DawnTreader's Picture Book 2

Friday My Town: Motion

2012-02-23T21:39:00.001+01:00

Swimming (all right for some!)

Walking (for the rest of us)

Driving (taken from the passenger seat!)

A passing train

Summer Triathlon: Swimming

Summer Triathlon: Cycling

Summer Triathlon: Running

Friday My Town Shoot Out

Watery Wednesday: Between Winter And Spring

2012-02-22T19:44:00.001+01:00

Linking to Watery Wednesday #174

Ruby Tuesday: Red Bottles

2012-02-20T21:35:00.001+01:00

Display at a florist’s shop.
I did not ask, but I assume the bottles are for putting flower shoots in to take root.

For Ruby Tuesday

SSS: Casting Light On the Shadows

2012-02-18T16:59:00.001+01:00

For Shadow Shot Sunday 2

The windows reflect the sunlight and cast “reversed” shadows

Friday My Town: ♥ Hearts ♥

2012-02-17T18:38:00.001+01:00

How can it be Friday again already? And what was the FMTSO theme of the week again? Something to do with Valentine’s day, wasn’t it… Ah, hearts. Hearts?! The only hearts that keep popping to mind are the old Valentines cards I already published on my TWO other blogs this week. I can’t use those cards AGAIN – or can I? Oops, I just did! One of those playing-around things that only works on black blog background… (A Picasa collage also using black background.)

However, on this blog that’s cheating (I’m rather strict with myself) because those cards were scanned, not photographed. So I had to come up with something else. Grabbed my camera when I went out to slip slide myself over to the grocery shop… hoping for a miracle…

Sorry to disappoint you. No miracle turned up. I had to create it myself, using my own two feet.

Later, at home, going into my study to do this blog post, and thinking that I don’t seem to have a single heart-shaped object in my home… my eyes fell on my desk:

Actually … (What is this, honesty week?!) … I confess to a bit of styling for the photo, though. Putting the pile of paperwork out of sight, removing a bunch of boring receipts collected in this thing, and putting in some nice postcards that I just bought yesterday instead…

♥ Cordial Greetings to you all! ♥

Monica

Please visit Friday My Town Shoot Out for more hearts!

Ruby Tuesday: Countryside Road

2012-02-14T14:43:00.001+01:00

Linking to Ruby Tuesday 2

Shadow Shot Sunday

2012-02-12T10:55:00.001+01:00

Here’s a photo I first contemplated for the FMTSO scavenger hunt this week, until I decided to go with the graveyard theme there. So now presenting this one for Shadow Shot Sunday instead!

I’m afraid I have no idea what they intend to use the pipe for. To quote my blogging friend Sandra, a.k.a the Mad Snapper, this is a shot I took “just because I could”!

Friday My Town – Wood, Metal, Stone

2012-02-10T16:21:00.001+01:00

Scavenger Hunt: Wood, Metal, Stone.

I did not have to go far for this scavenger hunt, only to the nearby cemetery. Plenty of big old trees (wood). Metal fences and gates. Grave stones, and a stone wall.

Friday My Town Shoot Out – Scavenger Hunt – Wood, Metal, Stone

Click on the link to see what other FMTSO members have found!

Watery Wednesday: Freezing Waterfall

2012-02-08T14:44:00.001+01:00

For Watery Wednesday # 172

(If you’d like to see the context of this picture, visit my other blog here)

Ruby Tuesday: Amaryllis

2012-02-06T17:44:00.001+01:00

This Amaryllis gave up its last flower today;
the photo is from two weeks ago.

Ruby Tuesday 2

Winter Shadows

2012-02-04T20:07:00.001+01:00

No use looking for water reflections today!
The river is hiding under a cover of ice and snow.
But hey - that’s my shadow out there!!!

Linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Friday My Town: Macro

2012-02-03T16:24:00.001+01:00

… Show case your town up close and personal! …

Oh, this theme gave me quite a headache! I’ve got lots of macro and close-up photos… The problem is my lack of or inconsistent tagging! To have something to go by, I chose one photo per month from 2011.

January – hoar frost on fence

February – bookmark from the Textile Museum,
the sheep shears is our town’s ‘coat of arms’

March – window star made from horse shoe nails,
in my window. Still snowy outside.

April - Wood Anemones, wild spring flowers.

