Une Belle Existence

// Sunday // . 🎼 Little Dragon // After the rain . I've never loved winter. I mean, I've always accepted it as something necessary, as something natural, but I've never embraced it. I don't like being cold. I don't like waking up when it's still dark outside, or how early the sun sets. I don't like having to wear many layers of clothing - I feel restricted. I miss feeling the warmth of the sun on my bare skin. And yet, I've always envied those who get to experience a white Christmas every year. There's something about the cold that brings people together, something far different to the way the warmth of summer does, and I love that. . Recently I've started truly embracing winter. (I think having lived in Paris has a lot to do with that). I've changed the way I think about it, and thus the way I feel about it. Before, I'd never contemplate going for a walk in the rain, or going to the park in winter, or even the beach. And now I think "Why not? I have clothes that keep me warm, and an umbrella to keep me (mostly) dry, so why not?". . Since seeing winter in this new light, and the more I open myself up to it, the more beautiful it becomes. I feel lucky to be here experiencing a proper Cape Town winter. You know, the ones where the wind howls wildly and violently, sometimes blowing so strong you struggle to walk against it. Or when the skies combat the seas and they boil up and spill over the barriers in massive white waves frothing with foam. Or when the rain is violently blown into your face and eyes and the wind ungracefully turns your umbrella inside-out. . I love the way the sky clears after a big storm, leaving reflections of golden clouds on the cold wet tar. I love feeling the contrast of the cutting cold air against the blazing warmth of a fireplace. I love feeling the power of nature, it makes me feel alive. . I've never truly loved winter, not until now. . . . . . . . . . . . . . #hellowinter #winterthoughts #embracethecold #winterisbeautiful (at Cape Town, Western Cape)

What dreams may come? . . . For the past year and a half, there's not been one night where I haven't experienced at least one very vivid (often quite bizarre) dream. On average, though, I'll have 2 (sometimes even 3) a night, and usually wake up at the tail end of my last dream in the morning. I can't remember the last time I've had a proper nightmare, but because my dreams are usually so strange in nature, I wake up feeling quite tired. The dreams are so vivid that they stay with me throughout the day. I'm often told I should be writing them down, but honestly it's just not practical for me for me to do so. I try write down what I can remember, but so many details are lost. I wonder, what really is the significance of our dreams? . . . . . . . . . . . . #whatdreamsmaycome (at Planet Earth)

I see you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #paris #autumn #autumninparis #lautomne #lautomneaparis #parisphoto #artphoto #naturephotography #naturevsman #parisianrooftops #parislife #voyeur (at Jardin des Plantes)

Conversations. . . Paris, Autumn 2016. . . . . . . . . . . . . . #conversations #relationships #naturephotography #autumn #Paris #thesecretlifeoftrees (at Jardin du Luxembourg)

Could stare at you for hours . . . . . . . . . . . #myobsessivenature #sunsetcliche #gameoftones (at Danabaai, Western Cape, South Africa)

Sea me (at Cape Town, Western Cape)

Sea me (at Cape Town, Western Cape)

Visual ecstasy, no? . . . . . . . . . . . . . #thelifeandtimesofahsp (at Mouille Point Promenade)

When Aphrodite has Turkish Delight for breakfast 🌸 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #morningview #luckyme #pinkskies (at Cape Town, Western Cape)

Comme un morceau de moi est manquant. C'est parce que tu me manques ✨ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #tellement #tumemanques #paris🇫🇷 #missyou (at Place de la Bastille - Paris)

Paranormal Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #paris #parisinteriors #parisianinterior #bookstagram #blackandwhitephoto #vscoparis #thisisparis #parisjetaime #parismonamour #parismaville #parisienne #parisfrance #paris🇫🇷 #paris_maville #parisblogger (at Paris, France)