Following natures steps

 

I'm so happy I found the first Snowdrops end of February. They are the symbol of hope, awakening and spring expectations. Did you know their names in other languages? In Dutch they are called "Sneeuwklokjes", in German "Schneeglöckchen, in French Perce Neige, Snøklokke (Norvegian) or Snödroppe (Swedish). It's called like this because of the flowering in snowy times and it has the form of a bell. The bells wake up the other plants after winter. 

Last week I found the next winter flower. It's called a Winteraconite, Wintergäck (SE), Winteraconiet (NL) or Winterling (German). 

You could feel spring coming closer. Very blue skies, the sun already warming earth and the birds whistling. We even had a coffee outside (with a very warm jacket on) but we had the chance to load our battery with vitamines. But sometimes nature makes two steps forward, one back. From spring feelings back to winter. Suddenly we are totally back in winter times. We got lots of snow today, more then 20 cm. It teaches you to be flexibel. Just anticipate. So back inside again. 

Already started gardening inside some weeks ago. The first things were some old seeds, maybe it worked out, maybe not. Actually it was too early but they had nothing to loose. Otherwise they would be thrown away anyway. The next I started with was some kitchen herbs like Citron Basilicum and Koriander. Always nice to have. It kept me busy in winter time, preparing for the season with some green -what I like to do so much. I can loose my self in working with plants, I simply forget the time.

Some of the old seeds came out anyway. So now I've got some extra plants of Nicotiana Lime,  Dianthus and Mirabellis Jalapa. The last one we call in Dutch "Nachtschone", Four o'clock plant (in English because it opens after four), Wunderblume (German), Underblomma (Swedish) or Belle du Nuit (French). The last name I like the best. They are beautiful, they have nice colors and a flagrancy to attract evening butterflies. But sometimes it's a pity they flower best at evening times. 

Others are still in the try out fase. Like Papaver Patty's Plum and Helianthus Citron. Waiting on the kitchen floor to come out. The Petunias I just started with because I couldn't wait...

The positive thing in nature is the circle of life. In winter all the plants look like they have died. But they actually took shelter inside earth. The autumn provides the plants with leaves falling down. They protect all plants and animals in the ground during winter time, to come back later. So don't take away all the leaves!

When you tried sowing something and it didn't work, you always get a new chance next year. It a good feeling to take care about something. After winter always follows spring. But you never know when exactly. You just have to follow. Go with the flow. Nature is the boss. (Though people often think they can manage nature.)

What will be next steps? It looks we will have severe winter next weeks, with strong frost. So I'm happy we got some snow, it will protect the flower buds which were already growing. The Magnolia I protected myself with some extra bubble plastic. 

I will keep you updated next weeks what happens!

Longing for spring

 

I've been celebrating these days. At least we had some of them last week (beside of some lighter foggy days 😜). When the sun is shining so bright my eyes nearly can not manage because they are not used to so much light anymore. It has been soooo dark, foggy and rainy from half December. We were lucky to travel away some days end of January. 

I saw already the hare was very hungry, so it has been eating my small beech trees. I will need to protect them better, I'll hope they still can survive.  The good thing was, we had so much snow the hare couldn't eat anything at all in my garden because all was very well covered with a heavy snow blankett. And we saw the traces where they get in the garden. I think it's a good idea to close this gates in spring to make it more difficult to get in and out.

Are you also longing for spring? For sure I am. But of course, I know it takes another 8 weeks at least. So I will have to wait for the real spring to start, maybe somewhere around March 😏( I saw looking in my old blogs.) So no Snowdrops yet, actually there is snow right now. But I found a nice quote, describing waiting for spring is full of expectations too:

"Every gardener knows, that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle....a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream by Barbara Winkler" 

To keep on dreaming I started making a planning of the year for the garden cafe and a seeding schedule. I made some cuttings of my French Geraniums (Pelargon). Next weeks I will go on sowing for next season. Just can't wait.  I like to see all small plants growing. It makes me feel ok, no matter what happens. Even when the world is in trouble nature just moves on. It's healing for people. It helps to stay positive. I'm still reading a book about gardening (Sue Smiths Well gardened mind). It's a good way to recover from all sorts of things, it gives happiness, energy and hope.

