iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

OFFLINE I’ll be off for a bit to work on the final week of CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE in book 4. See the 🧵 for more. It’s great to share my work with you, and I’m grateful for every like, repost & comment. If you’d like to get in touch, visit my website: charlie-alice-raya.org #writing #photography

Shallow water on the beach, rippling in the wind and reflecting the sunlight.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

Dear Jen, dear Richard, I’m sorry, but I need to drop out. It’s been a pleasure! Thank you! Until we meet again! Take care! @jenratcliffe.bsky.social @noswpod.bsky.social

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

#DailyNature & #photography Under the willow tree March 2026 : : : The old willow in the park wears her twigs like golden hair, letting it dance in the wind. #Berlin #trees #willows #nature

Large willow, shot taken from below a thick assembly of twigs , blowing in different directions.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

I close the #TulipStudy with this image and add a #Reminder that All life is precious and so is living. For too long have we suffered systems which serve warmongers, billionaires & the power hungry. Time to refuse to be complicit. Time to choose to live. #photography #tulip #EndAllWars #mono

Mono (almost white) detail of a tulip, it looks like silk blowing in the wind.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/16 How? My hope is that stories can help in many ways. If a person invents a story to address something that needs changing, then something happens in their mind. I also love the idea of international story marathons where we create story snippets where change happens … This is from day 16:

At midnight the open-air event A MILLION STORIES at Wembley closed with a world record of 1,639,447 story snippets with visions of how to shape a world where solitude has its place but loneliness can’t take root. ‘Boo-yah!’ Nona shouted into the night, high-fiving with her fellow writers. ‘I knew we could do it! I knew it! Let’s break this record!’ ‘What? Now? Can’t we enjoy this one for a bit?’ a friend asked. ‘Nope!’ Nona returned. ‘We don’t have any time to lose. Our world needs some major rethinks. Stories can help. Imagine authors, storytellers, creators from around the world bent their minds on shaping a world that thrives. Imagine the visions that can fill us and give us the courage and energy to say: ‘Oh, wow. I never expected to live in key moments. But I am. And I can be part of turning the key, of opening new doors, of getting us out of the horrors we inflicted upon each other and the planet.’ ‘Every writer on the planet?’ Nona nodded. ‘Everyone with a sliver of imagination. The more minds the better because change starts in the mind.’

© Charlie Alice Raya, book 4, building, 2025

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/15 To connect some dots. When we dig deeper, we find roots that might give us the hooks we need to get more people on board with rethinking. Fear might have led to divides, divides to competition, competition to extraction …

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/14 planet thrive. It was in a moment of bravado that I first used RETHINKING EVERYTHING. But later I realised that I couldn’t find anything that can’t do with a rethink. See quote from book 3, part 1

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/4 I think to get to the roots of our troubles, we need to ask what we are doing & why we are doing it. And I guess it’s paramount that we don’t leave thinking to a few but that we think together. Why? Because change starts in the mind. How? Stories which visualise what is possible when we rethink…

Quoted from book 2, travelling

Devery
Prince Salar drew Devery’s attention to the details of the
central fountain.
In the middle of the large round basin stood a jagged
natural rock, and a waterfall splashed down on one side.
The rock was surrounded by marble sculptures of human
hunters, mammals, reptiles, birds and fish; some jumping
out of the gushing water, others on the prowl, a few hiding.
Most creatures were hunting and being hunted.
Six of the human hunters were on the lookout for prey, their
spears and bows ready to strike; one closing in on a deer;
another aiming at a viper which was attacking a hare; two
searching the water; one scanning the sky; and another
climbing the rock to get to a bird’s nest, an eagle perched on
a rock nearby, its wings open; two of the human hunters
were defending the group against a water-spitting leopard
which was jumping towards them.
The most intriguing figure, however, was half-hidden in the
background.
On the edge of the basin sat an old man in a broad chair.
He was watching the hunting scenes with narrowed eyes
while stroking his long beard. On his armrest lay an open
notebook and a quill.
‘The watcher is a reminder that humans will only progress
if and when they strive to understand what it is they are
doing, and when they ask themselves why they are doing it,’
Prince Salar explained, and he added: ‘Otaon is an ancient
country. Our people go back to the times before time. Of
course, over the millennia, we were influenced by the
Medes, the Greek, the Persians, the Arabs and others. Even
the Mongols tried to leave their mark. But we are still older
than all of them, and hopefully wiser too.’
�

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/3 globalisation, I thought: No, I don’t want any part in this circus. This needs to be rethought. I wrote about Angst as a root cause of our misguided systems in my dissertation & picked it up again in book 2, travelling.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

I agree. But I think digging deeper will help. Allow me to take you on a journey. Towards the end of writing book 1, beginning, I noticed that I hadn’t written a word about climate change. But then, why would I? Climate change is a consequence not a root cause. Much of my work is about roots. 🧵