May - Lilacs

June – (sweet water) clam shells on the beach by the lake

July – Red Currants

August – Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta)

(1) September – Mating Damselflies

(21) October – First frost

November – Rose hips

December (New Year’s Eve) – ex-rosehip!

Black-necked Swans

2012-01-30T16:53:00.001+01:00

The black-necked swan is not native to Scandinavia or Europe, but comes from South America. However, we have a couple of them in a bird sanctuary in my town. These and other rare birds live within fences at one end of the lake; while wild birds are free to come and go as they like.

For Ruby Tuesday & Watery Wednesday

Mosaic Monday: Playground

2012-01-30T10:15:00.001+01:00

Linking to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

Shadow Shot Sunday: Cold River

2012-01-29T14:09:00.001+01:00

Linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Friday My Town – Delicate

2012-01-26T21:58:00.001+01:00

Thin ice

First tiny snowflakes on spider web threads

Candy-striped amaryllis

Model ship with sails made of lace (Textile Museum)

Details of frail sail

Summer left-overs (silky hairs of willowherb)

Dying, worn-out butterfly (spoonfed by me in its last hours…)

- - -

Looking forward to seeing what delicate things everyone else found,

at Friday My Town Shoot-Out

Snowy Branches by the River (Watery Wednesday)

2012-01-25T09:37:00.001+01:00

The branches of an alder tree stretching out over the water.

…

Linking to Watery Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday: Care To Have A Seat ?

2012-01-23T16:12:00.001+01:00

Another garden picture from a couple of weeks ago.
Now we have just about the same amount of snow again.

Straight Out Of the Camera Sunday: Snow!

2012-01-22T19:37:00.001+01:00

We had snow this weekend!

Linking to Straight Out Of the Camera Sunday

The Shadow of Light

2012-01-21T14:24:00.001+01:00

See more shadows at Shadow Shot Sunday

Friday My Town – Glass

2012-01-19T22:04:00.001+01:00

Glassware from a 1970’s Design Exhibition at the Textile Museum
(February 2011)

“Glasmästeri” = Glasscutter’s Workshop (January 2010)

My New Year’s Eve table 2011. I don’t have a whole lot of ‘fine’ glassware and china, but I do have these (six) glasses, which I only use on festive occasions. They were my mother’s - maybe even her mother’s, I’m not sure. Mum passed these on to me about twenty years ago because she also had a set of similar ones after my other grandma.

The “snowball” candle holder (for tealights) is a very popular model from the Swedish glassworks Kosta Boda. (Designed in 1973 by Ann Wärff; I think I’ve also had mine since back in the mid 70s.) The origin of the other candle holders I’m not sure of.

Frozen Flood

2012-01-18T19:38:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I very nearly did not bring my camera, just going out for a ~~quick~~ (hmm!) short walk to post a letter. “There can’t possibly be anything interesting along that way on a grey and snow-free winter day,” I thought to myself. But then I grabbed the camera anyway…

And it turned out nature along the familiar path surprised me, once again – as my familiar paths sometimes do. This time I found a frozen lake - where there usually is no lake!

In April, this is one of the close-to-home spots where I go looking for wood anemones! (…not water lilies…)

Ruby Tuesday: The Old Garden Shed

2012-01-16T14:30:00.001+01:00

‘Everything passes, everything wears out, everything breaks.’
~ ’Tout passe, tout lasse, tout casse.’ ~ French Proverb

…

Linking to Ruby Tuesday

Shadow Shot Sunday: Winter Beach

2012-01-14T18:00:00.001+01:00

My brother, his dog and me – and our shadows! - on a beach walk,
11 January 2012

The water level in the lake is very high this winter.
In fact, there is hardly any beach left to walk on!

See more shadows at Shadow Shot Sunday

Friday My Town: Arms and Legs

2012-01-12T21:27:00.001+01:00

▲▲▲ From a Textile Museum day back in April 2010, with demonstrations how people used to do their washing in the river back in the early 1900’s.

▲ One of our more famous sculptures from recent years:
Pinocchio (9 m high) by American artist Jim Dine.
(At his feet friends of mine who were visiting last summer.)

Friday My Town Shoot Out – Jan 13th

Delicious Amaryllis

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000+01:00

I find no better word for these candy-striped flowers than ‘delicious’!

