Thursday Thoughts – Drought

Midsummer and all the festivities surrounding it – is over.

But this Midsummer was a different one. Usually we have rather chilly Midsummers, and a bit rainy – but many beautiful wildflowers. This year I had to take the bike out for hours in order to get the midsummer flowers – the result was only one, single bouquet…

This year, the heat in Sweden has been overwhelming since May, and many elderly people and newborn babies have difficulties with it. Not to talk about Nature and wildlife. There are no worms, no snails, no grass for the cattle and no flowers for us to admire. I pour water in seven different pots in the garden – for the birds and the hedgehogs. Wild fires are frequent in the southern part of Sweden, where I live.

I keep some of my flowers alive though – My Flammentanz roses seem to cope rather well. I water them late in the evening or around midnight. Watering is forbidden in many places now, and soon we will get that message too.

In fact, the cherry tree is the only tree liking this heat – or maybe it works like the pine trees – they produce cones in several hundreds when they think they are going to die. Anyway, the cherries taste delightful, and the tree has never been this blessed before. I planted it when my daughter, Emma, was born, in 1990. My son David got a plum when he was born, in 1992, and his tree brought us many kilos of delicious fruit last year, but this year maybe – 5 plums? But that is the way trees work.

Now it is getting late – Good Night to you all. May the rain fall and the sun shine on us all.

Thursday Thoughts – Paths and Colours

On the south coast of Fanö, you will find the little village Sonderho, consisting of about 300 cottages. Almost all the cottages here stand with their house ends to the east and west – because of the wind – and they are all surrounded by small gardens and open greens.

Between the plots there is a labyrinthine network of narrow paths and crooked streets. So,  you are asked to park your car and walk around when you arrive in the village.

It was raining the whole of our visit, but the colours, houses, gardens and lovely paths where not at all less charming …

Almost all the houses are very low, so inside you have to step down to reach the floor. Although light blue is frequently used, I believe the most loved colours are these two – yellow and saturated orange.

There are some very good restaurants here as well…

And of course – somewhere out there…the sea.

 

 

 

Thursday Thoughts – The Kites

 

Fanö is a very small island west of Esbjerg, Jylland, Denmark. Go to Vivekas site for more love of this island and more interesting facts!

We started out to get to the Rindby beach on the west coast by 10am – which was the time said for the kite flyers to start. Some of them had been there for two weeks, but June 14-17 was marked for the finishing festival. Non commercial and 5000 enthusiasts – besides the three of us…Viveka, (Myguiltypleasures) , me and my husband.

They come from all over the world…and they all make their own kites from sailcloth and nylon fiber. Some kites are made in a couple of hours, but some take weeks to make.

To give you a taste of what this is all about – here is a short youtube introduction:

To give you something of my own taste – here we go…am:

 

Wishing you all a lovely Midsummer!

I’ll be back Sunday with the afternoon kites…if you haven’t got enough of them! I haven’t… Or better yet – go visit Fanö yourselves – you will love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday Thoughts – Over the Pool

This hot May and half of June finally ended today. Chilly winds and some raindrops.

 

 

So…I will have a break for a couple of days…back after the weekend. See you then!

 

 

 

 

Thursday Thoughts – Summer in May

Strange – Summer in May – 30 degrees C today

Late evening biking by the sea – not a cloud in four weeks

Swimmers everywhere, enjoying the coolness of it

Past the old Blekinge cottages – just have to stop for a photo. Love these…

Picking buttercups

Back at our own beach – 23 degrees C, still 10 degrees more than normal temperature

Completely calm sunset and not a mosquito – yet

Bathing – water 18 degrees. Lovely of course, but

– I do not know if I like it – or not. This month of May was the hottest and driest ever in Sweden. And we are not alone. In July this could have been possible though…

On the news they said our newborn storks will starve to death, and I guess that applies to many birds and other animals who only eat living things. There are no frogs, and the worms are digging deep to survive. The birds cannot reach them.

Please let there be rain. And, what about Africa.

 

Thursday Thoughts – Fog Fantasy

Is it not the strangest thing what fog can do to how you perceive nature and mood?

The header photo and the photo above were taken only a minute or two between them.

Walking along lake Vättern – The same minutes passing between these two.

And when the sun comes shining through – I turn around to meet – this view!

 

Nature is a master of moods.

Thursday Thoughts – The End of the Journey

At the end of this journey – I send my love to the mountains and valleys of Bhutan…

to all its beautiful dzongs and chortens…

to its pristine rural landscapes…

to the beauty of its religion and traditions…

to its lovely flowers and trees…

to its loving people…

and beautiful art…

to its healthy stone baths…

to its humorous games…

and to its beautiful children.

And my sincere gratefulness to our excellent guides, who really went out of their way to show us everything and to share their immense knowledge of the country and its people.

 

The lovely Jenny Adhikari (left) – find her here: https://www.beyondbordersnepal.com

And our eminent local guide, Rinzen (so sorry I never got his last name!). Thank you also for answering all our strange questions and spending precious time in the evenings to explain about life in Bhutan, its customs and religion!

We travelled happily with https://www.varldensresor.se/resor/himalaya/askdrakens-rike

 

Have you missed out on some posts in this Bhutan series – most of them are here :

On the Wings of the Dragon

Paro Tsechu

WPC: Awakening

Thursday Thoughts from Bhutan

The Streets of Paro

Rinpung Dzong – Bhutan and Its People

I Had a Dream Tonight

Walking Home – Slow Contemplation

Thursday Thoughts – 108 Chortens and a Himalayan Panorama

The Divine Madman

Saving the World, and the Contents of a Pouch

A Dancing Traffic Light

Man’s Best Friend – For Real

Thursday Thoughts – Beyond Beauty

The Holy Chele La Pass

Guess Who?

Thursday Thoughts – Thimpu in My Heart

Thursday Thoughts – Taktshang Goemba, or Tiger’s Nest

 

 

 

Thursday Thoughts – Meeting The World’s Oldest Blogger

Today I went to Health Sciences Centre, Lund, to attend the press invitation to the Gerontology Award of 2018.  My friend, Professor Susanne Iwarsson, introduced us to PhD students and their research in gerontology, and also to the award winning lady, Dagny Carlsson, aged 105.

Just imagine…she was born the same year Titanic went down…

Dagny is a witty and tough lady, who also is the world’s oldest blogger – or so we think… And her wit as well as her blogging are part of the reasons to why she won this prize. Dagny started blogging at the age of 99 – and today she has reached an almost iconic status in Sweden. Check out her blog here:

http://www.123minsida.se/Bojan/99578361

Only some of her achievements: On TV she has been a guest in at least ten shows, she was awarded ”Swede of the Week”, she was one of the Summer Talk guests on Radio P1 Sweden 2017, she was given a part in a movie last year and she has also written a book titled ”Life According to Dagny”. Two days ago she payed a visit to our King and Queen – and she said she liked them very much. Nothing strange with meeting them, Dagny smiles.

http://www.kristianstadsbladet.se/kristianstad/dagny-traffade-kungen-och-drottningen/

Dagny Carlsson was awarded also because she is an inspiration to us all. To elderly people she is the living evidence of a possible long and active life, as well as technology to be mastered even beyond the age of 100. Her experience from Swedish history through 105 years remains a valuable source from which we all can learn, and she continues to be a significant elderly person in Swedish culture.

I am proud to have met her. (Just a reminder…Dagny is the lady on the right side…)

Dagny, 103 years old, at the Skavlan show – but this spring she will turn 106!