Autumn At The Beach

There was no one to look at on my recent visit to the beach. No one was diving into the water from the dive tower. The sandy beach was deserted. All sunbathers had packed up and gone home. The season had come to an end.

I really liked it better before

Here is an updated view from Malmvägen in Handen. This is the property where for a century that little red house stood. The one I wanted to save. In the end I think I managed to save the fine looking windows and one or two other items. The rest of the house stood open for the wind and the weather for six months before it was dumbed in a blue container. Click here to see my previous posts about it. Anyway, this is the first of three new houses from Älvsbyhus that will be built here. It arrived in two large wooden containers last week.

Growing up is hard to do

Canola Harvest

It seems a long time ago already, but it was just over two months ago that I showed you a blooming canola field at the Nödesta Västergård. Biking past the farm two days ago I noticed that the farmer was out with the combine harvester at that field so I stopped for a photo.

How to Have a Good Workout

Step one, set up an outdoor gym, free for everyone to use. Step two. Use it. This is the second outdoor gym that the municipality have built this year. This one stands at the Rudan nature reserve in handen, between the two lakes. You can find the other (very popular), gym at Hanveden, just a short jog away.

September equinox

Höstdagjämningen took place yesterday. Also known as the September equinox. I stopped at the nature park Slätmossen in Handen for a few photos and a light lunch. I always shoot the view in the first photo because, you know, you have to really. After finishing my lunch I heard a noice so I looked around to see Mama Moose and her calf joining me in the park. Because I had decided to mostly shoot macro images I didn't have the zoom lens with me so I had to make do with the nifty fifty.

Macromania

Decided to go on a photo promenade near the old tree yesterday without taking a photo of the tree itself. The easiest way to do that is to only shoot with the extension tubes and you can see of those photos here.

Ping Pong Anyone?

You will find a number of these concrete table tennis tables in the school-yard at the new secondary school at the Fredrika Bremergymnasium in Handen. The school opened last month but the official opening takes place this week. Our PM Stevan Löfven will give a talk in the UN in New York about his new initiative Global Deal before flying back to Sweden where he will officially open this school on Friday morning. Lets hope that his jet-lag will be a mild one so that he can play some ping pong with the students1

A Traquil Day At The Lakes

I stopped for a light lunch at the lakes at the Rudan nature reserve today. Warm and sunny, no wind at all. A fine Autumn day.

The Graffer

This is Miranda. I spotted her beautiful red hair from a distance near Hanveden on what was probably the last Summer day of the year. I knew that I had to stop and ask her for a portrait. Miranda wants to work with stage lighting when she graduates from secondary school next year. She is a graffiti artist and didn't want to tell me her street art name, but she told me about a place not far from where we met where she has done a few wall paintings. Only yesterday she did some work at the legal graffiti wall at Snösätra in Rågsved.

Arty-farty

That might not be the official name, but it's all I can give you at the moment. The official unveiling of this sculpture takes place sometime next week. You can find it a the new part of the Fredrika Bremer secondary school in Handen.

That Old Tree

This was probably the last Summer week of the year. It's been an unusual warm start to Autumn, and it is in fact still meteorological Summer here. Arriving to the old tree yesterday I had to bike through unusual traffic as the road suddenly filled up with a few hundred kids. They took the commuter to Tungelsta only to run back to Västerhaninge, a rather sweaty five km run in the warm weather is my guess.

Miss Marla Kay

This is Miss Marla Kay. She was NOT part of the Pin-up girl contest at the Classic Cars and Customs meet at Sundby Gård. And why is that I hear you ask? Because she organized the contest, and to be true had she entered she would probably have won the thing hands down. She looked a bit different from last year and I noticed that she had a new tattoo so I had to zoom in on that with the canon. Oh, and funny story here. The day after the event I was sipping coffee at my favorite cafe Malmens konditori in Handen when Miss marla Kay and her boyfriend walked in, small world as she put it!

Amazon with Skull

Does your car have a skull on the hood? No? Why not? As seen at the Classic car and Customs event at Sundby Gård.

Miss Susan

Just like last year there was a pin-up girl contest at the Classic Car and Customs event at Sundby Gård. The girls looked very good, fitting in perfectly with the many cars from that bygone era. This is Miss Susan. She was the winner of the peoples choice award.

