Gott nytt år!

Här kommer några bilder som sammanfattar ganska bra vad vi har haft för oss här...

holzhacken

We said we would have a real holiday for a change, not work our asses off. Drink good wine, eat good food, read books in front of the fireplace. Make some firewood was the only physical activity we planned and it is going really well. We had some already bunkered when Ursula and Niklas took care of the one or other dead tree or branch. We almost cleaned off the planks we had stores under the terrace. Slowly but surely we aim to clean off the other places as well, but we know we have a few yeas worth of firewood from the old roof and the bits and pieces that were over from the construction of the new roof. And next year we will get a new terrace so much new firewood is going to be the side effect of that.

only a small bit of the wood from the old roof

Golvvärme

Golvvärme är skönt. Ju närmare golvet man befinner sig dessto mer värme kan man njuta. Och om man tex lägger sig just där alla varma rör går ut I golvet får man ut max. Om den platsen råkar vara upptagen så får man hålla tillgodo med den näst bästa/varmaste. Den där rören till duschen och till lilla rummet passerar genom duschdörren. Jag la en termometer där jämte Mimmi. Den visar på 30 grader...

Topinambour

Harvest in the snow.  Lots of "Jerusalem artichoke" we set last year. Looking forward to good soups and to see if Rita may like and adopt. These must be the easiest plants to grow. You stick them in the ground, they flower a bit like sunflowers, as tall, and when you take them out the root system gives wonderful tubers.  I may even try them raw, thinly thinly sliced.

first winter in Casario

Friday was a long day for all 4 of us and Niklas and I were extra nervous because we for the first time flew down with the cats. We left the house at quarter to 9 in the morning and arrived in Casario at about 8 in the evening.  What can I say.. The cats are best travellers.

We arrived to a winter wonderland and we're a bit worried if we would make it up the mountain without snow chains but all went well and after a meal and a bottle of wine from the cellar we snuggled up in the bed.
It took us two days to get the upper floor warmed up,  the new heater is great and by Xmas we have the whole house warm.

Rita took care of some of our products from the garden after we had left and gave us this box..

the leaning tower of Casario

I had only two projects in the house this year: take off the paint from the planks on the balcony and oil them was the first and easy one. Build in the pipes that are coming down from the solar panels through the living room to be was the other job. It wasn't as easy, and high up on the ladder it got pretty skaky, but now it is done and whoever does the plastering will just have to put on a little thicker layer to even it out. We are packing already and tomorrow we are on our way back to Sweden via train, ferry and road.

rain gutters just in time

We had unfinished business in our rain drains for the last few years. But finally we got the plumber to do the dangerous climbs up and down the ladders to fix them. One is a bit of an eye sore but that was necessary because the pipe would otherwise end in the middle of our property and the water would wash away our soil. So we decided for now to have a temporary solution and either we build a pergola to hide the hideous pipe or we will redo it so it goes straight down and then dig it an underground pathway so it won't erode our garden. And as soon as we were done we had use of it, it has been raining on and off the last three days, maybe even the sky is crying that Uta and Stefan have departed.

Pre-Opening auf Schlosshotel Vinimar: guest blog of Uta and Stefan Geim

Schlosshotel Vinimar präsentiert sich in diesen Tagen in einem veritablen Voreröffnungsstatus, so dass deren Besitzer Niklas und Martina zu einem inoffiziellen Test einluden. Es galt folgende Fragen zu klären: -wird es höchsten Komfort-ansprüchen Genüge leisten ? -wird die Küche internationalen Sterne Anforderungen standhalten? -stehen bereits alle Möbel und Betten –nach Feng Shu-i an ihrem richtigem Platz ? -reisst sich das Hauspersonal förmlich alle 4 Pfoten für die Gäste aus ? Um diese Fragen schnell zu beantworten : JA !!!!!!!!!! Zwar befindet sich der Status der Fertigstellung erst auf dem Niveau von Schloss Neuschwanstein, dies ist allerdings-wie die meisten wissen-bereits 200 Jahre alt und in Casario gibt es definitiv weniger Japaner (mit Fotoapparaten) als in Schwangau. Aber nun zurück zum Schlosshotel: Schon bei der Ankunft präsentierte der Hausherr routiniert das Anwesen und zeigte dabei, dass er ein wahrer Tausendsassa in Haus und Hof ist. Die Dame des Hauses offerierte den müden Ankommenden auf charmante Art ein Gläschen Prosecco, den sie vorher liebevoll aus dem reichhaltigen Weinkeller ausgewählt hat. Während die beiden fleissigen Geister des Hauses –Mimi und Blondi (letztere bellt nur selten!) unser Gepäcke begutachteten , fühlten wir uns bereits wie zuhause und das sollte auch bis zum Ende unseres Aufenthaltes so bleiben, denn die Küche, die unter besonderer Beobachtung des Hausherren steht, bringt prächtiges hervor: dabei verdient die ”Trota della grilla” besondere Beachtung. Diese erweist sich als Offenbarung! An dieser Stelle ein klares Bitte : weiter so , Maitre !!! Aber auch die abendlichen Kamingespräche –manchmal gingen sie auch über den Kamin und dessen Anlieferung-waren sehr informativ und kurzweilig, sie liessen das ein oder andere Augenzwinkern nicht vermissen Wir haben dabei klar herausgearbeitet: 1) Esel können nicht fliegen (sagt Greenpeace) 2) Die Erde ist keine Scheibe (sagt inzwischen auch der Papst) 3) Atomkraft wird in Deutschland erst ab 2023 sicher (sagt die Kanzlerin Angelika Kohl) DANKE für die lustigen Abende mit Euch Tja nun sind unsere Testtage bei Euch schon wieder fast zu Ende und uns bleibt nur festzustellen: Test auf allen Ebenen bestanden –oder wie der Gouvernator so schön sagt: I(we)´ll be back* (*soll keine Drohung sein ) Das 50:50 Team Uta und Stephan

