Reflections

Thursday Thoughts

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I cannot stop thinking of the school shooting in Florida. I just – know, this Must be stopped. There must be and end to this. What are we doing to our young?

I don’t have any solutions – but someone Must have. Someone is payed to have. We all know that there is something very, very wrong with a society that creates these disasters. Many of our young suffer from mental problems. In Sweden you will find them in every school, in every class. Every week we can read about this in new scientific articles, hear about it on the radio and see it on TV. As a teacher – I know. And mental illness combined with guns or other weapons…cannot but lead to disasters.

In Sweden we have to have a license to buy and own a weapon. Our weapons are meant for hunting animals in the forest – moose, deer, pigs, birds and others. The weapon must be kept dismantled and in a safe. This law saves us from the worst disasters.

People can get shot over here as well – but so far we have avoided mass shootings.

My heart goes out to the victims and their families.

 

 

Oh…Which one?

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I happened to overhear this couple in a store in Dublin, Ireland – about the difficulties of choosing the right cap… Somehow, this is of course a human dilemma that hits us all sometimes…which one should I buy?

In Sweden almost everyone my age is familiar with a famous humour dialogue with Gösta Ekman and a newspaper salesman, about which evening paper to buy: Aftonbladet eller Expressen.

Unfortunately Gösta Ekman passed away recently, but his legacy is that of a giant in the Swedish comedy genre.

I cannot post the dialogue, since it is only in Swedish, but chose this clip instead. Among all his movies and comedies, Ekman invented his own, middle aged,  clumsy figure called ”Papphammar”. Papphammar is the average man, who sometimes wants to try new things…with not so very great success.

Gösta Ekman did all his ”stunts” himself, and his body had to take a great deal over the years. Our greatest comedian, actor, director. We are grateful for all his unforgettable gifts to us.

 

Fake News At The House Of The Wannsee Conference, Berlin

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Fake News At The House Of The Wannsee Conference, Berlin

Please, go to the blog Hikeminded, for a very important article to remind us all where we might be heading with today’s fake news. We tend to forget, don’t we – what we should have learned from history. She writes it so well – and unfortunately I cannot find the reblog button.

Enhancing, Destroying – or Just For Fun?

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I have been playing around with Photoshop, and Nik filters. I wanted to show this little island, Tylö, in three different interpretations. In the first picture – in the header – it lies hidden in a haze, seen from the attic window of the hotel building.

In the second one, you see it in a B&W conversion, a bit old style, with only the sea in front and behind …

…and in the last picture, you see the island the way I did through my camera lens.

It is not the same picture, but the same island photographed. I would love to hear your thoughts and reflections: Which interpretation do you prefer? Why? What feeling/mood comes up when you look at one of these pictures?

Do you like to enhance/change your own pictures much before posting, or should they go as true and ”natural” as possible?

Wish you a great weekend!

 

Thursday Thoughts – Life Patterns

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Tylösand, maybe the most famous beach area in the southern part of Sweden. Two hours away from me – as usual, click the pictures to enlarge.

We spent two glorious days there this week, in the low, winter sun. Walking two early hours on the beach, I realized how many possible patterns there are in a lifetime.

To See a World in a Grain of Sand…

Maybe you, for a long time, follow a straight road, a pattern cut out for you…

Tylösand spa 200-Redigera

… there may be waves on your path – but they can be waves of beauty and learning

Many times Life gets more complicated, but you can still feel the pattern…it has not left you unattended…

Troubles will come your way, but you will sort them out in the end – you have to…

New paths and patterns will open up, and the skies above will again be crispy blue

Tylösand spa 196-Redigera

Sometimes you can trace your footprints back to harmony – but then again, you might even discover bright new paths and find new, wonderful Life Patterns.

Safe Travels!

Anniversary – Again!

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Bilradion släpper ut ljudkombinationer som tränger in i mitt påväghemkörningsmedvetande. En ny planet är funnen. Igen. Den här gången är den i storlek med Vår Jord. ”Betydelsefullt”.  ”Viktigt”. Säger man där borta i USA. Men den är för nära sin stjärna, den nya planeten – och således alldeles för het. Ytterst vill man finna liv – naturligtvis. Och sen? Om vi finner liv?  Vi har en ny värld att förstöra, nytt liv att döda, nytt. Om igen. Ingenting hos mänskligheten i mänsklighetens historia kan övertyga mig om att vi skulle ha lärt oss av gamla misstag. Lycklig skulle jag bli – om Du kunde övertyga mig om motsatsen.

