Monday 2 February 2009

The view from my balcony: sunsets & deer

As we stood preparing dinner last night we watched a beautiful sunset, the time was about 4.15 - 4.30pm.Ty happened to be on the phone to his mother, who couldn't believe the sun was already setting. Yet for us it seems later, at least much later than when we first got back a couple of weeks ago. We are gaining 5 minutes a day - as you will see on this Stockholm daylight chart. We are pleased to have 8 hours of daylight compared to the six hours we had back in December.

This morning I pulled up the blinds in the kids' room to see a big mother dear standing under the window. As I watched she moved over to the path and stood looking around before moving on. It was only then I managed to call the kids and get the camera. Her little ones were following along behind her. We stood watching, the kids in awe. This young one stood and watched us for a while before it moved on.

Here you see the white tails of the two young ones following their mother. They have crossed the path and are on their way up and over the hill. The forest continues between the apartment blocks and down to the water. It is not that unusual for us to see a mother and her young, even if it is occasionally months between sightings. And to think we are just 5-6 kilometres from the centre of Stockholm!

The tragedy in this is all the building that is taking place. Stockholm City Council are planning two more apartment blocks on our street. How much longer before Stockholm will have changed from the green oasis that makes it so magnificent - to a concrete jungle, like all the other concrete cities in the world?

I'm in two minds - do we take away these pockets of forest for higher density living, or allow the city to grow and spread. Then again, I think Stockholm has a high enough density. And what will our resident badger say when more of his forest has disappeared?

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