Mosaic Monday and Ruby Tuesday

Shadow Shot Sunday: Black Swan

2012-01-07T17:54:00.001+01:00

“Hello… Who is that down there?”

Shadow Shot Sunday

Friday My Town – Music

2012-01-05T20:39:00.001+01:00

▲ Whether summer or winter, the best place to go in search of free outdoors concerts in my town would be the Town Square. ▼

Not the only place, though!

▲ National Day celebration (6 June) in the Town Park ▲

▲ Folk music on key fiddles and accordion ▲

▲ Midsummer celebration in the Open Air Museum Park▲

▲ Marching band on their way to an Autumn Festival▲

▲ Summer evening concert in a residential area park ▲

▲ Outdoors Lucia (St Lucy) concert in the same park (December) ▲

All photos © DawnTreader (2009-2011)

Friday My Town Shoot Out – Music

Click on the image to find out more!

Frosty Red

2012-01-03T12:30:00.001+01:00

If you look carefully, there is still some red to be found in Nature.
(Photo from frosty New Year’s Eve 2011)

I had intended to link this to Ruby Tuesday, but discovered today that apparently in the 2012 calendar there are no Ruby Tuesdays.

There are still Tuesdays though - and all the colours of the rainbow, red included. So I’ll just post this anyway, with a thanks to Mary at Work of the Poet for all the Ruby Tuesdays in the past.

May new colourful adventures await us all!

---

And two hours later, I am informed that there is Ruby Tuesday 2!

Shadow Shot Sunday: Welcome to 2012

2012-01-01T12:49:00.001+01:00

“May you have the hindsight to know where you've been
the foresight to know where you're going
and the insight to know when you're going too far.”

~ Irish Blessing ~

Linked to Shadow Shot Sunday

Friday My Town: 2011 – The (Tail) End

2011-12-30T09:11:00.001+01:00

tail end, n.

1. The hindmost part.
2. The very end; the conclusion.

Definition by http://www.thefreedictionary.com

You are facing the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one.
What do you do?

A. Look back

B. I don’t know. I really don’t.

C. Dive right in!

D. Just plod on!

Please leave your answer in the Comment Box. Thank you!

”Now this is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
~ Winston Churchill ~

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Watery Whatever

2011-12-28T20:33:00.001+01:00

Actually, this was Watery Tuesday (27.12), with a glimpse of sun between the rainstorms… Today is Watery Wednesday with the water pouring down from above (again), and the wind rattling the windows (again); all in all a weather for just staying in!

Linking to Watery Wednesday # 167

Ruby Tuesday: Birdfeeders

2011-12-26T21:55:00.001+01:00

I wonder what the real birds think of these?

---

See more RED at Ruby Tuesday

An Award and 7 Random Things

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000+01:00

Back in the beginning of December, Suzy at Someday, Somewhere passed on this award to me. Of course it came with a To Do-list:
Pass it on to 15 other people. (15!!!) And tell 7 things about yourself.

All right then… I hereby pass it on generously to all the blogs already listed at the bottom of this blog. Who’s counting? If you like it, pick it up. (Thanks Pauline for the idea of a shortcut…)

Then to the 7 things. As a bonus I’ll tell you that I ‘hate’ unspecified assignments like this, because they tend to make my brain go blank!

Since this is a Picture Book, and not a Story Book, I picked 7 photos from 2011 and made a collage. All that these photos have in common is that they were taken during the last week in the month (different months), and some kind of thought popped into my head as they flashed by on my screen.

1. I’ve never been to a circus (and never really had any longing to).

2. I like ice cream better than having to dress like an Eskimo.

3. I’m fascinated by dreams and dream interpretation.
(That’s a ‘dream catcher’ in the photo.)

4. My first Bible (from my early teens) has a lot of notes in it.

5. I like walking along a beach.

6. It’s been over a decade since I last drove a car.

7. I like fresh pineapple but opening a tin is easier.

This post will be linked to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House.

25 December 2011 - Christmas Day

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.”
~ Theodore Roethke ~

The traditional Advent Calendar runs from 1-24 December,
and so did mine, here in the Picture Book. But since we are still in Christmas, I thought I’d throw in an extra greeting today.

In Sweden, we open our presents on Christmas Eve.
In many other countries, you open yours on Christmas Day.
Where ever you happen to be on the Earth and in your
Christmas traditions, I wish all you Bloglings out there:

>>> Merry Christmas ! <<<

This post will be linked to Shadow Shot Sunday (2).

