Rose
Rebeckas Holy Communion
June means Holy Communion for 6 - 7 year old children in Malta. I took these of beautiful Rebecka Hammenborn on a day that I am sure she will remember for the rest of her life.
Holy Vintage
Here are some of the Holy Communion photos taken of Rebecka processed with one of my favourite actions at the moment, vintage (thankyou again Maybe Mej!). When i learn how to i will post a link to the action, it's fantastic! I am falling in love with the 70s again - guess it reminds me of childhood - probably the reason for loving these washed out colours.
Bored kids?
Summer holidays in Malta are 3 months long... A very long time to keep kids entertained. And if you are like me, not too keen to constantly dump them in front of the TV or the computer, then it can feel even longer at times...
My kids go to sailing school twice a week, which is great, they love it. So that keeps them busy for 8 hours out of 168. What to do for the rest 160? Our main source of entertainment is obviously to swim, swim and then swim some more... So number 1 rule if you live in Malta is to teach your kids to swim! My record is having a 3 year old swimming away without floats. quite cool!
Yesterday I managed to keep them happy for hours with first letting them shower themselves and the dogs with the garden hose - they loved it! The whole yard was soaked but I managed to cook food while they looked like brazilian street kids.
I then peeled loads of fresh fruits, put it on cuttingboards and asked them to do fruitsallad. With VERY small pieces! They loved, it, kept them busy for another hour and afterwards we all had a yummie fruitsallad to eat. With ice cream.
My kids go to sailing school twice a week, which is great, they love it. So that keeps them busy for 8 hours out of 168. What to do for the rest 160? Our main source of entertainment is obviously to swim, swim and then swim some more... So number 1 rule if you live in Malta is to teach your kids to swim! My record is having a 3 year old swimming away without floats. quite cool!
Yesterday I managed to keep them happy for hours with first letting them shower themselves and the dogs with the garden hose - they loved it! The whole yard was soaked but I managed to cook food while they looked like brazilian street kids.
I then peeled loads of fresh fruits, put it on cuttingboards and asked them to do fruitsallad. With VERY small pieces! They loved, it, kept them busy for another hour and afterwards we all had a yummie fruitsallad to eat. With ice cream.
Reach out and touch me...
Malta is in full festa swing... Every village has one - a reason for the people of the village to go out, socialize, for local umpa-umpa-brass bands to play on the village square. It's all based on celebrating the patron saint of the village, and has been going on every summer for some 200 years. I like it - it's part of culture. But then again, I am hidden deep in Ghajn Tuffieha, an enclave too small to have a patron saint and am thus safe from being woken up by what sounds like canons being fired at 7 in the morning. The picture is from San Gwann, and in a way summarises Malta today. A society clinging onto a very traditional form of Catholicism but flooded by modern culture...
Malou
Kids are just the best models. This is 7 year old Malou, Linni's friend. She came to Ghajn Tuffieha for a sleepover and of course, with a face like this, she had to be photographed. But look at the pose, how relaxed. I could have kept going the whole day cause she was just kept fireing off one pose after the other...
Milla
Some things should always stay as they are... Like this little person...
Freeze the moment...
I love this photo. I was photographing a brother and sister, who then lived in Mosta, Malta. The boy was first a bit shy and his father picked him up and was rewarded with a tender hug. I was so happy for having my camera with me! Right place, right time...
I wish i could have aphoto of one my children putting their small arms around me and just giving me a hug, as a memory of the magic of having small kids. I hug them one million times a day, i try to catch them when they run pass me. But sometimes there is that amazing moment, when they just reach out, put their tiny arms around me and give me a hug. Like tonight: Milla couldn't sleep and when i for the umpteenth time went to put her back to bed, she put out her arms, hugged me tight and said goodnight. Ooooh magic!
out, out to sea
Finally! We made it! Trying for weeks to find a day to join Caroline and Richard on their fantastic catamaran, it actually happened! And what a day! This is the true reason to live in Malta: sun, sea, swim, great company, some wine, perfect way to relax!
We met C&R through this super girl: Alexandra. She is the one on the left. Maja is in the middle and Linni to the right.
Alexandra is Linni's BFF (Best Friend Forever) and C&R's daughter. This is their fantastic catamaran:
Well a part of it at least... the impressive Mast. It's called Tiluk (the boat, not the mast - as far as i know the mast has no name)
This is the guy who runs the boat, Mr Skipper Richard:
He sure does a great job skippering this beauty! We went to Salina, threw the ankar, and kids couldn't wait to get in (neither could I - water was amazing!)
At first they were a bit apprehensive, but it wasn't long before they did this:
... and this:
Kynan jumped with Milla from the roof too, but that scared me so didn't focus on taking pictures, but instead on whether Milla resurfaced... But got a photo of Kynan swimming with Linni instead:
The cat had rescue hatches inside, which were cool swimming destinations for the girls - they swam between the two hulls and looked like they were stuck in an aquarium.
On the way back, Richard had the patience to go back and forth around the breakwaters of Valletta harbour for me to create some stunning photos. Will show at later stage!
