Vienna Neews !

Svångemåla News has got a sister blogg in Vienna. It is called Vienna Neews (yes, it had to be two "ee" or blogspot would not accept the name) and its url is

viennaneews.blogspot.com

Welcome!

Time to say goodbye for now

As I wrote some days ago, it was getting a bit cold in Svångemåla and I decided to go south. The differences are enormous but, as we all know, one can find beauty in all environments. And the moon and the sky are the same where ever we are on our dear mother earth and I feel that these two pictures, therefore, are well suited to say farewell for now.

I would also like to thank you all for visiting my blog and for all the direct and in-direct (mails and phone calls) I have received. All together, you have logged in from 32 different countries which must make Svångemåla one of the most well known villages in Sweden! Sometimes I wonder how people in places like Benin, Pakistan, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Senegal have found their way to my blog but it is probably just one more proof of the power of the web. Take care and bye, bye for now!

Time to move south!

Many birds have started their long journeys south and it is time for me to do the same. It has been an unusual summer with the new road as the most dramatic change. My eyes are still not used to it and I have not completely accepted it but a few new bushes, a bit of grass around it and it will, probably, look OK next spring.

The wild fire that ravaged part of the deep forest not far away from Svångemåla was so expensive for the local community that the administration has decided to cancel its annual Christmas party.

From a wild life point of view, it has not been as exciting as last year when I met the two moose calves but I am happy that the rare wood pecker has found a home on my plot. The fox has not shown up but I have seen its droppings in many places so it is still around. The wild pigs are becoming a real nuisance and my neighbor has had to put up a small electric fence around his house. As always this time of the year, I have noted that there are a few mice who have moved into my cellar to get away from the cold in the nights and my answer is a new electronic device that sends out some sort of pulses through the electric wires / cables as well as ultra sonic sounds. Both are supposedly painful for the rodents and will make them go somewhere else. I am not so optimistic but it is still better than to feed them with poison and make the house a mice mausoleum.

It has been a good year for pears but not so great for apples although I have enough of them to bring back home for some pies. A unique and very old fruit is damson (krikon) (Prunus domestica ssp. insititia). It looks like a prune but is not as sweet and needs a serious frost bite before you can eat it. The core if its wood is red and very nice for carvings and other forms of wood work.

The Road III

This is what it used to look like when you approached my house. The road made a gentle turn to the left after which it went around my house and garden / plot.



The new road turns right and then comes a long curve to the left before it joins the old road. The turns are not at sharp as they used to be and it is farther away from my house but it runs between my house and "The field" and it will take some time before it melts into the environment as well as the old does. The traffic will not increase from the five to ten cars that pass every day so the big question is if it was really necessary to make this "improvement" ?

Signs...

European Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)

I have hardly ever seen Rowan as red as this year. The trees are full of the red berries and one might wonder what the winter will be like since the old saying is that a lot of Rowan berries forebode a severe winter.

The Road II

The road is almost finished and it looks better than expected BUT it is still like a scar in what used to be my untouched backyard. All involved have been very accommodating and shown sincere concerns regarding all concerns I have had but still ... it is not what it used to be and it will take a while before I feel totally comfortable. On top of everything, the hunters have realized that “the field” is a prime area for moose, deer and other wildlife and have erected a small tower from which they can scan the area for possible game. I do understand that the moose population has grown far too fast and needs to be reduced and the wild pigs is of equally growing concern, BUT was it really necessary to build the tower just 98 meters away from my plot? The recommendation is 200 meters but on the other hand, their firing will now be away from my house which is much better than the other way around!

All in all, I have very mixed feelings about the developments and that is the main reason why I have not added anything to the blog recently. Next time I will add some pictures to give you a better understanding of what is going on in Svångemåla.

Progress?

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you how have shared my concern regarding the new road and what I have to go through while it is being built. This flower is just for you!

Noise

The usual silence in Svångemåla has temporarily been broken by the roars from big machines cutting down trees and moving earth and stones. The new road is taking shape and my main wish now is that it is all over soon!

Before and after....I think

Before...


(As always,click on the picture to enlarge!)


