It didn’t help at all :-)

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The different weather forecast businesses seems to have problems deciding when the rain will arrive here but they all agree on that it will arrive. It’s slightly cooler today than it was yesterday but it feels much warmer. Thunder is in the air and I have heard some rumbling in the distance. Just taking short walks is exhausting and the only activity in the village today is my neighbor mowing grass and changing board on the north side of his cottage.

The small birds got an unexpected visitor yesterday. I managed to get a few photos of it :-)

The small birds got an unexpected visitor yesterday. I managed to get a few photos of it :-)

No dinner that time anyway.

No dinner that time anyway.

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It didn’t help at all that I yelled at Sune yesterday, the first thing he did this morning was to run to the farm next door barking like crazy again. I hope he at least stopped for a second thinking about if it is worth it but I doubt that very much :-) :-) :-) So I simply have to make the fence higher and make sure he can’t squeeze through the gate.

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I think they have enough fire wood for the rest of the year now.

I think they have enough fire wood for the rest of the year now.

The only activity I’ve had today is to replant some tomatoes that have grown way to good in the kitchen window. I’ll have to replant a Cape gooseberry later too and I have sown some annuals out in the flower beds. I did weed some around the pond and sowed some perennials there too and that was enough to make me feel like I was boiling :-) I wouldn’t mind if that thunder passed by soon, the air gets so much nicer after that.

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I hope this heron hasn't found out about the fish in my pond :-)

I hope this heron hasn’t found out about the fish in my pond :-)

An old dead tree works fine as a scratching pole :-)

An old dead tree works fine as a scratching pole :-)

It was Denmark that won this years Eurovision Song Contest. Sweden came somewhere in the middle and I think it didn’t deserve much better either. I liked the Netherlands song best so I’ll post both Denmark’s and Netherlands songs at the end of this post. It’s time to make a pot of coffee now and after that a nap I think.

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By my pond.

By my pond.

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It looks like itr is a small Rowan growing there too now. I'm not sure I'll let it grow there though, I might move it somewhere else.

It looks like it is a small Rowan growing there too now. I’m not sure I’ll let it grow there though, I might move it somewhere else.

Have a great day!

This is the Danish song, I think she has a strange way of singing though. She’s half Swedish so we sort of won yesterday anyway :-) :-) :-) I think swedes were involved in ten songs this year, we tend to write other countries songs :-)

This is the song from the Netherlands, it was written by Swedes and Anouk that sang it.

Lawn mowing time again.

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I heard it from west and that’s the best they say, the Cuckoo bird that is. We have a saying here about cuckoos and what it means when one hear it for the first time every spring. It rimes in Swedish and sounds better than translated to English, but it’s best from the west, it means death if one hear it from south, it means comforting from east and it means the year will be dry. I almost always hear it from west and I guess the bog is a good place to stay for them.

I must have taken this photo with my elbow :-) I kept it because I think it looks cool :-)

I must have taken this photo with my elbow :-) I kept it because I think it looks cool :-)

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Almost as warm here today as it was yesterday and I’m glad I don’t live in my old home town because they had almost 29C (84,2F) and that is way to warm this early in the year. But this warm air won’t stay for very long, cooler air will come from the north and rain from the west. I’m especially glad it wasn’t that hot since I had to mow the lawn for the first time this year. It wasn’t that bad to be honest, I like the new electric mower I bought last year, it’s strong and very quiet.

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I have been wondering what kind of tree this is, it's a cherry tree.

I have been wondering what kind of tree this is, it’s a cherry tree.

Building up to become thunder clouds.

Building up to become thunder clouds. It’s hard to see but these are tops of a big grey cloud.

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Sune decided it was time to enlarge his territory today, why be happy with this little garden when we can take over the farm next door. I did wonder where he was when I heard a dog barking loudly somewhere (he came running from the farm up the road). I yelled so loudly at him when he came that he started peeing :-) I think I also scared my neighbor next door but I don’t know if he peed too :-) :-) :-) I doubt it helped though, the soon they started working on the field outside my cottage he ran to the gate and started barking agin, he came back quickly though when he heard me yelling again :-) :-) :-)

Yes, he's back :-)

Yes, he’s back :-)

I've missed that big brown horse.

I’ve missed that big brown horse.

Probably the cutest wood shed I've ever seen :-)

Probably the cutest wood shed I’ve ever seen :-)

Old graves and not so old cows.

Old graves and not so old cows.

Tonight’s the Eurovision Song Contests grand finale and the five nordic countries (together with the Netherlands) are the big favorites. I’ll show You the winner in tomorrow’s post. Personally I don’t like our song and is hoping for Finland or Norway to win. It will go on for three hours and won’t stop until after midnight, so I hope to be able to see most of it anyway. Not so much because the competition is great but my sister and I send each other text messages on our phones and they aren’t always nice towards the competitors :-) :-) :-)

Mallards.

Mallards.

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The coffee is ready and now its time to make something to eat. It feels like thunder is in the air so I might not be able to watch any television at all, several thunder clouds have passed behind the mountain during the day and I guess I might not be that lucky with all those clouds :-)

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Rune. He looks a bit scruffy to be honest but it's fur shedding time.

