Sixteen Snaps From the Nature Park

It's a busy time at the nature park Slätmossen in Handen these days. Collage made from two visits this week.

The Engine Guy

Met a cool biker guy yesterday. I was standing in the green by the side of the bike path near the Slätmossen nature park in Handen shooting butterflies and other insects when I heard an engine closing in. It was a guy on a vintage motorized tandem bicycle! Not something you see every day so I waved him down for a chat and a few snaps that you can see in the slideshow. This is Tommy. From Västerhaninge. The tandem bicycle was a King from 1946. The engine a Victoria from 1952. The bike had a few interesting details and most of it was original. Tommy told me that vintage engines is his big hobby and he is currently working on another old bike. He also owns a vintage Harley Davidson and a Ford Model A from 1929. Tommy informed me that he visits the annual car meet at the nearby Vegabaren so it is possible that I have a photo of that Ford somewhere in my flickr stream. This is my eight portrait for the Human Family.

Brazil Jack

The oldest circus in Sweden stopped by for a show in Västerhaninge yesterday. Circus Brazil Jack was started by Carl Max Alexander Rhodin, better known under the name Brazil Jack. Back in the 1880s he watched Wild west Shows and decided to make something similar. The circus that tour the country today are operated by relatives to Brazil Jack.

Sixteen Midsummer Snaps

A collage of photos from Saturday, showing people out and about. It was a very quiet day. And warm, the hottest one of the Summer with 29C. I stopped on the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Gudöbroleden for a few photos of cars, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. I then continued to the big green lung that is Eskilsparken where I zoomed in on a sunbather and a couple playing kubb. At the park I met my buddy Jim who suggested we ride to the old tree. On the way I pointed out the Cardboard Box for Jim and while he took a photo of that I zoomed in on the magnificent tree that I have showed you a few times. Arriving to the old tree I had a look around for the owls and the foxes but no news there.

Rural bus stop

A rural bus stop in Österhaninge with a picturesque setting. I remember seeing it in a TV commercial a few months ago, but I can't remember what they wanted me to buy. The number 869 bus goes between Stockholm (Gullmarsplan), and the seaside resort of Dalarö in Haninge. From here it is around 10 km to Dalarö. The 839 bus will also take you to the resort, but only from Handen. But if you take the commuter from Stockholm you will be in Handen in about 15 minutes.

The morning after the day before

We celebrated Midsummer yesterday. The most important day of the year in this country. Facts here if you are interested. I downed a couple of these "Midsommarsnapsar" during the evening so I am a bit hungover today but that is nothing that a shower and a bike ride in the Summer weather can't fix.

Bleu de France

I took a walk in an azure colored cornflower field earlier in the week. The Blåklint is probably a bigger favorite among photographers than with farmers as it is seen as an invasive herb.It was me and a bunch of busy bees and other insects. The first two photos were taken with the Canon 6D with the nifty fifty lens. The first one is a panorama made from four photos so I was lucky that it was a very calm day. I shot the last two snaps with the Canon 550 with the silent zoom lens.

Sommarmoln

Swedish word of the day. Sommarmoln. Summer clouds. Midsummer is here. Sweden is out of the Euro tournament. Can someone please hand me something to drink? Preferably with a lot of alcohol in it. This was the sky over Alvsta yesterday as I made my way to my favorite beach, Årsta Havsbad.

Juvenile Coot

I'm sure this juvenile coot's mother thinks it's cute. As seen in the Slätmossen nature park in Handen yesterday. We call this bird Sothöna.

Sixteen Recent Summer Snaps

Well known artist Conny Karlsson Lundgren at my favorite cafe Malmens konditori. He wanted local legend Tompa Eken to tell him about the legendary Ultrahuset. Unstolen bench at Stationsvägen. Speeding motorcycle at Hanveden. Happy cyclist back in the saddle after a nasty injury. Artist Jonas Nobel and two friends looking at one of is new sculptures. Anna walking away from the cafe, claiming to have no new tattoos for me to photograph. 70s moped. Yellow Saab 900. Woman on bike after shopping flowers at Blomorado. The cleaner up a tree. Butterfly & plant at Nödesta. Horse in a pasture at the Nödesta farm. Graffiti-covered noise barrier at Haninge park. My neighbour Danuta, the Greek and Bork the dog. Classy woman walking by the cafe after a visit to H&M. Two women discussing a Jonas Nobel sculpture.

