Lawn mowing in the backyard territory

27 January, 2016 | Home Remodeling | 9 seen

If you have been following home remodeling series on my blog you might tell I'm starting to repeat - another article on lawn mowing? Yes, another article on that. 

After trying mowing grass with a scythe I just understood how hard it actually is and started to look for some more serious tools, and then trimmer replaced scythe. Just after some month I realized the grass is back, and I was left with no option as to loan a trimmer again, this time a petrol Stiga trimmer from a good friend.

Grown grass at the backyard

Its hard to call it a lawn yet, it is actually a ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria)

Aegopodium podagraria L. commonly called ground elder, herb gerard, bishop's weed, goutweed, gout wort, and snow-in-the-mountain, and sometimes called English masterwort, and wild masterwort, is a perennial plant in the carrot family (Apiaceae) that grows in shady places. The name "ground elder" comes from the superficial similarity of its leaves and flowers to those of elder (Sambucus), which is unrelated. It is the type species…

Kidobani Trading center in Tbilisi

26 January, 2016 | Shopping Venues | 92 seen

When something from your home appliance or electronics are broke and you think you could fix it by your own - Kidobani trading center in Tbilisi is a great place to find those small details you are looking for.

Kidobani trading center is located between Tbilisi Railway station and Dinamo arena, next to the Dezerteer Bazaar.

I have bought here replacement battery for a laptop, twice a tap nozzle and some plumbing insulation. I have bought here screwdrivers, screws, pliers and many other... also we bought here two mountain bikes at the end of 2013. Read more: First Ride.

Recently I headed here just for another tap nozzle (got if for 7 GEL) and decided - Kidobani trading center is worth to mention in my Living in Georgia post series.

• Read more:Shopping in Tbilisi

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Kidobani trading center in Tbilisi

A lot of cool gadgets at Kidobani 

Plumbers paradise at Kidobani

Electronics at Kidobani

Park between Dinamo arena (stadium) and Kidobani market

Postcards from Jvari Monastery

25 January, 2016 | | 5 seen

Postcards from... are actually a really cool photo project some can run, after submitting postcards from Tbilisi and postcards from Sighnaghi (both are located in wonderful Caucasian Republic of Georgia) I realized - postcards from.. are going to be more often featured on Piece of Life series photo posts. 

In today's article - let me share some postcards from Jvari monastery (again, Republic of Georgia)

Postcard from Jvari monastery

Jvari Monastery stands on the rocky mountaintop at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, overlooking the town of Mtskheta, which was formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Iberia. Read my article about Jvari monastery

Jvari monastery

Mtkari and Aragvi river delta's at Mtskheta

Mtkari and Aragvi river delta's at Mtskheta

Tbilisi - Fairyland in Winter

24 January, 2016 | | 25 seen

It was an early morning at the end of January when my better part awakened me and told me - hey, it's snowing - it's time to make those lovely and socially sharable Tbilisi winter photos!

That's exactly we actually did - after some five minutes the coffee was served, and 10 minutes later we were already on street catching a taxi. I was so excited of seeing a snow (again, after some 3 weeks, previously I seen it back in Italy, when we did a week long trip there, and prior to that - in Gudauri, during Christmas time). I asked to the taxi driver - how is "snow" in Georgian? He replied - "Tovlis". Now, I know one more word in Georgian language.

Tbilisi Old Town with Narikala Fortress atop of it

The church in front of you is actually Armenian Orthodox church named Cathedral of Saint George, which just recently has been renovated and opened for public. (Armenian churches in Georgia are suffering a lot, read my travel notes of some abandoned Armenian church in Tbilisi - Abandoned Armenian Church in Tbilisi (Surb Nshan / St. Nikoghayos)

 Anyway we entered this church and I made…

Postcards From Sighnaghi

24 January, 2016 | | 10 seen

Signhaghi (Region of Kakheti, Republic of Georgia) has always been a special place for us to visit. Probably because it's pretty far away from nations capital Tbilisi, we have been heading rarely, but every visit here has been spectacular at least. 

• Learn more about my Travel guide to Signagi

View to Sighnaghi town

The town and its environs are also known for their landscapes and historical monuments. Sighnaghi has recently undergone a fundamental reconstruction program and has become an important center of Georgia's tourist industry.

