High Over My Head – The Birch Trees And The Sky

November afternoon sky in town (view from my balcony)

 

  

Left: Birch tree “block of apartments” for town birds! (picture taken about one month ago)

Right: Three weeks ago, the birches in a town cemetery still in their golden autumn glory.

Below: Last Sunday: Defoliated birch forest out in the countryside; and “country cottage” bird house. 

 

 

 

 

Batik art by my mother’s father back in 1973.

Going out to my parents’ old house, I got off the bus a couple of stops early,
and took a roundabout walk through the woods to get there.
Just having viewed the birch trees through my camera lens outside,
as I entered the empty house I was struck by a very similar view
hanging there on the wall to greet me.

 

I’m entering this post for Friday My Town Shoot Out (‘Over Your Head’) and Skywatch Friday.

Autumn Light

These two pictures were taken in late afternoon light within one minute of each other, in more or less the same spot. I can’t quite figure out why the light is so different in the two photos. I know I didn’t make any adjustments to the camera, so I suppose the sun came out from behind a cloud. The place is a pond in a big cemetery which is like a nature park with varied landscape.

Little Red Shed

This is a very small building in the back yard of another house and I assume that it is used as a shed rather than to live in (at least nowadays). In the summer you would hardly see it behind trees and bushes and high grass, but now in the early spring it caught my eye. The white tree trunk in the foreground is a birch, in case you don't have any of those where you live. Very common in Sweden, and together with red cottages they are something of a national symbol.

Adrian noted in a comment on my post with the beehives the other day that we seem to paint a lot of buildings red in Sweden. There is a reason, and I repeat my additional comment here:

"Falu red or Falun red (in Swedish Falu rödfärg) is the name of a Swedish, deep red paint well known for its use on wooden cottages and barns. The paint originated from the copper mine at Falun in Dalarna, Sweden. The traditional colour remains popular today due to its effectiveness in preserving wood. The earliest evidence of its use dates from the 16th century."
Wikipedia

Birch Collage

I know these are going to be causing me problems soon. (Pollen allergy.)
And still, just now I'm glad to see them.

Gate

"Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand." 
St Thomas Aquino