Two Smiling Babes

I spotted these two smiling babes at a bus stop in Handen on Thursday. As you can guess it was their somewhat unusual face painting design that made me look a little closer. Meet Rosanna and Lisa. They work at Korpen, a healthcare and exercise organisation that has been around for a century. When I met the girls they had been at Torvalla where kids, aged between six and twelve, could fight against Gladiators on an obstacle course. Sounds like fun! As I took a few photos of Rosanna and Lisa all the kids turned up and wanted to know what was going on. One kid sounded a bit upset when he realised he wasn't going to be photographed!

Autumn Reflection

Autumn trees reflected in a pond at the nature park Slätmossen in Handen. This was once a wetland and a peat deposit. Now it is a popular bird park, and I am a frequent visitor. Normally I will take a photo from a little bridge, but on my visit yesterday I decided it was time for a change. The last time I showed you a photo from here I had photographed a Roe Deer buck. It's also a good place to photograph people. Like Andrea. Or the Sun Worshippers.

Sky Watch Friday.

The Soulmates

Meet the soulmates. Stålis and Faber. It was hard not to notice them in their long black leather coats in Handen a couple of days ago, and I figured they would be interesting to talk with. They told me that they share everything. Like what? I asked. Oh, you know, everything from boys to underwear! Stålis is a secondary school student at the electrician school at Telefonplan. Faber has quit her studies and is hoping for a future in the music business. The girls play in a new band. Stålis is a vocalist and Faber plays the drums. They are members of Black Sheep at Solna, a music scene where many girls play. When there's a gig at Black Sheep the girls help out with security. Faber is working there at the moment and they are planning for a two day music festival next summer.

The Leftie

This is Johannes. I spotted his Che Guevara bag and figured I should ask him for a photo. He lives with his girlfriend here in Haninge, but is originally from Torsås in Småland. As you can probably guess Johannes is a leftist. He used to be a member of the KPML(r), the Swedish communist party, but has now left ( no pun intended), that organisation. He works full time at a metal workshop north of Stockholm. And is also a student at the department of literature at the Stockholm University, so he really is a busy man. So much so that he is thinking about giving up his studies.
A minute or so before I met Johannes I had a quick chat with Linda & Evelina. And minutes after talking to the leftie I met both the Architect and the Philosopher.

When nature takes over

Obviously the first thing you do when you see a sign that says Private Property is to get the camera ready and prepare for a photo shoot, so that's what I did a while back while out walking. This is one of Tungelsta's abandoned greenhouse nurseries. The business was owned by the Artvin family. They used to be called Andersson, but I guess they wanted something unique. For many years now the place has been slowly decaying, but the keep out sign was brand new so I'm probably not the only one in the neighbourhood that enjoy these types of places! I have made a flickr set in case you are interested so just press the arrow and enjoy the show!

The Outhouse Poster

A few days ago I decided to take the bike over to Djurgårdsgrind. It's a property in Tungelsta where the famous author Ivar Lo-Johansson lived for a number of years when he was a kid. He was a friend of my grandfather, and I have read a few of Ivar Lo's books. The Johansson family moved out from Djurgårdsgrind in 1922. These days the big house that the family built is used as a summer house by the current owners. The rest of the buildings, including the cottage and a few barns are in a very sad state, so I figured I should document them before they collapse. If you would like to see all my photos from Djurgårdsgrind press here. Anyway, there I was minding my own business taking a photo of a poster I noticed on the outhouse wall. Or was I perhaps trespassing on a private property with camera in hand? It's hard to tell the difference. I knew that the owners had taken some security measures, but I was still a bit surprised when the first security guard showed up asking me what I was up to. His name was Jocke and he came from Securitas Direct. He had noticed my bike and decided to see what was going on. Jocke had never heard about the author so I told him a few facts, and as we were talking, a police officer shows up! Inge, as he is called, lives nearby and keeps an eye on the place for the owners as there have been a few incidents here over the years. I knew that Inge might turn up after talking to Sune Nilsson (a local historian), so I quickly told him who I was, and he had probably heard about me because he asked if I had been able to locate an inscription (It's Ivar Lo's signature), on a hill side here. Sadly I hadn't found the inscription, and with that we started to talk about other "intruders" and a few other things before going are separate ways. Obviously in true Steffe style I took a photo of the guys and you can see it here.

The path in the forest

On my way to the library in Västerhaninge yesterday I took a shortcut through the birch forest at Håga. If this looks familiar to you, it's because you have seen one of my A Photo A Week projects. For one year I stopped here on a weekly basis for a photo. If you would like to see more, try this post from February with all four seasons. To see all the photos as a slideshow press here.

