The Changing Seasons – July 2020

 

It’s time again for the wonderful challenge The Changing Seasons hosted by my dear friend Su from Zimmerbitch!

Apart from reading books

– (The Cockroach by Ian McEwan, How the Dead Speak by Val McDermid, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, The Near Witch by V. E. Schwab, Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami and If it bleeds by Stephen King) –

and eating cookies (sorry, no pics, I was too busy eating them), I didn’t get much done this month except visiting the zoo twice (due to my panda bear addiction) and getting myself a new fridge.

I’ve felt sleepy a lot of the time. Which could be because I read so many books, or because that dreaded second wave of the Corona virus threatens to be soon upon us here in Germany thanks to all those idiots not wearing masks etc.

It’s difficult not to despair because of things, and even though I know that being creative helps battling an upcoming depression (no worries, it didn’t get as bad as that), I simply couldn’t muster the energy.

But I guess that’s true for a lot of folks at the moment, so I’ll stop complaining now.

 

Here’s a pic of me and my old fridge (and when I say old, I mean old – this guy was in his 30s! Ehm, which incidentally I am as well – does that make me old too?! 😂)

 

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Sorry, no smile – I kind of hate taking selfies (July 2020)

 

And here’s the new one – at first I couldn’t get used to the fact that it was way taller than me! But I’m already planning to bake three-storeys high cakes one day in the future and now I finally have enough space to chill the thing. 😉

 

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My new fridge and I  – see the difference when it’s not me taking the pic? (July 2020)

 

But now to my zoo pics!

 

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Aren’t these giraffes just adorable? (July 2020)

 

And staying on the continent of Africa just a little longer, I was fascinated watching these Black Headed Weavers doing their magic and building nests:

 

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Black Headed Weaver with lots of building material (July 2020)

 

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Don’t you also marvel at the ability of birds to create nests this perfect and complicated with just their beaks and some twigs? (July 2020)

 

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Beautiful Golden Breasted Starling (July 2020)

 

Probably not perfect to build nests with but aren’t these ferns just beautiful?

 

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Ferns in the sun (July 2020)

 

But don’t let me keep you in an agony of suspense, I know you’ve been waiting for these. 😉

Unfortunately the panda babies were fast asleep each time I visited so I didn’t make a video. But photos of napping bears should be enough compensation.

 

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Panda baby Paule having a nap (July 2020)

 

 

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Panda baby Pit napping too (July 2020)

 

Maybe not as much of a crowd-puller as the pandas but in my eyes just as cute is this new born Siberian ibex:

 

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Siberian ibex kid (July 2020)

 

And this was it! Hope you enjoyed this post, and I look forward to reading yours!

 

If you would like to join in, here are the challenge guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic):

  • Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
  • Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
  • Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

  • Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
  • Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
  • Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them.

If you do a ping-back to Su’s original post, she can update hers with links to all of yours.

 

 

 

Published by Sarah

Artist & Illustrator

57 thoughts on “The Changing Seasons – July 2020

    1. Aww – thanks so much! And also for catching up and commenting on so many of posts!! 😍🙏 I knew the reading part would appeal to you. 😉 It’s my summer of books this year! 😀❤

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  1. Your fridge is soooo tall! I bought a new one for my new flat and because I couldn’t go to the shop to look at one because we were in lockdown I bought one that is shorter than me (I’m not good with measurements online ;)) It’s OK though, It means I can buy little and it still looks full hahaha. Those pandas and giraffes are so cute! Love your photos. Hope you are well Sarah xx

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    1. Thanks so much, Gill! My aunt has the same fridge and every time I visited I got fridge envy! 😂 Not anymore. 😉
      Hope all is well with you too! Have a lovely weekend! xx

      Liked by 1 person

  2. So nice to see you looking so happy next to your new fridge! And this month was a sleepy one for me too. The monsoon rains were nice at first, but then it just got tiring having day after day of rain. I enjoyed taking a tour around the world through your zoo photos. I’ll have to look up what kind of zoo is nearby me someday. I especially liked the giraffe photo. 🙂

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    1. It’s amazing how happy you can be with a new fridge! 😄
      I’ve never experienced monsoon but I can imagine that it doesn’t help if you’re already feeling sleepy. When it rains here – which doesn’t happen as often as it used to 🙁 – I always feel like staying in bed and read a book. 😁
      Hope you’ll find a nice zoo nearby! Don’t forget to take pics. 😉💕

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  3. I loved your zoo photos!! And yes, I know what you mean about being so tired, literally and physically. In my city, masks are mandatory and people are good about wearing them. But we’re in our second wave even so, and they’ve moved us backwards on restrictions. The longer this drags on, the harder it gets to cope with, but we just have to hope that it will be over someday!

