Autumn in the Park

I stopped at the big park in Handen today. The sun was shining from a clear blue sky. Very warm for this time of the year, around 11C is my guess. As I took some photos of the leaves that completely covered the green lawn, two people walked up to me and started talking. The first one, a middle aged woman wanted to know a good place online for a shy photographer, I suggested flickr where you can be anonymous if you so wish. A minute later another woman approached me. She told me about a strange behaviour she had just witnessed. Ten birds where lying on the lawn pretending to be dead as a large falcon flew overhead. That would have been a photo with a difference.

The Execution Rock

Before Sweden became a democracy we actually killed our citizens. Today's photo relates to a post I wrote just before Midsummer two years ago, about such an event. This glacial erratic in Jordbro has a gruesome history. Because for centuries it was used as a place of execution. It has seen many decapitations and hangings. The last person to die here was Anders Gustav Pettersson, who murdered his boss, Fredrik Jaedren, the brutal owner of the old estate Näringsberg. Many years ago before the railway, there was an old Inn near the rock, where visitors to and from Stockholm used to stay for the night. Obviously it was said that this place was haunted...

Blue Amazon

I tried my luck at the O Caritas Car/Moped/Scooter Shooting Technique the other day. Using the nifty fifty I took eight auto focus photos at f1.8 of this blue Amazon, which I then rather unsuccessfully tried to stitch together. Restitched with only four shots, and that turned out OK, although I had to fix the licence plate. Patrick had a look at the photo and told me a bit more of his technique.

Armed Robbery

I heard the police car sirens yesterday afternoon. It was an armed robbery. A gold and watch store near the mall in Handen had just been robbed. I arrived as the police started questioning witnesses. I talked to the guy on the bench. He told me that he saw two robbers running out from the store, and driving off in a car. The window in the door to the store was smashed. He then said the same thing to the police officer, that also asked me if I had seen anything. The eyewitness eye-sight wasn't up to par, so he didn't know the make or model of the getaweay car. Half an hour later as I was on my way home the police had called off a large area around the store and a few photographers had arrived. The guy with the Sony camera works for TV4.

Menhir Stones

Back at the Bronze Age burial ground in Jordbro. This is a formation of grave stones called Menhir. Also known as a Bautasten in Swedish. These stones are on the small side, they are roughly one meter high. There are many information boards like this one on the big grave field. Shot with the Nifty Fifty.

Unlucky Truck Driver of the Day

The truck driver got a flat tire and had to stop in the roundabout, pretty much right on the pedestrian crossing, which meant that I had to turn around when I got there on my bike. A number of idiots used their car horns to get him to move the truck, surprisingly that didn't work! After a while the police arrived to help directing traffic as you couldn't enter Åbyplan in Västerhaninge as long as the truck was parked where it was. Two hours later the truck was still there...

Autumn Leaves

On my way down the funky spiral that connects central Handen with the lakes at Rudan, via the pedestrian tunnel at the commuter station tunnel I stopped for this autumn snap of a building you have seen before. Shot with The Nifty Fifty.

Stone Ship

I took a walk at the old burial ground in Jordbro yesterday. This is a stone ship, or Skeppssättning in Swedish. The grave field dates back to the Bronze Age, and it is the oldest in the greater Stockholm area. It was used between 600 BC and 400 AD. There are around 1000 graves here. It was forgotten for many centuries. When the railway line Nynäsbanan was constructed a little over a century ago no one knew that they were building it on an ancient burial ground. One of the guys that I see at the cafe every now and then is the archaeologist Roger Wikell. During his diggings at the grave field he found proof that people lived here 9000 years ago during the Stone Age. Something to think about when you walk there today.

The Bike Path

The new paved bike path/walkway at Håga in Västerhaninge. In a few days time all the green and yellow will be gone.

Autumn Vs. Summer

Time for another Different Seasons Diptych. This is the old estate Hesslingby, in rural Österhaninge. The left half of the diptych is an Autumn version that I shot a few days ago. The right half shows a summer view from July of 2010. Back in 1640 there lived a Field Marshall here. Now, some 370 years later the estate has been turned into a couple of apartments.

And Then They Were Three

Heading home from the National Park I had to use my bike bell when I came upon four people dressed in military uniforms walking side by side on a walkway in Handen. After passing them I made a quick stop at the mall, and 20 minutes later I saw them again, but now they were only three, so I had to investigate. Turns out that they are civilians, although the guys, Henrik and Niklas did their military service last year. Now they were out on a 36 km walk, together with Jenny with a Y. The fourth person, another girl, had given up a kilometre or so ago, and was probably on her way back home via train or bus. They had maps and a GPS unit with them, but still had managed to take a few wrong turns here and there. Their goal was Hemfosa, which is in the middle of nowhere. The second photo shows the road that the then four hikers probably walked down half an hour or so before I met them. I took that photo as I left the park.

