This is one of the largest flying birds in the world today with a wing span over two meters. A fully grown male weighs over 12 kilo. There are 6-7 different swans on the globe. The Mute swan lives mostly in Europe but can be seen as far east as Kina. The swan is a dominant bird, watching its territory closely. Everyone who has met one knows how they can sound if you get too close.

The main diet for the swan is aquatic plants which they pick up with their long necks. The young swan’s feathers are grey and change to white when they grow up. Some unique swans can be seen with pink feet - this one if often called “polish swan” because some one took it for a new race. This is, however, wrong the pink feet depend on a genetic variation on a small number of swans. I think the bird is a beautiful and clean bird that represents power. Not power like an eagle but innocent power maybe a nice tattoo for a girl. I took this picture under “Skurubron” (Skuru Bridge, near Stockholm) a couple of years ago and I think it’s a clean picture of one of our largest birds. So until next time enjoy and let your mind fly free.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Subfamily: Anserinae
Genus: Cygnus

The European garden spider, or cross-spider as we like to call it, is one of the most common spiders in Europe and North America. The spider can be up to 18 mm in length, which is pretty large for spiders in the northern parts of Europe. The basic colour varies between different species, from light yellow to brown/red to dark/grey. The thing they all have in common is their cross-symbol located at their back. The cross is actually formed by white dots which are closely attached and shaped into this perfect cross.

The cross-spider is not venomous for us humans as many people believe. The wasp is in fact a lot more venomous and the odds of getting bitten by a cross-spider is microscopic - they might just be too smart for that. The spider uses his venom to stun his victim, often a fly or some other little bug. They catch their victims in webs like its relative the black widow, which has the strongest web among all spiders. Actually, the black widow’s web is built up by different proteins and is the strongest material on Earth, even if you count in materials that are not from nature - the black widow’s web is considered to be the strongest. It is the female cross-spider that spins the web - often half a meter in diameter.

The picture shows, according to myself, a gracious animal ready to attack. This is one possible candidate for a tattoo I am considering. I think the spider symbolises power, graciousness, elegance and independence - a perfect mix for a tattoo. Maybe Mr Randolph can sketch something up and show it on wohill later on!

Below I have made an abbreviated descriptive identification, into which all organisms can be classified – the systematic way to group organisms in modern biology. This system is a great way to quickly get a grip over an animal or a plant just by looking at it from a systematic point of view. I will tell you more about this system later on and perhaps give you a little lesson about it. For now, enjoy the image and let your mind fly free.

Latin name: Araneus diadematus

Kingdom/Domain/Domän: Eucaryoter/Eukaryoter
Division/Stam: Arthropods/Leddjur
Sub-division/Understam: Palpkäkar
Class/Klass: Spindeldjur
Family/Familj: Hjulspindlar
Genus/Släkte: Araneus

A picture of the archipelago often shows a clear blue sky and calm waters. This picture represents the opposite but, although this, its beauty is striking. The picture was taken a year ago, north of the island Möja, which is one of many islands in Stockholm’s archipelago, where there is a unique coast with a phenomenal number of islands, many of which are inhabited. This is one of the last islands on the coast - the next stop is the country of Finland. The lighthouse itself is located on the island Stenkobb. The manned lighthouses are just a memory these days, but there are a few that have been rebuilt as hotels. You can read more about the lighthouses at www.fyr.org. Every picture represents something for the viewer - for me - this one represents the mighty power the weather has to offer. It makes me think about windsurfing, saltwater in my face and freedom. I hope that you, as a viewer, can see the beauty and that you let your mind fly free.

This is the first picture out in a series of animals that we don’t know so much about. My intention is to give you, as a reader, a lesson about the strange little animals perhaps just waiting outside your window.

