Yes, you'll be sure of a big surprise as the old children's song promises. But there won't be any teddy bears having a picnic, but instead a parade of black sheep framed by the falling leaves of a Swedish autumn.




I don't know what kind of sheep these are, but there is a small flock of them on a property on the way out to the lighthouse and we often see them from the side of the road. They provide such a wonderful contrast to the raining leaves from the trees. Even the leaves gathered at the base of the trees have left a carpet blazing with colour, which I know would prove irresistible to young kids and dogs as a place to romp and play. Who can remember rolling through crunchy autumn leaves when they were a kid?

Autumn has become my favourite time of year. Here, in the north, it doesn't so much sneak in as it did in Adelaide, it literally sings. At least in the early part of the season, before the dreaded November greyness creeps in. There was nothing really comparable to it in the temperate climate of the Adelaide plains, though one could get a taste of a European autumn if you visited the Mount Lofty Botanical Gardens at the right time of the year. However, I find that now I'm surrounded by autumn and I love to watch both the changing of colours and of moods. It begins quietly enough - you start to notice a crispness in the morning air and the first signs of colour change in the woods.




Hidden in the undergrowth are this season's blueberries. These are not as large as the blueberries we grow in Tasmania, and I believe that while the Swedish word blåbär translates directly as "blueberry", they are a close relative the bilberry. But don't quote me on that! They are highly prized and it's not unusual to see Swedes out on the weekends, dressed in warm clothes and wellies and carrying baskets and buckets and special rakes, combing the bushes for the fruit. We prefer to simply pick them with our hands and eat them straight away like a couple of lazy, foraging bears.




Don't they look stunning? They are like little blue jewels or the bright, shiny Christmas balls on a fairy Christmas tree. They are not the only jewels to be found in the woods at this time of the year. There are also the bright red ruby like lingon (cowberry in English. They grow in abundance in all of the woods and can be used to make a jam, which can be served with either sweet or savoury food.




The jam is not unlike the cranberry sauce we use on our Christmas turkey, so it goes well with meat dishes, on pancakes or even spooned over your morning porridge. The lovely grey green moss that surrounds the plants is gathered and used as a decoration for the advent wreaths. It's a lovely, soft spongy moss and as long as you keep it wet, it will retain that texture, making it ideal to surround the candles and prevent fire. Pretty and practical.

As the month continues, we start to see the rowan berries brginning to fruit. These berries stay around for a long time, being quite tolerant of the cold and are a valuable food source for both migratory birds heading for the warmer climates of southern Europe as well as the poor birds who eke out their existence here over the long Swedish winter.




Gradually, the weather shifts, the storms threaten and the trees begin to change colour. You notice this all over town, not just out in the woods. Outside of our apartment building we have mostly oxel or Swedish whitebeam trees. It is actually where the name of this town comes from. It is a compound word, made up of the three Swedish words Oxel (whitebeam), Ö (island) and sund (sound - as in an inlet or deep bay). Put them all together and you get the island in the deep bay where the Swedish whitebeam grows. Far easier to say Oxelösund, isn't it?




The autumn colours this year were more brilliant than I can ever recall seeing them, with the textures, so varied and so characteristic. This even extended to the rocks and the sea - the clouds and the sky. As a package, they have been powerful and a joy to behold. During the recent stormy weather, there was a constant stream of threatening dark cloud rushing past, masking the sunlight and casting the sea and rocks into a deep grey, starkly contrasting with the autumn grasses. Such a day makes a simple afternoon walk to the shops into an experience to savour.




There is the brilliant golds of the two two kinds of birch growing here – the pendulous silvery one that looks so Japanese in the mists as well as the more compact form flame like golden torches in stands by the roadside. The beautiful bronzed notes of beeches, their branches reaching out like fingers, making a warm tunnel of the road, or standing majestically in the fields. And golden pillars of larch shining out in the depths of the surrounding dark pines. It is all utterly beautiful; superlatives just can’t do it justice.




The paths and fields remind me of milk-soaked Weetbix as the dry, crunchy leaves cover the moist and muddy forest floor. We get the full range of colours here as we have a good variety of broad leafed trees and they range from burnt oranges, mustardy yellows and deep reds, through to shades of brown and the dark greens of the pines. You are also conscious of the fact that before you know it will all be gone. In a matter of days with the strong winds the tress will be bare. A little later the ground will be covered with snow. It will be pretty, but perhaps not as colourful so we enjoy it while we can.




If you look carefully at the picture above (click on it for a bigger view) you can see that what looks like rocks in the field are in fact sheep. They blend in so well with the landscape that they seem almost to be a part of the land itself. You might be wondering if we are trespassing on private property, but we aren't. In Sweden they have something called Allemansrätten, which gives you which is the right to walk freely in the woods without asking the landowner for permission. There are some basic rules though. You are not allowed to break branches, pick protected flowers, leave rubbish or go into enclosed fields without closing the gate. But this right of free access makes it possible to go out in the beautiful woods and enjoy them - even pick mushrooms.




But perhaps not these ones as pretty as they look. It's like a magical fairy land apartment block. I keep meaning to learn more about mushrooms here to know which are the safe ones and which we can pick. In Adelaide I always got my mushrooms (mostly champignons or button mushrooms) from the central market and they looked nothing like any of the mushrooms they prize here in Sweden. I'm not sure I'd know a cantarell mushroom in the woods if I fell over it! I hope they don't revoke my Swedish citizenship because of that.




I have read that 99% of mushrooms are not toxic, 1% are ... and those 1% are very difficult to distinguish from the non-toxic varieties. It doesn't auger well for a rich mushroom sauce does it? We don't want to end the evening in the casualty department of the local hospital. So for now I'll just look in wonder at them and perhaps ask Santa for a mushroom book. Because that is the other thing our thoughts turn towards as the seasons change and the chill sets in - soon it will be advent and Christmas. Something bright and cheerful in the fast approaching darkness.

I wonder if L-G will let me put up the Christmas lights next weekend? After all it's the annual Christmas pageant in Adelaide on Saturday - it must be time. I'll work on him...