On Second Thought...

 ... perhaps I was a bit premature in declaring a sense of autumn in the air already?

Anyway, today we were back to a clear blue sky with just a few decorative fluffy white clouds, and pleasant summery temperatures around 21-22C (~70F), with only a light breeze.

I phoned my hairdresser in the morning, and she was able to squeeze me in for a haircut  at 1 pm. So I just had sandwich for lunch, and then set off on a walk into town around 12:15. 

 

The city park and the little square across the river from there were full of people enjoying the sun.

See that low wooden chair in the foreground? That's new for this summer and the woman sitting in it seemed to find it the perfect place to spend her lunch break (or whatever! - maybe she was still on holidays...) 

After my haircut (which only takes about 20 minutes), I also took the opportunity of a couple of other minor errands. As so often when in town, I visited the tea shop by the main square and stocked up on some loose leaf teas. Then I passed through one of my favourite clothes shops - just to have a "peek" really, but my eyes happened to fall on a denim shirt that I liked... So I tried that on, and ended up buying it. Not quite an impulse buy, really, as I have been on the lookout for something like it for a while. I bought it in a size large enough to wear on top of a t-shirt, so it can also be used as a light summer jacket.

 

On my way back, I stopped at the ice cream café in the park, and had small beaker of vegan mango ice-cream at one of their tables outdoors, before taking on the rest of the walk home. 

In my previous post I mentioned Goldenrod in bloom (Swedish: gullris), but didn't supply a close-up - as on that day I hadn't actually been up close to them... Yesterday, I did come closer to some in the old cemetery, though. So if anyone is still feeling unsure of what kind of flower I was referring to, here's a photo:

We have a proverb in Swedish that would translate "A beloved child has many names". And of course it's also quite common that many children have the same name... So to clarify: The Latin "family name" for this plant is Solidago - while the variety common here in Sweden /(since way back) is Solidago virgaurea. Historically it's been used for various medicinal purposes, without any known negative side-effects (Wikipedia says). It's also not known for causing allergies/hay-fever - and is not regarded as invasive. 

Some other (from our point of view 'foreign') species of Solidago have also been spreading in Sweden in later years, though, and are regarded as invasive. I think (or assume) that the ones that I see around where I live are the old trusted kind, though. 

Goldenrods and Fireweed

 

Solidago virgaurea / European Goldenrod 
(Swedish: Gullris, similar meaning as Goldenrod)

Chamaenerion angustifolium / Fireweed (US) / Rosebay willowherb (UK)
(Swedish: Mjölkört or Rallarros)

Both of these flowers are seen in bloom in abundance here, this time of year - reminding us that summer is coming to an end, and autumn approaching. They often grow along railroads and roads, and I think they're both often regarded as something in between wildflowers and "invasive" here... (As they have a habit of sneaking into gardens as well!)

The English Wikipedia article on the yellow Goldenrods tells me that in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries this plant was used in Europe to heal wounds, and has well known "astringent, diuretic and antiseptic" properties.  I did not know that - and  had to look up "astringent"! ("causing the contraction of skin cells and other body tissues") 

Wiki also tells me that the American name for the pink ones, Fireweed,  "derives from the species' abundance as a colonizer on burnt sites after forest fires and other disturbances". Here in Sweden, the name Rallarros means "navvy rose"; because it so often grows along railways banks here. (Even if in my photos above, it seems that it is the goldenrods that have taken over that particular part of a railway bank in my neighbourhood...)