Panorama of Sighnaghi town

Ruins in Sighnaghi

Still evening before Christmas in Sighnaghi

Georgian Orthodox church in Sighnaghi

Bodbe Monastery

23 January, 2016 | Churches and Monasteries | 190 seen

The Monastery of St. Nino at Bodbe is a Georgian Orthodox monastic complex and the seat of the Bishops of Bodbe located 2 km from the town of Sighnaghi, Kakheti, Georgia. Originally built in the 9th century, it has been significantly remodeled, especially in the 17th century.

The monastery now functions as a nunnery and is one of the major pilgrimage sites in Georgia, due to its association with St. Nino, the 4th-century female evangelist of Georgians, whose relics are shrined there.

When traveling to Signagi in the region of Kakheti you will most probably be taken to the Bodbe monastery located some 3 km from the city. I first visited this monastery complex back in 2011 and huge was my surprise when I visited this place again a few years latter and noticed a completely new cathedral being built. Georgia never ends to surprise!

Bodbe monastery complex near Sighnaghi

The church tower is so huge, that I couldn't fit it into 18mm lens photography (I believe it's a good reason to invest in a wide angle lens)

The extant church – a three-nave basilica with three protruding apses – was originally…

Albergo Celide Hotel Review in Lucca, Italy

22 January, 2016 | Hotel reviews | 11 seen

Albergo Celide is a four star hotel located in Lucca, Italy, we stayed here overnight at the end of 2015, although this is a four star hotel, speaking of staff members I can call it barely one star hotel. 

Probably arriving to this hotel requests that you arrive in a suite or evening gown, since we arrived here from Milan after some 5 hour drive and were in our casual clothes staff members probably thought that we are some misunderstanding for their precious place.

Our booking included a visit to hotels center, we asked what, when and how - I was told that they will send me info to e-mail. I asked, so should I go back to my hotel room and check for an e-mail instead to speak directly to staff members? Then some lady from Spa center come and told how tired she is and she wants to go home, so let us better not use their precious SPA center. I ironically answered, that I'm tired as well and would love to go home as well, but since I cannot do this right know - I booked a four star hotel with Spa center to have a relax. Lady seemed confused, but we got our spa. Yes, pretty strange attitude from staff.…

Tortuga Snack Bar in Portofino, Italy

21 January, 2016 | Restaurant reviews | 19 seen

In today's restaurant reviews series I would like to mention some small but very stylish snack bar in Portofino, Italy - Tortuga Snack Bar

We made a stop in lovely Italian Riviera village of Portofino at the end of 2015, this place inspired me a lot and I made a few HDR photography here. Tortuga Snack bar we made a short stop to enjoy delicious Italian cappuccino, and with the permit from bar staff members I was allowed to make some interior photos as well.

Tortuga snack bar in Portofino, Italy

This place offers spectacular view to boat decks

Tortuga Snack bar

Lovely interior at Tortuga Snack bar

Outdoor tables at Tortuga snack bar

Tortuga snack bar in Portofino, Italy

Common Stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus)

20 January, 2016 | DIY | 88 seen

Let me introduce you with a really interesting fungus (mushroom) you can find across deep forests in  Europe and North America - Common Stinkhorn, also known by its Latin name - Phallus impudicus.

At the end of this post you will learn how you can prepare a medicine out of this fungus!

Phallus impudicus

Phallus impudicus, known colloquially as the common stinkhorn, is a widespread fungus recognizable for its foul odor and itsphallic shape when mature, the latter feature giving rise to several names in 17th-century England. It is a common mushroom in Europe and western North America, where it occurs in habitats rich in wood debris such as forests and mulched gardens. It appears from summer to late autumn. The fruiting structure is tall and white with a slimy, dark olive colored conical head. Known as the gleba, this material contains the spores, and is transported by insects which are attracted by the odor—described as resembling carrion. Despite its foul smell, it is not poisonous and immature mushrooms are consumed in parts of France and Germany.

…

Summer in Latvia

19 January, 2016 | | 6 seen

Ask me - what does Latvia associates to me - and I will answer -  haystacks and mild Summer nights. Unfortunately last summer (2015) I didn't find any haystack in Latvia at all (instead they are using hay rolls), but I did enjoyed some wanderings in cornfields (and, yes, they are great for photography)

In today's Piece of Life photo project series - allow me to introduce you - Latvia in Summer. 

