Tulpanrondell

It is that time of the year again, when the roundabouts in Handen goes from not being seen to be very colorful for a few weeks.

Landscape Stacking

There I was in the middle of a very dry field at Tjursta, a rural part of Österhaninge. The birds I had hoped to photograph flew away so I decided to try some landscape stacking. Note to self: bring a tripod next time. Placing the camera on the camera bag is not the best way to go. This is eight photos shot at f/8, using the LCD screen and moving the focus point a bit between every photo. If I do bring a tripod I will try a photo at f/22 to check out the difference, possibly here later in the Summer when something something might be growing here.

Mystery Stone

One of six mystery stones at Sanda, a rural part of Österhaninge. Three conical stones and three round stones can be found on a little hill beside the road. This time of the year it is still possible to see the stones from the road, but they will soon be hidden behind all the greenery. Rumours have it that a King, (not clear which one), visited the Sanda Estate several times a few hundred years ago, and that he fathered a few bastards. Possibly six in all. Three boys and three girls.

Sixteen Recent Snaps

Snaps from around Haninge during the last week or so.

Nedersta Trädgårdsstad

Described as terraced houses in New England style. Yours for 3,500 000SEK. There are many new houses in this part of Västerhaninge and there are many more to come.

Urban Runoff

With all the new houses in Vegastaden a new urban runoff is being created at Dammträsk. Water will run down the meandering stream into a pond at Mellanberg before continuing through to two ponds at Dammträsk. A new walkway/bike path will also be built here connecting Kvarntorp with Mellanberg and Vega in Handen. The new wooden deck here will probably be a popular meeting spot in the near future.

Haningeterrassen

The mess that is Haningeterrassen.

World Book Day

Today is World Book Day. I finished a Murakami novel last week. Currently reading a Swedish crime writer Christoffer Carlsson. I gave away one book to a friend over the weekend. Also waiting for a few books that I ordered online last week. Where would we be without books?

Kawasaki

Whenever I photograph a motorcycle you know that real Spring has arrived. But as I snapped this one yesterday I seriously regretted not wearing my Winter jacket. The Summer temperature from the last two days were nowhere to be seen.

Viking Age Puzzle

Runestone from the Viking Age at Landfjärden near Hammersta in Nynäshamn. The runic inscription reads Bjarne and Ger had the stone raised after Näsbjörn(?) his fader... Gudfinns brother. The stone was discovered in 1939 when workers where preparing to build a house nearby. It was lying face down on a field and too heavy to lift, so they decided to break it up using explosives! It was only then they turned it around and noticed the runic inscription. The Swedish National Heritage Board was informed and they managed to save what was left of the stone. The two meter high runestone was placed at it's current position in 1943.

At the smokehouse

A quick stop at the smokehouse,(Rökeriet), which also serves as a fish shop and eatery (Kökeriet) at the guest harbour in Nynäshamn. From July it will be illegal to enjoy,(?), a smoke at any "uteservering" in this country. And there has been an intense debate about that decision. As a former smoker myself I'm all for the new law.

Strandhotellet

The Strandhotellet down by the water at Trehörningen in Nynäshamn. Built around 1907 together with a casino and two other hotels. The architect for all the buildings where Karl Güettler. At the turn of the last century Nynäshamn was in the middle of nowhere and at that time only 100 people lived there. Three years later 1000 people lived and worked here. The spa, casino and hotels became very popular with the jet-set until 1916 when the era suddenly came to an end. The old casino building is still here but the two other hotels are long gone.

Norrby BBQ

Four of the usual suspects gathered at Malmens konditori this afternoon, it was nice to be able to sit outside in the 20C weather. A few hours later they could be seen and heard enjoying the first BBQ of the year at Norrby at Hasse's veranda. There was a bit of whisky testing to get the evening under way. That was soon followed by beer tasting. We then enjoyed dinner and dessert before finishing the evening with a glass of rum. I probably had a little too much to drink so the designated driver decided to drive me home but a bike ride would also have been nice.

Hammerstahus

This is Hammerstahus. A castle that was built back in the 14th century by The Knight Erengisle Nilsson. At the time of the construction the castle was sitting on a small island so it was well protected. Today the ruins can be found on a field several hundred meters from the sea. After his death his son Nils Erengislesson inherited the castle. The younger Nils was married to a Danish woman, Brita Olovsdotter Tott who spied on him during the war between Sweden and Denmark. She was later sentenced to death for treason, but for some reason this was never literally realized and after her release, she financed the paintings of Ösmo Church as a penance; one of the paintings there is said to be her own image. After her death the castle was soon abandoned.

