This hike we do every spring or summer – and it is always a treat. It takes about three, four hours, walking among old and strange trees planted here from all over the world … and it is close to the sea.
This place is home to numerous orchids (a meadow of them in the header) and Pasque flowers – just as beautiful when they are over!
The last flower blooming could also be the last hideaway for a little bug…
This hike is a perfect outing for schoolchildren – but, today we had to step away from the path for several hundreds of kids. Smiling and cheery ones though.
Blindworm or slowworm – I see them quite often. In fact this is a lizard, but legless. This guy was a beauty, about 30 cm long, slim and well fed.
Driving home on old roads to enjoy the flat and open views of the southern part of Skane. A good day we had. And the light lasts far into the night.
A spring hike is never wrong. Here I am sending some highlights from one of the most beautiful protected areas in Skåne, where I live. It is known for its biodiversity and its many pasqueflowers. My Silent Sunday was photographed there too.
The area is 300 hectares large, and consists of forest, meadows, marshland, beaches and sea.In May it is of course a dream to walk here, but Autumn too is very beautiful. We usually visit twice a year. Milo loves it.The paths are mostly easily walked, but maybe not for everyone.The marshland is fascinating and can not be reached all days of the year. Spring is often OK, if the rains are moderate.Orchids are frequent, as are all spring flowers – gently nodding to you from both sides of the path.Some of them are secret charmers…
About three hours later, we are back at the gate. This part of the hike goes through an area with foreign trees brought here from all over the world.
So, hope you enjoyed the tour, thank you for walking with me! These few images hopefully show some of the National Park’s great diversity.
I had two wonderful hikes last week – one of them was my usual morning walk turned into a dreamy, yet colourful walk in the fog – and the other one an afternoon walk in a sunny haze. The first one posted on Lens-Artists, the other one here today.
I have always wanted to follow paths and roads to see where they lead to…don’t you too? This day I did. The forest road looked very inviting – and I decided today was the day to find out where it led to.I knew I had a couple of hours to myself before sunset, but already at 3 pm it would have been too dark to find my way in the forest.
No Milo on this walk – otherwise he would have loved the many interesting stops I made. But the road did not lead to where I had expected…
It finally led down to the lake, where we use to swim in the summer. Now I wished the sun would stay until I got there – it would have been a nice finish to the day.
And I was lucky – a beautiful day came to a beautiful end. Thank you for walking with me again!
We went with a hiking group last weekend. We always walk alone otherwise, but were invited by a friend to join in. 20 people in the big forest. All vaccinated except me. A great day.
Normally, the beeches would have been green by the first of May – but this year has been very cold so far. Today the Maiden Fall and the Maiden Stone were the two main attractions – besides walking in the forest of course.
Do you see the eaten cones on the stump? Never in my life I have seen this many! We saw one every 5th meter. The forest must be a complete mice den…but, we did not spot a single mouse scuttling around.
Our eminent guide, Bo, is a real nature’s man – and a natural forest man. He sleeps in a hammock under the canopy several nights a month – and he asked how many of us who wanted to try it in June…and got some three – four positive to the idea!This was really a great hike, and the resting places were beautiful. Young and old had their imagination filled with new mysteries, and climbing through the stone was an adventure. The sites have their own story about the young maiden, Elsa, hiding there and staying in the forest to escape followers during the Scania war 1675-1679. Nobody knows if there was a happy ending though…the story does not tell…After 6 hours of hiking Gedaryggen (”The Goats Back”) we were rather tired and some had sore feet. My left foot (operated on a couple of years ago) told me this was enough for the day.
I guess this was maybe the last lasting snow this year – a beautiful day for us and the dogs. Start in soft sun and finish in the cold of the evening. Put on your warmest clothes and come along!
For a couple of days now, real winter is on visit…and I cannot say how happy I am. I will let you wander around in my neighbourhood to hopefully enjoy the white serenity. Last year we had no snow at all, and it is exactly ten years since we got this much.
Sheer Happiness! And the children are out everywhere skiing and building snowmen. So Grateful, so Thankful.
First view in the morning – my gardenSecond view – the SpindleOut walking the dogsOn our way home again
Walking, walking…One of the last colourful days, I decided to walk along an old road I used to walk in my younger days – in the 1980’s. I had a friend living at the end of the road, and I believe she still is.
One of the old farms was in ruins due to a fire some years ago. The remains looks beautiful still.
Spindle and old fences – and of course a red farmhouse. Sweden is renowned for its red houses with white gables.Even bird houses have them…And Milo loved the stone fences – of course. He gets a nice treat when he is climbing up on top of something. Spoilt young man…So, Milo and I have a lot in common… many stones climbed and so many fences defied – this was a big part of being a child in a rural landscape. No playing indoors – always outdoors in the fresh air.No matter how much we tried – we still couldn’t conjure up the sleepy sun this day – but memories of childhood days danced like autumn leaves in the air. Golden and light as feathers. Today my grandfather was born, 117 years ago.
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it. ― L.M. Montgomery
Amy is our host, and she says: ”For our challenge this week we’d like you to tell us about your perspective on now vs then – it could be before and after the pandemic or any other changes you have experienced.” See her perspective on what the current changes can bring to everyday life!
As I was contemplating what major differences there are in my own life now, compared to a few years ago, some things stand out very clearly to me. I will try letting the images tell most of the story, as you change between Then and now, Now and then in my series. ( A new possibility with the block editor – but you have to go to my site to see it. I found out it doesn’t show in the reader …) Somehow I wish it was just as easy to mend things that are broken…
Due to climate change, our winters here in Sweden are very different from those we had only a couple of years ago. These two images are from November 2017 and November 2020.
Two of my best loved hiking trails have been destroyed. The forest is down. Colourful grasses are now taking over, and soon the old stumps will be totally hidden in the new vegetation.
Traveling is no longer an option, due to Covid19 and the pandemic. But, also in order to save the world from more air pollution. Instead of exploring exciting new places abroad, this autumn we built my much longed for glasshouse, where we greatly enjoy a quiet lunch every day.
Ever since I was a child, the forest has been my second home. I usually walk for hours every day, often in the company of my mother and my dogs (in this photo, Mille and Totti). In Spring we always pick wood anemonies and have ”fika” with coffee and cakes in the warm sunshine. Mille left us 2014 and my mother, this unruly year, 2020.
And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves. ― Virginia Woolf (To the Lighthouse)
Changes are obvious to us all this year… and now we are looking forward to seeing Your perspective! Don’t forget to include a link to Amy’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag so that everyone can find you in the WP Reader. Next week, Tina will be our host for Challenge #125 on November 28th. Be sure to visit her site.
Lastly – Thank you for sending us so many delightful walks through neighbourhoods all over the world! It has been an adventurous week, a glorious and expressive week. As always – We are grateful that you want to share your world so generously.
Thinking of you who are celebraing Thanksgiving, and to all of us – Take care, stay warm, loving and safe.
Leya 