After..I think but which one? If you know, please let me know!

Tree killing machine

The tree killing machine or "harvester" did not come last Thursday but it is now parked a few hundred meters away from my house and is ready to attack. It is amazing how similar it is to a Dinosaurus Rex. I am very glad I am not an innocent tree waiting to be slaughtered.

Grass on my stone wall

Purple

The color of the day in Svångemåla is purple. The meadow I, a bit pretentious, call The Field, is purple in many parts and so is my garden. Butterflies are everywhere and the bumble bees have to work hard to get their share of the available food. In many ways it is a wonderful time of the year but tomorrow a so called harvester is coming to cut down the trees that are now growing where the new road will be. Wonder if they know what is coming? The trees I mean...



On their way to the table!



Harmonious co-existence

Rhubarb part II

The 25th of May last year I wrote about my admiration for rhubarb flowers. This time I would like you all to take a minute to admire a rhubarb leave. Is it not wonderful?

Big birds do not fly in dense forests

Yesterday I was out driving on a narrow gravel road in the middle of a very dense forest. The speed was hardly much faster than I would have done on a bike and I really enjoyed the fragrances that came through my open windows when suddenly a big, very big bird appeared just in front of me. It was some sort of eagle but I must admit that I have no clue what kind it was. It continued to fly just in front of me for at least a couple of hundred meters, just like a rabbit that is caught in the headlights of a car. I was wondering why when I realized that it was just not possible for the big bird to veer off into the dense forest since it was too big. The space was not enough. I thought about it later and came to the conclusion that it is the same when you have a big idea. If the environment is full of narrow-minded people, where the norms are standing as close as the trees in a dense forest, the big ideas cannot come in but must follow the open road until they eventually are hit by a car or just fall down due to exhaustion. The Svångemåla proverb is:

"Big birds do not fly in dense forests."

Pigs, lots of pigs!

There are approximately 100,000 wild pigs in Sweden today and the experts predict that the number will grow to 500,000 within five years. It feels like Svångemåla is one of the hardest hit areas since you cannot walk very far in any direction without seeing where they have been digging for food. So far, they have only once ventured into my plot but they are coming closer and closer and my neighbor have had large parts of his garden re-shaped by the vandals. You might remember my fight with a badger but I must admit that compared to the pigs, it was nothing.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to take photos of the pigs since they are extremely shy, mostly move around in the night and have very good ears and noses. The best way to spot one, as is often the case when you are looking for animals, is to drive around and I will do that to be able to maybe spot one without hitting it. Collision between cars and pigs is, however, a growing problem and, considering the size of a full grown pig, I do not look forward to that sort of meeting.

Mushrooms

The rain has made the mushrooms pop up like...well, mushrooms. My absolute favorite is the chanterelle. It is easy to recognize and tastes fantastic. It is also no disadvantage that it is very easy to prepare. Just take some butter, salt and pepper and let them slowly stir for a few minutes before you put them on a piece of brown bread and enjoy them with a glass of beer. Food cannot taste much better!

Albino

It is not always easy to be different. I have experienced this many times, both in Africa and in Asia. One example is when my wife and I arrived in Beijing’s railways station 1987 together with a couple of thousand Chinese travelers. (3.5 million Chinese travel by train every day today!) My blond hair and light skin as well as the fact that I was probably half a meter taller than the rest, made me stand out like a ...European in China. This has also happened many times in Africa when I have been to slums and other places where white / pink skinned people are as common as black people are in Svångemåla. It has never been a real or serious problem but you cannot hide from curious eyes and it is impossible not to be noticed. I thought about this today, when I saw that my albino horseradish plant has once again dared to come up. I do not know how it manages the photosynthesis that I have been told needs chlorophyll but maybe someone can explain that to me? It is,as you can see, much smaller than its green siblings but beside its color, it looks exactly the same. It also made me think about the atrocities albinos in some parts of Africa experience but that is another story.

Amelanchier spicata (Häggmispel)

As I expected, the clouds brought rain, a lot of rain! It is good for most of the plants and trees and in particular the Amelanchier spicata I have planted to hide my garden from the planned new road. Its leaves have a surface that is similar to a newly waxed car and makes the water form wonderful pearls.

