Old creation given new life

You can't tell but the scene WAS taken one crazy morning in Szentes many moons ago . The apple(s) of course was added later by yours truly.

Story behind this post...
When Mandy requested from a bunch of us for a photo of apple, I remembered this and dug it out from my archive . Then she come up with this haiga which I simply love!

Mandy submited it to an interesting astropoetry project - Newton and the Striking Apple coordinated by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . This morning, I got news that our work (mainly Mandy's) have been published . Do visit the site, it's an eye opener (for me)

Many thanks to Mandy and Andrei for this opportunity!

Oh, here's wishing all a blessed new year !

Time goes by...

Christmas has come and gone, but I'm still digesting the delicious fish soup, stuffed cabbage , bejgli (a type of pastry) and assorted meat!

I trust that whereever you are you've enjoyed your holiday rest and time spent with family and friends as well.

In memory of a captain

If you don't have a dream, how can you make a dream come true?

- Griff Tedd (1928-2007)

I have not been inspired with new dreams for a long time. Perhaps it is due to the fact that my plans and dreams for the past years have been realising at very slow pace. It is frustrating!
Then on Saturday Dec 8th, we attended a tree planting ceremony in memory of Griff , where Mrs. Griff (Debbie) quoted the above during the ceremony. Thank you Griff for reminding me to keep dreaming and I know slowly but surely my dreams would come true.

It was a lovely ceremony attended by many locals and expatriates of Szentes. The tree was planted within the compound of the town's leisure pools. I think Griff would enjoy being near the river very much. We know Griff was involved in many interesting adventures in his lifetime.. but the most surprising was that we learned that Griff was actually playing the captain (his real profession) on one of ships in the BBC tv series The Onedine Line !

#369 - Petőfi Hotel - Update

Good news to those who haven't been inside the defunct hotel. Pendola (company managing the restoration project) decided to open the premises to the public on 29 November between 09:00 and 15:00. So, don't loose the opportunity.

You may bring along any photos about the ex-hotel on the mentioned date. It may be chosen to be exhibited on the day!

A press conference will also be held at 17.00pm before moving forward with the project.


source : szentes on-line portal

#368 - Congratulations to ...

Oct 20, 2007
... László Csaba and Anna Mikes (bronze medal holders for the Dance world cup) dance couple from Szentes made it to 8th place (out of 28) in Tokyo Ten dance world championship. This will enable the dance couple to qualify for the coming European world dance championship. Good luck!

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...Also, not forgetting the Szentes' Szilver Dance School for taking 6th position in the recent European Standard dance competition.

#367 - Storks collage

Storks have been a yearly subject of this blog. This time I'm posting photos taken over a few weeks period.

A second nest found before the entrance to the town centre...amazing!

Mama, feed me!

Earlier I reported that only one stork was sighted, but later I saw 3 baby storks emerged :)

Time to go again. See you next year!
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#366 - Getting started...

I was delighted to read an update on the restoration of the former Petőfi Hotel from the on-line portal. While returning to Szentes for a visit last weekend, I took the opportunity to snap this banner. The banner is to signify a new beginning, a co-operation between Pendola (the project company) and Szentes town on the work of restoration!
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What can we expect by the end of the restoration ...
1) A 4-star hotel with the usual restaurant & pub.
2) Turkish bath
3) Squash court
4) Gym
5) Childcare centre
6) Casino (sorry, cant say i agree with having this...but i guess it'll create more employments)
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Before the works begin in 2008, sadly we'll have to say good bye to the popular Petőfi café & confectionery, which is located at the same building. My partner's father will have to look for another café for his morning coffee and pool gatherings. Also, a furnishing shop will have to be relocated as well.
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Cheers, for a fresh beginning!

That's all for now..will keep updating here ;)
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#365 - I made it!!!

March 2006 I stumbled upon Kuala Lumpur DP and that's when I jumped into the wagon of daily photo blogging. Boy, did I underestimated the commitment required to be a member of this wonderful community.
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In the past 15 months, I eat, drink and sleep daily photo..some days better than others. It didn't matter now 'cos I made it! Can even proundly say that I learned so much about Szentes, more than my partner (who was born and bred in this town..ok, he was away for military school and collage). That's not all, I get to read so many interesting documents of different ways of life of your respective cities...oh, not forgetting, I also got to read some nice poetries(haiku) along the way:)
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With this, I'm ready to announce that I'll withdraw from daily posting and from the listing. So, today is my last day of posting for CDP. I'll still update this blog but more for my own reference. There are a few topics that I wish to continue to pursue, in relation to restoration works that I've been following.
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Thank you Eric! Thank you everyone for making this such a memorable experience!
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ps. I have made a flash gallery of some of my favourites below. Scroll down if you wish to see it. Clicking on the photo will lead you to the specific post.

