it's cold outside
… but otherwise not too bad.
Writing beginning of June 2015, and outdoor temperatures are not anywhere near where they
should be this time of year. My thermometer shows 8°C (49°F) now early in the morning, and
we're expecting wind and rain today.
Someone has clearly messed up the weather map for Southern Norway.
Less than a week since we left Weeki Wachee, Florida, and I am kind of missing the warmer climate there even if it was a little too warm for comfort the days before we left. I can stand heat better than chill at my age.
I haven't adjusted to Norwegian time yet, which means I am late in bed and am sleeping
well into the day, every day. May take another week or so to get my inner clockwork set right.
No big deal really, as there isn't anything on my agenda to rise early for. I don't want to do any
serious work outside until day temperatures are well above 18°C (65°F) anyway.
For now I am more than happy with staying inside and looking out, especially when it rains. Good thing the house upgrade we finished last year made the indoor climate pretty unaffected by all these rather unseasonally weather variables, while still channeling plenty of fresh air into our living-space.
same old routines
Gunlaug and I have been away for the most part of six months, but we will soon be back into the same old routines again.
We are of course not running the farm the way we used to, but we are actively running it. Not all details are in place yet, but this is our home, and we are not about to let the land or buildings deteriorate.
The picture above shows a little piece of our land at sun-up, and we'd like to keep those pastures looking like that in the foreseeable future. The woods surrounding them belong to our neighbors – not our problem.
quiet
When the only sound you hear is that of your own heart-beats, then I'll say that your environment is rather quiet. Most of the time it really is that quiet around here, and I like it.
Bird song, and the woody sound of wind chimes outside the window, do “interfere” now and then. That's alright – it's all part of the familiar “sound of home”.
The newly renovated, double-insulated, outer walls in our house, do make even these familiar sounds come through as low and distant – I really have to listen in order to appreciate them. Had to install an electronic system to alert us to cars coming up to the house, something we could easily hear before the house-renovation.
This summer it is time for the last little bit of upgrade indoors, turning this nearly one hundred year old building into our variant of a modern “smart house” – without going overboard with electronics. And then there are all the little things to fix and maintain on the farm. Should keep me busy for a few months.
If we can get around to it, in addition to everything else we have planned to do, we will start building a ground-heated greenhouse in a suitable spot. Being able to produce our own vegetables all year round, would be nice.
sincerely
Hageland 03.jun.2015
last rev: 04.jun.2015