Beautiful Old House (2)

This morning I was in a serious hurry. I had some errands to take care of and while I was jumping all over the place I had to pass by this beautiful house. The reaction was pretty much: stop, turn, find the camera (I always carry my camera with me), take several photos, then notice another house nearby, photograph that one, too, and the one next to it... I almost missed my bus. 

Isn't it beautiful? :-)

On each corner, and in the middle of the house, there are these beautiful sculpture like decorations. Basically a head of a child surrounded by some curly ornaments. At first I thought that these were cherubs with wings, but after I took pictures and zoomed them in, I saw they weren't.

I caught with my camera the one in the middle.

Well, maybe we can see them as cherubs, peaking from some place unknown to us.

And then, at the bottom, there were these plant and flower like ornaments, placed on an open wreath. This is so baroque. I like baroque on the outside. It makes me think of time of chivalry, musketeers.  Basically it reminds me of novels written by Alexandre Dumas. Or Jane Austen...    

The Christmas Time

Sneak peek at my little tree

Oh, my favorite time of the year! LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! Everything changes! Food tastes better. The air smells of snow. I even see hope in people who are known as born pessimists. Actually, no matter what your religion is, or do you even believe in God, there is that light in the air, the sense of profound need to  hope. 

Wait for it...

This time of the year is meant for dreaming, for thankfulness, for words: I love you, and a true wish for better tomorrow. Not just for one person, but for everyone. As a child I used to pray for early snow, to see Santa Clause at least once (I could never catch him red handed!), that my family stays healthy and safe, and... For love. I always prayed for love. My wishes haven't changed (Santa is a sneaky little guy, I still can't catch him of guard), but I definitely have changed. 

I am thankful for every single day on Earth, for my loved ones, whether they are near or far, for chances, for hope and forgiveness. 

My little tree!

I wish you all love and peace. 

(If somebody catches Santa, I have a message for him - drive your slay with one eye open!) :-)

HO HO HO....

Beautiful Old House

This is one of the oldest houses in Kragujevac. It is built before Second World War. (It is not too old, because there are much older places, both in Serbia and Europe). However, this is one of my favorite places to pass by when I go for a walk. 

It is full of moss and mold and it is falling apart gradually. 

I love its ornaments around windows. 

The top of the house is threatened the most, especially when it is snowing heavily. 

You can notice that the two top windows are broken. 

There are people who actually live there. I just hope that the state of the walls inside is not bad.  Some of the windows are brand new, so probably they took care of the problematic areas inside. It is ridiculous how this house affects me. If I am sad, seeing it makes me cry, and if I am in a normal, casual state, seeing it makes me exhilarated. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s my hormones. :-)

Anyway, I will try to catch with my camera all the beauty of rusty, antique and charming places, and share it with you.

Soon...

There is a saying: "A person is lucky if he/she can find one true friend." I was very lucky in this area. Maybe, the better choice of words is I was blessed. Ana and Ivana, my dearest friends in the world, became a part of my family a long time ago. I do not think that anyone else is understandable when it comes to my utopian weirdness.

Anna, one of the most significant people in my life, came to my Slava also, with love of her life Milos.

They also had in mind that I started with shabby decoration from Milan's and my bedroom. So, my Ana and Milos brought us this beautiful vase. It is so unusual and I LOVE IT.

Our Annual Celebration

When it comes to religion, Serbs are, like Greeks, Orthodox Christians. We celebrate Christmas and Easter, like Catholics, but on different dates. There are, of course, cultural differences, and some other religious practices that are quite different.  When you are an Orthodox Christian you celebrate Slava. What happens is that your family celebrates the name and life of a particular saint who is the protector of your family and home (a Patron Saint). Every year on the 27^th  of October (Gregorian Calender), we celebrate our Slava, Saint Petka.

Saint Petka

We organize a party and our relatives and friends visit us. Normally, you don't have to call people to your Slava because they mark the date in their Calendar and they are set for that day. They don't make other plans. Of course when people come to your Slava for the first time, you have to invite them. Later on, they know when they have to come. Now, the young people don't go with all the rules, because people live very fast these days. And I do have to remind my friends when they have to come. Older people know. Young keep forgetting (that's an irony), so I remind them two weeks earlier. :-) 

My Ivana (I call her mine because of our friendship that is one of the most significant things in my life) gave me a beautiful present that belonged to her family. It's a heart shaped Sara Key wall ornament and I love it! She supports me in this shabby style home decorating, and her present is perfect  for my bedroom. I LOVE IT!

If you want to know more about Slava go to  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slava

and if you want to know more about Saint Petka go to  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parascheva_of_the_Balkans