was a bit green with tons off small, bright flowers. It was growing and growing standing on my windowsill. But after some time the flowers dissapeared. The green parts grew on and finally I had to put them in a larger flower pot.

and they grew and grew some more (I guess gerbera likes the outside better
then the inside of the house)

and finally after two years small flowers appeared

and got bigger

I gave it to my friend to put it in her garden where they will have a lot of room to spread and grow.

Central Park

             In the middle of a big city there is a special park. A park where you can go, lie down on a green grass, watch the sky, walk around in the quiet, play baseball, run and feed some fish :). There are few places like this and one of them is Central Park in New York.

The Park was first opened to the public in 1857, but only a year after that it was proposed to expend it even more and make it more beautiful. Two men largerly responsible for the way the Park looks today are: Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. The complete work was finished in 1873 and it's 341 ha big. The Park is managed by the Central Park Conservancy under the control of the government.

Central Park is great. It's like a big, green lung in a middle of "exhaust pipe fumes" filled city. A breath of fresh air and a minute of peace and quiet in a city that never sleeps and never slows down. Full of animals and plants it can make a hard day of sightseeing New York enjoyable.

Central Park from above

The lake

Icerink

Osaka Castle - 大阪城

            In the heart of city Osaka, surrounded by tall and modern building lies a beautiful and picturesque Osaka Castle Park, with Osaka Castle right in its centre.

When I started to learn Japanese many reading exercises were dialogues between characters and they very often talked about visiting Osaka Castle. It was supposed to be big, beautiful and situated in a garden with many sakura (cherry blossom). When you read about something over and over again, naturally after a while it makes you curious. So when I was planning my trip to Japan my number one place to see was Osaka with its famous Castle.

The idea to construct the castle was conceived in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He wanted to build a spectacular castle, which would be five stories high, and have additional three stories underground. What's more he wanted it to be impenetrable for the attackers. However, after his death the castle was under siege many times and most of the original construction was destroyed and later rebuild.

The construction we can admire today was erected in 1620 by Tokugawa Hidetada, who ordered his samurais to build the walls (some of the stones still have markings of the clans who bought them). The castle was again burned many times, but in 1997 the government allowed to restore the tower once more. Now we have a chance to admire it as it looked during the Edo period.

The park and the castle are a true magnificent view. It takes quite a while to walk through the park and admire the castle inch by inch before we, at last, get to the main building itself. However, when you enter the castle the scenery abruptly changes. The inside has been confereted into a museum, where nothing is as it was during the time when the castle was build. The main attraction for me was the possibility to climb the tower and see Osaka from above.

Maybe the interior of the Castle is not the most impressive, but the outside and the park are for sure worth seeing. When we wander in the park area there is a feeling that we are catapulted in time to some long gone period. This feeling is strengthen when we visit the tower. From it the modern Osaka can be seen, with tall sky-scrapers and very busy streets. And here is a place totally secluded from all that every day rush and fuss. When you want to escape the modern world - Osaka Castle is a must visit.

Plan of the grounds

The Castle before entering the grounds

 Osaka Castle seen from the Osaka Museum of History


One of the gates leading to the Castle

The Castle itself

View of the city from above