7 years ago I started blogging with WordPress. I hoped for a way to communicate my thoughts and peculiarities – I think I wrote something about that on my About page…Since then I have met so many wonderful people out there, got so many beautiful friends and learned so much, growing with you over the years. Thank you, all!

So…Who was I 7 years ago? In many ways much the same – but then again not…

Today I am sharing my very first post – only in Swedish at that time. The English translation would be something like this:

Driving home I listen to the many sounds seeping out from the radio. A new planet has been discovered. Again. This time, the size of our own Planet Earth.  ”Important”, they say over there, in the US. But this new planet is soaring too close to its star, and thus being too hot. Too hot for new Life to be found on its surface. Because that is what the scientists want to find – of course. And then? If we find Life? Then we have a new world to destroy, new living beings to kill. Again. Nothing in mankind or in the history of mankind can convince me that we have learned from history, from previous mistakes.

Nothing would make me happier than – if you could convince me otherwise.

Finally – A Bright and Sunday Hike

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My winter moodiness lifted today

10 degrees below zero (C) – a frosty, crisp and clear day!

Hiking for some hours – breathing and staying outdoors as long as…

…the sun was up

By 3.pm it is time to go home

As we turn back, the sun is setting and the rays are orange warm

The leaves of 2017 lingering still, basking…

I turn around for a last shot – and the forest is glowing. Soon only the highest tree tops. I cannot say how grateful I am for this day. Not to talk about Totti – rocketing through the forest, rolling in the cool frostiness, barking with joy.

Thursday Thoughts – We Must Make it Work!

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Every December I remember our month in New Zealand some years ago. Never have I been to a country where I found so much and so many to admire and love.

This is where our antipodes live, this is where I had one of my first penfriends, this is the country whose nature I believe to be the most diverse and beautiful in the world. And this is where Rainbow Warrior went down, sending many people around the world into an unbelievable state of shock.

We are constantly reminded of how much we contaminate our world, and the focus here in Swedish media, right now,  is the sea, the oceans.

Just like in Wellington, we can still bathe, swim and fish in Stockholm – but for how long?

I am a member of many organizations trying their best to help preserving our planet for generations to come. But right now, we receive news every day about all the plastic and micro plastic in the oceans – a terrible threat to all organisms-

So, I think again, with my heart wide open, about how much I respect and love NZ, its people and its genuine efforts to help the world stay healthy. Down to every detail… for example the artwork made for making us humans see and do the right things.

And these are only two, small,  brilliant examples out of many, many…we saw new examples every day.

Hopefully it is not too late for the world – but You, and all of us, have to do our bit, our part, every day – to save our enigmatic and fantastic planet. Start with the little things…don’t use plastic bags, bring your own when you go shopping. Don’t throw old medicine in the toilet, in Sweden we leave them at the pharmacy for destruction.

Can you say you try to do everything you can to help? I know I try – but I also know I can do so much more.

Thursday’s Special: Pick a word in December – Y2

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This was great fun – I just had to pick all the words given by Paula at Lost in Translation!

 

The Remains of eight New Zealand opossum – brought home by my daughter from her volunteer work there

Portrayal – a study of Totti for a dog journal

Non-human

 

 

 

 

 

Stellar – New Year’s EveSagacious – Non-Violence, the bronze sculpture by Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd

 

An Ordinary Tuesday…in Another Voice

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…in autumn, winter light. Some days the light is so special that the landscape speaks to you in another voice.

I was driving home, and when turning left over the familiar meadow landscape, the light changed. I stopped the car and went out to enjoy the short play of light. Intensity, softness, strong brown and orange.

The familiar houses, trees, barns, animals – everything seem to lift from the ground and soar towards you.

Looking back from where I came, the view included one of the oldest churches in the Nordic countries, Gumlösa Church, from the 12th century.

Maybe you think it is all very ordinary, but to me it is not. Living close to an open landscape is almost like living by the sea. The light changes every hour, and so does your view and interpretation of the landscape.

Soon the frost will cover these rich brown meadows, and give me another interpretation…but today I enjoy just This magic light.

In the header picture, I feel the sky almost mirrors the ground and the grass. I waited some ten minutes, silent and quiet, in the middle of the landscape.