A bitch of Branches

Who's that girl....

One of my latest projects, I've been making a sculpture out of Willow tree branches. I prefer to call it a "bitch of branches" (so called "takkenwijf" in Dutch or "kärring eller häxa av pil" på Svenska). It started with cutting back our willow tree and in the neighborhood a lot of young trees were cut down by our neighbor. So lots of branches available. Years ago I got a picture from my friend Marjolein. Ever since I wanted to make something like this. So this was the moment to start it. 

We started with a wooden frame, covered with chicken wire, a lot of short cut birch branches (bjorkris) and a lot of patience. Just put in the branches round by round, hour for hour, in the early spring sun, til you get too much cold in your fingers. Inside a made the form of a head, out of willow tree. Later a started making the arms and body out of willow tray. 

The finishing touch was the ladies hair, some moss and a shawl of dried Clematis in her neck. I'm very proud about this project, though it took many hours te create it. But as long as you have fun and time, it doesn't matter. But it's too expensive to produce more of them 😄. 

Happy Easter

 

Do you need some extra inspiration to decorate your Easter? Take a look at the Easter decorations I made before. With only some Birch branches and Tulips or Blueberrie branches and Narcissus it is easy to create a colorful decoration. In the Netherlands they will have some curly willow branches decorated with colorful eggs. 

Dutch Easter decoration Picture Pixabay

Finally it is time to celebrate together again. Hopefully with your friends and family. Eating Easter brunch together, very popular in The Netherlands. You eat typical spring things like eggs (you really need to boil them in colored water or paint them with the children), sparris, salmon, cheese and lots of chocolates. You can have different sizes of chocolate bunnies or chocolates eggs filled endless sorts of tastes, like cream, egg liquor, truffel and so on. In the morning the children go out to look after chocolate eggs hidden in the garden. They are delivered by the Easter Bunny. 

Also in Sweden they celebrate together, mostly with family. Popular food is ham & eggs, fish and lamb. They also like the painted eggs. The eggs are delivered by Easter roosters. Children receive Easter eggs filled with sweet candies (instead of chocolates) and dress up like colorful Easter witches. And they have more Swedish traditions with witches....

We wish you good times together 💖. Let's be thankful we have this opportunity.

But don't eat to much eggs... Happy Easter, vi ses igen!

Sjöbygget Sowing Season

Enjoy the view from our balcony in spring in this Småland area, it is so beautiful. At the left side we see often the cranes grazing and eating. It happens we wake up with their sound very early in the morning (the sound which you can not miss actually). They told us they often nest at the other side of the lake Flyxen. It is not a very big lake, but a very friendly one. Nice lake to walk or skate on in wintertime. Or take the boat to fish or to swim privately in Summertime.

Some of the growing seedlings

We are preparing for a new garden season, also planning to start up our trädgårdscafé finally. After some years of delay cause by Corona. Some weeks ago we started sowing a lot of plants, to sell in the växtloppis in summertime. They are growing fast and looking good. But they are still inside because it is too cold outside (actually it is -7 early in the morning, so the ground is still frozen 😳...). They are in one of the coolest rooms right now. Next step is to the greenhouse outside (when the forst is gone), what we are building on this moment. 

My new greenhouse

Working to prepare the lane around the veranda

Another thing we have to finish is our sheltered outdoor terrace, where you can pick the sun as well be out of the wind. We need to higher up the ground, prepare the lane and the wood needs to be finished and painted. Meanwhile I'm so happy to see more and more plants wake up after wintertime, like this Helleborus beneith. It looks so fresh and full of energy. 

A Helleborus starting to flower

In between these jobs I have been working on my newest project: making a bitch of branches. I found a picture on internet, a picture of a woman sculpture totally made out of branches. I really like to create it myself. I will keep you informed when it is finished. Hope to see you next time. For now a good evening from Sweden. Like they say in Sweden: Vi ses ✋!