Sara Mac Keys wonderful pictures from the wood hermitage – article ”tillbaka till framtiden” (back to the future) – published in the latest Hemslöjden magazine. Swedes can read the entire text in the news site on our website!
Thank you Celia, Sara and Malin for letting us share article and pictures on our website and blog!
Link to Hemslöjden magazine
-10 °C tonight. Sunny day, clear blue sky.
And: the solar is working, actually heating the water!
Days are getting about 35 minutes longer each week right now. So good to get the light back! Now the light is harsh, clear and cold. But I love it!
We tried to walk on the ice today – but it is rather thin, yet. Too thin actually. Longing for trying out my skates.
Found this artwork in the snow, made by the wind.
Urnatur is nominated as one of three Swedish eco tourism entrepreneurs for the Grand Travel Awards Eco Tourism price for 2012.
The prize is awarded on Wednesday 22 February to the organizer that is bringing to life Swedish eco-tourism the best in the past year.
Cross your fingers!
And: Thank You everybody out there who nominated us :)
After all these storms winter finally has arrived.
Hope it will stay for a while.
So white and beautiful.
Happy New Year 2012
stairway to heaven
Urnatur proudly presents:
Now you can book your stay in our wood hermitage online :)
You can book huts online for July-August 2012. Other dates (april-october) can be booked of groups (private or company) on request…
You can also book hermit nights, b&b and our summer-courses!
Merry Christmas from Urnatur
//Ulrika & Håkan
after the rain
Often our guests reflect upon our forest. It is so beautiful they say. What is it that makes it so beautiful?
There is a 5 minutes radio program every morning called ”tankar för dagen” (thoughts of the day). Two days ago a biologist/journalist talked about the Swedish forest. Though there was nothing really new in what she said to me (as I am a biologist as well) I got deeply touched the way she described it. Her conclusion kind of was that we are deceived to call areas with trees ”forest” no matter if it is only a tree orchard or a real natural old forest. Because of that it is easy implementing into peoples minds that about 2/3 of Sweden is covered with forest which is misleading and confusing as most of it actually are planted young tree orchards.
We are concerned about the last rainforests cut down in the Amazonas- at the same time we cut down Swedens last old natural forests. Her conclusion was there should be different names for real forests and the tree orchards we inadequately call forest as well. In fact we do not call man made water reservoirs lakes and we do not call man made canals rivers.
Urnatur means ancient nature, nature that maintains its original natural values.
Unfortunately the value of forest increases to insane proportions and today it practically seen not possible to buy forest without financing it by making clear cuts. People who don´t need the money are persuaded and lured to take down their forest anyway as the forest companies make them believe the trees are ”mature”, like grain, and will be ruined if not taken down immediately. What a nonsense. But of course. The land owner has a hard time saying no when imagining the money it will bring and the forest company of course wants them to take down the forest as the industries need the timber and their employees need the job.
So. There are a lot of misunderstandings and lack of knowledge about forest out there. With present timber prices that are ridiculously high the pressure on the woods is immense.
Of course the answer can be made into a science, but really it is a easy thing. Just leave it to its natural successions! Be not too eager tidying up when trees are dying or coming down with a storm. Keep in mind that dead trees (both standing up and fallen down)have a ”life after death”. They are necessary if we want to keep a multitude of different species like woodpeckers, owls and other birds, lichens, insects…
We need wet and swampy areas just as we need dry spots, we need dark forests just as we need open areas. We need a mixture of old and young trees. The diversity gives us the biodiversity. A forest orchard will give us lots of raspberries for some years but not the continuity our species need to be able to survive in the long term.
I think people instinctively can feel our forest is allowed to be natural even if they are not professionals. Though (or maybe ”as”) at Urnatur the forest is our place of work we actually put the forest in the first place. And this harmony and balance our guests subconsciously can feel.
More eco tourism would be good for Sweden!
You want to make an effort for old forest in Sweden? Well, there are of course different ways, as , for land owners, not cutting down the forest in the first place. Here is a site where you can contribute to make a difference: a click for the forest – make a click every day!
It is for free but helps funding to be able to keep old forests.
But we need to do more!
Finally got some time to think. Now we have a plan :) and we are looking forward to a busy year 2012 with lots of news. Can´t wait to fill Urnatur with people and activities- will let you know soon!
To remember this special date we thought we ought to do something we love …
The best thing we know is to sit at a fire at one of our favorite spots here in the hermitage. So that is what we did!
The 11.11.11 at 11.11.
Had a cup of black Swedish boiling coffee and a yummy cake…
Hailey celebrated with a carrot.
Yesterday evening the storm finally was decreasing.
Normally I do not carry around my camera – but when I was out with Hailey for a walk the moon looked down on me covered in a soft cloud that looked like a baby pink cotton-wool pad. But I was not quick enough to get my camera. But I took the picture below – a view over lake Visjö with the final rests of the storm blowing away. If you know it you can see hundreds of Canada geese on the water. Resting for the night – on their way to the South.
Now it is definately getting colder. In the North they had 10 cm snow. It seems the birds had to rest for a couple of days during the storm and now are in a hurry to move on. Today there have been thousands and thousands of cranes passing by. There is a constant concert in the air. Cranes gaining height and moving on in the form of pearl necklaces. This morning there was such a long string of cranes in a row. When they had passed over and I could see them from behind they finally appeared like a mirage, their wing beats like the boiling air over the asphalt street a hot summer day…
20°C. Incredible. Roses start flowering again, pumpkins are still growing in the vegetable garden. Not too late to take a swim in the lake yet…
Remember last year? Here it was -25°C in the beginning of November – only about a month from now! I will never forget that as we just renovated our wood-heating system and had a huge hole from where you could see right out to the milky way through the chimney in the kitchen. Brrrrrr.
Well, these are not pictures from yesterday. It is from the end of august. But the warm days remind me of summer just as these pictures from a school class trip to Sjögetorp. Final competitions!
