L i f e I m a g e s

No Winter

2011-11-19T17:21:00.000+01:00

No winter to speak of yet. No real cold, no snow. Might as well be summer. I miss summer.

Sunrise

2011-11-13T16:45:00.000+01:00

Frosty Run

2011-11-13T16:32:00.000+01:00

Nothing like a chilly late autumn morning to go for a run in my Vibram Five Finger shoes! As long as you keep running your feet don't get cold and the ground makes that lovely crunchy sound as you run along the forest paths.

Wow..

2011-07-13T21:34:00.000+02:00

It's been such a long time since I did anything to this blog that I have almost forgotten how. To be honest I haven't even looked at it for months. Time flies and before I knew it our long winter was over and summer arrived bringing (as always) very mixed weather... It's also a busy time of year especially now that so much "kit" for our Land Rover has finally arrived just waiting to be bolted on and used.
I don't really know what photos to select or post so here are few random pics from summer so far!

Henrik's football practise

A short trip to the east coast to try out the beach and new tent

Too cold to swim but the beach was alright

Back home again and a couple of weeks later Rhiannon tried out the lake in Lit

Well that's it for now. I will try to take more photos and post some of the Land Rover Defender and my progress on turning it into an overlanding machine! That will have to be another day though.

Hitting the slopes

2011-02-20T21:25:00.000+01:00

When I first tried skiing I used to get both annoyed (jealous) and amazed by the little kids flying down the big slope without even using skipoles. This year Lorienne, Henrik and I took lessons in downhill skiing and I'm proud to say that Henrik is now one of those little kids!
After having gone down the slope a few times together with Henrik I told him I wouldn't wait for him this time and that I was going go faster than before. He was ok with that, but after about half the slope I decided to stop and check on him anyway only to hear his voice right behind me saying: "Why are you slowing down Dad???"

Henrik on top of the slope just after getting off the skilift

Christmas and New Year

2011-01-09T20:22:00.000+01:00

Thank you Matthew and Lauren for visiting! It was great getting to know you better and we hope to see you again soon!

The frenzy of opening presents.

I bet this type of photo has never been attempted before (yes I am joking).

Skiing

2010-12-12T19:40:00.000+01:00

Henrik is quickly picking up the winter sports. He can ski and skate now!

Mosjön

2010-11-13T20:25:00.000+01:00

Skating on Mosjön near Lit a week ago. It was really windy and if you made the effort of skating upwind for while you were rewarded by being able "sail" all the way back again!

Birthdays

2010-10-03T16:36:00.000+02:00

I haven't been posting many photos lately. Just lack of time I guess. Anyway, here are some photos of recent birthdays. The whole family was born in September. Yes that's right, Virgos RULE!

Henrik is still a bit camera shy so I have to catch him when I can. For his birthday we took a whole lot of his friends and his little sister to a playhouse called the "Jungle House". You rent a birthday room with a theme (Henrik chose the Pirate room) and kids eat cake, sweets and open presents. And play like mad in all the tunnels and slides etc later of course.
Rhiannon didn't have a party in the same sense, but enjoyed being woken up to lots of presents.

Lorienne taking Rhiannon down the slide

Blueberry Monster Cake

Not a bad hair day, but she was fast asleep 10 minutes earlier

Summer Photos

2010-09-09T20:13:00.000+02:00

Rhiannon and Henrik's aunt Delia

Henrik is a fast runner and is getting increasingly difficult to catch, even with a good camera

Ballet in the field

Assortment of Holiday Photos

2010-08-23T21:02:00.000+02:00

Another trip to wonderful Laholm in the summer. This time my Dad and his family joined us as well and gave me the opportunity to take a Hagström guys family photo. The only one missing was 12 year old Brodie who lives in Australia with his mother.
Here is an assortement of holiday photos.

Dad

Dad and male offspring

Relaxed holiday mood

My favourite girls

Don´t worry, I helped him shortly after taking a few photos

My niece

Gåxsjö

2010-07-11T20:34:00.000+02:00

We visited a little village called Gåxsjö on Saturday. It celebrated it's 600th anniversary!

Henrik's friend and Henrik (centre) checking out the lake.

Gåxsjö church shortly before a rainstorm.

Parkour Henrik!

Midsummer

2010-06-27T21:24:00.000+02:00

Midsummer fortunately doesn't mean we've reached the middle of summer yet, summer only arrives up here in July and lasts until the end of August.
We attended the midsummer festival in the village which got off to a rainy start and forced us to seek cover in the old church.
The rain didn't last for long though and we could go outside and enjoy the show again.

Waiting for the hail and heavy rainfall to end from inside the church

Lorienne and Rhiannon taking a look at an old memorial stone

The rain quickly ended and the festivities carried on

Summer(?) Outing

2010-06-12T13:06:00.000+02:00

Occasionally the temperatures have reached a balmy 18-20C, warm enough for an outing to Indalsälven in Lit at least.

Elusive Subject

2010-05-23T19:48:00.000+02:00

Finally I managed to take a photograph of my son Henrik! Lately, whenever he sees the camera, he seems to evaporate into thin air and it's only his teasing laughter that lets you know he is still around somewhere.
I could take this photo of him because his mother promised to let him spray her with water afterwards as a reward.

Rhiannon on the other hand can't wait to have her photo taken, or rather, can't wait to see the photo of herself.

