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.

The Poladroid People

The Poladroid people. I see them everywhere. And I take their photo. Sometimes I know them. But mostly they are strangers. Here they all are. Presented on a map.

Chewing some grass

Just a kilometre from where I live you will find the Haga farm. This was the scene in the "kohage" two days ago. As I arrived the farm worker was moving the cows from one pasture to another. The red cottage on the hill dates back to at least 1690. It is called Håkstorp, or Håkanstorp.

Don't Drink and Drive

A message from a concerned citizen. Motorcycle season is in full swing and someone living across the road from the famous Vegabaren fast food drive-in restaurant in Handen felt the need to inform whomever it concerns not to drink and drive.

Sixteen Recent Snaps

A photographer at Lakeside, the youth centre at the Rudan nature reserve. A photographer at my favorite cafe shooting his wife. A dancer at Lakeside during the dance battle. A bit of yellow at home. Johanna, Brenizer style, I failed a bit on that one. A motorcycle passing my favorite cafe, the rule is to always have the camera ready. Shark! Blue flowers at Nedersta. Bikini season has started! A former police officer (you met him on the blog a few years ago),riding his motorcycle to the horse farm at Björklund last week. Green path at the Bronze Age burial ground. Fredde smiling at the photographer. Funny looking tree at the Nödesta farm. Local legend Tompa Eken at the cafe. Young girl doing a balancing act at Lakeside. Commuter train panorama shot at Krigslida.

Johanna

Johanna was heading for the commuter station when I spotted her red hair in Jordbro. The train was six minutes away so she had time to pose for a few quick portraits. She is a student who enjoys photography, computer games, fashion and art.

Lakeside Dance Battle

There was a dance battle at Lakeside in Handen on Saturday. Hosted by Aaron. Two DJs were present,DJ Mercy1 AND DJ Prime. When I arrived the dancers were warming up for the one minute battle. The winners will compete in the final at Dansens hus in Stockholm tomorrow. It was fun to watch as all the kids were very good.

Patrolling the Streets

We have had five nights with riots in many suburbs around Stockholm. At least 100 cars have been torched. Schools have burned down. Police have been attacked. Rescue service personnel have been stopped from doing their job. It started when police shot and killed a man who was attacking people with a machete in Husby, North of Stockholm. Last night it spread to Haninge when a convenient store was destroyed in a fire in Jordbro. Residents are now out night patrolling to try and stop the violence in most of these suburbs. The photo in my post have nothing to do with this but when I spotted the Highway Patrol car outside my favorite cafe yesterday I stopped the driver and took a few photos. I think he has rebuilt the Corvette to look like an American police car himself.

Vattenspegling

The sunny days from last week have been replaced with a lot of dark skies. This was the nature park in Handen yesterday. Vattenspegling means Water reflection. Skywatch Friday.

The Creeper

One of the things I like with coffee outdoors at my favorite cafe, is that it gives me a chance to shoot one or two candid portraits. Like this one of the creeper.

F1 shot at f/2.0

I have seen this Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG parked in Handen a few times recently. You can't afford one, so we don't have to talk about how much it costs. Someone who knows more about these things told me that the silver chrome foil was made by a company called WrapZone. And that probably made the car even more expensive. Both photos here shot using the Brenizer method.

The Birch Allée

Back in March when we did the Festival of the Equinox, I showed you a winter version of the narrow tree avenue at the Söderby estate, and here it is again. Sure looks very different today compared with just a couple of months ago.

Sixsteen Recent Snaps

The summer girl Linn. A traditional gärdesgård fence at Tyresta national park. Picknicking at Rudan. The dad in green ran with his daughter on his shoulders, we raced, I was on the bike so I won! The bike guy Robban. Sweet Caroline.Cherry blossoms over the walkway. Reflection at the nature park. The tree lined avenue at Nödesta. The stylish Camilla. Runic inscription on a hill side at the Tyresta village. The black sheep. Ove on the cell phone at the cafe, discussing the new boat. Bird up a birch. Farm building at Välsta. My lunch earlier today. Burger with feta cheese, tomatoes and cucumber. 360 panorama from the old tree at sunset a few days ago.

That Old Tree

Because it was the first day of Summer (my rules), and the warmest day of the year (24C), I took a bike ride in the summer evening on Friday and arrived to the old tree just after 2100 hours, in time to snap a photo of the old tree during sunset. If you look closely you can see the first leaves on the Swedish Whitebeam.

The Summer Girl

Summer arrived on Friday. It was the warmest day of the year with around 24C. When I noticed Linn not far from my favorite cafe I knew I had to take her portrait (I have a thing for redheads). Linn lives in Handen and she has her whole life in front of her as she will graduate from secondary school in just a few weeks time. I tried a Brenizer method portrait (second photo), I took 15 photos but trouble stitching them together, so this is the result of three photos.

The Bicycle Fanatic

I have met a real bicycle fanatic. Robert from Sköndal. I knew I had to take a bike portrait when I noticed the wheels. Custom made in Gothenburg by Anders from Veloform. They are very photogenic and I'm not the only one who have asked to take a photo of the wheels. Robban bikes year around. To and from work for the last fifteen years. During the winter he just changes to winter wheels. Guess what he does on his vacations? Correct. This year he will discover Crete by bicycle. Previous trips have gone to Spain and Scotland where Glentress is a favorite. His son is old enough to join him now, so it is possible that the whole family will be biking together soon. My kind of people! Shot using the brenizer method at f1.8. This is 22 photos stitched together.

Camilla

Camilla was waiting for the bus when I spotted her in Handen yesterday. The spotting was very easy. I noticed her lipstick, coat, earrings, glasses, hair color and hat. Camilla lives in Västerhaninge. She works as a preschool teacher. When she's not busy with her cool outfits she enjoys playing the piano and the organ.

Ewe & Lamb

There's a grassy slope at Glasbergavägen in Lida where this time of the year you can often see a group of sheep. And that is exactly what I saw the other day.

Mounted archery anyone?

This is Caroline. I noticed her lipstick, hair, and outfit in Handen yesterday, hard not to. After a bit of hesitation I decided to ask her for a portrait. Caroline recently moved to Handen from Norrköping. She works as a substitute teacher. A tough gig as she can be called in with just an hour or so to prepare. On her free time she enjoys Lindy Hop. And Mounted Archery, which is a new sport for me, but after hearing Caroline's explanation of how it works it sounds very tricky.

Flower's blooming everywhere

It only took a few warm days. Now, everywhere you look there's cherry blossoms and blooming tulips.

Sixteen Recent Snaps

Three street portraits. Detail from the hood of Janne's BMW. The old tree. Web address to a funny diary. A wooden bridge at the Rudan Nature reserve. Old carriage where once the Nödesta barn stood for two centuries.A blue sky. Old farm building at the Tyresta national Park. Panorama with the farmer from Nödesta in his tractor, followed by a few hundred gulls. A yellow tractor at the same farm. A tent belonging to the reporter and photographer Johan Bjurer. Wood anemones at the burial ground in Jordbro. Wood pigeon in Johan's garden. The book Skärgården, written and photographed by Johan. Köp boken här: www.adlibris.com/se/product.aspx?isbn=9157480729

What are the odds?

Heading home on Friday I noticed a cyclist walking his bike. That is never any fun. The chain, which was brand new, had broken, so the cyclist had time for a portrait. When I handed him my card he laughed. At me. Because we have the same name. Stefan Jansson. Never met another person with my name before. Stefan has his own company. He repairs musical instruments. When he is not out walking his bike you can find him at the aikido club in Brandbergen where he is an instructor.

Floral Roundabout

The municipality is spending some extra money on floral arrangements. At the moment two roundabouts in Handen are slowly coming alive with color from red and yellow tulips. Skywatch Friday.

Green Vehicle

It's green. It's a vehicle. But maybe not eco-friendly. This is a 1974 Pontiac Ventura Custom. Both photos shot using the Brenizer method.

View From A bridge

As I always do on my visits to the nature park in Handen I took a photo from the wooden bridge. I will have to go back when it all has turned green, shot this a few days ago.

Cadillac DeVille

I spotted the photogenic Anna the other day. She told me that she is looking to sell her 1960 Cadillac DeVille. So if you have 100 000 SEK in a drawer somewhere, this old beauty could be yours.Tricky to shoot in the parking lot, I was squatting on the grass to get as low as possible I used 20 photos for this Brenizer method shot.

That Old Tree

It looks like we will get Summer temperatures this week. A bit unexpected, but very welcome after the cold Spring. When I headed down to the old tree it was maybe 15C and a bit windy. I passed the two girls out on the road, but luckily for me they were heading the same way, so a few minutes later they came riding down the path, which made for a fine photo. I wonder if I'm going to have to borrow a chainsaw from the farmer and remove that broken limb myself.

Berrin Sahin

The folk singer Berrin Sahin and her band performed at Poseidon's square in Handen a couple of days ago. Mostly ballads from Turkey and Azerbaijan. They used different flutes, guitar, bağlama and key harp. A bit windy outside the cultural centre, but great with music outdoors. And just as I told the sound guy (he is a dedicated cyclist), that it was great with live music on the square, the presenter informed us that the lunch concerts will be back in September.. I sure hope I heard that wrong.

The Music Student and the Magician

Sure was a fine day Friday. I'm guessing around 14C. Perfect weather for a bit of longboarding. This is the love birds Elise (the girl can sing), and Alex. Spotted them near the mall in Handen. Elise will graduate from secondary school studies this Spring. She works extra at Foderboden. Her boyfriend works at the book chain Akademibokhandeln. One of his hobbies include stage magic. This is another Brenizer method shot, nine photos stitched together. Shot with the nifty fifty at f.2.0.

Sankt Eico

This is Erik. Met him in Handen. He works with deconstruction. I thought he looked like a cool dude. His hobbies includes role-playing and computer games. He is also a bit of an artisan and creates leather items and jewellary. He was on his way to the train station so we only talked for a couple of minutes, but I did have time to shoot this Brenizer style portrait. I used fifteen photos here at f.2.0.

Fly Fishing Anyone?

There was a fly fishing event at Lower Lake Rudan in Handen yesterday. The first person I met at the lake was Christer Jangarve who is a very dedicated angler/organizer of everything angling related at Rudan. He told me that the event had been very successful. Lots of people trying their luck at fishing and testing new material. The weather was also perfect. When I was there six or seven people had something to show. The Italian guy in the the top right photo had caught either a char or a rainbow trout.

The Creative Artisan

Martin Ahlsén is a Blacksmith. With a special interest in the Middle Ages and the Viking Era as you can see on the photo to the left that shows a detail from the dragon gate he made last year. He is well known in Haninge and even has his own museum in Handen, with his partner Agnes who designs jewellary. Together with Agnes he also performs at many local events, where they sing Medieval songs. If you have read this blog for a few years you will most likely have seen some of my posts about this very creative artisan. If not, check out the slideshow to see some scenes from the annual Viking Festival arranged by Martin & Agnes where there are creative artisans everywhere. Theme Day. Creative Artisan.