2012 Winter Count

My Winter count for 2012. One photo for every month of the year. I did shoot many street portraits while meeting many interesting people this year. The ones that you see here are Rontti. Kim. Isabella. Emelie. Mick. Baby Diaper. Erika. Sandra. Jonas and Kajsa. As per usual I also visited the old tree a couple of times. And then in November came the early winter. I wonder what 2013 will bring? Happy New Year everyone.

A Winter Scene

I have taken quite a few winter promenades during the last month. Some in snow storms. Others when the weather was a bit more photo-friendly. This is a typical Tungelsta scene. A Falu Red painted house at Söderbyvägen.

Walkin' On The Sidewalks

This was how the sidewalks in Tungelsta looked yesterday. Either filled with frozen snow, or simply covered with a thick layer if ice. I wouldn't recommend anyone to walk here, but that is what quite a few people had to do anyway. Not sure what happened to the people that should keep the sidewalks in working order, maybe they have emigrated to Thailand for the winter.

How about a beer at the terrace?

No? What do you mean cold seats? It's just a little snow.

Winter Wildlife

It's tough for the wildlife at the moment. They have trouble finding enough food to survive the winter. The first thing I saw yesterday morning was this roe deer. It was on the hill at home, standing in the deep snow looking for something to eat. Normally they will run away when you spot them, but I think it was too hungry for that. A little later in the day my brother took some photos of them as they were on the veranda looking in to the living room. When they come so close that means that they are desperate for anything to eat so I cut up some parrots carrots and left on the veranda. Will buy some apples and pears for them later today.

Walking Away

So the day after Julafton you have a few options if you want to get away from those pesty lovely relatives. One is to hit the stores and try to get some money back for those unwanted Christmas gifts, and since the Christmas Sale is already on that is usually a win-win situation. Another way could be to just walk away from everything! I had planned a visit to the old tree during this walk but the weather was against me, so maybe tomorrow.

A Bowl of Porridge

You have to serve a bowl of rice pudding to the Tomte during Christmas. If you neglect to do so anything can happen. I didn't want to take any chances so I left a bowl on the veranda. From Wikipedia: One was also required to please the spirit with gifts (see Blót) – a particular gift was a bowl of porridge on Christmas night. If the tomte was not given his payment, he would leave the farm or house, or engage in mischief such as tying the cows' tails together in the barn, turning objects upside-down, and breaking things (like a troll). The tomte liked his porridge with a pat of butter on the top. In an often retold story, a farmer put the butter underneath the porridge. When the tomte of his farmstead found that the butter was missing, he was filled with rage and killed the cow resting in the barn. But, as he thus became hungry, he went back to his porridge and ate it, and so found the butter at the bottom of the bowl. Full of grief, he then hurried to search the lands to find another farmer with an identical cow, and replaced the former with the latter.

Julafton

We celebrate Julafton today. That means two things. Eating a lot of Christmas food like this ham, and opening many Christmas gifts.

Winter in Sweden

If I remember correctly this old house in Handen was bought earlier this year by a real estate and property developer, and it is likely to be demolished soon. It is surrounded by larger apartment buildings and I think the seller laughed all the way to the bank because he, she, they got something like 20 Million SEK for it. Behind the house is a small hill, on top of which stands a mysterious modern runestone.

Stained Glass Window

You would never be able to guess where I saw this stained glass window, so I might as well tell you and show you the building itself. This is an old two-storey farm building that for many years belonged to the Hammar Estate in Tungelsta. It dates back to around 1850. Back then it was connected to another similar warehouse via a wooden bridge. When the other warehouse was demolished the then tenant replaced the opening with this beautiful stained glass window. That was many years ago. The property changed owners a couple of years ago. The current owner was hoping to fix up the old building and perhaps even turn it into an apartment. Unfortunately if he does that he can't get any funding from the EU, as they only give that sort of help if you restore the building to how it originally looked. And I guess that means without this beautiful window.

Puzzled Again

I get puzzled sometimes. Today is one of those days. Hopefully I will finish it before the world ends in a few hours time!

Dug in, gave up, took bus.

Six word story.

The joy of winter

Just two photos to show why I am more of a summer person. Top photo is a walkway/bike path at Hanveden. It was impossible to ride the bike up the slope. I was swearing non-stop and had decided to complain to the municipality about the lack of snow plowing, but as I headed in the other direction a few hours later the path had been cleared. Second photo shows a sidewalk in Tungelsta. It was hard just walking there.

Winter Vs. Summer

Haven't done one of these for a while. This is Hagstugan in Tungelsta. Shot the winter side of the diptych just over a week ago. The summer side is from July of this year. The cottage dates back 300 years.