Spring At Last

2010-05-16T21:11:00.000+02:00

A spicy scent outside, shifting weather, misty forests and birdsong...Spring is here!

Crocodile boots?

Flower watch

Where's the fairy?

Spring soon!

2010-04-06T21:24:00.000+02:00

What a winter it's been with both Rhiannon and Lorienne getting pneumonia. Lorienne even got admitted to hospital for a week where they drained 3 litres of fluid from her left lung!
Apart from illnesses it's been the coldest winter we've had since moving here in 2002 with temperatures staying well below -20 C for weeks. The Land Rover has thrown a few problems my way too with strange noises from the front axle and failing clutch hydraulics. Not much fun working on the car in the winter darkness and icy cold.
Only now these last few days it´s been much warmer, the sun shines, Lorienne is much better, I fixed the Land Rover and the days are getting longer and longer.
Needless to say my photography has taken a step back in all this. There's been a lot to do around the house with Lorienne out of our routines and system, but things are getting back to normal again and I'm looking forward to a long hot summer with plenty of photo opportunities!
I did manage a few photos of family though:

Rhiannon does the face but Mommy blows the bubbles

Lorienne in hospital

Home

2010-03-12T21:13:00.000+01:00

"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone..." Those are the words from a song, I forget the name of it and the rest of the lyrics, but while Lorienne is in hospital the evenings are lonely and the days are long. The kids must think they have a weird dad at the moment. My mind is out of focus while worrying about my wife who's ill and I'm not good at entertaining my children right now.
Until she's back home again an important part of our tightly knit family is missing here in our house.
Get better, come home, we miss you, we need you.

Chocolate Cake

2010-03-07T20:20:00.000+01:00

So what's nicer? The mixture or the cake itself?

Wrong Photo

2010-01-27T20:46:00.000+01:00

Taking family photographs when there are little kids involved is not always an easy task. I try to make the process as quick as possible before they get bored, but usually it takes a few tries before I'm happy.
In this photograph (one out of 9 attempts) everyone is doing the "wrong" thing, but it's my personal favourite!

Henrik's and Rhiannon's big cousin Chris and his girlfriend Mel visited us over New Year. As you can see there was seldom a quiet moment!

Still Cold

2010-01-14T21:06:00.000+01:00

The old church in Kyrkås on a moonlit night at -25 C.

Dinosaurs

2010-01-01T13:04:00.000+01:00

Helping our little dinosaurs survive the winter cold.

Short Day

2009-12-21T21:19:00.000+01:00

Today is the shortest day of the year. The sun only showed it's face for a few brief hours. But who cares when there are bright little faces and Christmas around the corner!

Henrik

2009-12-13T19:49:00.000+01:00

On the odd occasion I get the chance to take photos of Henrik, but usually it's Rhiannon who steps into the limelight.
She had to take a step back today though when Henrik tried on his santa suit. It's "Lucia" and the kids dress up and...actually I have written about this before, click here.
Anyway, Henrik still prefers to observe and take notes rather than joining in.

Rhiannon can't yet climb up on the toy basket

Watching the Lucia procession and taking notes

The Big Lamp In the Sky

2009-12-01T21:02:00.000+01:00

Today Rhiannon made me realise how little we see the sun during this part of the year.
The sun was shining just above the horizon (around noon!) and she pointed at it and said one of the few words she really knows: "Lampa...!" (Lamp in English).
Three weeks left now until it starts getting lighter again.

Icebound

2009-11-14T19:46:00.000+01:00

With winter approaching, the long dark nights and short days that follow it, I have been feeling trapped at home lately. I try to think of things to do and places to go, but my creativity doesn't stretch very far right now.

It's the early winter that disappoints. It comes and goes.
It snows, it melts, it snows, it melts. Last week brought lots of fog followed by subzero temperatures, the perfect recipe for amazing frost!

Creative Chaos

2009-11-01T18:58:00.000+01:00

My biggest worry while at home with my kids (besides figuring out what to cook and how to cook it!) is trying to keep them entertained.
I don't mind the cleaning and tidying up, in fact I see it as a sort of challenge trying to create order out of chaos. I feel a sense of panic when one of the first things Henrik asks me in the morning is what we're going to do today and when am I going to play with him in his room? I don't know. I haven't a clue.
We should be doing something which stimulates their minds while at the same they'll grow up thinking they have a great dad and what fun it was to be at home.
But my mind comes to a standstill. I can think of a hundred things and at the same time nothing at all. So when I answer Henrik's question it's usually with: "Eeeh..."

On Friday we tried being artistic. I taped some paper to the floor and we all had a hand in trying to not let any white paper show through. I think this picture describes what it's like at home at the moment.

One of the artists

Frozen Dew

2009-10-25T19:48:00.000+01:00

Like fairy jewels the frozen dew sparkles across the field in the morning.

Update On the "Hunting Season" Post

2009-10-17T12:15:00.000+02:00

To avoid any misunderstanding, a Swedish version will follow.
I apparently gravely insulted a small (as far as I know) group of hunters in the village by my earlier post regarding the hunting season. The party of hunters in question drew parallels between my website and child pornograpy and I was told to go to a warm place. I was shocked by their reaction and insulted by their comparison between my website and websites containing child pornography.
I love this village and I love the people living here which makes their reaction even more shocking to me.
I feel it is necessary to post an update to clarify my views and intentions here on this website.

