New Signs on Early Spring

An independent sign posted by a resident in the park few weeks ago. 

Birds don't die because of cold but because of hunger. 

Feed them!

Another independent sign along my way to work.

Sobriety is the choice if the STRONG ones.

A new parking toll has been seen around the city lately. Drivers can pay by themselves through this automated machine. There are also cameras around so if you parked and didn't pay, they'll be able to track your car's license number.

And another sign which shows how many parking spaces are available in which nearby place.

Hopefully these will solve the long going parking-towing problem in the city.

At the bus stop with dome interesting social ad. There are more of them but I 'll have to get off at every stop to make picture of them. Hopefully I 'll be able to fo it as it gets warmer.

It doesn't  matter?

A family of two will rent a rubbish bin. We guarantee cleanliness.

Rubbish have home too.

Interesting, isn't  it? I like the idea. Whoever created it - you're  awesome! :)

Linking with:

Our World Tuesday

WATW

signs,signs

Grey Shades of Winter

No, this picture isn't black & white nor does it have sepia effect. It is a usual colored (if I can colored in this case) picture.

This park is nice in summer and very beautiful in fall but unfortunately it does  not have the best view in winter. Dirty snow on the sidewalks start appearing. Dirty because they use salt and sand together to spread on the roads and pathwalks.

But as they say, "we see what we want to see". The grey sky and gloomy view didn't  spoil my day. I found some funny things in the park.

A smilry on the tree, a snowman whose maker couldn't decide where to put the eyes and nose snd these funny hands which were burried in the snow. They're  more noticeable in winter. I tried making picture of them last summer but it didn't  look interesting. 

I  also saw "salo" hanged for the birds. They also need fat and protien especially at this time.

If birds are fed, people have to be too. If you get cold but don't  want to leave the park yet, you can grab a hot drink from this mobile coffee. 

It's a great idea I think. If there is no vendo machine, you have this. I've seen few of them in different areas. One close to tge university, here in the park and outside the metro station. They're owned by young smalltime businessmen or students. It's a good start and a good way to earn money. 

Linking with:

Scenic Weekends

Memorial

Memorial for those who died during the civil war while establishing the Soviet State.

Some graves of prominent people in some 1800s-1900s. 

One's a poet, a playwright, a musician. 

There are more of them burried under the snow at the moment so I wasn't  able to make picture.

This graveyard is located in a small part of a big park in the city. It was there even before th park was improved.

Linking with:

Inspired Sunday

Blizzard after Thaw

The spring is on it's  way, yes, but yesterday there was once again a blizzard followed with a temperature below 10. Weekend was as warm as 0 degree. It jumps and drops that high or low. Older people suffer much at this point in time as pressure drops and rises, their blood pressure does too. I am suffering from either lack of sleep or so much sleepiness. It all ends up to a bad headache.

These pictures were from the Victory Park. It's one of my favorite places (when there're not too many people around). It's  quiet and it has a certain atmosphere. An atmosphere which leads you to Russian history. Sad, heartbreaking but very meaningful and thought-provoking.

These planes are some of those which were used during the WWII. "The Great Patriotic War" as it is called in the country.

They are just there lying on a wide square accessible to people. People can touch them, kids climb on them in summer.

There were many, I mean Many different kinds of tanks too. If you don't  pay much attention at them, you'll think a tank is a tank and that they all look the same. In fact no, there are several types and each has it's  special features-strength and peculiarity. There was one time when in the news, one of the tanks was found on the street outside the square at midnight. Some youngsters, hooligans or not, were having fun and decided to see whether they still could make them move. And they saw. They were also arrested after that. That is why now, there's  a cobstruction going on and I  couldn't  have any picture of them. I will in summer.

Once again, the once clearing view is blanketed with snow and snow continues today.

Other happenings around the world on the links below:

Our World Tuesday

WATW

Frosty Morning

Look what we've got - INYEI. Frost in other words. We're having few signs of spring lately. The temperature fluctuates crazily like a plane having difficulty landing. It's always like that when the season's about to change. The same thing happens before fall.

After frigid freezing cold days, the temperature suddenly rose to only -5 to -8. The ice and snow then slowly melted last weekend. That's  the time when snow becomes a "porridge", that's  how people call it here. It's the time when I can hardly walk straight for the snow is that thick and there's ice under. I describe it as someone's  dragging my feet back. It's easy in the downtown because pavements are always cleared from snow and ice. But there are some areas where nobody really cares to clean. For example near some shops but the area is no longer within the territory of the shop. The area between the residence and the main roads. It's  funny to notice how they limit their work strictly within their "jurisdiction". So if you happen to pass through these gaps, then you'll happily walk like you're crushing grapes for wine. It's a good legs exercise :).

