The Photogenic Plant

During that cold walk I told you about yesterday I also found a Giant Hogweed which I found to be quite photogenic.

Lumber

I took a walk in the -10C weather and ended up in a forested area near Lillgården. By the side of the forest track I found a stack of wood.

Falu Red in Winter

The cold weather continues. -10C when I took this photo at Söderbyvägen in Tungelsta. A local artist, Christina Hassila lives here, I have seen some of her work at exhibitions at the art gallery in Österhaninge. This could be her studio for all I know. A Falu-red painted building always look good against a blue sky and the added frost on the roof also helps.

Frosty Mirror

We are experiencing a cold spell. Around -10C when I took this photo of a traffic mirror along Söderbyvägen in Tungelsta yesterday.

That Old Tree

Another cold Winter's day,(-7C), but still without any snow. I decided to pay a visit to the old tree yesterday. And just like Wong Ching Wah said on a comment at flickr, the frost makes the path into a white snake. It's like I have always said the tree (and it's surroundings), looks different on every visit. This is my 407th photo of the Swedish whitebeam at Välsta. Oh, and if you look in the top right corner you can see the moon.

Winter Renovation

This doesn't look like much fun. But if you have a problem with the roof, and it is Winter, and very cold (-10C last night), it's good to know that a local company will help you out. This red house stands at Tungelstavägen across the road from the school. Nilas, who owns it has lived here all his life. The builders are called Pettersson Tak & Bygg. I took the photo yesterday. Still cold, around -7C, but we did have a blue sky and some sunshine for a couple of hours.

God Jul

2014 Winter Count

For the last six years I have done what is called a Winter Count. The idea is simple. Pick one photo per month from the year and put them together in a collage. The year started with snow in January. Signs of Spring popped up as early as February. In March I bought myself a new bike. I shot my first street portrait in April when I met the tattooist Niklas. I was at a castle in May when I met Elvira. Summer arrived in June and I started shooting more portraits.Tora was easy to spot. It was Nicole's hair color I noticed first when we met back in July. For the third year running I saw Lugnet perform at the Rock in the Park festival in Tungelsta in August. I spotted Lemmy and Alice Cooper in Jordbro in September. It was a very warm Autumn, and I met a snake sunning on a bike path in late October. Superwoman walked in to my favorite cafe a day in November. A few weeks later Sarah broke two world records and won two World Championship gold medals. The sun disappeared for six weeks late in the year and the lake photo was a typical December scene.

Cranes

Starting to look as a building site at Stav 1:38 in Lillgården, Tungelsta now as the big crane is up. This is the same site I showed you last week with the ditch. Haven't been able to find a name for the new area yet.

Christmas Lights

Once every two years or so I will take a bokeh photo like this one. 'Tis after all the season for that sort of thing.

At The Lakes

Visited the lakes at the Rudan nature reserve the other day. It was very quiet. No screaming school kids. No sweaty joggers. No one out walking their dog. No other cyclists. Not even anyone out on a promenade.

Will it be a...

...white Christmas? I don't know the answer to that question. But we did get some snow just three days ago. It started snowing in the early afternoon on Wednesday. I could hear some kids screaming and shouting with joy as I walked up a hill to get a few winter photos for the blog. I don't normally shoot scenes like this, but my blogger friend Lasse has a good eye for this sort of thing so I blame this shot on him!

Ye Old Farm Building

Here is the December version of the old warehouse at the Välsta farm. It's my fourth photo in the monthly series. Had I waited 24 hours it would have been a snowy scene, but the snow we got this week was gone in another 24 hours. Previous photos of the warehouse here and here.

Work begins on the Tungelsta commuter station

The commuter station in Tungelsta has been a busy building site in the last few years with a new bridge, a second rail-track to Västerhaninge, and before that the platform was rebuilt (made longer) to fit two long commuter trains. And now it is time again. And you will probably not recognise it when it is finished. An underpass will be constructed along with big stairs so that you can access the platform from two directions. The last remaining crossings will be closed and replaced with tunnels or new roads. all that will remain is the century old stationhouse.

