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Playful light, dart through;
chase shadows around corners
’till dark is no more.
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More Light at Ailsa’s Where’s my backpack?
Perhaps you’d like to take a look at my Six Word Story Challenge: Light of two weeks ago?
Inspire curiosity with your photography of culture, is Aaron Joel Santos‘ assignment this week. And here is my take on Portuguese culture:
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This characteristic church near Óbidos is a beautiful and cultural part of Portugal, but to me culture is about people!
~ Relaxing, taking it easy… but always together in twos and threes.
~ A typical Portuguese snack stand, with nuts, seeds, corn and bananas, plus sweetness.
~ Bent after a full life of work, but still active and participating in black and hard-earned wrinkles. Beautiful!
~A stately gentleman in holiday suit, still safe from the busloads of tourists who will soon arrive.
In the header the food these hospitable people always provide for hungry travelers. We keep coming back to taste and feel Portugal. Bits and pieces of my heart can be found everywhere…
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Thank you, Aaron Joel Santos, for providing us with this Cultural Photo Challenge!
My entry in the 6WSC, theme music:
~ WHEN TONES RESONATE, LANGUAGE IS SUPERFLUOUS ~
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Join the challenge for Six Word Stories!
A sound, a rhythm Two tones that interact with each other, circling playfully until a melody is born. Does your heart beat faster too? What calms you down? What is your companion in train, car, even under the shower? MUSIC!
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; “art of the Muses”).
The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance), through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. Music can be divided into genres and subgenres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to individual interpretation, and occasionally controversial. Within the arts, music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art, and auditory art. It may also be divided among art music and folk music. There is also a strong connection between music and mathematics. Music may be played and heard live, may be part of a dramatic work or film, or may be recorded.
To many people in many cultures, music is an important part of their way of life. Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as “the harmony of the spheres” and “it is music to my ears” point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, “There is no noise, only sound.”Musicologist Jean-Jacques Nattiez summarizes the relativist, post-modern viewpoint: “The border between music and noise is always culturally defined—which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not always pass through the same place; in short, there is rarely a consensus … By all accounts there is no single and intercultural universal concept defining what music might be.”
A long text to describe what should be heard, should be felt only. Or read, in only six words! Are you up to the challenge?
Write a story about MUSIC in just six words. Let a photo or image inspire you to write a story. Or first write the story, and then make or search for a picture to go with it. And don’t forget there are other meanings of ‘light’.
Here’s a Six Word Story by Ernest Hemingway.
Such an impact and unseen images in only six words…
Every two weeks on Wednesday I will post a new theme for this Six Word Story Challenge. Publish your Six Word Story on your own website/blog and paste the link to that post in a comment to this one here at Figments. I will include your contribution in this post, forming a list of stories.
Will you join me? Will you? Say you do 
And share the challenge news!
Have fun writing,
Marion
READ THE MUSIC-STORIES OF:
Who’s next? 
The next challenge will be posted on Wednesday, May 15. Doe je liever mee in het Nederlands, ga dan naar 6WMB-uitdaging: Muziek.
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Older stories:
130226 – Poverty
130313 – Spring
130327 – Writing
130410 – Light
New song by Sara Bareilles
You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
When they settle ‘neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you
Say what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I want to see you be brave
With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I want to see you be brave
I just want to see you
I want to see you be brave
Everybody’s been there, everybody’s been stared down
By the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don’t run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is
Say what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I want to see you be brave
With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I want to see you be brave
And since your history of silence
Won’t do you any good
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don’t you tell them the truth?
Say what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I want to see you be brave
With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I want to see you be brave
I just want to see you
I want to see you be brave
I want to see you
And today I proudly present Klaartje:
please click the photos for a larger image
She is a bit camera shy, but I hope you can see how sweet she is. Each Monday I’m taking this Grand basset griffon Vendéen for a long walk. Since I can’t have a dog of my own because of my full time job, my cat and a partner who doesn’t like pets – yes, I know, it’s almost impossible to believe – I searched for people who were willing to lend me one of their dogs once a week. And this arrangement works both ways: I have a hiking buddy and they have a walk-the-dog-day-off.
Isn’t she adorable? 😀
> Related post: Warm-Hearted
My Saturday in six words:
OF ALL SUITABLE PLACES, MY HOUSE!
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Our two ‘house’ turtledoves, which have been around for years, finally decided to build a nest. In my backyard, over the window of the living room. And I’m absolutely thrilled, but also very anxious. For I have a CAT! A big mean ol’ cat who likes baby birds for breakfast!
Well, actually no, Bandit is a sweet cat who has had a good relationship with these turtledoves for all those years… as long as they are on top of the fence and he’s down on the ground. Or behind the glass watching them while making funny cat sounds.
But little baby birds are a whole different matter. I will try to keep Bandit in as much as possible – he’s afraid of being outside when it’s light anyway and only goes out for a fresh nose in the dark for an hour or so.
Hatch in peace, feathered ones. I’m going to be a Turtledove Nanny!
Have a fertile weekend 😉
>> Related post: Turtledove Love
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< Click the button for more Six Word Saturday.
It was the contrast of the indigo against the green that caught my eye.
please click the photo for a larger image
And here is an extremely short film of the little beauty. It is called Unfolding.
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You are more than welcome to visit Ailsa’s Where’s my backpack? for more contrast photos 😀
Up can be a direction, an orientation, or even a movement. In a new post specifically created for this challenge, share a picture which means UP to you!, is Sara Rosso’s challenge this week.
And here are mine. The first one is a gargoyle at Batalha, Portugal. I adore gargoyles!
And this impressive stone beauty is proudly standing in Salisbury, England.
I have been staring UP for long moments, losing myself in these heights. Please click the photos for a larger image.
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Thank you, Sara, for providing us with this Up Challenge!
Figments of a DuTchess 