Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas to all of you! Here is this year's card, captured in the great outdoors.
There is also a second version with some down-hill action:

Friends & Celebrations

Jessica's birthday just passed and, traditionally, her friend Margit from NL came to visit. It was conveniently timed with Sta. Lucia, and they witnessed the procession in Carolina Rediviva (where I participated). In spite of their busy schedule, I managed to seize them for this photo.

Nyårskonserter Tvåtusenälva

Divine.
Foto: Hans Nilsson

Årets nyårskonsert med UAK repeteras för fullt!
På programmet står musik av Jean-Philippe Rameau och Henry Purcell. Som solister har vi bl a Divine, en trio som startat eget inom operabranschen och nu turnerar runt på olika scener.
Kören kommer även att framföra en koreografi som symboliserar solen och dess strålar. Det finns alltså all anledning att gå på detta, på nyårets första två dagar!
Biljetterna är uppdelade i tre kategorier (och placeringar): 275 kr, 200 kr, 100 kr. Om man går på den andra konserten så finns det mer plats och då kommer koreografin att sitta som bäst. Förköp ordnas enkelt. Välkomna!

New Early Music Website

Just from the oven, with a rich and golden aroma. Today we're publishing the new website for Englunds Tidig Musik (Englund's Early Music). On it you can read about upcoming concerts and music courses that they offer. I've been to their summer courses in Provence quite a few times, as you probably have read on this blog.

Apart from the new and refreshing design, the new website is very fast and light-weight. The editing is handled through CushyCMS and is incredibly easy. Differently from Joomla, for instance, this system doesn't obstruct you from designing the website as you want it, but only gives you tools to edit your code at the places you select. And it works!

Winter Wonderland

From Uppsala

Just a picture from this morning.

Alexander

The sunlight is retreating from these latitudes, setting the stage for the season of ice and snow. Unsuspectingly, the mallards of the swan pond waggle and splash around. The seasonal change is gradual and today is, at least to their memory, no different from other days. In their midst is the pond's only permanent resident, Alexander. He is, though dressed in white, a sombre swan and the regent of this miniature kingdom. Compensating for all the dignity lacking in his sloppy subjects, he steers through the water in a singular majesty. Singular, for his last "Queen", Fanny, past away in pneumonia three years ago. Since then, a new marriage has not been arranged, since wing clipping swans has become unethical. It seems he will be the last of his kind in the pond. And although he is always surrounded by his feathered companions, he might have asked himself - will I be remembered, or will I vanish from memory like seasons past?

Sacred Pearls

Stefan Parkman directing Uppsala Kammarorkester

You know those compilation CDs, where popular classical music has been ripped from its context and mixed together in a way no composer would have liked? Well, that's what Sunday's concert is all about. The program consists of excerpts from the following works: "Förklädd Gud" (God in Disguise) by Lars-Erik Larsson (thanks Magnus!), "Magnificat in D" and "St. John's Passion" by J S Bach, "Mass in c minor" and

"Requiem" by Mozart, and the finale is Händel's famous Hallelujah chorus where the audience will be invited to sing along - in the respective voices, of course. The audience will even be allowed to rehearse in separate rooms (bass, tenor, alto and soprano) in the break. The orchestra, Uppsala Kammarorkester, is truly well-sounding and to make music with them is a privilege. Don't miss this opportunity! Details on the side --->

Another Photo of the Fall

From TelePano

Morning sun on Odinslund. Between these trees, planted by Linnaeus in mid 18th century, lies the oldest promenade of the city. Can you spot the dog?

Autumnal Observations #1

From TelePano

A spot of tranquility, in the middle of the morning traffic. These are 93 pictures stitched together. It's probably a bit over-the-top.

Perceptions of the Fall

University Park

On my stroll towards the new office (a subject for another post) I cross University Park. Today, I paused for a few moments and it was impressive to actually hear the rustling of the falling leaves and the occasional hard thomp from chestnuts hitting the ground. This makes me think that a place can be perceived in different ways depending on if you are riding a bicycle, walking by or standing still. Also, as in the case of the park, there is much more going on above our heads than we usually care to look at. As ground-dwellers, we easily miss the vertical aspect of our surroundings. So, note to self: Remember to stop, and to look up.

