Weekly Photo Challenge : Delta

Transitions, change and the passing of time:
Delta

Inside Prometheus Cave

Any material which is soluble, can be deposited as a colloid or is in suspension, or is capable of being melted, may form a stalactite. Calcium Bicarbonate solution travels through the rock until it reaches an edge and if this is on the roof of a cave it will drip down. Over time a stalactite will form. An average growth rate is 0.13 mm (0.0051 inches) a year, so these speleothems mark a long passing of time.

For more about Prometheus Cave click on the link :

A Trip to Prometheus Cave”

Weekly Photo Challenge: Transient

“Life is but a day;
A fragile dew-drop on its perilous way
From a tree’s summit.” John Keats

This week’s challenge is Transient
Transient: not lasting, enduring, or permanent; transitory.

In the grand scheme not much is permanent.

Spring flowers last a month or so.

Spring flowers

the fire may last a few hours

fire

the average lifespan of a butterfly is about one month

a butterfly

a prayer candle lasts maybe an hour

dying flame

the sandcastle will last until the tide comes in

sandcastle

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Psalm 90 v 10

So, as John Keating says in  Dead Poets Society:

‘Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary’

Alien in Varketili

The Lord’s Prayer in Georgian

After nearly eight years in Georgia, to my embarrassment, I still can’t have a conversation in Georgian, but from my first days here,  I learnt the Lord’s Prayer (მამაო ჩვენო – mamao chveno) by heart. I say it every morning before breakfast, it is usually the only prayer I say in the day, unlike my devout Georgian wife, who spends at least 15 minutes often more, saying her prayers.  One of the conditions my wife had for our marriage was that I should be baptised into the Orthodox Church before the wedding. For this ceremony, I learnt mamao chveno (the Lord’s Prayer) by heart. I know the prayer in English, but when I am saying the Georgian words, it is strange, I do not actually know the meaning of the words as I say them apart from a few like “პური ჩვენი (puri chveni)” meaning “our bread”.

Here is the prayer with transliteration in the Roman alphabet beneath each line.

მამაო ჩვენო, რომელი ხარ ცათა შინა, mamao chveno, romeli khar tsata shina, წმინდა იყავნ სახელი შენი, tsminda iqavn sakheli sheni, მოვედინ სუფება შენი, movedin supeva sheni, იყავნ ნება შენი, ვითარცა ცათა შინა, ეგრეცა ქვეყანასა ზედა. iqavn neba sheni, vitartsa tsata shina, egretsa kveqanasa zeda. პური ჩვენი არსობისა მომეც ჩვენ დღეს puri chveni arsobisa momets chven dghes და მომიტევენ ჩვენ თანანადებნი ჩვენნი, da momiteven chven tananadebni chvenni, ვითარცა ჩვენ მივუტევებთ თანამდებთა მათ ჩვენთა, vitartsa chven mivutevebt tanamdebta mat chventa, და ნუ შემიყვანებ ჩვენ განსაცდელსა, da nu shemiqvaneb chven gansatsdelsa, არამედ მიხსნენ ჩვენ ბოროტისაგან, aramed mikhsnen chven borotisagan, რამეთუ შენი არს სუფევა, ძალი და დიდება, ramethu sheni ars supheva,dzali da dideba, სახელითა მამისა და ძისა და სულიწმიდისა, sakhelitha mamisa da dzisa da sulitsmidisa, აწ და მარადის და უკუნითი უკუნისამდე. ats da maradis da ukunithi ukunisamde.

ამინ. – amin

The last lines I have marked in light blue as these aren’t usually said.

candles in a Georgian church

Weekly Photo Challenge: Focus

This week’s challenge is Focus

 

Carry On Camping in the Rain…

Another weekend, another trip…we were with Adrenalin Hiking Club again. But there wasn’t to be much hiking. We went to the Algeti National Park, 60 km South West of Tbilisi, where a number of hiking clubs were celebrating the beginning of the hiking season. Our transport was a mix of Ford Transit Minibus over the roads, then a Mitsubishi Delica for the off road part.

Mitsubishi Delica…ideal for transporting a lot of people off road

We made a brief stop en route for those who wished to pick daisies, before heading to the campsite.

in the daisy field

camping

I hadn’t camped since my first honeymoon in Norway, way back in 1992. This would be interesting. The clouds, when we arrived looked grey and ominous. As the tents went up the rain started to come down slowly at first, then more heavily. The campsite felt a bit like a music festival, plenty of mud and a bass beat could be heard in the background but the only live music I saw was from singing and acoustic guitars.

ominous clouds

putting up the tents, Giorgi makes a ditch next to the tent t better allow the water to run off

the rain gets heavier

The first task was to fetch wood, a reminder of my scouting days, where one of the prime duties at camp was “wood and water”,

fetching wood

chopping wood

The Algeti National Park stretches over the woody southern slopes of the eastern Trialeti range. There was plenty of wood mostly Caucasian Spruce and Nordmann Fir. The rain did look pretty on the pine leaves.

raindrops on pine leaves

Club Adrenalin trips are known for impressive supras and group photos. Three new members were welcomed to Club Adrenalin: Natali, Mariam and my wife, Khato. The new members were given badges and a T Shirt and had their photo taken with other members.

Adrenalin Members in club T Shirts

Khato with Adrenalin flag, T Shirt and badge

The rain didn’t deter the fire makers. The fire was essential for the requisite Mtsvadi (Sashlik). The smell of woodsmoke reminded me very much of Scout Camps a few decades ago.

fire

preparing the Mtsvadi

Grilling the Mtsvadi

Showing off the cooked Mtsvadi

The rain got heavier, the thunder rumbled, the lightning flashed. We went to bed. The tent walls were damp, a lot of our stuff got wet. In the morning the sun shone and we hung out our wet stuff to dry.

strange fruit

More feasting this time including grilled mushrooms with sulguni cheese.

grilled mushrooms and cheese

There wasn’t much hiking but I did wander about having a look in the forest and at the views.

in the forest

a bee seeking nectar and pollen

We left for Tbilisi, early in the afternoon in our trusted Delica.

off road view through the Delica windscreen

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge : Order

This week’s challenge is Order

fresh fruit

On a market stall in Georgia the fruit is presented nicely in an orderly fashion.