The Popstar

I met a popstar at the Targa Florio Svecia on Saturday. Annika Ljungberg. She arrived in style to the Häringe castle in a red Ferrari. Back in the 1990s she started a band called Rednex. They played electronic country and got a huge hit with their version of the song Cotton Eye Joe. In the band her stage name was Mary Joe. In 2007 Annika left the band to focus on her solo career. Back in 2012 she was diagnosed with leukaemia. She decided on the spot to heal herself and told her then nine year old daughter that she would be fine. She seemed in great spirit and health when I took these portraits. Annika is currently on tour in Sweden in a band called Cotton Eye Joe Show. She also runs a website called friskhuset.nu, a health portal.

Auburn Speedster

The most unusual car at the Targa Floria Suecia event at Häringe castle was this Super-charged 1935 Auburn Speedster. Made in Auburm, Indiana. At the time it was seen as cheap and vulgar. I would have to disagree, this would be the perfect car to go shopping with.

Targa Florio Svecia

The rain stopped just before I jumped on the bike for the ride down to the Häringe castle yesterday. I visited the first annual Targa Florio Svecia. Around 100 cars took part in the event. They started in Handen at the Port 73 mall and then followed a 100 km course before arriving to the old castle. It will be a patriotic start with two Swedish cars. A Saab 96 from 1967 with everything original except for the GoPro camera. The second car was the first one to reach Häringe. It's VolvoP1800 from 1963.

After the rain

A few macro photos after the rain. I will be off soon, riding the bike down to the Häringe castle to have a lok at al the cars in the Targa Florio Svecia rally.

As Green As It Gets

May is many peoples favorite moth of the year in this country. Summer arrives and everything goes green again. And I think the green peaked this week. A few warm days followed by a few rainy ones. This was the scene at the wooden bridge in the nature park Slätmossen a couple of days ago.

A La La La La Long

Took a short photo walk in Handen with my buddy Jim a few days ago. Spotted this mural on a balcony at Idunvägen so I stopped for a photo. Asked around and someone told me that two brothers that looks like real Vikings lives there. My first thought when I spotted the artwork was that song with Inner Circle that is impossible to get out of your head once it's in there so here is a Youtube video.

That Old Tree

Finally. The old tree is turning green again. Feels like it was a long wait this year. Took this photo last evening during the golden hour. Shot with the nifty fifty from my usual spot on the path. So I had to take six photos and stitch them together. We have had two smashing Summer days this week and yesterday was the warmest day of the year, (just like Grace predicted), but as I'm typing this the cold weather is on it's way back. Rain and 10C is on the menu for Wednesday.

The Birdographer

The first thing I noticed at Slätmossen on my most recent visit was this photographer. And I even recognized the lens she was shooting with. Because I am thinking about buying it myself. Would be a nice tool for bird photography. It's the Tamron AF SP 150-600/5,0-6,3 Di VC USD. Didnt get her name, but I found her via Facebook as she showed me some of her photos, so hello Annika!

Driving in Style

If and when I want to take a few photos of classic cars I usually position myself on a pedestrian bridge in Handen. On this occasion I had to jump off the bike and quickly reach for the camera so that I wouldn't miss the 1956 Mercury Montclair. A little later a green Ford from 1949 drove by. It will be even easier to photograph classic cars next Saturday during the Targa Florio Svecia event. 120 cars will drive through the old roads in Haninge before meeting up at the Häringe castle.

Nina

Most of the times when I am out looking to take a street portrait I try to find a detail that stands out a bit. I noticed this woman's headscarf when I passed her on the bike in Handen. So I turned around and complimented her on the scarf and asked if I could take her portrait. She was in a hurry so I didn't get more than her name, Nina. But there was something familiar about her so a little later I took out my smart phone and did a search. And that's when I realised that we had met before! Two cameras ago. I took Nina's portrait on a very warm Summer's day back in 2009, and she wore a similar scarf on that day as well.

Rural Living

These are the old cottages on the property I showed you yesterday, with the collapsed carriage house. The couple I talked to live in a more modern house. This is the view from the carriage house. All you can see from the road is the blooming shrubs. No idea how "modern" the cottages are on the inside but walking around here I could easily see myself living here. Getting up early on a Summer morning, enjoying breakfast outdoors, hearing nothing but birdsong, before jumping on the bike for the 15 minute ride to the beach. The couples son lives in one house and another relative in the other cottage.

Carriage house

This is an old vagnslider. Carriage house in English. What every farm had back in the day. I had a look inside and there are still plenty of forgotten wagons in this collapsed building. The farm is long gone, but the old cottage is still there, as is a newer house. The property at Högsta along Åvavägen in rural Österhaninge was known as Anderssongården as the Andersson family has owned it for four generations. And they are still here today.

Little Red Corvette

I noticed a red Corvette parked next to the museum at the park in Tungelsta earlier in the week, so I decided to try and shoot a few Brenizer method photos of the sports-car. And while doing that I had a brief chat with the owner, Daniel. He asked me if I had any photos from the rock festival held in the park every Summer. He had been there the last few years and knew someone who knew someone who played in one of the bands, Lugnet. So do I and I have now looked through the photos from recent years to see if I perhaps had a previous candid photo of Daniel, but no luck so far.

In a galaxy far far away

Blue Ice

I have a feeling that there's an extrovert behind the wheel in this blue Mercedes. Or at least someone who wants to get noticed and it worked! Shot with the silent zoom lens while enjoying coffee at Malmens Konditori.

