Blisters, Bleeding noses, Black nails and Baking Bread

Well nearly 4 days have past since I arrived at Bäckdal. My first full day of the farm comprised almost wholly of picking/cutting/freezing strawberries (I’m surprised I didn’t dream about them!). So many (too many) grow in the patches here and, since they do not sell them or give them away commercially, the strawberries are sprinkled with sugar then frozen. We also took a trip to a nearby store and in the evening I explored the fields and forest surrounding the house. The cattle were grazing in the same field and as I walked with my back to them, I began to here the galloping of hooves (oh dear). I turned around to see a cow running towards me! Or rather, at me! Crivens...! I immediately stopped and so did it (thankfully). Anders had told me that initially the cows will gather round and have a good sniff before the ‘accept’ you. So slooooowwwwly I walked back to the house, feeling accepted by the cattle (yay!) and my heart rate return to normal.


My tasks over the past few days have included working on the potato patch, covering big patches of nettles with plastic sheets (to kill them) and cleaning out one of the garages. I don’t think my nails have been completely clean since I got here and my skin on my hands is a bomb site, haha…Friday and Saturday were beautiful sunny days but yesterday rained almost the whole day so I got to chill out and read for most of it :), which was good because it was a Sunday. Sweden is a very secular country and few people go to church. Therefore, the day doesn’t seem any different to the rest of the week.
Today, Mia, a French wwoofer arrived. It’s nice have someone else closer to my age to work with. We worked together scraping old paint of the window frames to prepare them for painting over the next few days.



Now I’ll take a moment to comment on lunch – it’s ace – mostly cause it’s very like breakfast, and I like breakfast foods a lot. Like I said there are strawberries galore so we have them at nearly every meal. Work makes you hungry so I feel like I’m eating tonnes! Karin has also been preparing and baking lots of bread since coming back from the summer house yesterday. As if eating the fresh bread wasn’t nice enough, the house is filled with a wonderful, warm, bready smell when it’s baking.


In the evening, there’s usually music around the house. Anders like the Rolling Stones and has a pretty good mix on Spotify! Sadly the only music I'm able to make is on my harmonica! I’ve spied a guitar, two pianos and drums in one of the rooms but I’m not sure if we’re allowed in there. Maybe I’m just being shy. The family are very musical. Anders and Karin have 4 children, 3 girls and a boy, who all play instruments. One of the daughters lives in Canada (and works in computer animation on films like King Kong), where their son is currently visiting. Of the other daughters, one lives in southern Sweden and is a music teacher and the other is moving to France I think. Anyway, between them they play the violin, cello, guitar and piano and most play more than one.

In my free time, I’m trying to get to grips with my SLR camera and this Thursday, Friday and Saturday there is a music festival in Piteå, which I think we might head along to for a day. All Swedish acts, which will be interesting.

I made a cool discovery last night. I found out that two of the wwoofers from last year were also St. Andrews students and one of them was a girl who was one of my flatmates best friends! I knew she wwoofed in Sweden but it’s cool to find she came to the exact same farm!
Tomorrow we’re taking a second crack at the paint scraping, then we’re off to pick cloudberries in the forest (where I’ve been told there are bears…who also like to eat the berries). Wish me luck!

Good evening!

P.S. Re bleeding noses – I blew my nose too much and while working on the potato patch it began to bleed. End of story. It was a cool addition to my alliterative title though so I thought I’d add it in.

P.P.S. Anders took of photo of me with the tissue round me nose, haha! He seems to pop up with his camera when you’re least expecting it and least appreciate it!