Clouds over Svångemåla

It has been a fairly rainy summer so far. I do not mind too much since I have very little that I absolutely must do outside but I do mind when we have lightning too close since it means that all sensitive electrical appliances as well as the phone must be un-plugged immediately or they will, more or less, melt and must be replaced. Cordless phones are particularly vulnerable and I have had to replace three sets as well as two modems. The above cloud is a typical sign that you must be able to read to live in a remote place like this. But on the other hand, it is also beautiful in the same way a poisonous snake or spider can be.

Bluebells or harebells ?

Just imagine if all those bells started to ring! It is the big bluebell season in Svångemåla and it would be absolutely impossible to neither sleep nor hear anything else since there are hundreds or maybe thousands of them around my house. But they don't and I just love them.

African proverb

If you climb up a tree, you must climb down the same tree.

Snails

It has been raining a lot recently and the snails are coming out in full force. I am not too concerned since it is mainly ordinary "forest snails" and not the so called "killer snails" that eat everything that comes in their way. They are still not my favorite animals since they are extremely slippery if you happen to step on one and they also leave long strokes of slime when they slowly move around in the garden, on the terrace and so on. On the other hand, I am sure they are nutritious food for various birds and other animals that I admire and am happy to have around me.

Wild strawberries on a straw

To many, the midnight sun is the what they think of when (and if) they think of summer in Sweden but to almost as many, wild strawberries on a straw is just as typical! Astrid Lindgren, and many other authors, have written about children picking wild strawberries (smultron) and put them on a straw and almost all Swedes have done it. It is a special feeling to do that and when you put them in your mouth and slide them off in one single sweep it is like an explosion of tastes!

It is a VERY good year for both wild strawberries and blueberries and I hope I will be able to pick enough to make at least one pie.

Hops II

Exactly a week ago I wrote about my hops and also showed you a picture of it. It is amazing what can happen in just a week! The lone sprout trying to make it without the support of neither the pole nor any other sprouts, has now been joined by several new sprouts and is continuing "up,up and away". It is a doomed endeavor but still something to admire. At the same time, the plant has started to branch out in a serious way and it is looking more and more like a tree. It must be all the rain and the fertilize that I gave it that is pushing it. You can draw a lot of conclusions from this and the most important one is probably that the top benefits if the ground is watered and given plenty of fertilizers!

Is this necessary?

Do you remember this picture from 2007? It is one of my favorites and I use it on my desktop. I thought of it today when I saw what modern forestry management does to our wonderful forests. In a few hours time a so called "harvester" can make the most peaceful and untouched old forest into something resembling a battle field that has been bombarded with heavy artillery.

I understand that the old days of strong men in boots and helmets, cutting down carefully selected trees have been replaced with huge machines that cut down and off everything that comes in their way in a matter of minutes. But still, is it necessary to rampage and destroy as much as they do now? Hundreds and thousands of square meters are left like enormous wounds for months and sometimes years before they are replanted or wild, green bushes and flowers have covered the ground.



These are not “before” and “after” pictures from exactly the same place but they give you a good illustration of what I mean.

Jasmine

Yes, I know, I know, you have seen my jasmine before but it is such an amazing bush and its fragrance is so lovely that I cannot stop myself from posting it once again. And no, the house in the background is not my cottage but a shed where I keep my fire wood and some garden tools.

Hops and making it to the top…

My hops have thrived, so far, this summer. The cold weather held the plants back a bit in the beginning of June but they have grown at an amazing speed the last couple of weeks. I have two varieties, one Swedish and one Austrian and the Austrian needs a bit higher temperatures before it “takes off” but both have now reached the top of the pole, which made me reflect on the similarities between hops and what it is like to make it “to the top” as a careerist.

On the way to the top, you get support from both the organisation / company (= the pole) and other staff members (= hops’ branches) but when you are up there, you are suddenly on your own and it is a lot more difficult to stay at the top.

Small is beautiful

It is amazing how many wonderful and amazing flowers we can see if we only bend down a bit and carefully study what is just in front of us! At least if you are in Svångemåla!