the very very very nice guest room waiting for you

many people have contributed to this room: first I have taken off all plaster from the ceiling, there was a few new openings and one that had to be closed, sandro did some but also ms muratore came into play. Oh yes and the windows had to be changed with shiny energy efficient three glass ones. Then the floor and the sand beneath it had to be taken off, manually carried out. Next step: filling the valves in the floor with a blend of insulating material, then adding more insulation and the floor heating and a special floor coating. The year after new plastering was added to the roof and the sides, not before Niklas had put metal wire and new electricity all around, and then came the wonderful brother and put tiles on the floor and in the bathroom. Painting the walls and roof was the next step and then all was left was a lot of cleaning. The table is one of the few remaining furnitures, made by one of the guys who lived here 50 or so years ago. It got sanded down and a new drink of oil. Only a few details to be fixed.. like doors.. but .. we feel this room will be perfect to host Uta and her husband next week and hopefully many more after that.. i think i may have an inauguration shower in there tonight..

Nät

Efter helgens utflykt med vinprovning och inköp på en fantastisk vingård så är vi tillbaka i vardagen. Katterna ute från morgon till kväll, Martina på kontorsstolen (nåja.. en gammal köksstol) och jag på en stege eller en ställning. Vi har en lista på sånt vi vill ha gjort innan vi åker norrut igen och en av alla saker är att ta sig an den ruttna tanden i huset, det som ska bli vårt sovrum (Det har funnits många ruttna tänder här men dom flesta är lagade och skinande vita). Rummet har valvtak och förra året knackade vi försiktigt bort all gammal puts. Under putsen visade sig stora sprickor. De år som taket läckte och vatten har trängt in har satt sina spår och innan ny puts kan slängas på har vi bestämt oss för att näta rummet med ett metallnät. Man vill ju inte ligga där sen i sängen och fundera på om man ska få en sten i huvet. Nej, sova tryggt vill man ju göra :-)

Valdinferno

När vi tittar ut på vår utsikt ser vi minst 5 bergskammar. Igår som var Lördag besökte vi en av dem som heter Valdinferno. Vägen slingrar sig upp till 1200-meternånting och väl uppe möts man av en fantastisk eller kanske snarare en dramatisk utsikt. Härifrån går också ett flertal vandringsleder och vi blev sugna på att testa en av dessa den närmsta tiden.. men kanske inte just nu när det är över 30 grader i skuggan.. vi väntar på en molnig dag :-)

luxury lunches

Lunches are usually good in Casario. Pasta with a good sauce and a sallad from the garden. Somethimes though we get lucky and Rita our neighbour brings squash flowers. How you eat them? first you take off the stem, because it is bitter. Then you dip the flower in egg and then in flour, then you bake it in real butter in a nice pan. Sprinkle some lemon over, eat with a garden sallad and feel like you are in heaven... i had hoped we could treat Isadora with this, but she did not stay long enough.. Next year?

sunday delights

Sunday again. Last Sunday we spent with Staffan, Mariette and Isadora eating and eating and eating, this Sunday we are on our own and no such excesses are happening. Instead we took to the little piece of land. It was already hot at 9 in the morning, so we chose to do garden work in the shadow. Niklas cleared two thirds of the space under the walnut trees, much easier this year thanks to Ursula Woerners heroic work last year!!. And i had a go at one of our apple trees. Read in a book that the month of June July and August are best to cut fruit trees, so we try it out on one and have a look at the result next year.

Måla måla

3 gånger måste man måla innan det täcker. Upp och ned för stegen, ställningen.. 5 meter i takhöjd på högsta stället.. Det tar sin tid men nu kan man bocka av det på listan!..och tack Mariette för första strykningen! Vi kan bocka av en hel del faktiskt.. oljade balkar och målade "nycklar", belysningen i trappan, klinker och kakel i gästrum och dusch.. toalett och tvättställ monterat.. vatten och avlopp i vårt badrum och kök.. gas i köket mm mm.. Det har varit 2 bra veckor. Fortsätt så!