Minimalism Sunday

I enjoy minimalism. And I'm always looking for it. Using the simplest materials and forms available often makes for great art and form. Like here at Nederstaleden in Västerhaninge. A white brick wall and a white wooden fence. Just like that.

Winter Tree

This will be the last winter photo for a while as all the snow now has melted away. This photo was taken just a couple of days ago and this is of course my favorite tree, as you probably know by now. I now have 161 photos of this Oxel or Swedish Whitebeam! Beat that if you can. It's amazing how it looks different every time I walk down the path that you can see to the right.

Geological Investigation

Out on a promenade in Tungelsta I noticed this technician from WSP the other day. Probably doing some geometry ground analysis. Next year work will start on a second rail track between Västerhaninge and Tungelsta and around here, at the intersection between Allévägen and Hammarbergsvägen, there will be a bridge over the railroad. Same(?) technician at the Krigslida commuter station back in February.

Window Reflection

A window at the beautiful Station House in Tungelsta. The building dates back to 1901 when the railway line between Stockholm and Nynäshamn opened for traffic. Today the art and handicraft organisation Handlaget occupies the bottom floor. The reflection comes from the local pizza place which has a history of it's own. It is said that the building was moved from nearby Fors to Tungelsta at the turn of the last century. Back then it was a grocery store owned by a man locally known as Svin-Kalle. Svin means pig in case you were wondering.

Malin Schön

A while back I got a comment on one of my flickr photos. The commenter was a bit upset (in a friendly way), that I hadn't managed to photograph any of her horses! Well, yesterday I met the commenter in question by chance. This is Malin Schön. Originally from Helsinki, she now lives with her husband in Krigslida here in Haninge. Malin is crazy about Icelandic Horses . She works as a horse instructor at the riding school at the Fors Horse Farm (when she's not competing with her horses). She is also a certified massage therapists. And she spends a lot of her time at the Mulsta Horse Farm where I met her today.

As I really enjoyed the 100 Strangers Project, I have decided to continue with that type of portraits. And this is the first one.

Rhino

Spotted this winter horse the other day at Skolvägen in Tungelsta. If you don't know anything about Haninge and Tungelsta I can tell you that there are horse farms all over the place.

A Yellow Cottage

Living next to the railway track can have it's disadvantages. As the platform at the commuter station in Tungelsta needed more space, an old cottage had to be removed. But now as the work has finished the owners have a brand new cottage and also a fence protecting them from the platform.

Winter Mirror

Winter has arrived again. Time for a squared circle self portrait at the Tungelsta commuter station.

How D'ye Do?

A red squirrel up in the oak in the back garden, enjoying it's lunch. Looks like it's hazel nuts on the menu today, on this the real first day of winter. More squirrels here.

Pausing For a Photo

I noticed this Christmas decoration outside the Paus cafe in Västerhaninge (at the shopping centre), yesterday . So I paused for a photo. No one was enjoying lunch or coffee outside, despite the new seat coverings. Probably because of the freezing temperature. I mentioned that fact to my optician who walked by as I was planning the shot, and he said "I'm not sitting there" and then he quickly walked away.


I took a long walk to buy some eggs and milk. From Tungelsta to Västerhaninge and back. It's around 10 km and the walk normally takes me 90 minutes.

Sky Watch at 13:08

The commuter trains in Stockholm are rarely on time. If it isn't because of the winter cold it's probably because of the summer heat. Or there's something on the track, like autumn leafs or even an electrocuted rat. Or a power outage. In Nynäshamn where the Nynäsbanan rail road ends, the local politicians decided to put in buses to Stockholm as the commuters were in uproar after the latest repair job. But when I took this fine photo of the clock at the Krigslida commuter station the other day, a voice from a loudspeaker repetitively told me that all the trains were running on schedule at the moment. How about that?

But it still looks kinda silly..

The benefits from Nordic Walking:

# increased overall strength and endurance in the core muscles and the entire upper body
# significant increases in heart rate at a given pace
# greater ease in climbing hills
# burning more calories than in plain walking
# improved balance and stability with use of the poles
# significant un-weighting of hip, knee and ankle joints
# creates positive total body bone density-preserving stress

(facts from wikipedia)


Photo taken from the Krigslida commuter station in Haninge.

Crisis? What Crisis?

Despite the global financial crisis people still need somewhere to live. Two new houses at Krigslida in Haninge. As seen from the commuter station yesterday.

OCM 213 (after the joyride)

Every year around 35 000 cars are stolen in Sweden. 3500 of those car thefts will be solved by the police. Maybe that's why the owner (or the insurance company) has failed to remove this SAAB from where it was dumped more then two weeks ago, close to my local grocery store in Tungelsta.

First Snowfall

In the early afternoon it started to snow here in Tungelsta. I was preparing to go out and take a few snow photos, but the snow was already melting away. Last year we had a heavy snowfall in November and that time I got quite a few good winter photos. The greenhouse you see here belongs to Blomorado and is filled with Poinsettia plants.

Just a few facts

The first people that lived in Haninge were hunters and fishermen. They arrived 9000 years ago and they choose to stay close to Tornberget, a hill at an altutude of 110 meters, the highest point in the greater Stockholm area. 5000 years later the population was still only 50-100 people. During the Bronze Age the population grew and people lived at what is today Tungelsta, Västerhaninge and Jordbro, (where you will find an ancient grave field). In the present day 73 000 people call Haninge their home. When I got my first apartment in 1985 I moved in to this three storey building in Västerhaninge where I'm guessing around 50-100 people live today . If I could pick any place to live I'd perhaps choose a castle and luckily for me there are three in Haninge. Häringe in the south. Årsta in Österhaninge, and Sandemar on the way to Dalarö. This has been a few facts and perhaps there will be more of the same tomorrow.

