Thursday, December 30, 2010

Looking back

The past year has been such a crowded, overwhelming one. A lot of good and a lot of bad has happened. We had to say good bye and we were able to say hello.
For the past three months we are now living in a dream come true and yet, we are still learning, still adjusting, still mourning.
We are literally getting our feet wet as smallholders and it is both exciting and very, very scary.

Our small livestock is growing and all are well and we are looking forward to the time where we get a couple of more hens as well as ducks. Soon I will have to built my raised vegetable beds. But atm we are all enjoying the stillstand of winter, the daily routine of looking after our livestock. There is a lot of planning to be done. Books are piled up on my kitchen table, providing me with lots of inspiration (and instilling me with fear), and a much needed planner to get to know the rhythm of garden life.

We are still enjoying the winter wonderland that is surrounding us. There are still chores to do, especially in view of the New Year ahead of us but it all goes smoothly, as if we have never done anything else before. These urbanites have smoothly and effortlessly slipped into a farmer's life ... and we love it.

Friday, December 24, 2010

メリークリスマス!! Frohe Weihnacht! Merry Christmas!!

Have a peaceful and blessed Christmas and a few days of quiet.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Deck the halls

One of the most wonderful things about our new house, beside having much more space and a huge garden, is the fact that I can decorate our little house with lots of seasonal trappings.

Our front door


This wreath has accompanied me throughout the years. I made it way back when I moved into my first own apartment. Since then almost 20 years have gone by and this little wreath is still there. I love continuity.

Sorry, bad photography :) As I had to cut the cherry tree, I re-used one of its branches as a Yule-log. I added candy canes, dried Orange slices and apples and it now hangs across my kitchen window.



Sunday, December 5, 2010

Same procedure as every year ... or not :)

I can't bvelieve how quickly this year has already gone by. So many things have happened ... saying good bye to a beloved pet, moving into a new house and welcoming a new pet. I'm still gobsmacked.

Since the end of November we are living a veritable Winter Wonderland dream. It is amazing how adaptable our dogs are, considering that Lulu and Careto never experienced snow in their lives before. Lulu LUVS snow, she is always running around, bathing in the snow and enjoys every minute of it (even getting the ice out of her long hair). Careto on the other hand is still undecided yet, but once he made the association that snow is nothing other than water it was okay :)





Chandini is used to snow after last year's snow desaster. Usually in our neck of the woods we do not get much snow but last year and already this year we had tons of snow - global warming my butt.