The Rapper

Meet Claudio. He was on his way to Västerhaninge to see his dad when I spotted him on the walkway, near the Coca-Cola plant in Jordbro a few days ago. I figured he had to be a musician, and up for a portrait. And I was right. Claudio is a rapper and hip-hop artist. And a producer. He spends a lot of time in a music studio called High Level in Rimbo up in Norrtälje (North East of Stockholm). Thanks for the portrait Claudio.

Resting at the grave field

This is Mikael, originally from Malung in Dalarna (up North a bit), but these days he lives in Jordbro. We have met a few times on the bike paths, and on this occasion I spotted him at the ancient grave field in Jordbro and we sat down and talked for a while. Mikael used to work in IT, and is currently looking for a new job. He is a keen fisher and likes the outdoors. As it happens we came to talk about flowers. Mikael was a bit exited. He has a Walking Iris in his kitchen window. That particular Brazilian flower only blooms one day every year, and it happened on the day we met and Mikael got a little crazy with the camera to document the event and showed me the result! Speaking of flowers, one of his relatives is Stig Dalström, a world famous artist, illustrator and orchid taxonomist who works at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Florida, and who is currently making what seems to be a very interesting movie. After our chat I took a couple of portraits and that was that.

Bokeh Saturday

I often photograph birds. It can be tricky sometimes to get close enough for a decent photo. The other day I got a few good ones. This is a Blue tit. Or as we like to call it, a Blåmes. I was a bit lucky with the background here with the blue sky just behind the bird.

Sony vs. Canon

On a recent bike ride I saw these two photographers on a field near Hemfosa ready to shoot, so obviously I had to stop for a chat. Meet Mikael known as Getwet at Fotosidan, and Bosse, Bappel at that same photo community. My first assumption was that they were trainspotters, as they were aiming their cameras towards the railtrack. That wasnt the case. They were practising shooting moving objects. Mikael (Sony), to the left comes from Lundby in Sorunda and his friend Bosse (Canon) comes from Södertälje. They are windsuring friends and can often be seen surfing at Fituna. We had time to talk about cameras and photography until exactly 2 :24 P.M. because that's when the commuter could be seen. I hope the photos came out great guys. As the train approached I took a few steps back and took another photo of the photographers and the passing commuter train.

A Threatening Sky

Time for another look at The Old Tree at Välsta. We call it an Oxel. The latin name is Sorbus intermedia. No Sulky Training this time, but the colors were great, and the skies a bit threatening. And for the first time this year I spotted tiny green leaves. If you haven't seen this tree before, I can tell you that it's one of my ongoing photo projects. This was the 182th photo since December 2005. If you have all day have a look at the slideshow.

The Harley Man From Hofors

I noticed a biker at the parking lot near the commuter station in Västerhaninge and headed over for a photo. This is Göran. He had just arrived to Haninge after a 250 km ride from his home in Hofors, Gästrikland. He is in town to meet his brother Bengt. The bike is a Sportster 1200. Göran is my second my second Harley Man since I started shooting street portraits. Back in March I met another biker, The Vulcan Rider. Fun Facts:There's a club for Swedish Harley owners with 11 000 members. Apparently the biggest Harley club in the world! All in all there are around 249 000 motorcycle owners in Sweden.

Location, Location, Location

Next to Årsta Säteri, (the big farm building you can see in the below photo) in rural Österhaninge there are three row houses like this one. Constructed in the mid 1980ths. If you enjoy golf, horseback riding, swimming in the sea, or sunbathing at the beach, this is where you should live. It's no more than 100 meters to the nearest stable. The second nearest is at the beautiful little village known as Stadsberga. And I'm guessing the people that live here often find golf balls in their gardens as the closest of three golf courses are no more that a short pitch away. The old Årsta castle where you can wine and dine is only a few hundred meters away. I took a great photo of the castle last year for this blog. You can see it here. And to my favorite beach, it's no more than a kilometre.