#364 - Catch of the day 3

Hmmm..I enjoy doing this "catch of the day" series..keep things fresh!

Remember this building? After weeks of no advancement, its good to see someone working on it again today. Slowly but surely the office/retail block is taking shape as we saw more new brick walls went up. Fingers crossed I'll report the completion in say...2010 :D

#363 - catch of the day

Another one of those surprises. Usually we'd see horse carriages on and off but never a horse rider before. It happened so fast; I didn't have time to frame the shot nicely. Still am satisfied with the result especially seeing that smile from the rider :)

#362 - Lazing

Can't think of a better way then spending the weekend like this ;)

Like the title suggests, am pretty lazy these days. Visit your blogs in the morning..G'night!
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#361 - Paving art 2

Conitnuing on the subject of cobblestones ...

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I suspect the paving on Bálint Kiss street are of the new(er) kind. Perhaps it's been refurbished along side with some other buildings works on-going on this street; but who cares! I simply love the oldie charm that this material exudes.

By the way, the street is yet to be fully accessible for traffic.

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Okay, that's it! no more cobblestones, of course until I find the 3rd pavement..

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Some history of this street:-

In Bálint Kiss Street (formerly Templom Street), which starts from behind the church, has several protected buildings (no. 1-12). The classicist Calvinist Parsonage built in 1836 (no. 2) gave shelter to Mihály Vörösmarty (a great Hungarian poet) during the years of the absolutism. Bálint Kiss (1772-1853), a Calvinist parson, whose name the street bears, was a polyhistor and a naturalist of his age. {source}

#360 - Paving art

more swirlly when viewed larger
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Cobblestones found at Szöllősy Géza Square, don't you just love them?

#359 - Speciality

'Szentes paprika' a.k.a. white paprika is a special mild sweet paprika. It's mainly for stuffed paprika, which is a speciality of Hungary. They're also good as pickle, stuffed with white or red cabbage. Anyone tried that before? Personally, I prefer them raw in sandwiches because of the appetising aroma....this is making me hungry!

#358 - when dry on inspiration...

28/5/07 (23:51)
my creativity is runny low at the moment..so, am posting the moon above me tonight.
ps. am posting 2 posts at the same time. So do scroll down to see yesterday's post, thanks! :)
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#357 - catch of the day

besides getting our heart rates up, another reward from our daily stroll is capturing what's blooming at the sidewalks.

ps..i'm terribly late in posting, but better late than never, right?

#356 - Stork news

When nothing happens, storks become the news! At least in this blog :p
Where are the other 2 birds? Last year we had 3, but I've only noticed 1 bird thus far..Does that mean the stork's "workload" is not as busy this year? ooooh, not too good when we want to boost the population :)

Few more hours to Monday, you all have a good week!

#355 - Summer of 2007

Here's a feel of the summer to come. These girls are already creating memories. They'd still remember the time they spent at this spot. On the other hand, hopefully this wooden platform would still be around :) Do you remember your last summer?

Wish you a wonderful weekend!

ps. due to last min. changes to plan, am rushing again -_- read your comments and posts later!

#354 - Staring game

was standing outside the garage. A man not far away said loudly (i think to me) "Két bagoly van a fán! Innen jobban látszik! "

me : ??? *signs* me no speak Hungarian


moments later....oh, i SEE.



Seriously, whenever I look at the photo i want to laugh.

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Adorable, isn't it? Looks more like a stuffed toy though...

ps. Got to go, be back later

#353 - salute

In this heat, i just don't feel like doing anything (which explains my absence from Blogosphere). Was sitting somewhere shady yesterday waiting for someone, even then i was perspiring! During which I saw couple of guys jogged by..I salute them!

#352 - Red in Liget

Roses in bloom by the tennis court within the liget (li get =park)

sorry, am back dating due late post!!

