The Sun-Worshippers

Before heading home after a lengthy bike ride in the warm weather a few days ago, I stopped at the nature park Slätmossen in Handen for my usual photo from the bridge. And from that bridge I could see these two young women sitting on a bench on the other side of the pond, so I figured one more portrait was in order. Meet Sara and Saara (Finnish spelling), good friends who live here in Handen. Both girls are students at different secondary schools.They couldn't come up with any interesting hobbies, but Saara used to play soccer until the team split, and then she gave up the sport. Sara and Saara made the most of the warm weather, because you newer know what tomorrow will bring!

Into The Forest We Go

Together with a flickr contact and friend, Jim (kenny lex), I took a walk through a forest near the 700 year old village of Ormsta in Österhaninge last weekend. We managed to find two runestones from the Viking Era. And a rusty old car from the 1930ths. How it got there is a bit of a mystery as there are no roads here. We also found groovy looking dead tree and a few old cairns. There are also some graves from the Bronze Age in the forest. Jim had been here before, and with the help of his GPS device we located what we were looking for, and as a bonus we found the balanced rocks at hole number nine at the nearby golf course. Not bad for an hours walk I think! Oh and in case you don't know, the cool looking guy next to the 1000 year old runestone, well that's me.

Next Stop Hollywood

As I passed the commuter station in Västerhaninge a few days ago I noticed a pretty young woman sitting on a bench, waiting for a bus, so I turned around to ask if I could shoot a portrait. She said yes, so I sat down next to her and we talked for a few minutes. This is Emma. She recently moved to Dalarö, the seaside resort in Haninge. After leaving school she has been working for the last four years. But will now focus on her studies again. She is a woman with a dream. She is into photography, and has her eyes set out to make it in Hollywood, where she wants to become a famous photographer. Good luck chasing that dream Emma! (I had some camera problem here, hence the somewhat unfocused portrait).

Listening Woman

This is Bettan. I found her sitting on a bench next to the bike path near Hanveden in Jordbro. I asked her a question, and she started looking for the pause button on her iPod! After finding the pause button she told me she was listening to a crime novel. Bettan had been out on a 50 km bike ride in the summer like weather. Trying to get in shape for the 300 km Vätterrundan bicycle race in June, just like Marie that I met a few weeks ago. It will be her third race and Bettan is hoping for a finishing time under fifteen hours. She lives in Tungelsta and was on her way home, where she was going to set up a family dinner with kids and grand kids. We had time to talk about our favorite bike roads and a few other things before we said goodbye.

The Philosopher

At Rudanvägen, closing in on the lakes that I often visits, I met Johan. He lives here in Handen and works at Telia (a telecommunications provider). He was out on a promenade with his beautiful dog Cairos. Johan turned out to be a bit of a philosopher, hence the somewhat unusual name of his dog. I asked him if he had any interesting travel stories, and he picked a vacation through Sweden with his wife, where they stayed the night at Andrum in Falköping. A hotel with a difference, as it is located high up a tree. It's a little red cottage 6,5 metres up an old oak! Thanks for the chat Johan. Here is a link to the Tree house hotel web site.

The Englishman

Say hello to Gareth and Eddie. Eddie is the one in the pram. I met them near the old Nödesta farm a while back. It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for a stroll with the pram. Gareth is from Weymouth, England, but then love struck, and now he lives with his family in Västerhaninge. As he was only a km away from The Old Tree, I gave him directions there, but I later realised that it might have been a bit muddy walking down the path with the pram, so I hope he made it home without too much of a problem! On his free time Gareth plays jazz piano. Nothing too serious, but he is in a band. They call them selves Jazz Friends, and will play the occasional gig every now and then. And if they ever need a singer, I told him about Ulrika that I met last year.

The Future's So Bright...

