Monday 26 May 2014

A Patchwork Ramble, or Waiting for the Big Bang

There are so many things going on at the moment that I think I shall have to do a Scriptor-like ramble today.

Bomb Threat

CIMG9724

This is the Court House situated by our main square.

I took this photo on Thursday evening when walking back from having been to the unveiling of The House of Knowledge sculpture (see my recent FMTSO post). This was around 6:30 pm when most of the nearby shops had already closed for the day, so not a lot of people about. Looks rather peaceful, doesn’t it? – The next day, Friday, was a hot and humid kind of day with temperature rising close to +30° in the shadow, almost tropical storm blowing, and the whole of Nature just seeming to be waiting for thunder. I had intended to go into town in the afternoon, but didn’t. Just as well, because if I had, I would have found central town deserted and the shops around the square closed; because of a bomb threat to the Court House (which is still being used as such). Someone left a message in the late morning, that a bomb was to go off there at 3 pm. So the court house and all the nearby buildings had to be evacuated. However, no explosion took place, and the police found nothing. And I did not know anything about it all until the evening news on TV!!! (What?! In my town?!??)

Action

If we got any thunder here during the night, I slept through it. We did get rain through, and the air was a lot cooler and fresher the next morning. So I set off into town for my postponed errands; hoping to find things in a state of “business as usual”.

Well, shops were open – just not all easy to get to!
To my consternation, as I approached the town centre, I found it had turned into a gigantic obstacle course. Not the work of terrorists though – even if to someone like me (out for a bit of ordinary Saturday shopping) it might seem so…

CIMG9726

I guess my “sports filter” had kicked in as usual when reading the morning paper, and I had completely missed the fact that a big Action Run event was going to take place in town that day.

CIMG9727

DSC_0772-001

DSC_0776

Apparently, various ways of getting wet was considered part of the “fun”.

DSC_0770

CIMG9740

I can only guess that the bomb threat the day before must indeed have been instigated by someone with a grudge against the judicial system rather than by someone wanting to cause chaos in general; because for the latter purpose, Saturday would (in my humble opinion) have been the more effectful choice. Or, instead of the court house, perhaps…

The Textile Fashion Center / Textile Museum

CIMG9746

Because that’s where everyone else was, who did not prefer climbing rubber walls or running through car wash showers or balancing on narrow timber logs across the river.

The inauguration ceremony (re-opening of the Textile Museum in its new premises, after a move that has taken two years to prepare) took place on Friday afternoon. I did not attend, because of the oppressive weather already mentioned. But they also had Open House all weekend, both at the museum and in the rest of the Fashion Center; and I ended up spending both Saturday and Sunday afternoon strolling around the place with my camera, because there was sooo much to see.

CIMG9749-001

As a result I have have more pictures and impressions than I can find the time (just now) to organise and share! So I will be getting back to this place in several posts to come, just sharing a few things each time. Otherwise all our heads will end up spinning… Just like these chairs below!

CIMG9751-001

CIMG9752-001

The goathi or lappkåta makes sense in a “punny” way, if you know Swedish…“Lapp” in Swedish = “patch” but is also a (dated) word for the Sami people (cf. Lapland, the region in the north of Scandinavia where they live).

In the planning of the new museum, the public was asked to send in various kinds of patches of a certain size to the museum; and a textile artist made use of some of them for the decoration surrounding the entrance (as seen above); but evidently there were a lot more patches sent in than needed for that purpose…

CIMG9754-001

EU Election

Today was also election day for the European Union Parliament; and on my way to the Textile Museum I popped in at my polling place (a technical senior high school) to vote. They had art on their wall too:

CIMG9845

I can’t claim to be very engaged in political issues, but I do find it better to vote than not to vote – because even if I’m not 100% sure which party I agree with the most (for the Americans: we have more than two!), I do feel more sure about some I don’t wish to see increase their influence… Which really makes any one of the others a better alternative!

The results of the election are coming in as I’m writing this but I’m not going into any analysis here. I consider that I’ve done my tiny little bit by voting.

 

9 comments:

  1. I'm so glad the threat came to nothing, That is a beautiful courthouse! The turrets on either side, can one actually go up and come out on top where the fences are? The entrance to the museum is very pretty, with all the fabrics. But I would definitely stay out of those dizzying chairs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think 'the public' is allowed to go up into the turrets, Ginny. I've been inside on guided tours and open house days, but can't recall the turrets being included.

      Delete
  2. I so so want to have a go in one of those chairs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Besides young children I do think I saw more grown up men than women having a go at them, Graham. 'Boys will be boys'...? :-)

      Delete
  3. The Action Run looks like great fun - I'd have loved to participate!
    Some very interesting pictures there from the Textile Museum, I am looking forward to seeing more.

    Election Day in Germany, too; we've not only had to vote for the EP, but also for our local government(s), the regional one and the town council. So, all together, we had four voting lists, with 40 votes on one, 15 votes on another one and one vote each on the last two lists. It was a lot of hard thinking and making sure you don't give too many votes to one candidate, or your entire vote would not have counted.
    Like you, I find it hard to decide, because none of the many, many parties here in Germany truly represents my views and concerns, but I chose those whose programs match mine the best.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I knew you like to run, Meike, but I did not realise you also enjoy participating in this kind of thing. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Never have done - but it reminds me of how I used to play with the other kids in the neighbourhood, climbing up trees and walls, crawling through thickets and crossing brooks in the most adventurous ways we could work out.

      Delete
  5. love the courthouse... the times now are just beyond crazy.... your town does the most fun and interesting things, even to art in the school.... when we vote here, that is what we do, vote against the ones we don't like at all....

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh please tell me that you had a go in the spinning chairs....what fun!
    Loved the artwork on the wall in the technical senior high school.
    Thank goodness there was no bomb.

    ReplyDelete

Communication is what makes blogging fun :)
... but all spam or suspected spam will be deleted.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...