I am not against hunting and I understand the necessity for hunting, but I don't understand the enjoyment of hunting, I never will. We all have our different interests.
The intention of my website is to inspire me to photograph and if I can update family and friends with the latest pictures of my family or show my village in a good light, all the better, but basically I write and take photographs of whatever interests me. This website will never contain any form of pornography.

This is not an apology for my earlier post. Perhaps I would have considered removing the post if their views were handled in a more appropriate manner, all this happened in front of my family when we went to congratulate the hunting party on a successful hunt.
I sincerely believe their manner was not representative of the residents of Kyrkås. The people I know and have met here have always been kind and considerate.

SVENSKA:

Tydligen blev en liten (så vitt jag vet) grupp jägare i byn djupt förolämpade av mitt tidigare inlägg om jaktsäsongen. Gruppen ifråga drog paraleller mellan min websida och barnpornografi och jag blev ombedd att sticka till en varm plats. Jag blev chockad av deras reaktion och förolämpad av deras jämförelse mellan min websida och websidor som innehåller barnpornografi.
Jag älskar den här byn och jag älskar människorna som bor här vilket gjorde att deras reaktion chockade mig extra mycket.
Jag känner att det är nödvändigt med ett inlägg som förklarar mina synpunkter och intentioner här på denna websida.

Jag är inte emot jakt och jag förstår varför det är nödvändigt att jaga, men jag förstår inte glädjen i det, det kommer jag aldrig göra. Vi har alla olika intressen.
Avsikten med den här websidan är att inspirera mig att ta bilder och om jag kan uppdatera min släkt och vänner med de senaste bilderna på min familj eller visa min by i bra ljus så är det en bonus, men generellt tar jag bilder på vad som helst som lockar mitt intresse. Den här sidan kommer dock aldrig att innehålla någon form av pornografi.

Syftet med det här inlägget är inte att be om ursäkt. Kanske kunde jag ha tagit bort inlägget ifråga om deras synpynkter lagts fram på ett bättre sätt, allt detta skedde inför min familj när vi gått fram till dem för att gratulera dem på en lyckad jakt. Jag tror verkligen inte att deras sätt var representativt för de som bor i Kyrkås. Alla som jag träffat och känner här har alltid varit vänliga och omtänksamma.

More Clothes

2009-10-11T16:41:00.000+02:00

Winter is making itself known slowly but surely. Most of the leaves have fallen and our winter tyres are on. Taking the kids out is a real project when trying to get everyone dressed. There is lots of discussing about what to wear and not to wear and winter clothes have way of hiding away just when they are needed. Rhiannon likes to show off how much she dislikes wearing gloves by shaking her hands until the gloves go flying in different directions.

Rhiannon bundled up in her pram, the gloves having left the building once again.

@ Home With the Kids

2009-10-05T10:06:00.000+02:00

I'm on paternity leave until the end of December.
Must be nice to be home and not have to work people say...Yeah right!
The days are divided up between cooking, changing nappies, cleaning, playing, washing, etc, etc... But in the end it's all time I don't want to miss.

Henrik and Rhiannon in her toybox

Hunting Season

2009-09-13T21:38:00.000+02:00

I can't make up my mind about hunting. I understand the need to hunt, I can't complain about the poor animals either since I'm not a vegetarian. What I can't understand is why people enjoy it so much? How does killing animals become fun? I could do it out of necessity, but never for enjoyment.
On Saturday we watched as a female moose was airlifted from a bog by helicopter. I couldn't help feeling sorry for her watching her dangling from her neck up in the air.

The makeshift butchery in a barn where she'll be chopped up and divided into little bits.

Holiday

2009-08-12T21:20:00.000+02:00

With only one week of paid leave left this year (Lorienne is still on maternity leave) we decided to spend it wisely and travelled down to Laholm to visit my brother and his family. We haven't seen them in 5 years!
Anyway, we packed my newly aquired Land Rover Defender 130 and drove down the 1000km in a two day trip, spending the night in Sala with Henrik and Rhiannon's two other cousins Tyr and Liv. We arrived in Laholm late afternoon the next day.
Although we had a lovely stay I truly believe Henrik had the best holiday out of all of us. He really spent every possible second trying to keep up with his older cousins and slept late in the mornings which otherwise never happens.
Here is an assortment of photos from our trip.

The Landy is great, you can even attach your baby to the back of it.

Henrik enjoying a run past the wheat fields

Rhiannon getting to know her cousin Max

Ivo and "Tuppe"

Max the archer

My brother and his family

At the beach

At home in the apple tree

Brothers at sunset

We pulled off the road and found a lake with a sandy beach on our way home. The water was luke warm. We decided to camp there and couldn't have found a more suitable place. Since it wasn't official it was also free.
I could do this more often, but I'd like a roof top tent.

Little Archer

2009-07-26T19:53:00.000+02:00

How did I get Henrik to spend more time outside? I bought him a bow and some arrows and now it's difficult to get him to go inside!
He definitely has a knack for it.

Landscape

2009-07-20T19:43:00.000+02:00

Dramatic sky over Bringåsen on one of our weekend walks. Did we bring the raingear?

Waffles

2009-07-12T20:47:00.000+02:00

Why not have some waffles at the local summer café on a rainy day? Henrik just can't get enough of them.