Family Comes First

This is Patrik. He was taking his dog Nisse, a Bordweiler (Border Collie/Rottweiler), for a walk when I noticed him coming out of the apartment building in Handen. He was kinda easy to spot because of his new tattoo. Which says: Family Comes First. Thomas and Anne are his parents, and then comes the siblings. Patrik is on leave of absence from his job for something like one to three months. Sounds a bit odd doesn't it? The reason is that he works at the Swedish Motor Vehicle Inspection Company, and a while back he was stopped by the police outside Jönköping while driving 121 km/h on a 90 km/h road. The police used a laser so the result was pretty accurate. And because of that he lost his licence for one to three months, the length is not yet decided. And as his employer has a very strict policy about that sort of thing, and that he will test drive the cars there, Patrik will have a few months to do whatever he wants. Had he been clocked at 120 km/h he would have kept his license. I'm guessing he thinks about that extra 1 km/h every now and then!

Posing Squirrel

I have shown you some of the local wildlife before. Like Moose and Roe Deer and all sorts of birds. But this is one of my favorites. The very photogenic squirrel Sciurus vulgaris. Known in Sweden as a Ekorre. It lives here at Bergdalen and is a frequent visitor to the veranda where it often enjoys the bird food. It's quite shy, and if and when you get too close it will make a noise and start to jump around a bit. But as it is well aware that I'm in charge of thee food distribution around here, it doesn't takevery long before it's back, ready to pose for the nutty photographer once again!

The Football Fanatic

As you can probably guess by the title Kaowe is a into soccer. His team is Man United. I met him and his sister in Handen some time ago. They were on their way back to the house in Jordbro after a promenade. Kaowe was easy to spot in his summer outfit. We were expecting summer temperatures, and he sure dressed accordingly. Being a huge fan of Man United Kaowe often flies over to the UK to watch the home games and also some of the away matches. An expensive hobby to say the least. And now as his team have reached the Champions League final in Rome I'm guessing he will be looking to get a ticket to that game.

The Photographer Gets a Helping Hand

Meet the photographer. This is Kjell. Whenever there's something happening in Haninge, be it a car show, Lucia, or the annual Haninge Day, chances are that you will spot Kjell there with his camera ready to shoot. I tend to meet him on all those occasions. Last time we met was during the Lucia celebrations last year. He had some camera trouble and I lend him a battery. You can see him in this collage. Kjelle is heavily involved with the local historical association as a photographer, and is also nuts about ships that he often photographs. He is married and has four kids. I met him in Västerhaninge a while back and we chatted about this and that until his wife showed up and they took off to enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant. During our meeting I promised to give him the name and phone number of one of the people I have photographed for this blog, Nils Södergren, and they have now been in contact and will meet for a chat about Västerhaninge in the old days, so I'm happy I could make that happen!

The New Motorway

Over the weekend when most of the work on the new motorway between Haninge and Nynäshamn was at a stand still, I took my bicycle down to Hemfosa (see my second photo from my post the other day), for a sneak peak and a somewhat illegal test run. I had to climb up a hill near a pedestrian tunnel to get onto the road, but it was well worth it. The part I checked out was a stretch between two bridges. One of the bridges is almost completed, work on the other is yet to be started. Svevia is one of the contractors that is responsible for this part of the new road. The big yellow thing is that companies mobile stone crushing machine and asphalt machine. At the moment it is placed on what will be the new road, and this part of the road is supposed to be finished this autumn. The old road is known in Sweden as the Road of Death. Over the years many people have lost their lives here. Two years ago I showed a photo of a car collision. When the new motorway opens for traffic, the old road will be used mainly by cyclists and the odd tractor.


The original photos can be seen in my flickr set.

