07 February 2009

The Old Man and the Sack



Bent double and walking slowly, this old man enters the medieval village of Gorbio, a sack on his back. Scenes like this make our world of computers and iPhones seem remote yet Gorbio is only
a few kilometres from Monaco, where we can find as much consumerism as we want. One of the joys of living here is being able to experience both - the simple life and the more glamorous one.

________________


Today is Menton Daily Photo and Monte Carlo Daily Photo's 2nd Birthday. Two years in which I've learned so much, not least that I'll never use a normal handbag again. A camera bag has replaced it! Why doesn't someone make a pretty camera bag for the evening?

I'm so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world but it's photography that has taught me to really 'see' the beauty everywhere. What a gift! And it's been the best fun to try and share it with you.
  • Merci to Eric in Paris, who started it all and without whom this amazing City Daily Photo community wouldn't exist. I'm so proud to be part of it.
  • Merci to Demosthenes and Igor, who work so hard to keep us all up and running.
  • Merci to the many amazing photographers who inspire me every day and special thanks to one who answers my endless questions with so much patience and generosity!
  • Merci to friends who have visited (either in reality in Menton, or via the Internet) and for your kind, encouraging and knowledgeable comments.
Tomorrow we continue The Donkey Track to the Gorbio.

24 comments:

  1. Congratulations Jilly on your two years of blogging. I'm proud to be your first commenter today!

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  2. Now I hope your photo today isn't a metaphor for how you feel after two years of blogging LOL

    I'm most impressed by this scene. You're quite right, there's a world between that and the glitz and ritz of Monaco. It's good to be open to all aspects of life.

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  3. Yes, Jilly...a fine two years and a superb choice of image. This photo tells more stories than we could ever imagine....and it's a fine joke on the "camera lugging" theme.

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  4. This reminds me of my grandfather, when he was alive, in West Virginia. He put a grain feed sack over his shoulder and walked to the nearest town where he bought some staples and carried them home in the sack slung over his shoulder like your old man photos. Nice.

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  5. Well, there you go, Jilly. 'Roon will, with the swish of his wand, transform the sack into an evening camera bag. Jilly, only you could wish for such a thing!!

    Congratulations and best wishes for the coming year, Jilly. You take us along on some wondrous journeys whether sailing the Mediterranean, gate-crashing a wedding or trudging the Donkey Track.

    You certainly live in a world that straddles the ages as we in Australia can only dream (ing) of.

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  6. Well done on reaching the 2 year mark, if you are like me then there are ups and down with motivation and it is all the more challenging because you have the two daily photo blogs!

    The old man in the photo looks like he has been doing that a long time.

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  7. Jilly,
    Congratulations and thanks for your daily photo blog that is in fact daily. It was this blog that told us that Menton would be a great place to settle in for a month this past November.

    These donkey track photos are great reminders of the many hours Kay and I spent walking around Menton and the hill villages. And, since these are your photos, they also remind us of the coffee we drank together and the hike to the cemetary in Vieux Menton.

    Lowell and Kay

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  8. Congratulations on your anniversary! I have enjoyed your beautiful blogs so much and hope that someday I can visit this area in person.

    These photos today are outstanding. They are so timeless!

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  9. Congratulations and Happy 2nd Anniverary. Thankyou for bringing us all so much pleasure with your photos and commentaries. Hope we will meet again in September this year.

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  10. I hope your daily blog is not as heavy as this sack!
    Congratulations! And a great photo today, as usual.

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  11. Congratulations and happy 2nd birthday !!

    Arnaud :o)

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  12. Congratulations Jilly.
    Thanks to you, I'm one who has in
    reality visited over Christmas week
    the marvellous Menton,Gorbio,Castellar,Ste
    Agnes,Roquebrune,Monte Carlo and so on.........
    It has been a delight.
    I intend to come back there as soon as possible,maybe in May or
    October.
    Friendly.

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  13. That looks like a long, hard walk for him.

    Congrats on 2 years. I enjoy seeing your daily posts.

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  14. Happy, happy anniversary and many more. This is a fantastic photo,and I am pleased to see that places like Gorbio still exist.

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  15. Many congrats to you Jilly. Two years is quite an achievement. I only discovered you relatively recently but now you are one of my daily stops. Keep up the fantastic photography that shows us all the place you live so vividly.

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  16. Thanks so much for everyone for 2nd Anniversary wishes. Blogger friends and those I've met in reality. Great to hear from you. It seemed like it was my birthday, not the blog's birthday!

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  17. Congratulations Jilly for two years of steady publishing with two different blogs. Wow! Quite a feat. And thank you!! If anyone is up to the task of covering that very special area with all the due it deserves, you're the one....as demonstrated!
    Such as the poor man in today's post struggling along those worn paths....exceptional image, Jilly.
    Have you seen this man before on your walks, I wonder?

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  18. Thanks Jilly for your kind words.
    And Happy belated Birthday to Menton Daily Photo, to you given you're its artistic soul.

    Even if I don't leave a comment each time I visit you (you get so much to do with other City Daily Photo blogs'owners) I keep an eye on your beautiful pictures, I share them with my family, with nostalgia and pleasure. Each time. You keep us informed daily, to the city of heart.

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  19. Belated greeting on this blog too. To repeat myself congratulations and I don't know how you maintain all you do. This image for me is timeless.

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  20. I hope I'm not too late to get in on some blogoversary cake. Cheers to you, Jilly, who not only maintains daily photos of consistant excellence, but on TWO blogs. You are our super Jilly, more powerful than a DSLR battery, able to leap dogs and tourists to get the shot in a single bound, striving to bring us beauty and slices of daily life in the south of France way. Three cheers for you, and I hope you continue to enjoy bringing us these wonderful images everyday. It sounds like you've been influential in your viewer's decisions to visit. How cool!

    (And as to your request for a lovely camera bag, I have been working on one for myself and if it turns out well I'll create a pattern to share with you. For now I have found a lovely coat which the designer, unknowingly, created with ideal oversized pockets to carry spare lenses so I don't have to lug the bag if I know what I'm likely to be shooting.)

    Congrats!
    -Kim
    Seattle Daily Photo

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  21. A little behind so I'm reading your blog backwards today (Sunday). What a wonderful achievment! And you have learned so much!! This photo speaks volumes about life, doesn't it?

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  22. Wonderful photo and perfect for this anniversary.

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  23. avec un petit temps de retard, happy anniversaire pour tes deux daily blog, et je te souhaite une bonne continuité. Encore BRAVO et MERCI

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  24. Congrats on year 2 Jilly!! I know how much work goes into a photo blog...and know how much fun it is as well =)

    Congrats, congrats! Two years and still absolutely delighful! Here's to many, many more blogging days for you =)

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