A summer shower

Today a summer, delicate shower. Mick is cutting wood in my forest, I am about to milk a goat and to extend pasture for horses and then to dig garden in order to sow more vegetables. I am wondering what to cook for dinner. For lunch Mick wanted pan cakes, so I will fry pan cakes :)

Mick liked the pan cakes. He said, that tasted better than Irish pan cakes, so I am glad :))) For the pan cakes I used:
goat milk from my goat
eco eggs from my eco hens
flour
some sugar
a bit salt
a bit of rape oil

For dinner I have prepared fish:
fried fish
fried champignons
fried onion
boiled young potatoes
fresh tomato salad
wine

Everything was highly delicious and my guest have eaten everything with great appetite.

I hope for some more fish, as a friend invited us to fish at his lake. I hope we will be able to catch at least 3 nice fish :)

Irish birthday

Yesterday, exactly at my birthday arrived grand Irishman. We spent the whole day and evening together, talking, eating, drinking and laughing. I love his Irish accent! He speaks naturally very fast with Irish accent which is quite challenging for my understanding his English, but I can understand fairly well, just need to focus more.

Mick is very cheerful, open, heartful and generous person. It's great to have him around. Today we went to my forest to cut some wood for the fence and to bark poles. He is very good with his hands. He is hardworking, full of good energy person. While I was preparing dinner, he started to learn Polish language and I have taught him a few words and expressions, also we trained typical Polish sounds like "ć","ź","ż","ą","ę","c","dz" which made us laugh a lot, since in his language he doesnt have these sounds and his pronunciation was very funny, but after some trials we managed to have satisfactory results... We will continue tommorrow :)

Before storm

I have planned to do some gardening today, but first I went to the old stable to cover the whole over the hen pan in order to prevent one smart hen against escaping from the hen box. My vegetable garden is not secured against the poultry, so hens tend to go there and eat my seeds and destroy young seedlings. Now, since the poultry is shut due to fox attacks – the garden seems to be secured. Only this one smart hen was using the whole over the hen pan to get outside. Now she cannot. I have covered the whole with some wooden sticks.

Being in the attic over the damaged stable – I removed a pile of bricks. The stable is in a very bad condition. It should be demolished. I will have lots of building material usable for extending my house and repairing roofs over my house and the other stable. It should be enough material to build small hen pan and a shed or veranda.

Then I went to visit my young stallion Dagonett. He lost his halter, so I found it and put on back on his head. At first he opposed, but then I have manage to pu on the halter on his head. I was considering purchase of an arabian horse, but it seems that I don't need anymore. The young stallion's grandfather and grand grandmother were arabians and now their Arabian features prevailed. It looks like I have got one Arabian in my herd of horses :) He will be great for long distance rides :) He is also highly intelligent and friendly creature. Like Arabians which used to sleep with their masters in their tents some hundreds years ago...

Permaculture applied

Today I moved the mobile electric fence further to open new grass sector for my horses to graze in young orchard. My horses eat the grass very precisely, so I don't have to cut the grass in the orchard. That's great, because I don't have a tractor to do it ;)))

So, I cut the grass in the orchard in the most natural way - by my alive eco mowers :))) They do it much better than any machine would do it, especially if the area is hilly.

So, since my horses cut the grass in the orchard instead of me - I have some time to sow some vegetables in my garden.



As far as recycling is concerned, I used net from bale of hay to secure my garden against poultry and hairs as well as against goats and dogs.

In order to build fast fence around my new garden - I used plastic mobile fence and electric wire plus the net.

Yesterday I had to shut poultry in the hen pan because a fox killed another hen. Besides hawks started to fly around again. So my poultry is not safe outside anymore. They were so happy to graze so far away from my settlement, but now it's over. I specially feel sympathy for geese who love so much to swim in ponds and stream. But the fox is cheeky enough to attack them there as well during day and in my presence.



I have built a poultry-run next to the hen pan, but it's busy now with seedlings and besides the net is not dense enough so hens can get out, so I will need to use there also the net from bale of hay. What's more, hens can be attacked by hawkes from air, so first I need to stretch there a net over the place. I have bought it last year. It's time to use it. I hope some of the volunteers would help me with it. An Irish and Scottish men are comming soon, also Estonian, so we will be able to stretch the net fast...