No Total Recall

I always have my eyes open for interesting people these days. So when I spotted this young woman in Västerhaninge, I knew I had to ask her for a portrait. And as I always do I started by explaining why I wanted to take her photo, and where it would end up. But I was cut off in mid sentence by Madde, who informed me that we had met before, and that I already had taken a portrait of her! That's a bit embarrassing! And hence the title ( I don't have a photographic memory). But in my defence, she did look a bit different last summer when we met at the Cruiser Meet. And she herself said " I probably had red hair that time", but that wasnt the case, but her friend Sandra did. Anyway, since we met Madde has been busy partying the weekends away on a number of Silja Line cruises. Arranged by the Bandit radio Station. And the next cruise, Se7en deadly sins on M/S Silja Galaxy was planned for the day after we met. The cruise is a non stop party with live bands and I hope it was a fun weekend Madde!

The Roads Less Travelled

As you probably know by now, I use my bicycle to get around. And here are two recent photos from a couple of bike trips around Haninge. The top photo shows Tjursta in Österhaninge. According to the latest version of the local bike map you can follow this gravel road all the way to the seaside resort Dalarö. A great idea as the traffic on the main road can be a bit hectic. Unfortunately I had to turn around a kilometre from here, because of the very rocky road, but I will try again later. If you live locally and need directions, you turn off the Dalarö Road at the Valsta Runestone.



Second photo shows the Hemfosa Horse Farm at Hemfosa. And if you take this very old and bumpy gravel road, that starts in Tungelsta, it will take you all the way to the impressive gates at the Häringe Castle. The historical old castle is situated on a peninsula with a nature reserve and is well worth a visit. And there's absolutely no traffic here if you don't count the odd horse back riders!

Where's the fish?

This is Alexander. He was fishing from the board walk at Lower Lake Rudan in Handen when I met him. He is from Upplands Väsby (North of Stockholm). He and his wife (the heavily pregnant woman far away to the right), found out about this fishing lake via a internet forum and decided to give it a go. As we don't have a car, it seemed the perfect place with the commuter station so near Alexander told me. They are both students, have two kids with a third on the way. Alexander studies computer science at the Stockholm University, and will be able to work as a Systems Architect in the future. Unfortunately for Alexander he didn't have any fishing luck, but the wife (a certified nursing assistant studying to be a nurse), had already caught two or three fishes, so we know who the fishing expert is in this family!

The Antiques Barn

In need of some unique gift baskets? Or anything vintage or retro? Then this is probably the place for you. I visited the Antiques Barn at Vega in Handen the other day. Majsa and Åke are the two people that run the place since July last year. The barn has an interesting history. Before it was turned into a antiques barn it stood empty for half a century. Before that it was used by the military for many years as a storage building. And before that the building belonged to a nearby farm,The Söderby Farm in Handen that dates back some 400 years. Two hundred years ago a mill was built here. Next to the mill two other buildings were constructed at the same time. The millers cottage and the granary. Although some people say that the cottage is 400 years old. Today that building is rented by Carlo Taccola who owns the famous Vegabaren across the street. If you missed my photos from the fun meet there last summer press here to see those portraits and photos. Anyway this is how the granary looks today. I had a look around and although I didnt buy anything I did find a few things worth photographing. Oh, and if you wonder about the mill itself it was destroyed in a fire some 25 years ago.

Setting The Stage

I had seen a few people painting a lot of objects blue here at Allevägen in Tungelsta for a few days, and so I decided to stop and ask what was going on. Turns out that Frida, who has been working as a decoration painter for twenty years, was busy fixing a set that will be used when the Folkoperan in Stockholm sets up the a modern version of the opera Les pêcheurs de perle, or The Pearl Fishers. Apparently the stage is supposed to be a landfill. Frida has a flickr set with a few photos showing some of her work. Her next job is to fix the set for a theatre version of the popular sit com Svensson, Svensson, that will play at Krusenstiernska Gården in Kalmar over the summer.

Shadow Figure

My preferred way of transportation is the bicycle. It keeps you fit. You don't travel at a very high speed, so you don't miss much around you which is very good if you are a keen photographer. One of the things I'm always looking for when I'm out with the camera are cool shadows. I sometimes shoot from the bike, but for this cool theme day shot I walked up on a hill and aimed the camera down towards the man on the bike.