#351 - Uniquely yours

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The ride is a hybrid of bike and car. Have you seen anything like it before?

In this heat, i think the shade serves as a great sun blocker. However, on the overall it's a little creepy especially with the splurge of animal fur. That's not all, if you think the front is slighty eccentric, wait til you see the back. ...sorry, just my opinion. Whatever it is, it made my day ;)

ps. reply to your comments later, thank u...

#350 - Resumé

Szentes' Engineering Battalion.
Specialise in road/bridge building and water purification.
Exprience in disaster relief, participated in NATO missions in Afghanistan, Serbia, Cypress, Africa, Iraq etc etc

Don't they look uber cool in they way their lining up? :o

#349 - Hidden beauty 2

After much googling, this wooden structure remains a mystery to me. Is it a granary or a barn? why is it in a middle of housing estate? (see wide angle to understand what i'm talking about)

The lower part of the structure was built of cement and as tall as I am (+/- 5'7"). So, I could only photograph the wooden ceiling to get a nice angle. I love the amazing wood design! Can you feel the strength of the works? Would be great to convert into some museum or any public facility. It's a pity that such a beauty is left with no one caring for it...

I know this is a lengthy post for relaxing sunday. Hope i didnt make you yawn . .Happy Sunday!

update 24/5/07
the barn was common storage for maize.
the structure is protected history property.

#348 - Coincidental abstract

sighted opposite Lidl supermarket today..
The blue rusty metal wall framed by window, almost like an abstract art..would you hang it in your living room?

Trust you're having a wonderful weekend!

#347 - Looking up

Our fehér ház (white house) is a six-storey block of flats! I learnt about the name recently and was scratching my head...where is the fehér (white)?Perhaps decades ago it was....

Anyway, in the morning I tried to find the most suitable angle but the building is just not photogenic (like me!). In the end, i just frame it as i did in my earlier post. So, this shot may seemed déjàvu to some of you.

#346 - Looking down

White house is of course in Washington DC.
White house in St.Paul, MN (Carol E)
these stairs will lead you to......White house (fehér ház) in Szentes, stay tune for tomorrow

#345 - Just another day for u and me

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Life, oh life
Oh life, oh.. life...
do do do do

She's not homeless, just scouring for some usable items..

#344 - ??

"Nonsense and beauty have close connections." — E. M. Forster

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I'm trying to interpret this composition. In fact, looking at it make no sense at all! I do find it somehow amusing. Firstly, was simply amazed at the amount of green present. Then there is this mini car camouflaging in this woodlands ..what a star addition! Hmmm..still doesn't make sense..all I can say is have a green day!

#343 - Life through rose tinted glass

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Every visit to the liget (li-get = park) we're sure to expect nature bringing us something new each week. Look at what we got as a gift for walking the distance :)

Obviously I've enchanced the photo with what I'd like to call the " see life through rose tinted glass" effect.. do you like it?

Have a positive week ahead, everyone!
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#342 - R & R

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Go fishing , picnic or simply be with your family..Happy Sunday!

#341 - Gaudi inspired?

Well, the building appeared slightly in curve, an illusion as a result of my panorama shots stitched together. However, see the wavy loggia? that is for real, making it one of the more funky buildings in town. It functions as an apartment cum retail block, where Venezia Pizzaria is located. After staring it for a while, am feeling kind of nausea :p Which is the funkiest building in your town/city? Do show-off , please.

My appologies for not replying to your comments yet 'cos have some errands to run today. Meanwhile, enjoy your weekend!

#340 - Sunset May 7

Have time for another silhouette?

The dome has been featured many times here, here, and here under different lights. Do click on the links to review the older posts.

As mentioned before, once construction is completed it will be restored as the longest nave in the country. I will be right here waiting to get inside..

#339 - One for the album

Finally I got my first rainbow shot for the archive! Another item off my wish list :) Next is to see the completion of that construction site (bottom left), it's been 3+ years with slow progress ; so, a change of view would be nice.
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#338 - 36 types of pizza to choose from

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Haven't had a meal at Venezia for a while now, simply because pizzas are not high on my craving list plus I prefer to make my own tiramisu . But the place is definitely worthy of a visit, especially since yesterday we discovered their very erős (spicy) pepperoni pizza, very satisfying for my personal tastebuds..for that I have an excuse to call for a delivery or visit them more often. So the question of the day - do you have a fave. pizza place?

