Nu grönskar det …

I have an “Ohrwurm” – an earworm: a piece of music that lingers in my mind. It’s a Swedish folksong based on a part of Johann Sebastian Bachs cantata “Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet”.

The text starts with “Nu grönskar det i dalens famn” which means “Now it flourishes in the valley’s arms”. And so it is: The birch trees in Skelleftehamn start to open their leaf buds and slowly, but surely nature becomes green again. And now – after much rain in the morning – even the sun came out. We had rain, now we need warmth and nature will explode. Sometimes spring in Northern Sweden is not a season but just a short switch from winter to summer.

A birch leaf bud opens

Paddling round Storgrundet

Two weeks ago the sea between the island Storgrundet and the mainland was still partly ice covered. Today I paddled round Storgrundet and couldn’t discover any ice left. The view of the blue sea almost looked like spring, but it didn’t felt like spring at all, it was very windy and chilly. When I left the protected bay I tried to make some photos but soon gave up since I was blown back ashore faster than I could take my camera out of its pocket. I only made a selfie on which it’s quite visible that – measured by temperature – spring hasn’t come far yet.

At the outside of the island I didn’t had a chance to release the paddle for a photo, too high were the waves. I regretted soon that I paddled without spray deck, because some of the bigger waves made it into my kayak. The next photo I made in a sheltered bay, where the water finally was calm enough and I could empty my kayak with a sponge (it wasn’t so much water, that came in).

Selfie: It’s still quite cold on the seaCalm water in a sheltered bay

Some hours later …

I had a look at “kanotudden” (literally: the canoe bay), a bay of the river Skellefteälven, where the ice is finally gone, too. Almost. There is some leftover ice, mostly crushed to small bits that were jingling and clanging with each arriving wave. But even the small bits were still solid enough to bear a wandering wagtail looking for food.

The canoe club, which is located at kanotudden still seems to be in hibernation, I’ll have to check later …

A polystyrene buoyA wagtail wandering on the ice bits

 

 

 

Valborgsmässoafton

Valborgsmässoafton, that’s the Swedish name of the Walpurgis Night, which is celebrated on April 30, which is today (or has been 15 minutes before). A friend invited me to celebrate valborgsmässoafton with her family in Aspliden and I accepted gladly.

Beside of nice people to celebrate with you need three ingredients for a typical valborgsmässoafton:

1. Good food.

In this case a so called “Smörgåstorta” – a sandwich cake which is a very popular dish for special days as today.

A typical Swedish dish: Smörgåstorta

2. A big bonfire.

The bigger the better. It can be quite hard to light a bonfire, because the cut down trees, twigs and branches are mostly very cold and soaking wet.

A big bonfire

3. Cold weather, preferably with wind and snow showers.

While the first half of the day was sunny, clouds came in in the afternoon and round 8 o’clock we got our first snow shower. Last year it snowed as well.

it-snows

Most Swedish people don’t think at all that chilly and snowy weather must be a part of the valborgsmässoafton, put it’s quite typical.

And just an off-topic photo from today. Three whooper swans that I saw today at the same place.

Whooper swans

Asia Zircon I

Skelleftehamn tonight: The “Asia Zircon I” landed in Skelleftehamn. That’s one of the bigger ships – 190 meters long. The ship came directly from Taicang, China with 4599 tons of wind turbine parts.

Taicang – China, that’s a long trip. My travel bug awakes. Perhaps I should join the crew and travel back to China. I’ve never been there. But the ship continues to Fredericia in Danmark, so I guess, I’ll stay home.

The “Asia Zirkon I” in Skelleftehamn

A small sightseeing tour in Norsjö kommun

One of the disadvantages of a long journey as I made it this winter is that you cannot meet your local friends for a long time. It felt like ages ago, that I was in Kusfors to visit my good friends Martine and Lasse, that I got to know the very first day when I arrived in Skellefteå five years and some days ago.

Kusfors is 70 km away from my home and it usually takes my exactly one hour car drive. Yesterday it took longer since I made some detours. There’s a nice minor road along the river Skellefteälven which still is partly ice covered – at the end of April!

Skellefteälven – partly still ice coveredSkellefteälven – partly still ice covered

Martine, Lasse and I made a short trip to Norsjö and Lasse showed us around. For example the beautiful wooden church:

Norsjö Kyrka – the church in NorsjöNorsjö Kyrka – the church in Norsjö

Or the ski slope nearby. (We where quite lucky that we didn’t get stuck in the rough clay road when we went up and down):

On the ski slope near NorsjöOn the ski slope near Norsjö

Or the farm shop in Svansele, that is specialised in carrots and is open 24-7.

“Gårdsbutik” – farm shop in Svansele

But my favourite spot and motive was the old abandoned mill near Norsjö – Norrsjövallens kvarn:

Norsjövallens kvarn

I definitely have to visit this place again with more time and better light, probably in the evening, or even in the night time. (Perhaps with some polar light? …)

Addendum: A black and white version of the last motive:

Norsjövallens kvarn – black and white version

Two months ago – first aid course in Solberget

Day 31 – 38

Today when I look outside the window, I realised that winter finally has left Skelleftehamn. The patch of snow that I stood upon ten days ago to view the Northern Lights has melted away and some trees start to show their first little leaf buds.

Well – it looked different when I was in Solberget in Swedish Lapland two months ago, where a first aid course of the “Outdoorschule Süd” took place. The week was filled with many actions – both course units indoors and outdoors and leisure, too. If you are one of the course participant you will realise, that I left out quite much.  That’s because I tried to keep the text very short – it’s more keyword style – and focus more on the photos.

