Scherzo 176

Scherzo 176

One of a large series of paintings, mostly executed in gouache on paper, that are inspired by the idea of the musical scherzo – light-hearted pieces with a lively movement. This one is available as a digital collectible.

Angelic Messages

Today’s task from Friday Writings #249: Message from an Angel

Not getting any instant inspiration, I thought about this for some time and remembered that we used to play angel cards in the family circle – typically on New Year’s Eve. But what happened to that deck of angel cards? They had to be somewhere. 

Being reluctant to go on a hunt that might take hours, I remembered that there usually are digital solutions to everything nowadays and searched the Internet, where a bunch of offers for free angel card readings can be found, most of which turn out not to be so totally free after all. Commerce, commerce!

Eventually I came upon a site that offered a gratis first card reading, and I made use of that to draw 3 cards.

1. Shine your inner light (supposedly from the Archangel Uriel)

2. Relax (from, lo and behold, the Angel of Relaxation)

3. Enter into the void (again from Uriel)

All right, I will follow the advice of all three. 

The relaxation should the easiest. Takes no effort apart from sitting back, letting go of that pencil (or the keys under my fingers), simply taking it easy. In a bit!

Shining my light – I’ll do my best. Right here, for example. But I’ll venture out in some time, which will include spreading the light I have to offer. Spreading light in these ages marked by a lot of dark seems like a good idea. 

But then the other challenge from Uriel ... how do I enter into the void? I’ll try, carefully, one cautious step into emptiness at a time.

– Leonard Blumfeld (© 2026) 

(Headed by a song by Heather Nova somewhat related to the topic.)

Wordless Wednesday - By the Side of the Street

Long shot - Olympus E-620 with Zuiko Digital 70-300 mm. Posted for Wordless Wednesday.

Noise

Being a reluctant and foreign part of an assembly of natives, I try my best to get the gist of what’s on the agenda. However, given the inborn nature of these natives – which is to be extremely talkative and get heated up about things very easily – and a particular medical condition I have (my ears simply cannot filter out individual voices in loud groups), most of it is incomprehensible to me, like white noise.

– Leonard Blumfeld (© 2026)

Note

This little shred of prose is definitely based on real experience.

Inspired by Friday Writings #248: Noisy!

Wordless Wednesday - Street Realities

 Posted for Wordless Wednesday (Olympus 35SP on Kodak ProImage film)

Another Day

Today’s Friday, and so far it’s been lousy. I ride my bike from one dumpster location to the next, rummage through the bins in search of something saleable or reusable. Slim pickings today. No scrap metal to sell to Bruno, no electronic gadgets that look like they could be fixed, no clothes I could resell. It’s past noon – time to have something to eat. I’m terribly hungry. No need to pull out my wallet – all it contains is some copper coins, and those won’t buy a thing. 

Not much is happening, people are at home cooking or eating. I’ve been sitting on the wall across from the dumpsters on Via Sapori – away from the ones that stink the most – for half an hour. But wait – here comes someone. It’s the guy that’s given me something occasionally. Let’s try!

Hooray, I’m getting there – he gave me some brass! Now all I need is another generous sponsor like him. If all else fails, I can walk over to aunty Tsura, who’s sitting on her usual lunchtime bench, and ask her for some crumbs. She usually has enough and doesn’t mind sharing.

– Leonard Blumfeld (© 2026)

Note
This is a fundamentally true story told from the point of view of another person and was written down for Friday Writings #247: Reframing Negative Concepts.

Wordless & Abandoned

An abandoned old camper van photographed in the streets of Rome. Olympus 35SP on Kodacolor 200 film.

Posted for Wordless Wednesday.

The old movie haiku

Dr. Shiv still thriving

on TV sixty-one years

after its release.

– Leonard Blumfeld (© 2026)

Notes

This little ditty refers to a movie which could be called Die Hard No. 2 (Die Hard No. 1 would be Gone with the Wind) because it inevitably keeps coming back to the screen – at least that of television sets. Dr. Shivago, which hit the cinemas in 1965 (sixty-one years ago), turned the impersonator of its protagonist, Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, into a big movie star. He is shown here in a still shot from the film taken from a flat screen TV (hence the horrible moiré effect) with a cell phone camera.

Someone's autumn is another one's spring

It feels like a headstand

to think of spring

now that everything here is

turning yellow and orange

and dropping off

Not that easy to comprehend

things are shooting out

of the ground, turning

green and flowery and

unfolding down south

– Leonard Blumfeld (© 2026)

Written for Friday Writings #246: Light-hearted words for Spring (the prompt originated in the southern hemisphere).

Turquoise Night

Posted for Wordless Wednesday. Digital photograph created with Vignette for Android on a Sony Xperia MiniPro. Also available for collectors on Objkt.