Winter fog

A group of teenagers from a nearby school, walking and ice skating on the foggy and still frozen Upper Lake at the Rudan nature reserve. I can't remember ever having to do that while a student in Handen a few eons ago, but it is probably memorable on a day like this. I have shown you this spot before, in the Summer time this is a popular beach, often filled with sunbathers.

Polar bear

What we call an isbjörn. A direct translation to English would be Ice bear. But Polar bear probably sounds better. Spotted at the Rudan nature reserve yesterday on a very foggy day.

Goin' for a Ride

A girl out horseback riding during a snowstorm, (sort of), in Tungelsta. In the background houses at Stavshöjden, a community where pretty much every family are in to horses.

That Old Tree

I met Jane on my way to the tree yesterday. She was out walking with her three dogs. They can run free here, and I remember first seeing her here back in 2007 when she was here with her friend Annika. Jane told me about a possible wolf sighting in the area. Than can be quite scary if you are a dog owner. Someone had found three roe deer carcasses here in just a week's time. One of them down the path here at Klems kulle, and there was also a wolf sighting at Dalarö. So I guess I will have to go out on a wolf stakeout now!

Weekend Update

I took this photo two days ago. It was a horrible day. Weather vice. -3C. Not the best weather for a bike ride, but I needed to get out of the house. This is a bus stop at Håga, between Tungelsta and Västerhaninge. There is an industrial park here, a pizzeria and a few houses. And the odd vandals, by the looks of it.

Clearing the walkway

Two guys in tractors hard at work at a walkway next to the Nynäsbanan railway line in Tungelsta. The first one removing the snow and I had to step out on the road so that he could pass me. He was followed a few minutes later by the guy that I usually refer to the sandman.

Waiting for the train

I usually carry an umbrella with me. Sort of, I have a folding umbrella in my bicycle bag. But on this day I was walking, just like this woman with the Ving umbrella, waiting for the commuter train at the Krigslida platform. She probably wishes she could fly South for the remainder of this long and cold Winter.

A Winter promenade

Walking over open fields this time of the year can be a chilly affair. Especially if it is snowing. This person out walking a dog was a few minutes ahead of me yesterday on the path between the old tree and Klems kulle.

Still Winter

A few photos from a morning promenade earlier in the week. I decided to take the boring way as I sometimes call it. Following the railroad south for a kilometer or so past a few houses, a big stable and a few old barns. This path is unofficial and there were no tracks in the snow so I was the first one to walk there that day. The house in the top photo is new. Just a couple of years ago I photographed an abandoned building on that same property so I guess that is progress.

Kvarteret sjögläntan

Building site in Handen. Close to the Rudan nature reserve. Some of the apartment buildings here are already finished and a lot of people have already moved in. But there are still three or four buildings under construction. The two builders here are Mjöbäcks and Järngrinden.

Our Home

One of several paintings done by local kids in Jordbro, a suburb with mostly immigrants and quite a lot of gang issues. I went to school here a few eons ago. My school was demolished a few years ago after also serving as a cultural center for many years. A new school had of course already been built, and on the property where my old school used to be you will today find new apartment buildings.

Winter Picnic

I have visited the lakes at Rudan three days in a row now. Normally that only happens during the Summer. When I photographed the skiers on Saturday, it was 7C and quite nice. On Sunday it was a little colder, maybe 3C. And yesterday when I snapped this photo of the Viking couple out on a picnic near the Lower Lake it was -3C, but they claimed it was warm enough. Looks like the woman was clever enough to bring some warm coffee with her. Hubby had to do with a Fanta.

Cross-country skiers

7C and a blue sky when I jumped on the bike on Saturday. I headed for the Rudan nature reserve in Handen. The plan was to first ride around the Lower Lake, but the path was way too icy for that, so I continued down to the Upper Lake, where the local ski club had worked hard to keep the cross-country ski track open for the skiers. Ice everywhere there as well, so I walked very carefully as I for once were not wearing my icebug boots. The second photo is two shots combined as I wanted to have the same skier skiing past the pine near the still frozen lake. This is a popular beach in the Summer, btw.

Nedersta

Two more fog photos. From the Krigslida bridge at Nedersta. One in color and one in Black and White.

That Old Tree

We had two days with a bit of mist earlier in the week, so I had to pay the old tree another visit. On my way there, I met a woman out walking her dog. She warned me about the icy path and asked if I was wearing cleats, so I showed her my Icebug boots before walking on.

It is just a facade

I took a walk at a newly redeveloped area in Haninge two days ago. Brandbergen. A place with a bad reputation. This new apartment building looks kinda nice though. A few more snaps from here to come, stay tuned.

On the corner

Back when I worked at a company on Södermalm in Stockholm I would often walk past this mural at the corner of Östgötagatan and Kocksgatan. Made by the artist that worked there for many years. His name was Bengt Elde. He titled himself tavelmålare. And this is a self-portrait. He also painted colorful Stockholm views. Theme Day at City Daily Photo. Street Corners.

