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!