Friday, May 1, 2009

The goose berry in the forest has a lot of butterflies now. I tried to get a picture of a small bright blue one, called Blue wing, but it couldn´t keep still for more than a second :-) But this one is called Cabbage butterfly. It lays its eggs on cabbage plants and nasturtiums.

May first, the workers day and at least here in Sweden it´s a holiday. When I was Young this was a day for demonstraiting. Thousands and thousands of people gathered and marched to a special place, usually the town square or another place where lots of people could gather. There they listened to speakers from either the Communist party, the Social democratic party or different union leaders. The communists always were by them selves, not liked by any one. Even if it was the Social democratic party that governed the country (they did so for over fourty yeras) they talked about the unfairness for the workers. Screaming out how bad the kapitalist used the workers. In truthe the gouvernement cooperated quite well with these so hated kapitalists :-) and that made swedens workers to the best paid in the world for a while.




The Prime minister used the underground or bus to get to work and usually lived in an appartement in those days. He also got paid rather good for his job, but surprisingly little compared to what they get today. Everything was closed the first of May, but I can remember that the trams still went on as usual. I know this because we never demonstrated in my family, we went to our summerhouse instead or to my grandparents and that by tram. As we did so I could se all those that were going to demonstrate from the tram windows always, wondering how it would be like doing that too.



The wild cherries are in bloom and theres a lot of wild cherries around here.



Then something happened. Politisians started to get more greedy. They sort of forgot that perhaps they should live like they learned. People started to wonder why their raises should be so much bigger than the workers. The answers the workers got was that swedish politicians were very low paid compared with European politisians. Strangly enough that wasn´t espesially important when it came to the workers pay :-) The more they distanced them selves from the ordinary people the less people protested at May first.





Nowdays it´s really difficult to see the difference between the different political parties. They are all very greedy. The leader of the opposition once said that she looked upon her self as a middle income worker. She makes five times more than me every year and I am a middle income worker :-) :-) I can gladly switch with her if she wants to know a bit of reality :-) :-)






The union leaders are even worse I think. They were really fast screaming about the bonuses high chiefs got, but forgot that they had helped them getting it :-) Not to speak about high chiefs pensions. What they seemes to forget is that they too has really good pensions when they leave their jobs. We are talking millions here. So for most of us going to a demonstration listening to them shouting about how bad capitalist are gives a bitter taste in the mouth. I have nothing against capitalism, on the contrary. But I have a lot against hypocrits in the union and political parties! The only ones that will demonstrate today is the very sick people that woun´t get paid from the health insurance (We have one health insurance for eveyrone in Sweden, payed by our taxes). Nowdays You see Your not sick as long as You can move a bit. People getting cemo therapy is well enough to work they say??? The new slogan for the health insurance is “We don´t ask how sick You are, we ask how much You can work”.




So nowdays people takes this as a long weekend, going out to their summer houses, go camping or sailing. No use to listen to a bunch of hypocrites is there? I´m going to enjoy the sun and take some pictures for tomorrows blog I think and of course be in my garden :-)
Enjoy the wokers day now, I will!




Teodor takes a rest in the shadow after playing with his brother Bertil.







18 comments:

Anonymous said...

That Teodor looks like a hard worker, doesn't she Christer? Every picture you post of her she is laying down. These are beautiful pictures for today's post. I have to ask what the tall cylendrical thing is in the one photo that is way in the background. Some sort of grainery maybe. It looks like it is from outer space.

We are counting on Obama to get us a nationalized health care plan but many politicians have tried and failed. Our health care system is good for the rich, very bad for the poor.

You have a fun holiday! Pray for the Queen in the Netherlands as she almost got bumped off yesterday celebrating downtown.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Z&M!
The high grey thing, I think it´s a concrete tower, is a readio mast of some kind. I think it also is used to mobilephones.

Our health care system was really good until the new governement changed the rules. They say that most people that says they are sic is just faiking it. So nowdays not even the real sick people can be home sick (this is just the part of getting paid while being home, the rest like surgery still works quite well.

