The punks

The plan was to take a portrait of Kalle (punk to the left), as I figured him for a punk rocker. He told me that he was in a band and that he was the singer and guitarist. He then told me that his buddy Patrik was the drummer in the same band and that's when I decided to take a snap of both of them. Kalle then went on to tell me that he couldn't give out the name of the band as it was a secret! That's when Patrik told me that the name of the band was Tony och (and the) Björnbandet. Named after a guy they showed me a photo of. Although it was so bright that I really didn't see anything. The punks then suggested we would take the photos on the traffic island, and this is the result. After a few photos they started fighting because that's what punks does.Apparently there's an album/video/something on the way. Remember where you heard it first!

Hey Theo

Biking through a park in Handen yesterday it was hard not to notice Theo. Five minutes before I saw him he had arrived and was now relaxing in his hammock reading Hunter S Thompson. Turns out he always have the hammock with him during the Summer months. And he uses it all the time. He has done so during a few holidays around Europe in his car. Theo lives in Nynäshamn and usually works as a decorator. He used to be in a band. He played the guitar. They did one gig. They were called Fly Stanton and played a bit of Blues. A zoomed out photo in the comment. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU_vcBOlBMw

Digitalis

Skywatch Friday

Elin

Elin was on her way to a shopping centre in Handen when I spotted her red hair yesterday. I have a thing for redheads which I told her about. If I see a girl with red hair I usually ask for a portrait. Very windy as you can tell, and very warm, at least for a Swedish summer day, I'm guessing around 25C. Elin is a student who works extra to get some money. She doesn't have any real plans for the future just yet. Spending this summer in Sweden, and just like Rebecka the girl I met yesterday, Elin visited the Summerburst festival last weekend.

Ray Bans & Jeans Shorts

I was on my way to the cafe when I spotted a blond girl earlier in the week. The fashion this summer seems to be cool shades and denim shorts, and that was Rebecka's outfit, so I decided to ask her for a portrait. She lives in Handen, has a job that inst all that interesting to talk about. She goes to the gym to stay fit. She is currently enjoying the summer, last weekend she visited the Stockholm Summerburst Festival. The second photo is a Brenizer style photo that I messed it up a bit.

The Poet

Don't look at the thorns of the rose, count it's leaf. That is the life mantra of the poet that I met in Handen. Barbro have been writing poems for more than 40 years. She is planning to publish two poetry books in the near future. She started writing when she was ten years old and won a prize at a youth centre. Barbro have been married for 28 years and during that time she has written 700 love poems to her husband! Lately she have also written some rap poems, probably inspired by her two sons. And for the last decade, Barbro have also been heavily involved in poetry slam competitions. So I guess it is safe to say that she is a poet.

Give Us a Kiss

I always try to find A Moment In Time photos. This is one of them. Two girls from a nearby stable was out horseback riding in Västerhaninge. It was a warm summer day and they really needed an ice-cream so they decided to head for a kiosk at the shopping centre. A couple of years ago the centre got a Systembolaget, the state owned liquor store, so there's always plenty of drunks in the area. Seeing the horses, one of them decided it was time for some animal hugging and kissing.

Midsummer in the park

Here is a collage with sixteen photos from the Midsummer celebrations in the park in Jordbro. And a slideshow with another 36 photos. You will probably recognise one or two faces. A flickr contact. A pretty priest. A few young singers. A Blacksmith and many more.

Midsummer dancing

The traditional Midsummer dancing was a bit different here in Jordbro. It was the same dance, but as it was the first ever Midsummer dance for many of the visitors, it took some explanation, but in the end everything worked out just fine. On the top photo the Maypole have just been erected and Margareta Runqvist is checking to see if she can get the dance under way. Second photo shows the dance Små grodorna. The dancing lasted for thirty minutes. I will show you some more Midsummer snaps tomorrow.

