Skywatch Friday

 

Sunset views from last Sunday, 26 July (at 21:16) 

Since then we've had a "mixed" weather week, starting with rain (showers), followed by hot weather from further south in Europe suddenly visiting again for a couple of days (culminating on Thursday with around 31'C) - but then, without much drama, back to cooler temperatures around 20'C again yesterday...

Not all easy to keep up, but I'm thankful that the heat only lasted a couple of days this time, as that meant it didn't have time to heat up the indoors temperature much. Wednesday was laundry afternoon for me, which kept me inside. On Thursday I went for a short walk before noon (i.e. before it got "too" hot), but then shut myself in behind closed curtains etc during the afternoon. On Friday it was cooler but instead very windy, so I wasn't out for very long then either - but was able to let some cool air in at home... :)

Kept to shadowy paths on the old cemetery on Thursday...

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

 

Skywatch Friday

 

Sunset sky - Thursday 23 July, 2026

Photo taken from my balcony yesterday; after a sunny day with pleasantly "cool" Nordic summer temperatures (not rising much above 20'C). Clouds gathered in the evening, followed by a mostly overcast day today. I don't think we actually got any rain, though - so far, anyway! (writing this at 6:40 pm) 

Personally, I much prefer it when I can open the balcony door or a window to let cooler air in, than having to keep everything shut, blinds down, curtains drawn, and fans running around the clock to try and keep the heat out (and yet not really succeeding) - as has periodically been the situation here too, this summer (but not for as long at a time as further south in Europe).

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

Thunder and Rain

 

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

On Friday afternoon the heatwave that has been ruling here for the past week started to break up, as thunder and rain showers began rolling in from the south-west. The showers have been brief but violent. The night indoors was still hot and clammy, as one could not leave any windows or balcony door open. Nor can one do so today, even if just going out for a short while. 

I did venture out for about 20 minutes around noon today, just for a "breather". I only walked 10 minutes in one direction and then turned around. The three photos above show my view of the sky on the way back. I managed to get back home dry, but shortly after, a sudden gust of wind blew shut the balcony door with a big bang (I had opened it wide when I got back in) and the heavens opened again. (The folding umbrella I had brought with me on my walk probably wouldn't have helped much.) 

This weekend of thunder is likely to be followed by a whole week of cooler weather (even under 20C) and also quite a lot of rain. Whether one considers this a blessing or a curse probably varies a lot from one person to another! Personally, I welcome the drop in temperature, and I know that nature is thirsting for rain... No guarantee how long it will be before I'll start complaining about it being too wet, though! ;)

Skywatch Friday

 

   

Wildflowers have been sown on a grassy patch dividing the walkway from the street in my neighbourhood. I think the main purpose is probably to attract bees and butterflies - but I find them very attractive as well! 

   

On the other side of the street you see the stone wall on the west side of the cemetery. Usually I walk on the inside of that wall, which is why I haven't spotted these flowers before!

And looking in the opposite direction, there was a very artistic sky formation! :) 

It's getting warmer again here, but today still not unbearably hot for a short walk before lunch. (I made sure to bring a bottle of water with me, though!)

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday

 

Wednesday, 10 June, 2026 (21:25)

Thursday, 11 June, 2026 (22:40)

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Lilacs (Syringa) / SkyWatch Friday

 

Intense blue sky today (Thursday 28 May). I went for a walk in the afternoon to post a birthday card. Along a side street I passed, I noticed this house surrounded by an incredible "hedge" of lilacs (syringa) in bloom. (In Swedish we call them syrén.) In the background you can see that there are lilacs all along the opposite side of the garden as well. 

Yesterday, I also took the photos below of a "cluster" of lilacs in the old cemetery. Standing there, it did look to me like branches with two different colours of flowers are actually coming from the same trunk down at the bottom. Not all easy to tell! - but googling it now, AI informs me that lilacs can indeed be grafted:

Yes, lilac trees can be grafted. In fact, many commercial "tree form" lilacs (where a shrub is grafted high onto a single trunk) and unique multicolored varieties are produced this way. Grafting is done to change the plant's growth habit, control its size, or combine multiple flower colors onto a single base.

