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!

Fencing

Oh, this time I was hungry, so made lunch at 13.00 hour. (1 p.m.). It was quick lunch, as I was in a hurry :) I fried zucchini and add some eggs and spices: curry, salt, pepper, garlic. So it was scrambled eggs with zucchini.

But first I had done some fencing. It was warm and nice outside.

It was easy job, because I was only installing new insulators and additional wire in order to make sure, that the adult stallion neither goats would get into the pasture.

To install new insulators, I was using a broken plastic fence stick. They are great for installing insulators :)

This fence I built last year with two volunteers: Marysia and Victor. This spring I painted the bars again and added more insulators and wires.

These bars look so nice, because I have painted them recently again :) But, anyway - the fence needs to be expanded and strenghen.

Monday morning

I feel again not well, but I know it will pass as I will start moving around. The weather is great - sunny, not too hot. I have decided to start day with a cup of tea and then walk around to check the fence and visit the young stallion at his pasture. I will take camera with me to take some new pics.

I feel like a wounded animal and cannot think clearly, but outside is warmer than I thought, so maybe I will try to sow some sunflowers.

The young stallion is okay. I have given him new grazing spot.

I have sow some sunflower seeds which have already roots. The highest time! I planted them in distance of about 50cm from one to another one. I also have put for each seed some old manure, because sunflowers are very greedy for fertile soil.

Wow, there were some funny horse actions while which my horses were playing in the water... I have taken some pics and tried to record some movies as well...

My poultry was very curious what I was doing in the back garden... Obviously they wanted to join me and eat all my sunflower seeds :D No way!

The wild cat

A friend of mine brought me a new cat. The cat is wild. Totally wild. She hidden somewhere in the house and is invisible. Since she is invisible, I cannot take picture of her and paste here ;)))

English language and html code

This blog requires from me the correct English and html code knowledge. Hm, well. Let's try to do it well... I haven't been using neither English nor html code for ages... It's time to refresh both skills...

The Dinnero-Supper

I have eaten delicious dinnero-supper. Saying truth, it was the same dish as in the morning, as I was busy outside all day and didn’t have time and didn’t care to cook the soup I have planned for today dinner.

The evening dish was even better than in the morning: chopped eggs with spring onion and Polish wonderful mayonnaise “Dekoracyjny” made by Winiary. If you are ever to Poland – try this one. You will like it for sure. It’s great with all kinds of sandwiches and salads.

I added to the salad also some oil with garlic in it, pepper and salt of course. Ah, and some parsley which grows at one of my numerous pots. Ah, and I have added also my favourite green olives! I adore olives :)

The eggs after bathing all day in the delicious mayonnaise with spices and veggies tasted even better. I have eaten them with two slices of home baked bread. But tomorrow for sure I need to cook the cabbage soup. I need to eat at least one warm meal a day. I have already prepared for it boiled water with meat taste. I was boiling in it smoked pork meat, so the water is already full of taste and ready to add cabbage to it.

Tomorrow is Monday, so maybe paper day? And I need to sow the seeds in the plastic containers at home! The highest time! Some seeds have already roots. They need soil immediately!

It’s 9.22 p.m. Time to bed! I am so sleepy... My body after all day outside wants to sleep! I have some letters to write, but... will not do it today! No way. I want to sleep! I am sleepy and a little tired, but this is very healthy tiredness. My lungs were all day ventilating lots of fresh, clean air and the all day move outside did me good as well. I even don’t remember now about the morning pain... ;)

When you live at a farm

When you live at a farm time goes by very fast. Day is always too short. You never look at your watch. You work until its getting dark and you can hardly see anything. Busy with things you forget about eating, so you eat late, when the day is off.

Right now is 7 p.m. I haven’t eaten lunch neither dinner. But I am not very hungry. Well, I have eaten good breakfast at 10 a.m. :) I feel a bit tired more than hungry. I was busy all day using the opportunity, that didn’t rain. I just wanted to do what I have planned to do before the rain. Now is still sunny and I have some more tasks to do outside. I would like to finish them. And probably I will do it.

When I have here some summer helpers – I have to make sure to feed them 3 times a day at the same or nearly the same hours. And to try to cook everyday something different. To try new recipes. As long as I am alone, I don’t have such obligation. But soon, probably in June it will change. So I am happy to use my freedom in May :D

Well, I don’t mind cooking. I do like to cook for people. But I would like to have normal, comfortable and beautiful kitchen. I don’t know when I will be able to renovate it. Maybe one day a volunteer with some real building skills will arrive and will help me with it... Right now I just try not to see how it looks like. Just when I look at it, I imagine that it looks like I have planned... It helps :) But for some strangers the look of the kitchen may be a shock... :)

Well, anyway, until the end of May I will be busy with seedlings at home. I need some space for them. The kitchen is the only place where I can keep them in big number, because this is a big room.

