Last Saturday I had 15-20 minutes to spend between busses. I saw some tents in the park so strolled over to see what was going on. Whatever I’d expected to find, bagpipers in kilts were not included among my guesses…
I think there was some kind of musical corps gathering going on, there were some more typical brass bands too.
Linking to Wordless Wednesday
From the lake beach near ‘the House’ last week.
PS – Also linking this photo to:
Friday My Town – Vacation Spots
Actually I haven’t had a proper “vacation” in seven years or more – which means not since before my first digital camera… But this beach is a “spot” that I have visited at least once, and usually more than once, every summer, my whole life. Not always going into the lake, but at least to look at it! It’s near the house where my grandparents lived when I was little, and then we kept it in the family as summer house, and then my parents lived there in their old age. By next summer, my brother and I hope to have sold the house… But the beach is a public place and will still be there and possible to visit.
O, my luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I,
And I will luve thee still, my Dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun!
O I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!
Robert Burns
For Ruby Tuesday
“Never was there any shadow”
From an outdoors modern art exhibition in the Open Air Museum park. (A more suitable title this summer might have been “never was there any shelter from the rain”.)
Linking to Shadow Shot Sunday
It seems that “children” is yet another label sadly missing from my photo-tagging system, and I haven’t been around kids much lately.
This is a paparazzi shot of children unknown to me that I took on one of the daytrips out of town that my brother and I made in July. The little playboat is situated on the grounds of Torpa Castle.
(Silly coincidence: The Swedish word for children is “barn”.
Which in English is that building in the background…)
Go look at other people’s children here:
Friday My Town Shoot Out – Children
A couple of weeks ago my brother and I went out into the countryside for a bit of touristing. One day we had lunch in a café at an old mill, and there we found these two bridges leading into the world of fairytales.
Näcken, the Neck, the Nix… A kind of water spirit; in this part of the world often taking the shape of a violin-playing man appearing in lakes, streams or waterfalls, playing enchanted tunes on the violin and trying to lure especially women and children into the water to drown… While a man taught by Näcken to play the violin, might get so enchanted by the music that he could not stop playing until he lost all control of his senses.
A tale I remember well from my childhood is that of the Three Billy Goats Gruff (Sw: ‘Bockarna Bruse’) and the Troll living under the bridge that they had to pass.
In the village where I grew up, a shortcut road to the village centre included crossing three narrow wooden bridges over a winding little river. Every time I walked that way, my thoughts went to the billy goats tale (even though in the story, there was only one bridge).
On the way up was a bridge over a cascading stream they had to cross; and under the bridge lived a great ugly troll , with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a poker.
So first of all came the youngest Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge.
"Trip, trap, trip, trap! " went the bridge.
"Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll .
"Oh, it is only I, the tiniest Billy Goat Gruff , and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the billy goat, with such a small voice.
"Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll.
"Oh, no! pray don't take me. I'm too little, that I am," said the billy goat. "Wait a bit till the second Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."
"Well, be off with you," said the troll.
A little while after came the second Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge.
Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap, went the bridge.
"Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll.
"Oh, it's the second Billy Goat Gruff , and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the billy goat, who hadn't such a small voice.
"Now I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll.
"Oh, no! Don't take me. Wait a little till the big Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."
"Very well! Be off with you," said the troll.
But just then up came the big Billy Goat Gruff .
Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap! went the bridge, for the billy goat was so heavy that the bridge creaked and groaned under him.
"Who's that tramping over my bridge?" roared the troll.
"It's I! The big Billy Goat Gruff ," said the billy goat, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his own.
"Now I 'm coming to gobble you up," roared the troll.
Well, come along! I've got two spears,
And I'll poke your eyeballs out at your ears;
I've got besides two curling-stones,
And I'll crush you to bits, body and bones.
That was what the big billy goat said. And then he flew at the troll, and poked his eyes out with his horns, and crushed him to bits, body and bones, and tossed him out into the cascade, and after that he went up to the hillside. There the billy goats got so fat they were scarcely able to walk home again. And if the fat hasn't fallen off them, why, they're still fat; and so,
Snip, snap, snout.
This tale's told out.
This post will be linked to
Friday My Town Shoot Out: Bridges of ________.
Below is the same site a year ago:
Visit Wordless Wednesday to see more photos that “speak for themselves”.