A bit more about Syringa (Lilacs), from Wikipedia:

Lilacs are small trees, ranging in size from 2 to 10 metres (6+1⁄2 to 33 ft) tall, with stems up to 20 to 30 centimetres (8 to 12 in) diameter.

The usual flower colour is a shade of purple (often a light purple or "lilac"), but white, pale yellow and pink, and even a dark burgundy color are also found.

The genus Syringa was first formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and the description was published in Species Plantarum. 

 The genus name Syringa is derived from Ancient Greek word syrinx meaning "pipe" or "tube" and refers to the hollow branches of one species. - The English common name "lilac" comes from the French lilac. 

Linking to Skywatch Friday

SkyWatch & Progress of Spring

 

19 May 2026 - 21:05

Tuesday evening offered this sunset view from my balcony. 

Yesterday, Thursday, was dominated by grey skies and rain showers. I had to walk into town for a dentist appointment at 11 am, to get my new crown put in place. So I both put on my rain coat and brought a foldable umbrella; but fortunately (also managing my walking stick with the other hand) did not need to have the umbrella up much... 

At the the north-west entrance to the city park, I found rhododendron in bloom; and down by the river in the park, the huge old horse chestnut trees were in bloom:

The dentist appointment went well. I got a bit worried initially, because when they first put the new crown in to see how it fitted, it did feel to me like it would not fit at all... But of course they fixed that; and in the end I once again walked out of there a satisfied customer/patient. (I've been with the same dental practice for 35+ years. My old dentist retired a few years ago, but the new one soon earned my trust as well.) 

On the way back home I walked a different way, did not need my umbrella, and found some more rhododendron in bloom. The wooden door in the photo below sits in the wall of a cemetery (not the cemetery where I usually walk, but an even older one, closer to the city centre and park).

Today the clouds broke up in favour of a clear blue sky again. I've had some indoor things to do but have also been out for two shorter walks. Before lunch, my usual Friday "recycling" walk + stopping by a small local shop on the way back for a few things. 

On the way, noticing that the lilacs are now in bloom:

And in the afternoon, a walk to the nearby cemetery to check on the progess of the azaleas there:

 

Linking to SkyWatch Friday

Skywatch Friday

 

12 May, 2026 - 19:02

15 May 2026 - 20:15

15 May, 2026 - 20:15

15 May, 2026 - 20:16

It's been a week of swiftly shifting skies. This afternoon after lunch I managed my usual "recycling walk" and even got a glimpse of the sun. Right after I got back home, it was raining again, and I could even hear thunder rolling... 

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday

 

Saturday, 2 May 2026 - 19:56

Sunday, 3 May, 2026 - 20:30

Wednesday, 6 May, 2026 - 20:21

Wednesday, 6 May, 2026 - 20:21

I was going to link this to Skywatch Friday but find myself unable to. Not sure if this has to do with changes on that website, or with my own switch of browser for this blog. No energy to look into that just now! 

Linking to SkyWatch Friday

(Saturday: Seems to be working now...)

Skywatch Friday

 

Dramatic Moon -  28 April, 21:42 (looking south)

 

 Sunset, 29 April, 20:25, looking west

 Sunset, 29 April, 20:27 - looking north-west

  

Linking to Skywatch Friday, 30 April 2026

Skywatch Friday

 

 

 

Skywatching from my balcony on Thursday evening (16th April, 2026).

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

 

Skywatch & Treewatch

 

03/03/2026, 07:08

03/03/2026, 07:19

The two photos above were taken from my kitchen window on Tuesday morning.

Since then, the rest of the week has offered clear blue sky and sunshine, but still some frosty nights. The snow and ice is almost all gone - only a little bit lingering here and there in shadowy places where it was piled up by the snow ploughs.

 In my Wednesday post, I showed a tree in the cemetery being taken down because of Dutch elm disease. The next day, I passed by the same spot again, and below is what remained of the tree trunk then. I don't know if taking down the rest just needs different tools, so will be done later, or if they intend to leave some part of it.

 

 

 

Seeing the bare tree trunk against the sky like that, I was reminded of an alternative solution that I saw last summer when visiting a park in the city of Linköping (click on the link for my full post from there). There they had saved  the trunks of some trees that died from the same disease, and turned those into wooden sculptures:

 

 

 Linking to Skywatch Friday