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    1. Thanks so much, Ann! Glad you enjoyed my zoo pics. 😀
      Good to hear that people are more sensible in your city than in mine! School starts next week here and we’ll see how that will work out. Take care and stay safe!

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  4. You hit another nail on the head here. I know too many that are feeling what you are feeling right now. I’m guessing you are no longer staying with your mom if you bought a new fridge. Are you back to work? The zoo pictures are heartwarming and very necessary these days. Thanks for sharing them and giving us all a lift. I want this stuff to end so I can see the world sooner than later. Hang in there with us. I like the new fridge. Don’t think I could do the tiny one. 😉 Hugs.

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    1. Thank you, Marlene! And I’m so glad you found my animal photos heartwarming and lifting – you’re right, we can all use that now, can’t we?
      No, not back to work yet but school starts officially on Monday. They’ll let me know when/if they decide to pick up the pottery programme again, maybe in September, we’ll see.
      The fridge is awesome! I have yet to find out its limits. 😉
      Wishing you a lovely weekend! Hugs right back to you! x

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  5. I totally understand when you say you ate all the cookies and didn’t take a photo! So delicious right! 😀 Your old fridge sounds like it has served you well. A job well done to it. That is a quite an upgrade and the new fridge does look super tall – and handsomely shiny too. Really so perfect for storing your three-storey high cakes when you make them…or storing more cookies for the future too. Maybe you can spend the new few weeks organising it 😀 Recently I upgraded to a new phone after a few years, and it feels like a new and shiny toy! So much fun getting to know it and customise it.

    The animal photos are sooo cute. The pandas must have been tired when you visited 😀

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment, Mabel!
      Hehe! Yes, cookies are way too tempting to take time and get some pics! 😁
      I actually have a bit of a bad conscience for dumping my old fridge since it still worked! But it’s really nice to be able to store more food now – and the new one is so silent too! 😂
      Totally get your excitement over your new phone! 😀

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      1. Haha when you make cakes hopefully you get a second to snap a photo before they are all gone 😁 Maybe it was time for that fridge to go anyway since it was noisy, or maybe someone picked it up and brought it home. I am so enjoying my new phone! It’s like a new world in my hands 😁

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  6. I love that you took a photo next to your new fridge. I now have fridge envy! 😀 And those animal pics, thanks for sharing them, they’re so helpful in lifting the mood, aren’t they? Not that I need lifting, but hey, how were those books? How was Suzanne Collins’s, as I recently finished the Hunger Games trilogy (mad respect!)…

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    1. Hehe! Feel free to pop over and store some goodies in my fridge – I have plenty of room left! 😉
      So glad my animal pics help lift your mood – that’s exactly what I hoped they’d do. 😀
      The books were all great! Yay for finishing The Hunger Games trilogy! Did you watch the films? I did only once and much preferred the books. The new one is a great prequel to the story and offers lots of insights in President Snow’s character.

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      1. OH, interesting. Hmmm. Yes, I consumed the whole trilogy like it was junk food. And then I rewatched the movies to see how they compared. And yeah, def not as good or detailed. But I like the actor who played Peeta…so I powered through it 😉

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      2. Ooh! I like the Peeta actor too! 😉 Team Peeta anyway. 😄 And Jennifer Lawrence is so cool but somehow I never got into the films. Exactly the same happened with Twilight with me: loved the books but couldn’t stand the films! 😁

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  7. Fab photos Sarah – that second one of you with the new fridge is nice to see especially. And either you are really tiny or that is one ginormous fridge!
    Weaver birds? I once spent a night in a treehouse in South Africa, surrounded by Weaver bird nests. They are pretty but SO noisy!
    The Panda and Ibex are so cute! And yes, all ferns are lovely.
    I may be in touch regarding your giraffe photos – I need one for a reference photo 😉

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    1. Thanks so much, Darren! I’m afraid it’s the first – I’m really tiny. 😂 Although to be fair that fridge is a little over 2 metres tall!
      I know the weaver birds are incredibly noisy! I watched one feeding its young and it was quite deafening. 😂
      Of course you can have any of my photo for reference, let me know when and I’ll send you a few via email. 😀💕

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  8. Congratulations on your lovely new refrigerator, although I’ve never seen one that requires a step stool. But at least it will hold quite a bit of your favorite goodies. What I would like to know is how you convinced those two giraffes to pose for you like that! As far the baby pandas, their life of ease looks very appealing tom me.