Advent Calendar – Saturday 24th December 2011

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000+01:00

♫ Silent Night, Holy Night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from Heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born. ♫

* * * Merry Christmas to you all! * * *

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Gospel of Luke, chapter 2 (New International Version)

Advent Calendar – Friday 23rd December 2011

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000+01:00

“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~

Friday My Town Shoot Out theme of the week is “Lights”.

Advent Calendar – Thursday 22nd December 2011

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000+01:00

“When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out -
because that’s what’s inside. When you are squeezed,
what comes out is what is on the inside.”

~ Wayne Dyer ~

Advent Calendar – Wednesday 21st December 2011

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000+01:00

“On your feet wear the Good News of Peace,
to help you stand strong.”

~ Ephesians 6:15 ~

Advent Calendar – Tuesday 20th December 2011

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows.”
~James 1:17 ~

Advent Calendar – Monday 19th December 2011

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000+01:00

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la la.
‘Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la la.

Sing along at YouTube!

Advent Calendar – Sunday 18th December 2011

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000+01:00

“It is only the modern that ever becomes old-fashioned.”

~ Oscar Wilde ~

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Today is the 4th Advent Sunday.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be
hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they
may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16 (Sermon on the Mount)

Advent Calendar – Saturday 17th December 2011

2011-12-17T11:14:00.000+01:00

“I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.”

~ George Bernhard Shaw ~

Advent Calendar – Friday 16th December 2011

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000+01:00

”A friend is someone who understands your past,
believes in your future, and accepts you
just the way you are.”

(source unknown)

Friday My Town Shoot Out theme this week is “Layers”.
[I’m thinking layers of clothes and layers of photo editing…]

Advent Calendar – Thursday 15th December 2011

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000+01:00

“I’m so clever that sometimes I don’t understand
a single word of what I’m saying.”

~ Oscar Wilde ~

Advent Calendar – Wednesday 14 December 2011

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Hatred is blind, as well as love.”

~ Oscar Wilde ~

Advent Calendar – Tuesday 13th December

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000+01:00

Watch a Swedish Lucia Morning at YouTube.

Read about the tradition in a blog post of mine from 2010.

Advent Calendar – Monday 12th December 2011

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Santa Claus has the right idea - visit people only once a year!”

~ Victor Borge ~

[Not familiar with Victor Borge? Get to know him at YouTube]

Advent Calendar – Sunday 11th December 2011

2011-12-11T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Better three hours too soon than one minute too late.”
~ William Shakespeare ~

Today is the 3rd Advent Sunday.

“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
~ 2 Peter 1:19 ~

Advent Calendar – Saturday 10th December 2011 - Time

2011-12-10T06:00:00.000+01:00

“The only reason for time is so that
everything doesn’t happen at once.”
~Albert Einstein ~

Advent Calendar – Friday 9th December 2011

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000+01:00

“The wheel of fortune turns around incessantly,
and who can say to himself, I shall today be uppermost.”
~ Confucius ~

This post will be linked to Friday My Town Shoot Out.
The theme of the week is ‘Wheels’.

The old engine wheel is an all-year-round decoration at the entrance of a restaurant recently opened in the premises of an exhibition hall which once upon a time was an engine shed.

There is also an old engine kept inside the exhibition hall :

Advent Calendar – Thursday 8th December 2011

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Sometimes the most urgent thing you
can possibly do is take a complete rest.”
~ Ashleigh Brilliant ~

Advent Calendar – Wednesday 7th December 2011

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Bear with the faults of others as you
would have them bear with yours.”

~ Phillips Brooks ~

(Yes, you are allowed to laugh!)

Advent Calendar – Tuesday 6th December 2011

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling,
but of the life-long attempt to acquire it.”