Family

2009-07-05T22:32:00.000+02:00

Finally a picture of the whole family together! Not the easiest job to get everyone together including Tasse the cat. Rhiannon wants to practice walking, Lorienne has to help Rhiannon practice walking (see picture further down), Henrik doesn't like being photographed any more, Tasse has mice to chase and I'm trying to get the camera and flashes to do what I want them to.

Practice, practice, practice...

Flower Power

2009-06-28T20:36:00.000+02:00

I have an ongoing battle with Dandelions.
They must be the most successful, virile and irritating plant (weed!) that lives around these parts. Anything you do to them just makes them come back stronger. They start out a pretty yellow, but soon afterwards - if you're not fast enough with the lawnmower - they grow a white afro which would put Don King to shame. The white "afro" consists of countless seeds designed to fly around your garden and build green nests where they spawn new flowers to continue their campaign. The Campaign of taking over our lawn completely.

I swear these little guys actually duck when they see the lawnmower. If I mow the lawn in the evening then sure enough they're back again the next morning. In fact, yesterday one of them spontaniously "puffed" all of it's seeds towards millions of different potential nesting sites just seconds before I shredded it with my 4-stroke 125cc Stiga with a mulcher function. Coincidence? I think not. It did it just to irritate me. To have the last word.

Last year I made a point of pulling them out by their roots to rid myself of them for good. Well guess where most of them grow now?
I give up. Yellow is a nice colour isn't it?

Help...!

For Lorienne

2009-06-20T20:33:00.000+02:00

Lorienne, if you are reading this while you are in South Africa then please know that we are doing fine. A little chaotic, yes, and sometimes strong wills collide, but on the whole it's going well.
We hope you are ok too. We know you and your family (who are there with you) support each other during this time.

We love you , we miss you, we need you.

In Memory of May Bell

2009-06-15T07:17:00.000+02:00

Lorienne's mother, Henrik's and Rhiannon's grandmother and my mother in law was to leave for Sweden today and would have been with us tomorrow. Unfortunately she passed away peacefully in her sleep yesterday.
She will be greatly missed.

May Bell 1926-05-09 - 2009-06-14

Sick...

2009-06-13T19:21:00.000+02:00

It's Rhiannon's turn to have a fever. I can't believe how these flues and colds seem to be waiting in line for us and our children lately. Hopefully we will soon have gone through the enitre range of flu bugs and be immune to them all.

Rhiannon waiting behind a mosquito net in her pram while Lorienne is busy gardening

Cycling

2009-06-07T10:21:00.000+02:00

I helped a friend the other day by taking some photographs while his cycling club was trying out a new track. I hardly ever venture into sports photography, but I think I should do it more often. It certainly helps to hone your speed! The sun kept going behind clouds all the time which made it even more of a challenge getting the exposure right.

Up the hill...

...and down the hill

A tight turn gave me a perfect chance for a wide angle close up

Afterwards there was lots of hanging over the handlebars spitting and discussing of tactics

Henrik

2009-05-31T20:12:00.000+02:00

"Who's going to play in my room?"
This is usually the first thing Henrik says after finishing a meal. You're in double trouble if you say no, but who wants to be inside when the sun is shining (for once) and there are a hundred other things which need to be done?

Mist

2009-05-26T20:50:00.000+02:00

A misty view in Bringåsen, Jämtland. Oh, and that's hail on the ground not snow.

Sunshine

2009-05-26T20:13:00.000+02:00

Rhiannon made the most of last weekend's sunshine by tanning her foot while snoozing.

The Running of the Ants

2009-05-24T21:26:00.000+02:00

Try panning your camera on one of the more erratic little creatures around. Run 5cm stop, change direction, stop, run back 5cm, repeat...
Besides being under attack by their little buddies running up my legs and looking like an idiot to neighbours who happened to see me, it was a lot of fun too!

Their red bodies are lit up by the sun

Calypso

2009-05-23T21:23:00.000+02:00

A temptress in Homers story of Ulysses, the name of Jacques Cousteau's ship and also the name of a very rare orchid which grows in Brynje, a neighbouring village to ours. I first heard about it almost three years ago. Last year I went looking for it but I was too late since it had already finished blooming. Finally this year with the help of Vivi-Ann our local flower expert, I managed to photograph it.

Action

2009-05-18T19:34:00.000+02:00

Some bath time action with Rhiannon

Not a Dead Cat

2009-05-17T21:03:00.000+02:00

I caught Tasse doing his "Dead Cat" impression. A trick to lure unsuspecting mice to come closer?

The Weekend

2009-05-17T20:54:00.000+02:00

A difficult weekend. Henrik has had a fever since Friday and even though we filled his young body full of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen, it only managed to take the edge off it, still leaving him hot and miserable. The turnaround came today after a visit to the hospital and the start of an antibiotic cure. He suddenly became himself again. He became the happy little boy we know him to be and Rhiannons loving big brother.

Red hot with fever

Don't want to play today

Still in pyjamas but more himself again

Rhiannon

2009-05-10T21:32:00.000+02:00

There was a spontaneous photosession with Rhiannon today when she tried out her new outfit. I think she looks a bit like a cross between a fairy and a bumble bee.
You can view two more images on flickr if you click on one of the pictures below.

Happy Girls

2009-05-09T20:20:00.000+02:00

My two favourite girls!

