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.

New year and 2019 in pictures and a silly movie

“To a bright New Year and a fond farewell to the old; to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.” “May you have a prosperous New Year.” “Wishing you a happy, healthy New Year.” “May the new year bless you with health, wealth and happiness.”

12th night gone by, it´s the end of the Christmas season. All decoration is taken away and the house is cleaned up. We had a delightful time, got many Christmascards and some surprising gifts. 

A whole new year lies ahead of us, many new ideas to try and continuing on our path to self-sufficiency. 

We are halfway through the winter now and the loft is still full of hay, the pantry filled with many cans of canned food, and in the root storage is also enough left. Maybe it´s not as diverse as we should like, because of some crop failures of last year, but we can eat our stomachs full of delicious meals.  I like to search through wartime ration meal recipes from the UK. They use often the vegetables I have available, like potatoes, carrots, onions, and are healthy and very filling. Although eggs were on ration at that time, no egg ration for us. With only 4 laying hens, almost every day 1 egg and sometimes 2! It´s the first year that we have eggs in the winter. Very useful if you like vanilla pudding... ;) 

These photos are my 2019 in a glance 

 January, just finished my new woolen winter coat in time before the cold arrived

Baking small homegrown cornbread on the stove

 In April it was lovely weather for a bicycle tour with a picnic

In May we started on renovating the south wall from our house and had lots of rhubarb and eggs

 It´s on the 6th of June! A national holiday!

Because we are renovating our house we had, unfortunately, no time to dance with our folk dance society on this big day. But because we love to dance, we made our own dance party in the backyard.

Reading a book in our garden, the old rose variety smells lovely 

In June, haying, haying and more haying

First time for our little pony to draw the haywagon

In September we celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary 

and the year ends with the same it started, snow! 

x

A glimpse of the hay harvest

This morning, with the scythes on our shoulders and the little old border collie by our side, we set off again to the meadow we are mowing. The mist was hanging in thick clouds on the fields. The sun could not prick trough it yet. When we reach the meadow we already have harvested, two deer are greezing in the field. The remaining haystacks are covered in the mist, it´s almost like a painting, so perfect and bright. Then the deer are scared upp with our presence and galop away into the woodlands. Mowing with the scythe is hard work but working together it´s pleasant. It´s not really difficult, so I think it´s always a nice time to meditate about one thing or the other. Mostly we work in silence, just side by side. The only noise you hear is the scytheblade cutting through the grass, the birds singing, the crickets chirping and the crowing of the rooster att home. It´s very peacefull out here. Every now and then we sharpen the blade and off we go again. Swish, swish, foot for foot the grass is cut. Around trees and stones, every inch turns into hay. It´s not only grass but also lots of weeds and herbs, tistles and even small trees. Even a wild mint grows here and there, it´s the most lovely smell when it is cut but also when you, in the dark wintermonths, are filling the hay trough, it smells like summer.

Everything is blooming and booming in the garden. The calendula is on it´s best, orange and yellow flowers everywhere. Peas, beetroots, potatoes, carrots and loads off other stuff it´s just ready to be eaten. Many jars are already filled and canned with various berries and now the time will soon come for making various pickles. 

Planting my first seeds and the hens are laying eggs!

A week ago, one of my new hens laid her first egg and after that, we got an egg every other day. So, after a long time without chickens and without eggs now we finally have them again. There is nothing above going outside and get some eggs and take a slice of the very best homemade bread with butter and scrambled egg, yummy!

Every year we try to have al the work with the firewood done before Easter. So, in December and January Sander cut some trees and now he will saw them in pieces and cleave the wood with the cleaving axe. For sawing he used a crosscut bowsaw. They have their saw teeth bent out on either side of the blade. Therefore, the teeth create a channel which is a little wider than the wide of the saw blade. Which makes it much easier to saw the wood. But after a while the teeth bent toward each other again and need to set, as it is called. To set a saw is to bend the tip of each cutter tooth away from the blade in a slight amount. Just as alternate teeth are sharpened opposite each other, they are set opposite each other to. You can buy special tools to it, but we do it on a more basic method, with two small adjustable wrenches.

I have got all the seeds I need for the coming seasons, most vegetables but I did buy some flower seeds to. One plant I like very much is Lavender, and I bought some seeds to it. It is not the easiest seed to plant. These seeds need a cold period to sprout. Most you should sow them in the autumn or put them in February, in a bit of earth, in your freezer for at least one week. But I couldn´t do, nor the one nor the second method, for we don´t have a freezer and I hadn´t my lavender seeds last autumn. But it is still very cold here and we do have a cold spot on the loft and it´s there I put them. I hope it works and I get at least one lavender plant after all my 1000seeds I sowed.

garden and sewing

It´s the last of January today, so the first month of the year is already passed away. Last week we did some work in the garden and also this morning! But now the fine weather is over and it´s snow raining here.

 

But there is enough to do inside as well. I´m cooking a delicious stew. With potato´s, mushrooms, carrot and onion, this goes well to the nasty weather.
 I´m busy with making a new dress. A wool dress this time. I bought this very lovely checked fabric.

 My dress will be inspired by this dress.

 But first I made a new corset, with front and back lacing this time. Most is machine sewed but all the eyelets are done by hand. 12 front eyelets and 28 on the back. I made also a nice crochet lace on top. It turned out very well and I like the colors to.