The last Classic Car meet of the Summer

I visited the big car meet at Sundby Gård on Saturday. They have a weekly meet every Wednesday during the Summer month and they counted 544 cars at one of those meets. This meet was the season finale and the second annual Classic Cars and Customs as it is called. I arrived with my buddy Bengt, (he is the guy in the fourth photo), in the early afternoon. As we approached we noticed many cars leaving and we asked why only to be told that the park was filled to capacity! So we parked outside and walked in. It is Mid-September but it was a as hot as on a very warm Swedish Summer day and when we left after three hours i was really feeling the heat. More photos from this event in the coming days.

Velothon Stockholm II

I showed you a few bicycle gals yesterday from an intersection in Tungelsta. Today I give you four dudes riding through the central parts of Handen. Must have been a great feeling riding 155 km on car free roads in the Summer weather. From the big Velothon Stockholm bike race that took place on Sunday.

Velothon Stockholm 2016

br> The second annual Velothon Stockholm bike race took place today. Sunny skies and Summer temperatures so no one could complain too much. Although, it was probably a tough day for many riders, and I noticed a few tired faces as I stood by the side of the road at Skogsekebyvägen in Tungelsta. The race was 155 km long on mostly closed off roads. No elite riders this year so everyone who finished the race won it!

Balingsta Windmill

The old windmill at Ballingsta, overlooking the Orlången lake in Huddinge. It dates back to 1877. Originally the mill stood lower down on a field at the Balingsta Farm but was then moved up onto the hill. This type of mill is known as a "Dutch Mill" which means that it could rotate with the direction of the wind.

Handikapp-parkering

Swedish word of the day. Disabled parking place. This is the welcoming sight you get if you arrive by car to the Rudan nature reserve in Handen.

Under Attack

Two helicopters flew over my head earlier in the week as I was busy taking photos at Albyberg. I heard them coming long before I saw them but only had time to take a few quick snaps. My flickr friend Bengt informed me that they were Hkp14, a Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk.(Thanks Roger), Might have been part of Flygvapenövning 2016. A joint operation with the Finnish Airforce.

Nothing like a brisk swim

Summer returned to Haninge today. It was 23C when I arrived to the beach at Årsta Havsbad at the Hårsfjärden bay. Not too many people around, but I did manage to photograph two Vikings that decided that it was warm enough for a dip. The water temperature was 16C/81F61F. I stayed on dry land. Took the first snap while sitting on a bench down at the water eating my lunch. The other guy turned up a little later as when I was on foot.

Early autumn wheat harvest

Are we done yet? Somewhat bored kid out riding with dad in the combine harvester on the wheat field at Nödesta Västergård in Nedersta this sunny afternoon.

Albyberg

Here is an updated view from a part of the new green business park Albyberg in Handen that I showed you in October of last year. You have to walk through a forest to get to this vantage point and that is what I did today. The workers are currently busy with the solar-panels from Garo. When they are done it will produce 400 kWh here at Albyberg in Haninge.

The Tower

This sculpture is called Tornet, The Tower. Originally made by Jan Håfström. It stands in the park in Tungelsta. The kids enjoyed climbing on it a little too much so it started to fall apart. No one seemed to care much about that, but then in October of 2014 the municipality put up a fence around the sculpture and earlier in the Summer the repair work started. And then last week, nearly two years later it have been repaired. Not to it's former glory, because it looks a bit different and I don't think that the artist who created it has had any say in the repair job.

HMS Ystad

R142 Ystad Missile boat from Jesper Rådegård on Vimeo.

Wanna go for a ride in the Swedish archipelago aboard a missile-armed ship? Well, now you can. Thanks to The Association of Swedish Missile Boats. They took over this ship a decade ago when it was retired from active duty in the Swedish marines. This is the HMS Ystad. I spotted the ship heading for the Berga base earlier in the week. Video thanks to Jesper Rådegård at Vimeo.

Swedish Whitebeam

A different take on the old tree. Shot earlier in the week. The woman walking up the path is the cultural icon Christina Lindberg. She told me about a new horror movie she filmed this Summer, directed by Adriàn Bogliano. And that her biography, written by Björn Ranelid (very famous Swedish author), will be released on my birthday!

123

That's how many photos I have uploaded from the big greaser meet at Vegabaren in Handen. The Grand Prix Raggarbil 2016 which is the official name. It's a good number I think 123, so I think that will do it for this year. I have added the slideshow as per usual so if you have a few minutes, sit back and enjoy this very unique Swedish subculture in full swing why don't you. The Chevy Impala is the most commmmon car among the Swedish raggare. The female photographer is there every year, as is Anna who likes her denim shorts and I'm glad she does!