First out is the edible snail, which has actually a shell and is not really a snail at all. It was probably implanted by monks because they where aloud to eat them under the fasting. The edible snail eats herbs and sponges. This animal is not vermin as many people believe so no need to kill them because you think they are eating your garden. It is a remarkable animal in the winter it shuts its shell by producing a chalk-plate which isolates the house. They can anticipate how cold the winter is going to be and adapt the chalk-plate’s thickness after this. Even today it is a mystery how they do it. The edible snail is a hermaphrodite - although this - they need to be two to make little ones. Another strange thing about the edible snail is their sexual organ on the right side of their cheek. It is blue and called the arrow-sack. The edible snail must turn so that its right cheek meets the others’ right cheek then the arrow-sacks enter each other. Now they can make little edible snail babies. The edible snail is a delicacy for many people and can be served at the finest of restaurants. I captured this beautiful edible snail a couple years ago and I really like it. I can’t put my finger on why, but it looks just so relaxing there on the stone. My intention with this picture is to give you, as a reader, a feeling towards the animal and at the same time learn something useful.

Two years ago the family travelled to Thailand and stayed at a hotel on the beach of Dolphin Bay called Dolphin Bay Resort in the village of Pranburi.

This is a good place to come and stay with the family, the hotel rooms are of good standard, the staff are very service-minded and friendly and the surroundings are just great. I recommend it although as always there are some things that could be improved. We actually saw some dolphins as well - so it was not just a name.

Nearby, on a small island which can be seen not far from the beach, is the monkey island. For a small amount of money a local fisherman takes you by boat there and you can feed the monkeys with bananas or oranges. The monkeys are small and friendly although they might attack you with claws and teeth if you come to near, it's rare but it happens.

The bananas are not huge either although one might think so looking at the picture. I took this picture using a Canon EOS 300D with a 70-300 mm objective. I really like this picture since it shows a lot of detail, it is a unique wildlife photo and it reminds me of vacation.

A while ago I travelled to Barcelona. This is an inspiring city indeed. Everything is moving at a creative pace and people can walk around and dress just the way they feel like. This could sound a bit conventional – but I mean it like they really make the city feel extra vibrant and on the move. I have been to Barcelona before and visited the Gaudi museum… This doesn’t mean that one should not go again. One has to! There are more things than this building of course – but I want to start out with this shot.

He lived 25 June 1852 to 10 June 1926. It’s incredible that Gaudi could persuade the rulers of those days that this was the way to build apartments and buildings. I myself have some great ideas on buildings that I’ll have to present on Wohill some day.

The Casa Milà – or also known as La Pedrera – I visited and have taken many pictures. Here I have taken one of the chimneys on the roof-top. These smooth looking chimneys with their suttle shapes look really appealing for being chimneys! There were also some of the chimneys that were covered in broken glass-bottles. Take your time and enjoy this picture and the blue sky in the background.

This is a photo that I took about a year ago. It is the shadows of me and my son Theo when walking in the sun. I like this photo very much because to me it represents different things. Both as what it really is, a photo of the shadows of me and Theo when he was 1,5 years old and we took a walk in the sun. I remember what clothes he was wearing and also what we were doing at the time, It also represents a timeless picture of love or friendship since this could be any two people.

I added this photo to facebook to the Owned application a while ago and someone named it "We come in peace...". That is also a very interesting interpretation and I assume that it refers to aliens visiting us. That usually is a picture where two different species meet in peace or when they come hand in hand - but always in a mysterious way as shadows.

Somehow this photo also symbolizes how different people imagine and associate.

Do you get other associations? Let us know in the comments!

Time to get up for some coffee and breakfast in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. I was visiting Florida about a couple of months ago and came across this sunrise view almost every morning when I came down from my room for breakfast. I naturally went for a swim and a stroll along the beach. All these elements, sun, wind, and the surf hitting the beach really gives you, or me anyway, lots of inspiration and good vibes. This was the same trip when I had the pleasure to pass by Benihana and have a great dinner.

Nic and I had a talk about more things coming up on Wohill. One of them could be the following: something we both do is to take a lot of pictures, on our travels, or adventures wherever we go. Even just a spin on the town can give great opportunities for a nice picture. So we are adding some photographs when we get the chance. Maybe one of us could interest you too. Well - that might come next time we post a picture.

A photograph can actually give lots of inspiration and ideas. So enjoy this shot from Florida and dream away to the sunrise and see what this day can bring.