The Former Prime Minister

After two rainy days the sun was back yesterday. I decided to make a stop at the National Park in Tyresta. As I was taking a few photos of the farm at the park I could hear a couple walking towards me. When I turned around to say a quick hello I realised that it was our former Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson and his wife Ingrid, so I decided to ask the former statesman for a portrait, and luckily for me he said yes. Ingvar Carlsson had what must have been the toughest start any Prime Minister could ever have. He was the man who took over as Prime Minister on the night of the murder of Olof Palme back in 1986. In total he was acting PM for around eight years, and I think it is fair to say that he was one of the more popular politicians we have had in this country. So it was nice to meet him like this in the park.

Ice Age Remnant

On a hillside in a forest in rural Österhaninge you will find this big rock. Or more precisely this cracked glacial erratic. It is five meters high and you can walk right through it. It has a few different names in the local folklore. One is Wolves Rock. It is said that back in the day when we still had wolves here (up until 1860 or thereabouts),this was a place where you on dark nights could hear the wolves howling.

At the Vernissage

This is Björn Lundblad, a photographer from Haninge. I have met him at the cafe a few times this year. At the moment he has an art exhibition at the cafe. I took this photo during the vernissage a while back. The place was crowded. One of the photos that I like displays a number of yellow-jackets. You can have a look at that photo and a few others at Björn's website.

School Facade

Next to the park in Jordbro a new school for six hundred students is under construction. The builder is Tornberget. On the same spot where once Blockstensskolan stood. The name of the new school is Höglundaskolan. A new soccer pitch will also be built next to the school.

Farmers Market

If you would like to buy marmalade, jam, chutney or gelatin, Renée on the top triptych is your woman. I met her at the farmers market in the park in Tungelsta on Saturday. Stefan Fehler in the diptych is a bee-keeper. He was one of the smartest people at the market, because he told me that he used to check out my photos every now and then, he was selling his honey, and he invited me to come and check out his bees next spring. Karita Thomé in the third photo specializes in products made from Common Sea-buckthorn. She was at the greenhouse selling among other things jelly and marmalade made from Common Sea-buckthorn. Finally on the fourth photo, Fehmi Korkut who sold his locally produced salad. This popular market ended one week of food related events in Haninge. I have a flickr set where I will add more photos. It is called Sweden, the new culinary nation.

Model of the Day

As soon as I noticed Carolina Ruiz in Handen, I stopped her and asked her if I could take a portrait. When she told me that she had done some modelling jobs, I figured it was best to seize the moment, so I decided to take a few more photos than I would normally do, and you can see them in the slideshow below. Carolina grew up here in Haninge, but at the moment she lives closer to Stockholm, in Årsta. She hasn't decided on her future yet. She enjoys the modelling, and can see herself making a living out of that. But she has other ideas as well. She would like to work as a Kindergarten teacher. Lucky kids if you ask me! One of her hobbies is poetry. She has a blog in Swedish with some of her work. Shot these photos with the Nifty Fifty, and with the 18-55mm lens.

Fall Collection

One hundred meters away from the cottage in yesterdays photo, but a few days later,I found this Autumn sign. Shot with the 50mm lens.

Red & Green

Back at the Lakes at Rudan in Handen once again. Today this is a recreational area which I have shown you many times before, with skiers, joggers, fishers, Ultra Marathon runners and more. Last year the area was declared a National Reserve. This building is one of the few buildings left from the time when there was a farm and laundry here. It is situated just a few meters from the beach at the upper lake.

The Pastry Chef

And here she is, Diana Nordin, the pastry chef from my favorite cafe. In the kitchen at Malmens konditori, with flowers and the winners check for 5000 SEK. She designed the winning pastry that you saw in my post yesterday. The official Haninge pastry will now be served at café's around Haninge for the next year. When I arrived to the cafe yesterday the owner, Henrik was very happy, he showed me a diploma that now sits on a wall at the cafe. Andrea, the head waitress, was also a bit excited. So after enjoying a quick cup of coffee I had time to take a portrait of the woman that bakes all the tasty pastries that I have enjoyed here for the last year or so.

And the winner is...

Haninge is taking part in something called Sweden - the new culinary nation. Yesterday three (lucky), jury groups gathered at City Hall in Handen. One group, seen here, were to decide about the best locally made pastry. The winner gets a diploma and 5000 SEK. The winning pastry will also be served at all café's around Haninge for the next year. If you have read this blog recently you will know that I have spent a lot of time at a particular cafe. I have told the owner, Henrik, about this event a couple of times. Last Friday he finally decided to mention it to the pastry chef, Diana Nordin. She was a bit upset about being told about it with such short notice, but still decided to give it a go, and guess what she won! Here's what the jury had to say: A winner because of the design and the taste that shone in it's simplicity. An added bonus was the resemblance of a boat. Haninge has a long coast and a big archipelago so designing the pastry to look a bit like a boat was a smart move by Diana. Best Pizza was won by Isa Akan from Brandbergen, and best Herring by Lotta Nyman from Dalarö. There will be many food events in Haninge this week and from tomorrow anyone who wants to can try the school food at a few chosen schools. More facts in Swedish here.

