During Corona-time, Mrs SC and I have been spending an hour or so most mornings climbing the paths that wind about Ramberget. It’s the mountain at the bottom of the road for us. Mountain is a bit excessive, the top’s less than 90 metres over sea level, but mountain is the correct translation of berg, so I’ll run with it.
I don’t usually take the camera with me. In my experience it’s not so easy to walk for exercise and take pictures, and the walking has been more important. But I’ve felt increasingly that I need to have a photo-project.For years, I still carried my camera, even after giving up the daily photo blog, but after we came home from Brussels I used it less and less. And then a dull winter was followed by Covid and the camera has been sitting in its case, the case has been sitting on the shelf, and photos have been few and far between.
Oak leaves and grass
Few and far between. But the last photo expedition was also on Ramberget – in the rain – five weeks ago, so here’s a little continuity. A lot has happened in June. The oak leaves have stretched and grown and filled out and look much more as oak leaves should.
We’ve also seen the grasses come. So many different varieties. They can be photogenic against the mountain’s grey or red granite. Especially with the morning sun behind them.
Flowers and transport
Already, at the end of June, most of the flowers have bloomed and blown, but here are some macro images of blackberry flowers. I kid Mrs SC that Sweden doesn’t really have blackberries. They flower, but rarely seem to fruit. She denies this and tells me I just miss the fruit because it gets picked and eaten. Which may be true, but I’ve never seen blackberries here like the ones I remember picking in my childhood in Sussex. I’ll keep an eye on these bushes and see if I can photograph the fruit later on.
Ramberget may not be so very high, but there are some great views from the top. Views over the city and down the river towards the islands. Gothenburg’s “Golden Gate” they like to call that suspension bridge. The official name is Älvsborgsbron – River Castle Bridge – Älvsborg being the fortress on a little island in the river that was built to guard the river approach to the city. As I was taking these photos, I saw the Stena Line goods ferry coming in. Sweden and Denmark may have closed their borders because of the coronavirus, but they haven’t suspended trade, and Stena’s goods ferry has been shuttling back and forth on a daily basis carrying container trucks and their drivers.
Keillers Park
Below Ramberget, Keilers Park is a little area of lawn and trees where you sometimes see school kids playing. At the weekends locals come here to picnic or grill. At this time of the morning, though, it’s pretty peaceful. Just me and some dog walkers, the occasional jogger or bicyclist – and the Three Graces. That’s the proper name for the granite sculpture. (Actually it’s proper, proper name is Tre Gracer, artist: Per Agélii.) It’s supposed to represent three of the old cranes that used to line the wharves along the river to load and unload the ships. Most locals call them the Giraffes.
The pond in the park usually has a mermaid fountain, but she gets taken away every winter to keep her safe. This spring, though, Covid meant she never got brought back out of storage. It does mean the pond is even more reflective than usual. There are supposed to be water salamanders in there. Though I always look out for them when I pass by, doubly so when I have the camera with me, I haven’t seen one for years. It may be a bit early in the year for them yet. Or they may have been eaten by the ducks.
So, that’s my photo essay and blog post for the week. I have more photos and a plan to document Ramberget over the coming year. Watch this space for future reports!