When the snow is gone and severe frost has left too, we will start preparing for next garden season outside too. We can start changing the robotlines, sow extra grass and cut the Willow tree back. When it's getting better weather (a little bit more like spring 😅) I can start preparing the garden decoration. I got a lot of stuff form the Netherlands. It's only three weeks till March...

Geranium cuttings

God fortsättning

Afbeelding van Dorothe via Pixabay 

God fortsättning...Tack det samma!

That's what they say here in Sweden in januari (what I learned last weeks from my neighbors 😉). It means: all the best for the new year. Thanks, same to you!

I hope you all had a really good free time with family and friends. Lot's of laughter, relaxmoments and warmth. Experiencing celebrating by tasting new or traditional Christmas recipes and played some old fashioned table games together. Maybe you have got some dreams in mind for the next year.

We enjoyed the very nice frozen world and snowy times just before X-mas, it was beautiful. I'm so glad we still have the memories. Later we got really challenged by the weather. It started raining before Christmas, till now. Already more then 3 weeks with very dark cloudy days and lots of rain. In between I only saw some sun twice - for some hours. It very hard to wake up in the morning or to stay awake during daytime when the darkness feels like it's evening time. Even worse, your body system will slow down even more and your brains are not in the mood for doing anything 😴. The good news is though that all the water wells in this neighborhood finally are filled up again for the first time in some years (Many around us still had problems in summertime). The ground waterlevel is normal again, the level in the lake is high.

Next week it's Blue Monday, the most depressing Monday of the year. I can understand why they call it like that. All the joyful times seems to be far away now, next holiday are far away too and there are a lot of must do's now. The days are still short and dark. This rainy weather isn't helping to make it more comfortable. So if your not in the mood for wintersleep or simply don't have the time: Come on and let's bust the blues... 

• Keep active outside. Go outside as much as possible. Take that walk in lunchtime, even when it's raining (you only get wet). Outside it's much more light then inside your house or office.
• Move. Start with your body exercise, join an internet side for a fitness or yoga session at home. 
• Ignore. Try not to look outside too much (things grow bigger when they get attention) and keep busy with something you like.
• Make plans.  Plans you really enjoy and can look forward to for short- and long terms.
• Set goals, to fill up your next days to start with. With funny things, new challenges, a try out hobby or something different you just never did before. When you enjoy it it will fill up your next months too, because you will forget the time. 
• Keep dreaming. Like me, I'm longing for spring. I can't wait for the plants to come out again and starting growing for the new season. I'm dreaming about new creations to make one day. I'm making planting plans, thinking about the jobs to do and preparing inside for sowing seeds. So if real winter doesn't want to come anymore let's start dreaming about spring soon...😄.

Let be spring soon 🙏

For now it's already dark again (around 16 o'clock), time to start my yoga session of the day. We went outside during lunchtime for some kilometers walk, worked on our projects and did our fitness session. I hope you will find your way too! 

PS: I've been writing about winter blues before, so if you want to have some more tips or information you can find it here. 

God Jul & Gott Nytt år

 

We wish every one reading this blog a very nice Christmas Time, where ever you are or with whom. I wish you all the warmth you need 💖, with all you're nearest and dearest in the the neighborhood. I will burn some candles for all those who can't be close just now.... We only can hope for better times 🙏

See you next year! With love Brun 😘

Take your chance for special Christmas presents

Last time to go out and visit one of the Lingonställen in your surroundings this year. I've been looking at some of these places, they really offer nice and special presents. Take your chance!

Stegaryd Sjöbygget is closed this time of the year but we warmly recommend the places who have opened this time. You can find places of your interest here: Lingonrundan Jul 26-27-11 & 17/12/2022

It's really worth your visit! 

But next year we like to welcome you again in our garden for a coffee, a cake or some plants. All homemade of course! Depending on the weather we will open soner or later in spring, Vi ses!

First of Advent again

Start of the Christmas Time in Sweden. And I can say: It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

In the shops it's totally Christmas, as well on the streets in the city and the private houses along the road. Only some weeks to go. Hoping for some snow to come.

