house

The flash that was summer

It started with the ants, and it ended with the swallows. The first time I remember looking at the garden and thinking, "Now it must be...

Coming home again & acquisitions

I haven't been at Bastubacka for a long time, some four weeks. That is the longest absence since we acquired the place last summer. It's...

The Accidental Christmas

If there is one thing we have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, it's that we are not in charge. Well, we have learned a lot of things....

Giving up secrets

Moving into a new house, especially one where other people have lived for a long time, requires pulling back layers to figure out how...

More moving, more improvements

Another backbreaking day of moving furniture to and fro, up and down, back and forth. But look at the results! Kitchen This round table...

Hidden Treasures

Scavenging around the property, which dates from the 1880s, has yielded a few surprises. Some good, some bad. One rather nice thing we...

The Banker's Wife (how to cook lamb skewers)

"Ah, I've heard about you. You're that banker from Helsinki," said the man who sold us our lamb rump steaks at the farmer's market....

Home Improvements

What do you do with a house with no indoor plumbing, no septic tank, no indoor drain or waste water disposal? Well, if you live in...

Moving Day

After months of anticipation and a car packed to the breaking point, we arrived at our new home to find that ... Not everything was as we...