Sticks and Stones

 

On a walk to get rid of some recycling stuff today, I snapped this photo of another couple of freshly painted stones - cf my post yesterday. Here, as in many other spots, combined with old triangular cement road blocks - none of which have received the same treatment. 

Below are a couple of wooden benches, painted earlier this spring. (Photo from today.) Some of these benches have an interesting habit of moving about and turning up in different places from one day to another - but I guess that indicates that at least they're being used...

 Below is an example of the third colour used:

It's a large district of look-alike buildings. I have not been round to count the number of painted stones - and I don't intend to. Time will no doubt tell whether the new additions of colour are appreciated, or not! (It is only the paint that is new; the stones themselves have been there for years, to stop cars from taking shortcuts or park where they shouldn't.) 

Observations

 

Zoomed in from my window last night (with my proper camera rather than my phone): A hare sitting completely still in this position on a path between my building and the next - probably doing his best to be invisible... Not very successful in that envionment, but I've often seen them "freeze" like that on gravel paths in the cemetery, when there are people about. What had scared him, I don't know - from my own elevated position I could not see anyone about. He even stayed frozen like a statue that way while I went to fetch the camera, zoomed in, and snapped the photo, so at least over a minute. And he wasn't even really close to any of the new strange additions to the neighbourhood: Big stones painted in bright colours!

 

The summer holidays have started; and in summer, there are always a number of young people doing odd jobs around here - mostly to do with simple gardening jobs and litter-picking etc. 

Painting stones is a new task that I've not seen before... The big stones, in their natural state, have been there before: Their purpose is to stop cars from taking shortcuts across the lawns. The colours used to paint them (bright yellow, purple and blue) I recognise from benches around the estate that have also recently been (re-)painted. Whether also painting big stones is really an improvement to the neighbourhood might be a matter for discussion... Personally, I haven't quite made up my mind about that yet! (lol) 

The rabbit did not appear until later, so at least he won't have got painted by mistake. 

Now I'm just waiting to spot birds with yellow, bright blue or purple feathers, indicating that they've landed on wet paint... But maybe they're too clever for that... ;-)

Big flocks of birds can be seen scanning the lawns after the lawn-mower has been and gone. (Mostly doves/pigeons in this photo, I think. But there are also crows, jackdaws, magpies and sea gulls to give them some competition.)
 
Apart from this, no strange observations to report.

 

Woes and Worries

The past weekend was one of woes and worries. The worries mostly in my own head, but that doesn't really help...

The worries started when I was going out for my Friday afternoon walk. A message from the landlord's office had been put up on the inside of the entrance door, telling us that from 25th June, that door will be locked around the clock (while over the 17 years I've lived here, it's only been locked during the night). The reason: Lately people with no right to be there seems to frequently have been found hanging out inside buildings in the area, causing worries for (some) tenants. 

That was all the info. For my own part, I have not noticed anything of that kind. Actually I've even found my immediate surroundings unusually peaceful lately! So I can only assume that this must have been happening in some buildings; but worrying enough to extend a new locked doors policy to the whole neighbourhood. 

This had my head spinning the whole rest of the weekend, and of course it also totally clashed with the relaxation and "presence" (noticing details in nature etc) that I usually connect with my walks.

As I myself have not noticed any strange strangers sneaking about, my own immediate reaction was/is instead to worry about the consequences of locked doors (with no entrance code system attached). 

The first thing that jumped to mind was my regular food delieveries from the supermarket. So far (over 10 years now) the drivers have been able to just walk right in and deliver to my own door - actually, to inside my hall. Which is what I need, as I can't lift/carry heavy bags myself. 

Now I shall have to be even more alert to watch out for the delivery van arriving outside, and not only open my own door, but hurry downstairs to open the front door for them. And even if that might work, I still worry about perhaps having to explain each time that they still need to help me carry the bags upstairs. Is it possible to include those instructions on my order? And even if it is (I've still not checked) can I trust that they'll read them?? Etc etc. (I think at least some of my fellow bloggers will be able to imagine even more "what ifs" buzzing...)

