The Snowman

It was -10C on the morning when I took this photo a few days ago. And enough snow to make a snowman at Villavägen in Västerhaninge. Warmer weather since, so he might not live for very much longer. Happy New Year!

Open-air cafe

Off-season. Malmens konditori in Handen. My favorite cafe, year round, although I sip my coffee indoors this time of the year.

Wintertime

And just like that Winter arrived. It started to snow two days ago. Not much, but enough to make it look like Winter. And then this morning it was -10C so it will probably stick. This is Little lake in Jordbro.

Moon over Tower Blocks

Biking home on one of those few days with a clear blue sky I noticed the moon. It was almost hypnotic so I stopped at Jordbro and took a few photos. It's on such days I wish I had more zoom power.

Winter Count 2015

January, a very happy skier at the Rudan nature reserve. February, sculpture in the snow at the Tungelsta park. March. Met my flickr friend Benke at my favorite cafe. April, walked into a metal ladder in the dark. May, took a walk in a forest that soon will be gone. June. Portrait of the smiling Michelle. July, a juicy berry, one example of the many macro photos I have shot this year. August, a portrait of the beautiful electrician who was also featured in my Winter Count back in 2010. September, a meeting with the Swedish police. October, Autumn visit to the old tree. November. I wrote a petition to save this little house at Malmvägen. December, one of a number of photos I have taken this year on the redesigned water towers in Handen.

The Adventure of the Cardboard Box

Part 2. Christmas. No longer stuck in the ice. Part one can be seen here.

Ten Years With The Old Tree

It was on this day ten years ago today that I started the "That Old Tree" project. It was supposed to be a one year project, but people asked me to continue so that is what I did. The tree has changed a bit over the last decade. There was a bad storm during Christmas a few years ago, and the tree took a hit losing a big branch. Lightning has also struck here once (another branch gone), and I was here when that happened and that wasn't much fun! It was a bit calmer today, 7C and windy on this my 451th visit to the Swedish Whitebeam at Välsta.

A day at the beach

A Christmas visit to the beach.

Low-energy Building

New care facility with 54 apartments at Tuvvägen in Handen. It's already open for business which is a bit surprising if you remember a previous post from april of this year. Some more facts in Swedish here. goo.gl/2rFyCB

A Green Christmas

13C on Sunday. A little colder yesterday, but not enough to stop the golfers from playing a Christmas round at the Fors golf course in Västerhaninge. It will be a green Christmas this year. Foooooooore!

Santa

Santa is a busy guy these days I guess, but he does have time for a workout. Spotted him in Handen yesterday working on his arm fat.

Julgran

Swedish word of the season. Julgran. Christmas Tree. Made by Vattenfall, it stands on the roof at the Biofuel Power Plant in Jordbro. Oh, and I tried a new technique here. Reducing noise using median blending. So to get less noise I shot four photos with the silent zoom lens after first consulting with my friend Jim, and reading an article at Peta Pixel. I shot this hand-held at maximum zoom standing on a pedestrian bridge at 1/40 and 400 ISO.

Utility Box Triptych

The Utility Box series again. Found by the side of the Gudöbroleden in Handen.

Abstract Façade

Your logistics partner in Stockholm. Storex at the industrial park in Jordbro. Built a couple of years ago.

Frosty apple

Winter apple.

That Old Tree

A visit to the old tree on a cold December day.

Mind Your Step

A thin layer of frost covering the pier at the semi-frozen Lower Lake Rudan on my visit yesterday. I had to watch my step as one plank was missing. And yes, it was a cold bike ride!

Glow-in-the-dark

A new road opened for traffic in Tungelsta yesterday when the old rail-road crossing closed at Söderbyvägen near the commuter station. The new stretch of road will be called Lillgårdsvägen. The walkway was lit up with tea light candles during the sunset. Both photos shot wiht the nifty fifty.

The Adventure of the Cardboard Box

Part 1. December. Stuck in the ice. The box is empty, but I did find a CO2 charger on the wheat field across the road near the old Nödesta farm.

Santa's Accident

Christmas will be delayed this year. Santa has been involved in a fatal accident with a kick sled. It happened just across the road from a popular fast food place in Handen.

Hanging Around

Part of the International Year of Light. Fifty or more lamps like this one lights up Eskilsvägen in Handen. Installation by Olsson & Linder. olssonlinder.se/ www.ljus2015.se/

A Moose Meeting

Met a moose family in the forest yesterday. This cow and two calves. She eyed me for a while and when I tried to go a little closer her ears told me not to do that so I stopped, grabbed a few snaps and turned around. I got the photo thanks to a man out walking his dog near Slätmossen in Handen. He pointed me in the right direction, so thanks for that!

Ice crystals

Ice crystals on a tiny plant. A couple of days ago it was 12C. Then, after a cold night with -5C it was frost here and there and I took the bike to the Rudan nature reserve and that's where I found the ice crystals. Shot whit the nifty fifty and a few extension tubes.