Flying south for the Winter

Migrating south for the winter. A bit late perhaps, but the geese probably knows best. Flying in formation, I heard them before I could see them yesterday while going for a walk.

A Winter Sign

It is getting colder. Winter is here. Ice are forming on the fields. Like here at Krigslida where a few tough grass straws have decided to give the ice a fight.

Winter Digging

A new housing area is being built at Lillgården in Tungelsta. Between Söderbyvägen and Stavsvägen. It will consist of 85 row houses, a pre school and a park. I think this recently dug ditch will be a future water storage dam. Next to it a new bike path will connect with Stavsvägen at Lillhammar. There will also be a number of allotment gardens just to the left of here. Mera info här.

Wild Chamomile

Ice everywhere today. You had to be careful on the side-walks and bike paths. The temperature was hovering around freezing, but we did have a few hours with a blue sky and that's when I went for a walk. Found this wild chamomile near the old tree. It's a tough little flower.

The crane is up

A view towards central Handen as seen from a jetty at Lower Lake Rudan. Shot at midday on a darkish December day using ISO 5000. I wanted to show you old city hall, (the building to the left), and the big crane that I wrote a post about on Theme Day two weeks ago. The other buildings in the photo are Rudsjöterrassen (offices, gym, hotel and more), near the commuter station. New city hall, and to the right a building belonging to KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology.

A Village Grows

From tomorrow you will be able to buy a copy of this new book about Tungelsta. That is if you live locally and decide to visit the Christmas market in the park in Tungelsta. I got my (free), copy today from one of the authors. You have met both of them here on the blog before. They are Hilding Eklund and Jan Sandh. The book tells the story about the more than 100 greenhouse nurseries in Tungelsta. The photo on the cover dates back to 1903. It shows a store called Svin-Kalles affär. The building still stands there today, and the debate is if the house was moved to it's current location back in1 902 when the rail-track Nynäsbanan was constructed. That is what some people believe as Svin-Kalle had another store at Fors in Västerhaninge (a few kilometres away), for many years. Anyway, if you live locally, be sure to pick up a copy and learn a little more about your local history. The book costs 200SEK and I'm sure the authors will sign it for you.

Water Tower

The two big water towers in Handen are being fixed-up. Workers that didn't speak a word of Swedish are still setting up the scaffolding around the first tower. In a not too distant future they will look like this, (follow the link).

That Old Tree

Raining hard form a very grey sky as I'm writing this. But believe it or not we have had a couple of hours with a blueish sky and that's when I visited the old tree. We have even had a few minutes of sunshine, as proven on my second photo. Heading home yesterday I suddenly found myself looking at the sun (don't try that), for the first time in sex six weeks. So I jumped off the bike reached for the camera in the bag, and snapped a quick selfie before continuing home. Opening the photo in PS I realised that I had turned off the auto focus earlier in the day when I was shooting a panoramic view, but as I have heard several photographers say, focus is overrated!

Disappearing Path

I use this bike path sometimes. It goes between Jordbro and Handen close to the Slätmossen nature park. For many years it was just a tiny path through the woods. Then a few years ago construction started on a pipe-line for drinking water, and the forest was cleared here, and when the pipe-line was done the path was eventually paved. So now you can walk,run or bike on the pipe-line!

Superwoman

You might remember Sarah. When I write this she is on her way home from Doha. Where she won two gold medals in the World Swimming Championships on Sunday. And she broke the world record in both races! Amazing. And earlier in the championship she won another gold medal and one silver medal in the space of 35 minutes. Fantastic.

Warehouse 157 at Port 73

The mall Port 73 (named after Väg 73), opened for business a couple of years ago. I have written a few posts about it. Feels like they are always expanding. And at the moment that is true. When I took this snap I was out shooting with a friend and we made a short stop at the mall. I needed to use the restroom but it was gone! All I could find was a big sign saying something about a modernized shopping experience in the near future. Whatever that means.

'Tis the Season

One of the old farm buildings from Rudans Gård in the now nature reserve.