Filming in Uppsala

From Filminspelning

One of Uppsala's main streets is the stage for a scene in an upcoming big budget movie. The scene in question shows a Children's Day Parade in the 60's - with plenty of extras, vintage cars and all the scenery of that time. Strolling by, I joined many curious and delighted spectators who followed the cinematic events. It is great to see the filming taking place just around the corner from the cinema where Ingmar Bergman went to the movies as a child. Click the picture to see more pictures.

View of the River

Just another view of Fyrisån. It is currently carrying 13,6 m³/sec at 12,5 °C. The water is still quite warm, at about the same temperature as in the air. At its peak in April this year, it carried 70 m³/sec, and the water level was about one metre higher. In some parts of the city, that is dangerously high. Before the high walls were built in the 19th century, the streets were regularly flooded. The Linnean garden, for instance, was vulnerable to the river and the university's botanical garden was moved to its current location thanks to a donation by the king. I might do another post about the river, stay alert! :)

Democracy's Finest Hour

Only a few days remain before the general elections take place and political forces are on the move more than ever. On Thursday, it was time for the xenophobic party "Sverigedemokraterna" to speak to the public on a square in central Uppsala. As in other cities, people had gathered to protest against them. Despite police restrictions (the vuvuzela "orchestra" on the picture wasn't allowed any closer than 100 m.), the party members were completely drowned in a cacophony by protesters.

It seemed like a good idea, taking stands against racism and religious intolerance. But in recollection, I'm not sure. Isn't the point of a democracy to let people speak? Acting like this, how could we, the majority, accuse them of being undemocratic? It seems, we are losing an important argument in our rethoric. Instead of muffling the counterpart, we should prove that we are different with our own words. After all, the voters are at the centre. In our enlightened age, they should know exactly what the options are.

"Solo Songs and Piano" CD is out

I've finally finished the CD with solo songs! When I finished the course in "Solo song interpretation" in May, I felt I wanted to save the songs from oblivion. I also found them very good, and worthy to record. So I asked Susan Yondt, who taught piano interpretation at the course, if she was able to record them with me.

Said and done, the CD has arrived and features 7 songs, spread out from the early baroque to the early 20th century. Consider it a demo, or a (rather fancy) documentation of an academic course. Thanks to Martin Nilsson and my brother Martin for helping me out with the recording!

Go to this page to listen to a couple of tracks and, if you like to, order the CD.

The Fountain

The fountain at the entrance to "Stadsträdgården", the City Gardens. To the left you see the ships Linnéa and Sjösala, that travel up and down the river. Contrary to what you may think, this photo was taken quite recently, today even. But I converted it to black-and-white since it brings out so much more from such a picture. I've used a red filter, so the red flowers closest to the camera really stand out. This is actually a huge picture, some 90 Megapixels, and would, if shown here in it's real size, be more than 2 meters wide. See this outtake, which is at 50 % of original size.

Pictures of August

The "Picture of the Day" idea turned out quite fun and spurred me to take a lot of photos. I hope you have enjoyed it, too. Here are all the pictures of August collected. If you want to see these pictures larger, click here.

Picture of the Day #24

Observatory Park. The new student housing in the center and Ekonomikum to the right.

Picture of the Day #23

Symbiosis.

Picture of the Day #22

Large and small.

Picture of the Day #21

The visual sound of Green, in its many intonations.

Picture of the Day #20

A result of the rainy days we've had in August. But puddles offer light a new path, turning the ground into a mirror, a portal to the sky. Not all bad, is what I mean!

Picture of the Day #19

The annual dramatization of the history of Uppsala, on the steps of the cathedral, involves many actors, both human and animal. Update: I straightened the photo and removed the hand rails, by popular demand.

Picture of the Day #18

Election Day is approaching rapidly (25 days left) and the candidates are making appearances everywhere. Here, the Red-Green opposition parties warm the crowd on a square in central Uppsala. The left-party leader and arguably the best speaker of the bunch, Lars Ohly, tells what prevents him from staying in bed on lazy mornings - the thought of another four years with sitting PM Fredrik Reinfeldt.