The hole in the ground

You might recognise the apartment building in the background as I have shown you a few photos of it during the last year. Looks like they are almost done with the exterior now. I think this will be some kind of care facility and I have seen furniture and a Christmas tree inside so someone is already working in there. A few months ago workers started digging a big hole here and that was the start of the next apartment building to be built here.

Fast Train

The commuter train at Jordbro. I was shooting some graffiti at the underpass when I heard the train. Fun fact. It was 12C here yesterday. The same temperature that we had on Midsummer! But boy was it a dark day, Sunday. And windy.

Burning the Midnight oil

A student burning the Midnight oil at Campus Haninge. Or in Swedish Låta flitens lampa lysa.

Asphalt paving

This short road has never been paved before this week. We will get a brand new commuter station in Tungelsta soon and during all that construction work there will be a lot of traffic at the site,which is why they are fixing the road. In the background you can see the what was once known as Svin-Kalles affär. The white building was once a post office. The yellow buildings are part of the Anchor.

Questionable Architecture

Brandbergen in Handen was part of the million programme. The architect who designed the suburb was Gustaf Lettström. The name Brandbergen comes from a big fire here back in the 1940s when this was just a big forest. Around 12 000 people live here today. This is by far the ugliest tower block here and it really needs a face-lift!

Abstract Street Art

Piet Mondrian? Paul Klee? No. Unknown street artist at an underpass near the Jordbro commuter station.

A Poem

I read some poetry yesterday. Well, it was one poem. And it was rather short. But still. I noticed a flyer on a bulletin board at the Jordbro grave field. Translated to English it reads like this: Swim Towards A Kiss. Christofer Nöring. When I look out the window a girl walks past with her dog a bird flies off into the woods and a car drives over the manhole cover. www.litenupplaga.se/1471 The poet Christofer Nöring lives not far from here, in Västerhaninge. He only writes on typewriters, and even has a small collection of them. His latest book is called Simma mot en kyss and it was published earlier this year.

Red Light District?

Nope. It's an installation called Hanging around. Part of the International Year of Light. Fifty or more lamps like this one lights up Eskilsvägen in Handen. www.ljus2015.se/

Schoolyard Architecture?

The Rudan school.

Another Utility Box

I see more and more utility boxes these days. Probably because I am now looking for them. This one can be admired in Västerhaninge.

Lights Out

My latest photo project. The redesigned water towers in Handen. The official unveiling is next week when the lights will be turned on. Whenever I am in the area I have tried to shoot the towers from a different angle. Biking through the industrial area a while back I noticed this old street lamp at the Posten Företagcenter so I stopped for a few photos.

That Old Tree

November has been unusually warm. But very gray. And rainy. And dark. And... I could go on and on about the weather, but no one wants to hear that so here is my latest photo of the old tree.

Odd Dog

This is a very odd looking dog, or an odd looking dog sculpture. Made by the artist Ragnhild Alexandersson who specializes in that sort of thing. You can find it on the lawn in the inner yard at Poseidons gränd in Handen.

Fail of the day

Whenever I see a stolen and dumped car I usually inform the municipality about it. I did so a little over a week ago when I had seen a Volvo being smashed up at a shopping centre but that car (link), is still there. This car stands at the Industrial area in Jordbro. At a bus stop. Owned by a woman who lives not far from here (thank you Internet). It's been there for at least one week now. This photo was supposed to be a quality bokeh panorama, made from photos taken with the nifty fifty, but when I stitched the photos I realised that I had missed one photo! But as I am sure the car is still there I could always try again...

A Treat

My mother have home care. Three times a day she gets a little help from Haninge hemtjänst. They prepare her lunch and help her with clothing, and toilet visits if necessary. They also see to it that she takes her medicine. They did one better today. They baked her some "kubbar" using my grandmothers recipe. And they were very tasty.

Iskristaller

Suddenly I can't handle the cold any more. Out riding the bike yesterday my hands froze despite the fact that I was wearing my expensive winter gloves. But I did manage to get a few macro photos of ice crystals next to the path close to the old tree.

It has yet to happen

I shot one of my first ever portraits of a stranger here a few eons ago. It is a bench at the nature park, Slätmossen in Handen, overlooking a pond. Ever since that day I have always wanted to take another portrait here, but with a difference. If and when it happens he or she would have to climb up that birch tree.

Ice Patterns

Winter is here. The temperature dropped to freezing yesterday. I was prepared for that but it was a very cold bike ride. It felt more like -10C, probably because it was grey and windy. I stopped at the nature park and ice had formed on one of the ponds. As I'm typing this it is a few degrees below zero but at least the sun is shining from a blue sky.

November mist

The mist rolling in over the lake.

Ceiling Fixtures

A bit of minimalism today. Lots of construction at Tuvvägen in Handen. You have seen a couple of photos from this site in the last year.