Jamie Barton, "the Georgia farm girl" who won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2013 competition

Mezzo Jame Barton, "the Georgia farm girl", who won the Cardiff Singer of the World  2013 crown.

"The Georgia farm girl who yesterday won the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World crown". That is how Iowa Public Radio described the winner of the 30th anniversary Cardiff Singer of the World competition, mezzo soprano Jamie Barton, who also carried off the song prize. (I was particularly pleased that she chose to sing Var det en dröm? (Was it a dream?), one of Sibelius's finest songs, which sadly is not performed very often by non-Scandinavian singers). 

Argentina's Daniela Mack could also have won.

All the five finalists were outstanding talents, and the prize could very well had gone to e.g. the Argentinian mezzo Daniela Mack or the Croatian bass baritone Marko Mimica. I also liked the expressive singing and the personality of Italian soprano Teresa Romano. 

Of the two studio expert commentators, voice coach Mary King was the clearly more helpful and appreciative. First Singer of the World winner Karita Mattila seemed to have only one comment about Barton and the other finalists - "more color". 

Italian soprano Teresa Romano has a strong personality and a fine voice.

The Beneteau Oceanis 58 yacht Flipje in Helsingborg

Last night I shot these pictures of the gorgeous Dutch yacht Flipje - a Beneteau Oceanis 58 - in the Helsingborg marina. Flipje, is the mascot of the Dutch city of Tiel, where you can find a statue, and even a museum, dedicated to this figure, which was associated with a once famous jam factory.

PS

If you would like to charter a Beneteau Oceanis 58, I noticed the e.g. the Blue Passion is available at Simpson Bay, Tortola.

Pictures of the Helsingborg marina on a cloudy June evening

The Helsingborg marina and ferry terminal looked great last night, with some distinct clouds above:

The Swedish Coast Guard's New Ship KBV034 in Helsingborg

The brand new KBV034 in Helsingborg on June 24, 2013.

Yesterday I shot a number of, what I thought would be very nice pictures of the Swedish Coast Guard's brand new environmental protection and patrol vessel KBV034, when it was shifting its position from one side of the dock to the other at its home port Helsingborg. However, due to some technical error of mine, my camera did not register the photos at all!

Later on in the evening, I went back to shoot new pictures, some of which you can see here. Regrettably, they don't show the new 52.12 m x 10.40 m ship moving ...

The KBV034 has three sister ships, which are based in Lysekil, Djurö and Oskarshamn.

Old private houses in Helsingborg

In addition to the Medieval Church of St. Mary and the Kärnan tower, only a few very old buildings have survived in Helsingborg.

The oldest private building is the Jacob Hansen house, built in 1641 (when Helsingborg and Scania still belonged to Denmark):

The Henckel house, close by, is from 1681: 

The Gamlegård house is from 1759: 

Views from my balcony (13): Midsummer bonfires on the Danish side of the Sound

Looking at the picture below, you might think that the cargo vessel Port Star, which tonight was on its way southwards in the Sound, is on fire:

The Port Star covered by smoke. 

Fortunately, nothing was wrong with the ship. The second picture below - taken about ten seconds before the first one -  shows the Port Star passing Hotel Marienlyst on the Danish side of the Sound. The fire immediately to the left of the ship's bow is the hotel's (rather smoky) Midsummer bonfire:

The Port Star and a Danish Midsummer bonfire.

The Marienlyst Midsummer bonfire emitted lots of smoke right after it was  lit. 

In Denmark the Midsummer celebration is called Sankthans aften ("St. John's Eve). It takes place on the evening of 23 June. The tradition of lighting midsummer bonfires goes back to ancient times, when people believed that the fires could protect against evil spirits. Today Danes gather at the bonfires for picnics, to hear speeches and sing the Midsummer hymn "Vi elsker vort land ... ("We love Our Country") and other traditional songs.

Tiny Yellow and White Flowers at the Bus Stop

While waiting for the bus at Domsten, I shot these images of tiny white and yellow flowers. I have regrettably no idea what they are called.