Fragment

Part of a Viking Era runestone near the burial site in Österhaninge. My friend Jim could make out one word on a previous visit: Brother. Experts say that this is probably the runestones original location. The three nearby farms Alby, Lundby and Berga met around where the stone stands, and it is likely that the runestone stood by the side of an old road that is long gone today. The stone was probably raised in memory of a man living at one of the farms. The fragment is recorded on a map from 1774. The author of the Swedish national anthem, Du gamla, Du fria, Richard Dybeck is said to have heard on a visit, that the stone was destroyed many many moons ago.

Macromania

Here are a few recent macro photos shot around Haninge this Summer. All four photos taken with the old Canon 550, using the nifty fifty, and a few extension tubes. Horsetail, (Rävrumpa). Meadow Buttercup,(Smörblomma), Lesser Celandine, (Svalört). And Tickle-my-fancy, (Styvmorsviol).

Erik Hubendick

I was at Malmens Konditori yesterday afternoon. Enjoying coffee and a chat with my friend Jim when I suddenly noticed a guitar, seconds later a guy emerged from a car with the instrument in question. When he walked past our table I asked him if he was going to play something for us. What do you want to hear was his response. What's on the repertoire I asked. I play classical music answered Erik Hubendick. I then asked if he played professionally, but that he didn't do, he works as a bus driver. Turns out Erik had just bought the guitar at Blocket for 1000SEK. He told me that as he fine tuned it. When that was done we took a few photos and then he played a few classical tunes, including Für Elise by Beethoven. I then asked if he used to perform, he didn't, but when I told him about three possible gigs here in Handen he seemed very interested, so I will now set Erik in contact with Gunnar Borg who arranges live music both at the Cultural Centre and at Malmens Konditori and I will try to hook him up with Marcus Sohl for a chance to play in the Eskils church situated around the corner from where we were shooting the portrait. If it all happens I guess I could call myself musical manager and earn at least ten percent from Erik's future gigs!

Summer Evening Flyover

A popular pastime on those warm summer evenings. Powered paragliding. Probably a nice way to see the surroundings. I heard him come, took the camera and walked up the hill at home and took the photo.

Morgan Roadster

The very warm weather is gone now, and we are back at 14C to 18C, but it sure was a nice week. On my way home on one of those warm days I met this car at Allevägen in Lida and I had to wave the guy down so that I could get a few photos.

Temporary Visitors

Two brief visits to Haninge this week. The circus was in Västerhaninge yesterday, I hid behind a few tulips, but was unable to spot any scary clowns. On Monday I was sitting in front of the computer when I heard someone call my name from downstairs. It turned out to be Leif Hagen from Eagan. You might remember him from Eagan Daily Photo. He had been in Sweden for a few days and was very happy with his stay. We talked for a bit and took each others portrait.

Personal Space at the Beach

It hasn't been this warm in Stockholm in the month of May since 1990. I had to make another stop at my favorite beach Årsta Havsbad on Monday and it was warmer there than it was at the Mediterranean if you want to believe the meteorologist, and yesterday that is what I wanted to do. It really was my kind of weather. There are different types of beach people and here is the proof. You can either go all in and press as hard as you can on the grass like the topless woman in the first photo. Or you can bring a chair, find the middle of the beach, sit down, relax, enjoy the sun and the breeze and whenever you feel like it pick up your smart-phone and see if anything has happened in the world. I did it a third way. I rested on a bench overlooking the beach, ate my lunch, took the above photos, chatted away with the man sitting on the next bench before walking down to the water to see if it was warm enough for a swim. It wasn't, I'm guessing around 12C so I just took off my shoes and socks and walked out into the sea for a minute.

Roundabout Tulips

The roundabouts in Västerhaninge and Handen are quite colorful at the moment. Lots of tulips to thank for that. Haven't heard about any tulip-related accidents so far although I have crossed one or two roads to get to a better shooting position.

The Adventure of the Cardboard Box

Part 13. Year 2. Early Summer. First one with the Canon 6D, but still with the nifty fifty. More photos here.

A Vehicle Inspection of sorts

I noticed an unusual van parked at the vehicle inspection site at Port 73 in Handen so I stopped for a few photos. Looks like it must belong to a dedicated surfer with a lot of humour, the pin-up girl was unfamiliar to me, but a flickr contact told me that it is Carol Doda. Not sure about the bullet holes! As I took the photos another guy (third photo), came up and started taking photos of his own. He turned out to be a real Francophile, owning no less than ten French cars. He gave me a tour and pointed out was what original and what was not, he didn't actually own this van or even know the owner ,but he had one himself, and according to him there are only five Peugeot J7 in Sweden.

Under a pink sky

It's official, Summer has arrived to Stockholm, and the meteorologist agree with me now. I was out riding yesterday and it felt like a real Summer day, although a bit windy. Still not up to par after the cold so I have to take it easy out on the roads. I knew that I would be able to take this photo at the bike path at Vendelsövägen in Handen, the cherry blossom always look great here and I didn't have to wait long for the cyclist to ride into the photo. My flickr friend Uli came up with the title so thanks for that!

Out on the water

Summer is here. Maybe not if you ask a meteorologist, but just give them one more day and they will agree with me. Here are three water photos to cool you down a bit. I spotted the canoeist as he paddled past my favorite beach Årsta Havsbad at Horsfjärden a couple of days ago. The snake swam past me as I was eating a lunch while sitting on a pier at the Lower lake at the Rudan nature reserve yesterday afternoon. When it was gone I zoomed in on the fisher sitting in his inflatable boat. All photos taken with the "old" Canon and the silent zoom lens.