Heading home recently, closing in on the ancient grave field (800 graves from 500 B.C) at Jordbro, I met Josefine. She was with a friend (who choose not to have her photo taken). Josefine lives in Jordbro, but is originally from Arboga. She works with sales at a store. She told me that she is very artistic. She took an art class in school, and also a photography course, and does a lot of painting and photography on her free time. After this brief encounter I snapped a couple of photos and then headed for home. Oh, and if you would like to know who you might meet at the grave field I mentioned. The answer is among others the lovely sisters Linda & Evelina.

Portrait of two smiling women

A while back when I was out on a bike ride, I met these two smiling young women. This is Nathalie and Camilla. They were out on a promenade with Camilla's baby, and said yes to a portrait in front of the burial site at the Medieval church in Västerhaninge. It's my third portrait here. Last year on 080808 I met a man who was going to get married, he was dressed in a kilt (I'm still a little upset that no one took the time to leave a comment on that post). And in May I met a Bride & Groom. But back to the smiling girls. Both Nathalie and Camilla lives here in Västerhaninge. Nathalie works at 3 ,a mobile operator. Camilla is on parental leave. Normally she works at Coca-Cola in Jordbro just like two other people that I have met and photographed for this blog.

Burning Those Calories

This is Marianne, a kindergarten teacher, who lives in Jordbro. I met her on the walkway between Västerhaninge and Jordbro. She was out power walking. Supposedly one of the best ways to stay fit. Also known as Nordic Walking. It can look a bit silly, and Marianne told me she knew a few people that did feel a bit embarrassed when they were out walking with their poles. But not Marianne. She's out exercising most every day. And she's not alone, the power walkers are everywhere these days. A few years ago she was a runner and competed in different foot races, but it was just another way to stay fit she told me. You better get on with it she told me, so I took a few snaps, and after that Marianne took off down the road.

Sulky Training Near The Old Tree

Sulky training at Välsta in Tungelsta yesterday afternoon. As I came down the path for my 178th photo of the Swedish Whitebeam, I just missed the horse and trap so I shouted to the man asking if he was coming back towards the tree. His response was "many times" so I took a walk for a few minutes looking for any new signs of spring on this chilly April day. If you feel like watching a slideshow with all my photos of this beautiful tree press here.

Ardente & Xles

When Ardente and Xles first saw me, they probably thought a crazy person was coming towards them. Because I was waving my arms around and shouting at them. Their response was an uncertain smile saying, oh oh, weirdo alert. But as they soon realised I was only trying to get their attention as Xles had dropped his headwear on the ground without noticing it. Obviously this was all I needed to get another portrait. These two friends are heavily involved in LAN Networking, hence the nicknames. Lan networking is something I know absolutely nothing about. As they told me about the website they help manage, I soon found their real names. So meet Elin and Lennart. Elin lives in Handen and when she is not setting up a LAN party she enjoys playing Defense of the Ancients, DotA. And, she is also a little horse crazy, as many of the girls I have met recently are. Lennart, who lives in Västerhaninge, is also working on that LAN website and he seems like funny guy. He enjoys playing with electronics. I like to build stuff he told me. Cool gizmo's that blinks and makes funny sounds and that you can sometimes even use! After this chat I snapped a couple of photos and then we said goodbye.

¡uʍop ǝpısdn ƃuıɯɐǝɹɔs

Suddenly I heard people scream. Not sure what it was I decided to find out. Turns out there's a Fun Fair in town. From Friday to Sunday kids of all ages can visit the Berglund Tivoli at Ribby in Västerhaninge. Oh, and in case you are wondering, what happened to the portraits? No worries, I met and photographed the owner of the tivoli Jonny Berglund last year! The church in the background dates back to Medieval times.

Outdoor Coffee Break

Samiye was enjoying a cup of coffee in the sunshine at Poseidon's square in Handen when I approached her and asked if I could take a portrait. She laughed and said that sort of thing happens to me all the time. A while back on her birthday her friends surprised her and she spent a day at a photo studio having a couple of photographers taking model photos of her. Samiye ( it's a Turkish name), lives nearby in Brandbergen, and works at a hair saloon at the mall in Handen. She stays fit by going to the gym. She loves dancing. And reading and travelling. After this chat I took a bunch of photos before Samiye had to run back to the hair saloon.

