The Calm

The Calm, or Lugnet in Swedish, is the name of this property at Ålsta in Tungelsta, where the Wall family had a plant nursery for many years. I shot the winter photo on a recent promenade. When the family closed the business, the greenhouses were left as they were, and for many years the place looked half abandoned. Two brothers from the family lived here all their lives. I sent one of them a Christmas card a few years ago using one of my winter shots from this place. It was much appreciated. Both the brothers are dead now, and the property has been cut up and the collapsed greenhouses have been replaced with five new homes. In the slideshow you will see a few panoramic images, as well as normal photos that I have taken at "Lugnet" over the last eight years.

Snow, snow, and more snow

Surprise! More snow. If you look real closely there's actually a house in this photo behind all the snow. Built by a gardener back in 1912, at Ålsta in Tungelsta. His name was Emil Gottfrid Wall, and he was the son of a carpenter. The name of the property was Lugnet, which translated to English means The Calm. When E.G. Wall passed away his two sons John and Erik took over the business. After they retired the greenhouses was left to nature for many years. Both brothers are now gone and it looks like the house have been inherited by one of their nephews. A couple of winters ago I took another photo of this red house, and ever since, that picture has been one of my more popular flickr photos.

ǝɹnʇıuɹnɟ ɹoopʇno

ʎɐʍɐ ʎɐʍ ƃuol ɐ llıʇs sı ƃuıɹds


˙pɐǝɥ ɹnoʎ uo ƃuıpuɐʇs ʎɹʇ sıɥʇ ƃuıpɐǝɹ ʎʇlnɔıɟɟıp ǝʌɐɥ noʎ ɟı

Winter Construction

Despite the long winter a few new houses are still being built at Ålsta in Tungelsta. I started shooting the changes in this area five years ago. Back then there was a few plant nurseries, a stable and a few houses here. Five years on it's hard to believe that it's the same place. If you have a few hours check out the slideshow.




Skywatych Friday.

Two Story Window

Many of the new homes that have been built at Ålsta in Tungelsta in the last few years aren't very interesting. But this one is a bit different with that two story window. I posted a photo of this house in February last year. Back then the place was still a construction site. A year later the owner (Niklas, who found the photo and left a comment), have moved in. Oh, and a fun note. If you head over to flickr (just click on the photo), and look at the map, you can see that this house stands in what once was a greenhouse.

Winter vs. Summer

Continuing with my diptych series where I combine two photos to show two different seasons. This beautifully renovated house can be found at Ålsta in Tungelsta. The house looked like it was haunted for many years, and there was a few stories circulating about the family that used to live there. Today it's a different story. The new owners (the guy is a photographer), have done a great job rebuilding the house. These two archive photos shows the difference between summer and winter.

The Long Winter Continues...

As the long and cold winter doesn't want to let go, I gave in and went out for another winter promenade. This is a little house at Ålsta in Tungelsta where one of my readers, Kristin Julber grew up back in the 1940ths. She moved to the US many years ago, so this photo is for her, and anyone else out there who enjoys a winter scene.

Functionalism

A newish house at the ever growing building site that is Ålsta in Tungelsta. From S:T Anna Hus. Not sure about the model, but it could be Villa Tallholmen. Modern functionalism, with open spaces according to the builder.

Prefab House

For many years this property at Ålsta had a plant nursery. It was one of ninety-five (95) family owned plant nurseries that Tungelsta has seen over the last century. It was owned by the Wall family. When it closed a few decades ago the greenhouses were left abandoned. Then in 2004 Ålsta became a busy building site as a new housing area, Kryddgården was built here. Two years after that new roads were built in the second phase of construction and three other nurseries closed as many more houses were built. And then, last year, the elderly owner, Erik Wall finally decided to tear down the old greenhouse skeletons and sell some of the land. The property was divided into five smaller lots and two days ago a team of builders arrived to set up this house. I counted five builders, one lorry driver and one crane operator.I have created a flickr set called Wall's Place with photos that I have taken here over the last few years where you can see the old greenhouses and the builders setting up this new house.


Sky Watch Friday.

Walking Horse

A Tungelsta Walking Horse...


There was a horse farm here at Ålsta just a few years ago, but as Ålsta is changing and a new housing area has been built the horses had to go. So it was a bit of a surprise yesterday when I met this couple and the horse.But they only have to walk a few hundred meters to find another horse farm.

A Home with a Difference II

Continuing with the theme from yesterday, here is another house with a difference. One of the newest houses at Ålsta in Tungelsta. On the property that once belonged to the Rockdala plant nursery. And it's the same deal here. Plant nurseries and horse farms has gone and new homes have been built. If I'm not mistaken there was a greenhouse on this exact spot just a couple of years ago. I like the design here, with the nine big windows. Will look pretty good when it's finished. And I will of course be back here then. Shot this yesterday on my Sunday promenade.