I heard that the man who tried to drive into the Dutch queen also died last night. What on earth made him do that? Can´t imagine that she could have offended him in any way.

I´ll have a great holiday:-) Tomorrow it´s work as usual.
Christer.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

By the way, Teodor is a male:-) Nutered though :-)
Christer.

Hilary said...

I jumped over from Mona's blog....and I very much enjoyed my visit. Lovely photos.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

beautiful pictures christer! we are having a rainy day here and i am loving it. no watering the gardens today! happy may day and enjoy your day off....joyce

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Hilary!
Thanks for checking out my blog! Normally I don´t write about politics here, but May firts is or was so special over here.
Have a great day now and welkome back.
Christer.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Jaz!
It´s not as warm here as it has been here, but I think that´s better. Spring sort of just ran by. I have flowers in bloom here that shouldn´t bloom for yet another month.
I´m enjouying the day by just being lazy :-)
Have a great day now!
Christer.

Balisha said...

Hi Christer,
Very interesting about your health care system.Ours here in the US is not so good for the poorer people. So many are doing without...especially in these trying times.I have wondered how the system works for you in Sweden. Our medicines are so expensive...if you don't have a health plan, you are really in trouble, if you have a major illness. I hope our new president and his people can figure out a fair plan for everyone.
By the way, your pictures are very nice...very pretty cat.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't find his name, Teodor. So I guessed. Maybe his name is Teddy in our stolen English. Anyway, that's one.lazy.cat.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Balisha!
Our health care system works great really, the only thing is that we nowdays has to be more or less dying to stay home with pay more than one week (or if one has gone through surgery of course). When it comes to the rest it works good. We never pay more than 1900 swedish kronor a year(that is something like 225 US dollars)for medicine and the same goes if You need surgery.

So now when I have to get my hip fixed I know that I wount have to pay more for that surgery even if it really cost much, much more. After that, during the recovery, I´ll get 80% of what I get in salary during that time.

The problems we have now with our health care system is that they rushed through new rules without any guidlines to follow. No one knows how to follow the rules and therefore the most insane things happens here.

I to hopes that Obama can make his plan go through. If one is rich there´s never any problems getting good health care, but if one is poor it´s hopeless.
Have a great day now!
Christer.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

I forgot. One of the problems we do have sometimes is that we have to wait some time to get for instance surgery done and if one is in pain the time one has to waite can be awful.
Christer.

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi Z&M!
Yes he is really lazy :-) For some reson I can´t explain I never call him Teddy, that would be the normal thing to do, but I do call him Teo.
C.

Anonymous said...

Great reading, my friend!
Love, AliceMary

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi AliceMary!
Thanks!
Olof.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

hey christer....if you have an old wisteria that is not bloming you can get it to bloom again. i think it will bloom in your climate. they are blooming in maine and canada so why not sweden? all you have to do is be brave. take a spade and dig it in about a foot away from the trunk. just cut the roots all the way around about a foot away. i know it sounds harsh but this sort of shocks the whole plant back into action. (i guess i shouldn't say shocked to you!) do this early net spring when it is just budding out and you should get lots of blooms! joyce

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Hi jaz!
Where I live the climat is to hard for the wisteria. The most southern point of Sweden is way up in Hudson bay if You put it on the american continent (just about the Belcher Islands). It´s the Gulf stream that makes this place as warm as it is.

The wisteria can live along the swedish coastland in the south, but here at my village it shouldn´t survive at all really. So I´m just happy that it lives here :-) But who knows what the climat change will do in a couple of years.
I´m not that easily chocked :-) My advice with plants to other people always makes them afraid of me :-) :-)
Have a great day now and thanks for the advice!
Christer.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

it just seems sad to have wisteria without the blossoms. but my pup would not agree with me. she lays on the porch every night under the wisteria. that is fine all year long until the wisteria pods begin to fall. even with her thick main those wisteria pods are like darts. plus when the miss hitting her they land next to her and they make a loud popping sound. she wishes the wisteria had never been born!!!! joyce

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

I was just curious if it would survive at all. For many yeras it froze down to the ground, but these last few years we´ve had warm winters and it has become rather large :-)
Christer.