Lilliputian way of life

The Lilliputians live in tiny houses like this one that will be ready in December. They get their electricity from the tiny power plant. Who knew?

Lilliput Land

One of the unique things about Haninge has to be the Lilliputian Community. You don't often see them around, but once in a while you will stumble upon them. Turns out they are pretty much like the rest of us.



They enjoy all sorts of golf on their free time, which was news to me.

Circular Window

I'm not religious and I almost never visit a church, but I do enjoy photographing them once in a while. Some time ago during a photo promenade with a flickr contact, I visited S.t Eskil's Church in Handen. It's a modern brick building built in 1994 and it has some interesting architectural details. Like this circular window on a brick wall. Shot this while enjoying a cup of coffee at the church.

The Dancing Building

Whenever I look at the reflection from the The Dancing Building, (an office building in Handen called Najaden) it looks different somehow. The big window is part of a building at the Haninge Campus.

Out of the Mist

Before documenting yesterdays fire I headed over to the old tree at Välsta for a photo, as it was very misty, which normally makes for good photos . There I met a man and his horse. We talked for a bit. I told him about my photo project concerning this tree and gave him a moo minicard. As I was going to take a few photos the Digital Rebel died so I had to shoot with the cheap point& shoot. Then as I arrived home I had an accident, fell and hurt my arm so I'm guessing I will not be out taking photos in the next few days.

Fire in Tungelsta

There was a fire at ålsta in tungelsta, at tungans 3-gård today. One of the few remaining greenhouse business here. Luckily it looks like the greenhouses was saved. More info later. The police asked us to move away so i went back home. The fire started in the pellet heater.

The green Corridor

The pedestrian tunnel that connects Rudsjöterrassen in central Handen with the commuter station and Lake Rudan.

Minimalistic Friday

Zooming in on a detail at the office building Rudsjöterrassen in Handen.

Fishing From the Piers

Two men fishing from the piers at Lower Lake Rudan in Handen. From a visit to the lakes on Sunday. The panorama probably looks a bit better at the Original Size.

A Modern Viking

On the photo promenade I took with kenny lex in Handen a few days ago, after having some coffee at a church of all places, we walked down Vikingavägen (Viking Road). And in front of the grocery store (named after the god of thunder Thor), there is a modern type of rune stone. Kenny asked if I knew anything about it. Nope I said. So he told me the story. He made it! A few years ago he found the stone (it had previously been used as foundation), close to the railway line in northern Handen. As it weighs around 900 kilo he asked two Polish workers to help him lift it onto his pickup truck. Then after working on the stone and cutting the ornamentation he placed it on a lawn not far from here. Some local teens had a go at it. Kenny called the local politicians and they decided to move the stone to it's current position.

The Hole Through the Moon (part II)

Part of an artwork made by the sculptor Bianca Maria Barmen. At the entrance to the Fredrika Bremer school in Handen. Last time I was here this part of the sculpture was missing. And now it's back, standing next to the famous author again.

Someone had to walk home

I took a photo promenade with my flickr contact Kenny Lex in Handen on Saturday. We found this bicycle wheel still locked to the bicycle stand outside the Cultural Centre. I guess someone had to walk home. I read an article today that said that 94% of petty crimes remain unsolved in this country every year! Ninetyfour percent!

Stranger #100

In Handen yesterday I had just met Kenny Lex and as we were discussing what to do, I noticed a sharply dressed guy nearby. I walked over and asked him if I could take his portrait. He happily agreed and thus became my 100th and final stranger! This is Fredrik. Originally from Tungelsta he now lives here in Handen. He is an IT consultant, one of those guys you call when your computer is acting up. He recently took up golf, but has yet to join a club. Another big hobby is Role playing and Fredrik told me that he often attends conventions like LinCon. I didn't ask but he is probably a member of the Swedish Role Playing and Conflict Gaming Federation. After getting these facts I took a few photos and as we then shook hands I realised that I had just finished the 100 Strangers Project! A few hours later as I was back home browsing flickr, I saw that Kenny had taken a photo of me and Fredrik when I was asking my questions, which I think is a cool ending to the project.

This was my 100th and last photo for the 100 Strangers project. You can see the rest of my strangers in my Set.

Books, books and more books

Theme day. Books. I read books all the time. Normally I have two or even three books going at the same time. In English and in Swedish. There are a few libraries close to where I live. This is the Cultural Centre in Handen, it opened back in 2002. This is the view looking into the library where you can see some of the 90.000 books, audio books (and CDs), in different languages that are on offer if you have a library card. There's an area for the kids, and a cafeteria where you can enjoy a cup of coffee and read one of the 70 different news papers that the library offers. If you are interested in local history this is the place for you. There's also an art gallery here with interesting exhibitions and they often have concerts and theatre plays. All in all a very popular building with the locals.



Earlier this year this 1000 year old rune stone was moved from it's previous location behind the library and can now be seen from Poseidon's Square, where you will find the big entrance to the Cultural Centre. So even back then the Vikings read if not books at least runic inscriptions on the rune stones. Press here to see what the inscription says.


Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

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