Travelling Weaver

Failed Blogger confesses

ozweaver — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:17:00 GMT

I have had to face the fact that I am a failed blogger! here it is christmas and I still haven't uploaded all my stories from Sweden when I travelled there in June and July 2008.

when travelling I found too much to do to stop and blogg and when I returned home, I was swamped with finding a job and a flat that life just gets in the way of a good time.

but here are a couple of thoughts of travelling:

- be aware - there's so many different things to see, do, taste, hear and find new friendships - much more positives than negatives

- be prepared for the anticlimax of returning to reality - if possible!

Until I take to the road again, I think I might just 'travel' around in my own backyard - there is always something new to find, see, do, taste, and hear right here!

all the best to all World Nomads :)

5 & 6 July 2008 - Churches & Mountains

ozweaver — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:49:00 GMT

Hjusjön, Hällefors, Vildmarkskrogen, Kindla Nature Reserve

On Saturday morning we headed off to Hjusjön church. This is a fascinating old wooden church all red and wooden shingles. Once inside the heavy doors, there is a very old panel of a wall painting that has been saved from an earlier building. There was another panel behind the pulpit from the same era – possibly earlier than 16 or 17^th Century. The list of priests serving at this church begins in 1647. This church has an unusual shape, because at some stage the original church was cut in half, stretched out and a new centre knave (I think that’s what they call it) was built in the middle of it, thus forming the cross structure of the present day.

On the textile front, a series of crocheted ‘bookmarks’ was on display. They were beautifully crafted, but little detail on who, when or why. There was also a flat woven rug stretching along the centre aisle. The stain-glass window was full of strong colours that glowed in the dimly lit church. The pulpit was gilded with gold highlights and the brass lamps shone. Below the window was a very old marble font. All in all this church really felt old but well loved and treasured.

We went onto the cemetery but the chapel was closed. People were tending their family's graves, a past-time that is a regular occurrence it appears. The cemeteries we visited were all very neat and tidy with plants such as pansy and marigolds blooming. The view from this cemetery included a glittery lake – not a bad view to contemplate for eternity!

We then drove through Hällefors and onto Vildmarkskrogen which gave a wonderful (although somewhat chilly!) view over the forests and lakes of this area. From up high, one can see the lakes stretching into the distance, fringed by the thick pine and birch forests. Although there are people living out in those forests, their impact is hidden from view, leaving only a sense of dense compact and conserved forests. I think this is why Sweden still has a strong sense of wilderness. Although the forests are managed and used, they still are going strong.

We stopped at a friend’s summer cottage and collected the ladder needed by the chimney sweeps that were coming to our cottage the following week. It was interesting to see another summer cottage – this one being bigger than ours, but still without electricity. Not sure about the running water situation. The upstairs fireplace had a complicated chimney which directed the smoke from the fire around the fireplace before heading up through the chimney. Unfortunately, somewhere in the history of this cottage, the access cleaning points to this chimney have been plastered over, which makes the job of cleaning it impossible. The reason for such a complicated chimney system was two-fold, 1) to keep the heat from escaping immediately up the chimney and 2) to stop the wind blowing the smoke back into the room (well, that’s how I understood it. Please correct me if I am wrong!!)

On Sunday (6/7/08) we went for a drive to Kindla Nature Reserve. But first we went for a walk through Slotterbergets gruver – an area that was heavily mined in the mid 1880’s for iron. The trail took us past areas of deep crevasses – some over 300m deep where the miners had dug down for the ore. There were stone walls that would have housed huge wheels used to lift the ore up to the tram lines. One U-shaped stone was polished to a beautiful smooth finish. The area was rugged and from the information (with English translations) and photographs stationed along the trail, the living and working conditions for the men would have been quite harsh. It was on this walk that I saw a little wren perched cheekily on a huge moss-covered boulder. It was only there for a second, but enough for me to have a really good look at it. So I was quite thrilled about that.

We went onto Kindla Nature Reserve. This is a forest area that is being conserved. Most of the forests in Sweden are logged periodically, but Kindla is one of the few areas left that is classed as virgin forestry. A managed fire-regime is part of the conservation program. The walking path led through mossy covered boulders and there wasn’t much undergrowth. One feature was the large ant nests. Pine needles and sticks are piled into towers with large black ants scurrying around, looking quite threatening! We climbed to the top of Kindlahöjden even to the top of the tower and looked far and wide – forests and lakes of course.

High Coast

ozweaver — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:54:00 GMT

2 July 2008

High Coast

After leaving Skuleberget, we headed off on a scenic drive around the High Coast. The lakes, with their clear green water were calm and mirrored the pine forests that grew right down to the edge. The blueberries were beginning to form and although quite small were still quite tasty!! This section of Sweden is quite mountainous with its full quota of lakes and rivers. Very beautiful!! There are trekking trails also, but I didn't have time to explore!

We stopped to photograph Sweden’s answer to San Francisco – the Höga Kust Suspension Bridge, opened in 1997, total cost was over 2 billion kronor. It stretches 1.8km across the water. It’s quite amazing and certainly gives you a feeling of driving a long way with only water below!