At the library

Remember that murder story I told you about a few months ago? If not here is a link to that story. On the top photo you can see Anita and Bo Stjernström. Two of the members of the historical association here in Haninge. And also the authors to the book about that murder at Näringsberg all those years ago. I met them at the library in Västerhaninge today. The library celebrated forty years, and Anita and Bo gave a talk about Västerhaninge, while showing some photos. There is an ongoing photo exhibition at the library, and as I had a look around I found a photo of my great grandfather, Johan Fredrik Jansson! He was a gardener and politician. The photo was dated 1920, and I hadn't seen it before, so that was fun. Downstairs at the library a band called Kulturhusbandet was playing some music. There was also some activities for the kids and for those who arrived in time there was cake!

Lake Rudan on a calm day

I'm a sucker for cool reflection photos, and a while back I was visiting Nedre Rudasjön (Lower Lake Rudan) in Handen, and stopped at the cliff at the south end for a chat with one of the anglers. The photo in yesterdays post is from the other lake here. The fisherman told me that the fishing club had just planted a few hundred kilos of fish that morning and all the piers around the lake were filled with hopeful fishers. It was a beautiful day with no wind, and as the water was very calm I figured it was a perfect day for photography. This is the view towards Upper Lake Rudan where you will find the Theatre Barn and the ski club where that upset skier is a member.

Skywatch Fiday.

Fall Reflection

If you arrive to Handen by commuter train from Stockholm or Nynäshamn, this is what you will see if you look out the window towards Övre Rudasjön. Rudan is a very popular recreational area, only a few minutes walk from Handen city centre. And I have shown you many photos from this area before. This is a little red cottage by the water. Only a few meters from The Elephant Rock. If you have a photographic memory (bad joke of the day), you may recognize the view, as I shot a photo of this house a year ago. But that time without this beautiful fall reflection. On my visit yesterday I walked down to the little beach at the North end of the lake. In the summer time the beach is normally crowded, but this time of the year you will rarely meet someone here.

Meet Kenny

I was on the bike when I noticed this guy. Hard not to see him in that military outfit. Especially when combined with the wild white hair and beard, so I knew I had to ask him for a photo. Meet Kenny. And his dog Smulan who is a Kerry Blue Terrier. We ended up chatting about this and that for ten minutes or so and as I got ready to shoot I decided to take a self portrait in Kenny's sunglasses. Kenny lives at Åby Lund in Västerhaninge and that's where we met. He worked in the computer business for 30 years. He is married and has three kids. His daughter has moved to Ornö, an island in the Haninge archipelago. Kenny told me that the daughter and her husband has a little guest house that Kenny and his wife can use whenever they visit. And as Kenny loves everything about the sea, he visits as often as he can.

Autumn vs. Autumn

As you probably know by now, I will often go back for another photo if I find a beautiful spot, or an interesting building or anything else that I find eye-catching. This is one such place. A field in rural Österhaninge near Hesslingby. I think this diptych technique works well here. The photo I used for the left part was taken a couple of days ago. The more colorful and autumn looking photo is from 2007. It's a popular photo over at flickr with some 17 000 views. To see my other Different Seasons posts press here.

Cyclist hit by car

As I was getting ready for a bike ride on Sunday I could hear the ambulance sirens nearby. A few minutes later this was the scene at Söderbyvägen in Tungelsta. A cyclist had been hit by a car. The injured cyclist looked very pale as he was lying by the side of the road. It's a two lane road and this happened near an intersection where there is a 90 degree turn. I think the driver of the car must have been speeding, and driving on the wrong side of the road when he hit the cyclist. It looked like the cyclists neck had been stabilised and I think he might have broken an arm. I stopped and talked to one of the guys from the rescue services as I took a few photos. As you can guess this shook me up a bit as I'm always out on my bike, year round.

A very upset skier

This is Anders. I met him three weeks ago, so it's about time I post this portrait. Anders lives in Handen and is a member of the ski club Jordbänningarna. He is a keen skier both in summer and winter. Anders looked very tired when we met, so I figured he had done what I planned to do that day, which was to go for a ride on the new motorway before it opened for traffic. And I was half right, he had skied, but only for a couple of kilometres as he has been feeling a bit under the weather lately. We talked a little about the new promenade around the lakes at Rudan (that's where the ski club is based), and Anders was a bit upset (or very angry). The promenade has been sponsored by ICA Maxi, and they were supposed to pay for an asphalted road that the skiers were hoping to use during the summer. That never happened and Anders was very angry about that, claiming that ICA Maxi made millions in a recent food scandal, write that in your blog he said, so that's what I did.

