Culinary Week & Farmers Market

This week was culinary week in Haninge. Just as last year anyone who wanted could partake in a contest. The categories this time was best beverage, fish and bread, all with a local theme of course. Two of those awards went to Runstensskolan (The Runestone School), in Handen. The school kitchen won best Haninge Bread, and best Haninge Beverage. The chef and his staff were present during the Farmers Market at the park in Tungelsta on Saturday, and they were very busy selling their egg sandwich made with the local bread. In the nearby greenhouse you could buy all sorts of locally produced food, and more, as you can see in the second collage.

This is a no-brainer

Eat one of these (raw), and you are dead. It's brain-shaped, hence the title. Shot this using the macro feature on my new Tamron zoom lens.

Hardcore Exercise

Biking towards home yesterday a woman on roller skis flew by me in Jordbro. I caught up with her a little later and realised that it was Emmy Thelberg, one of the best mountain bike riders in the country. She was on her way to a gravel pit where she was going to run up a sandy hill ten times! That sounded like a photo-op to me, so I decided to tag along, as it gave me an opportunity to test the Tamron zoom lens. Since we last met Emmy has had some success in her sport. She won the Långloppscupen,the long distance cup. She won Bronze in the National Championships. She competed in the the Birkebeiner cycling race, the world's largest mountain-bike race that takes place annually in Norway.

View from a bridge

My 52th photo of this view. Whenever I visit the nature park Slätmossen in Handen I will walk over to a little bridge and take a photo from there, and this is the view. In the slideshow you can see all fifty two photos. The first shot is a winter view from 2004.

Lingon Anyone?

This years lingonberry photo. I used the macro feature on the Tamron zoom lens for this photo that I shot on a hill side near the graveyard. Last years lingon photo looks a bit different. Lingon is known as the red gold in the forest here.

Pareidolia Anyone?

After shooting a few head stones at the graveyard yesterday I took a walk in the surrounding forest. You can find all sorts of thing there. Like this face.

Modern Day Headstone

I stopped at the Österhaninge burial ground today. It is situated in a rural part of Haninge, around one kilometre away from the Medieval church. My goal today was to find a headstone for The Taphophile Tragics. And I found one. I think I would like a grave stone like this when the time comes. The man that rests here was called Bo-Göran Runsten. Runsten means Runestone, so it was a good choice for a headstone, to make it in the shape of a Viking era Runestone.

The Colors of Autumn

I was on the bike heading home when I noticed the splash of autumn color by the side of the bike path. A few trees between the Biofuel Power Plant and the indoor golf arena in Jordbro.

Cool Dude of the Day

I noticed Robert in Handen on Friday, continued past him before realising that I should ask him for a portrait, so I turned around and had to wave my hands at him as he was listening to music. Robert is currently looking for work as a graphic designer. His hobby's include drawing and painting. And when he is not busy with that he is probably out partying with his friends. Shot these portraits with the nifty fifty.

Memories of Midsummer

It feels like only yesterday. This is the Maypole at the open-air dance floor at my favorite beach at Årsta Havsbad. Skywatch Friday.

Exquisite Corpse

Another fun Utata project finished yesterday. Called Exquisite Corpse. A painting will be sliced into 30 smaller pieces. Thirty people will then receive their part of the unknown artwork. Their mission, should they choose to except it, is to go out and find something that looks like their piece. I found mine at home on the veranda! When everyone is done the individual pieces will be put together. And that happened yesterday. To see the individual 30 pieces and the original painting (which turned out to be a work of Picasso), follow this link and the instructions there.

Arrrr!

Have ye jug o' rum? Talk Like A Pirate Day

Picnic by the lake

Always something happening at the National Park. During the Tyresta Day the park was crowded, and that was an unusual feeling. I headed over to Bylsjön where a couple of rangers from the park were answering questions from visitors, next to a campfire where people were roasting hot dogs. The rangers showed off their 4 wheeler and also offered everyone a free beverage.

A Dedicated Photographer

This is Jonas Adner. He is a graphic designer. And a very good photographer. I met him at the National Park Tyresta on Sunday during the Tyresta Day. He was selling his new book outside the information centre. It is called Hiking at Tyresta and is the perfect book to bring with you to the park. Jonas told me that he took 16 000 photos for the book. That is dedication! The text in the book is written by Lars Bergström and Mats Lundqvist. More facts in Swedish about the book here. And if you want to buy a copy you can do that here.