I've been very creatieve last time (I was inside anyway 😜) and I have been working on Christmas decorations to create a real Christmas house. I like working with natural materials of course. I like them very much (the ferns, the mossa and pine cones) but it's also so difficult to buy suitable natural decorating stuff and very expensive too, when it is possible to buy it at all. Beside of that the assortment on the countryside in Sweden is very small, in the cities it is much better. 

For me it's always the best time of year. I like to decorate, to make new creations, to use new colors. It's like party time packing out all boxes with Christmas stuff. With a good herbs tea (filled up with pomorans, kardemomma, cinnamom and fresh ginger). a fresh baked almonds cake and a warm fireplace the ideal start of this time. When you need some inspiration, have a look on my earlier posts about Christmas decorations. And of course Pinterest is a good source to find extra inspiration. You can find me there too!

Meanwhile we take the time to visit some Lingonställer in the neighborhood, worth recommendation. Late Sunday afternoon there's the yearly Julskyltning in Ljungby. It's sort of partytime, with Christmas market, opened shops, Santa Claus and time to put on the lights of the enormous Christmas tree. 

We wish you lot's of luck next weeks. I know in working times it is always the most busy time of the year. We try to keep busy in the dark, starting to count down for Christmas....only 4 weeks to go.

By the way, we got just a little sun last week (just before going down again). I saw it on the perfect spot, at lake Flyxen. See you soon....😏

Typical november days?

Strange times, every thing keeps growing... So I have been cutting the gras again by hand, the robot was already in wintersleep so I did it myself. It is the beginning of november.... some years we already had snow. Or we had very grey days, below 7 degrees. But til half of November it was daytime 10-12 degrees. 

The birds start singing again, we even saw some flying around with nesting materials 😂. We are lucky too.... we have been sowing gras , its already growing. It looks totally green right now. We still could plant, also on the new empty places. 

Later it got a little more cold, no sun at all anymore and very grey, misty and wet as usual in November. Real Småland colors. Must difficult time of the year for us. It feels like being dark whole day, getting a little light late and very early dark again. Your body doesn't wake up anymore and wants to sleep all day. We tried to be outside as possible to get more light but we still needed our blue light again, to keep fit. We fixed all the before winter jobs, like closing the watertaps, empty the rain barrels and protect some special plants. I was very happy i could place them in one of my neighbors places for winter time. We also spread a lot of compost around the whole garden, covered by a leaf deck. It protects the plants for the frost and it creates a mulch layer for next year, so the ground won't dry out that quick. One of the last jobs was to clean the gras form leaves,which we managed, just in time.

Suddenly winter came and we got some very cold nights and snow. Beautiful, it really lights the days here in Småland. I really enjoyed the days outside, cleaning the paths (no more fitnesstraining needed now 😅) and making pictures from the snow, sending to friends and family. It is so beautiful, it filled my heart with so much warmth. And you know what? The good thing is, less then 5 weeks to go and the days will get longer and lighter again.

Time to start with Christmas decorations soon, let's put the music on....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

Advents Time is coming closer

Nearly time to go out and visit one of the Lingonställen in your surroundings. We are closed this time of the year but we recommend the places who have opened this time. You can find places of your interest here: Lingonrundan Jul 26-27-11 & 17/12/2022

It's really worth your visit! 

Very recently I saw already a glimpse of the Santa Claus office somewhere....Did you see it too?

The Warmth of Autumn

Lots of tomatoes, even more appels and beautiful swamps on every corner of the street. All are so colorful and tasty. I already made a box with pickled tomatoes for winter, just to have aside of a meal. The rest of the tomatoes are (cut in peaces) in the fridge. I still need to make some apple juice with ginger on a rainy day soon. I already cooked some cantharellen, fresh picked from the woods. It's time to harvest 😀.

We saw the cranes leaving, with hundreds at the same time, special last weekend of september. How do they know what time they have to leave? They always leave with blue skies and little wind from the north west. It makes me wonder about natures strength and knowledge. But it always makes me little sad. But saying goodbye is always hurting, isn't it? I'm sure they will be back in march next year. 