Margret

Cornfield in Latvia

Ancient trees alley

Cornflower field in Latvia

Cornfield

Cornfield

P117 - Skrunda - Aizpute road

Hay roll

Freshly cut hay

The Future of Laptops: What to Expect in the Next 5 Years

18 January, 2016 | Laptop Reviews | 75 seen

Laptops have come a long way since their introduction in the early 1980s. The modern laptop is now thinner, lighter, and more powerful than ever before.

In the next 5 years, we can expect to see some significant changes in the design and functionality of laptops. Here are some of the top trends and innovations to watch out for in the future of laptops.

Portofino - picturesque harbor village in Italian Riviera

18 January, 2016 | Tourism objects | 19 seen

Portofino is an Italian fishing village and vacation resort famous for its picturesque harbor and historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. I paid a short, but very remarkable visit here at the end of 2015, during a short 7 day trip around Italy.

We arrived to Portofino from Genoa (Read my first impressions: A Little Bit From Italian Riviera (Somewhere Around Genoa)

Portofino - Italian fishing village

According to Pliny the Elder, Portofino was founded by the Romans and named Portus Delphini, or Port of the Dolphin, because of the large number of dolphins that inhabited the Tigullian Gulf.

Portofino bay in Italy

I felt so impressed with all those colors, that I just couldn't resist and made a lot of HDR images here. Learn more: Digital photography school

Fisherman at Portofino bay in Italy

Narrow streets in Portofino

The biggest issue in those small Italian villages are parking space, we were lucky enough that we found a parking lot with enough space to place our Volkswagen Polo, but in fact - when…

Fixing holes in the floor with plaster mixture + second layer of paint

17 January, 2016 | Home Remodeling | 30 seen

Welcome back to the home remodeling series, in today's article I'll show how I patched a holes in a hard wood floor using ... a plaster mixture.

But before that, please take a look on More Paint Job - Base layer for Kitchen's Floor and How to Patch and Plaster in your old Rural house

After I painted first base layer of paint I noticed that wooden floor is in really bad condition and it has a huge holes on it, since we were not into a complete renovation, rather into a quick paint job to look this place more livable, I decided to go with the same plaster mixture I applied on walls.

Fresh paint and huge holes in the floor

Plaster mixture applied

Another layer of paint applied (on second day)

If you are new to my home remodeling series - take a look how it all started.

A Little Bit From Italian Riviera (Somewhere Around Genoa)

16 January, 2016 | Travel guides | 7 seen

Just shortly we landed at Milan/Malpensa airport and stayed at lovely Holiday Inn Express hotel, in the next morning we started to head to Genoa. Unfortunately I did not paid much attention to all the small town lets located next to the sea, and know by writting these lines I wonder what names does actually these lovely places bear. 

The fun fact - we stopped in Genoa for just 5 minutes (and we even didn't know back then that we are actually in Genoa. But hey we got some amazing pictures here. All I can recall now , we did a driving from Milan to Lucca (we left Milan in the morning, and arrived to Lucca in the evening). I can draw parallels of this drive with our Roses to Cadaques drive in Spain (at the end of 2014)

Canon at Italian Riviera 

It was a cool 5 minute stop in Genoa in a small square next to the sea  to make some great pictures.

Boats in Italian Riviera

I felt blessed because of this short stop here - I found finally inspiration for my photography.

Genoa

Our Volkswagen Polo parked next to Puppo hotel in Genoa

After this short stop here we…

December 2015 Blog Traffic And Income Report 43,941 Users / $ 1,524.09

15 January, 2016 | Blogging | 36 seen

Welcome to the #24 traffic and income report covering blog traffic and earnings/expenses for December 2015.

#24 means just one - It marks two year anniversary since I started to share with public my online earnings/ expenses. Wow, two years are a lot actually. You might wonder why should me revealing  my traffic and earnings for the past two years already? The reason for publishing such reports and revealing secrets beyond the scenes are simple - they help me track my success or failures and hopefully can generate some ideas for you as well.

Past December came with almost - 20% traffic dip if compared to November, and resulted in 43,941 unique users visiting my blog. Deep in my heart I was hoping to break a 60,000 user milestone this month after great traffic expansion in November, but that didn't happened.

Blog traffic December 2015. Data source: Google Analytics

• 43,941 users are a - 19.29% dip if compared to previous month
• It is a drop of -10,505 users
• 43,941 users in a month is about 1,464 daily users