Sun and Rain

Saturday (May 31) offered sunnier weather than Friday; which I assume was probably good for business on the second day of our spring market. Personally I did not feel inclined to join the market crowd a second time, though, so did not extend my walk that day further than to the southern end of the city park, to check on some of the purple rhododendrons there - which are seriously impressive when in bloom:

Closer to home, there is a Golden Rain tree (Laburnum) in bloom. These always bring back childhood memories for me, as my grandparents had a whole hedge of them in their garden.

 On Sunday it was raining; but there was a break in the downpour in the afternoon, and I managed a short walk (snapping a few raindrop photos without getting too wet myself):

Rhododendron (left) and azaleas (right), and a glimps of the chapel in the background.

Rhododendron

Rhododendron

 

 
Google image search tells me that these green leaves are hostas (also known as funkia) - a name I tend to forget from one summer to the next...   

 

I also noticed some "wild" roses (dog rose) in bloom. 
(Like with many other flowers this spring, it seems a bit early?)

 

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet..."

Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II 

The Difference the Sun Makes

While yesterday the snow seemed rather depressing against the background a dark grey sky, today showed the sunny side of winter:

The snow plows have been busy the last couple of days.
 

Some old houses in the neighbourhood. I think I've read somewhere that the big house on the top of the hill once belonged to a wealthy factory owner, back in the early days of textile industry in the city. And I assume (although I don't really know) that the two buildings below maybe belonged to the same estate as well.

 

 

 The old cemetery where I often go walking. (I love all the big old trees there...)

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

Cold and frosty weather today, - 6°C around noon, when I took me, my shadow and my camera out for a walk. It’s been a while since any of us saw the sun; maybe that’s why I had such a loooong shadow, too?

Last night before I went to bed, I also noticed that I could see the stars in the sky from my balcony, which is even more rare in the city. I turned the camera towards the sky. On the screen, I could not see anything but black. But I pressed the button anyway…

Then, on the computer, I used the Picasa auto contrast + some extra shadow, and got this:

To which I can only say “wow”.

Now, of course, I’m wondering if you are able to also see the same on your computer screen as what I see on mine. I.e. more stars than I can count… And proof, I guess, that my camera sees more than I can see with my bare eye (and glasses)…

Not Far To Go, Anywhere In Hjo

Square, beach walk, park, tourist office… Everything seemed to be just a short walk away in Hjo.

Ice cream café by the river

The sign on the little wooden cottage says ”soap factory”. Checking things up on the internet now, I see that in spite of the “olde” look, this seems to be a contemporary local business (in an old building) – producing and selling their own ecological soap, and related products.

The square

Hjo Church (see separate post from last Sunday)

Randomly wandering the streets on our way back to the hotel, we happened to also come across an enclosed “mystery” estate. We never quite got a grip of whether it was public or private. Either way – a charming environment for whoever it may be who is so lucky as to live there.

Saying goodbye to Hjo, and driving on south…

We made five more stops on that last day of our trip, on our way back home. Each of those stops involved a church; and each one interesting in its own right. (I’m pretty sure I’ve never visited so many churches on one and the same Sunday before!) … I’m thinking of saving those for “Inspired Sundays” to come (one church  per weekend); and get back to posting some other things in between.

This weekend, I’m linking to:

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 

Here Comes The Sun

We’ve been having a rather “dull” winter here this year. Of course there have been subtle varieties: Sometimes frosty and icy grey; sometimes grey wet and windy; and sometimes just plain grey… But not really tempting my camera.

Today, finally, the sky looked a bit more cheerful!

So I went for a walk into town; and took these photos with my phone on the way back.

Thin, thin ice on parts of the river after a week or two of temperatures below freezing point.

More new buildings rising close to the river near the city center. It’s been a few weeks since I last walked that way, so a few more floors had been added to the ones under construction (those in the middle, furthest away from the camera).

I turned my back to the apartment blocks and looked down at the reflection of the sun in the water instead… And a little bit of white snowy ice just along the shore near the jetty.

And some ducks came flying in and landed with a big splash in the water, singing…  

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
And I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun,…

Listen: YouTube (George Harrison – Here Comes the Sun)

…

Linking to Mersad’s

Sunny Day at the Zoo

Today was a wonderful sunny late summer / early autumn day. Wanting to spend the afternoon outdoors, I decided after lunch to make use one more time of the season pass to the zoo that I bought back in June. This was actually my 4th visit this summer – a personal record, I think! (I’m pretty sure I’ve never been to the zoo more than twice in one year before.)

Each time I’ve had my camera with me, of course – so by now I have lots of zoo pictures.

In this post, I’m choosing a selection from today to confirm that the animals too seemed to be really enjoying the sun:

Bongo antelope

Seal

Bear

Lion

Tiger (yes, they like to swim!)

Cheetah

Elephant

Giraffe

Linking to:
Through My Lens

 

 

Secret Gardens in Early Morning Sun

Laburnum – Golden Chain
In Swedish we call them “gullregn” = Golden Rain

 

Linking to: