It’s that time of the year when you should look back. So I did look back to my favourite hobby, photography. After much consideration a top 10. Hope you like it.
To stay ahead you have to look back, ha de Gött!
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Author Archives
ullehaddock
Writer of sorts with a soft spot for Photo. Writes about life and what comes into my mind.
Shades of grey
Not 50 but this title might lure the search engines so my blog gets some more hits. Not my intention but the weather this Christmas has been grey and colourless so the title is fits.
Still I went to the beach but, even if the temperature in the water is the same as in the air, +5°C, I didn’t go for a swim. Still a good walk along the sea after all the Christmas food and candy before I start to look like Santa.
Grey is also a colour, ha de Gött!
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Yuletide
Merry Christmas to all
the children's glittering eyes,
listening for the jingles,
of the Santa fly-by and hoo-hoo.
the cosy warmth from the,
overheated credit cards in the corner.
Santa is hi-jacked by the soft drink corporations.
Merry Christmas to all
the lonely watching reruns on TV,
homeless hobo looking for shelter in the cold wind,
child hiding under the bed from domestic disturbance.
the empty churches of lost faith,
last minute gift in the cathedral of commerce,
overworked mum falling asleep under the tree.
Merry Christmas to all
the warmth of near and dear,
grand child on the knee of great grand parent,
the facetime conversation and the texts.
generations together, carried by tradition.
blessed together and in warm house.
Remembering that it is all about LOVE.
Svensk version
God Jul till alla
barnens glittrande ögon,
lyssnar efter bjällrorna när tomten,
flyger förbi och ylar hoo-hoo.
den mysiga värmen från,
de överhettade kreditkorten i hörnet.
Tomten blir kapad av de stora läskföretagen.
God Jul till alla
de ensamma som tittar på TV repriser,
hemlös luffare som söker skydd i den kalla vinden,
barn som gömmer sig under sängen, från vuxnas bråk.
de tomma kyrkorna av förlorad tro,
sista minuten present i shoppingens katedral,
överarbetad mamma somnar under granen.
God Jul till alla
värmen från nära och kära,
barnbarn på gammelmormors knä,
facetime samtalet och SMS:en.
generationer tillsammans, buren av tradition.
välsignade tillsammans i ett varmt hus.
Minns att allt handlar om Kärlek.
Christmas spirit is there in your heart, find it, share it. Ha de Gött i Jul!
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Silent Sunday
Ha de Gött!
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Empty
Yesterday our lips kissed
again and again
today your lips are missed
was it all in vain
my entire inside was full
your strong hand around my neck
drawn together in an enigmatic pull
drawn into you, no holding back
you took my everything
with bubbles and laughter
feeling safe in your arm confident swing
then suddenly I didn't matter
left me for another
your thirst was plenty
set aside without bother
now leaning here feeling empty
Please recycle, ha de Gött!
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Light over the Alps
The Germans take their Weihnachtsmarkt, Christmas markets seriously. Me and my little wife been travelling a lot this year so we decided to crown the days before Christmas with a trip Munich. Situated in Bavaria in the south of Germany you could see the alps from the city hall tower. When the sky opens like this over the alps in the otherwise grey days. Well, hallelujah!
Even without snow the Christmas spirit was present among tourists and natives. With temperatures around freezing point the sellers of warm drinks, glühwein (mulled wine) and hot chocolate made good money. Walking around the smells of different things to eat and drink while rubbing shoulders with the world is great. Best is when you find that unique craftsmanship sold by the artist themselves. We came home with some beautiful hand painted Christmas ornaments.
Not all shopping and photo. We attended a fantastic organ concert in the Frauenkirche and string concert.
Frohes fest (happy holidays), ha de Gött!
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Medieval Alleys Stockholm
Narrow streets and tourist traps in a historical setting.
It’s a 6h drive from my home but this summer we took a trip, by train, to Stockholm. The capital of the Kingdom of Sweden. Spread out around water, both salt and fresh, with the Old Town in the middle.
With its well preserved medieval buildings and narrow alleys it’s an outdoor museum. Just like in the middle ages you can hear all kinds of languages in the crowded streets. The Viking heritage is a popular theme from all the peddlers in the small shops along the main street, Västerlångatan.
Here are some pictures I took in this beautiful city.
Yes, the royal castle is there on the same small island. None of the royal family lives there anymore. The King decided that he wanted to be a country boy when he became a father to the Crown Princess Victoria. I suppose nobody want hordes of tourists passing through the bedroom.
Vini, Vidi, Vici, ha de Gött!
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The Sowing machine. From pride to decay.
Once brand new and shining, a farmers pride
now abandoned, left in the forest to fade
for a while a marvel of engineering, to adore
to be put aside the field, a thing of before
Såmaskinen
En gång skinande ny, en bondes stolthet
övergiven, lämnad till skogens förgänglighet
för en stund ingenjörskonst, värt beundrande
satt till åkerns sida, sak från annat århundrande
I just felt this old farming equipment was worth a poem, ha de Gött!
I could not find anything on the web of the manufacturer. I’ve reached out to the local historical society in Gävle hoping they have some information. In that case there will be a new post. The spelling of the city Gävle was changed from Gefle in 1880 just as an indication of the age.
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Winter green
Winter green oak tree at Lammö, Bohuslän Sweden.
Some say that a tree has feelings and as I hugged this old oak I’m sure I felt a connection and a warmth. I hope she’s pleased with her green winter coat.
Hug a tree but look out for the ants, ha de Gött!
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Explore the Rock Carvings of Tanum: A UNESCO Heritage Site
I live close to one of the UNESCO listed World Heritage sites. Rock Carvings in Tanum and Vitlycke Museum. This area has the highest concentration of rock carvings in Europe. Rock carvings, also called petroglyphs, are knocked with small stones, knocking stones, into the rock during pre historic times. They can be found all over the world but the highest concentration are found in Africa, Scandinavia, Siberia, and Australia. New carvings are discovered daily by archaeologists and the public. As the with all art, interpretation is in the eyes of the beholder even if there is a scientific approach to what the carvings mean. Even so the images triggers the imagination to what made the people to make the effort. Faith or just a wish to be immortalised.
If you want to take a step back in time, to the bronze age when most of the carvings were made. The Vitlycke museum has a reconstructed bronze age village built up with two long houses, storage huts and work sheds. The village is next to the rock carvings in the Tanum World heritage area. You can visit all year around but in summer high season there are guides to explain and let you try craftmanship from that time. The Nordic Bronze age is considered to have lasted from 1700 to 500 BC.
Fun fact. The museum building was inaugurated on the same day my oldest son was born. In a blizzard on April 4 1998 and he also worked there for three summers. Do check out his YouTube channel Hemläxa where he made a series on the Swedish farmers history where episode one has section from Vitlycke. In Swedish but you can use the auto subtitle function in a language you prefer. https://youtu.be/6ff1wRQMwM8?si=MsxFVjlZJu0_Nbdm
Find out more from the museum website https://www.vitlyckemuseum.se/en/.
You have to look back to understand the future, ha de Gött!
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UlleHaddock 