Today is theme day and the theme this month is shadows. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The Sun-Worshippers

Before heading home after a lengthy bike ride in the warm weather a few days ago, I stopped at the nature park Slätmossen in Handen for my usual photo from the bridge. And from that bridge I could see these two young women sitting on a bench on the other side of the pond, so I figured one more portrait was in order. Meet Sara and Saara (Finnish spelling), good friends who live here in Handen. Both girls are students at different secondary schools.They couldn't come up with any interesting hobbies, but Saara used to play soccer until the team split, and then she gave up the sport. Sara and Saara made the most of the warm weather, because you newer know what tomorrow will bring!

Into The Forest We Go

Together with a flickr contact and friend, Jim (kenny lex), I took a walk through a forest near the 700 year old village of Ormsta in Österhaninge last weekend. We managed to find two runestones from the Viking Era. And a rusty old car from the 1930ths. How it got there is a bit of a mystery as there are no roads here. We also found groovy looking dead tree and a few old cairns. There are also some graves from the Bronze Age in the forest. Jim had been here before, and with the help of his GPS device we located what we were looking for, and as a bonus we found the balanced rocks at hole number nine at the nearby golf course. Not bad for an hours walk I think! Oh and in case you don't know, the cool looking guy next to the 1000 year old runestone, well that's me.

Next Stop Hollywood

As I passed the commuter station in Västerhaninge a few days ago I noticed a pretty young woman sitting on a bench, waiting for a bus, so I turned around to ask if I could shoot a portrait. She said yes, so I sat down next to her and we talked for a few minutes. This is Emma. She recently moved to Dalarö, the seaside resort in Haninge. After leaving school she has been working for the last four years. But will now focus on her studies again. She is a woman with a dream. She is into photography, and has her eyes set out to make it in Hollywood, where she wants to become a famous photographer. Good luck chasing that dream Emma! (I had some camera problem here, hence the somewhat unfocused portrait).

Listening Woman

This is Bettan. I found her sitting on a bench next to the bike path near Hanveden in Jordbro. I asked her a question, and she started looking for the pause button on her iPod! After finding the pause button she told me she was listening to a crime novel. Bettan had been out on a 50 km bike ride in the summer like weather. Trying to get in shape for the 300 km Vätterrundan bicycle race in June, just like Marie that I met a few weeks ago. It will be her third race and Bettan is hoping for a finishing time under fifteen hours. She lives in Tungelsta and was on her way home, where she was going to set up a family dinner with kids and grand kids. We had time to talk about our favorite bike roads and a few other things before we said goodbye.

The Philosopher

At Rudanvägen, closing in on the lakes that I often visits, I met Johan. He lives here in Handen and works at Telia (a telecommunications provider). He was out on a promenade with his beautiful dog Cairos. Johan turned out to be a bit of a philosopher, hence the somewhat unusual name of his dog. I asked him if he had any interesting travel stories, and he picked a vacation through Sweden with his wife, where they stayed the night at Andrum in Falköping. A hotel with a difference, as it is located high up a tree. It's a little red cottage 6,5 metres up an old oak! Thanks for the chat Johan. Here is a link to the Tree house hotel web site.

The Englishman

Say hello to Gareth and Eddie. Eddie is the one in the pram. I met them near the old Nödesta farm a while back. It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for a stroll with the pram. Gareth is from Weymouth, England, but then love struck, and now he lives with his family in Västerhaninge. As he was only a km away from The Old Tree, I gave him directions there, but I later realised that it might have been a bit muddy walking down the path with the pram, so I hope he made it home without too much of a problem! On his free time Gareth plays jazz piano. Nothing too serious, but he is in a band. They call them selves Jazz Friends, and will play the occasional gig every now and then. And if they ever need a singer, I told him about Ulrika that I met last year.

The Future's So Bright...

Heading home recently, closing in on the ancient grave field (800 graves from 500 B.C) at Jordbro, I met Josefine. She was with a friend (who choose not to have her photo taken). Josefine lives in Jordbro, but is originally from Arboga. She works with sales at a store. She told me that she is very artistic. She took an art class in school, and also a photography course, and does a lot of painting and photography on her free time. After this brief encounter I snapped a couple of photos and then headed for home. Oh, and if you would like to know who you might meet at the grave field I mentioned. The answer is among others the lovely sisters Linda & Evelina.

Portrait of two smiling women

A while back when I was out on a bike ride, I met these two smiling young women. This is Nathalie and Camilla. They were out on a promenade with Camilla's baby, and said yes to a portrait in front of the burial site at the Medieval church in Västerhaninge. It's my third portrait here. Last year on 080808 I met a man who was going to get married, he was dressed in a kilt (I'm still a little upset that no one took the time to leave a comment on that post). And in May I met a Bride & Groom. But back to the smiling girls. Both Nathalie and Camilla lives here in Västerhaninge. Nathalie works at 3 ,a mobile operator. Camilla is on parental leave. Normally she works at Coca-Cola in Jordbro just like two other people that I have met and photographed for this blog.

Burning Those Calories

This is Marianne, a kindergarten teacher, who lives in Jordbro. I met her on the walkway between Västerhaninge and Jordbro. She was out power walking. Supposedly one of the best ways to stay fit. Also known as Nordic Walking. It can look a bit silly, and Marianne told me she knew a few people that did feel a bit embarrassed when they were out walking with their poles. But not Marianne. She's out exercising most every day. And she's not alone, the power walkers are everywhere these days. A few years ago she was a runner and competed in different foot races, but it was just another way to stay fit she told me. You better get on with it she told me, so I took a few snaps, and after that Marianne took off down the road.

Sulky Training Near The Old Tree

Sulky training at Välsta in Tungelsta yesterday afternoon. As I came down the path for my 178th photo of the Swedish Whitebeam, I just missed the horse and trap so I shouted to the man asking if he was coming back towards the tree. His response was "many times" so I took a walk for a few minutes looking for any new signs of spring on this chilly April day. If you feel like watching a slideshow with all my photos of this beautiful tree press here.

Ardente & Xles

When Ardente and Xles first saw me, they probably thought a crazy person was coming towards them. Because I was waving my arms around and shouting at them. Their response was an uncertain smile saying, oh oh, weirdo alert. But as they soon realised I was only trying to get their attention as Xles had dropped his headwear on the ground without noticing it. Obviously this was all I needed to get another portrait. These two friends are heavily involved in LAN Networking, hence the nicknames. Lan networking is something I know absolutely nothing about. As they told me about the website they help manage, I soon found their real names. So meet Elin and Lennart. Elin lives in Handen and when she is not setting up a LAN party she enjoys playing Defense of the Ancients, DotA. And, she is also a little horse crazy, as many of the girls I have met recently are. Lennart, who lives in Västerhaninge, is also working on that LAN website and he seems like funny guy. He enjoys playing with electronics. I like to build stuff he told me. Cool gizmo's that blinks and makes funny sounds and that you can sometimes even use! After this chat I snapped a couple of photos and then we said goodbye.

¡uʍop ǝpısdn ƃuıɯɐǝɹɔs

Suddenly I heard people scream. Not sure what it was I decided to find out. Turns out there's a Fun Fair in town. From Friday to Sunday kids of all ages can visit the Berglund Tivoli at Ribby in Västerhaninge. Oh, and in case you are wondering, what happened to the portraits? No worries, I met and photographed the owner of the tivoli Jonny Berglund last year! The church in the background dates back to Medieval times.

Outdoor Coffee Break

Samiye was enjoying a cup of coffee in the sunshine at Poseidon's square in Handen when I approached her and asked if I could take a portrait. She laughed and said that sort of thing happens to me all the time. A while back on her birthday her friends surprised her and she spent a day at a photo studio having a couple of photographers taking model photos of her. Samiye ( it's a Turkish name), lives nearby in Brandbergen, and works at a hair saloon at the mall in Handen. She stays fit by going to the gym. She loves dancing. And reading and travelling. After this chat I took a bunch of photos before Samiye had to run back to the hair saloon.

The Beautiful Sanna

This is Sanna. She was standing at the bus stop next to City Hall in Handen, waiting for the bus home to Västerhaninge. And I knew from the second I noticed her that I wanted to shoot a portrait. Sanna is a student at the nearby Fredrika Bremer school (secondary education) as are quite a few of the people I have photographed lately. I tried asking Sanna about any special interests or hobbies, but all she could come up with was hanging out with her friends. Not sure if that answer had anything to do with the fact that her mother walked up to us as I was taking a few photos :-) Anyway, thanks for posing for a few shots Sanna.

Anders Reuterswärd

Several art galleries around Haninge were open during the Easter Weekend, and I visited the Kyrkskolan Gallery in Österhaninge. This is one of the artists, Anders Reuterswärd. He had his first showing back in 1967. He is represented at the Moderna Museet as the famous art collector Pontus Hultén bought one of his paintings at that first show. Anders often works with fractal (repeating), triangles, and also with the central perspective. During his long career he has also worked with photography and made Super 8 mm film. As I was treated with coffee and cake in the garden, Anders and some of the other artists told me about one movie in which his father, the world famous artist Oscar Reuterswärd stars as a burglar who breaks into a house, and then leaves, climbing out through a window with a big bag slung over his shoulder. We used suggestive music, and it really was a fun project despite the fact that Oscar wanted it made one way and I wanted to do it my way, Anders explained. Everyone round the table agreed, as they had all seen the movie. You may have seen some of the other artists work on my blog, as I have photographed the last four Art Promenades.

Enjoying the Sunshine

After the cold and dark winter, people in this country will take every opportunity to get a few relaxing minutes in the spring sunshine. This is Michelle. From Huddinge, a neighbouring municipality to Haninge. I spotted her resting on the bench at the commuter station in Västerhaninge a few days ago, and figured it would make for a good photo. Michelle is a former student at the Berga Agricultural College here in Haninge, where she attended the horse programme. And as you can probably tell from her clothes, that's the line of work she is in now. She works at two different stables, one of them at Stav in Tungelsta. As everyone else she enjoys photography, and we talked about the weird fact that if you forget to bring your camera to an event or place these days, half the fun is gone! When she's not occupied with the horses, Michelle enjoys jogging and indoor climbing, just like Stina that I met last week. Thanks for the chat Michelle. Oh, and if you think that there's something familiar to this view, it's because this is the same bench where I met Petronella & Bettina.

The Track Inspector

Meet the Track Inspector. Sven Andersson from Uppsala (130 km north from here). It's the ninth year he is inspecting these rail tracks at the industrial area in Jordbro. I noticed him as he was taking photos of the tracks, and I always stop and talk to any photographer I spot. Sven works for Jernhusen. A company that own a lot of rail tracks and many rail related properties around the country, like terminals and workshops. Sven also has his own company in the same line of business, and that was the reason for the photos he was taking. He told me a lot about his work and showed me some of the tools he uses, among them a tungspets. We talked a bit about Tungelsta, and he mentioned that he sometimes visits a flea market there. Not surprisingly, I have posted a photo from that flea market. Once every year Sven's family has a big flea market on their own in his dads old barn. It attracts a few hundred people. After this chat I took a bunch of photos of Sven and he took one of me.

A Girl In Love

Sitting on the stairs outside the Cultural Centre in Handen, this beautiful girl was easy to spot. This is Petronella. She comes from a little place in Skåne, called Hästveda (famous for it's market). Currently she is living at a friends place, but is searching for an apartment of her own. The reason for the move to Stockholm is love. She's met a boyfriend (lucky guy!). Petronella works in telemarketing, a job that she really enjoys, although it's a bit monotonous. In the near future she will focus on her education with the help of distance studies, and she will also try to learn Italian. In case you are wondering her hair color is called Coral Red, but she likes to call it Florida Sunrise. Normally I only upload one photo when I shoot street portraits, but I had to make an exception on this occasion. Thanks for the chat Petronella.

The Bike Bros

It was the warmest day of the year. I was on the bike and came up behind these two cyclists and asked them about their run. They were almost done for the day, so when I asked if I could shoot a portrait they agreed and we crossed the road to find a place to sit down for a chat. This is Kalle and Ingemar. They are brothers and have lived in Västerhaninge since 1963. I gave them my MOO minicard and Ingemar got a card with a familiar uphill climb, at least if you live around here and Ingemar said he had struggled up that hill many times. Normally I will ask where people work and got a surprising answer this time. Both brothers are retired with a pension from the state. They have a genetic back disorder which destroys the vertebral column, and are now patients at the Löwenströmska specialist hospital. Kalle (to the left) has always enjoyed working out at the gym so he is really strong which is a good thing in his current situation as keeping fit is one way to beat the disorder. He is a bit of a computer geek and did know quite a lot about peer-to-peer networks, whereas Ingemar is the family man of the two with four kids. As happens quite often these days since starting to shoot may portraits, I have met one of the brothers again.

A Future Fashion Designer

In a few years time we could all be buying our designer clothes from Albertos label. At least if his dream comes true. Still a long way to go, but he is hoping to get into Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm. And from there anything is possible. Alberto lives in Handen where I met him a couple of days ago. On his free time he enjoys music, and plays guitar in a band, where his brother is the drummer. They don't have a name yet, and they play Heavy Rock, so if you have an idea for a name lets hear it.

Three Easter Witches

According to a myth that dates back to medieval times, every Maundy Thursday, the Witches takes their brooms and fly to Blåkulla for a gathering. These days kids (both boys and girls), often dress up as Easter Witches, wearing a dress with an apron and a headscarf. Their mission is to gather candy. Unfortunately for these three witches, Sara, Malin and Lisa, that I met in Tungelsta yesterday, I didn't have any candy, so instead they gave some chocolate! Happy Easter Girls!

Petronella & Bettina

You have to love those names. Petronella and Bettina. I saw them sitting on the bench at the Västerhaninge commuter station the other day, talking to each other, and enjoying the sunshine, so I decided I wanted to take a portrait of the girls. Turns out they are sisters. Bettina, in the sunglasses lives in Tyresö and is currently looking for an office job. She has a unused flickr account and I'm hoping she will leave a comment and perhaps start uploading a few photos. She was quite intrigued by the 100 Strangers Project that I told the girls about. Petronella, the younger of the two, who lives in Farsta, is still at school. Studying film at Kulturama, the leading school in Scandinavia for artistic studies at the post-secondary school level. She also enjoys photography, and who knows, maybe she will also set up a flickr account now. Thanks for the chat girls!

Almost Like a Summer Day

A few days ago, on the warmest day of the year, the roads were filled with happy cyclists. I saw Marie coming towards me, waved to her and she stopped at Stenliden, or to be more precise where Stenliden used to be.Surprisingly it was Marie's first bike ride of the year (she prefers slalom skiing in the winter time). Normally she enjoys spinning, and told me about a three hour Marathon spinning exercise at a nearby gym recently. Sounds tough I said, but she explained that with a good instructor and great music it was easy. Marie lives in Västerhaninge and works at an accounting firm. She is planning to ride the 300 km Vätternrundan race in the middle of June this year, so she needs to get a few miles on the bike before then. And as the weather was summer like when we met, I'm guessing she was out for a few hours, just like me.

Flip Trick

I'm useless on a skateboard. Trying this flip trick, I would probably end up at the emergency room with a broken foot. Better leave it to the pro's. This is Julius. He is fifteen years old. Lives in Handen and that's where I met him a couple of days ago. He enjoys skateboarding as you can see. During the winter months he is a keen snowboarder. Julius is a ninth grader. After the summer break he will start his three year secondary education at the nearby Fredrika Bremer school. Thanks for the trick Julius!

Abandoned or not?

Together with my flickr contact Jim I checked out another abandoned house the other day. In Jordbro, near a stream where there once stood a mill, you will find this old building known as Kvarntäppan. As we climbed over the fence and walked closer I noticed that the windows on the second floor looked brand new, although the glass was broken. As far as I know the last person to live here was an elderly woman, but she moved out years ago. The door was locked, but another door had been removed so I went inside. There was no furniture left but there was some tools lying around in a room where the floor was missing! On the second floor I found more new windows and a room that looked newly renovated. A bit of a mystery this old house. Abandoned or not, hard to say. I took a few more photos and you can have a look for yourself here. I will try to find out more about this place.

Two Friends

This is Tobbe and Linda, I met them in Västerhaninge a couple of days ago and asked if I could take a portrait. Linda lives in Västerhaninge and is looking for work after graduating from the Fredrika Bremer secondary school, where she attended the Media Programme. She enjoys photography and while at the school she took the same course as this trio. She said she hadn't had any inspiration for photography lately, which she blamed on the weather. Tobbe, who is from Skogås, is still at the school where he is studying music. He is in a band. They play a bit of grunge, but have yet to set up a MySpace site. I play the guitar, Tobbe told me, and we are currently looking for a drummer, but can't seem to find one, so I may have to switch to the drums, as it's easier to find another guitarist, he continued. Perhaps not a coincidence, but I did meet a guy from Skogås a couple of weeks ago who, and he was also in a band.

The Traditional Way

This is a gärdesgård, a traditional Swedish fence that was the norm at all farms 100 years ago. This type is called hankgärdsgård. To enhance the feel of how it used to be, there are now some 1,5 kilometre of this wooden fence surrounding the farm at Tyresta. When the fence was built eleven years ago, they used old maps and photos to get it to look as close to the original as possible. The tree used is Norway Spruce. In the background one of the old farm buildings. Some facts about Tyresta. Only 20 km south of Stockholm. A Natural Reserve with lakes, primeval forests and the wildlife to match. And an old farm with animals. More photos here. This was where I met Carola from yesterday's post.


Skywatch Friday.

There's always a story waiting to be told

So I'm at the national park. Taking spring photos and enjoying the sunshine. A woman with a horse walks by. I ask if I can take a photo of the horse. I snap a few and that's that. But after shooting some 130 portraits over the last year, I know that there's always a story to be told. And here it is. This is Carola, she is from Stockholm. A successful business woman. With her own company. Worked in the advertising industry for many years. Made a lot of money. But then she felt that something was missing from her life. By chance she and her husband visited Tyresta, a place she didn't know existed, despite living only 20 km away. And as she walked around the farm, it hit her. This was the life she wanted to lead. Working at a farm, with all the animals. So she sold the business. Asked the caretaker at the farm if she could work there, sure he said, but I can't pay you anything. That was 14 years ago. When I met her two days ago Carola was on her way back to the stable after she and Buster had been visiting the kindergarten up the road. As they often do. And guess if the kids loves Buster! And now 14 years later Carola still loves life at the farm, despite not having as much money any more. Thanks for the story Carola!

The Flower Shop Girl

This is Danuta. Together with Ingemar she owns and runs the plant nursery Blomorado in Tungelsta. Their store is open seven days a week. So if you live in the area, and are looking to buy some yellow, gold, orange, purple, violet, red, white, or even black spring flowers, this is the place for you. They also sell fruit trees and anything else you may need for your garden. During my visit today they were very busy. Not surprisingly as it looks like spring has finally arrived, and everyone is looking to buy flowers. Today is Theme Day at City Daily Photo and the theme is Yellow. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants. Oh, and if you wanna see more Blomorado photos I have a set with 144 photos!