~ Albert Einstein ~

This post will be linked to Ruby Tuesday at Work of the Poet.

~~~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~~~

In some European countries (not in Sweden though), 6th December is celebrated as St Nicholas Day.

Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaus the Wonderworker, was a historic 4th-century Greek Bishop of Myra (=Demre in modern-day Turkey). He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. (Read more in Wikipedia)

Advent Calendar – Monday 5th December 2011

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Never run faster than your guardian angels can fly.”
(source unknown)

♥ This post will be linked to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. ♥

Advent Calendar - Sunday 4th December 2011

2011-12-04T06:00:00.000+01:00

“There are two ways to live:
you can live as if nothing is a miracle; or
you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
~ Albert Einstein ~

Today is the 2nd Advent Sunday

[Jesus] told them still another parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
- Matthew 13:33 -

Advent Calendar - Saturday 3rd December 2011

2011-12-03T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Lost time is never found again.”

~ Benjamin Franklin ~

(… But are you sure you really lost it? ...)

Advent Calendar – Friday 2nd December 2011

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000+01:00

“An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest
and most fatal ailment of all republics.”

♥ This post will be linked to Friday My Town Shoot Out. ♥
Theme of the week: ‘Imbalance’

Advent Calendar – Thursday 1st December 2011

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000+01:00

“Gift: Anything given; anything voluntarily transferred
by one person to another without compensation;
a present; an offering.”

(definition from Brainy Quote)

Thank you for visiting the first post in my Advent Calendar.

Watery Wednesday: Frozen Puddle

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000+01:00

Some of the last autumn leaves blown off the trees in the storm that passed by here on Sunday… Followed by colder weather with a bit of frost here and there on the morning after.

Watery Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday: Frosty Red

2011-11-29T09:37:00.001+01:00

I think these are Hylotelephium telephium. Swedish name ‘kärleksört’ which means ‘love herb’. I saw them in a garden I passed a couple of weeks ago on a frosty morning. (So the white on them is frost.)

The plant is said to have been used to heal wounds, especially burns. The roots can be eaten, preferably cooked for about 15 minutes first. The fresh leaves can be be eaten raw, and are rich in vitamin C. (And of course I had no idea about any of this until I just looked it up… Blogging is very educational!)

See more RED at Ruby Tuesday

Mosaic Monday: Frosty

2011-11-28T13:35:00.001+01:00

Had to go back to October in my photo archives to find some photos with frosty colour. The past weekend has been all storm and rain.

See more Monday Mosaics at Mary’s Little Red House.

Friday My Town: Lawn Tools

2011-11-24T20:55:00.001+01:00

Lawn tools?!?? In November? This must have been suggested by somone living in a different climate than here in the North! I was going to skip even thinking of entering something for this week... But then suddenly 'out of the blue' I happened to remember this picture... The garden shed at my parents' old place last spring. (Some of the things in there even go back to the days of my grandparents...) It's been published before on this blog back in May (for Ruby Tuesday) but never mind.

I'll be curious to see what others have found at
My Town - Mr Linky

Watery Wednesday: Goldeneye

2011-11-23T19:50:00.001+01:00

The most common birds in the river where I live are mallards; but I also keep seeing one Goldeneye, sometimes hanging out with the mallards, but often on his own. Back in the spring he had a mate, but now he appears to be single. Looks a little sad somehow, but perhaps I’m letting my imagination run away with me…

Watery Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday: Autumn’s Last Rose

2011-11-22T09:41:00.001+01:00

It’s been a mild autumn so far. I found this rose growing on a bush this past weekend, in the cemetery close to where I live.

For Ruby Tuesday

Mosaic Monday: Reflection Patchwork

2011-11-21T11:38:00.001+01:00

I’m still fascinated by those window reflections of water reflections
of trees and sky… (compare last week’s Watery Wednesday).
I kept playing with them in Picasa: cropping, turning