Simon turns 1

Yesterday, a sunny and quite warm August day, we celebrated the first birthday of Simon. He began his party by taking a nap. Later, he enjoyed cake and presents (?) and smiled when we sang for him. Later, everyone gathered by the playground and Simon and Valentina worked in the sand. Valentina also took the chance to place kisses on Simon's head. Simon is quite a little character! If you're having trouble seeing the gallery, go to the Picasa Album.

Picture of the Day #17

Isabel and Roberto flanking our distant relative Borja Gumuzio and his friend Iñaki on their visit. They live in Getxo, near Bilbao, where Isa & Rob resided this spring. The boys were in Sweden for the concert with Roxette in Halmstad. I feel sorry for those who stood behind them!

Picture of the Day #16

A miniature valley, deep inside the forest.

Picture of the Day #15

This agile dog is passing by at an incredible speed but still has time to look at me. Taken at 1/1250 sec.

Picture of the Day #14

Water, a vital substance to all known lifeforms.

Picture of the Day #13

A scene from the outdoor play titled "Fruarna Först!" ("Wives First!"), that was performed the past week. The drama evolves around the lives of famous women who have shaped the city. Yes, the man you see is also playing one of these women. I was passing by and managed to snap this moment in the show.

Picture of the Day #12

Valentina gets a kiss from an italian boy. Funny things can happen around small children and one should never let one's camera down. A chance meeting in the park turned into a brief romance. I completely over-exposed this picture, but thought you'd still like to see it.

Picture of the Day #11

Uppsalas newest and most colourful bridge, between Fyrisvallen and Svartbäcken. Är man intresserad av Uppsalas broar och annat så kan jag tipsa om denna högintressanta blogg: Scribo.

Picture of the Day #10

I wonder what feeling this picture evokes in you...

Picture of the Day #9

The heavy rainfall of Monday, 9th of August. Focusing really near and using the on-camera flash, set to rear curtain, gave this capture. If you wanted to, you could probably calculate the speed of the raindrops, knowing the shutter speed was 1/80 sec and the aperture was 3,5. But there are so many other things in life to do.

Picture of the Day #8

Please vote in the poll to the right! Same concept as #4, but with a more generous depth of field. The last days' weather has been very mundane and not photo-friendly, I hope tomorrow will be better so I can keep this stream of fresh pictures coming! If you are viewing these pictures from Buzz, I recommend going to my blog instead, linked in the header, because the pictures look much better with the black background.

Picture of the Day #7

The camping area of the Uppsala Reggae Festival. The music was pretty loud at my location (the bridge) and I made a mental note not to forget ear protectors if I decide to enter someday. It's fun to think that our little city can host such a big music event. Have fun kids! (Insert moral advice here)

Picture of the Day #6

Remembering the moment in time when so many innocent souls were ripped from this world. A hideous moment, and a wound in all humanity. We must not let this moment pass, but keep it present. It is the least we can do. Like previous years, there was a solemn ceremony to commemorate the victims of the first nuclear bomb, by the river in central Uppsala. Small lanterns were set into the stream and glided slowly away. And birds passed overhead in parallell.

Picture of the Day #5

Now, in early August, the Sun starts to go down earlier, striking a grassy field from the side. Nature's great blushing is in the making.

Picture of the Day #4

The subtlety of gravity.

Picture of the Day #3

In lack of other models, one must use what is at hand, namely myself. Equipped with a tripod and a remote trigger, the self portrait is a breeze. Once you've found the right spot to stand on, that is. I mounted the flash above me, looking down, just to try it. It's good to try things in the uncommon fashion.

Picture of the Day #2

My mother at her previous workplace. Congratulations to the new job, mamma!

Photography Site Launched!