Saturday

Arrival day: an incredible starry night with even a bit of faint Northern Lights

Starry night above SolbergetAurora above the wooden sauna

Sunday

Course unit outdoors, training recovery position (“Stabile Seitenlage”) – course unit indoors, training cardiopulmonary resuscitation (“Herz-Lungen-Wiederbelebung”) – and a beautiful coloured evening sky.

Training recovery position in terrainCardiopulmonary resuscitationFrost patterns in the dusk

Monday

How to move injured people: a lot of teamwork is needed – frost patterns again – Lars, the Sámi, tells us about the reindeer herding

TeamworkTeamworkFrost patterns“Hibler technique”Listening to LarsOpen fireLars talking

Tuesday

How to evacuate injured people from an observation tower – reindeer sledge ride. (No people were harmed)

Evacuation from the observation towerEvacuation to the warm cabinMaking contact with the reindeersReindeer sledge rideReindeer sledge rideRen looking happyAfter the sledge rideDirk and a reindeer

Wednesday

Ski tour to Polcirceln, where we’ll stay to nights. I slept in my tent since the two cabins are really small.

MarshlandOn the way to PolcircelnOn the way to PolcircelnWideness on the marshlandsThe Polcirceln MonumentThe smaller Polcirceln cabinThe larger Polcirceln cabinSlid down snowMy sleeping place for the next two nights

Thursday

A misty morning – another “real life case”: hypothermia – a beautiful dusk. (No people were harmed)

My tent the next morningEarly morning mistReal life case: hypothermiaDusk above the snowy landscapeDusk above the snowy landscape

Friday

Ski tour back to Solberget – another fantastic dinner, this time: salmon.

On the way back“Single file”“Single file”On the way backOpen water in the bogMe taking a rest (Photo: Angela)Panorama view of SolbergetSalmon with potatoes

Saturday (again)

The last day – many serious studies as: How many people fit into the igloo (Answer: all!) or who wins the snowball fight

How many fit into the igloo? All!Snowball fightSnowball fight

Thank you, Angela and Stefan from the “Outdoorschule Süd” for a great week!

 

Deforestation in Skelleftehamn

When I moved to Skelleftehamn in July 2010 I directly fell in love with the nature around. The Baltic sea with the stony shores, the islands and the pine and birch forests. One place I really love is Storgrundet, which is name of both an island and the tiny sandy beach at the mainland. It’s my favourite starting point for kayaking, because you’re into nature directly, but I guess I have to wait some more days until I’ll be able to start there, since the sea is still partly ice covered. Two images of yesterday:

Ice covered Baltic Sea at StorgrundetIce covered Baltic Sea at Storgrundet

Storgrundet – a beautiful place. The way that leads to it however has changed. Last autumn it was framed of dense forest, now many of the trees are cut down and the way is framed by piles of tree logs. It brings to my mind that almost all forests in Sweden are no wild untouched primeval forests but commercial forests. There’re not only used for collecting berries and hunting moose, but for hugging down trees, too.

Now I’m sitting a bit on the fence – on the one hand I like wooden houses and furniture made of wood and I love to fire a cabin or a sauna with birch logs. On the other hand I really loved the forest around and when I walked cross-country today, I felt a bit sad seeing the clear-felled areas. I’m glad that the terrain is not too easy to enter with forestry machines. There are some really big rocks and many shallow ponds and swamps. I guess that’s why there’re a lot of single trees left. But it’s not the same anymore.

Tree logs by the side of the roadDeforestationCaterpillared forestry machineReady for transportation

Now, that many trees are gone, you can look much farther and I realised, how many swampy areas were hidden in the woods. Now they are quite visible and they look fascinating and desolate at the same time.

Desolate swamp

I do not have anything against using the forest and cutting down trees, but anyhow I felt sad, when I walked through the destroyed landscape today.

“Skrik”

And the snow?

Winter may has gone, but still a lot of snow is left.

All streets in Skelleftehamn have been snow free for a while now, but you can still see the big snow piles from the winter. Some of them are still several meters high and they probably won’t be melted down before the end of May.

Snow pile with treeSnow pile with bicycle

Yesterday I was invited by friends to join them in their stuga – their summer cottage – in Bygdeträsk. Some images from the way.

Up to 40 cm snow on the meadowsThe forest floor is still snow coveredThe river Bureälven is open

When I arrived at the summer cottage, the property looked like this:

Barbecue place in Bygdeträsk

In front the barbecue area and the grasslands, behind the birch trees the Sundet, part of the big lake Göksjön, still mostly ice covered, but you can see the first open patch, where a small stream enters the lake.

Perfect laziness

About some winter remnants: A patch of snow, ground frost and most of all: Northern Lights. But spring is near.

Sometimes I wake up in the deep of the night. Sometimes I look through the window. Sometimes there’s polar light. For example one hour ago at 2:30. The Northern Lights have been around the whole evening but they were so faint, that there were hardly visible. Now they where much clearer and intensity was increasing.

I wanted to take pictures, but I was lazy. Should I really dress, get my camera equipment and take the car to a nice place? No, I was too lazy! I just put on my down overall over the pyjamas, went into the neoprene boots that I use for paddling, took tripod and camera and went out.

I was lucky, the aurora was a nice one tonight and high up in the sky. It’s these moments, where I’m still filled with joy, that I may live here, even if I’ve been living in Skellefteå and Skelleftehamn for almost five years now.

The Northern Lights, my house and meThe Northern Lights, my house and the car

You see, that there is still snow in my front yard. My back yard is even still covered with a layer of 20 cm of hard-packed snow. Standing outside on the snow in a warm overall and looking at the polar light felt almost a bit like winter. The temperature however was hardly below zero and the expedition down overall was much too warm, of course. In the northeast you could see the sky already getting light a bit, even if it was no more than 3 o’clock. Sunrise will already be at 5:15, a sign that spring is near.