We drove into Sundsvall – another city having some festival – which meant the city centre was jam-packed with people and no way of driving through – so apart from one sighting of a wildly painted dragon, we bought some food and drove to the top of Södraberget to the top of the ski slopes and munched away whilst watching the sun thinking of setting. The waterways were very calm and many boats zipped around, leaving perfect v-shaped wakes. I climbed up to the chute and pretended there was snow everywhere and prepared to launch off! Thankfully, there was no snow, so I climbed back down the steps.

There were three young lads making use of the ski-lift to bring them up the mountain on their fancy Scott mountain bikes. They then bumped off down the slope, later to emerge over the crest on the ski lift! Well, that’s one way to get up a mountain!

We then headed south for our accommodation for the night at Gnarp.

Skuleberget

ozweaver — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:45:00 GMT

2 July 2008

Skuleberget

A quick drive down the main highway soon meant we were driving into Örnsköldsvik for a rendezvous with Agnete and AnnBritt. We found them watching some crazy young kids, skiing down the snow slope without any snow. I think the slope had some plastic covering for summer skiing. However, by the time I got there they had decided to break for lunch!

We waved goodbye to Stefan and piled into the Suzuki and headed off south to the Höga Kusten area.

First stop was at the Nature Reserve – Skuleberget. The display there was very interesting, detailing the phenomenon of the land rising following the last ice age. I am sure Wikipedia will have something to say about it – check it out! Due to my lack of Swedish, plans were being made without my understanding! We drove around to the back of Skuleberget. Hmm…. What’s this cable car ahead?? it appears we’re going up to the top via cable car! AnnBritt quickly offers to stay with the car, so Agnete & I head over to the lift and as the chairs are slowed down, we stand on the painted yellow footprints and get caught up as the seat comes around and hits us behind the knee – and we’re off! Too late to protest! But it wasn’t so bad and we chugged up to the top. It was certainly well worth it! The sight from the top of Skuleberget is spectacular! A bird’s eye view of the waterways and islands towards Finland in the east, mountains to the west. Way down below one can see a tiny church surrounded with farmlands and small farm houses all looking like something out of a kid’s plastic farm kit! To visibly demonstrate the amount that the land has lifted, a guide line could be peered along showing that only the top fringe of the mountain across the valley would have been visible after the ice sheet had receded. Likewise the crest of Skuleberget has a different look to the soil and the trees lower down. And so back to the cable car for the descent – all smooth until the last leg, where the ‘driver’ decided to put the brakes on rather suddenly that left us swinging rather roughly in the air. But eventually we were back on the ground and on our way again.

Umea day 2

ozweaver — Fri, 8 Aug 2008 17:57:00 GMT

2 July 2008

After a tasty and filling breakfast, we drove to the township of Norrbyn to catch the ferry across to Norrbyskär – a group of islands, now a tourist spot, with a history of having the largest steam-powered timber mill during 1895 -1952. For a comprehensive report on this, Google: Norrbyskär and all you need to know will be revealed – good old Wikipedia!!

We strolled around the island. Stefan got the gossip from a couple of chimney sweeps having morning tea, while Lina and I were being entertained by a small group of sheep amongst a field of yellow and blue flowers. How Swedish was that!! We visited the museum which gave a great display of the history of the timber mill and its dictator – and finished off the morning with a tasty feed of pancakes!! Courtesy of Stefan & Lina, I received a Spillkråka (Black Woodpecker) felted by a local craft worker. What a great reminder of my visit to these friendly people and my trip to Murningsgrundet!! The crafts/souvenirs in the museum shop were mostly made by local crafts people and were a very high standard. A great example of support for local artists.

It was then back to the mainland via the ferry and grab the backpack and head off down the highway to meet up with Agnete and AnnBritt in Örnsköldsvik.

To Umea

ozweaver — Fri, 8 Aug 2008 13:45:00 GMT

1 July 2008

After quick farewell to my Servas host, Christina, I headed off for the bus station – which was conveniently next door to the train station. I noticed to the left of railway station, The Arctic Hotel. A lesson learnt: look both ways when coming out of a railway/bus station if you are looking for accommodation!!

The bus was a modern double-decker, very comfortable and almost empty. We travelled along the main highway south, passing through pine and birch forests again, all in different stages of growth. Sweden harvests its forests in a very controlled manner. Lots are owned by private people as well as the Church. It appears that each generation gets a chance to harvest their family’s timber lot. These lots can be quite small, maybe 5 acres – and are cared for during their growth. The timber gets harvested then the block is allowed to self-seed and grow at its own rate. After maybe 15 years, the blocks are tidied, leaving a good stand of pine and birch to continue to grow. Once the timber becomes of profitable size, its harvested and the circle begins again. As more farm lands are not required in Sweden (something to do with EU) forest blocks are encouraged to be allowed to remain. As an Aussie concerned with land clearance, it took me a long time to accept the cleared blocks as part of the process, but I am getting there!