upside-down, putting together again…

♥ ♥ ♥

See more Monday Mosaics at Mary’s Little Red House

Shadow Shot Sunday: By Night

2011-11-19T23:31:00.001+01:00

More shadow than light, on a November night…

… until the town unitedly says: “Let there be light!”

Linked to Shadow Shot Sunday

Friday My Town: Symmetry

2011-11-18T11:44:00.001+01:00

▲ Reflection symmetry ▲

▼ Nature’s symmetry ▼

▼ Butterfly Symmetry ▼

▲ One Red Admiral, one Small Tortoiseshell ▲

▲ Red Admiral ▲

▼ Small Tortoiseshell ▼

▼ Man-made symmetry: ▼

▲ Medieval ribbon-weaving shown at the Textile Museum ▲

▲ Kaleidoscope Symmetry ▲
made by me in Corel Paint Shop Pro X
▼ from these autumn leaves ▼

▼ Couples Symmetry▼

Sea lions at the Zoo – in perfect sync!

This pair of grandparents (I assume)
seemed pretty much synchronized too!

~♥~♥~♥~

I wish you all a nicely balanced weekend!

~♥~♥~♥~

For more symmetry, visit Friday My Town

Sky Watch Friday: Short November Days

2011-11-17T20:22:00.001+01:00

▲ … And it was morning (8:25 a.m.) … ▲
▼ … And it was evening (5:25 p.m.) … ▼

Skywatch Friday

Watery Wednesday: Reflections

2011-11-16T10:30:00.001+01:00

Watery Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday: Red Berries

2011-11-15T08:52:00.001+01:00

Not sure what these are. But red they are!

Look for more red at Ruby Tuesday!

Mosaic Monday: Beach Find in November

2011-11-14T09:47:00.001+01:00

Like a Lake Monster trying to crawl up on land, there it lay…

See more Monday Mosaics at Mary’s Little Red House

Moon Shadow

2011-11-12T18:37:00.001+01:00

“Did it take long to find me? I ask the faithful light.
Oh, did it take long to find me? And, are you going to stay the night?”
~ Cat Stevens: Moonshadow ~

For Shadow Shot Sunday

Watery Wednesday

2011-11-09T19:08:00.001+01:00

Photo from two weeks ago. The big tree had dropped all its leaves, but the smaller ones had not, which created a special effect.

For Watery Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday: Marching Band

2011-11-08T18:43:00.001+01:00

A marching band of young musicians on their way to perform at a Harvest Festival back in the early autumn.

---

For Ruby Tuesday

Mosaic Monday: Reedmace

2011-11-07T12:55:00.001+01:00

Reedmace / Bulrush / Cattail / Typha / (Swedish: Kaveldun)

Until I looked it up in Wikipedia, I had no idea how useful this plant can be. It seems it can be used for food, fuel, medicinal purposes, preventing erosion, purifying poisoned water and more!

Mosaic Monday

Shadow Shot Sunday: Deceiving

2011-11-05T20:50:00.001+01:00

Not my balcony I’m afraid, but I love that top shadow…
Makes the balcony look twice as big! :)

And yes, it is Sweden in November!
(Not really obvious!)

For Shadow Shot Sunday

Friday My Town: Spooky

2011-11-03T22:56:00.004+01:00

This week’s FMTSO theme is ‘Funny, Unusual, Strange, Spooky Signs’
A few weeks ago, when I wrote down the themes for the next few weeks in my diary – I somehow lost that last word: Signs…!
But funny signs in Swedish would be meaningless to most of my readers anyway. So I’ll focus on Spooky and (mostly) wordless.
The first two are recent, the rest may be ‘deja vú’ to some of you!

Just a little spooky… Flat white shadows on the walkway.

Empty promises! [This word is the same in both languages…]
(The box is supposed to hold information brochures. It did not.)

Not very informative either!

Spooky candleholder

[Photos from 2009 - collage made for this post.]
Folklore connected with a Neolithic tomb (1800-1500 BC):

Once upon a time, there was a king who died in battle, after most of his men had deserted him and fled. The old king bled to death; and on the spot where he died, he was laid to rest in a cist of stone. But one day, in a time of need, the king will rise again, with his twelve warriors, and come back to help his people…

Ancient stone circle in the same neighbourhood.

Skeleton found last year in the wood not far from the stone circle.
I’ve not been able to figure out from what animal. Any ideas?

… … …

Go to My Town – Mr Linky for more of the same kind.
Or perhaps something completely different. What do I know!

Mosaic Monday: Colourful October

2011-10-31T18:10:00.001+01:00

No link up yet for Mosaic Monday at Mary’s Little Red House but I’ll go ahead and post mine anyway. All the photos in this collage from our Town Park on 25 October. Magpie in the middle, in case the bird is not familiar to everyone.

The trees are some sort of Japanese cherry blossom. Decorative both in the spring and in the autumn. The leaves covering the trunks are from a different plant climbing up the trees; looks funny this time of year.