The Beautiful Sanna

This is Sanna. She was standing at the bus stop next to City Hall in Handen, waiting for the bus home to Västerhaninge. And I knew from the second I noticed her that I wanted to shoot a portrait. Sanna is a student at the nearby Fredrika Bremer school (secondary education) as are quite a few of the people I have photographed lately. I tried asking Sanna about any special interests or hobbies, but all she could come up with was hanging out with her friends. Not sure if that answer had anything to do with the fact that her mother walked up to us as I was taking a few photos :-) Anyway, thanks for posing for a few shots Sanna.

Anders Reuterswärd

Several art galleries around Haninge were open during the Easter Weekend, and I visited the Kyrkskolan Gallery in Österhaninge. This is one of the artists, Anders Reuterswärd. He had his first showing back in 1967. He is represented at the Moderna Museet as the famous art collector Pontus Hultén bought one of his paintings at that first show. Anders often works with fractal (repeating), triangles, and also with the central perspective. During his long career he has also worked with photography and made Super 8 mm film. As I was treated with coffee and cake in the garden, Anders and some of the other artists told me about one movie in which his father, the world famous artist Oscar Reuterswärd stars as a burglar who breaks into a house, and then leaves, climbing out through a window with a big bag slung over his shoulder. We used suggestive music, and it really was a fun project despite the fact that Oscar wanted it made one way and I wanted to do it my way, Anders explained. Everyone round the table agreed, as they had all seen the movie. You may have seen some of the other artists work on my blog, as I have photographed the last four Art Promenades.

Enjoying the Sunshine

After the cold and dark winter, people in this country will take every opportunity to get a few relaxing minutes in the spring sunshine. This is Michelle. From Huddinge, a neighbouring municipality to Haninge. I spotted her resting on the bench at the commuter station in Västerhaninge a few days ago, and figured it would make for a good photo. Michelle is a former student at the Berga Agricultural College here in Haninge, where she attended the horse programme. And as you can probably tell from her clothes, that's the line of work she is in now. She works at two different stables, one of them at Stav in Tungelsta. As everyone else she enjoys photography, and we talked about the weird fact that if you forget to bring your camera to an event or place these days, half the fun is gone! When she's not occupied with the horses, Michelle enjoys jogging and indoor climbing, just like Stina that I met last week. Thanks for the chat Michelle. Oh, and if you think that there's something familiar to this view, it's because this is the same bench where I met Petronella & Bettina.

The Track Inspector

Meet the Track Inspector. Sven Andersson from Uppsala (130 km north from here). It's the ninth year he is inspecting these rail tracks at the industrial area in Jordbro. I noticed him as he was taking photos of the tracks, and I always stop and talk to any photographer I spot. Sven works for Jernhusen. A company that own a lot of rail tracks and many rail related properties around the country, like terminals and workshops. Sven also has his own company in the same line of business, and that was the reason for the photos he was taking. He told me a lot about his work and showed me some of the tools he uses, among them a tungspets. We talked a bit about Tungelsta, and he mentioned that he sometimes visits a flea market there. Not surprisingly, I have posted a photo from that flea market. Once every year Sven's family has a big flea market on their own in his dads old barn. It attracts a few hundred people. After this chat I took a bunch of photos of Sven and he took one of me.

A Girl In Love

Sitting on the stairs outside the Cultural Centre in Handen, this beautiful girl was easy to spot. This is Petronella. She comes from a little place in Skåne, called Hästveda (famous for it's market). Currently she is living at a friends place, but is searching for an apartment of her own. The reason for the move to Stockholm is love. She's met a boyfriend (lucky guy!). Petronella works in telemarketing, a job that she really enjoys, although it's a bit monotonous. In the near future she will focus on her education with the help of distance studies, and she will also try to learn Italian. In case you are wondering her hair color is called Coral Red, but she likes to call it Florida Sunrise. Normally I only upload one photo when I shoot street portraits, but I had to make an exception on this occasion. Thanks for the chat Petronella.

