131/365: Shoe

131/365: Shoe, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

May 11th

Found while walking through the wilderness with Guinness.
Other things seen:

Buttercups...

...a little garden...

...and a farm.

326/365: Monster

326/365: Monster, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

November 22nd

But he can't cross the river.

314/365: Self portrait with family dog

314/365: Self portrait with family dog, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

November 10th

Last minute photo. Guinness is feeling lonely because mum is in London...

136/365: Guinness

136/365: Guinness, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

May 16th

Walking with Guinness is especially fun in the spring when we don't freeze to death. I like snow a lot but I like tall grass even better.

Other things I saw on the walk:

83/365: A walk with Guinness

83/365: A walk with Guinness, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

March 24th

Under some acer trees today. Walking with Guinness is most fun at this time of year, in early spring when the sun is out but not yet scorching, and the air is fresh without being chill. I always take my camera.

More photos from today:

67/365: In early springtime

67/365: In early springtime, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

March 8th

The sunshine was beautiful today. I went for a long walk with Guinness, and when we strayed off our usual path, we ran into several pigeoner's shanties that I hadn't known about.

There are a lot of them in this area- if the city ever expands and eats the fields, I will miss these tumbledown volieres the most.

61/365: These boots

61/365: These boots, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

March 2nd

We are tired after the party. The only time I left the house today was to go for a walk with Guinness, and these are the boots I wore. They're amazing. I can't tell you how much I love these boots. They're lined with removable polar fleece, are completely waterproof and keep your feet warm and dry in at least -20 Celsius (that's -4 Fahrenheit). I know because I've been wearing them all winter and have never ever ever been this comfortable trudging through the snow. These boots are flawless. They feel like big fluffy warm slippers. Oh, and they're made of ethylene vinyl acetate which sounds nasty but brings their weight down to a lovely 19 ounces.

I have never ever had better winter shoes, and they are just perfect for the early spring mud we're having right now. Walking boldly through any puddle is so much fun! Squelch squelch squelch.

I love my boots. Even if they are not as pretty as my blue wellies:

But my blue wellies were cold and leaky. Comfort beats fashion any day. :D

54/365: Bad

54/365: Bad, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

February 23rd

I had no ideas for a picture today so when Guinness suggested a walk (he is very persuasive) late at night I decided to just point my camera at something and fire that nasty built-in flash.

This is a little meadow at the edge of our neighbourhood which gathers water whenever possible. The snows have been melting, as you can see...and that is Bad. ;) (or 'pool', I suppose, or 'pod'... it's like a trash-in-the-deluge Rorschach's test.)

49/365: Guinness

49/365: Guinness, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

February 18th

I'm visiting my parents in Warsaw again, and guess who's happiest to see me? :) All right, he doesn't look delighted in this photo but that was because everyone was eating soup and he was anxious to get the bowls for licking.

20/365: Alert!

20/365: Alert!, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

January 20th

Guinness (like the beer, not the book of records, though both come from the same brewery) is my family's dog. He's a chocolate brown labrador retriever.

He's not a historical landmark but I will tell you his story nevertheless: in 2007, our elderly golden retriever Liffey had to be put down. She was spent, and suffering, and my parents said they didn't think they wanted another dog. We buried her in the back yard, poor thing- the vet who gave her the shot was already telling us about pups that needed a home. "We'll think about it," my parents said.

Two days later she called them and said: "There's an accidental litter of labs that need a home, and there's only one little boy left, do you want him or not?"

Yes. Yes, we did.

Guinness, like any dog, can be annoying. He'll roll around in poop and run away from you and wrap his leash around your legs and destroy the shopping when he tries to help you bring it inside. But this dog makes my family smile every day. Every single day. It doesn't matter what else happens, you look at Guinness, he looks back at you, and you have to smile and start speaking in that strange language we grown-up humans presume is what dogs, cats and babies best understand.

He was named after the Irish beer just like Liffey and Shannon were named after the Irish rivers. We all used to live in Ireland and our pets always seem to end up with relevant names. Well, not so the case with my Radesh, but I will tell you about him another time.