Camper life

Living in a caravan takes some adjustments. Small space, moisture management, cooking, showering, building all the while also taking care of a little baby. We were back at our house in Leiden Holland. Because we were also building there we lived only on the groundfloor. After a week of that I remarked that we never needed the floor above. In a caravan everything is under hand.
Living in small spaces can have it's quieting charms. Every day we read Dik Trom. A dutch story from 1907. Fleur tests paper. Every evening and every morning has it's aspects that have to be paid attention to. It is very intimate. If you walk around and have the eye for it. Outside of the caravan you will see one liter yoghurt buckets. What are they for? The tent of the caravan gathers water also. We use it for washing. And also showering in the evening. It is getting colder though. However, it is very comfortable going between the sheets with a clean body. And sleep till the sun comes up.

Autumn building

The old house is being rebuilt. We start with a complete penthouse on top. A lot of glas and a view on Velika Kapela mountainrange 90 kilometers away.
We will cook on wood, cooking will also warm the penthouse. We are contemplating designing heating along the lines of rocket mass heaters. In alpine region of Europe the people use what they call: 'Speicher ofen'. In principle a stone mass is heated. Fire dies and stone mass slowly dissipates the heat.

We will use natural materials for insulation. For example straw on the roof. But also sheepswool for the front of the building. Strawbales would take too much space from te bacony. Sheep wool by the way is burned by the farmers. We were too late to ask them for the wool. Seasons rithm is unescapable.

Now the top of the building has been closed at last the house is starting to dry. Our boxes with books are on the bottom floor. Last week at last I dared look. Actually the books were in not too bad shape. And by the damp and cold experience we learn to value a closed house even more.

Rich harvest

Seasons deliver different results. Like winter brings snow, autumn delivers fruits, nuts and also mushrooms. In this case it is what we call in dutch:'Squirrels bread'. Very very tasty. Also possible to dry above the oven. And then make winter food tasty.

Searching mushrooms is a real art. We have a Croatian book and two dutch to learn wich ones we can eat. Croats take only a limited collection. The danger of mixing kinds is very real. We don't take that risk. By the way we leave also those we can eat for next time. So next season we can harvest again.

Creativity, dedication and fun

You see Anton Krivanec of Studio K spreading concrete on top of the roof. A major step in closing the top of the house has been made.
Anton is busy assembling a building team. Meanwhile also things like spreading concrete have to be done. Based on the experience of designing and building our resort a building company will be founded. The team is exercising by working together.
Every saturday is payday. Accompanied with a drink, a bite & an evaluation of the week. How was the cooperation. Were we succesful in reaching our goals this week? What is the plan for next week? Every period is analysed to learn for the next period. To reach optimum atmosphere and results.

Being is learning from nature

To live in nature once was a dream. Now we are living it. Learning from nature wasn't in the first place what I expected. It does happen though. Thinking about what the effects are of the presence of man I have reached some preliminary conclusions.

Next tot the fact I spend a lot of time with Barbara, Fleur and Nol I am outside a lot. Nature delivers every season. Different quantities but in general one can live of the land. A tree delivers what she is made for. Does not think about Wallstreet crashing.
There is no urge to manipulate genetically to up production. GM sereals fed to swines led to lung, heart, liver and brain problems. A human result. Nature does not analyse. Does not research.
And if that what man produced leads to above mentioned problems, then the end product as integraded fenomenon was a failure too. Analysis and the integration after some technical proces is the basis of human thinking and actions. It leads to plastic oceans, poisoned rivers, hunting after the idea 'man can create paradise on mars' etc. Maybe first learning to live on earth in the beauty of nature would be a first step to make.

Coffee is ready!

People asking me about our minus 20 centigrade winter adventure many times suggest that 'it must have been hard life'. Surely? Difficult no? Actually no.
To us it was a pleasant surprise we liked nature this much. We knew by our years of preparation. But that to us is nothing like the experience. Yes we were city dwellers dropped in the woods. We were lucky we liked it this much.

It meant shovelling snow from caravan to the house every day, in total some 80 meters daily. Also chopping wood and lighting fire every day. In the house we had a temporary kitchen we could heat. I would make the kitchen warm, make coffee and phone to the caravan to anounce: 'Coffee's ready, kitchen is warm'.
Then my wife would venture outside of the caravan along freshly dug paths. She was already pregnant of our present beautyful daughter Jelena. And Nol would be packed warmly and come for breakfast also.

As I am writing this we are preparing for the next winter. Wood we have plenty. House is being restored. At least it is dry now. That we could not say last period.

Moestenij

De moestuin is een grote woestenij volgens Peter! Hij ziet allerlei soorten bonen en erwten, de mais doet het, de zonnebloemen doen het... en alles is overwoekerd met onkruid.
O ik ben zo benieuwd! Volgende week rij ik er zelf naartoe, met Nol in onze camper.