Silent January

Winter is a time of withdrawal and preparation, when I myself work on my plans in retreat. The winter months are quiet, but in the silence you can hear the voice of your own soul. January surprises us with its winter days, it's been a long time since I've been able to photograph a gruel. I was standing on the ring dam, which used to protect the town from the river in the 19th century, but has now lost its function. It was a perfectly peaceful moment. Winter can give you such a gift. I also walk on frosty days. This year I'm taking my daily exercise more seriously. It looks like I'll easily make it to 150 kilometres of walking a month. I'm shooting with my old compact camera, the Canon PoweShot A630's noisier, blurrier image quality is more suited to the winter mood.

On 11 January, the city was shrouded in a frosty fog. I took the opening photo on 12 January, when the fog had lifted and the gruel was melting fast in the sunshine. I last minute caught the beauty of the white with the blue sky. I always follow the same route, but I never take two pictures that are the same, even if the subject is the same. The light changes from day to day, minute to minute. Photography is painting with light, light has a powerful effect on the images. That's why photography is unforgettable, it gives me a sense of flow too. You see, life is not boring in winter. There are plenty of harmonious moments to be found in a perfectly ordinary city walk.

When there is an anticyclone overhead, the sky is completely clear and beautiful blue. With this photo, I managed to capture my favourite colour, yarrow, which is an herb, with the autumn foliage of an oak tree in the background. It is a perfect expression of the grandeur of existence and the pure, simple joy of being. I use yarrow as a tea in a herbal mixture in winter. It is particularly useful for me as a woman. Although fungi are my main profile, I am also interested in wild medicinal and edible plants. It is great to see that there are still values in the landscape that we have a duty to preserve for the benefit of future generations. As a conservationist, it is good for me to see these creatures.

I notice many things while walking, like this paper star next to the library. This was a memory from the Christmas holidays. I smiled to myself. As a middle-aged woman, Christmas was much simpler, but I still experienced the essence of it, the family bond. Indeed, one of my pains is that the social bond between man and man has been severed and there is no chance of reconnecting. We share common human values and it is in all our interests to preserve them. In 2024, I will have to make an extra effort to protect my heart so that it doesn't break. I am also working on my defenses to have a strong self-defense. No one else is protecting my interests. My naivety is long gone.

I am there in the bigger picture. I will do what is within my power to do, with a sense of responsibility, but no more. The online part of '101 Mushrooms' was launched on 19 January. On 26 January, the topic will be the mushroom identifying process after the boletes. It always feels good to share my knowledge and enthusiasm. It makes me feel complete. I am also making progress with my creative project, see my previous posts. Self-expression is very important to me, because it is a characteristic of the Hungarian wreck-society that, due to a lack of self-awareness, it is rigidly attached to old and harmful ways of functioning, and an open and curious soul like me would not be alive if she could not say what is hurting her. I will stay within my sphere of influence, I will not convince anyone in 2024. I shut myself away for my own peace of mind. The one thing I am really good at is looking out of the abyss, quiet and careful attention.

I hope that you can spend the winter well. Look for moments of reflection. The joy that comes from the purity of being can surprise you in unexpected ways. Joy does not require great things. The noise has become too much, which is precisely why you cannot see yourself and the fundamental truths. Art is a tool for our minds to perceive and interpret the world. Art and knowledge are a great help to us. Winter is a good time for cultural activities. I went to a photography exhibition in the third week of the year. There I took the sixth picture in this post. And if you want to spend the growing season from bud break to leaf fall in a useful way, and you are from Békés County, then you are looking for me. Mushroom hiking will start in March. I really hope that there will always be rain in time for the mushrooms to grow. In spite of the difficulties, life also holds joy for all of us.