National Gingerbread Day

We have been eating "Pepparkakor" in Sweden for 700 years. The first known pepparkaka was baked for medicinal use by nuns. Later a Swedish King, Hans (he ruled over Sweden, Norway and Denmark), was ordered by his doctor to eat pepparkakor as it would make him a nicer person (he was a bit on the grumpy side). Anyway, yesterday we celebrated Pepparkakans Dag, or National Gingerbread Day!

The Christmas Gift of the Year

Something knitted for Christmas? How about a pair of mittens with a skull and crossbones pattern? A must for the cool kids. Designed by Birgitta Sergler. Only 220SEK. Found, but not purchased at the Christmas market in the greenhouse in Tungelsta yesterday.

Christmas Market

I visited the annual Christmas market in Tungelsta today. Held in the greenhouse in the park. All items sold here were locally made. We had a beautiful but cold winter day. -6C and a blue sky. And with a lot of snow!

How to dig out your car after a snow storm

Many people got a great outdoor workout on the day after the blizzard. I told a few people that I met to remember to do a stretch routine after the exercise. Spotted these women at two parking lots in Tungelsta.

The blizzard of 2012

The calm after the storm is what you can see on the top photo, it's one of the greenhouses here at Bergdalen. We had the blizzard of 2012 yesterday. We got something like half a meter of snow. Arlanda airport closed. Many schools did the same as the commuter trains didn't run, nor did the buses which is why you could walk on the streets, which a woman is doing on the second photo. People were stranded everywhere waiting for buses that never arrived. That is never any fun in a snow storm. If you would like to read about the storm, I recommend this article in The Local.

Standing Skeleton

So I was out on a photo promenade in the snow. For once the sun was shining from a blueish sky, and I decided to check out an old warehouse that once belonged to the Hammar estate. I spotted the owner (he had seen a previous photo I had taken of the building so he knew who I was), and we started talking. I will show you the building and an interior view in a day or two, but I figured you needed to see this guy first. he was standing in a corner doing nothing at all.

That Old Tree

One winter visit so far this season to the old tree. I was wearing my winter leather boots but had forgotten to spray them against the wet and salt, so it was a rather uncomfortable walk back home! We have had some more snow since I took this photo and it has gotten a bit colder as well.

Winter in Sweden

This picturesque property at Skogsekeby in Tungelsta is known as Sveaborg. Svea is the female personification of Sweden.

Heading Towards Winter

Took a promenade to Välsta. The feeling was that I was walking into winter. And that is exactly what I was doing.

My Street

My street is called Södertäljevägen. It starts at the Tungelsta commuter station. And ends at Cafe Rosenhill. It is a two lane road also known as Länsväg 257. I live at number 12. The top left photo shows the road on a fun day a few years ago when a truck dumped a load of clay on it! The house to the right was destroyed in a fire a few years ago, but has since been rebuilt. It is known as Manhem, and that is also where the third photo was taken. When I shot that scene the lorry driver was trapped under his truck. The road is dangerous and we see many accidents. Especially during the summer months when the bikers are out on the road. Their goal is always that cafe I mentioned. One thing you would have seen driving on this road during the last century would have been any of the many greenhouse nurseries. The one you see here was known as Graneberg. It closed just a couple of years ago. On the top right you can see Håkstorp a cottage built back in 1690. You will see that house soon after passing the hill where the lorry accident took place. The cows lives at the Haga farm. Below the cows you can see the abandoned filling station I showed you last winter. The good news here is that it will reopen as a Gulf station very soon. I took the photo two days ago. And speaking about re-openings, the Inn just across the road from me will open next month although it is hard to believe looking at the photo on the bottom left. Another property you can spot from the road is Djurgårdsgrind (with the fluffy cloud), where famous author Ivar Lo-Johansson lived when he was a kid. Sadly the buildings are decaying badly and last I heard the property was for sale. Driving along Södertäljevägen you are likely to see a horse or two like the one in the snow I photographed two days ago. I could go on and on but surely this is enough.

Home of a Tomtenisse

In Swedish folklore a Tomtenisse was a tiny, very strong, elderly man with a big beard who looked after your farm and family. He would guard and protect it during the night. You would almost never see him as he could turn himself invisible. During Christmas it was very important to give the Tomte a bowl of porridge. It is also believed that he was the original owner of the farm. Today the Tomte has become the Scandinavian Santa Claus.

That time of the year again

It started to snow last night. So the snow plows were out and about this morning. Spotted this guy along my street Södertäljevägen, the yellow building in the background is the old station house at the Tungelsta commuter station.

ICA Supermarket

This is the only photo I have taken this week (it has been raining non-stop for several days). If I want to use the Swedish postal service, this ICA Supermarket in Västerhaninge is the closest option, around 5 kilometres from where I live. The rain have caused all sorts of problems. I passed an accident on my way to the post office. A car had crashed into a street-light for no obvious reason, so I guess it was because of aquaplaning. I heard on the radio that a few local roads had been closed this morning because of flooding. And they say that it is snowing in Stockholm as I'm typing this...

Bronze Age Grave

This is a cairn at the burial ground in Jordbro. Supposedly the oldest grave,it is said to date back to the Bronze Age. It is eleven meters wide. Walking through the forest/field you will find up to one thousand graves from around 500 BC to 500 AC. The weather of late have been horrible, at least if you are a biking photographer. Mostly rain and grey skies. That might change tomorrow, stay tuned!

Infranord Inspection Car

Infranord claim to be the leading railway contractor in the country. For the last couple of years they have been busy constructing a second rail-track between Tungelsta and Västerhaninge. Traffic will start on both tracks on the third of December. Seen here is an inspection car from Infranord, shot from the newish bridge crossing the railtrack at the Tungelsta commuter station.

Industrial Space

The industrial park in Jordbro is now filled to capacity. The municipality took a decision to create a new industrial area in Alby a few kilometres away from Jordbro. Work on that has already begun, so I was a bit surprised to see that someone had found a property at the Jordbro site that was unused. Not sure who will move in here, but this must be the last new business to open here.

Lets build a mall

If you ever decide to build a shopping centre you might need one of these. It is a Scissor Lift, although the construction workers at the Port 73 mall in Handen might call it a Saxlift as they probably speak Swedish.

Gated Entrance

Earlier this year I took part in a photo project called 5 Days. The idea was to shoot five photos of the same scene on five different days. I decided to shoot the tree lined avenue at the 200-year old Hammar estate in Tungelsta. One reason was that they were redoing the entrance by adding a gate as well as laying asphalt on the driveway (although they don't use it). That took some time to finish, but this is how it looks today.

The Red Nest Boxes

Two red nest boxes near Söderby in Handen. Shot this from a pedestrian bridge. No idea what type of bird the nest was made for. Most of my flickr photos are organized in sets. I realised that I didn't have a set for birch photos, so that has been fixed now!

The Cultural Centre

This is the library at the cultural centre at Poseidon's Square in Handen. The Cultural Centre celebrates ten years in December. The celebrations takes place on 12.12.12. You can expect to see and hear some local artists including R & B-star Mary N’diaye and watch air acrobatics from Cirkus Cirkör.