In praise of Krakow.

Krakow Cathedral - Wawel Hill
Originally uploaded by Szczur.

I recently finished writing a very serious work and, as a treat for myself, took myself off to Krakow for a few days. If you ever have the chance to go there, DO. Krakow must surely be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, yeah, right up there with the big names like Rome and Paris. Around every street corner there is something new (very old really) to make you go "Ahhhhh" and "oooooh" and to reach for your camera. On top of that, the city is so bursting full of history, that just to be there is an education. Not to be missed.

Resting

Resting
Originally uploaded by Szczur.

Summer is with us at last.

Everyone is hot and bothered and everyone, without exception, seems to need to take a break. I was taking a break... I'd been sitting on the edge of a field, watching the bees and wasps and other busy little creatures collecting precious supplies from the thousands of flowers before me when I noticed this ladybird. She was hurriedly climbing the stem of one of the flowers. The stem in question was probably many hundreds of times her own length, so the little beetle decided to stop for a rest, turned aside from the stem and walked the underside of the leaves in the picture until she came to the end. With a last burst of effort, she hauled her heavy carapace onto the upper surface of the leaves and stopped. She smiled at me, in that way that only ladybirds can, so I took her photo. Here it is.