There are literally hundreds of miles of shoreline in the Stockholm area. No wonder that summer cottages close to the water abound. Since the island of Ingarö is very large and easily accessible by bridge, full-fledged civilization makes inroads in leaps and bounds. Many cottages are replaced by permanent homes. Living at the end of a dirt road, we are lucky not to be completely engulfed by "civilization" yet. For the time being we can go on with "slow living", whatever that means. To us it means hauling drinking water from a well 100 meters away, capturing and utilizing rain water for washing and dish washing, gaze at the stars, enjoy the sunshine, the many facets of rain, watch foxes, deer and the occasional moose. Our acceptance of insects, spiders, moths increases steadily. We are surrounded by bizarre pines, even Bonzai-like fledgling ones. Patches of lichen and moss are all around.
The outhouse we visit has to be emptied occasionally. There is a recycling station that has use for the stuff we leave there.
Some years blueberries abound, right now we are in a lean streak. Personally, I adore walking around barefoot, rain or shine, provided it's reasonably warm outside. To feel the different types of ground under your feet is great, bare rock, mosses, leaves and needles, gravel, grass, swampy spots. Touching the earth this way is sensual and spiritual. Of course, every year there are incidents when I regret it all bitterly, stepping on nasty roots or sharp pebbles, slimy slugs or taggy cones. So far I had no encounter with venomous vipers, which are seen sometimes.
Some priceless "slow" moments cannot be caught in pictures, like a scene a short while ago. We were having breakfast on the patio under a clear blue sky. Suddenly raindrops fell abundantly. On us. On our breakfasts. What the... how is this possible? It took a while before we realized that the wetness came from a plugged-up rain gutter overhead. A tiny white-brested nuthatch (a bird) was having a lively and extended bath up there. Very splashy. Very cute.
(All pictures taken on our lot.)
By the way: Not everything is slow around our house: We sport a high speed fibre internet connection... But: only in theory, it is not activated yet.
The outhouse we visit has to be emptied occasionally. There is a recycling station that has use for the stuff we leave there.
Some years blueberries abound, right now we are in a lean streak. Personally, I adore walking around barefoot, rain or shine, provided it's reasonably warm outside. To feel the different types of ground under your feet is great, bare rock, mosses, leaves and needles, gravel, grass, swampy spots. Touching the earth this way is sensual and spiritual. Of course, every year there are incidents when I regret it all bitterly, stepping on nasty roots or sharp pebbles, slimy slugs or taggy cones. So far I had no encounter with venomous vipers, which are seen sometimes.
Some priceless "slow" moments cannot be caught in pictures, like a scene a short while ago. We were having breakfast on the patio under a clear blue sky. Suddenly raindrops fell abundantly. On us. On our breakfasts. What the... how is this possible? It took a while before we realized that the wetness came from a plugged-up rain gutter overhead. A tiny white-brested nuthatch (a bird) was having a lively and extended bath up there. Very splashy. Very cute.
(All pictures taken on our lot.)
By the way: Not everything is slow around our house: We sport a high speed fibre internet connection... But: only in theory, it is not activated yet.
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