There was this strange
man
Bald with gray
hair
A scary bushy pair of
eyebrows
Antennas from each
ear
Abyss deep wrinkled
skin
Must be something
wrong
With that foggy
mirror
Scary when you feel like that insecure boy and realize that reflection is you. Ha de Gött!
The ‘Påskbrasa’ Easter bonfire tradition stems back the mid 1700 when Dutch merchants in Göteborg brought this to the Swedish west coast. The fires was meant to scare of the witches returning from the island Blåkulla where they been indulging in orgies with the Devil. There is also a link to the burning of alleged witches that took place all over Europe during the 1600.
The Easter bonfire is a tradition in the northwestern part of Europe, Austria and Switzerland. Like many Christian church traditions this has it roots in the folklore. Fires were lit in the breaking point between winter and spring, to help spring to win over the cold and dark winter.
Keep the fire burning for all that is good, ha de Gött!
A few days ago I wrote about this skerry without a name. Can’t have that my Mother-in-law said. After some digging in the local history books she found a name reference in connection with a rather sad story. The name is Hällbergsskäret. The name comes from a poor family with the name Hällberg that lived in a small cottage on the beach close to the spot where I took the picture.
In 1895 two orphans, a brother 18 years old and a younger sister 13 years old embarked on a voyage in a small row boat from Kalvö to Lammö. With only a 100 meters left to row go the boat sunk and the two youngsters drowned. The reason why the boat sunk is not mentioned. The distance between the two islands is just a little more than one kilometer.
Even the smallest places has a history, ha de Gött!
How high can a tree grow Touch the sky, tickle Gods feet Will They just giggle and enjoy Or, be annoyed. Blow it down with a storm How high can a tree grow Green dress of Mother Earth Will She smile and dance around Or, be bored. Preferring the Dress of blue How high can a tree grow Sun seeking branches, embracing shelter Will the sun, play shadows hide and seek Or, be harsh. Prance about in dessert sand
Hug a tree, for you and me, ha de Gött!
The small village Gullbringa, tucked in behind the rocks. In the past all houses was placed so that it was sheltered from the winds. Specially the north and the west winds. This made easier to keep the warmth in the houses. In the past all wood was used to cook fish-oil during the herring periods.
Herring usually lives far out in the oceans but in periods, between 10 to 20 years, the shoals move close to the coast. This made it possible to capture huge amounts of herring even with smaller boats. Result was a economic boost to the area. The challenge was the almost 100 years between when people needed to find other income sources.
Nothing lasts forever, ha de Gött!
Framed by the alder branch you see the cliff ‘Riddarsprånget’. Translates to ‘knights leap’. According to the local folklore a knight was chased up on the cliff. Outnumbered and with chasers rapidly closing in on him, he spurred his horse over the cliff. Wether the knight and his horse survived the 30 meter fall remains untold. If the knight stripped off his steel Armour before, he might have swimmed ashore together with his faithful runner on this very beach.
Don’t let anything weigh you down, ha de Gött!
Walking in the soft green moss with the rustling leafs from last year around my feet. In the old culture landscape where nature slowly reclaims its territory in a wild softness. The bird song cacophony, warns of the one eyed intruder disturbing the mating calls.
Go green, ha de Gött!
The windmill of Ulseröd, just outside Havstenssund, was built in 1900 and was in operation until 1939. During this period new technology made it possible for the farmers to mill their grain in small electrical mills. This together with the urbanization made the windmills obsolete.
The windmill of Ulseröd was saved from decay by Tanum Local Folklore Society and Havstenssund Community Association. A major renovation took place in 2013 to 2016. The windmill wings were rebuilt, the facade wood replaced and painted red, windows replaced. Find out more here (in Swedish). In my opinion, by volunteer heroes saving this piece of history for the future.
The windmill type is a smock mill, also called Dutch type. The top, or the smock cap, can be turned by the windmill operator to capture optimum wind. It’s an old well tested design that already Leonardo da Vinci made a sketch for. Special feature of Ulseröd windmill is the two parallel milling stations. Check out the fictional story I wrote a year ago about the windmill here. Stay tuned for interior pictures.
Against the wind is power, ha de Gött!
Jokes and puns, they had
Rock hard punch line
Debate words, delivered with
Rock hard punch line
Leg it, outrun the long
Rock hard punch line
Lover, not a fighter, ha de Gött!
Thought I wouldn’t put up a blog today
Didn’t really have anything to say
It would be silent as a log
Today on my little blog
But words kept poppin’ out, okay
So here it is anyway
Just do it, ha de Gött!
UlleHaddock 