I was confused by these signs. Surely “Ej upp” is a greeting? And if so, why is it in red with a “no entry” icon?

At the risk of detracting from what it supposed to be humour, some northern English dialect is actually descended from Scandinavia. Though whenever I see most of these comparison charts I don’t recognise half the words!

This is another image taken on my recent trip to Stockholm. I have a fascination for doors and windows, especially when they contrast with the sky. In Sweden we were lucky to have bright, blue skies most of the time (don’t get too jealous, it was below ten degrees mostly). Combine this with a polarising filter and the right time of day and you get this really neat contrast between the roof and the sky.

The first thing I thought of when I read this weeks PhotoFriday theme, “Wildlife,” was the African Savannah. The lions, gazelles, giraffes, all the famous big mammals. Unfortunately I’ve never been. So I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with this picture of a goat I took in Corsica. The thing I like about it is the sad look in his eyes; he may not be wild but he wants to be.

There are a few pictures that I took when I was in Stockholm that I didn’t include in that blog because they’re not really of Sweden even though that’s exactly where they were taken. This is the first of, well, a few. I think it nicely conjures up thoughts of spring and the coming of summer.

This is the third instalment in my late noughties Nordic tour. Last year I went to Denmark; in late 2006 I went to Iceland; and in April 2009 it was the turn of self-proclaimed capital of Scandinavia, Stockholm.

Stockholm is known with some justification as the Venice of the north. The city is spread out over a number of islands. Logically in the middle is Gamla Stan, the old town. To the south is Södermalm which is described in the guide book as the capitals hippest island. To the east of Gamla Stan is Skeppsholmen — home to a bunch of museums and gardens — and Djurgården — a large park. To the north is the modern part of town, Norrmalm. To the west is Kungsholmen and to the north east is Östermalm, a wealthy residential area with the shops and restaurants you might expect with such locals.

• Objectified – New documentary from the people that gave you Helvetica. Looks interesting.
• Georgia recalls Soviet crackdown – I visited ten years after this. It’s a really beautiful country and such a shame that it keeps descending into civil war or getting into a scuffle with its northern neighbour.
• Odds of Dying in a Terrorist Attack – “You are eight times more likely to be killed by a police officer than by a terrorist.” Maybe the government should start protecting us from the police instead? (via Kottke.org)

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Grandmother” and, unfortunately, I don’t have a suitable image this time. But please vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Extreme Closeup.” I’m entry number 180.

Instead here is a picture that I really like that I’ve not shown off as much as I should have done! It was taken in Sospel, France. This was the view from the front of the hotel we were staying in. My friend got this view, my room was looking out over a shed at the back.

There seem to have been a few food-related themes recently, and this week is no exception. The image above represents the PhotoFriday challenge “Edible.” It’s B digging into some more than merely edible food in Lisbon.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “The Weekend.” I’m entry number 187.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Isolation.” It was tempting to use an image in the Himalayas or an empty snowscape in Norway, but I figured being alone and isolated in a crowd was worse. Okay, so this chap isn’t in a crowd but he is in the biggest city in Portugal and he is isolated, alone in his thoughts.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “City Life.” My entry is number 209.

I didn’t have an exact picture in mind for this weeks PhotoFriday, “Costume,” but I did have an event: on the Norwegian Constitution Day there’s a huge parade in most major cities, including the biggest which is in Oslo.

So I fired up iPhoto to see which was the best image to use and… they weren’t there. So I spent much of this afternoon finding my negatives and scanning the whole, missing roll of film in. I’d forgotten why I’d moved to digital!