Quote from book 1, beginning

There was anger in Tom’s eyes when he said: ‘How is any
of this going to end hunger, war, illness, injustice, fanaticism,
terrorism, global warming?’
‘It’s half past nine. And that’s what you want to talk about
now? Alright. In short: With a single town, we can help to
rethink whatever needs rethinking. We can test ideas and
deliver tangible and reproducible results. War, hunger, global
warming and all the rest are consequences of inadequate
practices. By tackling root causes in our town experiment,
we might find adequate practices which in turn might
influence all of the above positively.
But who knows? Maybe we find out that there is no hope
for the planet as long as humans live on it. And even that
would be a result. All charities could close, governments
could go home, and everyone could do whatever they want.
No more worries. The world will end, no matter what we do.’
‘Do you think this is a good moment to be sarcastic?’
‘I’m not sarcastic. Not really. Because that might be the
result. Besides, it’s paramount to keep in mind that this
experiment will never provide ultimate answers. We need to
be careful not to come up with some ultimate truth or
salvation like so many movements and religions. No good
has ever come from having all the answers. To make sure
that we don’t start to take ourselves too seriously, we employ
whatever it takes to keep a level head, an open mind. That’s
why I need people like Jack Harris on board. People wh

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

CELEBRATING NATURE If we take a moment to see the beauty, strength & intricacy of this old tree, maybe we begin to grasp that trees aren’t easily replaceable. Let’s make the future of trees & forests our concern. They are amazing. When nature thrives, we thrive. #trees #nature #photography #mono

Black and white of two tall, old stone pines, looking from below at their impressive canopies.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

#DailyLichen & #DailyReminder that : Mutually beneficial relationships create worlds. Divides only hold us back. : #LICHEN A colony of algae or cyanobacteria living in a mutually beneficial relationship with multiple fungus species & along other bacteria. #fungifriends #OurFuture #strongertogether

A splash of orange sunburst lichen in a nest of white lichen on a branch.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

REFLECTIONS We can sink or we can swim. We can swim alone until exhaustion drowns us or we come together to build rafts. We can fight for the best position on the raft or we can try something new band together live. #reflections #climateAction #OurFuture #photography #water #light #blue #planet

Twinkling lights on the rippling blue surface of a lake.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

CELEBRATING NATURE Often blossoms get all the attention when leaves have so much to offer, too: their shapes, textures, veins, colours. AND it’s the leaves which produce sugars as nourishment for the plant, and oxygen for all. #nature #leaves #photosynthesis #trees #spring #photography #climate

Young leaves on a branch illuminated by the sun.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

I’m presently considering a short story called: A world shaped by fear. I speculate that the fear humans experience is a critical root cause. It’s also used to manipulate, of course. I did a scene on Angst in book 2, travelling. 👇 Thank you for reading.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

#TulipStudy and a #Reminder that WARS are a human invention, not human nature not a necessity. What is vital is that we come together & restore our planet. : : #EndAllWars #NoWars #EndGenocide #tulip #photography #bloomscroll #nature #OurFuture #rewilding #climate #EverythingIsConnected #mono

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

GOOD MORNING 🌍🌎🌏✊🕊️ Troubling times call for courage & action. The lone rider might be strong together we are stronger. Those who need us to be divided reiterate that there’s nothing we can do. I take the challenge & say: let’s find out what we are capable of. #photography #nature #OurFuture

Tall reeds in the foreground, bathed in evening light. Beyond them a lake and a forest reflected in it.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 25/03/2026

GOOD NIGHT 🌙 Maybe the worst about us is that we’ve built so many inner defences. Not only high convoluted. Defences against each other & nature against building together rethinking. If we hadn’t we’d lose our freedom. The freedom we already lost when we built all those walls? #photography

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 25/03/2026

GOING OFFLINE I’ll be online tomorrow. From Friday on, I’ll focus on completing the final chapters for CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE (days 8-1). If you’d like to get in touch, visit my website for contact details: charlie-alice-raya.org #photography #OurFuture #nature #seashells #coast #eck

Upright standing open seashell lit by the sun, while the wet beach is in the shadow.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 25/03/2026

#DailyLichen & #DailyReminder that Mutually beneficial relationships create worlds. Divides only hold us back. : : : #LICHEN A colony of algae or cyanobacteria living in a mutually beneficial relationship with multiple fungus species & along other bacteria. #fungifriends #OurFuture #planet #moss

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 25/03/2026

#TulipStudy and a #Reminder that WARS ONLY SERVE the weapons industry. There’s no justification to tolerate suffering & destruction. : : #EndAllWars #NoWars #EndGenocide #tulip #photography #bloomscroll #nature #OurFuture #EverythingIsConnected #blackandwhite

