Dactylorhiza maculata

Small but beautiful orchid that grows wild close to our summer house in Lappland.

Spring

Alright, so I have been totally snowed under (not by real snow though) by work and work related anxieties. Big conference coming up next week, but also in the span of 4 days I went from the shock of hearing that my boss is taking her lab and moving half way across the continent July 1st and although she would love for me to come rather than letting me go she understands that that would not be realistic since R has a job here and not in Jersey, through a couple of days when I was seriously thinking about either moving to NJ (and totally ruining our economy and possibly our private life) or trying to get a job with very high-flying and rather scary lab here on campus to being recruited (head-hunted!) by the lab next door! I read about the new project and I think it will be good so I am accepting the job and just heard that the visa will not be a problem. I deserve a weekend of rest!

Anyway, two weeks ago we went to a lovely garden (Bayou Bend, run by the Museum of Fine Arts) here in Houston where among all the lovelies I spotted the flowers Shaun showed in the last post. I mainly photographed azaleas and magnolias. The latter are my favorites since living in London, but here the season is really brief and I caught it late. Glad to report that although the garden was in full swing the mosquitoes were not present yet.

More signs of Spring.... WOOHOO!

This is Leucojum vernum (aka the Spring Snowflake . Its a bit like a cross between a snowdrop and a lily of the valley and some anabolic steroids - they are about 30cm tall). I gave my mum a load of of them when we reworked our garden a few years ago. Hers are now in bloom as you can see here. Ours have still to get their act together, sadly

First blossom

Blossom on a tree not far from my house. Another sign that spring is not far off... for us anyawy

Walkabout, Västerås, February the 23'rd

At first - let's stop in the small garden outside my building. My oh my, how inspiring. Not.

Well, you see that little thingee sticking up almost in the middle of the snow? That's what's left of last year's peony-colony. In a couple of months they will return. That's what keeps me going right now. Spring. There WILL be a tad of spring and summer this year too :-D


Graffiti or art? Well, this kind of "graffiti" I like to call "art" - street art. I love these small pictures that can be seen in sometimes hard-to-find places.

This MIB guards the house of the local newspaper. I hope they won't wash him off. He's handsome.

On we go, let's stop in Rudbecksparken for a while.

(It was very late in the afternoon/early evening, hence the gloomy colours - think of them as mysterious if that'll make'em more beautiful ;))

Look up - is this the equivalent of a high rise, but for a colony of magpies?

Nah, think again. This is where Santa grows all his...

...misteltoe! Before I moved to Västerås, I had never seen it grow wild, but in this region you can find them everywhere. Quite nice for being an utter parasite, don't you think?

Now - if they grow wild, does the kissing-rule still apply?

This little guy guards the park.

Daytime, he often gets attention from kids, trying to sit on him, trying to feed him and so on. Nighttime, he's magic. The illusion of a small deer (oooh, dear deer!") standing on watch is perfect, when you are only - barely - able to see the outline.

I don't know who's (whose? sh*t, my English grammar skills are deteriorating) work this is yet but it almost looks like something made by Arvid Knöppel (Swedish artist, 1892-1970) .