Back to my Country Home

After the course in self-sufficient householding finished I moved all my stuff into our summer house and I immediatelly went off to Malmo to meet with my wife and celebrate her 30th b-day (happy birthday skat). After a week in the city I felt growing restless. I knew it was time to leave the asphalt behind and put on my rubber boots. My dog and I moved into our country home which is a nice small cottage with some land and an orchard. I find Neil Young's song very in touch with my current feelings;

"I'm thankful for my country home

It gives me peace of mind

Somewhere I can walk alone

And leave myself behind."

There is so much to be done around here and Im not sure where to start. I though aftter finishing an 8 month course in self-sufficinet householding I will be more like a Self-sufficient Super Man, but that is not the case I must say. I guess its easy playing self-sufficiency when in school and one can afford to make mistakes. Or maybe I just feel blue the same way young mothers sometimes feel when they give a birth to their child. For no particular reason they feel depressed and even at times dont love their child at first, but all this will pass away and the baby and mother will feel united and happy forever and ever.

I think we have 7 Apple trees and one Plum tree. When I came back there were hardly any apples left :( I let the birds have the few hanging. In spring I will prune these apple tress.

The house is in the mess after I moved all my stuff in ah, where do I place all this ...

The Garlic field seems to be sprouting a few green shots here and there ...

Yes, the garage ... I must finish the chicken tractor before we buy 3-4 egg laying hens. Infront of the tractor is a bunch of reused pallet timber I found in a skip and behind shops. People trhow so much good stuff away. Keeping an eye on the skips you pass will sure result in some golden find ;) I will make two more bee hives, a working table (the old one to the left is too small), and a green house with those white windows to the left ( also found in a skip). And the funniest is at the back ... a bunch of garbage which cant be used for anything. I will move it to my local recycling centre and at the same time get home some fine black compost soil which they give for free.

I will place the green house (GH) in between these two windows. The GH will not touch the house wall, for ventilation purpose. I feel it will be too warm for the Tomatoes since the GH is facing South and is supported by the wall's heat too.

As some of you know I have cut down many small trees to open up this part of the land to the South to get in some Sun light. I will place my Apiary there and bees do love facing the sun. Still some trees lying around the ground which need to be cleaned from small branches and then (together with that heep to the left) cut down into fire wood. 

window view (my neighbours horses)

This is the part of our land which I intend to turn into a weedless kitchen garden. It is covered in Nettles and Ground Elder, both very nutritious plants which can be eaten instead of spinach. My wife and I made a soup once, yet they are growing like crazy and one can eat it every day. So much vitamins and minerals they harbour in those leaves. I will try and weed small partitions at a time so not to loose my spirit ;) Lots of sweat is needed here! Am I up to it?!

I must replant these herbs soon ... need that compost soil I mentioned above ...

These bushes flower beautifully every year. The bees are gonna love it :) I must prune them though since they shadow this wall too much making it go algae green.

I have to redo my hives a bit ... dont ask ...

Next year is the house painting year which we planned to do this year but due to so much rain it never happened, well, well.