They Call Her One Eye

During her film career Christina Lindberg (whom you have met here on the blog) made 23 movies. Mostly exploitation and softcore. Her most famous movie was Thriller- A Cruel Picture, regarded as a cult movie today. One of her fans is Quentin Tarantino who based his character Elle Driver in Kill Bill on Madeleine, the role Christina plays in Thriller. The guys in the rock band Lugnet are also big fans of Christina, Grindhouse and rock from the 1970s. I got a call from their bass player Zethzon. He asked me if I could talk to Christina about a music video they were planning. Do you think she would be interested in partaking in the video? It will be in the style of a movie trailer from the 1970s. I told Zethzon that I could almost guarantee that she would say yes. Which she did, and the limited edition CD single was released yesterday along with a video that you can also see at YouTube.

Problems For Stefan

I hurt my back last week. Pulled a muscle. Better now, but I haven't been able to shoot as many photos as I would have liked to, this was the scene at Upper Lake Rudan a few days ago. But my problems are nothing compared to another Stefan. Our new Prime Minister. He couldn't get the support he needed for the budget, so yesterday he called for a snap election in March of next year, and that just three months after the general election in September.

Sholeh Bar

Started as a smaller kiosk many years ago. My former class mate Susanne bought the place in the mid 1980s. She called it Sassagrillen. It has changed owners a couple of times. Last week they changed the name to Sholeh Bar. That is Persian for Burning Flame. I guess they will serve kebab and similar dishes. There is another Sholeh Bar in Handen. But it will still be the place where you pick up your DHL parcels! And that is what I did yesterday when I received new (Winter),tires and mud flaps for the steel horse.

The old Courthouse

This is Sotholms Härads Tingshus. Or at least that is what it was for many years. A courthouse in the then Hundred Sotholm. The building dates back to 1731. But the second floor which is what you see here is not that old, it was constructed in 1817. The building was in use as a courthouse up until 1916. Today you will find the local historical association Haninge Hembygdsgille here. I took the photo two days ago during the Christmas Market. I like the symmetry of the building.

Do you like heights and working outdoors?

If so, crane assembly is a job for you. The crane here will be 64 meters high. It is buried six meters under ground next to the Haninge mall. The counterweight weighs 17 tonnes. When the workers had come this far in the assembly of the giant crane the guy in orange helmet started shouting. It is the wrong number, we have the wrong part up here! So another guy ran past me to see if everything was as it should be, and it was. The crane will be used during the renovation of the old City Hall building in Handen. It will be turned into an apartment building, the view from the top of the building is amazing. You can see Stockholm, the archipelago, and all the forests of course. Press here to see the building in question. I took this photo a few days ago and I'm happy to report that the crane is now up and ready for work. Today is Theme Day at CityDailyPhoto. The theme is Worker.

A Splash of Color

We had three hours of sunshine during November, so most of my photos these last few weeks have been on the grey side. I found this colorful bench at the doomed youth centre Åbygården earlier today.

Bird Feeder

Bird feeder at the Rudan nature reserve. The feeder is new. Looks a bit like some of the old farm buildings here so it fits right in. Come the Winter the birds will need all the help they can get when it comes to food. The ugly green thing in the background is a spiral stair case that I have showed you before.

Frosty Grass Straw

After shooting the old tree in yesterdays post I decided to locate the odd looking grass straw I found here back in July. It grows just beside the path and I had no trouble finding it. The Timotej sure looks different today compared with how it looked back in the Summer.

That Old Tree

Greyvember continues. Now with added winter cold and frost. And more mist. This was the scene at the old tree yesterday. A couple of degrees below zero. I can tell you that it was a cold winter ride on the bike, and I have now ordered tires with hardened steel spikes!

The Price is the Difference

That is the slogan used by ÖoB, a discount store chain. This is the backside to their store in Haninge, and the side you see when arriving to Handen on road 260. Should be enough to scare away anyone me thinks. They do sell a lot of paint so I think they should buy some and fix the façade. And maybe even put up a sign.

