The Girl With The Moss Green Eyes

I was on the bike, heading for the old tree when I met a girl on the walkway in Västerhaninge. She gave me a big smile when I glanced at her. Ten seconds later I stopped and turned around as I realised that it was the Mojo Girl. Nathalia was out walking her dogs so I stopped for a chat and an impromptu photo shoot. She told me that she was planning a trip to Lithuania with Mantis to visit his parents. I took a few portraits of Nathalia and a few snaps of her dogs and sent the photos to her via Dropbox.

Sixteen Recent Summer Snaps

Time for another 16 recent snaps collage. The terrier has a very pretty human that I might show you in a day or three. That Old Tree looked good on my most recent visit. A portrait of the future Astro physicist. Henrik's tattooed arm. Bird on a field at Nedersta. Horse at a pasture on the same farm. Busy bee in my back garden. A blonde girls walks by the cafe. The flag at the new cultural centre in Jordbro. Smultron! A welcome sign at the new bridge telling motorists they should try another route to Västerhaninge. Do you think the care? Micke and one oh his sons at the cafe. The sunset last night shot from my bedroom window at Bergdalen. A recent forest fire in Huddinge. Sunday lunch. A rural summer view from Tjursta.

It's been a dry summer...

...so far, and some of the birch tree leaves have already turned yellow. I found these birches next to the old execution rock in Jordbro.

Henrik

I rode up alongside Henrik in Handen a couple of days ago. I asked him if his bike was the dirt cheap cruiser from Biltema. When he nodded, I told him about Benke's pimped version. If you want one you can buy it here. Henrik is from up North but has lived in Stockholm for many years. He works at Dagab in Jordbro. One of his interests is tattoos. I noticed quite a few skulls on his left arm. His first tat was the name of a favorite band, Tool. There's also a Life & Death tattoo. As he is a rocker I told him about the annual rock festival in Tungelsta. Trädgårdsrock in two weeks time. I shot what I thought should be a very cool Brenizer style photo with Henrik on the bike, but the stitching software disagreed and the headless photo was the best result I could get! Oh, and two people have pointed out that the fork is mounted backwards on this bike. Click here to see Benke's pimped version.

Canola man strikes again

If I see a blooming canola field I have to stop and take a few photos. This was one of those days a while back. If you walk through the forest in the background you will find yourself at the old Snörom farm. Over at flickr this photo is popular. Getty wanted it and as I'm typing this nearly 200 people have faved it.

A future astrophysicist

I was enjoying coffee at the cafe yesterday. I noticed a girl with red hair (have a thing for them),at the next table and made a mental note about asking her for a portrait. When I was ready to shoot she was gone! But as I looked around I spotted her entering a flower shop so I headed that way. This is Rebecca. At the moment she's a secondary school student but has already decided on her future. Theoretical astrophysics is her subject. If and when that happens she would like to wok at the Esrange Space Center. Her hobbies today include reading, photography and music. She is a huge fan of Håkan Hellström and have seen him live nine or if it was ten times. This is a Brenizer style portrait made from 17 photos.

Another Summer Ride

We import 5000 vintage cars from the US every year. And restore them. Some of those cars are then returned to the US when American buyers find them in Sweden (for a much higher price of course). This 1964 Impala has been in traffic over here for just one year. The blonde and rather attractive driver were enjoying ice cream with her kids when I asked if I could take a few photos. The owner turned up as I was finishing shooting. He opened up the trunk to show me the impressive subwoofers.

King's Pawn

If you know how to, you can play a game of chess at Poseidon's Square in Handen. You will find the chessmen in two locked wooden boxes next to the benches. To play a game you will have to get the key to the boxes from the cultural centre.

The Cottage

I showed you the stable at the Nödesta farm a couple of days ago. This is the other building that I enjoy shooting from different angels. The old cottage.

Common hogweed 1 Municipality 0

A few summers ago the municipality declared war against the Common Hogweed. Up until today there has only been one winner. And that is NOT the municipality. This is a walkway in Tungelsta, the building that you can see (if you have very good eyes), in the background is the old station house in Tungelsta. Top photo shows the situation today. Second snap is the same place one year ago.

A message from the Vikings

This Viking Era runestone is known as the Valsta Stone. The runic inscription reads:sikni(u)- raisti stai- -t siRuþr faþur sin siba --(o)þur - In Swedish: Signjut reste stenen efter Sigröd, sin fader, Sibbes broder. And in English Signjut had the stone raised after Sigröd, his fader, brother of Sibbe. You will find it by the side of the old gravel road at Tjursta.

The Stable

Since the collapse of the old barn, and the removal of the abandoned farm house there are a couple of buildings left at the Nödesta farm that I try to photograph every now and then. This is the little Falu-red painted stable. To see more photos from here try the Nödesta tag.

That Old Tree

Met Tina at the old tree on a recent visit. She was out riding her horse Trollet (The Troll). She keeps the horse at a pasture belonging to Christina for the summer.

Yellow Convertible

This was the car I was shooting a Brenizer style photo of when the photogenic owner walked into the scene. A 1965 Dodge Coronet.

La belle Helena

I spotted a yellow Dodge at a parking lot in Västerhaninge and stopped for a Brenizer style photo. Mid-shoot the owner walks into the scene. She turned out to be very photogenic so I decided to take a few photos of her as well. This is Helena. Her biggest hobby is old cars and she travels to most of the big meets around Sweden. When I asked a few more questions she started to sound a little like someone I met last Summer. So I asked her if she had a younger sister. Yes I do she said, Ann-Sofie. Miss Longlegs, always fun when I can connect people like that.

