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!
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!
Shifting colours and resting cows.
And so we spin on and on, ha de Gött!
English version
when the November rain
chews the light
like a black hole
devours it all
bashes the windshield
like an angry bird
in a Hitchcock movie
remember soft summer wind
gentle over your warm skin
as bright memory
brightens all
down to your bone
like a happy ending
in a Lindgren story
Svensk version
När november regnet
äter upp ljuset
som ett svart hål
slukar allt
piskar mot vindrutan
som en ilsken fågel
i en Hitchcock film
minns sommarens ljumma vind
smekande din varma hud
som ett ljus minne
värmer allt
värmer din märg
som ett lyckligt slut
i en Lindgren saga
Find your inner lighthouse, ha de Gött!
Astrid Lindgren is a Swedish child book author known for books like Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Långstrump. She has been translated to over 107 languages, even Latin. Changes are that you will find her at your library, and it’s worth the effort.
The sun does shine over Dublin, only not that often. I took these photos as we walked through a residential area and the sun found a hole in the clouds. I guess the tourist board wants to show off the new city that is emerging but to me this was more interesting. No doors was like the neighbours and the chimney gardens was also something that caught my eye. I guess with all the rain no-one needs to climb up and water them.
Dublin is truly a hidden gem for a city weekend trip. The people are very friendly. Lots to see and experience, like the Riverdance. If you like whiskey and your beer dark, this is the place to go. Food is good and affordable, specially at the many pubs. The city is dense so you can reach most by foot. You can also go by bus and tram. Taxi had surprisingly low fares.
Slainte, ha de Gött!
The morning mist lifts
as the sun rays chases away
the bad dreams of the night
The light is there, trust it. Ha de Gött!
Svensk version
Morgondimman lättar
när solens strålar jagar bort
nattens mardrömmar
Ljuset finns där, lita på det. Ha de Gött!
slowly the wind dies down
from frantic roar to silent whisper
as the sea slowly settles
the last waves make a lazy splash
onto the battered shores
a forgive me caress
and the sun slowly fades
behind the dissolving clouds
Anger is okay, but don’t stay that way. Ha de Gött!
Svensk version
långsamt avtar vinden
från frenetiskt vrål till tyst viskning
när havet sakta lägger sig
de sista vågorna gör ett slött plask
mot misshandlade stränder
en förlåt mig smekning
och solen försvinner sakta
bakom upplösande moln
Ilska är okej, men fastna inte i den. Ha de Gött!
Too warm, soaking sweaty sheets
too cold, where is that blanket
the too soft pillow is too hard
why can’t he come, only for a fast drive by
spread that magic powder in my eyes
Mr Sandman, please come on in
place two Sumo wrestlers on my eyelids
let them win this fight
slumber, only to fall over the edge
with a bang you hit the floor
wide awake, for the next hour
trying to untangle yourself
from the bed linen web
giving in, fading into oblivion of sleep
then the alarm goes off, and out the window
Sleep tight if you’re still awake, ha de Gött!
Swedish version
För varma, genomblöta svettiga lakan
för kallt, var är täcket
den för mjuka kudden är för hård
varför kan han inte komma, bara en snabb sväng förbi
sprida det där magiska pulvret i mina ögon
Jon Blund, snälla kom in
placera två sumobrottare på mina ögonlock
låt dem vinna denna kamp
slumrar, bara för att falla över kanten
med en smäll slår du i golvet
klarvaken, nästa timme
försöker du reda ut dig själv
från sängklädernas spindelväv
ger efter, försvinner i sömnens glömska
sedan går larmklockan, och ut genom fönstret
Hard as a rock
he stands all exposed
with his spear ready
for all to see
he blushes, goes all red
The Two Meter Man at Listeby rock carving site is one of the most famous bronze age rock carvings at the Tanumshede World Heritage site. Similar image can be found elsewhere but this is unique in size. Why they were carved 3000 years ago is a bit of a mystery but the area is full of them and still today new discoveries are made.
Don’t ever be ashamed of your appearance, ha de Gött!
sitting there out of reach
in the grey November shade
overlooking the folly of men
going back and forth
six lanes of shiny tin cans
Sometimes we miss the things we see, ha de Gött!
UlleHaddock 