The Two Towers

 ... or, Keeping Things in Perspective ...

 

Walking back home from the city centre one day this week, I focused on these two tower blocks on the horison, and how my perspective of them keeps changing as I got closer.

 

 

This view is from the parking lot to the right of the roundabout in the previous photo. (From there I then turned right and followed a footpath along the river.)

The yellow brick bulding with the sign "Spinneriet" is an old spinning mill. No longer a factory but housing a number of different businesses - including a spinning gym...

 

 

Still that old spinning mill to the left in this picture - surrounded by modern apartment blocks. You can now see that the two tower blocks are not really as close together as it may seem from afar.

 

 “In one thing you have not changed, dear friend," said Aragorn: "you still speak in riddles."
"What? In riddles?" said Gandalf. "No! For I was talking aloud to myself. A habit of the old: they choose the wisest person present to speak to; the long explanations needed by the young are wearying.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers 

 

Fine Fabrics Fair

Today was predicted to be another mostly dry and sunny day (but not too warm) - and so it also turned out. I had read in our local newspaper about a "Fine Fabrics Fair" at the Textile Fashion Center this weekend, so decided to go and have a look at that. Not to buy anything, but just to have a look around - and snap a few photos...

The fair was set up in connection to the museum shop at the entrance to the Textile Museum. 

I was never much into sewing myself (I switched to woodwork in secondary school...), but walking around here for a while made me think of my mother. She used to make most of her own clothes herself - and a lot for me and the rest of the family as well. When I think about it, I actually seem to have no memories of going shopping for clothes with my mum (trying things on etc)  - only of sometimes accompanying her to shops selling fabrics. (I think we also bought some things from mail order catalogs, though.) 

Some fashion/design items are sold in the museum shop even when there's no special fair going on.

 

(Meike, I thought of you when I saw this tray...)

The weather was still fine when I got out from the Fine Fabrics Fair, so I decided to walk on from there to the shopping mall area some distance further away. Usually when I go shopping there, I take a bus to get there, and then sometimes walk back home (if I don't have too much to carry); but today I did the opposite: I walked all the way there, but took a bus part of the way back. 

Old railway station building across the road from the Textile Fashion Center. (Nowadays used as offices for one or two businesses.) 

A mural I passed a bit further on.

Photo from inside the shopping mall where one of my favourite clothes shops is situated. That was the only shop I went into on this occasion. They had a sale going on, and it struck me that I might take the opportunity to look for a spring/summer/early autumn jacket. I've been looking in a few shops in the city centre without finding what I was after: Not a rain jacket, but still more protective than a "suit" jacket, or my short denim jacket...

As it turned out, my favourite shop in the mall did have one that was "pretty much" what I had in mind - and 30% off the original price. So I bought it.

Below is a mirror photo taken when I tried it on again back home:

 

 

 

 

Taking the Camera for a Walk (2)

 

Picking up where I left off in yesterday's post... What's hiding behind those rainbow coloured "curtains"? They weren't there last time I passed this way - so I crossed the bridge to go and explore... 

These were the first objects that met my eye behind the curtain.

 

Not every day you see a big disco ball hanging next to a bird house in a tree dressed in silky fabric... (If you look closely, you can see my reflection in the ball, taking the photo.)

 

 

Strange mix of rustic and attempts at "glamour", but it's beginning to dawn on me that the place must be used (or have been used) as some kind of temporary outdoors restaurant... But obviously not all the time, as things were stowed away in such a disorderly mess.

When I got back home I did some online research; and yes, it does seem to be a temporary outdoors night club open only in connection wtih certain special summer weekend events in the city centre. Myself, I'm never out and about in the evenings, and haven't been by that way in the daytime either just lately... So it has escaped my attention until now.

Can't say I long to be sitting there on a Saturday night with loud music and whatnot in the background - but interesting enough for an unexpected daytime photo adventure... ;-)

PS. My Sony camera ran out of battery somwhere in the middle, so some of the photos were taken with my phone camera after all.

Taking the Camera for a Walk (1)

 

Some threatening clouds in the sky today; but checking my mobile hour-by-hour weather app it seemed the risk of rain was low until later in the afternoon - so I decided to take my 'proper' camera for a walk downtown for a change. (It hasn't got much exercise since I got my new mobile back in the spring.) Above is a view from the footbridge over the railway quite close to home (looking east). Next is the view looking in the other direction.

I continued to focus on the sky on my walk downtown. This triangular glass building is the head office of a Swedish fashion company (Gina Tricot, founded here in Borås in 1997).

 

Zooming in the tower of the17th century church

And further away, the tower of our largest church (early 20th c) is also sticking up over the roof tops.

I also popped in for a quick visit to this crafts shop (situated in the white building with the red roof seen in photo No 4). They also have an exhibition room where different artists present their works for a few weeks or so in a row. Just now, there was an exhibition focusing on recycling and upcycling clothes and textiles. (I only had a look this time, did not buy anything.)

 

Continuing along the river, I noticed some colourful tarpaulins / coverings put up on the other side (which I've not seen there before). 

I decided to cross a bridge to investigate... But you'll have to wait until my next post to find out what I found on the other side! :)

The Kitchen Window

 

Rain pouring down outside today, and not much to do but be grateful that I don't necessarily have to go out. (It may still clear up in the afternoon, though.)

The photo above was taken on a  somewhat sunnier day. It's the view from my favourite place at my kitchen table. From that angle, I don't see the next building, and - this time of year - nothing but green trees and a bit of sky. It's my "breakfast view" every morning, and a good start to the day. (Also in winter, because even with the trees bare, I only see the top of other buildings far off.)

My African Violets

Painted nettles. They grow fast and are easy to propagate: just put cuttings in water. Actually, last winter I put some cuttings in vases and just left them like that (did not get round to planting them)... They lived on for months on nothing but tap water, just sprouting more and more roots - just like that little one is doing now...

PS. It struck me after I'd already published this post that today it's exactly 15 years ago that I moved into this flat. And the view from that window was one of the "selling points" to me the first time I came to look at the flat, about three months before that. (Figuratively speaking, as I wasn't buying it, just renting.)

Rose Garden

 

We had a sunny afternoon on Thursday, and then I went for a walk to the park in town - where the roses are now in bloom. Many of them did look a bit battered from all the heavy rain lately - but they do still offer a welcome splash of colour.

I also bought myself an ice cream at the ice cream café in the park. Mostly for a bit of "holiday feeling" as it was really almost too chilly to sit outdoors and eat ice cream.

 

I fed the Bing Image Creator a few variations of the theme "woman in rose garden eating ice cream" but wasn't impressed with any of the results. Just for fun, I'll show you some of the worst this time:

 

Top left: I started out with "Woman sitting on a park bench in a summery rose garden, eating ice cream from a beaker"... Have you ever seen anyone sitting in that position on a park bench?!

Top right: I added "cartoon style", and here I'm wondering 1/ what on earth is she holding? and 2/ why is the back of the bench twice as long as the seat?

Bottom left: I left out "beaker", and added "Picasso style". I don't think Picasso would have been happy - and what are those objects behind her on the bench?!

Bottom right: I tried Rembrandt instead, but I doubt he'd have been pleased either...