Window of opportunity

My old zoom lens have retired. The Canon 75-300mm worked fine for a decade, despite a few accidents along the way. As I don't have much money I decided to buy a Tamron lens, the very cheap AF70-300mm. I picked it up yesterday and this was the first photo I took. It's a window above the entrance to City Hall in Handen.

Another cryptic message

If you have followed this blog for a while you have probably seen my two previous posts about the secret society. The unknown organisation uses the barrels to communicate secret messages to their members. On a stakeout this week I found out that the pyramid had changed yet again. It is now a complete pyramid. I wonder what it all means...

Summer Ends

This was the sky at Lower Lake Rudan yesterday. Summer clouds and a blue sky. I stopped by the cafe and it was nice to sit outside enjoying a mug of coffee and some conversation. Today it is another story. Autumn arrived with grey skies, strong winds and non-stop rain. Skywatch Friday.

The Beach

It wasn't much of a Summer. And it looks like it is over now. Shot this on Tuesday, which might have been the last day with Summer temperatures. This is my favorite beach at Årsta Havsbad. I counted two people at the beach. Met a woman who said that she hadnt gone for a swim this year, too cold in the water for her taste. Here is a look at how the beach looked back in July.

Demeter's lego

Hay bales on a field in front of the Hesslingby estate in Österhaninge. I didn't have time to come up with a good title for this photo before my flickr friend Monika did that for me.

Forest Path

Took a walk in a forest yesterday. Was planning to shoot some snaps in the nature reserve, but this was the only photo I took.

The Haninge Festival

Here is a people collage and a slideshow with all my photos from the Haninge Festival. A two-day event that X-Cons Haninge arranged in a park in Handen. I visited on day two. During my stay the weather was great. Performing was a Michael Jackson imitator. He was followed by Mikael "The Prince" Trolin (whom you have met on this blog before)then came a few local Hip hop acts from Jordbro. The festival was focusing on the kids and one popular event was the Graffiti area where local talent were busy creating their own art. I talked to a few politicians and you can see one or two of them in the slideshow. The festival continued for five hours after I left so I probably missed a few fun performances.

The President

This is Dennis Aksay. President of X-Con's Haninge. A Non-profit organization that helps ex-offenders. X-Con Haninge arranged a two day festival that was held at Eskilsparken in Handen this weekend. The event was mostly for the kids. I was there for a couple of hours, taking photos and talking to local politicians. I will show you more photos on Monday.

Harvest time

Harvest time at the Nödesta farm. The farmer out on a wheat field in his Combine Harvester.

No sign of any gnomes

The poisonous and photogenic mushroom is popping up around Haninge this time of the year. We call it Röd Flugsvamp.

In the Spider's Web

I was out walking in the birch forest at Välsta earlier this week. It is a nice place for a stroll. No one around but me and this spider.

Up a hill

I sometimes walk up this hill. It is located near a farm called Snörom. The hill is surrounded by a wheat field and a nature reserve. You can see the Medieval church in Österhaninge from up here as well as some of the high-rises in Jordbro. Usually there are horses here, but on this visit they were elsewhere. If you have a good memory you might remember how this place looked back in March.

That Old Tree

No one around on my two hundred ninety-third visit to the old tree at Välsta. And no sign of any berries just yet.

Badass Biker

This biker wanted my attention in Västerhaninge a while back. When he stopped for a chat I recognised him as The Volvo Vera guy, Björn Virving that I met and photographed for this blog four years ago. The motorcycle is a 1955 Matchless G80. Björn was on his way to the Motor-vehicle inspection site in Jordbro.

A Very Swedish Subculture

The Raggare subculture was born in Sweden back in 1950s and is probably stronger than ever before today. This is my last post from the big meet that took place in Handen last weekend. To get a good look at what the term raggare means have a look at the slideshow. I have uploaded 120 or so photos and that should tell you a bit about this way of life.

Candid Camera

Street photography is always fun. I did shoot a few candid portraits at the Greaser meet. This pretty girl was hard to miss. I'm 100% certain that she spotted me when I shot the second photo. The theme day this month is People Watching.