As always, click on the picture if you would like to look closer.

The Road

This is the road that will be changed. This particular section is bit from where the change will take place but it gives a good idea about its size and condition.

Bumbelbee

Regardless of raging wildfires, new roads, nosy photographers and the size of available flowers, if you are a bumblebee you have to collect as much food as you can.

Good or bad news ????

As you all know, Svångemåla is in the middle of the deep forests of Småland and Sweden. Very little traffic passes my small cottage on the gravel road that even my GPS feels it is necessary to warn me about by stating that “ The destination is not at an tarmac road”. The only regular traffic is a few commuters living in the nearby small villages Grötsjö and Skärvsjö and the milk and garbage trucks. A few times really big timber lorries have to maneuverer through the tight corners around my house and this has caused some concern among the farmers whose timber the lorries are carrying. The suggestion is, therefore, that the road next to my house must be straightened and re-directed as the straight line indicated on the map. In reality, it will not be that straight but you get the idea behind the change. The advantage, from my point of view, is that my view of “The Field” will be better since a lot of smaller trees and bushes will be cleared but on the same time, the road will now take away a part of “The Field” and it will also pass my house on “the wrong” side. All involved have been very cooperative and understanding of my concerns and since the new road will not in any way encroach on my small plot, I cannot really object. But still, it will be a large change in what is “my space” on earth and I am not entirely happy about it.

If all administrative and financial issues have been solved, the work will start in early August and I promise to keep you informed since this is one of the major events in Svångemåla during the last 20 years!

Mother Moose

Late yesterday evening, around ten o'clock, when I went outside to see if the wildfire had come any closer, I saw Mother Moose slowly moving around "The Field". She looked completely undisturbed by the helicopters and the sound of the fire brigades' water pumps. The low light made it difficult to get a really sharp picture but the big animal in the midst of all the flowers is still a wonderful sight!

Hectic

It has been a hectic time in Svångemåla the last couple of days. Helicopters have been hovering around, trying to put out a forest-fire that is still ravaging a 3,000 m2 large area only 2.5 k away from my house. One of the roads had to be closed down for a while to allow fire trucks free access and in the next couple of hours people from the army will join the rescue workers. The situation has been made more difficult due to strong winds and we all hope that it will calm down soon although the fire will be smoldering for many, many more days and even weeks.

Pictures from the local newspaper.

Snake in paradise?

No, this is not a real snake but a lizard called "Copper worm" or Blind worm. It is totally harmless and is mostly known for its ability to grow a new tail if the old one is cut off for some reason. Unfortunately it is commonly mistaken for a dangerous snake and killed but not so in Svångemåla where we take good care of them and admire their wonderful skin.

New Neighbour

When I was throwing away some garbage today I heard a very loud bird “singing” or actually shouting "gi-gi-gi-gi". I could not see it but after a while I saw a small woodpecker and followed its flight until I discovered that he had built a new nest only a few meters away from where I burn my garden garbage. It is an old tree that has been halved in a storm some time ago and it looks like it now has two different nests. The proper name of the bird is Dendropcopos minor or Lesser spotted woodpecker and, as far as I know, it is the first time I have one on my plot.
Click on the picture to see how much food he is taking home to his "babies"!

The Field II

I once went to an art exhibition that turned out to be a bit strange since the painter only painted one motif, waves. Big waves, small waves, rough water waves, calm water waves…well, you get the picture :) I am sure a good painter could paint "The Field" a couple of thousand times and still find something new and beautiful. The colors change all the time and the shadows and the light and the flowers and the trees….. This is what it looks like just now with stripes of millions of white and yellow flowers.

MacMoose

MacMoose has opened in Svångemåla! No it is not a fast food outlet serving moose burgers but a fast food place for the all the moose that roam around in the deep forests around my house. It is a container filled with delicious food that comes out at the bottom where a mechanism provide one serving each time a moose pushes it. To make sure that the wild pigs, who are also roaming around in the same area, does not help themselves, the container is about two meters up which is a bit too high for even the biggest of the pigs.

Visitors from Mars ?

