Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Mr.Pink

Mr. Pink is in town
Some people are easy to spot. Mr. Pink is one of them. Although I questioned his choice of color as it seems more red than pink. That is just how it happened said Mr. Pink who works as a street performer. He started out in Copenhagen, and has travelled around Europe visiting both Barcelona and Split. At the moment he is based in Stockholm. His act is a combination of juggling and comedy. Unfortunately he didn't have his equipment with him when we met so a pose was all I could get!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Daniela

Daniela Daniela was on her way to a family BBQ when I spotted her. She lives in Handen and works as a nurse. She enjoys travelling, often to warm and sunny places. Her family comes from Chile. Later this year Daniela, and her sister Pamela will travel to South America where they will stay for about two months, visiting family in Chile, they will also go to Argentina. After shooting a couple of portraits on the lawn Daniela asked me if I could get a few photos of her with her sister, so we walked over to their yard where her brother Daniel were busy grilling steaks and hot togs for the family.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Power Bike

Can-Am I asked for a burnout when the guy riding the Can-Am left the cafe yesterday but that didn't really happen so he will not appear on any photo.. Don't see to many of these bikes out on the roads.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Student Festival

Nea Raising a tent Biking through Lake Rudan yesterday I noticed three people trying their best to set up a tent on the lawn between the two lakes. That can sometimes be fun to watch, so I stopped for a closer look. Two of them had green hair which was another reason for me to see what was going on. Turns out that there's a three day long festival for University students. The event is called Dunder och Brak. Nea is one of the organisers. She told me that there will be a few hours of fun on Saturday, around midday, when two hundred or so students from across Sweden will play games, and possibly even enjoy some alcoholic beverages here. Sounds like a good photo op to me! Nea's friend is nick named Snigel.

Friday, July 27, 2012

A kiss on the cheek

A kiss on the cheek Earlier this year Fredde was out jogging in Handen, he usually combines a visit to the gym with a five kilometre run. On this run he met a girl. They started talking. Fredde suggested that they could maybe go for a run together one day. Little did he know that Kristina was a very good Ultra Marathon runner.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Life is Good

Life is good Life is good. It is summer. The sun is shining. You are out with dad. Who is a big guy. Metal fan apparently, with a lot of tattoos. You get to sit on his shoulders. Not a bad view from up there. Is that a candy store over there? Lets have a closer look. Yes, sure looks like it. Lets go over there and buy something!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Summer Colors

Summer Colors This is how Husby in Österhaninge looks at the moment. Husby dates back two thousand years. There is a grave site from that period here. The farm got it's name 1500 years ago. There was many Husby farms in Sweden back then, as it was a place where farmers paid their taxes to the king. To see both a Winter and Autumn view of Husby check out this post from a couple of years ago.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

One Sentence

A Summer Day It was a good thing that all the people that decided to spend part of their Sunday at my favorite beach, Årsta Havsbad, down at the Hårsfjärden Bay, did just that, and you can see a few of them here, because on Monday the more typical weather of this summer was back,i.e. clouds, clouds and more clouds, and no sign of the sun.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Beach Candids

Cigarette & Water Calvin Klein
We had a few hours of sunshine on Sunday. I decided to hit the beach. I wasn't the only one with that idea. Arriving at my favorite beach Årsta Havsbad, I sat on the grass for a while relaxing. Then, as I usually do, I walked over to a bench from where you have the best view over the beach. A family was sitting there, so while I was shooting we got talking about photography in public spaces. That is always an interesting topic. I only shot two candid photos and here they are. Pretty girl wearing a pink bikini, and cool guy with big back tattoo. Might show you a very wide beach photo tomorrow.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Wrapped in

Monochrome It is that time of the year again. When the fields around the local farms are filled with wrapped in hay bales. Has a surreal feel to it sometimes. Especially at night. Took this photo near the old tree yesterday. Not sure how the farmers are coping with all the rain, lets hope for the best.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

A tiny bugger

A tiny bugger Arrived home after a sunny bike ride just now. Decided to rest on the grass for a while. That is when this little bugger decided to check out my hand. In the background you can see my front door. I reckon it around two millimetre long, or short if you like.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Trucker or Fashion Stylist?

