When we found our dream home it reminded a small jungle – nature growing wild for years without human touch. So our first task was uncovering our dream home and taming the wild nature.
It has been an emotional trip with many difficult decisions. On one side we fell in love with this wild nature and untouched garden, but at the same time, we need a space to move in the garden. A place to chill and grill, a place for kids to play, and for that, we need a garden where you can walk around without climbing on trees and getting lost in underwood.
One step at a time
We have a vision of a spacious garden around the house with several places to just enjoy the weather and fresh air. We know it takes time, but we will get there. The first time standing in the garden as owners was a bit overwhelming – looking around and realizing that all that is ours. For real. Our search is over.
We started out by clearing underwood in the front garden and within a few hours, it was transformed. The vision started to come to life in baby steps. I think I have never ever waited for the snow to melt this much before. And not only because it was an extremely long and cruel winter, but because it was stopping us from working in the dream home. It’s kind of hard to cut underwood while snow is over knee-high. Possible, but yeah – hard.
Spring uncovering surprises popping up
Finally, spring came by! And around the garden little sweet surprises started to pop up. Flowers. Flowers everywhere! The first ones I found were daffodils – one of my favorites! But since we didn’t had a clue what and where are growing there in late autumn when we made our first attempts to clear the garden by raking the leaves – we had placed them over the flower bed. So I spent a few hours saving them. So they could be free and start blooming when they are strong enough.
After that almost every visit, there has given new surprise flowers – snowdrops, tulips, Polygonatum multiflorum, peonies. I GOT SO MANY FLOWERS! And they were just there without me doing anything about it. Day after day this garden has slowly revealed how magnificent it has once been and could be again. With just a little love and guidance to live together – humans and nature.
Uncovering our dream home is exhausting
Although every trip is physically challenging and exhausting we return happy, with a bittersweet flavor. It’s sad to leave, every time. But we have to, we can’t stay there yet. The house needs a lot of work there is a hand pump well and even plumbing to the house, also electricity – but the house has been on its own for years so we have to be careful. Testing everything and letting cables checked by professional.
So after a check-up and a few supplies, we were ready to redo an electrical panel, and with some hiccups – we did it! Connected fuses, tested and after installing the first socket we were anxious to know does it really work. So we tested with a disc cutter – what a beautiful sound! This loud sound signaled that we have safe electricity and I just installed successfully my first electrical panel.*
And this meant also we are one step closer! With some struggles, we managed to rent a container office for weatherproof and safe shelter. Working electrical panel enabled us to connect it with it and this meant we have a place to make some food without the grill (which I do love but is damn time-consuming!). And most important – we can make coffee!
First night at dream home
This also meant it was all set to spend the first night in a dream home. I know it’s not the actual house, but still. Since the kids had some events in the next day so in the evening my better half and kids left and I stayed behind. It was kind of a weird feeling to close the gate and see them drive off. At the same time, it felt right – like I was at home.
So I resumed my work in the garden, prepping veggie beds for my green babies. And I must say it turned out to be harder than I thought. We did first digging together with an older kid and I believed that the harder part was over. That we already softened the ground and removed bigger roots of the weed and Japanese knotweed.
Oh, I was wrong. So after they left I continued and started forming actual veggie beds and this revealed more and more new roots. After a few hours, I was tired and decided to call it a day. Collected the tools and put them in to shed and started to look for some good place for evening chilling in the sun before bedtime.
I was kind of nervous about sleeping alone but it was too late and I was physically exhausted so I fell asleep pretty quick after a “goodnight call” with the better half. I even suspect that he was more worried about me being there than me. And soon enough I was woken by loud singing birds in the morning. There is something magical about drinking morning coffee in the sun in the middle of nature. And I can’t wait to do that daily!
Our little paradise
It starting to look like a place where is human life. Still, we have so much to do – we need to fix the water plumbing and create a space to wash and do laundry – the last steps to move permanently there. It is scary and exciting at the same time – how to I fit all our belongings in this little container office? Select what we really need on a daily basis and what not. I guess I need a crash course in minimalism for a family of four?
*Side note I used to work as a low-voltage technician so I have training and expertise for cable installments. Don’t try to install or connect cables without training or at least an expert supervisor to keep things safe. Electricity isn’t forgiving of mistakes!