Flowers

2009-05-09T20:13:00.000+02:00

Does anyone know the name of this flower? Please leave a comment if you do. All I know is that it grows from a bulb in spring.

Henrik

2009-05-06T20:25:00.000+02:00

Can you "see" the soundeffects of the paper plane taking off?

Macro

2009-05-03T20:08:00.000+02:00

Lately I've enjoyed using with my macro lens because it opens up all sorts of possibilities since there are literally thousands of subjects all around you almost wherever you are. That's a dream come true when you are a father of two with a full time job! All you need to do is lie down in the grass with a macro lens to discover a whole new world right around your feet.

Anemone hepatica

My son Henrik holding the same flowers

A "bug"...

On Our Own?

2009-04-25T20:28:00.001+02:00

No matter where you are you're never on your own. There may not be a single other person or signs of human civilization for miles, but all you have to do is look up and it won't be long before you see jets tearing across the sky.

More Spring

2009-04-25T20:15:00.002+02:00

Spring is in the air: The snow is almost gone, we ate lunch on the veranda and Tasse the cat caught this season's first mouse! He devoured the whole thing before I got the camera out.

Swimming

2009-04-19T20:25:00.001+02:00

Rhiannon had her first ever swim today and she took to the water like a fish!

Ghost of a Tree

2009-04-19T19:28:00.004+02:00

Unfortunately I don't know who wrote this:

Let us pause for the taking of inventory,
To measure the debt we owe the tree.
For the searching root that knits the soil,
The cooling shade for those who toil,
The air we breathe, nature's greatest gift,
And the leaf that heralds each season's shift.

Forget the not the fruit that feeds man and beast,
The branch that burns to prepare the feast.
That sturdy frame that builds our home,
And the paper on which you read this poem.
The tree gives all and asks no prize,
Even making the axe that ends it's life.

Take care of our trees.

No More Winter

2009-04-12T20:46:00.000+02:00

For the first time since moving to Sweden I'm actually going to miss the winter. I've really enjoyed skiing this year and since I got rid of my bike, spring is just not as exciting as it used to be while waiting for enough snow to disappear so I could go for the seasons first ride.
We say goodbye to winter for now: So long and thanks for all the snow!

Spring Sign

2009-04-10T21:54:00.002+02:00

First sign of spring is the Flower "Colt's Foot" or Tussilago farfara
Today we saw our first one this season breaking through the roadside.

COPYRIGHT!

2009-04-07T19:36:00.002+02:00

It has come to my attention that some of my images are being printed. While this is flattering, I ask those who wish to have printed versions of my pictures to contact me first. I own the copyright of all the images on this website and even if you print images with the noblest of intentions you are still using my material without permission.
I always reduce the quality of the images to make them unsuitable for print so if you would like a copy then all you need to do is contact me for a more suitable version.
From now on I will also add a copyright logo before uploading images.

Storulvån

2009-04-06T21:16:00.003+02:00

Skis? Check!
Food? Check!
Warm clothes? Check!
Family? Check!
All the family stuff? Will check again.

A skiing trip in the mountains is quite a project when it involves bringing little children with you. The idea was my impossibly optimistic cousin Kalle's to begin with and we were lucky to have the opportunity to rent a neighbours log cabin in an area called Storulvån.

Besides figuring out how and where to put everything in the cars (we ended up borrowing a huge trailer from another neighbour), you also have to work out how to fit the essentials for dragging children up mountains in World War II toboggans. That is where the real adventure begins. Also where the struggle begins. Snow is slippery and mountains are steep. World War II toboggans are heavy.

Lessons learned on our skiing adventure:

Don't try to save money by not getting proper climbing skins ( furry straps with sticky glue on the back, attaches to the skiis and enables you to ski upwards without slipping, kind of like a nordic spiderman).

Don't use army surplus toboggans from World War II to transport equipment and children up steep mountains. People were tougher back then and were trying not to get shot by germans, ie they had more incentive. I had my optimistic cousin insisting on a view.

Don't drag your kids up (or down) steep mountains, stay in the valleys even if the view is better further up. Kids don't care about views, but they do care (a lot) about crashing face down in snow while stuck in a toboggan.

One gets very sunburned even if it's winter and snowy outside. All it takes is sunny weather. I am a piggy pink as a result of not taking the above in to enough consideration.

Chill out with good food and wine in the evening when you're back at the cabin again. You deserve it.

Storulvån is a magnificent place and I would like to go back again, but I will keep this trip's lessons in my back pocket for the next time we go.

My impossibly optimistic cousin

WWII toboggans

Beware of snowblindness!

I felt a bit like I had the opportunity to play with the big boys on the deep side of the pool which I appreciated.

Saving precious Parma Ham from soggy sandwiches

Hot Cloudberries and icecream, an aquired taste.

Hitting the Target

2009-03-29T17:52:00.002+02:00

These country boys certainly know how to shoot. For two years in a row now I have had the honour of being appointed photographer for the annual shooting competition held in Kyrkås wintertime. The distance to the targets range between 350 to more than 500 metres and no telescopic sights are used. Skill and focus allow you to hit your target anyway. Lying in the snow with a side wind and a gentle snowfall makes it just a little bit harder.
Why is it held in wintertime? I still have no idea. I must remember to ask the next time.