Midsommarafton

Midsommarafton today. The most important holiday in the Swedish calendar. No other day can compete. The National Day is nothing compared to Midsummer. For the third year running I visited the celebrations in the park in Jordbro. As I arrived kids of all ages were busy decorating the Maypole, or Midsommarstång as we like to call it. More facts and photos over the weekend.

Summer Wallpaper

A few years ago I took very nice autumn photo of this field near Kalvsvik in Österhaninge. I had a feeling it would be a popular photo, and over at flickr it has generated close to 25 000 views. I don't think this summer view will be as popular, but I for one like it almost as much as the 2007 snap.

Portraits at the cafe

If you sit indoors at my favorite cafe this summer you can see some of my photos on the walls. If you sit outside chances are that I will take your photo. Here are three recent cafe portraits. Kristel was sitting at the table next to me yesterday. I noticed her pin-up tattoo and when she was ready to leave I asked if Í could get a photo. By then I had already figured out that the tattoo depicted Kristel, and her daughter. The daughter, Vanessa had spent the last half hour or so running around the cafe with another little kid. Second portrait is of Veronica. I spotted her as she came walking by, grabbed the camera and took a few candids. She noticed me, walked over and I thought she was going to say something about the photos but she was friends with the guy I was having coffee with so as they were chatting I took another portrait. Third photo is a candid portrait. The young girl were having lunch with her mother (my guess). She was very expressive and was gesturing a lot and she had great eyes. I tried waving at her but she didn't notice me so I opted for a candid.

Stepping back in time

I showed you an old cottage from 1850 on the most recent theme day. Since then I have visited Djurgårdsgrind for a look inside. The property was on the market until just a few days ago so I guess it has been sold now. This collage shows the interior of the bigger house that dates back to 1910. Sadly the little cottage from the theme day can't be saved. I did go in for a peak,and it was a sad sight, the second story floor have collapsed and you had to be careful where you stepped.

That Old Tree

The old tree is very green today. I have made one or three visits that I haven't shown you but this is how the tree looks now. Quite a difference from last month.

Highland Cattle

Biked through a rural area in Haninge a few days ago. This is Alvsta in Österhaninge.

The scent of summer

Nothing says summer like a blooming canola field. This is Årsta Säteri/Alvsta in Österhaninge.

Hot Rod

Been a while since I shot a Brenizer style photo. But when I spotted this 1932 Ford, turned Hot Rod by Lennart Djurberg, parked in Västerhaninge that is what I did. It took 16 photos with the nifty fifty, and I kinda like the result.

Summer Break

Most of the schools have closed for the summer now. I made a pit stop at my favorite beach on Tuesday. Two people were busy preparing the open-air dance floor for the Midsummer celebrations. Down at the beach a few kids were busy screaming and shouting as well as sunbathing, swimming and jumping from the dive tower. The name of this bay Is Horsfjärden. I know for a fact that the water isn't all that warm this early in the Summer so these are soume tough kids.

Friendship

The theme this year for the Art Promenade at the Kyrkskolan gallery in Österhaninge is Vänskap, Friendship. I got a friendly reminder to visit the promenade last week when I met the chairman of the artists at my favorite cafe, and a few days later I headed that way. Thirteen works of art can be found around the gallery and near the Medieval church. I think I managed to document most of them, and here they all are in a slideshow. Flickr has undergone some big changes so sometimes the slideshow will malfunction, if so just try it again.

The Groupie

Alina was sunbathing when I asked her if I could get a photo. It was a good day for sunbathing, around 25C. She jokingly told me that she was the No Name Duo's groupie. I don't have any groupies that I know off. Maybe I should take up playing an instrument! Shot the portrait with the nifty fifty into the sun so I used the flash and quite like the result.

No Name Duo

Christoffer seems to have a thing for playing drums outdoors. Preferably on grassy fields. That was what he was doing at Nederstaleden in Västerhaninge a couple of days ago. And one year ago when I spotted him at Nedersta doing the same thing. This time he did it together with his friend Aleksander. They were rehearsing for a wedding gig. The duo with no name (yet), plays at bars, parties and weddings. Oh, and this is three photos stitched together. Shot with the nifty fifty.