The Project Manager

A couple of years ago I fell off my bike while out on the road. I landed in a ditch. I had totally run out of energy. I walked over to a restaurant and they filled up my water bottle, and after a minute or two I was back in the saddle again. Why am I telling you this? Because I was reminded about that incident when I saw Paula climbing a bridge on her bike on Saturday. She was very tired and going the wrong way so I turned around and guided her down to Lake Rudan where she was going to greet a few friends that where taking part in the Ultra Marathon race. I figured my good deed of the day would be worth a portrait and she was OK with that. Paula, who lives in Stockholm works as a project manager at SVT, the national broadcast company. Earlier this year she took part in her first Vätternrundan race and her next challenge is the 2012 Jubilee Stockholm Marathon. So despite being tired on this day, she really is a fit woman.

You Were Just Overtaken By A Girl

That's what it says on the sticker on this very girly Volvo that I spotted in Västerhaninge a couple of days ago.

Caterina

This is Caterina. I met her outside the cultural centre in Handen. She was adjusting her clothes when I saw her and it was her red boots that first attracted my eyes. She was on her way to the mall and had time to pose for a few portraits (I'm still trying to learn how to shoot portraits with the Nifty Fifty). Caterina lives in Handen and works as a receptionist in Stockholm. She stays fit by working out at a gym. Her parents are Italian and these days they live in Calabria, in the south of Italy. Caterina has two daughters that keep her very busy, as fifteen year old twins tends to do! She told me that she was a very quiet kid and that her daughters were a bit wilder.

The Birdhouse

A birdhouse (fågelholk), at the birch forest at Håga. This forest is also known as the pet cemetery.

The Smiling Sujinda

I have seen this woman a couple of times in Handen,always with a smile on her face. This is Sujinda. She is originally from Thailand. Together with her partner she decided to move to Sweden in search of her dream. At the moment she is studying Swedish. And that seems to be working fine, because we didn't have any problems understanding each other. If everything goes as Sujinda is hoping, she will be a veterinarian some time in a not too distant future.

Cinnamon Bun Anyone?

Yesterday was National Cinnamon Bun Day. A very important day in the calendar for a café addict like yours truly. So I stopped by my favorite coffee place, Malmens Konditori, where I found my friend Fredde sitting by the window working on his PC. The place was crowded, and Henrik, who owns the place, told me that he would probably sell 1500 buns! Fredde offered to buy me coffee and a bun, and we sat outside in the sunshine and discussed everything from Aliens to phobias with local music legend Tompa Eken.

Meet the Triplet Brothers

Say hello to the triplets. Edvin, Konrad and Gustav. I met them in Västerhaninge. The triplets were easy to spot, their grandmother took up half of the walkway with the wide baby carrier! The trio were born in February, seven weeks early, by Caesarean section. They have two older siblings. Edvin weighed 1200 grams when he was born. His brothers were a bit heavier, weighing in on 1900 grams. There are currently 25 families in Sweden with triplets. One of those families live nearby in Tyresö, so I guess the two families will help one another with this and that.

In the shade of a tree

Cycling home this afternoon I came around a corner and there was Maya. I thought she looked like a pretty girl so I stopped and asked her if I could take a portrait. Maya is teenager from Västerhaninge. When she's not at school she enjoys designing jewellery. She also likes music and oil painting. We talked a bit about photography. Maya's family needs to buy a camera, something with a good zoom, so I obviously suggested a Canon 550D which is what I use. I have used the EF-75-300mm- for eight years and that's a decent lens I think. After this chat we walked over to a nearby lawn where I found a semi-shaded area under a tree.

The Comedian

I wanted to test the Nifty Fifty the other day so when I noticed this guy in Handen I stopped him and asked him for a portrait. This is Noah. He is a comedian. He told me that he had a gig at the Big Ben club on the day that we met. Noah entered a competition a few years ago. Something called The Bungy Comedy. He didn't win, but the guy who did win is supposedly one of the funniest guy in the country these days, so it must have been a tough gig.

Nature Machine

Theme Day. Mystery Object. I don't have a clue as to what a Nature Machine is. Perhaps something one could use to create new life? If you zoom in on some of the details of the nature machine this is what you can see. LSD. DNA. And a baby. Now that is a weird combination. The only person that could tell us how the machine works would be the creator, Olle Adrin, but he passed away back in 1988 so I guess we will never know the answer.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.