I saw a mini ‘Sydney Harbour Bridge’ made of wood that looked like it has been servicing its community for many years, oblivious of its more famous relative. Farmlands and small villages were passed and of course the lakes and rivers were still part of the scenery. I saw Tufted Ducks swimming in a lake, another tick for my bird-list.

We collected some cargo in Piteå and a brief impression includes chimneys belching smoke/steam (?) probably from paper factories and I recorded the petrol price at Statoil as 85.9kr per litre – roughly $1.70Aus.

We had a quick stop in Skelleftea for 20 mins. I dashed off to find a loo and to check out the city square. The public loo had coins jammed in its slot, so a dash to the shopping arcade found me given access to a loo with UV lighting! Something new – but apparently one can’t see veins for shooting up under this light. Well, that didn’t both me, but it was a bit disconcerting glowing in my white t-shirt! Anyway, didn’t get much of a look around the square therefore, but I was on my way to Umeå which was my goal.

We passed a monument in the form of two cheese slicers propped up, suggesting this may be an area (Lövanger) connected to cheese! Also saw a sign advertising “Drive-In Bingo” – what next I wonder??

So why was I planning a stop in Umeå? This story begins in 1982, when we were visited by a young Swedish back-packer at our place at West Point on Magnetic Island, North Queensland. He was such a nice bloke we suggested he stay awhile and he spent about a week with us. His parting quip was ‘If you’re ever in Sweden ….” So here I was – a quick search on the web found a phone number and contact was made. It was going to be interesting if I could recognise a young guy now 26 years older - & vice versa! But no worries, we found each other easily at the bus stop so into the car and we headed south out of town. So no comment of Umeå – what I saw of it seemed 1960’s stone buildings, blocks of flats. It’s a uni town, so plenty of student accommodation. I am sure there is a small area with old buildings, but I never saw it.

We drove down the highway to Murningsgrundet – a small community right on the coast of the Baltic Sea (although it looked like a lake with islands in it). Stefan and Lina have a lovely new cottage, still retaining the suggestion of a traditional Swedish home, but only one level surrounded by decks. We sat on the deck looking out over the water and caught up on 26 years of gossip. Looking at photos Stefan still holds dear, brought back many memories of those idyllic times on Magnetic Island. I spied a flash looking kayak, so soon I was hopping into it and paddling off in the Baltic Sea. I cruised around the edge chasing a Great Black-backed Gull for a close up look which I eventually got. I was going to paddle out to a ridge of rocks, but looped back to the cottage as there was still more talking to do. The water was pretty cool, too much so for thinking of a swim, so I counted the paddle as being part of my quest to be in the Baltic Ocean!

Back at the cottage, we harnessed up the cats and dog and went for a walk. The dog, Freya thought this was great, but the two cats – Norwegian forest cats – didn’t really appear to be enjoying the excursion. These large cats were very aloof, but very beautiful with their manes and baggy pants. I was given charge of the father cat and a continual tug of war saw us slowly progressing up past the nature reserve. This reserve is a restricted habitat for a rare plant, species unknown. The usual pine and birch were crowded with other plants and shrubs and understory – looking impenetrable, unlike the usual pine/birch forests. Beautiful wildflowers lined the road as usual.

The sun was thinking of going close to the horizon by the time we got back at 11pm and so off to bed in my little cottage (the original building on this block) with its sunny yellow bedroom. The sun continues to amaze me – and I still can’t get used to this continual light. Why did I think to pack a headlight??

Inside the Artic Circle

ozweaver — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:59:00 GMT

28 & 29 June 2008

One reason for going to Gällivare was to see the Midnight Sun. We arrived in town well into the evening and rushed up to our booked accommodation and chucked our bags in the room, grabbed a jacket in case it was cold up on Dundret then headed back to the train/bus station. The bus was packed with tourists but eventually we headed off up the hill. It was quite a steep drive and as we neared the top we saw a few pockets of snow & ice still lying in hollows, trickling water as they melted. We were cosy and warm in the bus and had become used to the warm weather, so you probably can't imagine the shock ('cos we couldn't either) of the cold when we jumped out of the bus at the top of the mountain. Freezing is a close description!! but there was the sun hanging well above the horizon - looking like at least another couple of hours to go to sunset. We found a little hut to shelter from the biting wind, but decided to find a cosy rock to sit behind and watch the sun sink. but it refused to budge, it just hung there in the sky. we were on the mountain top for close to an hour without any visible movement of the sun. and our watches were saying this is midnight 23.59!!! (Later, Michael brought up the issue of daylight saving in Sweden, but I chose to ignore that fact!) anyway, the chill was getting to everyone's bones and the bus driver was making waves that it was time to get back on the bus, so we headed back, my brain still bewildered by the fact that it was really the sun shining at that time of the night. after the bus driver kicked everyone out of the pub that was open up there, we chugged back to Gällivare where the sun was behind a mountain, but it still felt like daylight.

