Reflections

Thursday Thoughts – In the Hive

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My number one goal with the London trip was Kew Gardens. I think the year was 1977 last time, or maybe 1979. As you who read this blog will know, I love gardens and flowers. Maybe especially English gardens, because of their soft and soothing architecture and lines. But this time, I also found the most mindful spot – The Hive.

A well thought through installation, and a high quality space for mindfulness.

The Hive stands 17 metres high, set in a meadow of wild flowers. The installation is  connected to a real beehive, from where you, through several canals, are able to follow the sounds and vibrations of the bees.

We all know the importance of bees, and as scientists have proved – without bees we will not survive on this planet.

In  this structure, you cannot shut out the light – you cannot stop it from seeping in. Looking straight up from the ground beneath, there are also… feet to be seen…

…and inside the construction, the blue sky is visible from every corner. Slow down and listen to the bees working, humming soothingly. Add some distant music… and this will be your reaction…

Meditative moments…Mindfulness…

 

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Thursday Thoughts – Hasse & Tage – (‘Swedish Words Ltd’)

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This tiny exhibition at Kulturen in Lund was a real hit for me. I  only took a few photos, but hopefully they convey something of what and who they were. Some of their movies  are still on TV every year…and Hasse is still here, even if he does not write or perform anymore. The Apple War and The Simple-Minded Murderer are my absolute favourites.

Nostalgia…yes, but they will never die! Hans Alfredsson and Tage Danielsson – the number one comic artists of Sweden, the best critics of politics and politicians, the front figures working for a better world and environmental awareness. They brought out the best in people…by using their extreme talent for words.

Unfortunately this kind of sophisticated humour does no longer exist. (People are not good at words anymore…) Word jugglers, enthusiasts – ask any Swede my age, and they can recite something from ”Om sannolikhet” (”On Likelyhood”)

 

 

the small exhibition is in Lund, at Kulturen
I studied at Lund Uni for several years…
One of their famous songs starting ”I want a flowery Falun sausage for breakfast…”
…and Genghis Khan was the first ”Lundaspex” show I enjoyed- Not in 1954 though…but much later

 

Travel theme: Tidy

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Travel theme: Tidy

Gdansk harbour – tidy it is. I guess a harbour has to be – otherwise chaos would be upon us. I only wish my desk was as tidy …

Thursday Thoughts – A Goodbye

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Summer it is, and I just have to visit The Garden of My Dreams – maybe for the last time. The old couple owning it, will sell it this summer. If it is not already sold… To sneak in is maybe wrong, but somehow I just have to… say goodbye.

Every year I have talked to the little man and his beautiful wife, about all their travels throughout this world to collect plants, and about the birds he kept ringing every spring.

Some of my favourites are still in flower, and if you follow me through the garden, I will show you some of them. My absolute favourites are the thistles, so they will need a picture of their own. I hope you will enjoy the flowers just as much as I do.

 

Titanic – Cobh, Ireland

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A windy and rainy day, we visited Cobh. Somehow the weather seemed appropriate.

The little seaside town of Cobh, with 13 000 inhabitants, has got one of the world’s largest natural harbours. Cobh was the place where most of the Irish emigrants left for America during the great starvation 1844-48. More than 1 million people died when the potato harvest failed  (mildew) and by 1856 2 ½ million people had left Ireland for America. Not until 1930 did the Irish stop leaving the country – due to the Wall Street crash.

 

Cobh was the last stop for Titanic before her Maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Titanic entered Cobh harbour April 11, 1912. 120 passengers  had bought their tickets there – hoping for a new and better life overseas. April 15 she went down after hitting an iceberg.  I guess everyone knows she was a White Star Line ship.

Today there is a museum where the White Star Line’s terminal was. Down in the harbour there are mosaic tablets with memorials of those who embarked from Cobh that day. Even if we all know the story…this is a very special place to visit.