It was around midnight when my slumber ended. A strong, cold wind from the north had been blowing the whole day making my head ache and it had now moved something outside my bedroom window. Or was it Fred the Fox who was playing with my garden tools? I thought it was better to have a look to make sure that everything was OK and went to the kitchen to also have a glass of water when I saw something strange. Without my glasses and in the dim light coming from the Swedish summer night sky and a half moon, I was not sure what it was I saw but it looked a bit like some small people with glowing heads! They were gathered on top of a big iron pot that I usually plant dill parsley and other spices. By coincidence my camera was on my kitchen table so I grabbed it and took some shots with my hands shaking and without really being able to aim. The cold from the bare floor had now gone through my equally bare feet and reached my brain and I realized, a bit ashamed, that it was just some solar powered lamps that I had repaired that I for some seconds had played a trick on me.

Today's Insight

In all religions, the image of God is always a reflection of what is considered to be “the best” and what we humble human beings would like to be like. For example, the old Scandinavian God Thor was a very violent and powerful man, in Christianity God is a very wise and almighty God and so on. I have never really understood why so many of the Gods in the Indian mythology have so many arms and hands until today when I all alone had to put together a couple of IKEA style wardrobes while they were standing up. (It is a lot more difficult than when you can have them lying down.)

One hand had to stabilize the side, one the top, one the screw, one the screwdriver, one the back panel that had to fit into a tiny incision in the side panel and one had to swipe away the sweat that irritated my eyes. Since I only have two hands, and hardly that, it took some time before I figured out how to manage but in the meantime I realized the reason why Gods in India have so many arms and hands. No a bad insight on a rainy day! And I now have two new wardrobes for Mrs Bear and me.

Mystery !

Life in Svångemåla is full of miracles and mysteries. Most of them are, in one-way or the other, related to nature but not this one. I was early this morning removing an old wardrobe, behind which there was a ventilation outlet. To get the best possible airflow, I opened it and started to take out old garbage that had fallen down through the chimney. Old leaves, some bird droppings etc but suddenly I saw some blue textile and started to pull. It turned out to be a cut off leg from a pair of trousers! I got a bit of a scare and thought for a second that maybe a petrified foot might follow but I only found more dirt and old pieces of cement. I have spent some time today trying to figure out why on earth someone has cut off his / her trousers and put the leg in my ventilation but have so far not come to any reasonable explanation.

This is what it looked like. I put one of my clogs next to it for comparison. All help to solve the mystery are most welcome!

Problems ?

We all know how incredible important celebrities relationships are to us all. A whole world of magazines can survive speculating about the strength of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s marriage and the way prince Charles and Camilla looked at each other at the latest party. In Svångemåla, we care more about other marriages. Right now I am a bit concerned about Mrs and Mr Crane. Have a look at the picture below and tell me if you do not agree that their body languages indicates a small rift of some sort? The picture is taken from one end of the field to the other but still, it is obvious to me that something is not right.

Thoughts while watching a fire

We have a good functioning garbage collection service in Svångemåla but from time to time I have to make a small bonfire to get rid of garbage, grass, old leaves, branches etc. that I cannot put in the dustbin.

It is has been too dry to do that since I came back to Svångemåla so I was happy, for once, when I heard the rain early in the morning and could start my fire in the light drizzle without being afraid of it spreading.

While standing there, looking into the flames I started to philosophize why so many of us, if not all, are fascinated by just staring in to a fire. Is it some deep down feelings of safety or survival that we developed during the stone age when a fire meant warm food and protection against wild animals and the cold? Or is it because we feel powerful when we can control something that is often a destroyer and a serious enemy? Or is it simply the ever-changing “picture” the flames paint?

When standing at the fire I was also reminded of the strength smells can have on ones memory. It is nothing that brings me back to Africa as much as the smell of burning grass and leaves. Finally I started to wonder why the wind ALWAYS changes so that you have the smoke directly into your face?

New Tennant !

June 5th 2007 I reported that I had spotted a woodpecker with a newborn. That apartment is now occupied by a starling and one more apartment has been build one floor above but I do not know who the owner of that one is.

The House


Waiting for clearance to unload


One meal served