Croatian hospitality

Mile's family and Pieter from Belgium. On the table a meal fitting Breughel. Home made sourkraut, pork and potatoes. To be flushed away with either rakia, beer or wine. The whole day had been occupied with the butchering. Hard work if you consider the temperature and the weight of the animals. They had been born in spring. They walked around on the terrain for the whole year and have been fed only natural ingredients. The mother spawned 13 piglets. All had been sold except what was kept for personal consumption. This cooperation and the feasting afterward one sees whatever they do together. Sitting together at the end of the day comes with a lot of socialising. All the elderly walk in and join in whatever conversation. Always a little jesting a little remembering and at our adress a lot of questions. How is it going? What are you building?

Constructing a greenhouse

Building of a glass house that is to harbour our guests in a green surroundinig next year. In it is also the place were water is gathered from all the surrounding roof surfaces. Next year water sound will fill the glasshouse and it will also will be a place where we have our outdoor kitchen. It will be a small paradise where when it rains we can still eat outside. Almost every house in Croatia has an otudoor kitchen. In Istria at a house of friends of mine they have a roof on the north side, specially for being outdoors during warm periods.

New kitchen

We are now using the original kitchen as new kitchen. This stove you see burns wood. We are discovering that a fire sucks a lot of air from inside the house. Next step will be to design a stove that gets it's air from the outside. We are working on that. There is exchange with some of my Croatian friends about techniques, materials etc. There are obviouslyy the classical designs like tilestoves. There is a mass of stone in them that when warmth has gone in them they radiate heat a long time there after. Meanwhile cooking on this simple stove is extremely enjoyable. For rapid heating put the pan right (above the fire) for slower work, move pan left. There is even a round hole in the top above the fire in which our 'wok' fits perfectly. I like this design.

Changes and old techniques

The old is fading away, or is it? Here you see a typical horse and wagon combination that has been already dumped by many after the second world war in the midst of the new ways of transport. The forged iron detailing on some of these wagons is priceless. What tool is decorated like this these days? The cars around it certainly are not in any way. Besides decorative value, concerning change and how to handle it, the question could arise who will survive the next change? Let's assume that 2012 will be a year where we will go through an extreme change of our reality. Who survives depends on what is there after the change. So who fits what! Anyhow, what we are discovering in our gardenening project, too technical solutions do not always work. Noisy machines can be easily replaced with sythes. For this discovery one does not need big change and maybe no mayan calender. Maybe those that stay close to the technique with which this guy is crossing the bridge will be the survivors. Who knows? That is, if change comes suddenly, is global and has drastic consequences. Anyhow, if I think about next year, it is the mayan year. How accurate are predictions? That is and has been through the ages, food for philosophers, insurance agents and other advisers. The owner of this carriage is doing it his way. In the midst of all car fumes. Slowly but surely he goes werever he goes. Untill he returns to ..... :) known ends.

Itadaki mas

Saki came from Tokyo to volunteer with us and fitted naturally in her temporary surroundings. Calligraphy is her specialty and she is an artist. Every day she takes her bike to go to her studio in the heart of Tokyo. Her creativity became visible immediately through her effect on Nol. He changed style over night. Experimenting with ink and paper and a Japanese influence he connected to Saki naturally. She also cooked a Japanese specialty. Every meal she thanked for there being a meal, the cook & the hospitality of the moment. Itadaki mas is the saying! Thanks. Also Mirko and Mile connected very well with Saki. Mile took her to his family and friends. When they came back we were ready for dinner. We asked them if they wanted to eat and drink anything. With a defensive gesture in front of their stomachs they declined laughingly.

Bear ham with Mile

Snacks at Muljeva with Mile. The special aspect of what we're eating there is bears ham. The restaurant Muljeva is a recently restored inn in the middle of the thickest forest around Petrova Gora. Petrova Gora means something like 'Peters Heights'. So Peter's mountain. I should feel very at home there. More important is the partisan history of the place. During the second world war it was the place where the partisan Croats took care of the wounded in underground bunkers. Now as in many parts of Croatia restauration of this area is waiting. Nowadays it is a beautifull area for wandering around. Take a stick with you. There also seem to be wolves in the area.

History ends in the scrapyard

History is reflected in the scrapyard. Because I want to create metal objects again I visit the local scrapyards to see if there is anything I might use in the coming designs. What you see is a german helmet and a set of axles. This type of axle has been used for some time since the idustrial revolution. Most of the time they are converted to tractor connecting carts. But sometimes things don't have use for the owner. Practically all old tools are becoming museum objects or are given away. With some nostalgia my neighbour explains the working of those tools. Their way of living is in transition. They might think their way of living is ending because the median age is rising. But at the same time there is an intense interest in living off he land again. And learning the old techniques and use of old tools.
Two wars have not helped in maintaining the self sufficient way of life in these parts. Nothing however will stop youth from picking up old tools and stuff at the scrapyard and learn from the past. We will do our utmost to boost this movement. We are enjoying these first beginnings. You are welcome too.