In Sweden, we traditionally celebrate the arrival of spring on 30th April - Valborgsmässoafton / Walpurgis Night - with bonfires, choral singing and speeches. I did not personally attend any such celebration this year; but Spring seems to have been pleased enough with all the attention, and responded gracefully by giving us a beautiful first week of May.
1st May is Labour Day and a bank holiday here, and that afternoon I went for a walk into town, in search of signs of spring.
The early blossoming trees have been having a confusing time during April, with very shifting kinds of weather: some sunny days, but rather chilly winds, and several frosty nights. But they’re doing their best…
The city’s gardeners have also been busy planting pansies and other spring flowers at the end of April. This plantation is found near the railway station.
Some planting still going on – here, outside a restaurant
A beautiful afternoon for people to just sit around outside and enjoy the sun again.
Magnificent magnolia tree in the park
Labour Day is a day for political demonstrations and meetings. This is from the Social Democrats meeting in the park; with our government minister for social security speaking here this year. (Our present government consists of the Social Democrats + the Green Party.) I hung around and listened to most of her speech; but not the whole meeting.
Across the river from the Town Park there is a small park, now named after and dedicated to the memory of a former minister for foreign affairs (also a Social Democrat), Anna Lindh, who was tragically assassinated in 2003.
The monument in the park is entitled Non-Violence and was created in 2010 by Fredrik Reuterswärd.
More cherry blossom trees on my way back home!
Linking to Friday My Town
13 comments:
YEAH, a new post from you! How is the computer doing? What a gorgeous day this was, with such an intense blue sky. I love the way they have planted the pansies in different colored sections, so pretty! And I remember the gun! I always love the art there. WAIT...fifth picture...the building is painted with a colorful mural of some kind! It is a person's face wrapped around the side. I have not seen this before! Or have I? Did you post it and I forgot? That is awesome! Is it apartments or offices?
What a lovely spring array of pictures. You live in a beautiful place.
What an incredibly blue sky, it does look very springy.
Beautiful pictures, Monica! All that is gone now here; our gardens, woodland areas and orchards are becoming greener every day with only very few blossoms still remaining on the trees.
I remember the Anna Lindh attack. Was she from your town?
I'm off to O.K.'s tomorrow morning and won't be back until Sunday night (the 14th) a week later, as we are going on holiday together, yay!!!
Spring is looking really good and I see everybody's really enjoyed sitting in that sunshine. Everything looks just beautiful and I hope all the snow is gone
It is really beautiful there. It is amazing that as far away as we all are from one another how connected we are by our love of Spring and the beauty around us. Happy weekend to you- xo Diana
Ginny, that mural is from the first street art festival in 2014 and I'm sure I've shown it before - probably more than once! :) The building has stores on the ground floor, I think probably apartments above. But maybe offices as well, I don't really know.
Thanks Wanda. It's always amazing to me how a clear blue sky in the background always makes everything look so much nicer!
A perfect day for photography, Janet ;)
Thanks Meike. Yes, once spring has sprung it often has a tendency to be in a hurry to move on to summer :) We might have a bit of a backlash slowing things down a bit again next week, though (according to weather forecasts).
As far as I know, Anna Lindh had no special connection to Borås (?) The assassination was one of those tragedies that shook the whole country, though - and it took place two years after the terror attack in New York 2001. (Anna Lindh was attacked 10th September and died 11th September 2003.)
Yes Sandra, the snow is all gone :)
Thanks Diana. I'm not sure where in the US you live, but I guess most of us who live in a climate that includes winter are glad to see it followed by spring once again :)
The blossom on the trees and bushes here in Scotland this year has been exceptionally plentiful and beautiful. It seems that we are not alone.
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