That Old Tree

A couple of years ago Mikael Engström, a local developer was planning to build a golf course here at rural Välsta in Tungelsta. Luckily that never happened. The latest scare came earlier this year when the plans for a new national arena (documents in Swedish), for horse racing, including harness racing and thoroughbred horse racing were unveiled. If you are interested (and understand the local lingo), you can read Haninge's application here. I'm not a fan of that idea, and neither are a few of the closest neighbours that both have an interest in horses. In the coming years this area will change abruptly as it is with new roads, and a bridge or two over the new rail road track (about time), and three new housing areas that will make the area around Nedersta/Skarplöt and Lillgården a busy building site for the next fifteen years or so. OK, that's enough ranting for one day so I will leave you with another look at The Old Tree. This is my 194th photo of the Swedish Whitebeam.

Sporting Emotions

One of the reasons that people enjoy sports has to be all the different emotions and feelings they arouse. During the 25manna race last weekend I noticed quite a few. Joy. Anticipation. Nervousness. Anger. Sadness. Disappointment. And pain. Here are a few of those emotions.

Top photo shows the joy from the best placed Swedish team, Södertälje Nykvarn Orientering. They finished in third place and were all smiles in the finishing area, posing for the photographers. At least for a while. Because a little later the team was disqualified. The reason was that their runner on the last leg had used another team members SportIdent-stick. That's a device that electronically records the results of all competitors in this type of event. On the second photo you can see a female runner that was completely exhausted after finishing her leg. And on the third and last photo, a young girl that looks both tired and a bit surprised as she is looking at what must have been a painful cut on her arm.

Organizers and Volunteers

To successfully arrange such a big race as the 25manna at Nytorps Ängar with 9000 runners and a few thousand spectators you need a lot of volunteers. And so here are a few portraits of said volunteers. Haninge has two orienteering clubs. OK Ravinen and Haninge SOK and they worked side by side during this event. I visited the site a couple of days before the race and managed to get a few words with two of the people in charge. On the second photo you can see Ola Kåberg from OK Ravinen. Ola is himself a former orineteer and has a silver medal from the National Junior Championships as his biggest achievement. He told me some interesting facts about the race as did Lars-Eric from Haninge SOK whom you can see on the third photo, posing in the announcers booth. When I told Lars-Eric where to find my photos he said he was already familiar with some of my work and he mentioned the set with The Old Tree photos. Apart from 300 members of the organising clubs an extra 210 volunteers from other Stockholm clubs helped out. As did Yvonne from The Swedish National Home Guard. The Home Guard served food from their mobile kitchen. As I walked up to Yvonne for a photo she were on her lunch break which I figured would be the perfect photo. She was enjoying some pyttipanna

The Finnish Connection

Orienteering is a big sport in the Nordic countries. You have already seen the winners of the 25manna race, Halden from Norway. Today I will show you three photos with a Finnish connection. First up is Anni-Maija Fincke from the Finnish team Tampereen Pyrintö. Anni-Maija ran the last leg for her team, and they finished in second place. Pyrintö is the girl in the background. The girl in the foreground is Erica Andersson from Lunds OK. Second photo shows members of the Tampereen Pyrintö club celebrating and posing for the media . On the third photo you can see Juha from another Finnish club, Turun Suunnistajat, or if it is Turun Metsänkävijät. I met him as he was making his way back to his teams tent after he had finished his leg. Juha was very tired and had a bad hangover, not a good combination for an athlete I think!

Athletes of different age

The sport of Orienteering has been around since 1897. A good thing about the sport and especially the 25manna race is that athletes and runners of different age and gender can compete side by side. As proven on these three photos from the competition at the Fields of Nytorp in Västerhaninge on Saturday. On the first photo you can see a very tired runner from IFK Göteborg. His team finished in 33th position. Not bad considering that there were more than 300 teams involved this year. On the second photo you can see the sisters Emma and Hanna Björklund. They are members of the club OK Kåre in Falun. I met them after they had finished their leg. And as you can see they were not all smiles. It was a tough race and they made a few mistakes. I haven't been able to identify the runner on the third photo, but he represents OK Klyftamo from Götene, and they finished just outside the top 100.

For a look at all the results from the race press here.

We Are All The Winners!