Corner House

Late in 2004 the area known as Ålsta here in Tungelsta became a building site as a grassy field, only used by the occasional dog owner was transformed to a housing area with two storey apartments. That place is today known as Kryddgården. Since then a few new roads have been built, and a small forested area has been cut down to make room for many more houses. During this process (which I have documented), three old greenhouse businesses have closed, and new houses are being built everywhere. Every time I walk through here these days there's something new to photograph. Here you see a new road and a nice mix of different houses that fits in perfectly with the older buildings.

Still Winter

A house on a hill at Ålsta in Tungelsta. When my mother was young, in the 1940ths, there was a bakery here from where she often bought bread. Back then you would have seen the Ahlfont family greenhouses from the hill. Much have changed since then. Bakery and greenhouses are gone. Hedberg and Ahlfont no longer live here. I don't know the people that live here today, but I think they are members of Folk och Trädgård, so my mother has probably meet them on their meeting at the cafe in the park. A few years ago I took a winter panorama here and at that time the house was painted yellow.

Does Beauty Come From Within?

That question can be answered by the company that designed this modern timber house. At least that is what they claim on their web site. Forsgrens Timmerhus have a unique concept and use a building technique and a construction technique they call Värmetimmer. It is supposed to be very environmentally efficient. From the ever changing building site that is Ålsta in Tungelsta. Same building site a few weeks ago. I will go back for more photos when the weather is better. Bigger photo.

Prefab House

Another prefab house being put together at Ålsta in Tungelsta. I can see the crane from home so I know when it's time for another photo shoot. I shot this standing on an old greenhouse foundation.

A New House

A few new houses being built at the ever changing construction site that is Ålsta in Tungelsta. Zoom out. Bigger photo. The yellow building in the background is called Rockdala. It is part of one of the many greenhouse businesses that have closed over the last decades.

Liebherr Mobile Crane

Another prefab house arrives to Ålsta in Tungelsta where it will be put together in no time by the workers, with the help of the mobile crane. Bigger photo.

My best photo from 2007

I realised that it would be tricky (or impossible really), to pick one photo from you guys as the best photo from 2007, so I decided to show you my best photos, not according to me, but according to the people at flickr. There's a secret mathematical algorithm that decides the popularity of the photos, taking into account views, faves, comments and what have you.

Here is the top five, with the latest stats from December 31th.

The Lunar Eclipse. 17 000 views. 60 faves.

Autumn Wallpaper. 4000 views. 85 faves.

Winter in Sweden. 7300 views. 194 faves.

Guess what season it is. 960 views. 26 faves.

The view from my finger. 4900 views. 17 faves.

And from those five, my personal favorite is the winter photo from Ålsta. I took this in mid November after the first snow fall. It shows a house at Ålsta in Tungelsta where a Mr. Wall lives.


Here are the links to all the other participants in the January theme day:


Paris, France - London, England - Hyde, UK - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Grenoble, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Riga, Latvia - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - New Orleans (LA), USA - Wichita (KS), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Francisco (CA), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Mainz, Germany - Melbourne, Australia - Portland (OR), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Toulouse, France - Naples (FL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Brussels, Belgium - Stayton (OR), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Nashville (TN), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Prescott (AZ), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Evry, France - Trujillo, Peru - Arlington (VA), USA - Denpasar, Indonesia - American Fork (UT), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Coral Gables (FL), USA - Montpellier, France - Joplin (MO), USA - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Boston (MA), USA - Torun, Poland - New York City (NY), USA - Dunedin (FL), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Chateaubriant, France - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Budapest, Hungary - Austin (TX), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Cypress (TX), USA - Bicheno, Australia - Wrocław, Poland - Brookville (OH), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Cheltenham, UK - Wellington, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - London, UK - Haninge, Sweden - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Arradon, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Mumbai, India - Terrell (TX), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - Delta (CO), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Saigon, Vietnam - San Diego (CA), USA - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Belgrade, Serbia - Auckland, New Zealand - Seguin (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA - Oslo, Norway - Singapore, Singapore - Las Vegas (NV), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Torino, Italy - Susanville (CA), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Memphis (Tennessee), USA

New and Old

A new prefab house next to an older building at Ålsta. One of the building sites around Haninge that I try to follow.I didnt see the big crane they normally use, but maybe they don't need it for the one storey houses. Bigger photo.

Winter in Sweden

It was a beautiful winter day in Tungelsta today. Bigger photo. With the sun shining from a clear blue sky. Perfect for a photo promenade around town. This little house can be found at Ålsta. The chaos yesterday was the worst in this area for many years. Up to a thousand people were left stranded in their cars and on 17 buses on two roads in Haninge. The military had to come to the rescue, but all they could do was to bring food and water to the angry commuters. A lot of people didn't get home until this morning!