Rune. He looks a bit scruffy to be honest but it’s fur shedding time.

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It's easy to find funny and interresting varieties of Wood anemone. The species isn't especially stabile yet and there's lots of them all over the country. I like this sort of Christmas star shaped one.

It’s easy to find funny and interesting varieties of Wood anemone. The species isn’t especially stable yet and there are lots of them all over the country. I like this sort of Christmas-star shaped one.

Have a great day!

In my garden, sloe flowers.

In my garden, sloe flowers.

An auricula, Primula auricula.

An auricula, Primula auricula.

Not in my garden, Cherru flowers.

Not in my garden, Cherry flowers.

Someone has once tossed out some tulip bulbs by the bog and they return every year. Ann old vcariety because the new opnes usually dies after a year or perhaps two.

Someone has once tossed out some tulip bulbs by the bog and they return every year. An old variety because the new ones usually dies after a year or perhaps two.

Pre summer.

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We’re having a summer day over here, 23C  (73,4F) and I love it. Naturally it’s still spring here but we tend to call this part of the year for pre summer, not quite summer yet but very close. Pre summer usually lasts until a week in to June. Everything happens so fast now, two days ago most tress just started to get green, now cherries flower :-)

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Cherrie trees in bloom.

Cherrie trees in bloom.

I was working in the neighbor factory today and since the weather was so great I decided to walk to the place. The village where my job is has lots of smaller and somewhat bigger industries but none of them are the noisy kind. It works more people in the village than it lives people there and most of the villagers works somewhere else.

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I rarely see anyone when walking to the other factory, the occasional car and lorry drives by but no people are out walking. The only place where there is any kind of activity is by the grocery store and the health center. Usually it’s the same people one can see on both places, older people or alcoholics :-) On days like this when the sun shines and the temperature is nice many stands outside the store and talks with old friends, people tend not to move especially far from where they were born so they might have known each other for longer time than I am old.

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The alcoholics usually sits on the park benches drinking their beer and smoking. They are never loud or noisy because everyone knows them too and most probably knows/ knew their parents too. Every now and again the bus comes and rather many usually get out from it, most of them are older school kids unless it’s afternoon because then its older that comes home from work. It’s a nice little village but besides the grocery store there’s only one more store, a hardware store.

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It's almost impossible to see the Lemon butterfly. Lots of butterflies here today, mostly Lemon butterflies or Cabbage butterflies.

It’s almost impossible to see the Lemon butterfly. Lots of butterflies here today, mostly Lemon butterflies or Cabbage butterflies.

Once it was full of life, they had several clothing stores,three banks and a post office,  at least one bakery, a book store, a café’ and even a jewelers I’ve heard and lots more but all died out when they closed the railroad. It was a healthy railroad making lots of money but back then they wanted to close down all smaller railroads so they made sure that it would start making losses. Buy too big trains for instance that destroyed the rails and roadbed. They knew it wouldn’t work and closed it down. Today they all want it back but most of the old roadbed is now farmland.

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Lesser celandines.

Lesser celandines.

Cherry flowers.

Cherry flowers.

It’s time to make a pot of tea and something to eat, after that I need to water my Thuja’s and check what more might have germinated in my pots.

Have a great day!

It was just a few hours old.

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The wind blows hard like always but today I don’t mind especially much, we’re having summer temperature today and that means 21C (69,8F). Summer never get especially hot up here in the north but we do usually get a week when it rises to 28C (82,4F) but mostly its cool and it rains a lot too.

 

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I had to shower Sune after our evening walk yesterday. He was jumping over a creek we followed and suddenly he fell from the creek bank (does it sound wrong saying creek bank?) and fell in to the muddy water. I could see that he thought it was hilarious so he kept on jumping faster and faster over the creek with the result of many falls in to the really muddy water. It was just as fun as the first time and after a while I had to leash him :-) :-) :-)

 

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He loves to play with Nova all day but every now and agin he goes out for himself and starts playing with what ever he can find. He tosses it up in the air and then he tries to catch it again :-) This can go on for hours unless one of the other dogs also wants to play with that particular thing they never even knew existed before Sune had it :-) :-) :-)

 

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It’s time to water the Thuja’s I planted and then I must check all the pots I sowed during the winter, things starts to happen in them now :-) Some pots have been standing there for two or three years and finally I can see some seedlings showing up in those too. A Korean Maple for instance, I sowed those seeds two years ago :-) Patience is a must if one wants to sow seeds for trees and perennials sometimes :-)

 

This calf is only a few hours old, it still had some problems keeping its balance :-) But it seems to love running, well at least it tied.

This calf is only a few hours old, it still had some problems keeping its balance :-) But it seems to love running, well at least it tried.

Mama cow wasn't happy to see us at all and kept her eyes on us :-)

Mama cow wasn’t happy to see us at all and kept her eyes on us :-)

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In the garden. The sloe has started to flower.

In the garden. The sloe has started to flower.

