Stormy weather

This fall we have had a number of low pressures coming in from the west bringing a lot of rain and strong winds. A couple of weeks ago many thousands of people had no electricity due to trees falling over the power lines and roads being blocked by trees. I was therefore not surprised when I recently visited Svångemåla and found a big birch tree resting on the path to the house. It took me the better part of one hour to clear the way and I will have to continue that work when weather and time permit.

It is a bit funny that I earlier worried about some dead trees standing next to this birch (http://svangemalanews.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-wish.html  but they never caused any problems.

The road to the left of the stone wall is not in use any longer as you might remember from previous posts. http://svangemalanews.blogspot.com/2009/06/good-or-bad-news.html 



Moose family

In the middel of the hunting season I met this moose family of four. Impressive animals when you are only 30-40 meters away.

Still some life...

Even when the leaves are covering the ground it is not difficult to find small mushrooms and plants that grow and even thrive. As always, click on the picture to get a better view!



Daisy ?

Shapes



Wet, very wet!

I have lived in Burma (Myanmar) and experienced two monsoon seasons but I still have a feeling that it is wetter in Sweden in October and November. When you are out walking you can often hear big water drops splashing down and the grass and the ground in general are soaking wet. The smell of wet old leaves is very typical for this time of the year.

Verbascum thapsus (Great or Common Mullein)

Lupin

Oak leave

Frost...

The last Fuchsia

So elegant, so fragile but soon it is gone.

Autum in Svångemåla

It is getting really cold in Sweden now. We have had no snow so far but it will not take long before we can see the first white flakes in the air. A few flowers are still managing but the first frost will take them away in no time so let us enjoy them as long as they last!

Cornflower, Bachelor's button, Bluebottle Cyanus segetum)

Parthenocissus creepers

Blackthorn or sloe (Prunus spinosa) You might have to click on the picture to see all the berries. The birds will have a real treat.

The last traces we have had of Bruno !

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

This little Blackbird girl was not feeling well and could hardly move when I spotted her in the high grass. She limped around and I wonder what happened to her when I left her?

Bruno...again

Yes, I know that I have already showed you pictures of Bruno. Several times even but I just cannot refrain from showing you one more. What a cute little creature it is!

Mushrooms

There are plenty of mushrooms in Svångemåla this year thanks to the rains we have received. Some look like cottages in fairytales while some are very cute.

Stonewall

This stonewall is not in Svångemåla but our plot of land is also walled in by a small wall of stones and they are very typical for this part of Sweden, Småland. Many men died and many backs have been broken clearing the land from stones and it is no wonder more than a quarter of the population left for the promised land in the west where hardly a stone had to be removed.

Happy!

I am happy to tell you that Bruno is still enjoying the green grass in Svångemåla! S-/he was away for some days but came back and is looking strong and happy even when the food is a bit wet in the morning. Click on the picture to see how wet it is!

Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera)

I must admit that I do not know much about mushrooms and I am therefore very careful before I prepare and put them on my plate but this is one that I really like, both the taste of it and it's shape and form. It has, in Swedish, the word "proud" in it's name (Stolt Fjällskivling) and just looking at it,one can understand why!

Bruno

Bruno, my resident rabbit, grow very fast and has now left my plot to look for a girl / boy friend. It was fun as long as he/she stayed and maybe he/she comes back one day but this might be the last picture I got of him/her.

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

This kind of bird is very common in Svångemåla and is often the reason why I wake up far too early in the mornings. It sits high up in tree tops, both early mornings and late evenings and lets us all know that has a wonderful "voice".

New visitor!

It seems as if Fred the Fox has left Svångemåla and a new inhabitant has arrived, Robin the Rabbit! Welcome and please eat as much as you like of my lawn!

Butterfly

Not the most colourful or spectacular but I still think this is a wonderful little animal!

2011 is the Year of the Harebell !

There are always a lot of Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) in Svångemåla but this year it is just amazing! Big ones, small ones and all sizes in between. The area that is supposed to be "the lawn" is now a sea of Harebells and who can move a lawn that looks like this? I cannot.

Midsummer 2

Jasmine

Midsummer!

Problem !

Sea Eagle ?

Sea Eagle ?



I saw this bird high up in the sky and very far away so the picture is neither sharp nor large but it looks like it is a Sea Eagle and in that case, it is a bit of a sensation since it would be a first for me in Svångemåla.

Twiggy 2011

As you might remember, I have taken a picture of a particular twig on my linden tree every spring to show how it develops. I am surprised how slowly it develops over the years but it is at the same time amazing how fast it changes after a long winter! If you would like to see what Twiggy looked like last year, use the search function to the right!

Twiggy 2 May



Twiggy 13 May

Yes, she is pregnant

Many Swedes are concerned that a member of the royal family is showing no signs of being pregnant. I am not but I was very happy to see that Mrs Deer is! Her stomach is getting really huge and if we are lucky she might even give birth to twins!

Spring flowers

Not only the birds made me happy in Svångemåla. The spring flowers brought a smile to my face and colour to the otherwise colourless lawn.

Rheum rhabarbarum Maybe not a flower but one of my favourites as you know.




Primula veris



Scilla siberian (?)



Anemone hepatica



Daphne mezereum

Birds, birds and more birds !

I have just been to Svångemåla and sensed the energy and excitement that the many birds feel right now. They sing like crazy, swirl through the air like daredevil pilots and do everything they can to look as attactive as possible in the eyes of the opposit sex. A truly faschinating circus. The Wagtails (Motacilla alba) met me when I arrived and not long after the Cranes (Gruidae) showed off. To my great surprise and joy a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker ( Dendrocopos minor) came close to my entrance door and not far away a Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) hammered away on an old, dead tree. All in all it was a wonderful symphony and Iwill try to record it since the sounds are just as interesting as the pictures this time of the year.

Mr.Wagtail looks really proud and ready to make a good impression on the ladies!



The Crane couple seems to get along well and I hope it stays like that.

The larger of the two kinds of woodpeckers that can be seen in the area can make a lot of noise when they are building a new nest or just looking for food....

while the smaller one most often just pecks a little on the surface of the trees and is therefore more difficult to spot. It is also not so common and some even thought it had left our region for good.

Even some butterflies came out to enjoy the sun and the springflowers.