Miss Longlegs Legs Open Door
This was a chance encounter. I noticed the 1962 Chrysler New Yorker in Handen yesterday and figured I would take a few photos of it. Arriving to where it had just parked I met Ann-Sofie, the car owners daughter. So I asked her for portrait. And got a pretty good story with the photo. Ann-Sofie is a future truck driver and mechanic, because that is what she is studying to become at the moment. Her hobbies includes cars and sports bikes, and when she is old enough to drive a car, she would like a Hot Rod. She could also be a future fashion stylist, working out of New York, because fashion is another big interest, and she is heading for The Big Apple later this year to attend an English language school, it is only for one month, but she figured it would look good on her CV. I could suggest a third career, Supermodel, because she has the face and the legs for it.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Erika

The eyes have it Erika & Ferry
I have a good memory for faces, (most days). I was shooting some photos of the old tree yesterday when a girl driving a lightweight two-wheeled, single-seat car came racing up the path. She circled the tree and when she came closer and stopped near where I was standing I said hello. She was wearing a helmet and it was hard to see her face, but I recognised her eyes (and eyebrows), and told her that we had met before. That was just over four years ago when I was still shooting for the 100 Strangers Project. Since we last met Erika has a new horse, Ferry at a stable in Tungelsta and it is Ferry you can see on the second photo.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Summer treats

Another Summer Treat A Summer Treat Blueberry Pie
It looked like a thunderstorm was quickly approaching Tungelsta so I walked up the hill at home to see from which direction it came. And while walking through the little forest I stumbled upon the first blueberries of the season. I had a quick look around and it looks like I will be serving a blueberry pie tonight. Possibly topped with smultron, or wild strawberries if you like. Just to make you a little hungry I have added what the pie will probably look like.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Susie de Ciutiis

Susie de Ciutiis
I spotted a photographer in Västerhaninge yesterday. We started talking and I decided to ask for a portrait. This is Susie de Ciutiis. She is a licensed tour guide in Stockholm, and a member of the Stockholm Qualified Tourist Guide Association. She lived in Rome for many years, working as a teacher, and while in Italy, she also did some actor's stand in work. When she moved back to Sweden she worked at the Stockholm University, before being head-hunted and offered a job at the Italian embassy in Stockholm. Susie knows a lot about the Viking Era and is also a guide at Runriket. Photography is a recent hobby. She shoots with a Canon 600 and has taken a few classes at Fotografiska.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Another Runestone Update

The Småhamra Runestone My third post about the Viking Era runestone that was found last spring in a field at Småhamra. Previous posts here and here. Since my last post the farmer Rolf Norlin, has been out ploughing again, and just as my friend Jim guessed last year when I told him about the historic find, Rolf found the missing piece of the runestone in the same field. So it is now possible to read the whole inscription, and the discussion now is if the two pieces should be put together or left like you can see here.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Look Mom, No Hands!

Look Mom, No Hands! I had to leave my bike (seen partly in this photo), with the Bicycle Repairman as it didn't have any brakes. The bike also needed gear stuff, a new chain and some brake wiring. The Bicycle Repairman told me that he was going to give me a call when the bike was repaired. Well, he hasn't called yet, and the bike shop is now closed for two weeks so I spent an hour yesterday going through the roughly three and a half bikes that you can find in my cellar. All broken, but I think I have managed to fix one of them. Now if it would just stop raining...

Saturday, July 14, 2012

The butcher's old place

Tungelsta Värdshus You learn something every day. My aunt stopped by for coffee and cake today. She told me a bit of local history that I didn't know. This building across the road from me has been a restaurant for the last decade or so. During those years the house have been rebuilt a couple of times, (this photo is from earlier in the week). Before that it was a private house for many years and back in the 1970s a local teacher, Ulla Nygren lived there. What I didn't know was that my family owned the land here between 1908 and some time in the 1950s. Kerstin told me that when she was a little girl her parents grew raspberries here. That was around 1948 or so. A couple of years later a butcher from Handen, called Franzén, bought the land and built a new home for himself, his wife, and his three daughters. They also set up a butchers shop here. The store was then bought by another family, The Danielsson's. They opened a grocery store here and also a cafe that my mother used to visit,possibly with my aunt as they were school mates.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Thursday Walk

That Old Tree Late Bloomer Harvesting Hay
In one of the more active flickr groups, Utata, members are asked to go for a walk every Thursday. We can then add a specific tag to up to six photos and post one photo with some info in a the weekly thread. The result can then be seen on the Utata web site. My walk took me to the old tree via a back road that is mostly used by the farmers at Mulsta, and also by the horse-back riders from a few nearby horse farms. Out on the fields I saw a baler in action. Further down the path a canola field was blooming.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Hand of Death