I repaired the fence today and made it stronger. The horses are not very happy about it, because they like the other pasture which is now not accessible to them. It’s time to switch on electricity in order to discourage them against another breaking into the forbidden pasture. The forbidden pasture is too close to the pasture where is the young stallion. It’s too risky to let the adult stallion to get there, because he tries fiercely to get the young stallion to bite him and expel him from my land. The big stallion is widely jealous about the mares and even able to kill the young stallion, so they have to be separated.

The bigger distance between them – the more safe for the young stallion. But I need to build here more solid fence made from wooden parts, not only from wires and plastic sticks. It took me a lot of time to bring back the scared little stallion from the nearby forest and fields where he used to run away terrified by the adult stallion who was chasing him with great hate.

What’s more, I am afraid about his health and life, so even more I need to keep him away from the adult one.

The adult one knows what I think about his aggressive actions. When he was looking at the young one with hatred – I called him using his name and warned him not to do any actions against the young one. He understood! I could see it. He was standing at a path when I called him by his name. He turned his head into my direction and saw me warning him with my finger and serious, irritated and aloud timbre of my voice. I could see and feel that he understood my intention. He stopped looking fiercely at the young horse and continued his walk to the another pasture. But I need to watch him all the time and make sure he cannot get to the young one.

I have switched on the electricity in the wire fence. Then I have taken back home some plastic containers with soil from back garden in order to sow some seeds inside.

Hens are still grazing outside, but when they will go to the hen pan – I will shut them exactly to make sure, that my doggy will not get inside to eat out new eggs...

It’s nearly 8 p.m. I think I will make dinnero-supper :D

The additional good effect of today’s activities is – I feel good now :D The pain dissapeared! I don’t know even when... That’s great :)

I can see goats through the window. They play in the gold sunshine of sunset in front of my house... I adore my rural life. I adore the Nature, the animals, all the elements, vast spaces around. They make me feel good. They heal me. They are so true and beautiful... I couldn’t live again in a city. No way! :) It would be too boring too me, too limiting and not so meaningful like my present life... :)

The micro steps

When I am alone – it means most time which I live here – and are not feeling well, or just are overtired, overworked etc. I try to continue working just making small tasks. Even really tiny tasks. But doing them take me to my goals closer. I sense that. Even each tiny step towards my goals, towards my dreams – takes me closer to them. Each done task makes me feel better. I am proud of myself that I have managed to do so much in the end. I wouldn’t be where I am if not these thousands of tiny steps... :)

Sometimes doing whatever is hard to start. Then, the best are micro steps – meaning micro tasks. The tasks easy to do. In situations when I don’t feel like doing anything – I just choose such tiny tasks. And, preferably I do only what I would like to do. Beginning with favourite tasks is good for the start. Later I can continue doing some less preferred tasks. The most important is to break through and start doing whatever...

So today I fixed broken wires, took the young stallion to the fresh spot in the meadow to let him graze there, checked hens and eggs, discovered that one of my dogs eats eggs (!), so now the doggy is closed until the night when hens will go to sleep and I shut the hen pan well :D

Soon rain, so I should go out and to do something outside before will be raining. I love doing things outside. I just have to be outside everyday in order to feel well. I am open spaces human being :) I do love fresh air, wind, the Sun, rain, snow – and all these natural smells and sounds around.

Specially in spring time the Nature is full of wonderful sounds and smells. I just love them :) I also love to move a lot. I cannot sit in a house all day in front of computer. If I do it sometimes – I don’t feel well then. I remember the city times, when I used to live in a city and work on computer all days and nights. Sometimes I wasn’t sleeping and eating for 3 days – just working on my projects and exploring the Internet. After that I felt like a zombie. Once I was so exhausted that I fall down from stairs because couldn’t control my body anymore.

Then, I had noticed, that I should limit the virtual life and focus more on real life. Living in a countryside is very real :) Coming here did me good. Good for my mental and physical health. Sitting in front of computer for all day is not natural behaviour for living mobile creature like a human. I just need to move a lot. So often I do kilometres walking across my farm lands here and there doing something.

Of course I try to save my energy and if I can do a couple of tasks during one walk – I do them. I don’t waste my time on walking to the edge of my land only to correct a wire. When I am coming back – I collect branches or stones for example. When you work alone at your farm, you should be well organised and save your time and energy, using them better in more thoughtful way.