Norrby gärde

The big grassy field at Norrby in Handen. Close to the motorway to Stockholm, road 73, Nynäsvägen. More of a marsh really, nothing on it except for a runestone that I have showed you before. But that will change now with the construction of a new road, bike path and more. Trafikplats (traffic junction), Handen will change the landscape a bit with two new big roundabouts, one pretty much where i was standing when I took these photos. If you want to see how it might look when they are done, press here.

Retro Limo

If you feel the need to call a cab with a difference, you could try this Checker Aerobus NYC Taxi style Limousine. Available at retrolimo.se. Spotted at Biltema in Handen a while back.

Pyramids in the cloud

Another artwork from the Art Promenade at Galleri Kyrkskolan in Österhaninge. By Anders Reuterswärd. No matter the theme Anders will always make one of his pyramids, however, as the theme this year was meetings, he decided to make two!

Where Roads Meet

That is the name of this artwork by Titti Hassela. From the 2016 Art promenade or Konststigen, at the Kyrkskolan gallery. The theme this year was meeting. I don't think I could have guessed that. The guy in the second photo was our guide. He was good as he had a few words to say about all the artworks. Here it was something about the artists husband finding a box up on the attic filled with Christmas balls.

The Green Hill

Raining as I'm typing this. So no new photos today. This is a hill in Österhaninge. I have photographed it before. I sometimes walk up the hill, (a little more to the left than you can see here), because you have a good view over Kalvsvik and Husby from up there. And it's a quiet spot to sit and reflect on life as you eat a light lunch. If you are lucky the local wildlife might walk or fly by.

Safety First

Who needs a helmet anyway? As seen from the cafe a while back. Of course it is possible that the dude with the smartphone is doing some online search for a cool looking helmet. Maybe something from the Nutcase Motor Sport Helmet collection?

Jonas Nobel

As I walked into the show room at the cultural centre in Handen yesterday, to look at the new exhibition by Jonas Nobel, the artist himself walked out with two friends. So I turned around and followed him to one of the outdoor sculptures, which are also part of his installation, and that's where I grabbed this portrait of Jonas. He talked a bit about his sculptures and the idea behind it which is Haninge's geological history. The objects in the showroom are office furniture and other items used around Haninge that have been covered in plastic film showing mineral structures from the island of Utö where lithium was discovered two centuries ago. Last photo shows one of three sculptures by along "Eskilsstråket". Haninge had a big laundry industry one century ago. This artwork is made from aluminium and rests on a base made from concrete it shows folded laundry. The exhibition is open for the next three months. If you speak the local lingo you can read more about the exhibition here.

That Old Tree

Another visit to the old tree. No sign of the fox cubs on this visit, a bit chilly, maybe 17C. My 472th photo of the Swedish Whitebeam.

Sixteen Summer Snaps

A few snaps from this month that didn't quite make the cut on their own. A duo performing on their "durspel" at the Handen museum yesterday. Gate detail at an old property in Handen. Stena container at Handens stationsväg. The ugly spiral really needs some cleaning. Cyclist. Woman the phone walking past Malmen's. "Art" by Jonas Nobel. More Jonas Nobel "art". Classy Mercedes Benz. Balconistas at Poseidons Gränd. Jim shooting Jonas Nobel "art". Candid of a woman. Jujja's PV, he had just given Hasse a ride home from the cafe when I spotted him from a pedestrian bridge. Yellow Moped. Girl on a horse near the old tree. Happy students driving past malmen's cafe..

Greta Garbo once sat here

One Summer many years ago Greta Garbo stayed at Häringe castle as a friend of the then owner Axel Wenner-Gren. So I'm sure she tried this bench at least once during her visit. Today when the castle has been turned into a hotel one of the suites have her name. That room was built especially for her, and it looks exactly the same today as it did back then. Sadly this bench doesn't look it's best today, but it shouldn't be too hard to fix it I think. If they do maybe Alicia Vikander could pose on it some day.

Lithium

Artork by Jonas Nobel. Called Li, or Lithium. The sculpture was made from concrete and aluminium. Lithium was discovered on the island of Utö in Haninge two centuries ago by José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva. Well he found Petalite, and a few years later J.A. Arwedson discovered the Lithium. There's even a Lithium Day on the island of Utö on November 18 since a few years. There's two other sculptures in the series. The big opening takes place tomorrow. And yes, you have seen one of the other two sculptures, it was the Arty-farty post from earlier in the week, although as it turns out it wasn't finished when I took that photo so I will have to go back for an update.

Clothes drying on the clothesline

Washing clothes a century ago was really hard work, more than just pushing a few buttons on a modern washing machine. In my neck of the woods in Haninge, just south of the Swedish Capitol, laundry was big business back then. Earlier in the week I visited the local historical society, (free coffee and cake). Haninge hembygdsgille at Tingshuset in Västerhaninge where they had an open house. This old time clothesline was used to promote a new book about laundry back in the good old days. Klicka här för info om boken.

Collaborative Painting

The theme at this years Art promenade (Konststigen), at the Kyrkskolan gallery is Meetings. Marie-Anne Kronqvist invited anyone who wanted to participate in her artwork. When this collaborative painting is done 52 people will have helped create this work of art.

Arty-farty

I always try to keep my eyes open for anything new when I'm out and about. I guess that is something most photographers do. So I did spot these four concrete slabs that someone had dumped on a lawn near Poseidon's Square in Handen. A few days later they were still there and I started thinking that it might be some sort of art installation. So I asked my buddy Jim to meet me at the new "sculpture". when I got there he was standing on the concrete slabs. When he saw me he said, didn't you say that there's supposed to be a new art installation or sculpture somewhere around here? I cant find it. Then, when he sat down I told him that he was sitting on it. True story, promise!

Out Airwheeling

Meet Oscar, a well balanced (pun intended),guy from Västerhaninge. Spotted him earlier today when he was out gliding on his solowheel with two friends. Easy to learn the right technique, at least according to Oscar who offered me to try it, but I chickened out, because who would like to see me falling and hurting myself on a YouTube video? The solowheel is not very expensive at 2500SEK. Top speed around 18km/h and you can ride with your hands in your pockets,( Look mum, no hands!), and go over hurdles. And it is easy to bring with you, just fold out the pedals when you are ready to go. Not too heavy I guess, although it outweighs my bike. Had a few camera problems today but got a few good shots in the end.

A Curious Fox Cub

A bit of a long rant here. I spotted mama fox with a dead rodent in her mouth on my way to the old tree earlier in the week. She was gone before I could get a photo, so I decided to check out the fox hole and that's when I managed to take the second photo in this post, with my 6D. I don't yet have a zoom lens that works with the full-frame Canon, and my old Canon 550 was with a friend (thanks Charl), who was cleaning the sensor for me, so I had to go home, dig up my retired Canon 300, a battery charger and a working CF-card before going back the following evening for another photo of the fox family. This time it was during the golden hour, and mama fox stood up on a grassy hill, but of course, the camera was still in the bag so that photo never happened, but I did get one (1), good photo of one of the cubs with the old 300 and that is the first photo in this post. I have been back here twice since with the Canon 550 and a zoom lens, but on both occasions the foxes have been in hiding!

Hours away from a massive hangover

The secondary schools in Haninge closed for the Summer break on Friday. As the tradition goes the students graduating have been partying hard for weeks, and when I spotted four trucks filled with intoxicated teenagers from the Fredrika Bremer school in Handen I had to stop and take a few photos. They tried their best to spray me with beer and Champagne but I stood at a safe distance! And boy were they lucky with the weather. 27C on Friday and a very blue sky. party on!

The Adventure of the Cardboard Box

Part 15. Year 2. June. Warmest day of the year so far, 26C. Amazing that it is still there. More photos in the set.

Mi piace questa Alfa Romeo

One final photo from the Targa Florio Suecia event last weekend, and all the photos in a slideshow. There was quite a few Italian cars and I really liked the look of this Spider.

Jesse and his bike

This is Jesse. He is easy to spot. I have a few candid photos of him from local events, but this was the first time we talked. I noticed his very cool bike outside the mall in Handen yesterday and knew that I had to snap a few photos of it. And while I was at it I decided to take a portrait of Jesse as well, because he has a unique look. He did his first face tattoo four years ago. One of them is a bit special. It depicts a man holding a gun. It is Christer Pettersson, the man convicted for the assassination of the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in February of 1986. Pettersson was later acquitted and died a few years ago. What about the bike I hear you ask, well Jesse built the bike himself, and got the parts from various places, including the US.