Enjoy the Vinterglädje (or winterpleasure)

What a beautiful weeks, what a lot of people I saw, just enjoying the winter atmosphere. I've never seen it so busy in this neighborhood around lake Flyxen. The grills beside of the lake were often used, they even had a grilling on the ice.... which I didn't understand.... was the ice that tick? 

There were people out for ice fishing whole day of very early in the morning. Some people went on skis or walked around the lake with sledges. With the badplats they had a icehockeyfield and the old traintrack was transformed to a real (langlauf) skiing path. Even we crossed the lake to the isle on the other side in the end. It was very good ice last weeks (because it was -18 at night) and because of the sun is was not cold at all. It was like a very healthy sunbath after winter. You could here the very special sound of the shouting of the ice. You could see the very well special shaped ice flocks or flowers on our windows in the house. 

In former times this was the time to clean your handwoven woolen carpets from inside. The snow needs to be very dry and powdery. You lay them outside, clean them with snow over it. Leave them a while to dry. put the snow off and take them inside again. It will refresh the colors and the winterdust/sand will stay behind. 

I walked to the rock I'm always looking at (You can not reach it bij boat because it's too less deep). Normally quit big, but not now. We even saw a scooter with a skiing person behind 😂. Enjoy it yourself.... 

Do you want ot know what it was like last year about the same time? Just take a look!

Travel to Vadstena

It has been so wonderful winter weather for a long time. Blue skies, sunny and a lot of frost. But in this Corona times it also gets boring to stay home for that long time, only shopping once a week. In the middle of the forest in wintertime with only the two of us. Although we know we have a luxurieus position because we live in a big house with lot of space around. But we also know we have to hold on for a very long time more. It will take till summer at least before we all have a vaccination and the world can open up again. 

To manage that we take a break after some weeks. We travel a little distance, book a hotel somewhere and have a good walk in a new area to have another view and see some new things. This time we traveled to Vadstena. A very old nice town at lake Vättern. It's medieval, has an monarchy, beautiful church, a castle and old town street with nice small shops. It was so very cold daytime (-13 degrees) it was biting in our faces while walking. So it turned out to shorter walks, some fika in between and a nice special brew beer in the end. New energy for some weeks in the woods of Småland 👍

Beautiful Swedish Winter Wonderland

 

This is so beautiful, I need to share....

It's like a fairy tale, we enjoyed these beautiful days so much.. . It's very nice winter weather. Daytime a lot of sun and a very blue sky and it keeps frosty. Nighttime it's clear, icy cold (minus 12 or more) and full moon. The only time in winter we can have a look outside. Mostly we look outside and see just nothing, just black. Like your eyes not working.

Now we really have to fire the wood stove to keep our livingroom warm enough in the evening time. Last week we have got a lot of snow. Even when it fells down, the nightly frost will cover trees again with a white paint. When you wake up in the morning, it starts a little bit clouded, but when Mother Sun arrives you can see the damp disappear. It creates a very mystic atmosphere. You can already feel the warmth of the sun, it doesn't feel really cold outside. If possible, I should buy a box to collect these days in. It gives lot of energy and makes me feel very happy. Probably because of the sun and the very blue sky. 

We have been outside and made an awful lot of pictures, all beauty's. We had a walk on the ice also but that felt a little triggy. The tick snow cover isolates the ice very well and harms the ice quality. It feels uncomfortable, though the ice will be tick enough anyway. It has been strong freezing for a longer time now. I cannot wait to share this very beautiful pictures with you, maybe you get some new energy too!

Maybe you also like this video? (oops... It doesn't always work that good on your handy)

Maybe you are interested why blue skies gives a lot of fresh and new energy to people. Some time ago I wrote an article about it: Winterblues remedies. 

Wintersleep in my Swedish Småland Forestgarden

It's like slow living on the countryside now... The winter atmosphere is magic. It's more light because of the snow and it's cold. We were very lucky, we had a very sunny days last week. It was -5 daytime but not cold at all. When you get one you need to enjoy it because it want be sunny in January that much. So we did and I like to share it with you!

One day we woke up with the old days flowers on the windows. What a beauty, so perfectly shaped. Just nature. 

All the plants in my garden are in a sort of wintersleep, like my Skimmia Kew Green. It is dropping it's leafs because of the cold. You can see it on the picture. It has been freezing -12. The plant drops down the moist back to the earth to stay alive and not freeze in peaces. It will recover when the frost is gone.  

That's the reason I decided to cover my Helleborus Orientalis (Julros) also. It can manage cold very well (but doesn't like it too cold and wet), but it's not necessary to cover it whole winter. It wil stay flowering next months anyway. 

I'm also enjoying the silhouettes of my (Miscanthus) grasses already though they are not that big yet, they are doing well. The rest of my plants? It is hard to believe but they hide away in the ground, waiting for spring. They need more hours of light (not even only sun) and higher temperatures (min 7 degrees) to come out again and start growing. I need to wait some weeks more. Time to make a planting wish list, a new garden planning and have a look for new seeds for next years. That's promising.....

Last year my big friends (deer and hair) had already been eating in my garden. This year it is a little better, or was it there was noting left....

Snowy Knutsday Småland Sweden

Lot's of snow, this is a good start of a new year. The real wintertime we have been longing for... Sometimes it's little cold, dark and snowy but much better as a lot of rain. I like to go outside, put my winterjacket on and just walk around beside of the lake and into the woods, making pictures and  looking for animals traces. We usually spot some fox, hare, deer and with some luck some moose traces. This week we saw a black woodpecker, not that often seen. We take care of the birds around our house and attract more and more species. 