Journey

2009-03-24T20:43:00.002+01:00

This circular rainbow reminded me of an old song by Journey called "Wheel in the Sky":

"The wheel in the sky keeps on turning
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turning"

Awake

2009-03-22T20:37:00.002+01:00

Rhiannon is keeping us awake at night again. Last night we got up for her a total of 8 times...! Hope she sleeps better tonight.

Aron

2009-03-17T20:24:00.001+01:00

I was asked by our friends Cristiana and Kjell to take some photographs of their baby boy Aron. These are some of the photographs.

Digging In

2009-03-10T20:55:00.002+01:00

Mount Everest Monday night the 9th of March: Clear, but with 85 km/h winds and a windchill of -69 Celcius.
So I stayed inside my bivouac... at home, in Jämtland, in Sweden, 20 metres from our front door! =) There is no place like home.
Henrik loved the snow cave I made for him! So did I. Here is me playing in it with my camera in the evening.

The President and I

2009-03-07T12:00:00.003+01:00

More often than not I'm behind the camera instead of in front of it. Actually I prefer it that way. Last weekend though, I tried the "reverse-camera-grip-self-portrait-technique" when I met our president Ewert Ljusberg.
The region Jämtland wants to be it's own country you see and we already have a president, a flag and a national anthem. What else do we need?
It's mostly tongue in cheek, but it's good publicity for the region too.

Family Photo Update

2009-03-07T11:53:00.003+01:00

Some updated family photographs. Oh, and I was behind the camera.

Henrik has become quite a caring older brother.

Rhiannon's eyes are as blue as Henrik's and she is an exact copy of what I looked like at the same age.

I didn't know I was ever this cute until I compared some old pictures.

Kids

2009-03-01T20:05:00.002+01:00

Do you think kids have an easy time just playing? Then try walking in their shoes one day =)
My son Henrik tried walking in mine.

Cold Repairs

2009-02-21T16:59:00.001+01:00

I usually drive alone and when I drive alone I play the radio. The other day I switched it off because of a song which was too noisy and that's when I heard it: The other noise. The noise of metal grinding against metal, the unmistakeble sound of brake pads completely worn out. I bought new ones straight away and decided to fit them as soon as I got home. In Botswana - my previous country of residence - this wouldn't have been a problem. I had all the tools I needed back then and it simply meant opening an ice cold "Redd's" cider and getting to work. This was different. First of all it wasn't warm, it was -15C and there is no heating in the garage. Metal becomes painful to touch at that temperature and you can't really wear gloves either because they make you too clumsy.
I spent about 30 minutes looking for tools I didn't have and another hour and a half to do the actual the job after borrowing tools from a neighbour. All the time visions of feet and hands blackened by frostbite fluttered through my mind.
I didn't get frostbite, but couldn't feel my feet or my hands at the end of it. Anyway, I prefer taking photographs from getting hypothermia while reparing old cars.

Enter the Light

2009-02-17T16:28:00.002+01:00

Today started out at -23C, but We are slowly leaving the dark time of year behind us. The light is changing, the days are getting longer and people are spending more time outside again. The air sparkles with tiny illuminated ice crystals, leafless trees are laced with a billion diamonds and behind a tangle of frozen branches, there it is, the sun!

I'm often jealous of photographers in warmer parts of the world, of the warm sunsets, bright colours unhidden by snow and ice. At the same time I count myself as fortunate to have the opportunity to experience this winter wonderland in all it's icy glory. These three photographs were all taken within a 50 metre radius of our house.

Sick

2009-02-15T14:08:00.001+01:00

Tired, sad and glassy eyed our little boy Henrik has been fighting a stomach bug the last few days. Today is the first day that he's kept his food down.
One feels useless as a parent only being able to comfort and convince him to take some liquids which rarely stayed down anyway.

Cold

2009-02-11T10:10:00.001+01:00

30 degrees below outside my office window today. Getting stuck outside in the "bush" without proper clothes or resque would kill you. Brrrr...
I have to add some summer photos!

Henrik

2009-02-08T20:45:00.000+01:00

A thoughtful Henrik gazing into our fireplace.

Happiness...

2009-02-07T15:03:00.001+01:00

...is when your big brother has already gone to bed and all your parents attention is on you while getting dressed in a fresh new pair of pyjamas!

Nearby

2009-02-04T12:38:00.001+01:00

I'm married, we have two small children, we both have fulltime jobs. It's not that easy to go away for a few weeks and document some interesting event on the other side of the world. That's why most of my photos are taken in the near vicinity of my home, office or on the way to either. Fortunately there are so many beautiful scenes to photograph right around us as long as one doesn't forget to look. Even ice crystals on a twig can look interesting when viewed through a macro lens.

Town On Fire

2009-02-01T20:48:00.002+01:00

Östersund on Fire! At least that's what it looked like from my office window while the sun was setting the other day. The windows in town were reflecting the sunset directly my way and made it look as if part of Östersund was on fire. I had to photograph through a locked tripple glazed window so the image didn't turn out as sharp as Nikon intended when they built my lens.

Nacreous

2009-01-31T15:30:00.002+01:00

Like mother of pearl these high altitude ice crystal clouds light up the evening sky.
I was going through my archives looking for pictures of skyscapes after being in contact with an artist friend of mine Helena Schüssel, when I came across these photographs which I took a while back of "nacreous clouds". I haven't seen any this season, but they are always a spectacular sight.
You can read more about them here.

