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!
Picture from a busy Saturday in Göteborg with tram congestion in front of the old central post office. Straight ahead is ‘Slussen’, the lock for the canal ‘Fattighusån’. At the end in line with the high rise 900 meters away lies the building that named this canal, ‘Fattighuset’, the Alms-House. The canal has a name that implies that is a small river, ‘ån’ in Swedish. Why this name? Guess it’s an evidence of the humor in Göteborg.
The work started in 1620 but the king stopped the work due to lack of money. I wish a certain ruler of today will run out of money fast. The work was re-started in 1639 and finished in 1641. Connecting the Main Harbor Canal with the small river ‘Möndalsån’ became very important for the trade and development of the city.
As they say in Göteborg, ha de Gött!
Näcken is a humanoid shape shifting water spirit in Scandinavian folklore. He appears in all Germanic peoples folklore and the English name is Nicor. Näcken sits in the stream or a lake and tries to lure innocent people, mostly young women and children to drown. He does this by playing the Violin, the Devils instrument. There is also female Näcken that lures young men to the same fate.
Näck translated to English means, nude. Yes, it’s true we Scandinavians living in the country side love to do some nude swimming, specially after the Sauna bath. After all, there is usually not very many around to see you.
One dress makes us all equal, ha de Gött!
Brass, straight lines, motion in perfect symmetry
Capital of violence
Cohesive, chest ornaments, balcony of small men
Capital of violence
Fear, drumming boots, waving of enabling masses
Capital of violence
Heroes, historic claims, brothers in arms
Capital of violence
King, leader of choice, our way of life
Capital of violence
Portrait, son and daughter, tears of a mother
Capital of violence
Flags, coffins draped, flapping in the wind
Capital of violence
My heart goes out to all mothers seeing their sons and daughters coming back in a black bag.
UlleHaddock 