The Brave Seven...

...guests at the Nynäs Havsbad Spa over the weekend. Must have been at least 7C and a bit colder in the water. Reminds me of that Seinfeld Episode. The Shrinkage.

Guard Cat

The observation tower at Trehörningen is yet to open for the public and I counted at least two Keep Away signs on my way up to the tower. The authorities also use this very determined looking cat to keep the area free from intruders.

Utsiktstorn

The old water tower at Trehörningen in Nynäshamn was partly destroyed in a fire last year. Built on a hill a century ago it was in use until the 1950s. Since then it has been a popular observation tower. On my visit this weekend it looked like the tower will be ready for visitors very soon, and when it is open I will be back with my Canon for a few panoramic images from the top of the tower.

Villa Kråkslott

Normally a house like this would be described as a "romantic, turn of the Century villa, with a nice sea view over the archipelago, situated on the picturesque isle Trehörningen in Nynäshamn". But sadly this once very charming villa looks more like a Kråkslott these days. So that is Swedish word of the day. Kråkslott. In English a dilapidated house I guess. Photographed from the old water tower.

Ready for Summer

Here is what 750 000SEK will give you today. Not much at all if you ask me. But that is the amount of money that the municipality paid to help the "samfällighet" at Årsta Havsbad to fix one of their jetties at my favorite beach. I took an earlier photo of the work back in March.

Hagelstorm

Swedish word of the day. hagelstorm. Hailstorm. Better than I snow storm I guess.

Anti submarine exercises

There's been a big military operation in Haninge during the last week. It's an annual war game that the Swedish military does together with the US and Finland. Anti submarine exercises in the archipelago where it is really easy for subs to hide so obviously I didn't spot any submarines during my stakeout at Hårsfjärden.

Scilla

The cold weather is back. Freezing temperatures all week in my neck of the woods. Not my kind of weather at all. Snapped this photo of a scilla a couple of days ago when it was a few degrees warmer. Taken with the Sigma 60mm macro lens.

Abandoned

Back in the 1940s Swedish soccer legend Lennart "Nacka" Skoglund spent some time at this property. Back then his grandfather Ivan Bremberg operated a greenhouse nursery here. Nacka was a good friend to my dad in their youth, and his mother worked at my families greenhouse nursery for a few Summers. Noticed yesterday that someone had laid out a plank over the Rocklösaån stream so I obviously had to walk over for a few photos.

Snörom Hill

Snörom is an old farm in Österhaninge. From the farm house you can walk a few hundred meters along a small hill, ( I came the other way on my bike so I only had to walk over a field). During the Summer months the hill is used as a horse pasture. But when I walked up there yesterday it was just me. The birch in the photo sits on the top of the hill and you have a decent view over the surrounding area from up there. I don't think I have ever seen anyone else up that hill, but a local artist that I met every now and then also liked it and often used it in her paintings. From her painting you can see that there used to be a few more trees on the hill compared with today.

Viper/Huggorm

Swedish word of the day. Huggorm. Viper. Spotted at the horse pasture along Björklundsvägen earlier today. Always a good sign of Spring.

Påsklilja

After a visit to the old tree earlier in the week I decided to walk up the hill to see if I could find the wild daffodil that usually blooms there in the early Spring and here it is. We call it Påsklilja, which would translate to Easter Lily as it usually blooms around that time of the year.

Vårplöjning

Swedish word of the day. Vårplöjning. Spring plowing at Nödesta Västergård at Nedersta. Try this link to see a few hundred photos from around the farm.

The ultimate sign of Spring

The ultimate sign of Spring for me is the "blåsippa". So when I biked past something blue by the side of the bike path at Håga a couple of days ago I parked the bike and spent the next ten minutes crawling around on all four shooting macro images like a crazy person.

Förtöjning

Swedish word of the day. Förtöjning. Mooring. The bollard used for the Silverpilen ferry at Årsta brygga. And a bonus. Finnish word of the day. Karhu means bear in Finnish. That's all I have. The motor boat was moored at Årsta brygga yesterday. Photos taken witn my newest lens the Sigma 50mm 1.4 DG HSM.

Yellow Apartment Building

Theme Day. Yellow. And here is a new apartment building at Kvadrantvägen in Vegastaden. There are two other buildings, (not yellow), behind this one. Totalling 63 apartments.