Over the weekend I took some time to google; and for a while, Google AI gave me hope that it might not be all that complicated after all, because AI claimed that my landlord (a municipal housing company) uses a lock system that allows for some digital solutions - even including food deliveries.

So I calmed down and wrote an email to ask about that. They answered promply on Monday morning (today); but alas not with the answer I wanted. The only way to get in is by key. So from now on (and who knows for how long) I shall indeed have to go down and let delivery guys (or other visitors) in manually. 

Head spinning again - and imagining even worse predicaments than how to cope with  deliveries... (Not having any family in town, and no trusted friend living really close, it's not practical to let any one person keep an extra key.) 

Inventing worst case scenarions not helped by yesterday also receiving news of the death of an old friend of mine, from cancer. I knew she's been ill, and while in the beginning she was bravely sharing about it on FB, it's been a long time now since her last post there - until now, and now it was not heself writing, but her daughter informing friends about her death, and time and place for the funeral. (A long way from here, so I won't be going, just sending a greeting to the family, and a donation to a cancer fund.) 

It's sad enough when friends older than oneself pass away - but even sadder when they're younger; and my friend had only just turned 62. Our friendship goes back to when we were in the same youth gospel choir, up in Karlstad - where I had then recently moved to study, and ended up living for ten years. So when I first got to know Ulla, I was 20, but she still only 12, and one of the very youngest members in that choir. (She was very talented, and ended up a music teacher - whereas I was never really much of a singer. But that choir was of the kind that welcomed everyone.) We remained friends (with many mutual friends) through her teens and beyond. I attended her wedding, and I visited her and her husband when their children were little; and the whole family also visited me in Borås after I moved here (the children still small, and their visit included a rainy visit to our zoo). And the last fifteen years or so we've kept in touch via Facebook, where she posted quite frequently - even through her "cancer journey", for as long as she was able to. But now all I can do is send a last wish out into the Final Beyond: Rest in Peace, my friend...

There was a bit more on my mind when I started writing this post, but it's getting late, so I'll save that for another day (perhaps), and just finish off with a couple of quotes I've kept reminding myself about more or less constantly ever since my own teenage years...

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:27)

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)

A Summer Walk

Summer weather with sunshine, blue skies and temperatures around 23'C (73'F) or so arrived (as forecasted) on Thursday - just in time for high school graduations and summer holidays. 

One definite sign of summer was that when I went out for a walk, I kept coming across half-naked sunbathing people lying flat on the grass in half-hidden places - desperately trying to update their tan for beach parties and whatnot... (I refrained from taking photos, so you'll just have to use your imagination!)  - I should perhaps point out that on that day, my feet were taking me along some different paths than my usual ones around the cemetery, though.

 Summery view from down by the river.

In the little park by the dam and waterfall, some potted palm trees have been added to create an extra exotic feeling. Our very own Palm Beach! (Bathing in the river not recommended, though. At least not in this spot.) 

Lupin(e)s. Loved by some (me included), regarded as "invasive" by others. I associate them with summers in my grandparents' garden, there were lots of them along the railway bank close by, and quite a few had been allowed to invade their garden too...

A surprise "sculpture exhibition" awaited me in a roped off plot of grass (wasteland?) along my way. As I haven't been going in that direction in a long time (at least not since last summer) I have no idea how long they've been there. 

 

In the background, I also spotted some bird houses on tree trunks.

Nearby, there is an old red wooden house, which now looks abandoned and empty - but the yard also unusually tidy, and the lawn seems to have been mowed! The sign on it reveals that it used to be a glazier's workshop. (Not sure what that light phenomenon to the left is!) 

 

Views from a bridge across the river. 

 

On my way back home, casting a glance up the hill beside the road, the impressive roots of these tall old pine trees caught my eye - doing their best to keep the trees in place in spite of the erosion on the sandy hillside...

Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) is a common roadside/grassland wildflower here.  

