Chips and shavings

Chop! Chop! The chips are flying around. He gives his axe another sway. The early morning air fills with the aromatic scent of pinewood and resin. After a few more solid blows, a nice point has arisen at the end of the post. The next pole is peeled with a large knife. Long curls from the bark fall to the floor. The cat is enjoying the morning sun when she suddenly pricks up her ears. With a big jump, she attacks one of the curls that was blown away by a breeze. She frolics with it for a moment. The amusing behaviour makes me laugh.

It's June. Just a few more weeks until the longest day of the year and already the light is never fading from the sky. The forests are dense with greenery and the grasslands are colorful with flowers. Swallows dart back and forth across the yard to fill their bellies. Yes, it's almost hay time again.

A lot of preparations are still going on. The poles to make the hässjor (a kind of drying rack for hay) are not so new anymore and some have seen better days. That's okay, when you consider that most were made by our neighbor when he was a little boy, and that he is now in his late 70s. Then you can't complain after 60 years of use. You can imagine that we are very happy that a load of new poles were delivered a few days ago. These come so fresh from the forest so there is still a job to do. All posts should be peeled to prevent rotting and a point chopped.

Making hässjor is a simple and convenient method of making hay. If you do it right, the hay is of the best quality. Until the 1970s it was common in Sweden to make hay on hässjor but now it has been  forgotten when of tractors and the pack/bale press came in use.

Making hassjor may be a tough and time consuming job but it is a very reliable way to get the grass dry, even if it rains for days on end and it used to be the only way to get good hay for your animals.

Chop! Chop! The next pole is pointed. Some poles are so long that both a poles and a fence post can be made and even the chips are not thrown away but dried. That is ideal for lighting the stove. Nothing is lost and everything is put to good use. Only about 40 poles to go, but we still have 3 weeks....

simply enjoying

  I was pleasantly surprised when I got up this morning, this isn't what they predicted?! At dawn, some stars still twinkle in the northern sky. A golden glow appears just above the trees. What a relief, after all those gray bleak days. After I get dressed and got outside, the sun just peeks out over the edge of the trees. The long white plumes of smoke dissolve into the blue sky. This looks like it's going to be a beautiful day! wonderful!

After quickly working my way through my daily chores, I'm soon with the spade in the vegetable garden. I've been looking forward to this. Finally back to work in the garden. Dig after dig I turn the soil. The ground is still a bit frozen here and there, but after a few stabs I can get it loose. Pfff, it's warm too, in the sun! My coat and scarf can be taken off. While I am busy, the cats also peek around the corner, they are also happy that it is not so cold longer.

It started snowing from December 1st and until a week ago it was almost constantly white. In the beginning we had snow dunes up to 50 cm! and also quite cold. In itself it is quite nice, but cycling to the city takes a bit longer. By the way, did you know that you have studded tires for under the bicycle? That's so handy! Even with sleet you can just cycle.

In general, I can conclude that it is usually about 10 degrees warmer in the house (the living room) in the morning than outside. Usually we have about 6/7 degrees, but with heavy night frost it is then 0 or 1 degree. Funny enough it doesn't really feel that cold after all... And luckily we heated the room again in no time. Let's not talk about the kitchen and the bedroom.... Frost occurs regularly.... I have no problem sleeping until minus 10 degrees, colder than that, a bit annoying... But that came luckily only in the first year, now we have a second heater for when it's so cold, but that has not been necessary until now....

After a while of hard work, a garden bed has been completely turned over, still 19 to go...

By the time we get the ponies in before dark, the grass is already crunching under my shoes. I call the ponies and what's lurking behind Bella (the old welsh pony) and Brommy (the work shetland pony)? That's Pluis! A 2.5 year old shetlander who currently looks like or he still has to grow in his fur, hihi. It's more hair than pony.

He is our new worker on the homestead. Together with Brommy, he can help us with the farmwork, wood transport and the hay harvest. But first he can grow and play a little more.