A festival was happening in Gällivare that weekend, so there was a rock concert happening - in broad daylight and drunken youngsters reeling around in what appeared to be 4pm excesses, but when one actually glanced at the time, it was easier to accept that maybe at 1.30am in Aust you would see the same thing.

In the morning, I crept out to check out a Fågeldam - a bird lake actually, and although it was just a pond in the town, there were widgeons swimming around on it - a typed of quite pretty duck that I hadn't seen before so I was chuffed about that.

After breakfast we walked down town where we discovered a market in full swing, almost like Yungaburra market, but not quite!! it was interesting to see the different crafts on offer, a lot of Sami jewellery, bric a brac, but not much in the line of fruit and vegies. we checked out the Sami church, but it was closed so no idea of what was inside it.

and so to the train, with Emma and Michael heading west, while I waited for a later train to go east!

the adventure into the Arctic circle with its midnight sun will be a highlight of this trip and well worth the time!

Luleå, North East Sweden

ozweaver — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:56:00 GMT

29 & 30 June 2008

The train trip to Luleå was packed and the countryside had a sorta used feel about it, not as interesting as on the Inlandbanan. I had an adventure finding some accommodation as by the time I had arrived and walked up to the Info centre it was closed. So I walked around looking for a hostel, backpackers or motel, without any luck. saw a couple of very glamorous hotels, but thought I would leave them as a last resort.

I eventually rang my Servas contact in Luleå, who booked me into a hostel, which proved to be clean and comfortable enough. a stroll around the river side and back into town where nothing was open, left me wondering what to have for dinner that night. Then I remembered Matias' motto - "you can always find something to eat at a petrol station", so not far from the hostel was a Statoil, so in I went and found chips, dip, yoghurt and away I went, satisfied!!

bright and early the next day I ducked into the Norbotten Museum which had a small display of Sami life, but nothing in the line of tapestry, but some traditional textiles as usual. by now my boot sole was separating from the rest of my boot, so I went to the Info centre, got timetables for bus to Gammalstad and asked about a bootmaker. unfortunately for me, the bootmaker had already gone off on summer semester, so a trip to Claus Olsson (the shop with everything)and with a tube of glue, saw me sitting at a coffe spot with coffee in one hand and applying pressue to my boot in the other hand. with some fancy tying of laces I headed off to catch the bus to the old church city, Gammalstad.

This area outside the main town of Luleå is quite fascinating. The large church is surrounded by a jumble of about 500 cottages which were used by parisheners who lived too far from the church to get there in one day. so they would travel in and stay in their cottage, so that the next day they could go to church. I don't think was something they did every week, but just for special occasions. These times were then social gatherings, where not only church business but the business of meeting up with friends and relations, and also courting etc happened. nowadays this area is a tourist site and on the World Heritage list of National Treasures. There is a restuarant and a couple of coffee shops set up within the old cottages, leatherworks, pottery and other crafts. The church is quite impressive with its huge brass lamps and gilded pulpit. In a dark gloomy corner, there were two heavily embroidered capes or garments of some sort worn by bishops or whatever. the metal embroidery was extremely impressive, but the lack of light (conservation rules) made it almost not visible.

I headed back to the city proper, collected pak and walked over to Kristina's - the Servas host I was spending the night with. She made me feel very welcome and after a tasty meal, we went for a walk down along the harbour and saw the ice-breakers resting from their winter duties of keeping the harbour channels free from ice. This area freezes so that people can ski, or snow-mobile across to the islands in the winter. It is really hard to imagine this country when it is dark and cold and covered with snow when now it is so green! Kristina explained that to survive in this area one has to accept the seasons and enjoy each one. She loves to read in the winter and she lights lots of candles and stays inside cosy and warm. She looks forward to the winter as much as the summer.

Inlandsbanan

ozweaver — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:22:00 GMT

26 - 28 June 2008

We left Rockhammar early on the 26th June and headed to Mora where Emma, Michael and myself were boarding the Inlandsbanan. for further information check out http://www.inlandsbanan.se/eng/inlandsbanan.php. basically this was a commercial train line to the north of Sweden through its centre. When it was proposed to close this track, councils along the way banded together to maintain the track and during the summer months a tourist train travels from south to north and returns. It only travels during the daytime, stopping at small villages where pre-ordered meals are served. Passengers are also able to hop off and stay overnight or for more days along the line to explore the wilderness experiences on offer. due to our time scale we planned only one stop at Östersund.

The drive to Mora was quite beautiful - as all of Sweden appears to be. Beautiful lakes and rivers, forests of pine and birch, farmlands with crops of wheat, rye and oats and small villages and towns to pass through. Villages still had their midsommer poles up and it was interesting to see different styles. We stopped for a stretch at Insjörn and browsed through a couple of shops. Then onwards to Leksand where we stopped for lunch. This area is famous for its Church Boats - long row-boats that brought parisheners across the lakes to attend church. Nowadays these boats are part of a traditional race day with teams of men rowing against each other.