This weekend more than 9000 runners competed in the annual orienteering race known as the 25manna. The name means that every team has to have 25 runners, and all teams have to consist of both men and women. This years race took place at Nytorps Ängar in Västerhaninge. It's the second time that Haninge has welcomed the elite runners. I have tried the sport as a teenager, in school, but quickly realised that running around in a forest with a map an compass is not for me. The weather was perfect on Saturday with sunshine and around 10 Celsius. I live only 5 kilometres away so I jumped on my bike and headed for the Fields of Nytopr. Elite teams from Sweden, Norway, Finland and a few other countries competed and believe it or not, but the first portrait I took was of four guys from the Norwegian team Halden. And a couple of hours after I met them they won the event! Seen here on the first photo are Pekka Itavuo, Søren Bobach, Marius Bjugan and Erik Axelsson but not necessarily in that order. On the second photo you can see the smiling Anne Margrethe Hausken who ran the last leg for the Norwegian club. Their combined winning time was 5 hours, 13 minutes and 34 seconds. On the third photo some of the winners are posing for the media. Over the next few days you can expect to see many more photos from this big event. Including a few portraits of the organizers, the many volunteers and of course a few portraits of the runners.

The Hanging Gardens of Haninge

Following up on yesterdays post, here is a look at the very short-lived artwork that was The Hanging Gardens of Haninge. You had to be there to see it, as it is gone now. Luckily for you I was there with my camera. It took the performance group Zirkus Loko-Motiv a little over an hour to create the weird construction. Passers by were asked to participate by handing over any object they could live with out in return for a diploma. I had read about the happening in the paper so I had one such object with me. During the happening I walked around snapping left and right while chatting with the performers. And I was interviewed and photographed by a journalist from the Cultural Centre those photo will appear online next week. On the second photo you can see the cradle and acrobalance artist Katarina Rosen. She's not a member of the group, but got in contact with them when they bought her old camper which is now a mobile work shop, you can see it on the third photo. Katarina actually lives in a camper at the Circus village in Alby (remember the circus people from a while back), together with 14 artists from seven different countries. She's currently looking to set up the camper at another location and I suggested Trollsta in Sorunda where another theatre group is based. The third and next wonder will take place next month in Skärholmen. When all seven wonders have been created there will be a big happening in Stockholm where all seven wonders will be represented. To see all the photos from this event check out the slideshow.

Zirkus Loko-Motiv

The performance group Zirkus Loko-Motiv was in Handen on Friday for an unusual happening. During one hour The Hanging Gardens of Haninge were set up in front of the cultural centre on Poseidon's square. Anyone who wanted could contribute with any type of item to be used in the short-lived artwork. In return they got a diploma. I gave them a kitschy figure that I bought at a yard sale earlier this year. My flickr friend Jim handed over a keyboard and an old meat grinder! Two musicians played some interesting music while the hanging gardens took form in the strong wind. The performance is part of a project called The Seven Wonders of Stockholm. This was the second wonder. On the first photo you can see one of the founders of the performance group, the actress Ylva Törnlund striking a pose for the photographer. I was also welcomed to the happening by Roland Haeberlein. He is an artist and a sculptor and really knows how to dress sharply. On the third and last photo you can see two happy young girls holding up their diplomas. Guess who got the first diploma of the day? More photos from the happening tomorrow.

Enjoying the lovely smell of tar

This is Lotta and Johan. Another couple that I met at the Viking Market in Handen. I told Johan to look a bit wild here and I think it worked. They have been members of the Tattarklanen for about two years. As anyone interested in the Viking Era Johan had visited the Medieval Week on Gotland earlier this year. The items in front of them are all hand made and for sale. They told me that this hobby is very time consuming. It can take as long as 14 hours to make this type of pitcher. Another interest they have is sailing. And with a very special ship, the Sofia Linnea. A fire wood yacht. The Sofia Linnea is a replica and was built in 1988. A century ago there were hundreds of similar cargo sailing in the Stockholm archipelago. This is my last post from the Viking Market, and if you would like to have a look at all the photos just sit back and have a look a the slideshow below.

Woke Up This Morning...

This was unexpected. And a bit unnerving. I was sound asleep yesterday night. Probably dreaming about something weird, when I was awaken by a unfamiliar sound. It was still dark outside but there was a strange light from the window. Looking out I got a bit of a shock. Only meters from the house a car had just burst into flames! After calling the fire services I quickly dressed and grabbed the camera. It was raining, but the flames were still a few meters high, and as I walked closer I could hear a few small explosions so I stopped where I was and took a few photos. After twenty minutes the fire fighters arrived and put out the fire. A couple of hours later in the morning I walked down to the torched car for another look. My neighbour Danuta came over. She had heard some people outside her bedroom in the early hours and that was probably the car thieves running away. This kind of thing isn't that uncommon these days. I'm guessing it was a few local kids that stole the car and took it for a joyride.

