Monday, June 9, 2008

Swedish summer, June 2008

A Swedish summer letter from my mom (AnS) arrived, with photos that she asked me to post, since there is a problem with blogger on her computer. This is how I grew up, and this is the Sweden I miss so much. Enjoy!

"Dom har slagit ängen nedanför där räven går och jagar möss."
They harvested the hay extremely early this year, and in the cut grass the red fox is hunting mice.
"Jagande räv." Red fox, ready to pounce.
Iris.
"Lupiner vid källardörren." Lupines at the cellar door.
"Lunden med vedboden i bakgrunden." This place is called the a word I don't know how to translate, but it means an open deciduous forest with lots of spring flowers. The wood shed is in the background.
"Vallörten blommar." Russian comfrey, Symphytum x uplandicum
"Sädesärlan matar sina ungar under vedbodtaket. Här skriker tornseglarna runt huvudet, de har återtagit sina gamla bon och stararna skriker i sina holkar och flugsnapparna sjunger för fullt."
The Pied Wagtail is feeding its chicks under the tiled wood shed roof. The chimney swifts are screaming around my head, they have repossessed their old nests and the starlings scream in their bird houses and the flycatchers sing constantly. The photo is of a wagtail.
"...jag njuter av trädgården och hur fint allt är. Det är 29 grader i skuggan och jag sitter i skuggan under syrenen och på nätterna är jag ute och jagar nattsångare. Jag har hört vaktel, vassångare, busksångare, flodsångare, trastsångare och spelat in. I kväll skall jag försöka få en nattskärra vid Klockarsjön. "
...I enjoy the garden and how beautiful everything is. It is 29 degrees (Celsius) in the shade and I am sitting in the shade of the lilac and during the nights I am out finding night-singing warblers. [then she lists lots of different bird species in swedish, including quail, Savi's Warbler, Blyth's Reed Warbler, River Warbler, and Great Reed Warbler]. Tonight I am going to try to hear a Nightjar at Klockarlake.
"Hundkex, rödblära, gräslök, och syren blommar och alla pelargoner är
uttagna. Det är så ljuvligt. "
Queen Anne's lace, red campion (Silene dioca), chives, and lilac are flowering and all geraniums have been moved out into the garden. It is so wonderful.
"Akleja." Columbine.

1 comment:

PP said...

I see the new camera is getting good use!