Sixteen Recent Snaps

Blue and Yellow Macaw. The owner tod me quite a few facts about these birds. Sunbather on a pier at Lower Lake Rudan. Girl with neck tattoo at my cafe. Dog show during the open-house weekend at the Agricultural college. Dog and owner testing the water at Rudan. Brenizer style photo of the Volvo Vera. Moo, one of the cows at the Haga farm. Two lovers on the grass at the Berga college. Bird watching at Malmens Konditori. Bronze Age grave stones in Jorbro. Butterfly. Monica on her moped. Toddler with Nike, costed the mother 200SEK, her own Nike pair costed 1000SEK. My neighbour Danuta walking her dog Bork. Photographer at the Agricultural collage, he was shooting kids on tractors. A familiar face from the Stegsholm farm selling produce at Berga.

National Day Celebrations

I visited the Brandbergen festival in Handen during our National Day earlier in the week. And here are a collage of snaps plus a slideshow with photos from that visit. There was a tivoli with rides for the children. A lot of food were offered. Some of the political parties were presest as were a few local organisations. I watched a dance show, chatted with a few familiar people, including the local Santa!, a clown and a blacksmith. I also met a few new faces, including Margareta Exström (the lady with the hat), and of course the cute police officer.

The Swedish Police

I had an encounter with the police yesterday. And a very good looking police officer it was. So much so that I managed to forget her name!We met during the National Day celebrations that took place in Brandbergen.

Schools out

They have been studying for three years now. Yesterday it was time for graduation at the secondary schools in Handen. The streets around the Fredrika Bremer school were jammed with trucks, filled with not very sober, but very happy kids screaming, drinking and singing. Boy will they have a massive hangover tomorrow...

Vintage Mopeds

Monica and Peter out riding their vintage mopeds. A Puch Alabama from 1971, and a Crescent "raketarsle" from 1967. They both own two mopeds each. And a couple of motorcycles. And a few old cars. They are a couple, but they don't live together. I met them in Västerhaninge a few days ago. They try to visit a weekly meet in Haninge, popular with bikers and lovers of old American cars, a meet I am yet to visit.

The Future of Urban Farming

KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology has set up this new greenhouse cupola at the Berga agricultural college. I visited during the annual open-house weekend. This is a aquaponic system. There's a fish tank in there. The water from the tank will be used to grow the tomato plants that are growing in sand.The water is cleaned as it goes through the sand and then back to the fish tank again. There are only two greenhouses like this one in Sweden today. In the future we will probably see them everywhere in the cities, up on the roofs. It is an interesting concept. No pollution from this greenhouse. The only thing added is water and fish fodder. The greenhouse will be heated by a heat exchange system, using a heat pump. The light will come from LED lamps.

I'm a dreamer

This is Jasmine. I met her in Handen. It was the tattoo on her back that I first noticed. Pegasus and a quote from a John Lennon song. You may say I'm a dreamer but I'm not the only one. Another tattoo shows an angel on one side of her arm and a devil on the other. Jasmine is a psychology student. On her free time she enjoys horseback riding.

Next Stop England

Spotted the worlds only Volvo Vera earlier in the week. The guy behind the wheel is Björn Virving. He built the car himself. I met him at a car meet five years ago. Since then he has moved to Haninge and I have met him a few times. Last time he was on a cool motorcycle. The car is named after his wife, Björn told me that he will take both Vera's with him this summer on a visit to England.

The beauty of decay

Theme day. The beauty of decay. This is Djurgårdsgrind. Decaying since 1922, give or take. That's when the Johansson family moved out from the property. This little cottage was were they first lived when they bought the land here in 1910. Their youngest son grew up to become a famous author. The last owner of Djurgårdsgrind was a couple that used the big house (not seen here), as a summer house. The property is on the market today and it can be yours for just 1 475 000SEK. For a peak inside the big house, check out the real estate brokers photos. Theme Day.