I came upon a slightly different idea for amusement during our few weekend days here. Why not visit Kew Gardens? Kew is about 10 miles from Paddington Station and I wasn’t sure just what the best way was to get there. To my surprise, it was just to take The Tube, an easy ride via Earl’s Court and directly to the Kew Station.

Kew is probably the best place in the world to see thousands of plants, flowers and trees from our earth. Starting in the 19th century, Kew has collected botanical specimens and taken well care of these for all of London, or the world, to see, take guided tours and learn from. Perhaps not the first thing most would visit on a trip to London but a wonderful time can be had for the daring tourist.

Fortunately, the weather was superb. The entrance fee was not harsh in comparison to other attractions (Kew = £13,50 adults / London Eye = £18,90 online for one trip) and once inside you can stay the whole day and walk around the place taking in everything that Kew has to show. Some people even take picnic lunches and easily spend a day!

One drawback about Kew is the closeness to Heathrow. Every 90 seconds the air is filled with a noisy jet coming in for a landing. To bad, but that’s how city planners decided!

My favorite Kew place was the treetop walk. I also fell in love with the hundreds of different trees growing within the whole compound. The greenhouses were full of exotic plants but the “waterlilly house” was on the top of my list. And this summer they had a special exhibition area with a butterfly room, where many butterflies were flying loose inside for everyone to get near with.

So, tired of the Tower Bridge, Picadilly blasé or no time for Big Ben when in London? Wear a pair of good walking shoes and try a day’s outing to Kew Gardens. It’s much more than a walk in the park!

It’s just to congratulate the new arrival, the mother and RSPB for the webcam!

I can’t explain why I enjoy this place so much. Perhaps the lushness of the hardwood trees that reminds me of Ohio or the remoteness in contradiction to the nearness of a large city? Or, perhaps for the fact of being allowed to be outside in a forest without being continually attacked by mosquitoes, though Baxter contends with the ticks. Perhaps just laziness with exploring newer places?

The small houses are occupied but reminds one of how life could appear to be in remote areas along the Swedish coast added with the typical red paint and surrounded by simplicity and quietude.

Here’s a small gallery of what was showing today…

Admittedly, these last several weeks have been a bit boring to watch the streaming camera. The empty hole, both shown from the outside and inside (camera 1&2), has been quite dull and no real activity of Puffins could be watched. I almost gave up until last weekend when I noticed a light-colored stone that had appeared near the base of the interior view. What was this, I asked, and expectations rose that it possibly could be an egg.

Sure enough, two days ago I saw the faint outline of a Puffin lying down on the floor of this nest and this morning I could finally see the Puffin in activity. It sometimes came in the nest to squat down and warm the egg and sometimes it would appear outside the nest; probably to get some fresh air, stretch its legs and checkout what was happening on the cliff below the lighthouse buildings. How exciting!

Now, Puffins are really beautiful and amazing birds and it’s easy to secretly adopt this mother Puffin. One good suggestion in promoting awareness for the species and concern for Puffin survival, could be a small sub-group, or club, of people promoting Puffin adoption of previously ringed birds. Why not start with the little one that is on its way? As you link-up to this Puffin webcam, I would like to ask readers a couple of questions:

What name should the mother Puffin be given?
Any guesses as to when (date) the egg will hatch?
What should we name the baby Puffin when it does hatch?

With these questions, I would also like readers to support this wonderful webcam project, learn more about Puffins and the Shetland RSPB’s work and take an opportunity to explore more Shetland webcams on their new information site at www.shetland.org.

Happy Puffin watching…

It may have been my own experiences with the Shetland coastline or just my mood for the day that soured the visit. With plans of a long stroll along a stony beach, I was met with an attitude after only 200 meters. A “Private Property” sign, thus limiting access to the remaining shore, blocked off the shoreline. I looked beyond this and saw how the shore was divided up into several sections of fencing and more boundaries of private ownership blocking the shore. It was only to turn back, having this spoil my expectations.

So, I walked along the road and again discovered the locked gates to several summerhouses with values in several millions of Swedish kronor. One in particular caught my attention. A small timber framed house with its own tennis court behind it? Geeez!

Photo: Most of the center Örens Nature Reserve is protected, but many larger areas of privately owned areas can be found along the coastline

I didn’t like this private ownership of shoreline nor that these summerhouses are valued several million kronor because of the location. The place reeked with ego, attitude, money, power and felt very unwelcoming. I can’t recommend a visit to Örens other than to witness the wealth and stupidity of the place. Better with Käringsboda N.R.

On a lighter note-
I can say that I visited Sjöbodarna in Torö and had an ice cream and thought this was a very nice place. They just opened and, from the looks of the place, I would like to recommend having dinner here. That is, when you get tired of soaking up the attitude and money spectacle of what’s supposed to be Örens Nature Reserve.

Or…Why not visit Shetland and freely roam the unfenced beaches.

Photo: Nature and humans co-exist in Käringsboda Nature Reserve

We walked a road that I hadn’t been on during the winter. Snow has disappeared and the weather has been warm and sunny thus drying out this road and making it enjoyable to explore. Several things could be noticed along the way.

Firstly, the floor of the oak and spruce forest exhibited scores of common hepatica (Hepatica nobilis) or liverleaf. Found in southern and middle Sweden, this was a new flower for me. The Swedish word is ”blåsippan” and this flower can be popularly adopted by towns or cities as well as represent names of preschools.

