With promise of warmth and summer it lits up this cold January day. Comfortable temperature in this, from the north wind, sheltered bay. On the other side of the hills the strong winds, up to 25 meters per second, cut through bone and marrow.
Dress for success, ha de Gött!
It was a bit tricky with the strong sunlight but I managed to get a few good shots with long exposure. I love the effect the water splash makes with the lens open a bit longer.
I also took some video with my phone and you can find it here.
Look but don’t stare, ha de Gött!
Today it appeared to me. Rose up in the roaring storm. In all its glory. Whipped up by the wind and waves. For just a brief moment.
Splashed with its tail in anger. Casts the evil eye on humanity. Roaring a plead. Stop using my home as a dump.
We should be ashamed, ha de Gött!
Today there is a roaring storm outside. With heavy rain it was not possible to take photos. But then, an hour before sunset it broke through the clouds. The photographers best friend, the sun. I grabbed my camera and drove down to the beach. Parked like a tourist and ran over the slippery rocks, blinded by the setting sun. I think it was worth it.
The forecast promise that the strong winds will stay until tomorrow and that there will be sun. Guess where I’ll be?
See the light, ha de Gött!
It is called the Queens Mountain, Drottningberget in Swedish, and it is an ancient fortress. More accurate a hill-fort. The natural form of the rock is what create the attributes of a fortress. There is very little man made constructions made. The height and the flat plateau on the top together with the availability of water made it perfect to stand ground. I have no idea where the royal name come from but maybe there was a female ruler in the settlement.
44 meter up surrounded by steep cliffs it was an easy place to defend by simply throwing stones in the head of the attacking enemy. I wonder if this is why the soldiers helmet was invented, still used today. There is only two ways up without any climbing gear, trust me I’ve tried. Here you can see some remains of walls and collected throw size stones. With the sea level a few meters higher up it was most likely attackers came from the sea.
Keep it simple, ha de Gött!
Empty boat moorings waiting for the summer in a winter cold small town landscape. Harbor side walk is empty. No problem with social distancing. No troubadour leading a sing-along crowd in front of the outdoor scene. No late night, hot dog or hamburgers served in the take away. But six months from now. Grebbestad, the place to be.
Enjoy every season, ha de Gött!
Leaning isn’t falling, ha de Gött!
Black Tang, Blåstång in Swedish, (Fucus vesiculosus) waiting for the tide to come back in. Must be a celebrity in the English speaking world. Wikipedia suggests nine different names and a nick name. Here we go, try to remember them all tomorrow. Black tang, bladder wrack, rock weed, bladder fucus, sea oak, cut weed, dyers fucus, red fucus, rock wrack and the nick name sea grapes.
Now this is almost like a Monty Python scene. Try not to laugh, dyers fucus, red fucus, bladder fucus. How easy for the non native English speaker to pronounce wrong here and loose all credibility in the Oceanic Society key note speech. The evening visit to the hotel bar might turn out lucky or just a boring conversation about bladder control.
Seriously, don’t take things too serious, ha de Gött!
When slippery, go slow, ha de Gött!
Lonely fisherman sailing out to sea
Navigating shallow waters, inserts and island
Cliffs scraped naked by wind, not a single tree
Confidently steers along coast and strand
True and simple, a way to be
Life is a voyage, navigate with caution, ha de Gött!
UlleHaddock 