After thawing a bit, temperature dropped to -18 again which resulted to this beautiful wonderland. I love it when it happens. Everybody's feeling good. People are pleasant and kinder :) Who doesn't  feel good waking up to magical morning, right?

Click to see what's happening in the other parts of the world.
Our World Tuesday

Sweeping Cold

Maybe in other parts of the world have already seen signs of spring. 

We are still definitely far from thawing. After a cold week of temperature not higher than -20 degrees celcius, we were recently swept with a strong blizzard sweeping snow into the air leaving parks with thick snow looking like a whipped cream or blown up powder.

Kremlovskaya street during the blizzard.

It was later then followed with ice rain that left icicles hanging on leaves.

  

It was a beautiful weather eventhough it was difficult. Maybe it is changing slowly by now. Maybe, but I 'm just fine even if it stays a bit more. 

I have a feeling that I 've learned to like the cold, or maybe I just just haven't  had enough of it this year. Also, it maybe that I know that the whole February is still winter so I  don't  expect it to thaw. 

I remember last year how I was begging for warmth and sun in March. I thought I couldn't  live longer in that cold but hey I survived it. I remember after my first winter, I  almost cried on the first day I felt the warmth of the sun on my head, on my face. I still remember the moment very well. I felt I went to a different world without a sun, without colors but white. I mean you could see it on the sky but you never felt it. I even had a feeling that people were just physically walking, talking, working but it all seemed to me that they weren't  totally there. Maybe they were hibernating on the inside and were just mechanically functioning. Everybody was quietly busy doing their things.

This is my 4th winter. First one was exciting and worrying. I was very worried that I'd get frozen like ice outside :) well, I was very naive of cold then. Second was enjoyable. That time I already learned to like it. Third time was full of complains. I think excitement faded. This year, I think, I naturally have accepted it as part of life. One thing I  have noticed, I haven't  complained (yet maybe) :)

Honestly speaking, if one day I have to leave Russia, I'll miss winter for sure.

To see what's  up in the other parts of the world, please click the links below.

Our World Tuesday

WATW

White Nature

White is beautiful. 

Winter is another showcase of nature's beauty. Most of the time I see beauty in colors. Very often I consider white as plain. Somehing that is associated with neatness but not with beauty. 

Nature has shown me the real beauty white color brings. It is something more than just indescribable. It is unfathomable. 

When I see the brilliance of white snow in a vast space, I feel humbled. This feeling is the same feeling when I sit by the shore and watch the vastness of the ocean.

Birch tree became my favorite since the first time I've  seen it. It looks gorgeous in snow. Very beautiful.

Christmas trees decorated with snow all throughout wintertine is another love for me.

The woods and the frozen river are two other sights which leaves me in awe whenever I stand before them.

I love witnessing the transformations brought about by seasons. It's  magical. It's where I recharge my energy.

Reconnect with Nature

Scenic Weekends

Love Locks

Finally after many days of cold and grey, the sun showed up, blue sky appeared and the temperature rised a bit. Minus ten is the norm of Russian winter (at least on our part). If it's  above that, they say it's  warm (warmer winter) If it's -20 or -30, they say it's  cold. So today's cold but sunny. One cold beautiful day.

One thing I really like seeing when it's crispy cold is the thick smoke coming out from the exhaust pipes of boiler houses. They are more visible and more like solid when it's  really cold.

Streetcleaners finally managed to crack the ice on the paths and made it easier for people to walk. Blocks of ice are seen dumped on the sides. 

So there is this popular bridge in Uritskii park where newly weds put a lock on. Usually they come on wedding dresses, pops champagne, put the lock then throw the keys to the water. Now there's  none of course. 

There are various kinds of locks, in different colors and sizes. Speaking about sizes, those two extra large locks are I guess some kind of a new trend. I haven't  seen them before. Well that's  pretty huge :)

But apparently, the locks aren't  just locks for marriages which supposed to symbolize their love locked for each other, there's  one lock which says... as you see in the photo.  

Now, I  wonder what their lock symbolizes. 

Linked with:

Wednesday Around the World