Shadow Shot Sunday: Kitchen

2011-10-30T11:45:00.001+01:00

It’s Shadow Shot Sunday at Hey Harriet’s

A Blaze of Autumn Colour

2011-10-29T18:53:00.001+02:00

“It was one of those perfect ~~English~~ (in this case Swedish!) autumnal
days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.”
~ P.D. James ~

Photo from Tuesday, 25 October.

Friday My Town: Creepy Crawlies

2011-10-28T10:36:00.001+02:00

▲ …I prefer my creepy crawlies to be either big and fake as above … ▲

▼ …. or not at home, as below … ▼

Oh I know I have a few bugs here and there among all my photos as well – the problem is I have not tagged them or collected them in a special folder; and have no time to go looking now.

Butterflies I have plenty; but since I never detect them until they’ve left their most creepy crawly stage behind, I’m not sure they qualify!

Common Brimstone

Red Admiral with an Attitude

Cabbage Butterfly

Ooops, look what I just found in among the butterflies…

My camera is braver than I am!

Watery Wednesday: Autumn Beach

2011-10-26T10:30:00.001+02:00

The bathing platforms have been pulled up on the beach for the winter.

Watery Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday: Frozen Rose Hips

2011-10-25T10:52:00.001+02:00

Rose hips (Swedish: ‘nypon’) are the fruit of wild roses. The hips form after the rose petals have fallen off. They are picked when ripe and red and after the first frost in the fall, then carefully dried. Rose hips have a particularly high amount of Vitamin C.

Rose hip soup is a classical delicacy in Sweden, served as a beverage or as a dessert with milk, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Tiny almond biscuits are also a common addition when eaten as a dessert.

See more RED at Ruby Tuesday

Mosaic Monday: Frozen Beauty

2011-10-24T13:06:00.001+02:00

For more Monday Mosaics, visit Mary’s Little Red House.

Shadow Shot Sunday: Bicycle

2011-10-22T19:49:00.001+02:00

See more shadows at Shadow Shot Sunday

Silver And Gold

2011-10-22T09:48:00.001+02:00

Shot through my window yesterday morning in frosty sunrise.
Thick layer of silvery frost on some of the trees, and still a few golden leaves left on others…

Friday My Town: Scavenger Hunt

2011-10-21T09:28:00.001+02:00

“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”
That’s the theme for this month’s Scavenger Hunt. And as if that’s not enough trouble, Mark (from The Butler and Bagman Chronicles) in his FMTSO Member Voice post also added “a silver sixpence in her shoe”!

Something old:

This church is the oldest building in our town. I had a post with some facts about it recently on my other blog: A Place of Worship.

The painting is also old, even if not as old as the church itself. It was painted by my maternal grandfather. I’m not sure when but I’m pretty sure it was before I was born. I have a vague idea it might even be from before he married my grandmother but I’m not certain. (My aunt might know!) - In my home, the painting is a new addition. I only took it home from my parents’ old house last weekend!

Something new:

Wedding dress (?) from an exhibition at the Textile Museum
of new clothes woven by students at the Textile College.

Something borrowed:

Audio books recently borrowed from the public library.
They will also represent Love being a Mystery in itself.

Something blue:

Indigo displayed at the Textile Museum.
(Should be enough to dye a garter or something for the bride.)

Nearly all indigo dye produced today is synthetic. But historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants, and economically important because blue dyes were rare. It is among the oldest dyes to be used for textile dyeing and printing. The first major center for its production and processing was India.

… and a silver sixpence in her shoe:

I’m afraid it’s not really a silver sixpence.
The closest I could find was a 5 New Pence coin from 1971.
I also don’t have any white shoes (to go with the wedding theme);
and I suppose that technically the coin is on the shoe rather than in it.
Maybe I should have skipped this part! ;)

- - -

Check out what others have made of this Scavenger Hunt at
My Town – Mr Linky

- - -

PS. Ouch. It just hit me there is also a no-editing rule to the Hunt. I forgot about that. The indigo was cut out from a larger photo and a couple of the other photos were cropped a little as well. ;)

Ruby Tuesday: Bromelia

2011-10-18T11:45:00.001+02:00

… And we’re back to rain again! …

I will not be going outside to look for colour today.

More red to be found at Ruby Tuesday

Friday (My Town) Sweets