Miss Honey Tongue

This is Lotta Honey Tongue and her friend Ragnar. They were at the Viking market in Handen selling their Viking handicraft. Ragnar was more the creative type he said, making some decorative fasteners for clothing. Lotta is a natural born sales person, so they should work well together. In the future Lotta is hoping to design some bags to sell at the different markets, including the Medieval Week in Visby. As you all know a true Viking will enjoy the occasional fight to the death. Followed by some serious eating ( and even drinking), and that's what you can see on the second and third photo. The somewhat heavyset Viking wannabe in blue gave the helmet protected Viking warrior a real fight. And if one of them managed to survive, I'm sure he limped over to the food stall which was operated by the shy Vikingess and her friend.They served two dishes, Meat on a stick and something called Bone of Bird.

Jocke Lavett

Meet Jocke Lavett. One of the new members of the Tattarklanen. He is interested in ancient handicraft, like the works of a blacksmith and he also wants to learn how to work with bronze and leather. Jocke is currently a student at the Bäckedals Folkhögskola in Sveg. And he plays in a band, Älgarna. And I do think he looks like a true Viking!

The Ring Bearers

Meet the Ring Bearers. Two members of Tattarklanen. To the left Burpus Tatorum, also known as Ola. And next to him, Tatora Tuttum, whose real name is Beatrice. To become a ring bearer, and get a clan name in this Viking and Medieval clan you need to prove your personal commitment to the group. Something that normally will take a couple of years. And that's what Burpus Tatorum and Tatora Tuttum has done. They visit all the big Viking markets, like the one in Leksand and the Medieval Week in Visby. They also enjoy the camp life, role-playing, music, and the handicraft that are a big part of the Viking culture. I met them during the Viking market in Handen.They told me that there are something like 15 ring bearers in their clan at the moment. Ola and Beatrice have a web site of their own where you can look at some of their handicraft and even order stuff.

The Vikings Are Coming!

Are you ready for some Vikings? I visited a Viking Market last weekend, and over the next week or so I will bombard you with photos and portraits from that fun event. The Viking with the beard on these two photos is called Fredrik. The red-headed Viking Babe answers to the name Helena. Both are into the whole Viking /Medieval thing and have been to several markets around Sweden. Like the Medieval Week on Gotland. Fredrik has also been to the market in Poland and the one on Åland. During this market they displayed some historical games. I tried the game Släppkäpp where I lost twice to Fredrik, who probably had been in hard training for the last few years. On the second photo Fredrik is leaping back in time! Or at least showing how to successfully beat Helena in backward leaping!

A Double Invitation

The top photo shows Gammelgården (it means the old cottage). It is situated in a beautiful part of Österhaninge, only meters away from the tree lined aveny that leads down to Årsta Castle. It is the oldest building in Haninge. The current castle is from 1650, and this cottage that once belonged to the castle is supposedly older. I have never been inside, but by chance I met the previous owner, Louise, nearby on Friday. Together with her friend Helén she was having a picnic in the sunshine near Stadsberga with their respective newborns, Sigge and Emma-Li. I stopped and was just about to ask them for a photo when Louise said: no photos please. That surprised me, but I don't give up that easy and we ended up chatting about this and that for ten minutes and Helén figured a photo of them then and there would be just fine! They offered me coffee, but I had just had a cup with flickr friend Jim at a cafe in Västerhaninge so I declined. Helén's boyfriend is Louise's brother so the girls are sisters in law. They used to play in the same korpfotboll team (7 player soccer for amateurs), but as they are newly mothers, promenades is what they have time for these days. It was when I asked where they lived that I learned that Louise had just sold the old cottage. Luckily for me she still has the keys as the new owners have yet to move in, so weather permitting I might take a bike ride down to the old cottage later today for a closer look. I took the top photo a couple of minutes after my meeting with the girls in case you are wondering. They were going one way and I the other, and as the weather was great I figured the white cottage would look good against a blue sky so I stopped by for a a few quick photos. Oh, and if you would like to see how it looks near Helén's place, press here to look at a big panoramic view over the Blista Bay.

An Unexpected Encounter

On my way through a forest a few days ago I suddenly heard someone playing the flute. I stopped and followed the sound, and after a minute or so I saw this woman standing by the trees. This is Gudrun, she lives nearby in Västerhaninge. She is a pensioner, and is often out in the forest either looking for lingonberries, or playing the flute. And she has notations with her. When she's not playing the flute she sings in a local choir. As I sometimes do I mentioned a few people I have photographed before, including the beautiful priest Sara, and the painter Karen and Gudrun knew both of them. Oh, and another reason for playing in the forest is that her neighbours work night, and she doesn't want to disturb them with her music early in the day.