May was a burst of heat, t-shirts and Birkenstocks, cherry blossom, boats moving back to the water, bright green leaves, the return of pop-up fruit stands and outdoor dining.
Spring rattled past very quickly this year, especially considering there was still snow on the ground in early April, and we’d already hit Summery temperatures at the beginning of May! After looking back at May posts from previous years, this one has definitely been warmer.
May is always a period of photographic adjustment for me. I tick along in a low light rhythm for several months and then boom… the sun is blazing and everything is hyper colourful. Even my eyes struggle to adjust. It’s a welcome change but the mental shift from mostly black and white photos, to colour, is not instant. And that usually means I take fewer photos. Once I’m drunk on sunshine and vitamin D, the shift is complete.
The cherry blossom trees put on a good show; they faded as fast as they bloomed though. Snow cannons caused quite a bit of tree damage back in November and there were so many broken branches, I wasn’t sure how good the canopy would be. I’m pleased to report it was better than expected.
Always happy to see the fruit stands reappear. They sell fantastic fruit and Swedish asparagus, when the time comes! There’s also a brief period when alphonso mangoes are sold, which is always exciting because they’re hard to find here.
People filling all of the sun soaked spaces. I don’t know why the kommun laid fake grass here, it’s awful stuff. It’s also not something that compliments the Nordic sustainability mindset. Real grass would have been better because people still sit on it when it eventually dies in the heat. Anyway, you can probably tell I hate fake grass with a passion.
An inventive tanning solution from someone who doesn’t have a balcony!
Stockholm has lots of lilac trees, especially along the water; it’s one of my favourite smells. I can be a bit of a slow walking companion at this time of year because I like to stop and smell them all (even though they all smell the same).
Me and Scott spent more time cruising around on our bikes. It’s the best way to get around the city!
That’s all for May!
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