A visit to Sweden

What a great project.

Hope you had a great working holiday. The light looks great.

Lovely, so serene. Looks like a fun and bit of an adventure. I agree with Siris on lighting.

I think its all incredible! The Barn is like something out of Tolkien. Its the perfect spot for both inspiration and recuperation! Is it easy to travel to Linda? And are you considering thinning out the trees around the pond for access to the water?

It is a huge adventure and one we are all loving. The light is beautiful........great for painting.
I forgot to put the interior of the barn on this site Karen. I know you saw it on Facebook......it is like a cathedral.
The trees around the pond are being removed in the winter alone with the saplings in the woodland that are cutting out light and every second conifer round the perimeter of the orchard. The ponds are full of leaf mulch, so they will need dredging. I have friends out there willing to give me plants for round the ponds. Barley hay might clear it.
Ground elder and nettles are a bit of a problem although the cows will take care of them in the meadow. Any suggestions?
I know I cannot take plants from the uk, but I was wondering about seeds. Perhaps I can order online and deliver plants to Sweden that have been checked.
I also have been invited to a neighbour's garden in Sweden who is a keen gardener. She will know about garden centres. The Swedish have a restricted choice and different tastes in plants from the uk. :0/

What a lovely time together. You are good lookin' folks!

What a fantastic farm your sons have, lots of work to be done I can see.

What do the Swedes like to grow in their country? It would be fascinating to see some of their gardens & the plants they grow! The climate is so much different from our own their winters must be longer than ours with even less hours of light but I suppose, just like here, their summer days are also a lot longer.

That's a lovely place. Good luck to your sons with their project, and to you with the garden. I hope you give us updates on how it's going. It's interesting :)

Linda...a pig or two would sort out the weeds in the woodland! They used them at Cambo to clear their woods of Ivy! And you never know, they might find some Truffles! ;)

Thanks Bathgate, flattery will get you everywhere. The two boys at the back are mine and on the right is their friend Neil and family.
The Swedes in the Gothenburg area love their lawns, they have to cut them every three to four days in the summer as it grows so fast. We need a sit on lawn mower to make it all less exhausting. The boys need to keep open the paths to the ponds and the meadow. They love their Roses too. Apart from the wonderful trees and shrubs we have Irises, Ferns, Hostas, Phlox, Clematis, Honeysuckle, Astilbes, Euphorbia Hydrangea, Aquilega, Polemonium, Verbascum, Geraniums and lots of unidentified bulbs.
I have a new list of plants that don't mind the cold and others that the deer won't eat. The nights are light in the summer, but it is dark by two thirty in the winter.
There are wild hogs in the forest, Karen, but they stay away from the houses. We are borrowing four cows for the meadow. The boys hope to get a young couple to take over the meadow to produce vegetables for the restaurant. Perhaps a few pigs could be included. The season is shorter, but it is warm like London in the summer and drops to minus fifteen in the winter. People heat their houses with wood......if you ever fly over Sweden you will understand why. The boys hope to light the barn with solar energy. Enough said.........

Restaurant Linda?

2.30pm? Whoa..No wonder Wallander is so depressed! ;)

That looks a wonderful place to start a new and exciting project ...

There are two large rooms in the barn (behind the cars). They hope in time to have a kitchen and restaurant for their visitors. They will not be open in the winter as daylight is short. It is light by eight in the morning, so really it is the same as Scotland.

Its going to be amazing! Yes, not much different to here, you're right. :)

Will they be renting out rooms?

It will be for students of art who want to work on projects in the area. Mike has people in ceramics, glass, painting and sculpture at the Royal College willing to do master classes. They also have textile and fine art printers and musicians keen to come. They hope to involve the local community in lectures and school kids. John has done a lot of work with schools in the East End of London at the Olympic Park. They hope to build accommodation for different groups.......including family units.
It all depends on funding. They have the Minister of the Arts for Gothenburg visiting soon!!
It might end up just a holiday home for the family. Fingers crossed.

Im not sure which outcome you have your fingers crossed for Linda! ;)

:0))
I really want the boys to succeed in this one, but Barry and I intend to visit often.

:)) that would be perfect! :)

:0))