Venezia Pizzéria
12-14, Szent Imre Herceg Street

oh, forgot to mention that the wonderful murals were commissioned by local art studio Holt pont. Also, my personal model asked to clarify that is not him in the photo but a customer ;)

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#337 - Human nature

Yesterday 07/05/07
These days I no longer care about the curious stare(s) I get when I squat or kneel when snapping my subjects..well, they just remain stares. This time from far away 2 kids saw my strange behaviour, they pulled their dad to where we were because the toddlers thought I was walking my tiny pet due to my squating position. They wanted to see what kind of pet I have :D . We told the father that I was just photographing the sky which he replied - "oh, interesting.." with a not-so-impressed face ..hahahaha .. such a day reminds me of the joy of doing DP!

FYI, the vibrant yellow new built on the far right is what most modern apartments look like .. what kind of trend is happening in your city/town?

#336 - Flowers' "job"

The photo documents a random street scene and reminded me of Abe's (Brookville DP) post on Life and death.

In the foreground is a long row of live flowers decorating the front office of a bank. They are free to grow and wilt according to nature's clock. They may possibily make some random passer- bys smile.

In contrast, the hive of activity you see in the background are road side flowers sellers doing breezy business on Mother's day (yesterday). These flowers may be restricted into vases in the end but they still give a smile to receipients..

whichever side you support, I wish you a great week ahead :)

#335 - Almost

View out the window last night, almost caught the lightening...

Wish u Happy Sunday, and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Farewell '07

Do you remember your highschool farewell? Mine was ermm.....ten plus years ago! And nothing as big-of-a-deal as how students celebrate here, which happens today.
Was out to get some perisable in the morning, the streets were buzzling with parents and relatives escoting their sons/daughters with bouquets in hand. You can tell how proud and what a happy day it was for them.

The photo - I think they are no year book, instead each graduating class designs a board which is displayed on shop windows around town. This is my fave design.

Much about nothing again

posting early

leaving home by 7.15am.
rain is expected
sandals stay

Made in the UK

In Szentes there are quite a number of retail shops that advertise their shop front with UK and/or German flags. If you don't mind out of season fashion and you want value for money quality clothing, then why not shop here?
But someone told me that the clothings /accessories are in fact 2nd hand..hmmm, well if it is in good condition, why not recycle it, right?

**Update
Gerald of Hyde DP raised an interesting issue on 2nd-hand clothing. Read it in the comment box to find out more.

Thank you

click on thumbnails to enlarge photo

A big Thank You to all performers who entertained us through out the May day celebrations (Apr29-May1)! We had special concert from various musicians/artists including brass band from Katowice, Poland. Our very own brass band gave me goose bumps (the good kind) ..can't explain why? I just feel proud seeing them marching down the main street on lantern night playing wonderful tunes. Not forgetting, I salute my belly dancing mates for enduring the chilly evening weather, performing a wonderful 30mins. routine for all of us :)

DP Theme day : City Exchange

City exchange *brain storming*light bulb*... let's do Szentes' sister cities/town, fantastic!

Will just focus on one city which is Markgröningen(Germany) . Obviously I haven't been to the area but would really love to see the place for myself because...
am curious of what happens at a Shepherd's Race (a tradition since 1445)!
If I'm there for the race, I could attend their international music festival. Of course, the great attraction for me is their gorgeous architecture such as the one shown above. Can't wait!

FYI, our sister cities/towns incl :-
Bácskatopolya (Yugoslavia), Bunol (Spain), Markgröningen (Germany), Dubravuta-Újszentes (Romania), Sankt Augustin (Germany), Hof Ashqelon (Israel), Kaarina (Finland), Skierniewice (Poland)