A former school building

This was once the Church School in Västerhaninge. Built back in 1861. My grandfather Harald Fredrik Jansson was a student here for a few years in the beginning of the last century. Today you can buy locally made handicraft here. My buddy Birdman whom you have meet here on the blog a few times lives in an apartment on the second floor. Rumours have it that the municipality would like to demolish this old building. Not sure why.

Lussekatt

Swedish word of the Day. Lussekatt. Saffron Bun. Admired at my local café, Malmens Konditori in Handen earlier in the week. Shot with the nifty fifty.

Where did I park my car?

That was probably the question asked by the owner of this car.

Free Cake Anyone?

The cultural centre in Handen celebrated ten years earlier this week. When I popped in for a visit, a group of people working at the centre were making their way towards the library where they presented a couple of surprised visitors with free cake and a a number of Christmas carols.

Winter Pastoral

I don't know anything about this house in Tungelsta, except for two things. It is a very beautiful house, and once upon a time a Lieutenant Forsell lived here.

Nobel Prize Winner Story of the Day

On his way to the Nobel banquet in Stockholm, Chinese poet/author Chen Maiping dropped in for a chat with his barber, Mikael in Västerhaninge. This year's Nobel prize in literature winner, Mo Yan is a very good friend to Maiping, and his wife Anna, who has translated most of Mo Yan's works to Swedish. Mikael got a fine gift from Maiping. A signed and dedicated copy of one of Mo Yan's novels.

It was a cold day

Swedish word of the day. Rimfrost. Hard rime. Cold day. Around -13C when I took this photo of white ice on a couple of birch trees at Lillgården in Tungelsta. The panorama shows Mulsta, a field with a new road and a forest at Lillgården. The photo is huge in the original size. Wider than PS can work with so I had to resize it a bit. If your computer can handle large photos press here to see the original size.

National Gingerbread Day

We have been eating "Pepparkakor" in Sweden for 700 years. The first known pepparkaka was baked for medicinal use by nuns. Later a Swedish King, Hans (he ruled over Sweden, Norway and Denmark), was ordered by his doctor to eat pepparkakor as it would make him a nicer person (he was a bit on the grumpy side). Anyway, yesterday we celebrated Pepparkakans Dag, or National Gingerbread Day!

The Christmas Gift of the Year

Something knitted for Christmas? How about a pair of mittens with a skull and crossbones pattern? A must for the cool kids. Designed by Birgitta Sergler. Only 220SEK. Found, but not purchased at the Christmas market in the greenhouse in Tungelsta yesterday.

Christmas Market

I visited the annual Christmas market in Tungelsta today. Held in the greenhouse in the park. All items sold here were locally made. We had a beautiful but cold winter day. -6C and a blue sky. And with a lot of snow!

How to dig out your car after a snow storm

Many people got a great outdoor workout on the day after the blizzard. I told a few people that I met to remember to do a stretch routine after the exercise. Spotted these women at two parking lots in Tungelsta.

The blizzard of 2012

The calm after the storm is what you can see on the top photo, it's one of the greenhouses here at Bergdalen. We had the blizzard of 2012 yesterday. We got something like half a meter of snow. Arlanda airport closed. Many schools did the same as the commuter trains didn't run, nor did the buses which is why you could walk on the streets, which a woman is doing on the second photo. People were stranded everywhere waiting for buses that never arrived. That is never any fun in a snow storm. If you would like to read about the storm, I recommend this article in The Local.

Standing Skeleton

So I was out on a photo promenade in the snow. For once the sun was shining from a blueish sky, and I decided to check out an old warehouse that once belonged to the Hammar estate. I spotted the owner (he had seen a previous photo I had taken of the building so he knew who I was), and we started talking. I will show you the building and an interior view in a day or two, but I figured you needed to see this guy first. he was standing in a corner doing nothing at all.

That Old Tree

One winter visit so far this season to the old tree. I was wearing my winter leather boots but had forgotten to spray them against the wet and salt, so it was a rather uncomfortable walk back home! We have had some more snow since I took this photo and it has gotten a bit colder as well.

Winter in Sweden

This picturesque property at Skogsekeby in Tungelsta is known as Sveaborg. Svea is the female personification of Sweden.

Heading Towards Winter

Took a promenade to Välsta. The feeling was that I was walking into winter. And that is exactly what I was doing.

