Catch a Fire

The second of the doll houses mentioned yesterday seems to have been on fire. Maybe this sleepy town have got it's own share of hoodlums?

A Big Doll House?

In the center of the Swedish town of Ljusdal, three of these oversized doll houses divide a parking space. I still haven't figured out what they are about, but they look pretty.

And Yellow...

The post yesterday showed what I would call a typical Swedish house; wooden and dark red, but lighter colours are in evidence, especially in the towns. This yellow colour is very popular too.

Falun Red and Wooden Houses

Two things makes for a typically Swedish house; it's wooden and it's painted this special dark red called Falun Red after a town called Falun. The paint is based on copper from the mine near the town and is widely used, especially in the countryside.

Early Sunset

As you might recall from your geography lessons in school, the sun sets rather early the further north you get during the winter. In Ljusdal in Sweden that time is about 2.30pm. Good thing that all the snow at least makes it more bright even at night.

Children of Our Time

When out and about I often come across graffiti like this. Often there's a message hidden, a statement or just a signature. In this case from Ljusdal, Sweden, the line reads Children of our time in Swedish. What is meant by it, I'm not sure. Maybe the artist meant that this is what children do today, i.e. paint on other's walls, or maybe that children is a product of our time. I don't know and it still baffles me.

Buried in Snow

I do hope this caravan is not going to be used before springtime, as I'd hate to be the one to try to get it free of the snow.

In the Middle of a Forest

After a heavy snowfall the forests of Sweden looks like they have been powdered with icing sugar by a very generous giant. And for city folks the quiet out there is almost disturbing.

A Lamp with a Hat of Snow

Snow is something I don't tire of easily, as you might have noticed. This photo of a lamp with a hat of snow was taken the same place as yesterday's, just outside of Arbrå on the first day of the year.

In the Countryside

Today's pic is from my trip to Sweden, where I spent Xmas. This is taken at my niece's in-laws just outside the little town of Arbrå on the first day of the year. We were really in the countryside here, nice, quiet and very winterly.

These icicles greeted me on the first day of the new year. The visit to my sister in Sweden was a treat, as I love winter.

This is winter

At my sister's place in Ljusdal, Sweden, the news during Christmas was followed by quite a bit of humorous comments. The winter weather in Denmark closed down parts of the traffic which caught a lot of travelers and the authorities on the wrong footing so to speak. As you can see on this photo from Ljusdal, they are used to getting a few meters of snow each winter so the few centimeters that created havoc in Denmark did raise a few eyebrows. "Why do they stop clearing the roads until it has stopped snowing? Why don't they have the right equipment? Why do the Danes expect to be on time during a snowstorm, when they are on the road, in the air or on the tracks?" Good questions and no good answers. Only the chaos on the island of Bornholm seemed justified by the 1.5 m of snow they got during Christmas.

Watch out!

With snowfall and changing temperatures comes icicles under the roofs. In Copenhagen these ones are quite a danger if people are passing under them as they fall from 6 floors up. And don't park under them neither, the holes in the roofs don't look decorative.

Coming in for landing

The swan is the Danish national bird and when you see them flying low over the water, you can understand why. These four magnificent birds was caught on camera just outside the park Valbyparken.

Location:Molinsgatan,Ljusdal,Sverige

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you all, I hope you'll have a great one this year. My philosophy is always to start the day with a smile, so why not start the year with one as well?