Later I went to the nearby village to do some shopping and order the birthday cake for my birthday :) I did the shopping in the little village shop, but the cake I ordered at Library :))) The librarian can make really delicious cakes. I tried them a couple of weeks ago and decided to order the nut and cream cake. It is just awesome! I know, maybe I should bake the cake personaly, but this time I decided to order it. I am busy with gardening all day every day and besides the libriarian salary is not big, so I prefer to pay for the woman so she will have some extra money and I will not have to bother with baking the cake - I prefer to take care of the garden and my animals...

I dream about new saddle :)

Soon my birthday :) As the birthday present I would like a new, comfortable and safe saddle good for riding long distance rides... :)

Meantime I continue the work in my vegetable garden. Today is windy, so I cannot sow very tiny seeds. This is why I sow the biggest seeds which I have :)

Gardening

Today I spent all day outside sowing vegetables in my new garden. The day was sunny and nice. In the evening it was a bit raining, so I didn’t have to water the seeds...

Creative Heaven

I plan to transform creatively and permaculturely farm in heaven on earth :) Dear friends and volunteers will have the opportunity to take part in the operation and have benefite and pleasure from dealing with surrounding built beauty :)

Natural mower ;)

My stallion Hannibal helps me to cut grass in the yard :) He is very precise which I really appreciate :) My horses have lots of grass in meadows and orchard, but they prefer to cut the grass short in the yard which is fine with me :)

Skidding wood

I am considering learning skidding wood in autumn and winter, so I need to prepare myself and my stallion for that purpose.

Every detail is important when you plan to do something well. So first harness. I will need strong harness for the skidding wood. So it has to be made from good, strong material.

The harness has to fit well on my stallion, so I am measuring him today :) He wasn't happy about it and made it difficult to approach him, but after some time I managed to take all needed measurements. It's better to order right harness than risk buying something which will not fit well and will cause for example abrasions during work.

The best is thick leather blank - it's strong and flexible.

Split leather is stiff and ill fits the horse and can cause horse abrasions and harness rupture during use at high loads. So it is better to obtain a harness made ​​of blank leather or grain blanks.

Skóra dwoina jest sztywna i źle dopasowuje się do konia i może powodować u konia otarcia naskórka oraz pękać w trakcie użytkowania przy dużych naciągach. Zatem lepiej jest zaopatrzyć się w uprząż wykonaną ze skóry blankowej czyli licowej.

EXPLANATION
Skidding wood - in the forest: roundwood transport activity of the place of production (from the trunk) to the loading, storage, pretreatment, etc.

Zrywka drewna – w leśnictwie: czynność transportu drewna okrągłego z miejsca pozyskania (od pnia) do miejsca załadunku, składowania, wstępnej obróbki itp.

Leather blank, blank, tanned cowhide or mixed vegetable tanning (chrome-plant) with a thickness of 1.5-5 mm. He meets the skin a natural-colored blanks, colored and apreturowane (apreturowanie). Leather blanks are divided into: harness - thicker, vegetable tanning, a natural color or black, used to manufacture the harness and horse trappings, and simply - thinner, smartly dressed, for the manufacture of briefcases, suitcases and small leather goods.

Skóra blankowa, blank, wyprawiona skóra bydlęca garbowania roślinnego lub mieszanego (chromowo-roślinnego) o grubości 1,5-5 mm. Spotyka się skóry blankowe o barwie naturalnej, barwione i apreturowane (apreturowanie).

Skóry blankowe dzielą się na: rymarskie - grubsze, garbowania roślinnego, o kolorach naturalnych lub czarne, używane do wytwarzania uprzęży i rzędów końskich, oraz zwykłe - cieńsze, efektownie wykończone, przeznaczone do wyrobu neseserów, walizek i drobnej galanterii skórzanej.

Sleepy morning

Sleepy, but doing office work :) partly in sleep :) like a lunatic ;) Typing with eyes closed :D

The international volunteers

Some interesting summer volunteers are comming here soon. Very various people. I will have a real Babel tower here soon.I wonder, if we be able to do here something significant and have good fun at the same time...

I will need to find a balance between a good, solid work and great fun. It won't be easy I think. Last years I was only working. I don't know how to have great fun :))) I will need to learn it again... hmmm... I don't know if I can :) But I think I should try :)

I used to work so hard and so long... It was neccassary, but now for my own goodness I should relax a bit. I am not a machine. I should rest sometimes and just relax. It won't be possible though... I have too many worries to be able to relax. But I may try to create for others nice relaxing place here... The place is nice and relaxing itself anyway. I will only think how to organise the work and fun well to make it interesting, fullfilling, satisfactory and rewarding... I want to create valuable active vacations for the volunteers - in order to reward them well for their help.

The Sunday plan

I spent all day today outside doing many different things. So many, that I don't remember exactly what I was doing today :))).

Well, for sure I have made two flower beds and increased and corrected mobile electric fence for my horses.

At night I discovered that I am hungry and decided to bake a chicken. It is already baking and the beautiful tempting smell of it is spreading around reaching my nose as well and making me even more hungry... :)

Tomorrow Sunday, I think I should write some legal papers concerning depriving me possibility of access to the fast Internet at my farm, but, I feel more like spending this nice day in the garden, so I will probably create another flower beds and new vegetable beds. The legal papers will wait till Monday. It's so beautiful warm weather - it would be big waste not to sow something tomorrow... My fingers are eaching... I want to sow! :D

Volunteering at the Rancho

I would like to invite you to a beautiful, scenic Rancho in Poland and let you take part in making it even more beautiful :) I am a romantic dreamer :) I would like to meet noble people who want to help me to make true all my beautiful romantic and noble dreams :)))

Some years ago, I was left with 6 horses on my own to take care of them. Only one was mine, freshly bought, but the five other horses belonged to a woman who promised to help me with them and to teach me riding, but she only brought her herd of horses at my farm in winter and soon left not caring about her own horses, neither their food, vet services nor everyday care. Being without any experience with horses – suddenly I was faced to tackle with herd of 6 horses including aggressive stallion! Gee... it was very difficult and hard time to me :) But I have managed! :) Of course, nobody from locals believed that an inexperienced person would manage with horses without any help, but I actually managed with them very well :))))) Since that time I breed horses on my own. Until now I have bred 5 new horses of a stunning beauty :)They are great sport mounts which need training now...



So now I would like to meet some good, noble people with sincere, good intentions who really would like to help me to continue and develop my breed... People, who love horses and can train them are always welcomed here, but also other enthusiastic people who want to help here in any other way...

I used to live in a big Polish city, but I always dreamed about living close to the Nature. I have very good memories from my childhood, when I was spending most my vacations at farm of my Grandparents. I have just loved it! I loved to help at the farm - to feed animals, to do some gardening... to ride an old horse, to go by wagon to the forest meadows to make hay for the horse and other animals... It was so wonderful, happy time of my childhood :) I try to live the same life style :)

When I became adult, my next big passion became web designing. My first trees I was planting at my websites, but soon I felt it was not enough, so I bought a farm and moved here to create here my dreamed paradise at the most beautiful part of Poland – in The Hilly Masurian region (Mazury Garbate).

I live at the farm alone doing everything on my own since years. It's a lot of work for just one person, so I thought that it would be good idea to invite some people, who would like to take part in my projects having in the same time active vacations in the outdoors.

Here is always something to do, the biggest amount of work is always in spring. Most time I am working on my farm on my own. I have learned everything – agriculture, breed, gardening, planting, fencing, cheese making, bread baking, renovating – all on my own. From handbooks, books, internet. I may share with you my knowledge.

But I am not experienced in training horses. I have got theoretical knowledge and excellent approach to horses. I know their habits and how to deal with them. I love my horses and they love me. I need practical help in training my horses. I also want to learn the training in order to be able to train my next horses on my own.

The old Masurian house which I bought together with the farm is traditional one building made of bricks, stones and wood. I have renovated a part of it. I need help with some more renovating: kitchen, rooms, bathrooms, corridor, so such skills like plumbing, plastering, concrete making, tiles sticking are needed, but also simple cleaning and some basic tasks which do not require building skills. Some building skills I can teach.

I also plan to adapt attic over the house for an apartament and basement for sauna, baths, summer kitchen. Besides I would like to renovate one of the stables and adapt the attic over it for a hostel for my volunteers and future participants of riding camps which I plan to organise here.

I have got here 5 hectares of a young orchard and another 5 ha of meadows, 1 ha of a forest. Some ponds, stream. I want to fence all land around so I need also help with fencing.

My forest I plan to transform into useful paradise park so it needs to be cleared, some branches and wood have to be removed from here. So I need someone for collecting the branches and wood from it. Also someone to cut down some bushes and branches.

Well, the Rancho is beautiful and full of various tasks which should be done, so any help is welcomed :) In return for the help I can offer a free stay at my farm, home cooked meals and interesting active vacation at my farm where you can learn a lot of new skills – farming skills (gardening, planting, fencing, breeding) and renovating skills (polishing, wall building, plumbing, plastering, concrete making, tiles sticking). Also you will have chance to see the scenic neighbourhood around. I will take you to some longer trips around as well. I will show you local clean fish lakes, some wild hiking trails. If during your stay at my farm will be a festival nearby – I will take you to it as well. I have tourist maps, bikes and the region is amazingly beautiful – worth of hiking, biking, horses riding – whatever :) So, if you feel you would like to be part of my beautiful project and have valuable vacations at the same time - feel free to come :)

In order to apply please send me your message. In return you will get an application form. Please, fill in and send it back to me. I will contact you soon to discuss the details of your arrival and stay here. If you have any questions - feel free to ask them.

Love, light and laughter :)

Isabelle

The Child Day

I have decided to make something sweet... :)

I know that I am a little bit grown up, but still a child deep inside ;)))

And I like sweets... ;)))

Making hay

Maps

Faba went for all day trip, and I stayed at farm planning to do some gardening. Though I didn’t feel like doing gardening – I had mood for doing some cooking and some cleaning. So I cooked meat food for myself, vegetarian food for Faba and some food for my dogs. I also did some cleaning in Faba’s bathroom and started to do some cleaning in my bathroom and in the corridor. When Faba came back, I have given her cucumber soup and went out to do some cleaning in the yard.

Before I went outside I have given to Faba a map of Poland, because she is planning her next hitchhiking to Warsaw and then to Berlin, so she wanted to know which way to go. I think I should hang up the map at a wall in the guest room, More and more people are coming here and they often need to see Polish or European map. I had both, so I will hang up both.

By the way I have found maps of the local hiking trails, which is great. They will be very useful soon, as more foreigners are coming to my farm to have rural active vacations. In their free time they will be able explore the area thanks to the maps. Sometimes I will guide them as well, at least partially, but as I have always so much duties here, it’s better to give them the maps so they will be able to explore the region on their own.

Faba Green from Berlin

Yesterday arrived Faba Green from Berlin. We had some great conversations last evening. She is hitchhiking from Saint Petersburg in Russia to Berlin in Germany.

But today - no mercy - some gardening in the beautiful souroundings ;))) Then walk around the area.

Tommorrow all day trip to the local lakes... This is what I call active, healthy holiday :)

Sunny, but cloudly

Today is sunny, but a bit cloudly and cool.

It's nice enough and not too hot for outside activities, so I took care of one spot where I plan to sow some beans and flowers.

The task is easy and pleasant, so I am considering sharing the task with a coming CouchSurfer. She is on the way to my farm. Soon should be here. But maybe first she would eat something and take a shower? We will see. She looks like a brave girl. She knows kick-boxing. I have cooked a cabbage soup for her, because she is vegetarian.

The weather in the coming days and weeks will be much warmer. Today the last cool day. The last chance to dig the soil well and use the drill for making wholes for the polls.

http://www.twojapogoda.pl/polska/warminsko-mazurskie/olecko/16dniowa

It's raining

Today it's raining and will be raining until tommorow. Weekend supposed to be sunny, so I can't wait for the time with my planned gardening. Today I decided to take care of the seeds inside the house and maybe do some cleaning in the house due to coming a new CouchSurfer.

I only went for a short walk to visit stallion Dagonett and check the other parts of the fence around the farm. I also checked hens, but no eggs this time. Maybe later during the day.

The wild cat living in my house let me see her for 3 seconds :) I have given her something to eat and hope that she will get tamed soon. I have never seen in my life so wild cat.

Logistics

I am working today on logistics - on clear and precise tips for visitors how to get here :))) And on some extra useful information they might need travelling to Poland. I have written already 3 pages :))) Maybe it's too much. It might be confusing to read so much information. I think I need put all the tips in some kind of clear order to avoid misunderstanding. I don't want the people who are going to visit me to get lost, especially if they don't speak Polish and if the most Polish people cannot speak English or they speak very poorly, so they won't be able to help the people to find the way to my farm. I have to do it in advance.

Sending sms:
http://sms.czystyhosting.cba.pl/en/

When you want me to send you sms tell me in what mobile net you have your mobile phone :)

Hm, I am proccessing lots of information today... But once it will be done - I am not going to bother with it anymore, just to use it automaticaly :))) Just push button and here we go :)))

Well, the info has already 4 pages, and I am not sure if this is everything what people may need. But I have enough sitting in front of computer. Outside is raining, but it's warm and rape growing in nearby vast fields smells wonderfully sweet... I want go out!