 

Another young bird (I think possibly a jackdaw rather than a crow this time?) resting on the lawn under some trees near my building - also looking a bit like it just fell from the sky and was contemplating how to get up there again. (I didn't witness the actual fall this time, though, so it may just be my imagination jumping to conclusions...) 

 

Linking to Skywatch Friday and Weekend Reflections

Summer in Blue

 

Blue Iris (Iris spuria, in English also known as Blue Flag).

Blue and purple also seem to be a dominant colours in the public flower beds that have just been "updated" in the cemetery:

 

 

Not sure what this flower is, and neither is Google Image search. (They just threw all kinds of very different blue flowers at me when I uploaded this photo!) 

 

Today, I noticed that a strange wooden "cross" structure had been added. Not sure what to make of it... I suppose time will tell if some plant is supposed to climb up on it!

Yesterday was rainy, and as it was also laundry day for me, I stayed in. Today a mix of clouds with the sun breaking through, but still rather chilly winds. The forecast is that we'll probably see a bit more summery weather over the weekend, but the higher temperatures won't be lasting long, and we'll be back below 20'C again next week. 

Follow-Ups

 

Today we're having a sunny day, even if also very windy.  I extended my walk to the park in the city centre, going one way there, and another way back. Above is another impressive display of purple rhododendrons in the park. 

 

Along the river on my way back home, I spotted this purple plant (popular with the bees):

Symphytum officinale

At home, I uploaded my photo to Google Image Search and found that...

Symphytum officinale is a perennial flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. Along with thirty four other species of Symphytum, it is known as comfrey (from the Latin confervere, to 'heal' or literally to 'boil together', referring to uses in ancient traditional medicine).  Over centuries, it was cultivated in Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom as a vegetable and herbal medicine. (N.B. Internal or long-term topical use of comfrey is discouraged due to its strong potential to cause liver toxicity.)  The Swedish name is äkta vallört. It's not native to Sweden but was imported and has spread so that it can now be found in the wild.

 

I also passed by the spot in the cemetery where yesterday I was almost hit (!) by a fledgeling crow falling to the ground from a tree... 
 

Photo from yesterday

I was glad not to find any traces of the bird today. I imagine that after recovering a bit from the shock, if it still was not able to fly, it may have taken shelter under a hedge nearby. 

When googling, I also got this info from AI:  

It's common for baby crows (fledged or recently fledged) to be seen on the ground, as they are learning to fly and practice their skills. Parents will continue to feed them on the ground during this stage. After leaving the nest, baby crows need time to practice flying. They may spend time on the ground or in nearby trees, hopping, running, and attempting short flights. Even when on the ground, parents will continue to feed the fledgling --- This ground-based learning is crucial for the fledglings to develop the strength and coordination needed for proper flight. --- Seeing a baby crow on the ground doesn't mean it's been abandoned. It's a natural part of their development.  

Comments on yesterday's post included some varied suggestions as to what kind of bird it was. For my own part, I had no difficulty identifying it as what here in Sweden we call a "grey crow" (Swedish: gråkråka) - or commonly, just "crow"... Additional online research informs me that the Latin name is corvus cornix, and that in English it's known as "hooded crow". But it's an Eurasian bird, so friends living in other parts of the world are not likely to be familiar with it.

AI sums it up:

Hooded Crow vs Magpie: Magpies are black and white birds with long tails, while hooded crows are grey with a black head, wings, and tail. Magpies have a melodious call, while hooded crows have a caw-like call.  

Hooded Crow vs Jackdaw: The hooded crow is larger than the jackdaw, has a black head, a light grey back, and light grey underparts, whereas the jackdaw is smaller, with black plumage and a grey nape. The hooded crow also has dark brown eyes, while the jackdaw has distinctive pale grey eyes. 

For my own part, grey crows and magpies were probably among the first birds I learned to recognise, way back in my childhood. I especially associate crows with my paternal grandmother, because she used to throw out left-over boiled potates for them in her garden. I think she's the only person I've ever known who "encouraged" visits by crows, by feeding them!

AI: "Crows are omnivores and eat a wide variety of foods, including insects, seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, small animals, and even carrion. They are also known to scavenge for food in garbage and even steal food from other animals." 

Thump!

 A largish, fuzzy, grey-and-black ball of something fell from a huge tree above and landed on the ground with a thump just beside the footpath. It shook itself a little, and among its grey fuzzy feathers a black eye looked at me...

Up above, a lot of upset cawing was heard. I'm no expert at crow language, but I think the conversation went something like this:

- I told you he was not ready to fly yet! Why did you have to push him??
- But he should be fully fledged by now! We can't keep him in the nest forever!!
- But look at him ! He hardly even knows how to move his wings! He might be hurt!!
- Oh, I'm sure he'll be all right... Just give him a moment... He'll figure it out...
- How?? If he couldn't get the hang of it from up here, how on earth is he going to get started from down there?? Oh no, look... There's a human down there as well, and she has seen him... At least help me caw as loud as you can to scare her away!!

 

 Both of them were now cawing so loud that I could no longer make out what they were saying. Guessing that at least some of it was aimed at me rather than at their offspring, I decided to back off and leave them to sort out their family quarrel among themselves. 

Curiosity drove me back to the spot some 10-15 minutes later, though. The fledgling was still on the ground, but seemed to have moved into a slightly less ruffled and more comfortable-looking position (as in the photo). The parents were still cawing loudly from above - whether quarreling, giving flying instructions, or just warning him about human presence again was hard to tell. As I have absolutely zero experience of teaching birds to fly, I again decided I had better just trust them to solve the situation their own way, though. At least the only wild animals in the cemetery (besides other birds) are the two hares, who I think are unlikely to interfere...

 

Congratulations and Celebrations

 

After a beautiful month of May with quite a lot of sun and not much rain, I imagine that this more "moody" (rainy and windy) first week and weekend of June, representing the start of summer, is having trouble quite living up to expectations with some people. 

For high school graduates, it has been Graduation Ball week; and in a lot of the photos on our local newspaper's website, umbrellas are dominating. 

People queuing to see the graduates walk the "red carpet" to the ball. (I blurred the faces of the couple as it's not my photo and I don't know if they want to get internationally famous!)

Yesterday, 6th June, was also Sweden's National Day and Flag Day, nowadays also a public holiday. Usually celebrated with some festivities in the city park, the weather yesterday (wind and rain) did not tempt me to go and check if they were still going ahead with the usual program there. (From the newspaper today it seems that at least the welcoming ceremony for new citizens had been moved indoors.) 

It's only since 2005 that our National Day has been an official holiday ("red day") in our calendar. Before 2005, the Monday after Pentecost Sunday (Whitsunday) used to be a holiday; but then it was decided to switch those two days. This year, because of the National Day falling on the Friday before Pentecost, we still got a "long weekend", though. (Being a pensioner myself these days, I can't say it matters much to me! But it probably does to some working people.) 

If you want to see some photos of sunny National Day celebrations in Borås from a previous year, you can click here: 2023. 

Skywatch Friday

 

Photo from my balcony last night: 
A curious cloud formation -
followed by a very rainy day today... 

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

An Abundance of Purple

 

These rhododendrons in bloom (in the cemetery where I often walk) drew my attention to the old stone cross between them, and I went round to the other side to check what it looked like from there.

It's an old family grave, five people with the same surname buried there between 1895-1952. No longer in care of the family, but returned to the church. Still well looked after - I supposed for a combination of historic intrerest, and the gorgeous rhododendron.

While azaleas are now fast getting past their prime beauty for the season, the rhododendron are at their very best just now - so I decided to go and visit them all! (Or almost, anyway...) All the photos below are of different rhododendron trees and bushes, all over the cemtery.

 

And all of them surrounded by a buzz of busy bees...

Finishing off with a different display of purple. A sign informed me that this old grave is now used as an example of using perennials for decoration.

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