The Bike Bros

It was the warmest day of the year. I was on the bike and came up behind these two cyclists and asked them about their run. They were almost done for the day, so when I asked if I could shoot a portrait they agreed and we crossed the road to find a place to sit down for a chat. This is Kalle and Ingemar. They are brothers and have lived in Västerhaninge since 1963. I gave them my MOO minicard and Ingemar got a card with a familiar uphill climb, at least if you live around here and Ingemar said he had struggled up that hill many times. Normally I will ask where people work and got a surprising answer this time. Both brothers are retired with a pension from the state. They have a genetic back disorder which destroys the vertebral column, and are now patients at the Löwenströmska specialist hospital. Kalle (to the left) has always enjoyed working out at the gym so he is really strong which is a good thing in his current situation as keeping fit is one way to beat the disorder. He is a bit of a computer geek and did know quite a lot about peer-to-peer networks, whereas Ingemar is the family man of the two with four kids. As happens quite often these days since starting to shoot may portraits, I have met one of the brothers again.

A Future Fashion Designer

In a few years time we could all be buying our designer clothes from Albertos label. At least if his dream comes true. Still a long way to go, but he is hoping to get into Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm. And from there anything is possible. Alberto lives in Handen where I met him a couple of days ago. On his free time he enjoys music, and plays guitar in a band, where his brother is the drummer. They don't have a name yet, and they play Heavy Rock, so if you have an idea for a name lets hear it.

Three Easter Witches

According to a myth that dates back to medieval times, every Maundy Thursday, the Witches takes their brooms and fly to Blåkulla for a gathering. These days kids (both boys and girls), often dress up as Easter Witches, wearing a dress with an apron and a headscarf. Their mission is to gather candy. Unfortunately for these three witches, Sara, Malin and Lisa, that I met in Tungelsta yesterday, I didn't have any candy, so instead they gave some chocolate! Happy Easter Girls!

Petronella & Bettina

You have to love those names. Petronella and Bettina. I saw them sitting on the bench at the Västerhaninge commuter station the other day, talking to each other, and enjoying the sunshine, so I decided I wanted to take a portrait of the girls. Turns out they are sisters. Bettina, in the sunglasses lives in Tyresö and is currently looking for an office job. She has a unused flickr account and I'm hoping she will leave a comment and perhaps start uploading a few photos. She was quite intrigued by the 100 Strangers Project that I told the girls about. Petronella, the younger of the two, who lives in Farsta, is still at school. Studying film at Kulturama, the leading school in Scandinavia for artistic studies at the post-secondary school level. She also enjoys photography, and who knows, maybe she will also set up a flickr account now. Thanks for the chat girls!

Almost Like a Summer Day

A few days ago, on the warmest day of the year, the roads were filled with happy cyclists. I saw Marie coming towards me, waved to her and she stopped at Stenliden, or to be more precise where Stenliden used to be.Surprisingly it was Marie's first bike ride of the year (she prefers slalom skiing in the winter time). Normally she enjoys spinning, and told me about a three hour Marathon spinning exercise at a nearby gym recently. Sounds tough I said, but she explained that with a good instructor and great music it was easy. Marie lives in Västerhaninge and works at an accounting firm. She is planning to ride the 300 km Vätternrundan race in the middle of June this year, so she needs to get a few miles on the bike before then. And as the weather was summer like when we met, I'm guessing she was out for a few hours, just like me.

Flip Trick

I'm useless on a skateboard. Trying this flip trick, I would probably end up at the emergency room with a broken foot. Better leave it to the pro's. This is Julius. He is fifteen years old. Lives in Handen and that's where I met him a couple of days ago. He enjoys skateboarding as you can see. During the winter months he is a keen snowboarder. Julius is a ninth grader. After the summer break he will start his three year secondary education at the nearby Fredrika Bremer school. Thanks for the trick Julius!

