10/365:Light willow

10/365:Light willow, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

January 10th

Every year for the last eighteen years, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity has made miracles happen. This is the day when everyone opens their purse, be it only for a penny.

This year the Orchestra played for children with oncological diseases. As I type this, their website shows that they have collected 30 130 125 zł. That is over ten million dollars in a single day, and they haven't counted everything yet.

The 'Light to the Sky' is a tradition with the Charity- at eight pm all over the country fireworks go off as a thank you to everyone who took part in the event. This year instead of standing in the crowd under the concert stage I went to the nearby park where the fireworks were being shot. It was roped off, but I stood under the trees on a hunch. And I'm glad I did.

Last year:

and the year before:

4/365: The landing

4/365: The landing, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

January 4th

A strange purple light.


All right, not so strange. It was actually a dreadful toy I bought at the odds and ends market a couple of days before Christmas- it looks like an Evil Alien Overlord's sceptre, or at a stretch, a microphone, is made out of horrible plastic and has two buttons. The blue one turns on the lights and makes them spin. The red one...you don't want to press the red one. Because this is what happens if you do:

I pity all those people at the market who bought it like I did, as I don't think any of them were long exposure enthusiasts. Not because they bought a cheap and stupid toy for Christmas- of course not. I just can't imagine what their life must look like now that their children are in posession of this, I quote: "Musical Fantasy Light Spinning Ball (32 Pattern), Contains 10 colorful LED Light to create spectacular glowing fun for everyone! Hot New Spinning Light Toy has great visibility during the day or at night." End quote, discard packaging.

Visibility and audibility, oh yes. My grandmother was convinced the thing could burn your eyes out and make you go deaf.

But it does make a lovely alien spaceship.