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 25/03/2026

#DailyNature & #photography Kitchen window chestnut March 2026 ///// It’s stormy, raining. I watch from the kitchen window. I like rough weather. But today the light-green chestnut buds swaying in the wind steel the show, leaves emerge laughing definitely in the face of the storm. #trees #storm

Wet branches thickly entangled, leaves emerging, looking like opening flowers.
Hardly noticeable in the background the wall of a building across the road.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 25/03/2026

THE BODY & NATURE’S DESTRUCTION Depleted nature = depleted body Depleted nature = depleted mind Depleted nature = depleted soul Healing nature = healing the body Healing nature = healing the mind Healing nature = healing the soul #nature #OurFuture #rewilding #healing #photography #body #health

Old tree, part of it seems dead, but there’s one massive branch visible, growing high, branching, an impressive canopy. Photo from last September, taken near Lübeck.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 25/03/2026

Oh, yes! I was kayaking the other day and the number of old trees cut down along the river & its canals was devastating. photo: Spreewald near Lübbenau.

Huge tree stump on the water’s edge, mirrored in the canal.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 25/03/2026

GOOD MORNING 🌍🌎🌏✊🕊️ But we were lost and we knew it. We were lost and with us everything that was still dear to us. Little enough. And our planet suffered coughed spat fire flooded died. We were lost and so we decided to learn to trust. #birds #birdsky #geese #nature #photography #OurFuture 🧵

Gretlag goose about to submerge its head in the shallow water, ripples around its head.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 24/03/2026

: : : Reaching out but never touching. Seen but never heard. Long is the night my friend the mirror clear what do you see what do you hear? Silence. Reflected. Reaching out. : : : #OurFuture #nature #poetry #photograhy #mirrored #reflections #forestfriends #scape #silence #mono #blackandwhite

Mono
Background: a pine forest reflecting in a small lake
Foreground: the long branches of a bare tree seem to reach out towards their reflection in the water.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 24/03/2026

#DailyNature & #photography Resting brain March 2026 : : I didn’t make it out in the light, so I’ll take a joker tonight: The resting brain after a long day’s plight. #breathe #rest #philsky #neurology #brain #fungifriends #shroomscroll PS: I love that everything natural looks great even dried.

A dried mushroom in lamplight on brown paper, looking a bit like a brain. Notebooks in the background.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 24/03/2026

‘A mirror it is — but a mirror of redemption because once we walk through it, we are on a path of healing and might shape a world where we & nature thrive.’ book 4, day 7 #photography #blackandwhite #mirrored #reflections #art #trees #spreewald #planet #nature photograph Spreewald, 23 March 2026

A short fir and a slender bare tree mirrored in the lake. The edges of the branches dissolve into wisps of motions.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 24/03/2026

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 24/03/2026

For #ThickTrunkTuesday Last Wednesday, I came across this giant in the Müritz Nationalpark. A stark reminder how amazingly big trees can grow. And a reminder that growing takes decades & centuries. Mature trees can’t be mass produced. #trees #forestfriends #photography #nature #OurFuture #climate

Very old tree with four major branches sharing one massive but shortish trunk.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 24/03/2026

#TulipStudy and a #Reminder that planet Earth is one planet, and we are its people. We don’t need to fight for more exploitation. We need to restore our planet. #EndAllWars #NoWars #EndGenocide #tulip #photography #bloomscroll #nature #OurFuture #rewilding #EverythingIsConnected #blackandwhite

Open tulip raising its petals towards the sun.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 23/03/2026

Single yellow lichen, looks like a flat flower on a branch, against a blurred blue sky with tree branches.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 23/03/2026

REFLECTIONS Occasionally I write that the mistakes of our ancestors got us into all our messes. It’s true that some of the roots of our troubles go back millennia. But today, one of the people I talked 🧵1/2 #ancestors #OurFuture #photography #reflections #mirrored #lake #trees #clouds #nature

Reflections in a lake (Schlosspark Lübbenau).
Blue sky in the left upper corner, mostly clouds and distorted branches of trees.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 23/03/2026

REFLECTIONS I occasionally train my Zen (which still needs work) by chatting with strangers about nature, wearing curiosity like a shield against impatience. Today, a gran pushed a mower along the street & without prompting told me he had to mow. 🧵1/4 #gardening #mowing #rewilding #photography

Spreewald canal, large tree reflected in the water. A green stripe of grass separates the image. I added saturation to give the grass extra intensity.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 23/03/2026

REFLECTIONS ‘Let them end the wars before they ask anything of us,’ I was told today when chatting with someone about the state of our planet. I’ve heard this before & I kind of get it. Governments around the world 🧵1/2 #reflections #OurFuture #photography #mirrored #nature #trees #spreewald