Hand of Death I started smoking when I was 12 years old. Quit after a bet with myself. If Sweden won the ice-hockey world championship I would give up this bad habit. This was back in 1991 I think. Sweden won the tournament and I quit smoking. Since then I have only smoked twice. The first relapse was the same week as I quit. Out on an island partying with a few friends where everyone smoked I found it impossible not to. Then, a couple of years later I was island hopping in the Greek archipelago with a childhood friend I hadn't seen for 15 years. We visited Santorini, Paros and Ios. And it was on the party island Ios that I smoked my last ever cigarette. We were having drinks at the big square in Chora and I borrowed a cigarette from my friend Peter. It tasted like death. These days I can't stand if anyone smokes near me.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Mustang Mania

1965 Mustang Mustang of the Day Pick your favorite Mustang. Top photo shows the original from 1965. Second snap is a modern convertible Mustang from 2006.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

A summer house

The old Cottage I think yesterday was the warmest day of the year. Grace in Perth will of course laugh when I say that it was very warm (25C), when I decided to go for a little photo promenade around Tungelsta. This is Hagstugan at Skogs Ekeby. Three hundred years ago the foreman at the farm lived here. Today it is a summer house. For a much colder and winter like view of this cottage press here.

Monday, July 09, 2012

Mosquito Forest

Mosquito Forest It is Monochrome Monday here at the Haninge blog. This is a forest at the Rudan nature reserve. I was out shooting with a friend recently, and the plan was to walk further into the forest here near the upper lake, but as I was attacked by a number of Kamikaze mosquito's that excursion was put on hold.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Garden Feature

Garden Feature One of my hobbies includes visiting old farms. I also find it interesting to document historic buildings and old cottages. Maybe it is time to add another category of buildings to that list now. Not sure how to describe that category. Perhaps something like this: Stuff that should have been blown up a long time ago.

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Zooming in on the tail light

Tail light merca
Took a photo shoot bike ride through Handen with my flickr buddy Jim the other day. We stopped at the industrial park and that's where we noticed a 1950 Mercedes-Benz 170 Sedan parked at a company that seemed to be in the plastic industry. I walked in and found the owner of the company. It was his car. He had owned it for around forty years and used it as his every day car for a decade, but these days he only drove it during the summer.

Friday, July 06, 2012

A Freckled Faced Girl

A Freckled Faced Girl Josefin
This is Josefin. She was out riding her horse near the old tree yesterday. Her family owns the Mulsta Farm and the old tree is on their land. If Josrfin looks familiar to you it is because I met and photographed her here one year ago.

Thursday, July 05, 2012

The Forgotten Greenhouse Nursery

Abandoned Greenhouse

Took a promenade yesterday, ended up at Stenvreten. A forgotten greenhouse nursery near Karlsro in Tungelsta. Many years ago a woman called Viran Eklöf lived and worked here. Today the place is overgrown with flowers. It is a beautiful area with a few small horse farms and I am a bit surprised that no one has bought the property.

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

Peacock Shooter

Peacock Shooter Headless Peacock Color School Photo 1936
Visited Karl Gunnar Lord yesterday. He was a good friend to my father. They grew up together, and KG has lived in Tungelsta all his life, just like my dad did. We had coffee and cake at his place and talked about this and that. Karl Gunnar has a peacock called Cookie, and we spent a few minutes feeding the bird cake, while taking photos of it. The third photo here is a school photo from 1936. KG is the fourth kid from the left on the first row. My dad is the second kid in the third row, sitting on the ground. I scanned it a few years ago and decided to see if I could colourize it.

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Jennie A.K.A. The Tigress

Jennie A.K.A. The Tigress En Svensk Tiger
I noticed Jennie's tiger tattoo in Västerhaninge yesterday and knew that I had to take a portrait of her. She was with her family, hubby and three kids. Jennie is a nursing assistant and in the future she is hoping to work with kids with special needs. She had the cool ink work made at a tattoo studio in Tungelsta. Made by an apprentice. It took six hours in one sitting. She paid 2000 SEK for it and I think it looks very cool.

Monday, July 02, 2012

Vicht

Vicht It worked okay for Mats Wilander so here it is, lets all do the Vicht.

Sunday, July 01, 2012

Stepping back in time

Little bit of the old days A Little Red Cottage A century ago Handen was a rural place with a few big farms. All the farms are if not gone, at least not in use any more. Today Handen is a modern urban area with a couple of big malls, a hospital, one or two industrial zones, many large apartment buildings as well as many family sized houses. And if you jump on the commuter train you are only a fifteen minute ride away from central Stockholm. So that is why I was a bit surprised to learn about the existence of this little red cottage at Malmvägen. It doesn't look like anyone live there, which is a bit of a shame I think. It is as central as you can get. You can walk to the hospital in under three minutes, and it is not more than a five minute stroll from the big mall which in itself is next to the commuter station.