In Contrast

From my perspective, of the four changes of seasons, the boundary between summer and autumn is the most sudden. At least in Ukraine. This is especially noticeable after rain. In the summer we wear white or colorful clothes - shorts, tops, and short sleeves even when it's cool. But in September, at the same temperature, everyone put on long sleeves, preferably black, with a jacket on top that the average Roman could wear in winter. So contrasting.

Every year (maybe except 2022 which flashed as if in a fog) I look at this sudden change with sadness. I wish I could hold this comfortable feeling on my skin for as long as possible - sun rays, breeze, or rain drops. Save the tan. I have never felt such a strong need for sunlight before. Literally physiological need.

I feel the black color is rather the color of sorrow and grief now, and not of style, as before.

Black is the color of winter.
How strange, because the snow is white.

I even started liking pink. I didn't like pink, never in my life. I'll tell you more - I used to look at it with contempt. Look at me now.

Do you know why war is so exhausting?
I think it's because there are no semitones on the war. Just one good news can make us happy for a moment. And you want to hope and live and be grateful and do even more. But then bad news comes, and you're drowning in despair or hatred, and there's no hope and meaning in life. From white to black, again and again, constantly.

After a busy week (regardless of the 5 days of relaxation in nature, these days were emotionally saturated)... So, after a busy week of vacation, I returned to my normal life. Although the brain obviously did not want to switch so abruptly. During this week, I am feeling like an alien at work meetings. One week was clearly not enough.

At night, I close my eyes and imagine myself there, in the distant mountains, where the sky is so close at night...

Opryshki is a popular insurgent movement that existed from the 15th to the 19th centuries in western Ukraine. There are many folk songs and legends about them. They knew the mountains and the forest well and often hid or rested there.

It is called so because of 12 notches on the rock made by a special ax called bartka - a highly functional combination of stick, ax, and hammer. Every male Hutsul had it.

This big stone is our 2 years old unfinished mission. Then we got lost - we did not see the markings of the trail on the tree. And how can you see it, when a breathtaking view suddenly opens before your eyes... And here you see raspberries and blueberries over there. We ate berries and did not notice how the weather changed quickly. The heat and sun changed to cold and downpour.

This time, we devoted only one day to a long walk, which felt like real climbing. Lack of practicing.. 😏 It was a good idea not to take a photo camera so I only carried water and a mobile phone.

But look at these colors! It is not my camera, they were so saturated in real.

It was worth it.