See others city exchange (coding copied from Hyde Daily Photo)
1 Sydney's Sally visits Kurnell ~~ 2 Singapore's Zannie posts flowers ~~ 3 Tokyo travels in time ~~ 4 Shanghai hides a secret ~~ 5 Kyoto has visitors ~~ 6 Evry thinks New York ~~ 7 Keropok Man brings Sydney to Singapore ~~ 8 Grenoble visits Bilbao ~~ 9 Nelson displays Budapest ~~ 10 Dubai goes to New York ~~ 11 Kuala Lumpur goes to Penang ~~ 12 Melbourne thinks Brighton ~~ 13 Joensuu goes back in time ~~ 14 Paris goes to San Francisco ~~ 15 Stavanger thinks Mississippi ~~ 16 Sharon hails NYC ~~ 17 Tuzla seems all at sea ~~ 18 Budapest displays Nelson ~~ 19 Bastia goes to London ~~ 20 Szentes twins with Markgröningen ~~ 21 Newcastle upon Tyne thinks New York ~~ 22 Kitakami goes to Fereriwo ~~ 23 Jakarta has a statue ~~ 24 Anderson goes to Americus ~~ 25 Tenerife thinks Venezuela ~~ 26 Bath is in New York ~~ 27 Torino thinks Beijing ~~ 28 Stayton goes to Portland ~~ 29 Montréal goes to Köln & Lyon ~~ 30 Naples, Florida thinks South of France ~~ 31 Carol is lost in St Paul ~~ 32 Buenos Aires posts a question ~~ 33 Mazatlan thinks Middle East ~~ 34 Kate is home in St Paul ~~ 35 Seoul goes to Inchen ~~ 36 Boston goes to Granada ~~ 37 New York's Ming is in Europe ~~ 38 Wellington thinks of Hiroshima ~~ 39 Villigen thinks Texas ~~ 40 Phoenix goes to Santa Fe ~~ 41 Greenville thinks Rome ~~ 42 Los Angeles thinks Asia ~~ 43 Hamburg goes to Paris ~~ 44 Sydney's Nathalie returns to Paris ~~ 45 Albuquerque goes to Holbrooke ~~ 46 Hyde goes to Reykjavik ~~ 47 Arradon goes cycling ~~ 48 Baziège goes camping ~~ 49 San Diego thinks Barcelona ~~ 50 Mainz doesn't need to go anywhere ~~ 51 Nottingham goes to Sydney ~~ 52 Tel Aviv goes to Ceaserea ~~ 53 Seattle's Kim thinks Paris ~~ 54 Stockholm thinks Scotland ~~ 55 Honolulu thinks Mexico ~~ 56 Rome thinks New York ~~ 57 Lyon thinks Venice ~~ 58 Hong Kong goes to Vancouver ~~ 59 Cape Town goes to Dinan ~~ 60 Auckland goes to Wellington ~~ 61 Brookeville is at a museum ~~ 62 Manila's Anne shows skyscrapers ~~ 63 Toruń goes to Ostróda ~~ 64 Cork goes to Denton, Texas ~~ 65 Moscow thinks London ~~ 66 Joplin goes to Stuttgart ~~ 67 Asheville thinks London ~~68 Madrid goes to Slovenia ~~ 69 Oulu posts a balcony ~~ 70 Baton Rouge thinks France ~~ 71 Selma, Alabama thinks Mexico ~~ 72 Manila's Pusa goes to Subic ~~ 73 Wailea has joined a circus ~~ 74 Adelaide goes to Pisa ~~ 75 Cheltenham goes to Tetbury ~~ 76 St Louis thinks Ireland ~~ 77 Madison's Chris thinks Thailand ~~ 78 Vantaa thinks Helsinki ~~ 79 Bucaramanga goes to Paris ~~ 80 Sequim's Lavendar Lady has been and come back ~~ 81 Vancouver thinks England ~~ 82 Monte Carlo goes to Platja d'Aro ~~ 83 Menton goes to New York ~~ 84 Cypress goes to Spring ~~ 85 Monmouth County goes to Poughkeepsie & Louisburg ~~ 86 Ocean Township goes to New York ~~ 87 Seattle's Susan goes to San Diego ~~ 88 Truxillo goes to San Salvador ~~ 89 Chandler thinks Tuscany ~~ 90 Luxembourg goes to Berlin ~~ 91 Miama visits the Everglades ~~ 92 London goes to Dublin ~~ 93 Selma, NC goes to Fayetteville ~~ 94 Jerusalem goes to Nyanga ~~ 95 Belfast goes to Paris ~~ 96 Hayle goes to Lourdes ~~ 97 Ioannina thinks Spain ~~ 98 Saarbrücken thinks Ireland then goes to Calpe, Spain ~~ 99 Lubbock goes to Glasgow ~~ 100 Omaha goes to Antigua