Clouds, blue sky and trees reflected in the canal.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 23/03/2026

For #mushroomMonday & #fungifriends, found today, Schlosspark Lübbenau, Spreewald. The forms & colours of this Fomes fungi! Great! Plus: EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED :-) #photography #mycology #shroomscrolling #nature

Three-part Fomes. Two layerings in white and a third above them, connecting them.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 23/03/2026

Kayaking in the Spreewald today was not the recharging escape I’d hoped for. There were too many old felled trees & cut branches to ignore. What the heck are we doing? was the thought most often on my mind. #OurFuture #ecocide #forestfriends #rewilding #photography #spreewald

Photo taken from a kayak, massive roots along the shore, the old tree freshly cut, all of it reflected in the rippling water.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 23/03/2026

#DailyNature & #photography ::: Forest in the river River in the forest :::..::: March 2026 : : : The Spreewald, south of Berlin, is a forest nestled in a web of the Spree’s river arms. I was lucky to get a kayak for a short tour. : #rivers #spreewald #paddling #forestfriends #forest

Photo taken from a kayak. Tall trees reflected in the water. A yellow bush on the right shines bright.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 23/03/2026

FOCUS I wonder what keeps us from focusing. Is it the sheer overload of voices with answers, everyday stress, or lack of awareness? FOCUS on what? - uniting globally - visions & stories for a world where people & planet thrive - restoring our planet #OurFuture #photography #moss #nature #climate

The focus is on a rich patch of moss, blurred in the background a large bare tree.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 22/03/2026

#TulipStudy and a #Reminder that WARS END when enough of us say NO! : Why should we? Because the only thing wars achieve is destruction. And we all pay the price for it. : : #EndAllWars #NoWars #EndGenocide #tulip #photography #bloomscroll #nature #OurFuture #EverythingIsConnected #blackandwhite

Detail, view into the tulip. There’s a dynamic as if it was reaching for something.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 22/03/2026

WHERE ARE WE? where do we go from here? I’d like to think of us as the living seedling breaking through the rouble. We don’t have to accept the world as it is! We can refuse to play along. We can shape a world where people & planet thrive. #wildflowers #OurFuture #photography #bloomscroll

Breaking through a layer of dried leaves, a Siberian Squill, still closed a blue bud, a stranger in Berlin, a native in Russia, the Caucasus and Turkey.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 22/03/2026

Sunburst lichen on a branch on the ground.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 22/03/2026

There’re quite a few references to Nazi Germany in book 2, travelling. My favourite is actually a movie Breaking the Cycle. But that’s too long for posting. Here a short bit. I am German by birth, a Berliner, and I feel strongly about not accepting the world as it is. That’s why I do what I do.

‘Not at all. I hoped you’d say that,’ Alice said and stood up.
She was glad she wasn’t in George’s and Lydia’s shoes.
Ron and Bobby were good professionals, fun, friendly. They
were not easy to dislike — so long as you never looked at
the material in the folder.
When Alice turned to leave, George asked: ‘Lydia and me,
are we still cleared?’
Alice looked at them. ‘Sorry, I forgot. Security wants to talk
to you again. But from what I've seen, I’d say, yes, you’re
cleared.’
‘Honestly,’ Lydia said. ‘I knew more than I admitted to
myself. I played it down. Just a bit of fun. That’s the box I put
it. Don’t be so serious. We’ve known each other for such a
long time. But, but … I honestly had no idea about any of
this,’ she said, stabbing the open folder with her index finger.
Alice nodded. ‘I sometimes wonder how a whole country
could have turned into Nazis. But I guess many people
turned a blind eye to what was happening. Or they felt good
and secure in their own private bubble and played down
what didn’t concern them directly. Maybe they found
excuses for the things they didn’t want to think about. Or
maybe they weren’t aware of how much their silence,
disinterest and thoughtlessness empowered the Nazis.’
Lydia had tears in her eyes. George put his arm around her
shoulders. Bobby and Ron were holding hands, and Bobby
was whispering something into Ron’s ear.
‘Sorry,’ Alice said. ‘I shouldn’t have …’
‘No,’ Lydia sobbed. ‘I deserve that.’
‘It’s not— I didn’t mean— I’d better go. When you’re ready,
can you get in touch with Jazz?’
‘Sure. We will,’ George said.
�

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 22/03/2026

#DailyNature & #photography Berlin Spring March 2026 : : The city noises seem to drown out everything, and yet spring blossoms glow defiantly in the sun, not asking for attention. Those who can escape the rush for a breath are filled with wonder seeing them. #spring #berlin #urbangaze #city #nature

Large and in focus three white plum blossoms in the sun. Blurred a Berlin street in Schöneberg, this afternoon.

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