Abandoned or not?

Together with my flickr contact Jim I checked out another abandoned house the other day. In Jordbro, near a stream where there once stood a mill, you will find this old building known as Kvarntäppan. As we climbed over the fence and walked closer I noticed that the windows on the second floor looked brand new, although the glass was broken. As far as I know the last person to live here was an elderly woman, but she moved out years ago. The door was locked, but another door had been removed so I went inside. There was no furniture left but there was some tools lying around in a room where the floor was missing! On the second floor I found more new windows and a room that looked newly renovated. A bit of a mystery this old house. Abandoned or not, hard to say. I took a few more photos and you can have a look for yourself here. I will try to find out more about this place.

Two Friends

This is Tobbe and Linda, I met them in Västerhaninge a couple of days ago and asked if I could take a portrait. Linda lives in Västerhaninge and is looking for work after graduating from the Fredrika Bremer secondary school, where she attended the Media Programme. She enjoys photography and while at the school she took the same course as this trio. She said she hadn't had any inspiration for photography lately, which she blamed on the weather. Tobbe, who is from Skogås, is still at the school where he is studying music. He is in a band. They play a bit of grunge, but have yet to set up a MySpace site. I play the guitar, Tobbe told me, and we are currently looking for a drummer, but can't seem to find one, so I may have to switch to the drums, as it's easier to find another guitarist, he continued. Perhaps not a coincidence, but I did meet a guy from Skogås a couple of weeks ago who, and he was also in a band.

The Traditional Way

This is a gärdesgård, a traditional Swedish fence that was the norm at all farms 100 years ago. This type is called hankgärdsgård. To enhance the feel of how it used to be, there are now some 1,5 kilometre of this wooden fence surrounding the farm at Tyresta. When the fence was built eleven years ago, they used old maps and photos to get it to look as close to the original as possible. The tree used is Norway Spruce. In the background one of the old farm buildings. Some facts about Tyresta. Only 20 km south of Stockholm. A Natural Reserve with lakes, primeval forests and the wildlife to match. And an old farm with animals. More photos here. This was where I met Carola from yesterday's post.


Skywatch Friday.

There's always a story waiting to be told

So I'm at the national park. Taking spring photos and enjoying the sunshine. A woman with a horse walks by. I ask if I can take a photo of the horse. I snap a few and that's that. But after shooting some 130 portraits over the last year, I know that there's always a story to be told. And here it is. This is Carola, she is from Stockholm. A successful business woman. With her own company. Worked in the advertising industry for many years. Made a lot of money. But then she felt that something was missing from her life. By chance she and her husband visited Tyresta, a place she didn't know existed, despite living only 20 km away. And as she walked around the farm, it hit her. This was the life she wanted to lead. Working at a farm, with all the animals. So she sold the business. Asked the caretaker at the farm if she could work there, sure he said, but I can't pay you anything. That was 14 years ago. When I met her two days ago Carola was on her way back to the stable after she and Buster had been visiting the kindergarten up the road. As they often do. And guess if the kids loves Buster! And now 14 years later Carola still loves life at the farm, despite not having as much money any more. Thanks for the story Carola!

The Flower Shop Girl

This is Danuta. Together with Ingemar she owns and runs the plant nursery Blomorado in Tungelsta. Their store is open seven days a week. So if you live in the area, and are looking to buy some yellow, gold, orange, purple, violet, red, white, or even black spring flowers, this is the place for you. They also sell fruit trees and anything else you may need for your garden. During my visit today they were very busy. Not surprisingly as it looks like spring has finally arrived, and everyone is looking to buy flowers. Today is Theme Day at City Daily Photo and the theme is Yellow. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants. Oh, and if you wanna see more Blomorado photos I have a set with 144 photos!