Winter Scenery

2009-01-25T14:49:00.002+01:00

Lorienne and I have both rediscovered cross country skiing this winter and we're making good use of the local ski track near our house. It's hard to beat the scenery when there is new snow on a sunny day.

Real Food

2009-01-18T19:26:00.000+01:00

On Saturday the 17th of January (yesterday) our daughter Rhiannon was exactly 4 months old and to celebrate this she tried her first ever "real" food: Mashed potatoes.
She wasn't quite sure what to think of it.

Right Now

2009-01-13T21:12:00.002+01:00

It was Mark Twain who said: "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."
We live on credit and we have lived on credit for a long time now. I'm not talking about bank loans, but the other much larger credit that we all share. We owe the world.
For example: If you make a fire to warm yourself, do you also plant a new tree to replace the wood you burned? Probably not. I know I don't. We should, but somehow it becomes someone elses problem although -ultimately- it is up to every single one of us to take responsibility. Don't wait for your governement to do something because it probably won't. Instead give a thought to what actually happens to all those things you throw away, where does it all go? Is there any way you can create less rubbish by shopping differently? Do you really have to use your car as much as you do? If you do, then how do you drive it? And what kind of car do you drive?
I believe we were meant be the gardeners of our world and not the rulers of it.
If you want to change but don't know how then find out! There are two great resources at the bottom of my webpage. Take a little time and click on them to find out what you can do.
Life is always right now, this moment. Don't waste it, do something. Now.

Going to Work

2009-01-10T12:44:00.004+01:00

On my way to work yesterday I couldn't help taking a photograph of an incredible looking moon. Driving on the narrow winter road with a bright moon lighting up the clouds in front of it was almost surreal and unfortunately the hasty photo doesn't do the experience justice. In fact I tried hard not to turn around to take the photograph, but the photographer in me was very insistent. Lorienne says I don't have to photograph everything, but most of the time I do.
To save some time I decided to do a handbrake turn to get the car pointing in the right direction instead of doing a 97-something point turn. Not my best idea yet. I chickened out of driving fast before pulling the handbrake so the car didn't have enough momentum to make a full turn. I'm glad the snow banks on the side of the road were soft!

Family

2009-01-04T19:49:00.001+01:00

I didn't take many photographs this holiday and the ones I took were mostly of family since we had very special guests this Christmas:
Lorienne's brother James, his wife Lynda, their youngest son Warrick and his girlfriend Julie came over to visit us all the way from the USA.
A couple of years ago we visited them in Chicago and it felt like we did a hundred different things. When we got together with them here in Sweden we mostly ate and drank more than we usually do with only a couple of other activities thrown in. Still it was great to spend time with family members who we see far too little of.

James with his nephew Henrik and only niece Rhiannon.

Julie proved to be quite the skeet shooter and struck fear into the rest of us with her lethal scores.

Warrick wants a gun

Love in the cold

Santas from America

2008-12-28T09:02:00.001+01:00

This Christmas some santas came over from America and performed advanced figureskating moves on our local skating rink!

Santa James:

Santa Warrick:

Santa Warrick and Santa Julie:

Family Update

2008-12-21T20:20:00.003+01:00

Rhiannon has become much more aware of her surroundings lately. While she little more than existed before, she now follows us with her gaze and when spoken to she gives us the most radiant smiles you can imagine. I haven't been able to catch one of those smiles on camera yet since they are so distracting that I forget to take the picture!

The other day Henrik told Lorienne and I that one time when he was going home from "pretend Work" he saw two dark stars with racoons in them. He really meant racoons too because he translated it to Swedish and used the term "tvättbjörn" which means exactly that!
While it's occasionally too cold to be outside for very long you have to invent things to do inside instead so why not become a cat who likes hiding in paper packets?

Old Moon

2008-12-16T12:41:00.003+01:00

Another image using an overlay technique.
This plot or piece of land in Kyrkås has been in the same family since November 1710. That's almost 300 years ago and some of the buildings on it were erected even earlier.

Lucia

2008-12-14T21:01:00.003+01:00

Every year on the 13th of December Sweden celebrates the saint Lucia, you can read about her here.
The reason we celebrate this saint is all but forgotten, but it's something school kids do and they dress up in white robes, hold candles or stars on sticks and sing Christmas carols. All the parents and friends come to watch and listen. Actually it isn't reserved for schoolkids and has become something of a beauty contest outside of the schools.

As far as the school celebration goes, it involves both girls and boys. Traditionally the boys dress up in white robes and hold stars mounted on sticks and the girls wear white robes too, but also wear tinsel in their hair and hold candles. The main character Lucia was always played by a girl with candles in her hair, but these days of the Swedish liberation of the sexes, a guy will do just as well. There is a debate about this in the media lately.

I remember celebrating the same tradition in the Swedish school in Botswana where I grew up. I found it a bit troubling as I grew older since the boys not only wear robes but also a cone shaped white hat. I can think of a very prejudiced American group who dress very similarly so prancing around singing songs in a foreign langauge and lighting candles may not have been as appreciated by the local Africans as it was by the proud Swedish parents.
What troubled the girl playing the main character Lucia was usually how to get the candle wax out of her hair later.

The images below are from the "Lucia" celebrations in the village we live in. Lucia's candles were fortunately battery operated.