 

Have a great day!

 

So does the Merrybells. Uvularia grandiflora.

So does the Merrybells. Uvularia grandiflora.

It’s green everywhere.

The Pentecaust lilies has just opened up.

The Pentecaust lilies have just opened up.

I have nothing much to tell today, it has been a rather cold day with lots of rain, that much that I won’t need to fill my pond for quite some time, it is over flowing now :-) But the afternoon  and our walk have been rather nice with some sunshine and an absent wind :-) I had given up hope when it came to that wind, it seemed to have stopped here for good :-)

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The super heat will arrive now they say but it isn’t much super to be honest, not even heat to be even more honest. It will be warm and nice days from what I can see on the predictions, just like they usually are this time of year. No need for more fires in the stove any more, unless it starts raining a lot like it also usually do here during summer.

The Portal is getting green.

The Portal is getting green.

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I have been picking ticks from my dogs now, not many to be honest but still. I have picked some from me too but they haven’t bit me yet, these were walking around on my arms which is nasty enough. It always feels like I have plenty more on me after I’ve had one :-) :-) :-)

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Orvar and Sune.

Orvar and Sune.

The big shebang, the Eurovision Song Contest starts today. The first of two semifinals starts at 9 pm tonight and I think the second one is on Thursday. I’m not that big a fan of this so I’ll just see the final on Saturday, we are directly in to the finale since we won last year. This year seems to be a really bad year, most sounds just awful :-) The odds says that Denmark will win and Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands will follow shortly after. I guess these are the only countries that actually can afford to have the final next year.

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Frittilaria meleagris, the white variety.

Frittilaria meleagris, the white variety.

It’s time to make a pot of tea and a couple of sandwiches. The Koi’s seems to live because I still can’t see them floating around on their backs in the pond :-)

 

And the common one.

And the common one.

 

Rhododendron dauricum. The deers left me one flower this winter, they are becoming generous :-)

Rhododendron dauricum. The deers left me one flower this winter, they are becoming generous :-)

Trillium grandiflora? This is self sown.

Trillium grandiflora? This is self sown.

 

Have a great day!

 

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I had a talk with the vet.

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I called the vet today and told him what had happened with Nova but he didn’t think it was any idea to come in now since she’s back to normal again. It can be anything from bad back to something she’s gotten from a tick or poisoning and to start taking tests now would be like flying blind. But if it happens again I must go down there directly so he can see for himself how she behaves and go from that. I have the utmost confidence in my vet so I’ll do as he says.

 

LOts of deers out on the fields today.

Lots of deers out on the fields today.

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Nothing much has happened here today, I did have a chat with my neighbor about those trees and I told him it was better to cut them down than to keep them as they are now. I think that’s why he wants to keep them despite the fact that they are doomed :-) :-) :-) The wind is just as strong as most other days and now it rains on and off too.

 

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I can’t see the three Koi’s I bought but at least I don’t see them floating upside down at the surface so I take that as a good sign :-) It is a bit chilly to be honest so I think they just stays close to the bottom of the pond waiting for the SUPER HEAT that is coming our way. Well it seems that the super heat will be a bit less super than they predicted, it will be more like a normal summers day :-)

 

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It’s time to make a pot of tea and something to eat. I didn’t take especially many photographs today so I’ll mix them with a few older ones.

 

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Have a great day!

Sometimes I wonder.

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The morning was anything but pleasant even if the sun did shine from time to time. The afternoon has been very pleasant despite that clouds cover the sun every now and again. We’ll get Super heat later in the week, They’re getting even worse now days when describing weather, super heat means something around 25C (77F). That is rather warm for us but come on, that’s no super heat :-) :-) :-) It would have been so easy to just write summer temperatures because that is what we usually get as warmest during summer. Mostly its cooler and it rains a lot.

 

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I’ve realized how much wind those two spruces my neighbor cut down stopped ever reaching my garden, so I bought three Thuja’s the other week. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the species that becomes biggest and grows fastest but these will do (Thuja occidentalis). They won’t be stopping any wind for a couple of years though, trees don’t grow that fast here.

 

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My newest neighbor has started cutting in the apple trees he has in the garden, I do hope this isn’t pruning but cutting them down bit by bit because if it is pruning it’s really bad work and the trees won’t last for many more years anyway. He’s doing it all wrong and it’s a sloppy job, if this is pruning which I’m afraid that it is. The thing is that didn’t need to be pruned at all. Sometimes I wonder why people who hates everything growing (but grass) moves to a house with a garden? Why just not get an appartement in the city close to a park? They tend to say they love nature but really! If they did they should understand that gardens are a piece of the nature too.

 

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It’s time to feed all the animals and then a short walk before doing my laundry. Tomorrow it’s back to work again and to make that call to the vet.

 

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Have a great day!

I hope he's just taking it down piece by piece. Otherwise I think this is the worst pruning I've ever seen, this is tree mutelation.

I hope he’s just taking it down piece by piece. Otherwise I think this is the worst pruning I’ve ever seen, this is tree mutelation.

 

 

 

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