The town of Mora is famous as the finishing line for the Vasa Loppet, the ski race which attracts thousands of participants each time it is held. Anders completed the trek in 1998. www.vasaloppet.se/ check this site for the history of this race. Somewhere there is now a photo of me standing at the finishing line - as I am sure there are many of those who did not complete at all in this marathon!

But here we said goodbye to Agnete and boarded the train and away we went. This train caters for tourists and we were thankful for the information that was translated into English. We soon learnt the driver's horn code, a long toot each time the train crossed a un-guarded road, but several short toots meant there were reindeer on the line, which meant everyone that could rushed to the front of the train or hung out windows trying to see the wildlife.

The line passes through a lot of forests of pine and birch and crosses rivers and cruises alongside the many Swedish lakes. One might think one could tire of these similar landscapes, but for me, I soaked up the scenery all the time. I caught a glimpse of an elk (moose) dashing away from the train. Not far from Mora we stopped on a bridge 41m above a river which had been dammed with a sluice. I never really understood what the history was there, but it probably was some sort of hydro-generating system. One thing that would have been beneficial would have been a booklet on the things we would see along the line. I will be forwarding this suggestion to the Inlandsbanan.

As we travelled further north the ground cover over cleared areas was covered with a lichen or moss that was bright white colour. it almost looked like snow but wasn't. The train is not airconditioned, but has heating throughout for the cold. So as the weather was quite warm we were suddenly discarding our jackets and rolling up our sleeves. The window could be opened and let in a cool breeze. The sun at 5pm was still high in the sky, approx level with a 1pm sun in Queensland. The sun has totally confused me and I really struggle to get bearings here. I am always facing south when I think I am looking north.

We arrived in Östersund exactly on time and after following my directions (which turned out as above, wrong!!) I was sacked as the map reader and we found the Hotel Emma and signed in and got our keys. Östersund is an old city with narrow cobble-stoned streets, buildings maybe 3 stories high at most, packed closely together. no big department stores, just each shop (butik) a tiny room jam packed with fascinating objects, all outside my pocket range! We walked down to Storsjön (Big Lake)and walked around the edge aways. Clouds of midges proved not to be the biting type so we continued on - we saw Canada Geese with little goslings paddling behind. These geese are introduced to Sweden and are treated a little as we treat Indian Miners - with contempt - but they are still a beautiful bird. As the sun was just thinking of going down, we got back to our hotel around 11pm pulled the curtains closed and caught up on some sleep.

The next day the sun called to me at 6.30am so I crept out of the room and down into the town. It appeared that everyone else was still in bed, so I had the town to myself - almost. I walked the streets, photographing window boxes filled with yellow and purple pansies, found the Big Church with its guilded spires, walked past the impressive Council house and even found, tucked away the Sami Parliament House. another walk along the Lake edge where I saw a Blue Tit (Blåmass)for the first time and it was feeding a young one. A Great Tit was also in the birch tree next door feeding a demanding fledgling. Got back in time to scoff down a yummy and plentiful breakfast, then we headed out together. We decided to hop on the steamer MS Thomee which chugged out into the lake for an hour, then turned around and chugged back. We passed a large island where people live and farm and were enchanted by all the little boat sheds that dot the shore line, but not shoulder-to-shoulder. It was freezing cold in the beginning but we stuck it out on the bow to get the better view. We could see snow capped mountains in the distance, so we understood where the wind was coming from! the wind dropped and it became really calm with wonderful reflections!

Once back on shore we headed up to the Jamtil Museum which was really wonderful. There is an open museum with lots of farm houses, but I headed for the actual museum which seemed neverending, filled with heaps of domestic textiles, but especially the Överhogdal Tapestry fragments, thought to come from the 800 - 1100Ad, ie during the Viking era. Interpretation suggests that some of the imagery relates to the Viking Gods, while others think it has christian meanings. Things were so blurred during those times and I guess we will never know or understand the real meanings in these pieces. The fabric is a linen and the imagery is woven with soumak designs. I am still trying to hunt down tapestries, but they seem to be a light on the ground!! However, the museum had a great display of other textiles, from old bed linens and very old clothing, displayed in period groupings. there was also an activity centre, maybe for kids, but I had a great time weaving on a warp-weighted loom. though it took some time to get it sorted as previous 'weavers' had made a mess of it. It was strange beating the weft in at the top, but I could see that once used to the technique the weaving would goes as easily as tapestry perhaps.

The next day we were back on the train for a full days' journey to Gällivare. The scenery subtly changed from tall timber to much shorter and the colouring of the pine and birch became greyer perhaps, although the pine trees had bright green tips of new growth. Herds of reindeer were spotted, one group had heaps of little white ones running amongst them. I also saw a large female Tjärder or Capercaille to us English speakers! and a Hazel hen also flew away from the train. also saw an elk with a little one, but no bears or wolves yet!! There was a market to visit at Storamund and after a quick dash around to get the feel of it, we spent the last five minutes watching an armwrestling competition - both male and female, which was a lot of fun. they take their arm wrestling very seriously there! I think it was some championships. Further on we had an important stop as we crossed inside the Arctic circle. it was a bit surreal as it was a very warm and sunny day! anyway we took photos at the sign but were mostly entertained by the cutest pup that was so excited that so many people had dropped in to say Hi!

eventually we arrived in Gällivare, found our rooms, then dashed back to the bus station to catch the bus to the top of the mountain to see the midnight sun!