2011-10-14T07:00:00.000+02:00

I can’t think of any sweets uniquely connected with my town (Borås) but there is a caramel factory in a neighbouring town (Alingsås, 40k from here). The Extra Strong Lemon Drops (to the right in the collage) for example are made there.

Marabou is a Swedish chocolate brand, which has been very successful ever since it was launched in 1916. It is available in a number of European countries and also (I learn from Wikipedia) sold by IKEA in the US, Canada and Australia. Originally, the symbol of Marabou was a stork but at the end of the 1960s it was changed to a rounded “M”. Say “Mmm…” to a Swedish person and we want chocolate NOW! :) In childhood I much preferred milk chocolate, but when I later became lactose intolerant, I had to change my taste!

Läkerol is a Swedish brand of candies founded in 1909 by a man name Ahlgren, and therefore every candy is stamped with the letter A. The pastilles today are sugar-free and come in a variety of flavors. Cassis (blackcurrant) is one of my favourites.

If the examples above are not sweet enough for you, here is a mix of ‘home made’ sugary sweets from our Autumn Market:

(See also the post Sweet Temptation from a few weeks ago at my other blog.)

This post is pre-scheduled and will be linked to Friday My Town later.

Ruby Tuesday: Rowan

2011-10-11T09:34:00.001+02:00

The name "rowan" is derived from the Old Norse name for the tree, raun. (Swedish: rönn) Linguists believe that the Norse name is ultimately derived from an older Germanic word raudnian meaning "getting red" and which referred to the red foliage and red berries in the autumn.

To see more RED, visit Ruby Tuesday

Mosaic Monday: Web

2011-10-10T12:37:00.001+02:00

Linked to Mosaic Monday

Shadow Shot Sunday: Kitchen Things

2011-10-09T13:45:00.001+02:00

Things on my ‘mantlepiece’, i.e. really on top of the kitchen fan…

This was taken in the evening. The funny thing is that my kitchen window faces north-east. So how come I get a share of the evening sun as well? It comes reflected from the windows on the next building!

Linked to Shadow Shot Sunday.

Friday My Town: Discoveries

2011-10-07T10:04:00.001+02:00

Discoveries from my September Archives:

Cute baby discovering his toes.

Queen Silvia of Sweden discovering the cute baby.

Damselflies discovering each other.

Discovered evidence of a failed fishing expedition.

Mushrooms discovering that they can climb trees.

Camouflaged butterflies - hard to discover.

(Small Tortoiseshell)

(Common Brimstone – look again!)

Small Tortoiseshell discovered on the photographer.

Bee discovering pollination.

Re-discovering the Library,
which moved back into renovated premises.

Discovering that Autumn is here.

---

Discover more at My Town – Mr Linky!

Watery Wednesday: In the Fog

2011-10-05T19:02:00.001+02:00

“If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
~ Lewis Carroll ~

Watery Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday: The Last Rose

2011-10-04T10:12:00.001+02:00

The last rose of summer? Maybe. One never quite knows…
Photo from the town park, taken at a low angle.

Linked to Ruby Tuesday

Mosaic Monday: Horse-Chestnuts

2011-10-03T12:31:00.001+02:00

Passing through the town park on Sunday, I kept hearing a muffled irregular thump-thump-thump background noise. I realized after a while that it was horse chestnuts dropping from the trees, and that I was just lucky none on them fell on my head! ;)

Linked to: Mosaic Monday

Shadow Shot Sunday: ‘Lady Longlegs’

2011-10-01T18:41:00.001+02:00

See more shadows at Shadow Shot Sunday

Friday My Town: Stairs

2011-09-29T21:06:00.001+02:00

‘Up and down’ was one of the themes included in the local photo
marathon I took part in a few weeks ago… So I took a number of
shots of these spiral stairs outside a building. We were only allowed
to submit one photo per theme though, so the collage was made later!

A waterfall and a narrow set of stairs running down/up
the same hill in a large modern cemetery park.

At this spot in the river, the water descends down ‘stairs’ as well.

To see more stairs … ‘going up, coming down, from behind’ …
go to My Town – Mr Linky!

… ‘Whisper to the Wild Water’ …

2011-09-28T10:02:00.001+02:00

For Watery Wednesday

I borrowed the post title – Whisper to the Wild Water -
from a song/album by Maire (Moya) Brennan:

… … …

Around, around
Around I turn
Around I turn
In time

I heard Your name
Whisper to the wild water
I’ll be strong
I will survive

… … …

This is just a very small waterfall…
Still, standing close to it, the other sounds of the city
are drowned by the roar of the water.