My Street

My street is called Södertäljevägen. It starts at the Tungelsta commuter station. And ends at Cafe Rosenhill. It is a two lane road also known as Länsväg 257. I live at number 12. The top left photo shows the road on a fun day a few years ago when a truck dumped a load of clay on it! The house to the right was destroyed in a fire a few years ago, but has since been rebuilt. It is known as Manhem, and that is also where the third photo was taken. When I shot that scene the lorry driver was trapped under his truck. The road is dangerous and we see many accidents. Especially during the summer months when the bikers are out on the road. Their goal is always that cafe I mentioned. One thing you would have seen driving on this road during the last century would have been any of the many greenhouse nurseries. The one you see here was known as Graneberg. It closed just a couple of years ago. On the top right you can see Håkstorp a cottage built back in 1690. You will see that house soon after passing the hill where the lorry accident took place. The cows lives at the Haga farm. Below the cows you can see the abandoned filling station I showed you last winter. The good news here is that it will reopen as a Gulf station very soon. I took the photo two days ago. And speaking about re-openings, the Inn just across the road from me will open next month although it is hard to believe looking at the photo on the bottom left. Another property you can spot from the road is Djurgårdsgrind (with the fluffy cloud), where famous author Ivar Lo-Johansson lived when he was a kid. Sadly the buildings are decaying badly and last I heard the property was for sale. Driving along Södertäljevägen you are likely to see a horse or two like the one in the snow I photographed two days ago. I could go on and on but surely this is enough.

Home of a Tomtenisse

In Swedish folklore a Tomtenisse was a tiny, very strong, elderly man with a big beard who looked after your farm and family. He would guard and protect it during the night. You would almost never see him as he could turn himself invisible. During Christmas it was very important to give the Tomte a bowl of porridge. It is also believed that he was the original owner of the farm. Today the Tomte has become the Scandinavian Santa Claus.

That time of the year again

It started to snow last night. So the snow plows were out and about this morning. Spotted this guy along my street Södertäljevägen, the yellow building in the background is the old station house at the Tungelsta commuter station.

ICA Supermarket

This is the only photo I have taken this week (it has been raining non-stop for several days). If I want to use the Swedish postal service, this ICA Supermarket in Västerhaninge is the closest option, around 5 kilometres from where I live. The rain have caused all sorts of problems. I passed an accident on my way to the post office. A car had crashed into a street-light for no obvious reason, so I guess it was because of aquaplaning. I heard on the radio that a few local roads had been closed this morning because of flooding. And they say that it is snowing in Stockholm as I'm typing this...

Bronze Age Grave

This is a cairn at the burial ground in Jordbro. Supposedly the oldest grave,it is said to date back to the Bronze Age. It is eleven meters wide. Walking through the forest/field you will find up to one thousand graves from around 500 BC to 500 AC. The weather of late have been horrible, at least if you are a biking photographer. Mostly rain and grey skies. That might change tomorrow, stay tuned!

Infranord Inspection Car

Infranord claim to be the leading railway contractor in the country. For the last couple of years they have been busy constructing a second rail-track between Tungelsta and Västerhaninge. Traffic will start on both tracks on the third of December. Seen here is an inspection car from Infranord, shot from the newish bridge crossing the railtrack at the Tungelsta commuter station.

Industrial Space

The industrial park in Jordbro is now filled to capacity. The municipality took a decision to create a new industrial area in Alby a few kilometres away from Jordbro. Work on that has already begun, so I was a bit surprised to see that someone had found a property at the Jordbro site that was unused. Not sure who will move in here, but this must be the last new business to open here.

Lets build a mall

If you ever decide to build a shopping centre you might need one of these. It is a Scissor Lift, although the construction workers at the Port 73 mall in Handen might call it a Saxlift as they probably speak Swedish.

Gated Entrance

Earlier this year I took part in a photo project called 5 Days. The idea was to shoot five photos of the same scene on five different days. I decided to shoot the tree lined avenue at the 200-year old Hammar estate in Tungelsta. One reason was that they were redoing the entrance by adding a gate as well as laying asphalt on the driveway (although they don't use it). That took some time to finish, but this is how it looks today.

The Red Nest Boxes

Two red nest boxes near Söderby in Handen. Shot this from a pedestrian bridge. No idea what type of bird the nest was made for. Most of my flickr photos are organized in sets. I realised that I didn't have a set for birch photos, so that has been fixed now!

The Cultural Centre

This is the library at the cultural centre at Poseidon's Square in Handen. The Cultural Centre celebrates ten years in December. The celebrations takes place on 12.12.12. You can expect to see and hear some local artists including R & B-star Mary N’diaye and watch air acrobatics from Cirkus Cirkör.