Last celebrating days of the Christmas Time in Scandinavia. It was Epiphany (or The Twelfth Day after Christmas), on the 6th of Januari. In the The Netherlands we call it Three Kings Day. In both countries it's a day where you are free from work, no special celebrations as far as I know.

A week later it is Knutsday, or in Swedish Tsjugonde Knutsdagen (Formerly 20 days after Christmas, called efter King Knut). This is the day you finally put away your Christmas stuff, or throw out the Christmas Tree. In former days they called it: dancing Christmas out... Time to start the new year after lot of celebrations in the darkest days of the year. Let's go back to normal, if possible with the Corona virus traveling around. 

After al, it was that much snow as it was in 2018. Or if you want to know more about last years tjugonde-knutsdagen, Just take a look!

Goodbye 2020, can not wait for 2021

 

Just a little about the old year because it's not making sense to say to much about this year. The only thing I can say, I can not wait for the new year to come... 

What a year... 2020. What a beautiful dreams we had, a lot of great plans we all made... Old dreams 2020. Nothing came true. Most things got cancelled. Our lives stood still. We never expected it to be a year like this. We never believed it could be like this, it would ever happen... but it happened. It was very confrontating. To meet yourself. No one to  blame. Just deal with the things happening. Make the best out of it. Find out what is important for you. I learned to be happy with the small things (with the ones I love around me), go back to nature and my garden and just feel happy. Not only chasing money, buying more and losing your self. We need to respect Mother Nature much more, learn to live more in balance with Father Earth. Bye bye 2020!

Hello, welcome fresh and new 2021... New time for making new plans, new dreams and new memories, while Corona is still moving around. We need a little patience but there is hope and light in this year. We wish you all to stay safe, take care of yourself, give love to your nearest and dearest and the other ones around you. Belief it can happen, it will be better, never loose hope. We wish all the best to all of you, to be open to each other with lots of warmth and kindness. It doesn't cost anything to be kind and friendly and it can make your day. May all our dreams come true. Hope to meet you again...

For now... let's shoot away 2020 💥

God Jul och Gott Nyttår från Småland Sweden

Best Christmas wishes and a very very good new year filt with love for every one we know. We hope you can share the warmth, love and cosines with your dearest family or friends (not only with Christmas). It will be a very different Christmas then other years. Hope you try to be creative, to arrange something within the strict corona rules. Like we will do also. Think we will meet some people outdoor for a walk, or have a hot chocolate outside together, or maybe even have a grilling. Good luck!

But, when looking on the bright side, it's inspire to celebrate in another way you did for (too) many years. New traditions brings new energy too!

Christmas is coming soon

 

I think Christmas is coming soon...

I love the Christmas Atmosphere... the lights, the candles. The songs on the radio when you are driving a car in boring wet winter weather, hoping for some snow. Or the smelling in the kitchen when you are baking wintercookies (like the very Dutch Speculaas you normally eat with Sinterklaas). It's like taking a warm bath in cosines and warmth with a heart full of love. 

I have been working in my new created workshop. A place where I can create without any restrictions. I can leave all the mess when I want to anytime. The only thing, it's very cold inside. But when I'm working there I'm very happy. The only thing I need to make is a natural outdoor wreath. The one you see above, is made on a round wire, wired with steelwire. The one beneath is made on a strowwreath, it has more body, looks a little more massiv. Also OK when you want to have outside on a very big wall. This time I only used varietet Christmas greens, some (bought) moss and some whitewashed pine apples. So now my house i ready for Christmas... A little bit different from last year:  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. How did you prepare?

First Adventsday

 

It only takes 4 Sundays before it is Christmas Time. Last weeks we still have been busy outside but now it's time to prepare the inside to have it as cosy as possible together with the people you care about. We started to make some Christmas Decorations and most important to create some extra lights in and around the house. A lot of people have the tradition stairs, which we really don not like. We put some Christmas stars in the windows and burn some extra candles, it makes it already very cosy inside. You will need them the whole day this days, because it won't lighten enough outside. It feels very good to stay inside (except the daily very healthy walk outside of course). 

Below you see a very traditional Advent decoration, with the 4 candles. You have many styles, I prepared my own one with Christmas green. You start the fourth Sunday before Christmas (mostly around the first of December), every week you light one more candle. Just before Christmas you burn all the four candles. You see, we started with the first one today...

Do you want to know what we did some years ago at the same time? Just take a look. You're welcome for a sneak peak...

Grandma's Winter Cake

Longing for something heartwarming, spicy and sweet? This is the perfect (and very easy) recipe for wintertime, when the weather is grey, boring and it's getting dark early. You just need some a tasty cake with spices and whipped cream to warm you. I'm sure your grandmother would have made it for you when she had known it...👵

This ingredients you need:

• butter 
• breadcrumbs
• 3 dl flour
• 1 1/2 dl sugar
• 1 ts cinnamon
• 1 ts grinned cloves
• 1 ts grinned ginger
• 1 ts baking soda
• 100 g butter
• 1 dl unsweetened cream
• 1 dl milk
• 1/2 dl sugar syrup
• 2 tablespoons cranberry marmelade

How to make it:

• Put the oven on 175°C.
• Grease the form and put some breadcrumbs on the bottom of the form (1,5 liter)
• Mix al the dry ingredients in a bowl
• Melt the butter and mix it with all the wet ingredients.
• Put the wet and the dry ingredients together and stir it easily (by hand not mixing by machine) and put it in the form
• Bake the cake (low) in the oven in 40-45 minutes
• Start eating the warm cake... jummie 😋

Do you like sweet things? You need to try this one: Kanelbullen