A Rural Bike Ride

Before I hurt my back I took a rural bike ride through parts of Österhaninge. It was an amazing Summer day. Perfect temperature, a blue sky with fluffy clouds and with a cooling breeze. On the first photo you can see the fields and stable at Hesslingby. The wheat fields on the second photo are close to Alby.

Façade cleaning

It is important to have a clean façade. And there are many different methods for doing that sort of thing. Spotted this guy in Handen yesterday just before I headed home to refurbish the kitchen with new work benches. And wouldn't you know it. As I moved one of the benches I hurt my back so now I can't move at all!

People Watching at Jordans Coffee

It was a fun week visiting Jordan's Coffee at Poseidon's square in Handen. The coffee was okay, although it got cold too fast, maybe another set of mugs will fix that. They don't bake anything as they don't have a bakery, that is a minus as I always want to try a few local treats, but my buddy Jim enjoyed the rhubarb pie and local legend Tompa Eken tried the sandwiches on at least two sittings. The outdoor seating area is in the shade in the early afternoon, and that only works on really warm days. But the view over the square is superb and as I'm addicted to shooting candid photos I will have to approve of the cafe. Here are a few more (32), candid scenes from the square.

Motorcycle Mania

Coffee & Candids

I had to find a new coffee place as my favorite cafe closed for two weeks. There were a few to choose from, but I knew that if I could combine Coffee with Candids I would have found my place so I decided to try the new cafe at Poseidon's square. It is called Jordan's Coffee and it seems I nailed it. Been there seven times and here are a few snaps that I have taken during that time. If you haven't yet tried candid photography you should know that it is very addictive, and fun! My friends have had serious problems conversing with me as I'm constantly aiming my Canon left and right. There have been many Pokémon Go players walking and cycling by, and a few familiar faces. And many more.

Author Portrait

I stood on the bridge that crosses the busy Gudöbroleden in Handen yesterday. Aiming my camera at passing motorcycles and classic cars in the roundabout, when I noticed someone walking past me. And as I can never resist a redhead I jumped on my bike and caught up with the girl near the shopping centre. This is Denise Fernström. Born and raised in Haninge. She was late for work, but decided to give the photographer a few minutes of her time. We talked a bit about her tattoos, Denise have two sisters and all three girls have the same ink as a mark of family and love. Denise have struggled with mental illness, something she now have behind her. She was easy to talk with and I could easily have spent more time taking photos of her. She works with home support/ personal care. But, and this is the big one, she will soon be able to add another title to her CV. Denise have finished her first novel! It is a poetry/fiction book, a Gothic novel for young readers. So remember where you heard about her first!

Vintage Rides

That is a Buick Super on the second photo. The green ride is a Chevrolet Impala, probably the most popular classic American car among the many "raggare" in Sweden. The girl driving it looks very familiar so I have no doubt taken her portrait at the annual meet at Vegabaren here in Handen.

Sixteen snaps from the bridge

Has to be an addiction. I can't just bike over the bridge at Gudöbroleden any more. I have to stop and take photos for a few minutes. And then maybe just one more? The guy in the red Amazon is Gerry. The woman that drives the red party bus lives a few kilometres from here. I'm pretty sure I have photographed the biker with the star helmet once or twice before. The woman in the Toyota MR2 looked like a babe that's why she appears twice. My favorite is the biker girl with the white helmet and the young mother with the lag tats.

Sit down and read a book why don't you

Fun initiative from a librarian in Västerhaninge. Two boxes filled with books for both kids and adults sits on the doorstep to the library with a note saying, help yourself to a book, sit down here and relax and read for a while in the Summer heat.

16 Summer Snaps

Insert coin here, Nathalie who runs my favorite cafe have quite a few fun tattoos. A 1965 Impala in Västerhaninge. Guy with a blonde in a Japanese sportscar. Concrete & canola. Pokémon Go player on a bridge. Moped panning snap. Hover-board guy. A red rose. My bike in a canola field. Smoking Kills, Hasse at the cafe. Me reflected in a 1948 Police Harley. 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Woman on a bike. Road 73. Rewaco Trike. Alien dog at Malmens Konditori.

The harmonious girl

This girl came walking towards me in Handen on Sunday. Wearing that red dress and the matching headwrap she was a pleasure for the eyes. Her name is Amy Harmon, originally from Africa, she now resides in Sweden. Amy was late for her bus but was nice enough to pose for a few portraits.