A Field of Yellow

This is Tjursta, a rural part of Haninge. The fields run along the road towards Dalarö. Over the last two weeks the canola field here has bloomed. The second photo is a panorama made from ten photos. To see the original sized photo press here. If you do so you will even spot my bike.

A Summer Ride

If you live in a climate with long and cold winters, and you own a convertible, you better use it. A woman out riding with her young son drove up to the cafe in this Pontiac Firebird. As she sat down for a chat with her friends, I told them that I would shoot a few cool Brenizer style shots of the car.

Riding the electric bike

Last year the municipality invested in a number of electric bikes. They bought them from the bike shop that I use. If you work for the municipality you can use the bikes during the work day. That's what Åsa had done the other day when she and a colleague stopped for some refreshments at the cafe. I asked if it was fun riding the bikes. Not really was the answer, we can't recharge the bike battery so it was a sweaty ride...

Runestone at Stav

Runestone from the Viking Age at Stav in Tungelsta. The inscription written in the futhark alphabet (the first runes) reads: Auda raeisti staein at Harald, boanda sinn, ok Fastlaug at fadur sinn. Or: Oda raised this stone in memory of Harald her husband and Fastlög to her father.

Stories at the cafe

The things you hear at the cafe. Two stories here. The violin belongs to a girl, Ulrika, who joined the usual suspects for coffee on Tuesday. Everyone wanted her to play a song as she is very talented, that didn't happen so instead I will tell you what happened yesterday. Another woman who has been around the block a few times stopped by and wanted to know if Tompa Eken had managed to produce the reel-to-reel tape recorder that she needed. She inherited a number of tapes from her best friend, who died five years ago. Ove, who was sitting next to Tompa told her that he owned one. And now you are wondering what's recorded on these tapes? Well, if it's true it's a sensation. The woman used to hang with a bunch of musicians in Stockholm back in the 1960s. They sometimes jammed with Jimi Hendrix. The woman and her best friend didn't like that Hendrix and her music friends were playing music all the time, they wanted to talk with them! But it's not Hendrix on the tapes. It is the Beatles! The group visited Sweden a few times, and met the same local musicians, and while partying in an apartment somewhere they apparently jammed together. Sounds a little too good to be true, but I will keep you in the loop if and when I hear more.

That Old Tree

Square plastic bales on the fields near the old tree. You can spot the oxel tree to the left in the panorama. In the middle you can see the new Krigslida bridge and to the right the silo at the Nödesta farm. If you can't see all that try a look at the original size.

Bullshit & Backstabbing

I met a rocker over the weekend. Tim, who is the guitarist in the band Sister. They have played together since 2006 and have toured all over Europe, playing at both rock clubs, in front of 500 fans, and big festivals with crowds up to 10 000 people. I spotted Tim at the Årsta pier as passengers were leaving the Utö ferry. He stood out a bit from everyone else in his rocker outfit. You can listen to some songs by Sister at Spotify.

Warmest day of the year

Sunday was the warmest day of the year so far and the beach at Årsta Havsbad was crowded when I arrived in the early afternoon. No Aussie Summer of course, or Death Valley temperatures, but still warm enough. I even had to bring an extra bottle on the bike ride! Both these snaps are panoramic images. Tricky to shoot with many people walking around, but I think they came out okay.

Pimp My Bike

I ran into the rat rod guy a few days ago. Benke, although I didn't recognise him at first.I blame that on the cool helmet. He was out riding his pimped bicycle. It's dirt cheap, it will set you back only 995 SEK. The engine kit that you can buy via Benke's web site,Sandelco, (Under Construction) will cost a bit more, but it's a great deal. This is 12 photos stitched together, shot with the nifty fifty of course.

Forest Berries

Smultron&Blåbär. It will be a while before I can make blueberry pie. This is what I found in the forest behind the house here at Bergdalen. Wild strawberries and a few blueberries.

No Topless Actress Today

Had you been here that sunny day last summer you would have met Quentin Tarantino's favorite actress Christina Lindberg, and TV host Hanna Hellquist as they rode topless down this old road. Sadly no such happening on this visit. If you continue up the road you will be at the old village Fors.

Deer in a green field

I noticed the roe deer from the bike. It was standing in the middle of a field at the Nödesta farm.

Red White And Blue

Well it is the fourth of July so why not. All three vintage American cars shot with the nifty fifty using the Brenizer method. The white Cadillac will need a paint job after a recent accident but when that is done Anna is selling it. The blue Impala was parked in Västerhaninge earlier in the week. The red Impala belongs to Roger and that one you have seen before. Happy 4th of July to all my American readers.

Catching A Ride

Met this cool dog at the cafe the other day. The dogs owner told me that the dog had fallen off once, so he biked very carefully now. The dog looked very relaxed. Getty Images wanted the photo, so maybe someone will buy it now.

The Shrink

I shot three portraits in Handen last Friday. This was the last one. Meet Marta. A university student, at least for a few more weeks. Later this month she can call herself a psychologist. She stays fit by working out at the gym, and by jogging which is what she had done when I spotted here. It was a very warm day so she was planning to head over to Lake Rudan for a swim. I like how she had matched her sneakers with the lipstick.

It's just a facade

Theme Day. Facade. Four years ago I showed you photo of this dorm in the neighbouring municipality, Huddinge. I couldn't blog the same photo again so here is one I shot on another visit.