Eko Selo, an answer to war

An inspiring trip to Eko Selo we took together with founder Zjeljko, Branko and me. Branko you'll see on our terrain working together with me starting wooden constructions. Zjeljko tells me that he started Eko Selo because the war touched on something in him. He told that the pilliging, the killing and rest of the horror made him choose a distant location to invest money he had earned in Germany. He soon ran out of money. His idea was much bigger than his budget. Everything he did, he did with his two hands with an incredible result. Not to forget he has an industrious wife and daughter. Many days up to 10 busloads of children would come. He would explain to them why he had chosen to live in this natural spot. They would sit with gleaming eyes and aborb his way of life word for word. In other instances he would come storming in on his horse. A true cowboy.

Constructing aids from unlikely parts

Studio K solutions I should say. The master himself is working in view. Against the background there is his contraption that can lift up to half a ton of materials. Actually it was a machine to break earth to reach underground water sources. Now it is converted to a lift. A ton of bricks cante-levering the load. It doesn't budge. And croatian character shows the way the guys work under the lift. They don't give it a second thought to walk under it while smoking a cigarette. Courting death in may ways we would say. We saw earlier that our digging machine they handled in a way we thought was an invitation to lose a limb. Anyhow, things get done.

The nicest coffee

One beautiful day in late autumn Grandpa, Grandma Zwanenburg and rest of our family were sitting on the veranda in the soft southern wind. There was a distinct aroma of sljivovic on the air. Sljivovic (rakia) is the distilled drink of sljive (plums) that comes on the table whenever you are invited to the kitchen. Next to the Turkish coffee. The wind was blowing from the direction of the forest. So we were fantasizing that there was someone living hidden in the forest distilling illegally. Distilling alcohol could become illegal as a way of life when EU entry of Croatia has it’s completion. Also we were puzzled by the distinct taste of rum in our coffee. How could that be? I got everything I used for making the coffee out of the kitchen. The package, the cups were cleaned. New coffee was made. And again this strong taste. In the end we discovered that what I took for a water bottle was a bottle of sljivovic by accident ending up in our collection of water bottles. Oma Zwanenburg remarked that she normally does not drink coffee, but this one was extraordinay nice. Unknowing about the real content. We went for a walk to get it out of our bodies.

Off the road

Maintaining roads on our terrain is one of the areas of attention. This old road on my terrain was in the old days enough to let tractors and trailers pass. It goes to the back area of our terrain and connects via our terrain to the villages at the other side of the forest.
Time went by and the road filled in slightly. As all roads in the surrounding area. In the past traffic was much more intense than these days. The population is aging and dropping. Trees start to grow and all kinds of plants kreep where normally one could ride to the next village. Along this path in autumn there are all kinds of mushrooms and a lot of edible chestnuts.
The jeep I use to drag trees out of the forest, transport equipment and buildingmaterials. Also to explore the surrounding forests. I was assured I could pass with my jeep. I tried the first 50 meters. I was too late to react because the back wheels slipped off hill. Well, one has to test some limits here and there.

Tomato's expected 2011

Beans make place for tomatoes. To prepare for next season Barbara is digging old roots out and putting in new plants. Barbara is combining tomato's with basyl, persil and calendula. This combination keeps out pests and attracts right insects aswell as supporting each other.
This way the earth is replenished. We don't do things big scale. We are slowly bringing into use as much terrain as we need. We started with a jungle. Now it is more organised. For those that are looking for an orderly garden it still can be confusing. The one making and maintaining the beds knows where is what. And yesterday we had a mix of tomato saus and fennel that were blended & slowly cooked on the woodstove. Fresh and yummy combined with Basmati rice.

Crafts & kilowatts

We are making great strides to have civilisation touching our terrain now. In the blacksmith's workshop we will use welding and other heat needing processes. In the carpentry workshop we will have kilowatts of heavy wood cutting equipment. Now silently waiting in an old army tent.
Barbara was nearly dancing around with the announcement the connection will be made active today. Washingmachine on her mind. I always say to our builders I am the cleaningwoman. Culturally totally unacceptable. 'Cistacica'. A lot of ch and ts sounds. I make fun of it while they see me washing dishes.
Barbara always has taken the load of washing clothes though I must admit. She will read this blog too and will detect and probably publish any unbalance I put in the representation of the working part of our relation.
Anyhow, we will need some kilowatts to make our 4 & 5 kw machines work and at the same time be able to have kitchen machines running and such. We can now look forward to easily listening to music and watching movies.

Cats bar

Our cafe has two regulars hanging on the bar to have their fill. Martina, our neighbour from down the street, gave them to Barbara when she mentioned her love of cats. And mine also by the way. Together they race around the terrain and fly up trees regularly. Tail high, back raised they are a scream to have around. The moment we enter the caravan they are allways ready to sneak into the warm space and hide under the beds.
When we are working on the computer they curl up next to us for warmth. They are comfort seeking creatures. And very good friends for us. They emit relaxation. Whatever is not working, producing stress, they can take away. Also I hope they will be great mouse and rat hunters. We'll see. Next spring we will see what their results will be in the rodents hunt.