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    1. Thank you, Liz! 😀 The baby pandas’ life looks very appealing to me too. 😉 As to the giraffes, I told them that they’d make an appearance on my blog if they posed for me – it worked! 😀

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  9. The ibex is sooooo cute!!! Of course you know I love the pandas and your photos are gorgeous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a baby ibex before and it’s lovely.
    Your fridge is amazing – and nicely decorated with that little yellow card I spotted on the door (hehe)!! I’ve never seen a fridge so tall. I’d constantly be asking T to get things from the top shelf. But on the other hand, I could keep all the goodies on lower shelves because he only sees what is directly at eye level. It’s true: I have tested it many times over the years with the best leftovers!

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    1. Isn’t it just? And it was all shaky on its skinny legs, I was glad when it decided to have a lie down! 😁
      Hehe! I hoped you’d spot the card. 😉
      I think it’s less the fridge being so tall than me being so tiny, lol! 😁
      And good strategy on how to hide the best leftovers. 😉

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      1. 🙂 I designed our kitchen with no high cupboards so that I wouldn’t find myself having to climb up to get things. The price I paid was a bench-top height that suits T, but not me. In hindsight I definitely got the worse deal.

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  10. Yay, new frig! Food staying cold and fresh, especially great as summer is upon us. If you don’t want to bother popping extra cookies in the new frig, you may send them to me. Always willing to help you, Sarah.

    Your zoo crush is always fun to see here, and you picked a wonderful selection of local ambassadors. They’re all adorable, and though you’ve chosen your favorite, I just can’t.

    We’re not super close to a decent zoo. There’s one in Los Angeles, about 2 hours north of us, and the outstanding zoo in San Diego, about 2 hours south of us. We haven’t been to either in decades. Our favorite zoo is Safari Park which is also south of us and part of the San Diego Zoo. Safari Park houses animals in groups as they would be found in native habitat. The enclosures are much larger than traditional zoos, allowing animals to roam more freely. Lions and tigers however, don’t get to mingle with deer or giraffes. They also have a beautiful aviary and lush water elements throughout. We’re hoping to visit next year but that will depend on how much crazier people get around here. The no-maskers are so arrogant that they actually say, “Your health is not my concern.”

    But I won’t end on this, so I’ll tell you that our two sons (and their dad and my parents and about 60 other Boy Scouts) rebuilt a small amphitheater at the tiny zoo in a city near us. Part of our younger son’s Eagle project, maybe 25 years ago. A massive undertaking over two long weekends but the fun everyone had working together to create something that still stands was worth all the effort.

    Looking forward to your next zoo excursion.

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    1. Hehe! You’re too funny, Shari! And I will bake an extra tray of cookies just for you. 😉
      I have yet to find out when this new frig will meet its limits – so far everything fits in perfectly which is especially nice after years of trying to find enough room for another yogurt! 😁 And now I can store several buckets of ice cream at once! Perfect bliss! 😄

      I need about an hour to reach our zoo and if it were 2 I also wouldn’t go as often as I do now. I think I even have a pic of me somewhere in front of a sign pointing out the zoo in San Diego – just a couple of thousand miles away. 😉 Will see if I can find it. 😀
      I’ve never been to a Safari Park (or a safari) but heard about their concept of keeping animals together in large groups which sounds lovely and also that they have so much more space for the animals. Poor lions though that they don’t get to join the fun. 😉 I hope you can visit it next year! In the meantime: stay safe! We have the same no-maskers around here, last weekend there was a demonstration of over 20 000 of them here in Berlin – of course without masks or keeping their distance. The numbers here have reached a new high and school starts again next week – crazy world indeed!

      Thanks for telling me about that Eagle project to rebuilt that small amphitheatre – what a wonderful thing to do!!

      Take care! Hugs!

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  11. That new fridge is so tall! What are you going to do with all that space? Lol. And thanks for the zoo photos. The giraffes cracked me up and the baby pandas can’t possibly get any cuter. Oh, so adorable. Be well, my friend, and hang in there. ❤ ❤ Have a lovely week.

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    1. Thank you, Diana! I’m so glad you enjoyed the giraffes and the pandas! As to the fridge – should the heatwave reach I now know where to hide from it. 😉😂
      Hope all is well with you – take care and stay safe, dear friend! ❤❤

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  12. Great photos, Sarah. This has a way of sapping our strength/energy, doesn’t it? I keep thinking on the positive side-5 more months and I have my fingers crossed for a lot of changes in 2021! Hang in there!

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  13. Awww. Perhaps you are part panda, Sarah? Those cubs know how to relax. All the other animals and birds are also wonderful. My first thought on seeing the giraffes was that they could help you get to the top of that fridge. My goodness that was a sight to behold. The fridge, that is. Hope you’ve got a step ladder?
    Take care, Sarah. Read on and stay safe.

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    1. That would explain it, Tracy! 😁 Hehe! I’ll let the giraffes know. 😉 I admit I have to use a stool to reach the upper shelves. 😂
      Take care and stay safe too! ❤

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