Absolutely amazing meeting

30 meters away...

Mother Nature never stops surprising me. I have just had the most incredible experience just a couple of hundred meters away from my house and I am still shaking a bit. This is was happened.

It has been a typical Swedish summer day with a bit of sunshine and a bit of rain and I was feeling a bit bored. To get out of my mode, I took my camera and went for a walk up a forest path that I use to go when I have not particular goal, just want to get some fresh air. Suddenly I hear a laud noise to the left of me and I can see the back of the moose I have already written about. Or at least it is very likely that it was the same. I realized that it was gone and that it would not be possible to get any picture of it this time but that is normal and nothing to get too upset about. Then, about 40 meters ahead of me I can see two brownish, tiny backs and realize that there are two calves coming across the path. I froze and aimed the camera towards the point I guessed they would come to. Slowly, slowly they raised their heads and strolled up the side of the path. They were now within the reach of my zoom lens and I fired away, confident that they would run away but to my amazement, they just looked at me and started to walk towards me!!!

Two meters away.

I hardly dared to breath but kept the camera firing and did not realise that they had now come so close to me that they were actually too close for the camera to focus properly. With their necks stretched, they looked like curious, friendly dogs and I felt a wave of emotions coming. They really wanted to connect with me, felt no fear and behaved in the same way babies do when they stretch their hands towards anyone who smile or looks interesting. I popped the flash and took a few more pictures without the calves reacting at all until I moved my arm a bit more and they slowly walked to the other side of the path and disappeared among the threes. I felt that I had tears in my eyes and walked slowly back to my cottage to share this moment with you.

Great News!

As celebrities threw an early 90th birthday party for Nelson Mandela in London's Hyde Park on Friday, U.S. lawmakers erased references to the former South African leader as a terrorist from national databases. (Reuters)

What took them so long???

Madiba 90

We are all the time told that the ”world is shrinking” and when you are living in a remote little place like Svångemåla this is more obvious than in most other places. Two, maybe three cars pass my house every day but I am still in touch with the furthest corner of the world all the time through the internet and a satellite dish on my roof. The only difference to living in a big city is that I am the one who decide when I would like to be “in touch” and when not.

Today I read BBC World on the internet and saw that some had been asked about “when I met Mandela”. BBC did not ask me but since it is one of my best memories I will give you this “exclusive” story.

Mandela, or Madiba as he is more commonly called in southern Africa, was for a year chairperson for an organisation I worked for and came to visit our office to get a bit more informed about the progress we were making and the problem we had. It was a really big thing and we were all very excited. Smart looking your men with dark sunglasses and funny hearing aids came the day before “the day” to make sure that no bombs or other “problems” were hidden in our small HQ. A plan was made about how to receive the great man and for unknown reasons I was chosen to stay on the stairs outside the entrance to greet him. A secretary with flowers and a few other colleagues were also there and we agreed to stay there until our boss had properly greeted Madiba. The big limousine came and my colleagues could not contain themselves and rushed down the stairs to greet him. I was now alone and it was a bit awkward when the big man came up the stairs, extended his hand to the only person standing at the door, me, and I stuttered a welcome.

Later, we were all asked to explain to him what we were actually doing and why. His normally very jovial mode had changed and he was more like a stern grandfather who would not tolerate any vague explanations or arguments and I was not the only one who was a bit nervous. I tried my best and got a nod of approval as well as a comment that “this is a bit of news to me” and “I appreciate what you are doing”. Better endorsement than that is, to me, not possible and supported me for the rest of my time at that organisation and is still, sitting here in Svångemåla, a great memory that nothing and no one can take away from me.

Jasmine

Fragrances are important to me, as I have already written some time ago. The one that I most probably associate the most with my plot / garden is the one a huge Jasmine fills the air with when in full bloom. It can almost be a bit overwhelming when there is no wind and the air a bit moist after a hot day but I love it. It only last a few days and when there is a hard rain its white petals looks like snow on the ground. It is also a haven for bees, bumble bees and other insects feeding on its nectar.I wish someone could invent an add-on to your browser that would make it possible for you to fully understand what I am trying to convey but maybe the picture below can be of some help.

Book

The weather in Svångemåla has gone back to ”normal” after a long dry spell before Midsummer. Normal means a little bit of sunshine, some rain, lots of clouds, around 18 C and gusty winds. I don’t mind since rainy weather gives me time to sit or lay down in the sofa with a good book as my companion.

I have just finished one that I can recommend to all who are interested in other countries and cultures. It is written by Unity Dow, who is the first female High Court Judge in Botswana and a well-known human rights activist. The title is “Far and Beyon” (yes, it is spelt that way) and it gives a fantastic insight into the lives and thinking of a young girl in rural Botswana. Powerful and sad, but still with a lot of hope. I just love it.

Midsummer

It is soon midsummer in Sweden, one of the most important holidays and times of the year. The sun is visible 24 hours north of the polar circle and even in the southern parts of the country, it never gets really dark. For me it is kind of half time and time to take stock of what I have seen and noticed in my small part of the world called Svångemåla.

First of all some sad news. The cranes did not stay to start a family. Their visit was short, but sweet, and I hope they will come back next year. In stead of the cranes, a Canadian Goose made a short stop but moved on due to lack of water. This is now a growing problem due to the very dry weather that we have had to endure since the beginning of May. The grass has gone brown and many flowers and even trees look a bit sad and dehydrated.

On the positive side, a young moose has showed up, calmly grassing the area the cranes used to be. S-/he is a one year calf that the cow has let go / abandoned when she got a new one to take care of. I hope and pray that it survives being alone and the yearly moose hunt in the fall. The dry weather has also meant that the mosquitoes are not as many as they normally are.


The meadow where the cranes have been replaced by a moose.

Swedish National Day 2008

Today is our National Day. It used to be the day when we celebrated the flag but this changed some time ago and today it is a public holiday and we are trying hard to establish our own traditions, similar to what Norway and many other countries have had for a long time. It is unusually hot and my lawn is brown and hard. Even my badger has realized that it is not the right place to hunt for worms and has gone to other and wetter areas. A general ban to light fires is in place and the use of water is restricted in many towns and municipalities. It feels a little like Africa and it was fun when a typical winter bird, a Great Tit, started to sing just beside me as if to remind me that it will be snowy and icy in just six months or so. Brrrr….

Lily of the Valley

Most of us associate certain music with special moments, persons or places. Smells, fragrances and scents are also often linked in the same way. The smell of burning leaves and grass is for me closely associated with Africa and the strong fragrance of lilies of the valley is for me, as well as most Swedes, the end of school since most of us had some of them on our desk on the final day. It is a really special and easily identifiable fragrance that evokes memories of relief, a well-known psalm, new clothes, and a bit of sadness that all schoolmates would be separated for almost three months. This year, most of the lilies will have faded before school ends due to an unusual warm May but I am sure many of the visiting parents will nevertheless smell lilies of the valley and remember their own exams.

Lunch

I have always admired waiters who can bring several plates full of food all the way from the kitchen to my table without dropping anything. The birds are even more impressive since they can keep several wriggling worms in the bill and at the same time catch a mosquito.