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

The future?

Svångemåla is part of a very small parish called Oskars (named after a Swedish king) and its main village / centre is Alsjöholm. I have today learnt that it once had two cafes, three shops, one telegraph station, one post office, two bicycle repair shops, a church, two school buildings and a dairy. The parish had a total population of about 2,000. Today, there are about three hundred left and the only services left is a telephone booth, the church and a part time restaurant housed in one of the former school buildings. I am not sure what it is all a sign of but it know it makes me sad and wonder that the future will be like. Are we all going to live in big cities, far from the forests and everything that is a bit “wild” ? Must all shopping be done in huge supermarkets and all schools be large enough to handle 300 + pupils?

Twiggy the Twig

Do you remember Twiggy? A tiny English photo model who was the star of the catwalk many, many years ago or in other words, when I was young :)

You might also remember that I have shown a twig of our linden tree. (May 14th 2008 and May 16th 2007 !) It is slowly becoming a branch that a hundred years or so from now will be strong enough to support a swing that can carry even a mature, male bear like me…. It has so far only grown a couple of centimeters every year and this is an indication of how infertile the the soil is in Svångemåla. It is one of the reasons why a very large part of the population in this part of Sweden simply gave up and emigrated to other parts of the world between 1850 and 1920 but that is another story....

Wagtail

I got a mail asking about the wagtail (2 June 2008). It is here, as always, although I am not sure if it is the same as the one I saw last year or an offspring. Anyway, and although I am a happily married Bear, this is a bird I just love and that makes my heart very warm. Look at the pose, the style. The “wow factor” is ten out of ten!



(Click on the picture if you would like to enlarge it!)

The Field

The Field is probably the most important "part" of my part of Svångemåla. I do not own it but I see it all the time and its there where most of my wild friends eat and socialize. Since it is so important, I will try to show you pictures of it in different light conditions and at different times of the year. This is what it looks like when the sun is setting and the skies are clearing after a rainy day.

Fred the Fox

As some of you might remember, Fred the Fox visited me on the 20th of July last year and I am happy to report he has once again showed up. This time not in my garden but on the field just outside where he was hunting. I hope it was not one of my other wild friends...

Think globally...act locally !

Think globally, act locally is a motto that I learnt during my studies in the US. It is a good motto that fits my current situation very well. Even in a remote place like Svångemåla, a satellite dish is constantly bringing down the latest news from even the remotes places on earth, right into the middle of the deep forest where I am. Some of the news are difficult to just ignore and I will take the opportunity to let you know what I think about them and hope some of you might come in and give the rest of us your opinion.

The first issue I would like to raise is the situation in Burma or Myanmar as the official UN name of the country is. As we all know, a junta has ruled the country for a number of years and the only credible opposition party has been destroyed and its leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been in house arrest for a long time. The political situation is totally unacceptable as is the way the junta is ruling the country and its oppression of all opposition, its use of forced labour and so on, but at the same time, and this is my main point, the current isolation and boycott of the country is a grave mistake!

I have lived and worked in many countries and visited many more but Burma is the only country where people have come up to me and thanked me for coming to visit them. The Burmese people is one of the warmest, most hospital, generous, honest and gentle I know and they are desperate to meet and talk to people from other countries, with other experiences than they have. They want us to see with our own eyes what their rulers are doing to them, what the ordinary man is experiencing but also to hear what the “outside world” is like and what we think about their plight.

My plea is that as many as possible should go to Burma, interact with the people and that way show our solidarity. It is possible to avoid the hotels owned by the generals, boycott their other tourist “attraction” and instead support and encourage the “man on the street”, the taxi driver, the small people on the market, street vendors and even the beggar on the street. The fact that Burma offers some of the most incredible historical and religious sites in the world is a fact and since a visit to this wonderful country should also mean a lot to so many amazing people should make it easy to decide to plan a visit!

Childish ?

A good friend once said, after having read my blogg, that he envied my ability to find joy in the smallest things and happenings. A bird on the roof, a flower or just some drops on a leaf. In many ways he is right. I thought about this today when I woke up and looked at the ceiling above my bed. I have seen this ceiling, on and off, for about 30 years and always marveled about what you can find in it. It is a bit like looking at the clouds floating by a sunny summer day. This time I saw that I have a smiling face looking down on me and suddenly it was much easier to go up and start a new day.

Can you see the smiling face? Click on the picture to enlarge it!



Here it is !

Finally !

Time for my first report from the deep forest of Svångemåla! It has been a long time since I said “bye, bye” and to be honest, not much has happened since I left. At least not that I have noticed so far. The good news are that Mr and Mrs Crane had dinner at their usual part of the field, Mrs Deer passed by one evening and two fish eagles circled, for the first time, directly over my house. The bad news are that the wild hogs are coming closer and closer and that one of “my” moose probably did not survive the yearly hunt. There seems, however, to be plenty of moose around so a new meeting is not impossible.

My little house was in good shape after the winter and the rats and the mice have only had some minor parties in my cellar without causing any serious damages. Let us hope that is stays that way.

All for now. My next report will come soon so stay tuned and talk to you soon!