The moose yacht already started here, we see the people wearing their orange suits and we hear the dogs barking early in the morning. And the leafs, they started falling now. In only two weeks it changed from friendly September weather (it can be soft and friendly with some sun and very wet at night - very well for the growing of plants or the preparing for winter) to more challenging October weather (less light, a lot of unexpected heavy rainshowers, sometimes a little sun and much more cold special at nights). Just like autumn. 

In this time of year you can't really make the planning ourselves, nature does. The frost, snow or coldness will come whenever they want. The best is to be prepared in time and take it easy later. The most important jobs (like collecting the seeds, move plants inside for winter, take away the annuals, storing the grasrobot, close the outside running water in time and cover the outside furniture) we fixed it in time, before the frost comes in. By the way, in a garden like this there is always something to do. Specially when you want to take care of your garden. Some jobs (or plans) are left - till next spring. It doesn't mean we don't do anything anymore outside, but it's depending on the weather. Some jobs you can do in wintertime too, except sowing, moving and planting.

So we started cutting the hedge between our neighbors. About 65 pine trees, sawing, cutting small and take away. We did it together with the neighbors. It was a hell of a job for us. We worked a long weekend together to get it away. Same time it was very cosy, with some outside coffee, grilled sausages and a beer in the end. And of course some painful muscles next days but also much more light in our house haha. Now we have to make a fence around the garden next weeks, because also the deer already found the delicatessen in the garden, they didn't come in last months because of the fence. 

The last annuals will go down now (I'm happy I collected the seeds for next year), the first frosty night was already here, it was minus 3 at night last week. The result was a beautiful view at the lakeside in the morning. Enjoy the view below 😉.

Do you need some to tips for your garden? Have a look here. You have still some days to fix it before wintertime is starting. 

 

September moods

Don't you think it's to early to think about autumn? For me it is, I really need some more time to prepare for wintertime.

But you can feel the autumn coming anyway... The appels were ready to harvest, both the yellow as the red ones. The ferns are starting to get brown (I still hope I can make a wreath out of it) , the beech is starting to get yellow leaves (but they don't fall down yet) and we've got a lot of flowers still around us. The moose is bellowing around all night, in the woods around us. Their calendar is telling them, it's time to mate again...They are very close this year, the moose is already been spotted twice by our neighbour just in the back of their house. Peter went out walking, just before sundown, he heart them very close to him (it's a pity he couldn't see). Maybe they were just laughing about Peter 😂. 

From gardening perspective, even in this part of Sweden we have a long winter, nearly 5 months, från november till april. It can be frosty and snowy, plants mostly don't like it and will wait for better times.  The rest of the year it feels like June or September weather, with some hot summer days in between, mostly in July - this year also in August. We were lucky, last weeks (end of August / beginning of September). We had very good summer weeks, blue skies, no wind att all, not too cold and not too warm. Very good for me because I need to collect some more sun and energy for autumn time, it can be dark, grey and misty last months of the year. But of course, I realize, we also need some rain for nature and ourselves, because the lake and the drinkwaterlevel in Sweden is very low. We tried successfully to save some water for watering the plants with the rain barrel. It works perfect as long as we get some rain sometimes. 

Last week I managed to paint and prepare some outside windows, before it's getting too wet for painting. We have still some windows to fix. Beside of that we still have some jobs in the garden before winter. As long as it will be 8 degrees or more I have to fight the growing of the weeds, the more I can take away the less work in spring. I need to change places of some of the plants and collect seeds for next year of course. Some plants need to go inside before frost. Some parts of the garden needs some extra compost (cut gras and home made compost) for better flowering next year. We have to cover the furniture as well before it gets to wet and put some things inside. But for now we still hope for some sunny days in September/Oktober. Maybe we will have a sort of Britt Sommar? When it stays a little sunny with some rain we maybe can find some Chantarelles?

And last but not least? Maybe the best of all jobs? Be creative and making new plans for autumn and winter ... And maybe then after that all, I'm ready for autumn 😜.

See you!

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