Tired of taking pictures of yourself from an arm's length away? Or having family pictures where there's always one member missing? Do you live in Sweden, pretty close to Uppsala? Look no further. I've just launched a new photography site, where I offer my services as a photographer. Also, on the site are a number of photos. Some have been posted on this blog, others not. It was about time that I collected and structured my best photos, and made something out of it. Please, feel free to check it out! (it's in Swedish)

Picture of the Day #1

August is here and so is a new feature on this blog: Picture of the day! Expect a new image every day (or almost every day, can't promise..) and as always, you are more than welcome to comment. Today's shows a dangerous place to park your bicycle, right next to the river. Every year, divers pull out dozens of two-wheelers from the shallow waters. I do see a practical reason for the colours, though, since your vehicle becomes instantly recognizable in the midst of thousands. And it looks really neat, too.

Summer in the City

The summer in the city of Uppsala usually means emptiness, with all the students back home. Instead, you see people with maps and an enthusiasm for the buildings that most residents can't muster anymore. But today, on my way back from a visit to the photography shop, I found the centre quite lively. Perhaps it's time to scratch the old views, and start afresh.

Mon Bargemon

From Bargemon 2010

For the fifth time, I took part of the musical week in Bargemon, in Provence, France. Differently from other years, the final presentation wasn't a concert in the church, but a masque performed in the multi-purpose village hall. It was a wonderful week, with a lot of music, wine, football-playing (taca-taca) and, of course, photography. It was the hottest year, according to those that know, and temperatures didn't go below 30° until well after sunset.

There were also traces after the devastating rains in June, which fortunately didn't affect Bargemon as bad as Draguignan, just 25 kms away, where dozens of lives were lost. There were three small children present, Maj 4 years old, Lisa, 1,5 years, and Valdemar of only a few months. They sure helped bring down the average age of the group, and were the objects of fascination. Enjoy the photos!

La Roja's Finale

Tonight, around 200 people gathered at the riverside to follow the game between Chile and Brazil. 80 % Chileans, 10 % Brazilians and 10 % Miscellaneous. I got there with about 10 minutes left, and it seemed the three goals by Brazil had sunk into the minds of the supporters. The flags that had bounced and waved through the warm air, were now draped around their bodies, to fend off the chill. A few lame shots to the opponents' goal made the crowd raise a cheer, with minimal upward force. But the sentiment was not one-handed. As soon as the whistle finished the game, a spirit of achievement and pride emerged. Flags were once again lifted, chants repeated, - we made it to here, and how good it was.

Midsummer in Skeppsmyra

From Midsommar2010

Another Midsummer has past and I spent it with friends by the coast. More specifically on Björkö, a two-hour drive from Uppsala. It is truly beautiful in these parts. Quite different from the Uppsalian topography. We enjoyed our stay at Lyckhem Vandrarhem, located in the midst of the woods, and with plenty of birds and mosquitos. Luckily, Clara had brought her Mosquito Repeller (emitting a high pitched sound, imitating a mosquito in heat,

or something) and I was armed with a strong chemical/toxic deterrent which I smeared on exposed skin, and was saved from any bites. When I returned home, I did a rigorous inspection of my very person, to ensure no ticks were strolling over it, remembering the passenger I had brought home from last year's coastal visit... Anyhow, enjoy the pictures!

Five Years!

This blog was started up precisely five years ago, when I was living with my grandmother Ines in Santiago. It was a great, memorable time, and I needed a way to keep in touch with family and friends. Time goes by quickly, and I'm glad to have made a record of some of the things that have happened. The blog is still going strong! Make sure to stop by often, or subscribe to the RSS feed (at the bottom of the page). Now, you may also give your reaction to the posts with a single click, just below. So easy. Keep those reactions coming! All the best from me.

Viktoria and Daniel's Loveboat

From Kungligt Bröllop

Together with Jessica, Johannes and Clara, I went to see the celebrations of the marriage between Crown Princess Viktoria and Mr Daniel Westling, now Prince Daniel. The city centre was completely possessed by the event, but in an unconcerned way. Apart from admiring the naval ships, we visited an exhibition with pictures by Annie Leibovitz.

Eventually, we found our spot from where to peek at the betrothed; from the quay in Gamla Stan. It was the perfect place. From the 21 round salute fired from a painfully short distance, the beautiful couple in their rowboat, to the formation of 18 Swedish fighter jets passing overhead, we were all smiling, knowing we had witnessed a scene to remember.