Midsummer joy
Midsummer’s Eve is the second most important
Celebration in Sweden after Christmas.
It’s a time for dancing
Around the midsummer maypole
With flowers in your hair
No matter whether you are male, female or child.
The folk dancers
Wear their traditional costumes —
(They start them off young…)
As do the musicians:
It’s hard work though!
And everyone has fun
No matter colour, age or belief system.
And that’s what is important in the world:
Love and tolerance.
For more celebrations, please visit: Our World.
By the lake
I found a charming beach hut
Down by the lake.
(A real Viking beach, isn’t it?)
The view across the frozen water
To the other side looks pretty too.
Further along, we turn up towards
The woods – and Simmie finds an old barn.
The warm colour and old timber
Offers a peaceful sight.
Before turning homewards,
I take a moment to enjoy
Simmie’s frozen whiskers.
For more charming stories, please visit: Our World.
Hidden gems
One of my walks takes me past fields, lake and a camping site.
I discovered this shower, with the last summer drop
Frozen into place.
Forging into the woods,
I find a truck with shiny rims.
The sunlight picks out
The red of a hidden cottage
And draws my eyes to this
Picture perfect barn.
For more perfection, please visit: Our World.
A winter’s tale
Back in February, we took a trip to visit a new friend
Living on the shore of a large inland lake.
Some boats were marooned in the harbour
And people strolled out onto the frozen lake
To enjoy the view.
I felt all buoyed up
By the dazzling snow and sunlight.
Just as we were leaving,
The sun made a glorious spectacle of itself
Casting a golden glow over this winter’s tale.
For more golden tales, please visit: Our World.
Narnia skies
Winter is a time when you can wake up
And find yourself in Narnia.
Sometimes not having a sky is the best kind of sky!
For more silver shots, please visit: Skywatch.
The Fish Church
The Fish Church – or Feskekôrka –
Is one of the quirky sights you can visit in Gothenburg.
It’s actually a fish market (built in 1874)
That resembles a Gothic Church.
The reclining benches in front of the market
Are an excellent place
On which to rest
And drink in a summer sunset.
For more quirky sights, please visit: Our World.
The Feather Islands
During the school holidays, the kids and I went to Fjäderholmarna —
Or in English, The Feather Islands.
As the boat left Stockholm, we passed the city’s most famous crane
Painted as a giraffe. (It’s near the funfair.)
After half an hour, we arrived on the island
And visited a local café.
We followed the sign and started off the day with ice cream…
The island has a strong tradition of fishing,
And one of the boathouses was decorated
With the fearsome skulls of pike.
My two small adventurers
Discovered many places to explore.
We visited the local glassblower
And admired a work in progress,
Glowing like a jewel.
Tired and happy, we returned home on the boat
Under a dramatic sky.
For more adventures, please visit: Our World Tuesday.
Midsummer beauty
Midsummer is that most Swedish of Swedish traditions:
A wonderful time spent in red cottages with outdoor loos;
Where you can take shots of yourself
Next to iconic old red buildings;
And where you dance around the midsummer pole
Wearing flowers and a silly smile.
This year was a bit of a wash-out for us —
But the rain did create a canvas of abstract beauty.
For more summery shots, please visit: Our World.
Golden transformation
When golden insects
Dance in the air,
And the setting sun
Transforms people
And a bucket on the jetty
Into objects of beauty,
Then the best thing to do
Is lean back
And try to catch the magic
With your wand (or fishing rod).
For more glitter, please visit: Skywatch.
Viking surprise
Every year, a replica of a Viking boat
Suddenly appears on our lake.
It looked very pretty
As it rested in the sunlight.
A man and his son make the boats by hand
And sail them too – even as far away as to Finland and Russia (from Sweden).
I love the weathered look of the wood
And those cool dragon-shaped oarlocks.
The heavy wooden oars and the mast
Are stored in the boat for safekeeping.
And – yes! – that’s Oscar checking the boat out.
For more heroic tales, please visit: Our World Tuesday.
Who says what?