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.

130/365: The Brontosaur of Mokotow

130/365: The Brontosaur of Mokotow, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

May 10th

Chomp chomp chomp, eating away at the remainders of the ski jumping tower. It made horrific noises.

75/365: 8-0403 shanty

75/365: 8-0403 shanty, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

March 16th

Built from bits and pieces.

93/365: Blessing the food

93/365: Blessing the food, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

April 3rd

Święconka is a Polish Easter tradition, where on Good Saturday we take a basket of food to church for a blessing. The most common traditional basket contains eggs, meat, cake, bread, salt and pepper, horseradish and beetrot sauce, and a sugar lamb. They represent all the food we will eat on Easter Morning, after the Resurrection. Children in particular like Święconka as they are usually the ones to carry a little basket. I still use the same basket I brought to church when I was very small, I wouldn't have any other.

(later my cat Radesh broke into the dining room and stole all the meat from my basket. Which is just as well since I don't really eat meat anymore anyway...)

53/365: The Orange Alternative

53/365: The Orange Alternative, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

February 22nd

On December 13th 1981 Poland was put under Martial Law. In protest, citizens began to paint slogans of freedom on buildings, but these were promptly painted over by the military. It was not long before the cities were covered in dark blotches hiding the slogans- and it was on these blotches that members of the Orange Alternative painted, in turn, little dwarves. We call them 'krasnoludki', and they are something like a gnome or pixie, coming from old folklore with pointy shoes and hats and an unquenchable spirit of freedom and mischief. Over a thousand such gnomes were painted across the country.

The krasnoludek preserved under this sign was painted on a blotch of paint meant to cover up the anchor-like symbol of Fighting Solidarity, an anti-communist organisation. As the sign itself says:

"It is the only remaining mark of the originality and courage of the Orange Alternative, and proof that regardless of the times we live in, humour and laughter can prevail over the saddest reality."

Indeed. If you read up on the movement you will find such fantastic stories as that of the Revolution of Dwarves, when more than ten thousand people wearing orange gnome hats marched through the city of Wrocław. That was in 1988, a time when you did not have to do much more than that to get arrested- certainly carrying a leaflet that said 'Citizen, help the militia, beat your own self up' would not help your cause.

The Orange Alternative still exists today and still organises surrealist happenings meant to mock the absurdities which can stem from any system, and encourage independent thinking.

50/365:Word Canyon

50/365:Word Canyon, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

February 19th

In a room in the back of a little store selling religious items hides a fantastic bookstore...I brought home a Lexicon of Explorers, Paul Herrmann's "Zeigt Mir Adams Testament" or The Great Age of Discovery and Georges Blond's "Grands Navigateurs". I have too many books already, and no money at all, but honestly, who could resist?

19/365: This billboard is always empty.

19/365: This billboard is always empty., originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

January 19th

Always.

No interesting story today, this is all I've got. Sorry! :) Unless you count this photo of the same billboard in December 2008: