Saturday, June 30, 2012

The Blue-Eyed Priestess

The Blue Eyed Priestess The Priestess
The last time I took a photo of The Priestess Sara she told me a secret, and I know that a few readers wanted to know what that might have been. It stayed a secret for a little while longer, but in August of last year little Levi was born. I briefly met Levi and the proud father the day before I took these photos near the Medieval church in Västerhaninge.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Summer Lake

Little Lake A little red cottage
Back at Little Lake in Jordbro for a few photos. Not that many people know about the lake. For many months of the year it is hard to see it through the forest. For Skywatch Friday.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

A moment in time

French Kiss Cafe
You never know what you might see next at the cafe. Like this moment in time photo shows. I was enjoying coffee with a few people when I noticed that Karin, one of the waitresses had spotted a cute dog. The dog in question is called Dixie. I had a feeling that Dixie would like the attention so I lifted the camera and two seconds later I had the kiss documented.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Who will lead us to a better future?

The sword in the stone
My third post from this years art promenade in Österhaninge. This is a sword stuck in a table made of stone. The theme this year is crisis. The two artists, Per Hillbom and Inga-Lill Georgsson asks us who will be the person that will lead us out of the current crisis by removing the sword from the stone. I don't have an answer for that! Shot with The Nifty Fifty.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Mayor and the Musician

The Mayor Free Strawberry? Mikael Vinsa
The Mayor of Haninge, Martina Mossberg had a busy day during the Midsummer party in the park. She promised me that she would partake in the traditional dancing around the Maypole, and I said that a photo of her doing the Small Frogs dance would be a good one! Perhaps that scared her because when the dance started she was busy giving away strawberries, and yes they were very tasty. On the second photo Martina is talking to fellow politician Raymond Svensson, and treating Mikael Vinsa (who is one of the people in the Jordbro World Orchestra project), to a free strawberry. And on the third photo you can see Mikael in action during the Midsummer dancing where he was one of two musicians playing all the traditional songs.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Standing Around

Prepared, but bored Say Cheese
Lots of dancing around the Midsummer pole at the weekend festivities in Jordbro, but I did also notice a bit of standing around, being photographed, or trying to look as bored as possible, and the winners in that category can be seen on the first photo. I think it means that the scout movement have a new motto. Prepared, but bored.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Midsummer Fun

Kid spinning
A scene from the Midsummer celebrations at the Höglunda Park. If you want to see more photos check out the slideshow in yesterdays post.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Midsummer Festivities

Midsommarstång Midsummer is the most important weekend/holiday in Sweden. The National Day is nothing compared to Midsummer. The celebration dates back thousands of years and is filled with tradition that of course have changed a bit over the years. Here are sixty or so photos from the festivities that took place at the Höglunda park in Jordbro on Friday. Around 1500 people gathered for a few hours of fun. The first order of business was to dress the Maypole, or the Midsomarstång as we like to call it. That took about one hour. You need a lot of fresh flowers and green tree branches to create the wreaths for the Maypole. Then it was time for the raising of the pole. With the help of young and old that only took two minutes. And then it was time for all the traditional dancing. The round dance took about one hour and was a big hit with both kids and adults. After that a lot of people gathered around the stage and listened to the Jordbro World Orchestra and a few other acts. There was games for the kids and food and candy for the hungry. The Mayor Martina Mossberg and a few other politicians were busy handing out free strawberries. I met many familiar faces and one or two new ones as well.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Lars Epstein

Lars Epstein Epstein
We celebrate Midsummer today. I spent a few hours at the Höglunda park in Jordbro talking to people, and taking photos of the festivities, and I will show you that tomorrow. The man you see here is a well known photographer and journalist. Lars Epstein. He has worked for DN (the largest morning paper in Sweden), for something like 35 years. We ran into each other several times at the park, and I told him a little about the different bands, and hooked him up with both the Mayor, Martina Mossberg, and a few people from the Jordbro World Orchestra who arranged the celebrations at the park. Lars told me a bit about how he works. He has a blog on the paper called Epstein's STHLM which he updates most every day. He has been in the business for so many years that no one tells him what to do, he usually plans everything him self and will often do the writing from home rather than at the paper. Before we said goodbye I invited him to the rock festival in Tungelsta which takes place in August.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Long-Awaited Hug

The Long-Awaited Hug
Or maybe they met yesterday as well. The girl in the red top was early, She had to wait for ten minutes on the sidewalk before her friend showed up. Shot this candid scene from the cafe chair at Malmen's Konditori.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Caption me

Spot the mother I was having coffee on the veranda at home when these two women came into view. They had been shopping for flowers at Blomorado, and were now on their way home. If you need to, you can borrow a wheel barrow at Blomorado and that is what one of them did. I ran for the camera and as I took the shot I had already decided on a title for the photo, spot the mother. No one cared much about it on flickr but a while ago someone asked if they could blog it on Caption.me, and at the moment some of the members on that site are busy trying to be witty enough to win £100.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Lakeside Living

Lakeside Living Not a bad setting for a little house. They live in the Rudan nature reserve only meters from the lake. To the right you can spot a row boat that they use for fishing.

Monday, June 18, 2012

The Art Curator and the Giant Green Spider

The Art Curator and the Giant Green Spider IMG_9591
By chance I walked into the cultural centre in Handen just as the curator Åsa Mårtensson (seen here taking a photo), together with the artists Lisa Jeannin and Rolf Schuurmans, and a few strong hands carried the 100 kilo heavy green spider into the show room. When you read this the giant spider will hang from the roof. And from today until Wednesday the school-kids from the new Höglunda school will spend their time painting the walls for the new art project Connecting the Dots. The giant spider will then weave all the stories together. When the new school opens later this year the spider will welcome the kids as it will then hang in the school entrance.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Back to the Roots

Back to the Roots Whenever I stop and look at these roots at Nedersta I see naked people. Some sort of orgy going on.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

A Little Cottage

Green Entrance
I enjoy visiting old farms and cottages. Some of the photos I shoot will end up in the archives at the local historical association in Haninge. This visit was totally by chance. From the bike I chatted with another cyclist. When he told me that he owned Westerfors, a little cottage at Fors near Västerhaninge I asked him if I could tag along for a photo shot. Christer inherited the property from an uncle. He uses it as a summer house. The place has an interesting history. It is said that the old farm house was destroyed in a fire back in 1719 when the Russians attacked, but it is hard to find the evidence for that. If it is true the building here dates back to around 1720. I had a look inside, and Christer told me that the house have undergone many changes in the last centuries. Back in 1884 Anna Sofia Lindblom, a young girl who grew up at Westerfors marries the boy from the neighbouring farm Skarplöt and the two farms become one for a long time. I visited that farm last summer. For many years this place was also known as the Shoemaker's place, as a shoemaker from Norway, Lauritz Rasmussen lived here. More facts and photos in the slideshow.

Friday, June 15, 2012

View From the Jetty

View From the Jetty I waked out onto a jetty at one of the lakes at the Rudan nature reserve and sat down for a few minutes. Normally you would find a few fishers here or a bunch of sunbathers but on this visit I had the jetty for myself. Skywatch Friday.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Buy Your Coke Here

Buy Your Coke Here Buy your locally made Coca-Cola directly from the truck. Spotted this girl selling the soft drink "at a very good price" at the Port 73 mall in Handen a few days ago. Coca-Cola Sweden is based in Jordbro (That's where Mick was working for a few weeks). The water used in soft drinks made in Jordbro comes from a well only two kilometres from the plant. The reason for this drive was of course the Euro 2012.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Wicked Clown

Wicked Clown You learn something every day. I spotted this guy at a bus stop at Ribby in Västerhaninge yesterday and knew that I had to take his portrait. This is Baby Diaper. He told me a few facts about Juggalo, a lifestyle I know nothing about. Originating from Detroit and the Insane Clown Posse. Baby Diaper also told me that there are around 200 Juggalos in Sweden. They usually meet once a year at a big gathering. I had time to grab a few portraits before Baby Diaper's bus arrived.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Eyes on the ball

Eyes on the ball Met Christina (Tarantino's Favorite Actress), on my way to the old tree. She was with a friend & dog. I asked her if she had spotted the foxes, but a bit surprisingly she hadn't done that. Normally she knows everything that happens in this area when it comes to the flora and the fauna. The composition is a bit different here from how I normally photograph the old tree, but there you go.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Quick, give me a pill

Quick, give me a pill I think it is safe to say that the readers of this blog don't care much about art. But here we go again. This is my second photo from this years Art Promenade. This interpretation of this years theme was made by Annie Forsberg. The theme this year is...

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Snapping away at the cafe

Brand New Police Car Sandwich Anyone?
I do take a lot of photos while enjoying coffee and conversations at my favorite cafe Malmens Konditori. And here are three photos to prove that. The first one is a somewhat failed attempt of shooting a bokeh panorama. The Mustang owner had coffee with a few friends so I did have enough time to get a few shots. I only have access to Autostitch at the moment so I might redo this in another software later. Second photo shows a brand new police car. A 2012 Volkswagen Passat. The third photo was a quick one. I was changing lenses and when I looked up I saw Karin standing at the table ready to hand over a sandwish to local legend Tompa Eken, who actually has his own Wikipedia entry.

Saturday, June 09, 2012

School's out for Summer

Me Studentsta School's out for summer. They have been partying for around two months. Their parents are probably broke. I'm guessing that all the grad students you can see here will have a massive hangover today. Sounds like a lot of fun...These kids graduated from the Fredrika Bremer secondary school in Handen on Friday. I shot this photo from my favorite cafe.

Friday, June 08, 2012

Lost in the Woods

Lost in the Woods Cabin in the woods This was a pleasant surprise. I visited Småhamra the other day. It's where they found that runestone last year,and I will tell you some updated news about that in a day or three. Anyway,from Småhamra you can take a short-cut through the forest to get to the little village at the Tyresta national park, and that's what I did. I was on the bike and the path is mostly for horses, but you can manage on a bike. Half way through the forest I took a wrong turn. I realised my mistake when the path ended. And this is where it ended. At a little tarn. And next to it a little cabin. I guess it is something belonging to the national park, but I'm not sure. What I do know is that I was very tired when I arrived here, but sitting down by the water for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and the view made all the difference. Skywatch Friday.

Thursday, June 07, 2012

Moo!

Moo! Portrait of a Cow Are You Looking For Trouble... eye of a heifer These heifers live at one of the smallest farms I have ever visited. It is called Haga and you will find it in Tungelsta. On this my most recent visit on one of those beautiful early summer days the cows were busy eating grass when I arrived to the pasture. At first they were a bit shy, but after a minute or so they decided that I was friendly and came running towards me.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

National Day of Sweden

Blowin' in the wind National Day Pastry We celebrate National Day of Sweden today. I will probably not go very crazy today, but I will enjoy a special pastry at my favotite cafe. Update, I have added a photo of the National Day pastry and boy was it tasty!

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Pyramids

Pyramids The annual art promenade at the gallery in Österhaninge opened this weekend. Special bonus points if you can figure out the theme for 2012. It would be impossible by just looking at this artwork by Anders Reuterswärd, but you never know, you might guess it anyway. But I really don't think so.

Monday, June 04, 2012

Soon to be just a memory

The Old Farm House View From a Hill Unrepairable Three photos from Djurgårdsgrind in Tungelsta. The land here was bought by the Johansson family a century ago. They were land-workers employed at a big estate near Ösmo in Nynäshamn. Somehow they managed to borrow enough money to buy Djurgårdsgrind. The first thing they did was to build a home, seen in the first photo. They stayed here for a number of years and also built a second home, that is the larger building on the second photo. They had a young son when they moved in here, he became a good friend to my grandfather. The young boy grew up to become a famous author. Ivar Lo-Johansson. As soon as he could, he left Tungelsta and moved to Stockholm. I have read a couple of his auto biographies where he speaks of his life here. Sadly the property will soon be gone. The elderly owners that have used Djurgårdsgrind as a summer house for the last decades never cared about any of the buildings here, as you can tell by the state of one of the barns. I heard from a friend recently that the couple had passed away and that the property was up for sale, so on a sunny day last week I took the bike over for a photo shoot. I'm guessing that any new owner will know nothing about the history here and that all the buildings will be gone in a near future. I have a few more photos it a flickr set.

Sunday, June 03, 2012

Tungelsta Commuter Station

The Station House The Commuter Sometimes if the weather is crap I will go for a photo promenade around Tungelsta. And during the last three days the weather in question has been just that. Awful. It was warmer actually during Christmas last year compared to this weekend. Yesterday during the Stockhom Marathon it was the coldest summer day for nearly ninety years. Anyway this might be a familiar view to some of the readers. This is the Tungelsta commuter station. The commuter from Stockholm has just arrived. The panorama is made from ten photos. If you want to you can see the original size if you press here.

Saturday, June 02, 2012

A Curious Fox

A Curious Fox Baby Fox On a recent visit to the old tree I met two birdwatchers. They told me about the fox family that lived in what is left of an old stone cellar. So on my way back I stopped for a closer look and after a few seconds one of the young foxes spotted me, that is the second photo. On my most recent visit to the old tree I passed the fox earth, and when I looked back a fox appeared behind on the grassy hill next the earth and kept watch on me.

Friday, June 01, 2012

Lunch in the pasture

Munching on tasty dandelions The Björklund horse farm is situated near the iron Age grave field, and the Gullringskärret nature reserve. The only way to get to the farm is to take the Viking Era gravel road from Västerhaninge. The road ends at the farm and you can only continue on foot or on bicycle. Heading home recently I stopped at the pasture when I noticed a few horses eating dandelions. It was a very peaceful scene and all I could hear was bird song. I think this photo works well for the theme day which is Tranquility. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants