Whitsuntide in Sandhamn..

..in the Stockholm archipelago. Marvellous summer it is and the island is visited by 1000´s of day-tourists - here trying to get on the Cinderella ferry back to the mainland on Sunday at 13.00.

Today, I found new inhabitants in my barrel in the garden. They were five newly hatched great tits constantly hollering for food. Their mother is loosing a few feathers being busy tending to her demanding kin. I know the mother quite well - she is quite tame and likes sometimes to sit on my shoulder when I read in the garden. I will leave some cheese for her before I leave tomorrow..

My porch in the early morning hours. The sea can be seen through the pines. This is one of my favourite places in the whole world. I love to get up around 5 o´clock in the morning and watch the sunrise over the sea. And to have a nice little cup of tea with honey and lemon.
And to listen to the sounds of the great variety of birds of the archipelago.
Quality time...

A friend, who lives here all year round, is tending her garden down in the little pictoresque village, donning a great red hat to protect from the blazing Sunday sun.

My good friend Paivi can´t wait to have a nibble from the freshly baked bread outside the Sandhamn bakery..

Anders is the island baker of many years. His is also a great artist and boule player and acting as an extra in a Swedish film presently being shot on the island. Almost the entire island is involved in this film which will show events that took place here in the 70´s. So everybody living here are signed up as extras and running around with long false whiskers and tobacco brown suits and ugly glasses.
Here he is relaxing after a long baking day commencing at 4.00 AM in the morning..
Tomorrow, I will leave the island of my childhood and head for Gotland. There is a garden to attend to down in the southern part of the Baltic! The ferry woun´t be as crowded Monday morning and it will take one hour through the archipelago to the mainland. Then I will get on another ferry in the evening for 3,5 hours to travel to the more distant island of Gotland. I guess I will be rather finished when I arrive at my house down there around 1 o´clock at night. But it is summertime and the nights are so bright this time of year here in Scandinavia. Not a big deal to stay up late, really..