My old school is no more

I was a student at this school a few eons ago. This secondary school in Handen was named after the feminist Fredrika Bremer who grew up in Haninge. When I was a student here, this part of the school was nicknamed Fredrik, as nearly all the students here were male. There is a new, very modern "Fredrik" school across the road from here. I have read about the plans for this part of Handen quite a few times over the last ten years. There's an industrial park here that some politicians would like to see gone so that they can sell the land here and build new homes. Not sure if that will happen any time soon, though, as that market is pretty much dead in Sweden at the moment.

The green lung

Eskilsparken. The green lung in Handen. Popular with sunbathers during the Summer. This Winter, a good place to go sledding with the kids. When I stopped by there yesterday, it looked very icy. The second photo is just ice and snow, and a bench. Normally, you would walk down the grassy hill to meet up with your friends for a picnic. Try that today and chances are you would end up at the emergency room with a broken leg.

Tearing down a temple

One of my BBQ buddies, Jujja, texted me a while back. Asking if I knew what was happening at the Mormon temple in Västerhaninge, (the only one in Sweden). I did not. It looks like it is going down, he said. We agreed that was good news, because we don't believe in the supernatural, heaven and hell and all that nonsense. I still remember being upset when they built it forty years ago. So I was happy for a day or two until I read an article about the temple in the local paper. Tearing it down because they are building a new temple. The guy who runs the show. Mr. 10 % as I like to call him, lives in a very big and luxurious house with his own private beach, (stolen from the municipality btw). And he, Mr. 10% is good friends with the other BBQ friend Hasse, from Villa Blåmes.

January Sunset

We had a blue sky yesterday. So I knew that the sunset could be a colorful one, and it was.

A pile

Walking past a not so very busy construction site at Lillgården in Tungelsta. In the background, the yellow apartment buildings at Ankaret. I live just on the other side of the hill to the left of those yellow houses.

Lonely man walking

Normally I always enjoy a lengthy promenade. This Winter, not so much. The wind chill factor here made it a rather unpleasant walk.

Chunks of ice

The unusual winter weather continues. Two recent storms, a lot of rain and warmer weather melted away most of the snow. That was followed by more snow, because why not. I took this photo of broken-up ice on the Rocklösaån stream at Krigslida a few days ago while out on a bike ride.

Tungelstagrillen

First opened as a tiny kiosk operated by Pressbyrån. My friends and I drove the owner mad by stealing from there until she told our parents about it, that must have been around 1978. Years later a classmate of mine, Susanne, bought the kiosk. Within a few years, she had enough money to build a new, much larger kiosk that she named Sassagrillen. Since then there have been several different owners. It was a kebab place for a few years. Today it is called Tungelstagrillen, although the sign says Tungelsta Grill, which is not correct Swedish. Also known as Roys Grillbar & Café.

No Winter Maintenance

The stairs up from the tunnel at the commuter station in Tungelsta. Yet to figure out why they built the stairs, maybe only meant for Summer use? I usually pass by here on my bike, so I use the bike path, which is icy, but usually snow free.

The brick church

The modern brick Church in Tungelsta. Designed by the architect Rolf Bergh back in the early 1970s. I remember climbing up here during the construction when I was ten years old. It was fun and scary at the same time. Before the church, there was a greenhouse nursery here, and the first people to be buried at the cemetery, next to the church, were the gardener and his wife.

Välsta gård

This is an unusual Winter. Very cold days followed by a few warmer periods with a lot of new snow. Add a snowstorm, followed by more cold weather. Then a few days with around freezing. Yesterday it was cold again, dropping to -13C. And then this morning warmer again, around 0C. This is a house at the Välsta farm that I walk by occasionally. One of those places where I will often stop for another photo.

Commuter station

Walking over the bridge at Stavsvägen, looking down at the empty commuter station in Tungelsta. One minute before the train heading to Nynäshamn arrives just after six in the evening a couple of cold nights ago.

Vertikalpelare

Another really cold day, followed by an even colder evening.-15C last night when I loooked at the thermometer. This was the sunset yesterday afternoon, with another sun pillar.

Snowstorm

We had a snowstorm yesterday. All day, everywhere. Chaos followed by chaos and then more chaos.

That Old Tree

My Winter walk yesterday was a cold one. -13C, but with a blue sky. I figured a blue hour photo of the old tree was in order. I walked over an open field to get there, and I could really feel the cold out there. I also tried my best to walk in the footstep of someone who had walked over the field a bit earlier, as we do have a lot of snow at the moment.

It is cold today

We had a cold morning today. -15C.

New Bridge

The new pedestrian bridge crossing the Nynäsbanan railway track at the Rudan nature reserve is now open. The old one was deemed unsafe after someone drove over it with a car, or at least that was the rumor I heard. The houses in the background are all new, this is the same area I showed you a few days ago with the scaffolding. What you see to the left in the top photo is a new school.