"...dancing with scissors or bones full of wishes..."

So many things are different and so many things are the same.

We went running back up the hill- I am positive the hill has gotten higher, and steeper. Why does your brain immediately give you excuses? "Oh well, I have worked out or skated for the last four days in a row.", "Oh, well, I did eat a lot today.", "Oh, well, I am like a zillion years older than all the runners in front of me.", "Is that the smell of burnt toast? Am I having a stroke?".
But there were good distractions, cute little hopping frogs, snails with very fancy shells, and a FAWN.

Actually I needed to get out of the house, nothing I read for University was making any sense, and all my war documentaries are- as expected, depressing.
Also after running (thankfully not sliding or tumbling) back down the hill, we went exploring, in search of a work out space.
The space seems as if it is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees and fields. The equipment is made out of logs, and I could barely do any of the exercises, most of the stations I needed to jump up to get too- of course you would think once I am hanging from some equipment my body weight would help me out...but not so much.

The night before was a more casually paced skate through the cemetery. I have now located Greta Garbo's grave, but I haven't ventured that way yet.
We were busy skating, followed by running some errands, and then going to Maskulina's garden to drink beer and laugh too loudly until the night grew dark and neighbors started to shut their windows against us.
Also we just never bothered to take off our skates, which was sort of funny...

*Cute hipster-hipsomatic photos stolen from Maskulina.

possibly too long of a link:
Here is the workout park:
http://www.stockholm.se/-/Serviceenhetsdetaljer/?enhet=275c88cf5f454e39a4e72b9782810366

"...be running up that hill...with no problems..."

I went to another outdoor workout session with some of the great ladies of STRD. http://rollerderby.se/
The league is still on 'semester' as is most of Stockholm- shut down for vacation through July and into some part of August.
This time we met at Nytorget (Neeetoree-et) a park near our apartment and (ran!) to a free ferry that took us over to a huge hill where people can ski during the winter, essentially in the middle of Stockholm.

A bonus to the running, (gasping, dying), was that I found where the round jetty was located. I had seen a photo but I didn't know where to find it. But as we came off the ferry there it was.
The whole area is a new development of "green" housing, along the waterway and locks that are located next to a nature reserve. The hill is along side the housing area and the reserve, the size of the reserve can be seen from the top of the hill, if you are crazy enough to want to scale (run!) up the hill for the view.

I took Zok there the next day to get a better look, as I find that when I can stand still and breathe I am more able to appreciate my environment.
We found a good (for Sweden) place to eat, on our side of the water which made the whole trip worth the effort.
I was told that beavers can be seen in the waterways.
However...

"Swaying daisies sing a lazy song beneath the sun".

Tyestra: a park of nationally sized dashed hopes.
Animals (djur) and birds (fåglar) NOT spotted, yet displayed brightly, and in large numbers on website, in brochures, and around the ranger station: Beavers, Deer, Moose, many, many Owls INCLUDING a pygmy owl (read: Pigwidgeon), Bats, a LEGLESS lizard (looks like a snake, is not a snake), and of course Hedgehogs!
Apparently hedgehogs are in such abundance that there is a special warning that states in both Swedish and English and I quote, "Do not take hedgehogs or other wild mammals home with you". That really stung me.
Speaking of getting stung, I (naturally) got bit by some sort of insect.

Of course, I was giddy with happiness at the landscape, the village from 'The Iron Age', the fresh air, and the prospect of seeing critters, until of course I realized that I was not going to see animals. But I was still left with the satisfaction of 'getting out' of the city for awhile.
I was especially happy to leave our block as a whole new round of tagging had just been completed the night before. Graffiti in this style is depressing as it is pervasive throughout my travels.

Ängbyplan T-bana Konst

The light is starting to give way to the gradual change in season, where darkness comes a few minutes sooner, and the deepness is a little darker, each night.

If I hadn't known that Ängyplan was a station with art, I would have missed the hallway, because the tiles are mostly near the elevator (Hiss) which I would normally never use.

I couldn't do all of the tiles justice through an iPhone camera but here is a small sample.

Alby Station (Red Line) T-bana Konst

I had some time to kill so I set out to visit six stops on the Red Line.
A funny by-product of all my train riding is my new found love of vending machine food that can be bought cheaply in the subway stations.
Although I have learned if you want a tasty granola bar and you have all 1kr pieces- to get the machine to take all 10 needed for the candy, one needs more than 3 minutes.

The Alby station was my favorite of all the stops. Others (that you will see later) were cooler, but many were far underground and this one reminded me of that horrible yet necessary book of my childhood, 'Flowers in the attic'.
The bright colors and basic flowers made me think of someone trapped in the bowels of this stop, waiting, waiting, waiting for the train and yearning for some day light, something bright...

The station art was done in 1975, by Olle Ängkvist.
He studied art in Stockholm in the 1940s.
He stated that these paintings were 'spontaneous' and he called the station the 'secret cave'.

"small frogs, small frogs, are funny to see, no ears, no ears, no tails have they..."

Midsummer (ending for me) about 3 a.m.

Midsummer about 1 a.m.

Midsummers Day about 3 p.m.

I thought the frog dance was about moose and rabbits. But when the ring dancers are waving funny ears it is for the lyric "No ears, no ears, no tail do they possess" and they are only talking about 'funny little frogs'.
But of course my Swedish language skills are not very good...yet.
I skated to this park and then I was tired, I watch a lot of ring dancing and kids hopped on sugar. I have heard many people in Sweden talk about 'Godis på lördag' and I see bowls with that slogan printed on them, this is the idea of your kids getting candy once a week. Apparently Midsummer holiday is an exception and the kids were going for it.

"Propelled by all this madness, by your beauty and my sadness"

Many people have the misconception that Zok likes to watch live music.
He really doesn't.
About once or twice a year I can convince him to take me to a show.
I can go on my own, but sometimes I just want him to go with me.

Flogging Molly played early at Grona Lund, a famous music venue that happens to be an amusement park as well. There is a ferry that takes you over to the park, and the view is all the landmarks of the island where we live.
I love going to Grona Lund and I love 'Flogging Molly'.

Sometimes Zok is just plain miserable when I make him go to a show, and with all the rain yesterday I feared this would be the case, however what we didn't know was that the V.I.P. area was sheltered from the rain, had a good view, and there were snacks, beer, AND a bathroom!
However, this type of balcony does open one up for being spotted and heckled which is exactly what happened to Zok who worked with Flogging Molly, the band that we went to see.
The whole balcony was called out, the crowd was instructed to turn and give us all the finger- usual punk rock fare. But then Zok was singled out, called by name and the next introduction went a bit like this "Usually I dedicate this song to the arse hole I wrote it about- me! But tonight I dedicate this song to ZOK! Wave to ZOK! ZOK!- "Selfish Man".
This was pretty funny on its own, and ironic because I love this song and use it religiously as my sprinting song when I skate outside.

Thankfully Zok took the ribbing in good humor and everyone hugged and laughed after the show was done.
(I did have to buy him a container of fairy floss aka cotton candy in recompense).