Secondly, for some reason the road has been decorated with art. An almost grotesque figure of a head(a remnant of William Wallace?) can be found attached to a high tree stump near the beginning of the road and, later on, a strange looking horse decorates another raised tree stump. Who did this and for what reason remains a mystery.

At one point the road divides and, taking the lesser traveled, I ended at a small beach. There already were two other nature walkers enjoying a lunch and I chitchatted a bit with them before heading back. Again, one thing that I immensely enjoy about Käringsboda is the presence of oak trees. One oak tree, stretching its stout branches like a huge umbrella above the road, was a giant and was as thick in diameter as I was tall. A really beautiful tree!

So, all in all a good day. Now, after Baxter has his 2-3 hour rest, he’s going to want a new 3 hour walk. Geeez!

PS- Six and a half weeks of school left and I miss springtime in Shetland

After having toured the booths of antiquities, I decided there was only one message that fastened in my head…Don’t throw anything away! From elaborate furniture made hundreds of years ago or exquisite Chinese statues and porcelains to the simplest collections of electrical switches, woven rag rugs or almost plain junk the exhibitors did a grand job in displaying things that were worth more than what grandma or grandpa would have imagined. Too, it was fascinating to see items from the fifties and sixties fetching interest from both the curious and the investors.

Perhaps in honor to my mother, I was one of very few men taking on the array of colors presented in an attractive Sewing Festival. She could’ve stayed the whole day trying out the new computerized sewing machines on display or sitting at one of many workshop tables discovering a new part of her lifelong interest in sewing. Having taught me how to sew, I just enjoyed the cloth and fabrics. I was also looking for booths that connected with knitting and wool with thoughts of my wife. I wished that both of them could have been there today.

And, for a bit of Shetland, I found Yorkshire native Renee Darely spinning on a Shetland spinning wheel! But, where are all the Shetlanders and their lace work? Where are the Shetland knitting belts? Where is Shetland in this festival? (Note: My wife is an exceptionally good spinner and has a Shetland spinning wheel)

As spring comes nearer, plans to visit the Wilderness Fair, International Boat Show and The Nordic Garden Show are on the agenda for me. Most assuredly the weather will then be much better than today. Aren’t fairs, shows and festivals fun?

Photo: The frozen bay is an example of the terrain near Kärgingboda Nature Reserve

Responsibility for the reserve’s upkeep and preservation lies on the shoulders of The Archipelago Foundation in Stockholm County. There is one long access road through the peninsula that covers most of the area and several paths allowing visitors to hike deeper into side areas. Toilets and parking areas are quite adequately spaced along the access road as well as natural beaches can be found for recreation. The foundation has a house that can be rented and used for group activities. This is appropriately named “Sågen”, or sawmill, and had earlier functioned with this capacity.

Winter is probably the least likely time to visit Käringboda, but I found several people out skiing across the bay or, like myself, taking a long walk. I was fascinated with all the majestic oak trees, a reminder of my Ohioan background. I was also attracted to the fact that a few farms actively exist within the reserve and mirrored a commitment to a living cultural landscape where nature and humans co-inhabit peacefully.

Photo: Oak trees in co-existence with a living cultural inheritance and typical of many places in the archipelago around Stockholm.

In spite of the dismal grey of winter, the snow gave indications of deer, fox, snowshoe hare and wild swine activity as these live amongst the sharp hillsides, cliffs and deeply cut valleys of Käringboda. One can only imagine what the place will look like this spring and upcoming summer when everything has leaves and is much greener and alive. Well worth a visit anytime of the year!

Photos: Though the boat show may look empty, most people were on platforms along side the boats to get into them and look around

Trade Show Nr. 1: Stockholm Luxury Boat Show
Ever since I was a boy and my father took us to the boat shows in Cleveland, I’ve always been enthused with this form of cheap entertainment. The Stockholm Boat Show was not disappointing. One could find water craft from large yachts to small inflatable kayaks and a variety of booths with equipment, clothing or anything that could be useful on the water. Naturally, I was thinking of Shetland and was especially wondering how my friend Willie would feel about some of the boats that were on display.

Photo: The Food & Beverage Show was most popular and quite crowded

Trade Show Nr. 2: Food and Beverage Show
For me, this was a risky place. I love to look at new kitchen utensils and the variety of food that can be had. There were a lot of people and many of these were carrying a wine glass in their hands. Being new to this kind of trade show, I discovered that the wine glass could be taken to the many wine booths and people could taste the wines. They also had whiskey-tasting booths.

But, so many people and tiring legs, made me decide not to sample the foods nor drinks and I went on to the third show…

Trade Show Nr. 3: Health, Wellness & Fitness Show
If one became slightly “heavy” from doing the Food & Beverage trade show, then a visit to the Health, Wellness & Fitness Trade Show could have been just what the doctor ordered.
Photo: A massage demonstration
This show provided new ideas and developments in health and a variety of health foods, products and solutions were on show or available. It was sooooo… healthy! But…

…three trades shows in one day was a little too much! One particularly positive side from my visit is that I finally bought myself a new camera bag. The old one, now almost 30 years old, was replaced with a watertight bag; the kind that would be found in boats. Not too big and not too small and just right together with a laptop and note taking paraphernalia when needed. And, trapsing back and forth alone in the mountains or on Shetland cliffs, the color is perfect should something happen to me. I’m pretty happy about my new bag.