It was a great afternoon. Malta at its best! Hurra for my kids having such nice friends!
We met C&R through this super girl: Alexandra. She is the one on the left. Maja is in the middle and Linni to the right.
Alexandra is Linni's BFF (Best Friend Forever) and C&R's daughter. This is their fantastic catamaran:
Well a part of it at least... the impressive Mast. It's called Tiluk (the boat, not the mast - as far as i know the mast has no name)
This is the guy who runs the boat, Mr Skipper Richard:
He sure does a great job skippering this beauty! We went to Salina, threw the ankar, and kids couldn't wait to get in (neither could I - water was amazing!)
At first they were a bit apprehensive, but it wasn't long before they did this:
... and this:
Kynan jumped with Milla from the roof too, but that scared me so didn't focus on taking pictures, but instead on whether Milla resurfaced... But got a photo of Kynan swimming with Linni instead:
The cat had rescue hatches inside, which were cool swimming destinations for the girls - they swam between the two hulls and looked like they were stuck in an aquarium.
On the way back, Richard had the patience to go back and forth around the breakwaters of Valletta harbour for me to create some stunning photos. Will show at later stage!
It was a great afternoon. Malta at its best! Hurra for my kids having such nice friends!
beach babes
Soo hot at the moment... Me, Liz, Amanda - all with kids - went down to Golden Sands to swim. Was brave and took camera and zoom with me. Am struggling with my zoom - it's very very good but so heavy, i just cant hold it steady. Got Amanda and Serena to model, light was fab at 7 in the evening and all looked fantastic in the view finder. But going through pics back home, all but this one were out of focus. This one was super tho... Added my latest obsession action to it - vintage 60's - and think outcome great! But have to start doing pushups every day to build up enough musclepower to hold that zoom...
My sister
Rabbit hunting season (yeah right!)
Me and Linni decided to take the dogs out for one of our long walks:
We usually go up on the hill behind our house, up on the very top, were noone goes and we can let the dogs go, run free without any grumpy farmers getting upset by dogs running over their qarabali/tomato/lettuce or whatever they are growing field. Now that spring hunting is bannned in Malta this has been a really nice walk lately. But surprise, surprise: we forget the rabbit hunting season. Ergo we forgot about these guys:
I was completelly unaware that the Rabbit Hunting season existed... I guess the obsession of Maltese hunters to hunt has just made the whole spring look like one happy shooting bonanza, when you just have to take cover as soon as you come out in the countryside. But now, the hunters are clinging onto straws. To keep hunting the birdies, they put on their camouflage gear and take their huge guns and pretend to shoot bunnies. Bunnies are best shot at night, but that's just technicalities... Anyways: Tramp and Trisha went MAD! Dogs everywhere, invading THEIR territory! How dare they! All of a sudden we were surrounded by some 6 rabbit dogs, and to their great disgrace, T&T had to retreat... Luckily, we were just near a bird hunting outpost, were we decided to set up the frontier before no man land. Me and Linni went on to focus on doing what we both do best: me taking photos and Linni posing.
These hunting lodges are quite fascinating. The hunters are there to stay, and so make themselves comfortable. This one has some kind of control tower swivel chair firmly fixed to the ground. Like a small little merry-go-round...
The other chair, a standard Maltese government office admin chair, we used to tie up the dogs, so that they could still feel that if only given their freedom, they would go for the rabbit dog intruders....
All in all, a great outing! Dogs ran away on our way home, as they usually do. Linni tried to catch them, as she usually does...
We usually go up on the hill behind our house, up on the very top, were noone goes and we can let the dogs go, run free without any grumpy farmers getting upset by dogs running over their qarabali/tomato/lettuce or whatever they are growing field. Now that spring hunting is bannned in Malta this has been a really nice walk lately. But surprise, surprise: we forget the rabbit hunting season. Ergo we forgot about these guys:
I was completelly unaware that the Rabbit Hunting season existed... I guess the obsession of Maltese hunters to hunt has just made the whole spring look like one happy shooting bonanza, when you just have to take cover as soon as you come out in the countryside. But now, the hunters are clinging onto straws. To keep hunting the birdies, they put on their camouflage gear and take their huge guns and pretend to shoot bunnies. Bunnies are best shot at night, but that's just technicalities... Anyways: Tramp and Trisha went MAD! Dogs everywhere, invading THEIR territory! How dare they! All of a sudden we were surrounded by some 6 rabbit dogs, and to their great disgrace, T&T had to retreat... Luckily, we were just near a bird hunting outpost, were we decided to set up the frontier before no man land. Me and Linni went on to focus on doing what we both do best: me taking photos and Linni posing.
These hunting lodges are quite fascinating. The hunters are there to stay, and so make themselves comfortable. This one has some kind of control tower swivel chair firmly fixed to the ground. Like a small little merry-go-round...
The other chair, a standard Maltese government office admin chair, we used to tie up the dogs, so that they could still feel that if only given their freedom, they would go for the rabbit dog intruders....
All in all, a great outing! Dogs ran away on our way home, as they usually do. Linni tried to catch them, as she usually does...