The new commuter station

No traffic on the Nynäsbanan railway line between Västerhaninge and Nynäshamn this Summer. Which means that the construction of the new commuter station in Tungelsta, and the laying of the second rail track between Tungelsta and Hemfosa have picked up some speed. This was how the platform looked yesterday. Press here to see how it will look when they are done. The old Station House dates back a century, the last station master still lives there with his wife in an apartment on the second floor. The first floor is occupied by Handlaget. The green building serves beer and pizza, before that it was a convenient store.

From Tee to Green

There are four golf courses near me. I biked past all four of them earlier in the week and here are two photos from HaningeStrand and Haninge GK. The courses are next to each other in Österhaninge, no more than a few long drives from my favorite beach. It was a beautiful Summer day, the temperature around 25C, not much wind so I didnt hear any complaints.

Funky Shades

Spotted a girl with funky shades in Västerhaninge.

White Mischief

Great Summer day yesterday. I made a stop at the beach. It was crowded and for once I opted not to take any photos of the sunbathers. I sat down, enjoyed the sun and ate my lunch. The back in the saddle for the short ride to the ferry port, my timing was a bit off and no ferry could be seen but I did spot a few boats crossing the bay.

Summer easy

Great downhill cyclist and motorcycle fanatic Rolf von Steinhausen occupying one of the piers at the Lower lake at the Rudan nature reserve. We are expecting a few fine Summer days now. Rolf had an accident last year which resulted in a nasty injury, followed by surgery so he had to give up motorcycle racing but he can still be seen out on the roads riding his bicycles. After I shot this candid snap of him I walked out onto the pier for a chat. The piers at this lake were constructed (in first hand), for anglers and there can sometimes be discussions about who has the right to be there, but I think Rolf made it very clear that it was his pier on this occasion!Rolf lives just across the road from my favorite cafe Malmens konditori where he is a regular guest.

Built and tested in the mountains

Spotted this beauty as it was driving towards me in Krigslida yesterday so I decided to wave it down for a chat and a few photos. A Reading Standard motorcycle with a sidecar, from 1917. Made in Reading, Pennsylvania. Now living in Tungelsta since a quarter of a century. Once, during a holiday ride to Norway with the Reading Standard, Olle, the owner was stopped by the police. His wife and young daughter were riding in the sidecar, and he figured he must have broken a few traffic regulations and that there would be trouble. But it was just one of the cops who was really interested in the bike and wanted to know more. There used to be a club for people with this type of motorcycle but it died out as there were so few bikes still in circulation. Built and tested in the mountains was the company's slogan btw.

Harley-Davidson Police Motorcycle

A 1948 Harley. Used as a police motorcycle before it was imported to Sweden. The current owner bought it 25 years ago for 50 000SEK. Since then he has spent 100 000SEK to keep it in mint condition. He visits lots of bike meets and I'm sure i will see him at the Easy Rider Festival next month.

Max Tomsby

Spotted a musician from a distance yesterday. I was on my way to a bridge in Handen from where I sometimes shoot cool cars. He came walking towards me with the guitar on his back so it was an easy guess, but I still asked him if he was a musician, and the answer was yes. This in Max Tomsby. He has played in a few different cover bands over the years. But at the moment he is a one man band. Max told me that he also does some busking every now and then. He plays a lot of music from the 70s and 80s. He is a big Tom Petty fan. If you check out his Soundcloud site you can hear a few of his Swedish songs. I took a few snaps of him and promised to email them to him.aaways good to have an updated profile photo online when you are a musician. If you check out his Soundcloud site you can hear a few of his songs where he sings in Swedish.

Kimmo Kangasvieri

As I made my way to the old tree yesterday I spotted a guy with a tripod slung over his shoulder, walking past the now world famous Swedish Whitebeam. A few minutes later after I had taken my snap of the tree I caught up with him. This is Kimmi Kangasvieri from Tyresö. A very dedicated birdwatcher. He found this spot earlier this year and have been back a few times. He had already spotted the fox family that I have tried to photograph this Summer. Kimmi has 405 birds on his list. The record in Sweden is around 450 species. He had seen five owls here, ( I have the worlds worst photo of one of them). Kimmi had a very expensive Swarovski spotting scope with him. It costs more than twice what I paid for my full-frame Canon! The tripod was also of a very high quality, as was the binocular in his left hand. He told me that last year alone he spent more than 800 hours at Sandemar, a nature reserve a few miles from here that he has been visiting for five years now. Kimmi also informed me that he is one of those guys that will jump into his car and drive for a few hours if there's a report of an unusual bird somewhere in the country, that is dedication!