So when I next get a stint at this computer I shall tell of this experience! I am now off to spend a day in Örebro visiting a museum there then off to the mountains to Finnafallet where the rest of the world is forgotten for a few days - blue berries will be ripe by now and even some chantarelle mushrooms may have come to the surface.

cheers & skol!!

To the North

ozweaver — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:54:00 GMT

27 June 2008

Tomorrow, Emma, Michael and I are being driven by Agnete, to Mora, where we will be catching the Inlandbanan (a tourist train that only runs in the summertime) to the far north. Snow has been predicted so that might be an excitement I haven't planned for!!

We will stay 2 nights in Östersund then travel again by train to Gällivare which is inside the Artic Circle. From there I head east, while Emma & Michael head off on their Norway adventure.

I will be staying in Luleå 2 nights then down to Umeå one night, where I will be meeting with a friend I have not seen since 1982!! Then I bus down to Ö-vik where I shall meet up with Agnete & Ann Britt and we 3 women shall travel back through the High Coast, then across through Dalarna county (the home of the Dalahorst and also the centre of handicrafts in Sweden!).

so until I return I don't imagine I will find much time to get on here and blog, but maybe when I return I will find time to put some photos and add some more about the textiles and the country and the people of Sweden.

Best wishes to you all!!

Textiles

ozweaver — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:02:00 GMT

One of my main interests is textiles and what better place to investigate textiles, then to come to Sweden.

In the first day I was here, Agnete took me to the Red Cross Shop nearby. This op shop was more like an antique shop to me. and on the shelves were old textiles - some most certainly handwoven. so far there is not much tapestry to see, so the domestic textiles are starting to become very interesting but also it's great to see the care they have taken in weaving every day, functional textiles. My first find in the Red Cross shop were cotton/linen curtains, white with a red rosepath (rosengång) pattern, starting with several rows along the bottom, then getting less as you move up the curtain. these are a pair of wide but short curtains, perfect for a kitchen window and at $10, one bargain I could not go past. I thought that I had done well, but then on the way out to the car we just peeped into the shed. There was a old large inkle loom (now I have seen the same in several museums) which I knew I couldn't take back with me, but very interesting in the meantime to look at. then in a bucket there were some plain mats, nothing special, but poking out the corner was a rag rug which looked a bit old and dusty, but we hauled it out, unrolled it and a great mat was revealed. It too is probably woven in rosepath and the design and use of colour is really pleasing, so checked the price tag and for $3 it would have been ridiculous to pass by, so yep paid for that one too. It is probably 2' wide and 5' long. Agnete washed it when we got home and it has come up looking really nice and it is nice and thick and will still take a lot of wear. and at only 2' wide will easily fit into my suitcase I think!!

I am going to try and get photos up on this site, but time in front of computer takes away seeing other interesting things. if I don't get photos up now, you might like to come back later and they will be there!

Last Wednesday we went into Stockholm to the open air museum, Skansen. This was started way back in 1891 and it has many old buildings brought from all over Sweden to record its history. At first glance the brochure doesn't say much about textiles, so after paying $20 I was thinking I might be a bit disappointed, but happily I was wrong. I think that textiles are so much a part of the Swedish history that they sometimes forget to mention it as its expected that you know that there will be textiles!!

anyway, it wasn't that far into the park that I stuck my head into a house and there was a loom. Mostly these looms are 4 shaft counter balance looms, some had steel reeds, but there was one with a reed reed! There were also inkle looms and spinning wheels. I spoke with one woman (the staff are dressed in costume and are happy to talk - even in English - to dopey tourists!)who was in the Finnish Village. This area commemorated the Finnish migrants to Swedish life. anyway, she was spinning grey wool to be knitted into socks that are then felted. She described the first stage as knitting elephant socks, ie huge ones, then using a wooden template the sock is felted down to human size. There was a wooden template for a knee high sock as well.

In another Swedish farm house, there was a young guy making linen nets and there were hanks of handspun linen - although he was using store bought linen for the net. There was a loom being dressed quite finely with commercial linen, but the young girl said she would use their handspun linen for the weft. She would be using a simple twill design, not totally rosengång, but similar, but using all natural coloured linen as she said linen is hard to dye with natural dyes.

The folk costumes are really beautiful examples of woven fabric and I took several photos of the girls and women wearing these throughout Skansen. Most of the houses are open for inspection and although they may be concentrating on another aspect of Swedish history there are always heaps of textiles. the rag mats on the floor, the bedspreads with rya knots, the tables dressed with runners and place mats are all just a part of each display. So if you are in Stockholm and want to see traditional textiles a visit to Skansen is a must.