As for the young Santas, this is a confusion between the nordic mythological gnomelike creature and Santa Claus. Not sure how the gingerbread men at the back got involved.
These little guys reminded me of the saying: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Fog

2008-12-13T21:15:00.003+01:00

As long as "Storsjön" (or the "Great Lake") hasn't frozen, the cold brings about a thick fog from time to time which dresses everything in a frosty lace. It's often so thick you can look directly at the sun without hurting your eyes.
It reminds me of a sandstorm, but without the wind and ice crystals replacing the sand. The fact that it was -20 C today takes away the last of the likeness to a sandstorm I guess.
The image below: A sunny day in Lit if the fog over the unfrozen river hadn't erased the sun almost completely.
Those petrol prices look good, but unfortunately I think the sign was broken. Perhaps it suffered from frostbite?

The central heating plant in Östersund works hard trying to ward off the cold for the households connected to it. I feel there is a global warming issue somewhere in this image.

Moonlight

2008-12-08T22:07:00.002+01:00

Since it's impossible to take a photograph of the moon and still keep the landscape correctly exposed, the way to do it is to take two photographs and use an overlay technique. Basically that means you blend the two photographs into one, something which my camera can do automatically.
I used a 3 min exposure for the house and trees and a 1/320 sek exposure for the moon itself. I also used an 80mm lens for the house and changed to a 200mm for the moon. That way I could enlarge the moon and create a more dramatic effect.

Summer Dreams

2008-12-07T16:32:00.005+01:00

-16 C and it's dark by 3:00 PM. It feels as if we're living in a freezer at the moment. Winter may be beautiful but I just had to add some summer photos today.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-06T19:48:00.002+01:00

On days like this I have to admit that winter isn't all bad. Lorienne and I felt as if we were living in a Christmas card today and I only hope it stays more or less like this while our visitors from USA are here.
Sparkling white snow wherever one looks. Buildings and trees look like pencil sketches on paper which would be completely white if it wasn't for the hint of pink making up the colour of the sky.

Oh, and Henrik went skating again. He will soon be better at it than his Mom and Dad.

Hounds and Starry Skies

2008-11-28T21:21:00.002+01:00

It has been cloudy for weeks now so my plans of taking pictures of the night sky have been delayed somewhat. In fact tonight was the first time I got the chance to try it again and straight away I discovered another problem. I don't mean the two dogs from the house closest to the old church who ran out barking and trying to bite me, and I don't mean the owner of the house who kept trying to spot me with his (or her?) spotlight either. No, the problem now is the snow. I mentioned before how I had realised there was a lot of light pollution around and that I would have to find a darker place. Well I did, or I would have if it hadn't been for the snow now acting as a giant reflector. I miss the nights in the Kalahari. They were dark. Really dark.

The old Church of Kyrkås has been around since the 12th century and is still used today. It seemed like a good setting for something as timeless as the stars.

Town Hall Östersund

2008-11-27T21:20:00.001+01:00

Ice and Snow

2008-11-23T16:59:00.000+01:00

Our retired neighbours Gillis and Vivi-Ann have taken it upon themselves to prepare the schools ice rink every year. Fortunately for us our house is no more than approximately 50 metres away from it, so thanks to them we have "our own" ice to skate on. This is great since neither Lorienne nor I are good skaters and now we can practice our skating skills (or lack of) without throwing our names away. Swedes usually learn to skate before or during their school years and therefore can't understand how some people can't do it.

Keeping the ice rink in good condition is almost daily work. First a more or less even surface must be prepared and after that it takes many layers of water before it actually becomes skateable ice. Maintenance means clearing it every time it has snowed.
These photos were taken last winter when Gillis and Vivi-Ann went to clear away snow. They had only just started when the skies dumped what seemed like a whole years supply of snow on top of them. They bravely carried on working but had to give up after a while since the snow was actually falling at a greater rate than they could get rid of it!

Revitalised

2008-11-18T21:10:00.001+01:00

It's amazing how a good nights sleep can change the way you feel. I think our daughter Rhiannon agrees with us.

Starlight

2008-11-16T19:43:00.000+01:00

I decided to use this dark time of year to learn as much as possible about night photography. I have a good camera which handles high ISO levels well, I also have a sturdy tripod and a remote shutter release, so all I need now is some creativity and skill.
About a week ago I went out into the night to try it out. It didn't take long to realise that one of the obstacles is light pollution. If you stand around for long enough in a place which you at first percieved as being completely dark, then after only a few minutes you notice how it isn't really dark at all. There is always a bit of light showing from somewhere. Of course this is necessary if you want to capture some sort of image at all, but if you want to take a photograph of a starlit night then it's better not to have streetlights and headlights polluting the darkness. Stay far away from any town since it seems to emit a far reaching glow which takes the sharpness out of the stars. These are some of the first attempts and next time I will have to find a darker place!

Portrait of Rhiannon

2008-11-15T20:18:00.001+01:00

David and Goliath

2008-11-10T21:55:00.003+01:00

Only this time Goliath wins.
I took some photos of a friends indoor hockey (or "Floor Ball", which is is the correct name for it) match on Saturday when his team played against a much younger school team. The energetic youngsters were shouldered out of the way by the older more experienced (and larger) players. If you thought indoor hockey was for wuzzies then think again. This is ice hockey without the iceskates and padding!