Roses are red

I guess this red rose has to be a repeat bloomer. No sunshine at all in November so I was surprised to find it in a flowerbed at an apartment building in Handen a couple of days ago. I walked into the flowerbed to get the close-up with the pancace lens which a guy that walked by thought was very funny. Be sure to shoot the mushroom as well was his advice. I didn't take him up on it as the fungi in question was smelly and very dead!

A clever clover photo

It has been an unusual warm Autumn. With no sunshine at all in November. But as I try to bike year round, I will not complain too much. This clover, known as Skogsklöver normally blooms in August. I spotted it by the side of a bike path at Hanveden and decided to try an artistic photo of it by including my Steel Horse in the background.

Airstream4u

German food truck serving American food outside a Swedish mall in Handen. And no, I didn't try it out. Maybe next time. But they are out on a road-trip so I might have missed my chance.

Cell Tower

I got my first smartphone earlier this year. A Samsung. And now I have upgraded to a new version. All thanks to my brother who passes on his old phones to me! I don't play games on it, I mostly read the news and check my emails with it. There are many mobile cell towers in my area, and this is one of them at Söderby in Handen. I did a search and found that there are 100 towers in my area. Quite a difference from when my family first moved to Tungelsta. My great grandparents had an easy telephone number. 1. That was 100 years ago. Times have changed.

Did a cave Troll live here?

If you had the strength to remove this big rock you would enter a Troll's home. The troll was sometimes big, and often mistaken for a giant. Other troll's looked very much like us humans. They were very strong, and good with magic, hence their name. They were rich and kept all their possessions in their homes, so if we could somehow remove this big rock we would be home free. Either that or this is just an erratic moved here by the ice during last ice age, Weichsel, that started some 115 000 years ago and ended 90 000 years later, give or take. In any case you will find the big rock that has been cut in half near Bergsvägen in Handen.

Calm and rainy

The grey November weather continues. I decided to head down to the Rudan nature reserve and ride around the lower lake and stop for photos on the way, but as soon as I arrived it started to rain. So I only took a few snaps from the tiny beach before jumping back onto the bike for a rainy ride home.

Hashtag of the day

The local graffiti amateurs seems to have run out of ideas and have now turned to hashtags. This one is a little odd as purjolök means leek. I found it on the bike path that follows the Nynäsbanan's rail-track between Västerhaninge and Krigslida. I tried my best to art up the photo so this is three photos stitched together. Shot with the pancake lens at f/2.8.

Haninge Golf and Junkyard

So roughly one month ago I took a photo of a stolen and dumped car near the indoor golf range, Haninge Golfhall in Jordbro. It was a Volvo. I can now report that a second stolen and dumped car has been placed next to the Volvo. Maybe not so strange as cars are stolen most every day all around the world. But what is kinda peculiar is that this second wreck first stood on the parking lot for a few months. And then a couple of days ago someone moved it 50 meters to this new location. It could of course mean that the people that run the indoor driving range has decided to open a junkyard!

That Old Tree

It's the 17th of November. So far this month Stockholm has seen 90 minutes of sunshine. Have I mentioned before that I'm more of a Summer person, and that I prefer to shoot when there's blue sky around? Anyway this was the scene at the old tree the other day when it was very misty.

The Old Smithy

The old smithy in the mist. I tried my best to recreate two previous photos of the old building. I took the photo standing on the ghostly path I showed you yesterday. Oh, and the flickrverse seemed to like it. Closing in on 12,000 views now so I must have done something right.

Ghostly Path

I didn't see any ghosts at Nödesta, but it was of course very misty...

Back at the farm

So back in September I showed you this old warehouse at the Välsta farm, and I informed you that many moons ago I had a photo project planned here, but that the old tree happened instead. Karl from Bolzano (a very wise man),said in a comment that a monthly series could work. Kay from Sequim ( a clever woman) figured that a photo every season would work. So I decided to shoot one photo per month, and here are the second and third photo from the new series. The misty shot is the November photo, taken this week. The one with a few leaves left dates back to the middle of October.