Talking of folk costumes, Agnete has her own folk costume which is traditionally brought out on Midsommer Eve. And so last Friday it was given another airing. I may post a photo of this. But this time it was worn by an Aussie not a Svenska! First there was a stiff cotton, maybe linen, (I will check) undergarment, like a light summer dress, long, with short sleeves. Over that was worn the long woollen skirt, vertical stripes on a dark navy background. this was tied at the front. Then hung on the waistband was the pocket (purse) where maybe the keys were kept or money. over that, the apron was tied partially covering the purse and covering the ties of the skirt. The top waist coat was then worn, this is woven striped woollen fabric also, lined, with a short dirndl. this was laced up, so would fit any size. For me it wasn't laced as tight as a young maiden like Emma!! The next item was a blue and white shawl, clipped together with a fancy clip. To top it all off, a cap with needle lace frill, for married women, so that their hair was covered. The cloth of the cap was blue with embroidered vines and flowers. The white lace frill was embroidered with woven patterns. for someone like me who never wears a skirt, it was somehow sorta Right to wear this long skirt that swirled - I felt like a strong woman - humph look out for me!! strange I know!!

On Midsommer eve we were to a small village where there was display of folk dancing (another passion!!) alongside another old farm house which was open for visiting. This was the farm house where there were 17 children in the family. Once again old textiles everywhere, just part of their every day life. At the end of the house was the loom room with a 4-shaft counter-balance loom with really fine reed reeds, along with the wider steel reed threaded for rag rug. spinning wheel also and the large inkle loom that seems to be common throughout.

Stay tuned!

My first impressions of Sweden

ozweaver — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:08:00 GMT

Already well into my second week in Sweden, so what is sticking mainly in my head? The lack of fences is a major observation. On the farms where there are cattle, sheep or horses, there are fences, but generally the crops swirl in and around islands of rock and forest. The forest is everywhere and only small clearings with grass for feed for stock probably planted, not sure. There are plastic spools of silage stacked or scattered around the farmlands. Otherwise there is a grain crop growing, just setting heads. We think it is rye, but not sure. The forest is thick in places, with pine - Tall & Great Pines, one having longer needles and growing taller than the other - yeah, I know very hazy details, and birch trees filling in the spaces. the ground is covered in moss and the huge boulders, granite I think, also covered with moss and lichen. there are a lot more boulders than I thought. anyway, the forests are managed by owners, who start with thinning out the smaller ones, then again maybe later, eventually taking out the large pines, then maybe the birch, then letting that small section regrow again. Anders said that back in the Iron Age and up until maybe the 1800's the land was pretty well cleared, so the forests have all been allowed to grow back. so you see small areas totally cleared, but totally surrounded by forests in different stages of regrowth. the overall impressions are that the forests are winning.

anyway, in amongst the forests and the fields there are the houses. All gingerbread houses, with sheds and stables all painted in the red-brown with white trim. now fences and patches of lawn in amongst the wildflowers that are probably past their peak now, but still beautiful. yellow and purple, white and yellow scattered amongst the grass. A typical cottage garden, but just growing wild. all so beautiful.

The area west of Stockholm is very beautiful and picture postcard everywhere.

Birds I have seen so far

ozweaver — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:32:00 GMT

The great thing about travelling to a totally new country, hemisphere etc., is that every bird seen is usually a new one. OK - I have seen the sparrows, blackbirds, starlings and song lark, but there are so many more. The first day was full of magpie and Hooded Crow on the drive from the airport, but the next day whilst sitting on the porch having breakfast a Great Spotted Woodpecker chose to land in the apple tree to show off a tad, then lead us to where we could hear his young peeping away. Since then we have seen this batch out in the trees ripping back the bark and being totally self-sufficient.

so here is the list so far - I (hopefully) will add more as the days go by, but finding time to come to computer away from lots of other things is remarkably hard!

Black-throated Diver - parents with one chick on Rockhammar lake!

Great Crested Grebe (several seen, but one female with 9 chicks clambering over her body)

Heron

Mallard (heaps and everywhere!)

Grey Lag Goose

Buzzard - regularly

Hobby

Crane - a pair sighted several times, even photographed (badly!)

Coot

Lapwing - so cute with its flippant hairstyle!

Woodcock

Common Gull

another gull, not totally id'd - first thought might be a Great Black-backed Gull, but not sure about that one

Black-headed Gull

Common Tern

Rock Dove - duva everywhere!

Ring Dove - a group of over 12 which is apparently unusual here

Cuckoo - heard only up at Kultjärn (lake near Finnafallet)

Swift

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Song Lark - remembered song from home (Lower SE South Australia)

Jackdaw

Hooded Crow

Magpie

Great Tit (no comments please, but heaps of these little Birds)

Nuthatch - so cute!

Tree Creeper

Wren - heard around the house and saw a flit, yet to have a good look at it.

Fieldfare

Blackbird

Robin - even! but not a good siting as light not that good!

Spotted Flycatcher - nesting outside the door at Finnafallet

Pied Flycatcher - nesting in box at Rockhammar

Pied Wagtail - everywhere!

Starling

Bull Finch

Scarlet Grosbeak

Chaffinch - heaps of these once you start looking instead of dismissing them all as sparrows!

Yellowhammer

House Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

That's all for now. There are a couple of other species seen, but not sure of what they were. I shall add to this list if I get time, but obviously I am having fun seeing all these new birds!

First few days in Sweden!!

ozweaver — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:09:00 GMT

My arrival in Sweden was very easy and early also! Anders was there to collect me, also Emma and Michael and we drove off towards the sun to Rockhammar. A wonderful welcome from Agnete made the beginning of my trip to Sweden special, so the next few hours were spent talking and catching up. Anna & Magnus were here, so food - including a big sponge cake with strawberries and cream - even before midsummer.

The next morning after breakfast, while still sitting at the table on the porch I saw my first woodpecker plus the pied flycatcher and pied wagtail (now birdos, please forgive me, but I don't have the field guide handy, I shall do a proper bird report later!) I am learning the Swedish names of the birds as well as the English names! already my list is growing with every bird I see! we headed off the for the Traditional walk through the forest of Rockhammar. Moss covered boulders, pine trees, birch and heaps of wild flowers, lupins: pink clover, buttercups, dog biscuits and heaps more, just growing wild in amongst the rocks and grass. Unfortunately there was some hot weather last week and all the lily of the valley flowers have died!! but there are tiny wild strawberries that are so sweet and strong, like the best strawberries you can buy but only the size of a pea! we went down to the lake and there were two black-throated divers (birds!) with one tiny chick. they are so beautiful and so like a study in tapestry weaving techniques just learnt at the last workshop with Archie & Susan, they will be a feature of one of my next tapestries!!

After lunch we decide to go for a drive and just down the road in a field of grain (possibly rye) there were 2 cranes. Anders stopped the car and we were able to get fairly close to zoom in to photograph them! they eventually got sick of us and flew off making sounds like Brolgas with a Swedish accent. what more is there to see now!!

We then went onto to see an old rune stone from the 1100, erected by a mother in memorial of her son. the dragon-like design was very interesting, I'll post a photo later.

We then drove onto Örebro to visit the Swampen - that is the water tower that dominates the skyline of the city. Up the lift to the observation area to get a perspective of the city. The 'gingerbread' houses look toy-like from the top of the tower, even more so than on ground level. the Castle stands firmly in the middle - a visit for a closer look at another time.

Then out to the wetlands to see what birds we might see there. I was very thankful for the jacket Agnete has lent me as the wind was quite cold - yes I am a whimp!! Grey Geese with heaps of grey fluffy goslings were muttering on the edge of the lake, Mallards, Starlings, Blackbirds and a Black headed gull, plus a little Yellowhammar start to make my list grow and grow. A Great Crested Grebe bobbing around on the lake was a gentle reminder on how widespread some birds of the world are.

Saturday morning saw Agnete and I heading off to the Red Cross shop - an op shop with a difference - more like an antique shop. There was an old floor inkle loom (just as well it was too big for my suitcase) but an old but still in great condition rag rug (twill woven) for only $3 was too hard to pass, yes it Will fit in my case! and curtains woven with rosepath, they don't take up much room. there are really some lovely old stuff in these shops and Agnete and I discovered that we both love poking around in these Op Shops - stay tuned for further bargains!

Before lunch, Anders took me to a small creek where he had seen a dipper earlier in the spring, but the water level had gone right down and there was now no sign of it. never mind, can't see everything! However, I did glimpse a reb robin - creaking away in pine trees.

After lunch we hopped into the car and drove into Kumla, collected Anna and off to find some more rune stones. however, the map let us down. but we did find a very old burial mound supposedly 3,000 years old, and much younger - maybe 10th or 11th century!! stone circle of nine stones about 5 - 6 feet high. so hard to get one's head around the ancient history of these places!!

then onto a slag heap - which now looks like a mountain topped with recent sculptures. the largest is the name 'Johannson' in the same style as the Hollywood. We could see it from Swampen with my binocs. there were other very interesting sculptures, I might find time one day to give a run down with photos. Might!! but the site of Noah's Ark has been solved! there has been a fire raging inside this mountain for many years and the smell of burnt oil still dominates the area.

Gallery: Swedish photos

ozweaver — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:08:00 GMT

Planning stage 1

ozweaver — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:02:00 GMT

Count down has begun - only 12 days to go before lift off to Sweden!

I will be staying with friends Anders & Agnete and meeting their family and friends.

Also looking forward to catching up with my daughter Emma and her partner Michael who are spending the rest of this year (2008)based in Sweden.

I hope to meet up with some Swedish weavers and see lots of the wonderful Swedish textiles.

As a avid bird-watcher I am also looking forward to seeing a whole new range of feathered friends - top of the list is a wood-pecker but anything will be fine!

stay tuned to see if I manage to fulfill these wishes

Chris