I simply love autumn in Sweden. I love the crisp, cooler days, the colourful foliage, the smell of apple-scented air combined with the evocative presence of wood smoke, conjuring up feelings of cosy warmth and fond antipodean winter memories of being by the fire.

“For the sense of smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories and it is a pity that we use it so little.” Rachel Carson, US ecologist (1907 - 1964)

The autumn this year has been a truly beautiful season. As the leaves begin to turn, the woods take on a new life, as the trees, feeling dry and tired after the long summer days, explode with a new vitality. Although winter may be just around the corner, September and early October has brought clear, bright weather and temperatures that have been surprisingly warm - by Swedish standards, anyway. It's not quite as warm as last year's 20C in late September, but nice nonetheless.




Many Swedish friends tell me that autumn is their favourite season. While the nights are beginning to draw in, there is still plenty of daylight left for evening walks and foraging expeditions in the woods. And at this time of year it is a common sight to see a Swedish family disappearing into the evening forest light carrying baskets or bags on the hunt for mushrooms and berries. We are not as adventurous, but still we want to spend as much time outside as possible before the winter sets in.

And what better place to enjoy your coffee break than out on the hills of Omberg park, overlooking Lake Vättern.




And no, that's not our dog on the table. It's either an optical illusion, a stuffed model or perhaps I photoshopped it in. I would never allow a dog to sit on the picnic table! (Are you reading this, Lambi?) It was really beautiful up here, even with the starving dog pestering me for food, food, food! There was a soft breeze which rustled the leaves on the ground and made the trees sway slowly and rhythmically. Ahead of us was a path down the steep slope towards the water, which later turned into an easy walk through the trees. We were surrounded on all sides by multi-coloured trees, their leaves brown, orange, yellow, green and red or in some cases a mixture of all five colours. This contrasted strongly against the background of green grass, eggshell blue skies and the vibrant blue of the lake, combining to create a stunning view in all directions.




From the top of the hill, there was a superb view of the surrounding countryside, a patchwork of colour stretching as far as the eye could see. There were small cottages, farms, tiny hamlets and churches visible, dotted here and there, framed by a blanket of trees and the hill. The early morning mist had burnt off, allowing the sun to illuminate the scene. As its rays hit the ground, a new life seemed to begin, with squirrels scampering up branches and even a couple of rabbits hopping through the grass in their hunt for food.




Autumn really is the ideal time to visit the forest or the parks and experience the changing of the seasons. Unlike temperate Australia where I am from, Sweden has relatively marked seasons and autumn is always a blaze of yellows, oranges and reds. The weather was near perfect with just enough chill in the air to let you know that it was autumn and inspire us to go to our favourite spot to get away from the hectic week.




We finished lunch and a walk, then continued northwards, all alone on the lakeside track, all the time watching the red squirrels skitter around in the trees and make a kamikaze dash across the road in front of us. I also saw several funny little birds, known as Sweden's parrot. They are called crossbills (korsnäbbar), a bird I'm not familiar with. What made me laugh was that they seemed to be throwing pinecones at us! They were very cheeky and very fast, so I didn't get a shot of them, but be warned little crossbills, I'm waiting to catch you. We stopped at several points to watch the cliffs which climbed steeply west to burst out of the woods onto Västra Väggar, with catch-your-breath views of the coastline that reminds me so much of south west Victoria.




I still can't get over the astonishing shades of yellows, oranges and reds adorning the tree tops. As we drove along back towards town, from the treetops came a chorus of bird song, with each bird singing a different tune. And what was especially good was that this was all you could hear apart from the wind rustling the branches of the trees. All of the songs seemed to be in harmony, all combining together to create a superb sound.




It was just the tonic we needed to revive our spirit and help us focus on the coming weekend when we bring Fiona up on land. The boat and house renovations are taking up a lot of our mental space as well as sapping our physical energy, so a trip like this, even if only for a short time is a joy.

We made our way slowly back the short distance to Vadstena, where autumn is leaving its print on the landscape as well. The church spire you see in the background is The Abbey of Vadstena (klosterkyrka), which was built under the direction of St. Birgitta and was consecrated in 1430. Today the church contains a unique collection of medieval art and is used as the parish church. But I'll visit it another day - while the sun is out, we'll take advantage of the outdoors.




We went down to the park around the castle to give Lambi a chance to check her peemail and to enjoy the peace of a park in the middle of town. As we walked, the soft grass beneath our feet was flattened, leaving a trail of footprints through the leaves. Eventually these would disappear and it would look as if no one had ever been here.




We followed this with a walk along the waterfront path, looking across the water at the crazy fishermen out trying to catch their yabbies in the freezing water. At the abbey, I turned towards home, following the ancient walls around to our street. My little white shadow following close behind in case I decided to do a Hansel and Gretel and leave a trail of breadcrumbs (that she would naturally eat and we'd never find the way home)




What a lovely, relaxing yet invigorating day. I now feel ready to attack the next stage of work, knowing I can look up at this as long as the season lasts. Autumn in these northern climates with their abundance of deciduous trees is a real spectacle. I'll leave you with a short but beautiful video illustrating Swedish autumn.